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It had only been ten minutes and thirty-two seconds since Haejoon left the apartment when Eunyung started to feel dizzy. At first he thought nothing of it. Eunyung wasn't the type to fall ill. Despite that one time in high school, he hadn't gotten sick since. He'd kept a steady schedule of eating healthily, exercising regularly and taking his vitamins when needed. He was a rising actor after all, naturally he had to take care of himself.
But even so, he wasn't superhuman. No matter what expectations he held himself up to.
Eunyung had been packing his familiar red bag when a sudden shot of pain pierced through his head. He winced and held a finger up to his temple. It couldn't be that bad, right? He looked over to the cabinet where they kept all their medicines and searched for the painkillers.
It was a simple enough looking kitchen they had, connected to the living area in an open floor layout, with a large window that overlooked the city to one side while the other lead down a hallway to the front door. Over the two years they'd been living together, Eunyung had slowly managed to decorate the place more and more since he moved in.
There was finally a proper carpet on the floor, a sofa by a minimalistic glass coffee table, where a TV was set up in front. Behind all of that was a bit of open space between the sofa and the kitchen, where Eunyung had installed a few high chairs to use by the front counter. He remembers the day he'd finally finished bringing life to the apartment, standing proudly as he plugged in the final lamp and dusted off his hands. Not to mention the painting job he'd done in the bedroom, which made it feel a lot more homey than before.
Once Haejoon had seen all the effort he'd gone through to make the place seem nicer, he surprisingly wasn't all that mad. He actually seemed... happy??
After that, Eunyung had come home to fairy lights strung up in their room, new shelves, curtains, and various plants on the windowsill. He'd lit up so brightly that Haejoon almost went into shock the moment Eunyung came toppling over him in a swift tackle-hug.
This mangy, dark apartment that had once scared Haejoon had slowly become home to the both of them. And now, as Eunyung fumbled through the cabinets, he realised how grateful he was for it all.
To have someone like Haejoon, who actually cared. Someone who worried whenever he was hurt. Someone who waited outside in the freezing cold or pouring rain just to see him again. Someone who understood him on a level that no one else did. Someone... who he considered family. His only family.
Eunyung smiled as he took a swig of his water and swallowed the tablets in one gulp. He readied himself, putting on his trainers, swinging his bag over his shoulder and reaching for the doorknob. It's just a small headache. I'll be fine.
It wasn't fine.
In fact, it had only gotten worse.
Not wanting to worry Haejoon, Eunyung had opted to public transport it back home instead of staying at the shoot. He knew how long the other's day at work could be so he didn't want to disturb him. It took mere moments of him walking through the apartment door before he practically collapsed.
It felt like his entire body was on fire. The room warped around him, feeling warmer and warmer by the second. Eunyung ripped off his coat and jumper and lay there on the floor until his temperature subsided in nothing but his t-shirt and boxers. Except it didn't subside. It only felt hotter.
The length of his hair certainly wasn't helping as it tickled around his neck, causing him to sweat (as if he wasn't already disgustingly covered in it everywhere). He struggled to tie it up into a bun so it would stop bothering him but a sudden feeling of drowsiness overcame him, causing his hands to drop.
As Eunyung lay there, eyes closing, he kept his gaze toward the door. Reminding him of a time in his life when no one was there to help.
"Eunyung-ah? Wake up."
The small boy's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a woman hovering over him. Ah, his mother had finally come home. Eunyung began to smile but before he could...
"You silly child! What on earth are you doing on the floor??" She grabbed him by the arm and lifted him up.
Eunyung felt like he could barely stand.
He stuttered out a few words, "M...Ma... my head..."
All he heard in reply was a sigh.
"Just what I need after coming back from work, a sick child. Your father's going to be very upset with you, you know that, right? How many times have we told you to not play outside in the rain for so long. And what about school? You aren't going again? What kind of child are you?"
It was true he hadn't gone in a while. And it was true he had been outside, but it was only to answer the door. For a package his father had ordered. With whatever money he was leeching off of from his mother.
"But... B-But Ma-"
"Come, let's get you into bed. Before your father wakes up."
He stumbled along as his mother lead him into the tiny room they called his. It was plain, unwelcoming, dark. But it was the only safe place in this home. In the safety of his blanket, through visions and dreams, Eunyung could pretend that this place wasn't real. That his real home was much different. That his parents truly loved him.
That someone did.
Someone....
Someone...... calling him..?
"Eunyung.."
"....Eunyung!!"
A figure rushed over from the apartment door. He hurriedly shuffled off his shoes and didn't even bother taking off his coat before walking over to the blonde splayed out on the floor.
Haejoon's concerned face finally came into Eunyung's view. And somewhat surprisingly, the blonde smiled.
"Welcome... home..." he managed to mumble out.
The other man stood over him baffled. "Ya, what happened?? Are you sick?? Hurt?? Hey, say something!"
With his limited medical knowledge, Haejoon was not the best to be put in a situation like this. He'd barely functioned when he himself had been sick, and after living with Eunyung, he hadn't had to worry too much about taking care of himself. Eunyung was truly a godsend when Haejoon was ill. But the other way around...
Quickly, Haejoon lifted up Eunyung's curly fringe and placed his hand onto the other's forehead. An expression of shock fell over him.
"You have a fever..." Haejoon glanced over the other man's face.
He didn't seem like he was present at all. "Huh? Fever? What.. what are you talking about sunbae.."
Before Eunyung could mumble out any more nonsense, Haejoon rose to his feet. He picked the other up gently using his arms to guide him over to the sofa. Once he'd managed to get him laying down (which took a surprisingly large amount of effort since the guy didn't want to listen) Haejoon rushed back over to the front door.
"I'm going to go pick up some medicine, so just stay over there and rest for now, okay?" He called back.
"Hmmm~?" He vaguely heard Eunyung hum, and took that as a yes before he swiftly left the apartment.
Fortunately for them, the apartment was quite close by to the high street. Their pharmacy was only a two minute walk away, so Haejoon had returned shortly after he'd left. He had wasted no time in taking off his shoes and coat and hurrying over to the kitchen to find something to use to give Eunyung his medicine. Judging by the state of the kitchen, there wasn't anything to eat for dinner either.
A quick glance at the clock told him it was already 8 p.m. Just how long had Eunyung been lying on their apartment floor for?
While Eunyung was typically the resident cook in their home, Haejoon wasn't terrible at it. He could cope just fine but was definitely not an expert. He'd need to call for help in a situation like this. Someone who knew what to make for those that were sick...
He came to the solution just as he walked over to the sofa to feed Eunyung his fever meds. Haejoon grew even more concerned by the sight of his current state. The other was sprawled out on the sofa, his white shirt drenched in sweat, blonde strands of hair looking oily and darker than usual. He had one arm over his head as his eyes drooped every so often. It was hard to tell whether the guy was awake or not.
Haejoon sat down on the floor and shuffled closer to him. He reached a gentle hand over Eunyung's arm and carefully pulled it away from his head.
"...Eunyung."
"....wha....?"
"Here," he lifted his head up slightly and placed one of the cushions from the sofa behind it. "You have to drink this if you wanna get better."
The blonde's eyes glazed over Haejoon's hands and the bottle that was in them. He reached over, and Haejoon felt relief wash over him, thinking he was well enough to take it himself. But instead of the bottle being taken, he found himself being pulled forward.
"Wh-"
"Your hands are so cold...."
Eunyung pressed the back of Haejoon's hand against his left cheek. This was probably a terrible idea. To be so close to someone with a fever. Haejoon should've moved. Should've pulled his hand back. But...
"I don't want... the medicine..." Eunyung complained, shifting so that he was laying his cheek onto the other's hand. "It looks... disgusting..."
Even while delirious, Eunyung was still a brat.
Haejoon sighed, "I'm not giving you a choice, idiot. Do you want to get better?"
He looked over at the other and found that he was already staring into him. Eunyung's hazel eyes bore into his, suddenly unreadable. For a second, nothing else existed. It was just them looking at each other. Reading into each other's souls. Haejoon felt Eunyung sigh into his hand as his eyelids drooped.
"Fine..."
Satisfied with his reluctant answer, Haejoon sat him up a bit more so he could feed the meds properly. The instructions were two daily at different times of the day, so he gave him just one at first. Eunyung barely held it together but Haejoon wasn't having it so he forced it down anyway. The guy looked like he was about to puke so Haejoon prepped a glass of water, some wet cloth for his forehead, then let him rest.
It was gonna be a long night ahead of them, and Eunyung needed the rest to get better soon. Just as Haejoon got up to leave, he felt something caught on the hem of his sleeve. Slightly surprised, he glanced back to see a sleepy Eunyung with his pillow half-covering his face as he reached out to him.
"Don't go yet sunbae... stay..."
The 'sunbae' in question rolled his eyes. Before sitting down beside the sofa and watching over his troublesome dongsaeng. What a handful.
"Omo, Eunnie has a fever? But even so.. why call me for? I'm sure Juwan would be happy to help you two."
The sound of Juwan's mother's voice came through the speaker of Haejoon's phone as he began prepping the kitchen to cook. The truth was, he didn't want to worry their friends with all of this. They were all quite busy these days. And he knew Eunyung well enough to know he'd be even more irritated if there was a worried nagging Juwan in their apartment while he was sick.
"Oh, well... I thought it'd be best to get your advice. Whenever I'm sick, Eunyung is the one who cooks and takes care of me. I'm not exactly sure what's best for him to be eating in this condition, and I thought-"
I thought a mother would know best.
A slight laugh can be heard from his phone, "Ahhh, I see~ No need to explain any further, you know I'm always happy to help! Are you sure you don't want me to bring anything over?"
"Ah, no, that's alright. Just.. what do you think I should feed him?"
"Well...." Juwan's mother goes quiet for a moment, "If his fever is quite high, than perhaps mul namyeong is best. If you think its not so bad and is going down, then I'd suggest any jjigae you feel confident making."
Her voice reflects the brightness of her attitude and Haejoon can't help but smile fondly at her advice. "Thank you, imo. I'll be sure to do just that."
"Of course!"
The phone goes silent for just a second, but when Haejoon's about to hang up he hears her speak up again.
"Ah, Haejoon... could I ask you something quite.. personal?"
He turned his head to look at the phone, turning it off speaker and holding it up to his ear. That's strange. She's never really asked something like this before.
"Uh, sure. What is it?"
"Eunyung's parents, they... didn't treat him well, did they?"
Ah. Haejoon figured she already knew from how worried Juwan was during the incidents with Eunyung's parents in high school, but he supposed Juwan didn't tell his mother absolutely everything.
Haejoon spoke quietly, "No, they didn't."
"Then, I'm glad. That you're with him now."
"You... are?"
He heard her beaming through the phone, "Of course! I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been. And to think of how lonely you were before, I'm so glad you two are together.."
Haejoon paused. He didn't think anyone thought this way about them. That they were happy they'd found each other. Sure, their friends were glad too. But coming from Juwan's mother it felt different. It felt like...
Like a mother's approval.
"Thank you, imo. That means a lot." He smiled fondly, looking back at the sofa. "If you'd ever like to visit, let me know."
"Oh, Haejoon, you're too sweet. My own son hasn't even asked me to visit yet." She laughed, then sighed contently. "Take care of yourself, alright? Both of you."
"We will."
And just like that, Haejoon had decided what to make for dinner.
After setting the table, Haejoon placed two futons on either side and turned to the sofa to wake up Eunyung. The man had been asleep for the entire time he'd been cooking. Hopefully he'd gotten a good amount of rest, but he'd still need food to regain his stamina and health.
Haejoon carefully shook the guy by his arm and spoke to wake him up.
"Ya, Baek Eunyung. It's time to eat."
Slowly, the blonde opened his eyes. Blinking a few times and rubbing them as he tried to sit up.
"Ugh... what time is it?"
"Doesn't matter. You need to eat."
Eunyung looks at him with an annoyed expression, "Of course it matters, I was supposed to make-"
He catches sight of the food across the table and pauses in awe. There's two warm bowls of soft tofu jjigae laid out on the table, as well as a fresh pot of mul namyeong in the centre. Haejoon's already laid out the chopsticks and cushions to sit on the floor. To Eunyung's surprise the food smells amazing.
"Come on then," Haejoon guides him over to sit, which the other barely processes.
"You-" Eunyung coughs, causing Haejoon to stop and move to grab his water. But Eunyung waves it off as if to say its fine. He keeps a hand near his mouth when he talks, "You made all this?"
They finally sit down, Haejoon shuffling up beside the other. Their shoulders are touching but it's not like they aren't used to the closeness. Eunyung can feel warmth radiating off of Haejoon, the remnants of his hard work as he'd slaved over the kitchen counter for god knows how long since Eunyung really can't tell what day it even is right now.
He takes a moment to look over Haejoon, anticipating his reply as the other starts to feed him without a word. Haejoon's features are so defined in the dim light of their apartment. Eunyung wants to appreciate each and every part of him.
Haejoon lifts a spoonful up to feed him with a hand underneath to make sure it doesn't spill, "Who else would've made it, dumbass? Obviously I did."
He feeds the jjigae to Eunyung, making sure it isn't too hot first before giving it.
Eunyung chews and his eyes light up in astonishment, "Wah, I didn't think you were this good."
"Hey, I might not be an amazing chef like you but I can at least cook a decent meal."
"Forget decent this is delicious!" Eunyung exclaims, then points to his mouth.
Haejoon rolls his eyes. "You can feed yourself, y'know."
"And yet, here you are doing it for me."
They stare into each other for a few more seconds. Haejoon frowns a little, then seems to give in. He feeds another spoonful then grabs his own chopsticks to take a bite for himself. Eunyung does take a few bites on his own, but he also reaches over and places a piece of soft tofu or some noodles in Haejoon's mouth every now and then.
It's typical of them to share food in this way. They're used to eating similar things, and ever since Chuseok happened and they started going out to eat every year it became a habit of feeding the other stuff they liked.
"Has your fever gone down?" Haejoon reached over and pressed his hand against the other's forehead.
Eunyung shrugged, and ended up coughing again just as he'd asked. "Ugh, I guess not..."
"You're still pretty warm... you should keep resting after you eat. I'll take care of the dishes."
Haejoon feeds him another bite before Eunyung can protest any further.
After finally finished washing the dishes, Haejoon takes off his gloves and glances back to see how Eunyung's doing. He'd put the TV on thinking the other would want to watch but he seemed to fall asleep on the sofa almost immediately after their meal. Haejoon washes up, gets changed, and comes back to go and sit down beside the sleeping man.
He has his back against the sofa as he turns on his phone and checks the time. It's already well past eleven, turning midnight soon. He should probably feed Eunyung his medicine again and get him to bed. It's probably uncomfortable sleeping in the living room like this.
Haejoon turns his head to see how he should approach this, but can't think of a viable way to wake him up. Eunyung's sleeping there so peacefully, temperature finally slowly calming down, his head resting against a pillow with a light blanket draped over him. His eyes are shut tight, cherry lips slightly parted as he breathes slowly, hair tied back by Haejoon and away from his face so it doesn't get in the way. Seeing him like this, Haejoon feels relieved.
There was a time when he would worry about the guy daily. And it wasn't even because he liked him in any sort of romantic sense. It was never always in that way. With Eunyung, everything is so... different. But it's also so beautiful. Life is so much better now that they're here, in their home.
Haejoon's hand reaches over to gently touch Eunyung's face, moving aside some stray strands of hair. He smiles. Then frowns. Guess I'm gonna have to lift him... great.
Eunyung opened his eyes to a darkened room with the curtains drawn. He shifted a little and slowly observed his surroundings, realising he was in their bedroom now. With little luck, he tried to sit up but felt a dizziness rise in his head before quickly laying back down. He turned over to his side where an empty spot greeted him.
Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he glanced around the room. Strings of fairy lights decorated with a couple of polaroids gave the place a little bit of light, shelves filled with books at the back and flowers planted by their windowsill. Eunyung caught no sight of his boyfriend and suddenly felt upset. He sighed into the pillow, his oily hair a big mess against the covers. A couple of footsteps could be heard outside drawing closer to the bedroom door. Eunyung quickly closed his eyes in an attempt to fake sleep.
He listened carefully as Haejoon placed a glass of water and painkillers on their bedside table. It sounded as if he paused for just a moment, and Eunyung did his best to not flinch or show any sign of movement in his face as Haejoon's hand brushed over it. Just as the other turned to go, Eunyung finally spoke up.
"Are you really going?"
Haejoon stopped in his tracks.
Eunyung saw the dim light reflect on the side of his face as it turned slightly.
"...no."
He walked towards the bed and climbed in, Eunyung shuffling over to give him more space. They faced each other quietly, heads against the pillows as they looked on, peaceful in each other's company. Haejoon moved a little closer in, but Eunyung shuffled back.
"I.. I don't want you to get sick too, idiot." He glanced away.
"You're the idiot for getting yourself sick. Stop overworking yourself and pushing your limits." Haejoon lifted a finger and poked at his forehead. "I don't care if I get sick."
"You should care. You shouldn't be the one getting ill when there's only so much time you can take off of work."
"Oh, and its fine if you are? Shut up and come here, Eunyung." He gestures with an open arm for him to move closer.
Eunyung resists for a few seconds, being stubborn as usual and not wanting to give in to Goh Haejoon and his wiles. But Eunyung learnt a long time ago, that fighting with Haejoon is pointless. He'll almost always win. And he knows what's best for you whether you like it or not.
"I hate seeing you sick." He replies as he shuffles over to lay beside Haejoon, resting under his chin with an arm over him. Eunyung closes his eyes, the drowsy side effects of the medicine calling to him.
Haejoon wraps his arm around him, "Hey, I don't like it either. But we aren't invincible."
"It sure seems like you are sometimes."
Eunyung yawns.
Haejoon chuckles lightly, "We both know that's not true."
"Mmmh...." Eunyung's eyes droop as his words spill out into the silence of their bedroom, "I wish you were invincible..."
Haejoon's breath gets caught. He stays silent for only a moment before Eunyung continues.
Then I'd never have to worry about you hurting ever again.
"then I could call you.. my invincible boyfriend..."
At that, Haejoon can't help but smile as his eyes fall closed too.
"I'll only be invincible for you."