Chapter 48: A Colleague's Sick Leave (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: A Colleague's Sick Leave (2)
The dorm was silent at 4 AM.
Except for me, living my life like a bat, it was a time when everyone else should be fast asleep.
This is the perfect time for some monitoring.
I turned on the spare phone I’d grabbed from the living room earlier and dimmed the brightness to the minimum.
It wasn't that Choi Je-ho or Lee Cheong-hyeon were the type to wake up from a little light, but it felt uncomfortable using a phone right in front of people while they were sleeping.
If it weren't for Jeong Seong-bin, I would’ve just stayed in the living room with a small lamp on and relaxed.
But if I got caught loitering in the living room in the middle of the night, I’d have to endure a whole day of "surveillance" disguised as "worry" from him the next day.
I’d rather look pathetic relying on the bare minimum of light than deal with that.
My only source of pride used to be the fact that I could read every single label on the soju bottles inside a restaurant fridge without glasses. Now, it felt like my eyesight was eroding by the second.
My task on this dark bed was to scour the comments on Jang Jun-hu’s music video.
The goal was to see the reaction to Choi Je-ho. Unlike my initial plan, I’d been so busy that I hadn't been able to check for quite a while after the MV was released.
As expected of a singer with a decent level of recognition only within the country, the comments were all in Korean. I almost wished he’d just flop quickly so there’d be zero comments.
I quickly skimmed through, looking only for mentions of Choi Je-ho.
≫ The song is so good I turned up my screen brightness to watch.
≫ Who is the guy in the MV?
≫ Just here to admire the face the algorithm recommended.
That was about the extent of the comments referring to Choi Je-ho. Since no one knew who he was, there weren't even any replies.
Because the total number of comments was low, it was hard to find any meaningful reactions.
In times like this, I had to head to the communities.
Thanks to Department Head Nam’s daughter, I knew quite a few famous communities and boards where celebrity info was posted.
Sure enough, the posts here were much more raw.
≫ Who’s the guy with the sorrowful vibe in JJH’s MV?
He’s f-ing handsome lol. Is he an actor?
≫ Who’s JJH?
└ Jang Jun-hu.
└ Why are you even using search-shields for a guy who isn't even an idol?
≫ Isn't he a rookie actor? Never seen that face before.
└ Oh shit, are we finally getting a young, handsome actor?
└ Plz plz;;;;; handsome actors have gone extinct. His face passes, as long as his acting isn't trash.
≫ Heard he’s a UA trainee.
└ A singer?
└ No, an idol.
└ Wait, UA doesn't have idols, do they?
Everyone’s quick with the info.
UA had never released any profiles of their trainees, yet rumors that "UA has trainees" were already circulating.
Considering the time left until debut, these comments were timely.
I switched keywords, searching "UA" and "Yue-ei" alternately, and found posts with more specific information.
≫ Looks like UA is seriously putting out an idol group.
6-member boy group, lineup confirmed.
Scheduled to debut in the first half of next year, and they’re a self-produced idol group.
The kid in Jang Jun-hu’s MV is in the same group.
└ Every agency and their mother is putting out idols these days;;
└ It’s easy money lol.
└ This company couldn't even hold a decent concert for their existing singers, what idol business? Is the CEO senile?
└ Is this official?
└ [Whistleblower] An insider acquaintance told me.
└ Why are there so many "insider acquaintances" only on communities? I don't have a single one around me, but there are like five hundred here. The punchline is they can never prove it.
There were some abbreviations I didn't recognize, so it took a bit of time to search them.
Still, I managed to read through most of the posts. It was possible because the buzz generated by Jang Jun-hu’s MV wasn't that large to begin with.
Someone had already compiled videos of the dance competitions Choi Je-ho had entered along with his awards. I clicked the links and meticulously checked the videos.
Only after confirming there were no potential issues and clearing my search history did I turn off the phone.
Then, I stepped out into the living room to return the spare phone to its place.
But something was strange.
The bathroom light was off, and there was no sound of running water, yet I could faintly hear a human voice from somewhere.
Is someone awake?
The sound became clearer as I approached Jeong Seong-bin’s room.
Hearing what sounded like someone moaning in pain, I tapped lightly on the door a few times and opened it.
When I shone the light from my phone into the dark room, I saw the blankets in one particular spot curled into a ball.
I didn't know exactly whose spot was whose, but I could guess who it was just by the voice.
"Park Ju-woo?"
I called his name softly. But there was no response.
I placed my hand on the blanket and shook him gently while calling his name again, but Park Ju-woo remained silent.
What? Is he sick?
Just in case, I pulled back the blanket a bit and placed my hand on his forehead.
His forehead was burning. It was even damp, as if he’d been breaking out in a cold sweat.
I shook the shoulders of the feverish Park Ju-woo and called out to him.
"Ju-woo, wake up for a second."
"Who... I-wol Hyung?"
Fortunately, Park Ju-woo woke up before I had to call him a fourth time.
His voice was completely hoarse, just like mine had been a few days ago.
"Yeah, it's me. I woke you up because you have a high fever. Do you feel really bad? Should we go to the ER?"
"...No, it's not that bad..."
Contrary to his words, he couldn't even open his eyes properly. I suspected it was because of dizziness.
It was a relief that he was conscious, but letting a high fever persist wasn't good.
If we weren't going to the hospital right away, it seemed better to at least give him some fever reducers.
I don't think we had any emergency medicine in this dorm.
The pharmacies would have closed a long time ago.
Recalling the location of the convenience store near the dorm, I hurriedly woke up Jeong Seong-bin.
"Hyung? What are you doing in our room...?"
"Sorry for waking you. But Ju-woo is sick right now."
"Ju-woo?"
Jeong Seong-bin, who had been mumbling in a sleep-induced haze, bolted upright.
"I'm going to the convenience store now, so just watch over him until I get back."
"Right now? It's so late..."
"We can't make the kid wait until morning. A high fever is dangerous if left alone. I'll be back soon."
I dashed out of the dorm with nothing but my wallet.
Then I ran like a madman. There was no way the convenience store would be closed, yet my heart was racing with anxiety.
Those kids made such a fuss and took care of me just because my voice wasn't coming out.
Considering Park Ju-woo had less stamina than the other members and was always slumped on the floor during breaks, I should have expected this to some extent.
Even if I hadn't expected it, I should have at least prepared a first-aid kit. That’s basic common sense.
Moreover, that was one of the things I used to do back at Hanpyeong Industry.
Just because my own life got a bit easier, I stopped thinking about others? You're a pathetic bastard, f-ing hell.
Profanities echoed endlessly in my head.
By the time the curses and my breath had reached the tip of my throat, the convenience store came into view. My mouth was bone-dry.
"Where are the fever reducers? The kind you give kids when they have a fever."
"Ah, those are over there..."
I swept up every single type of fever reducer in the section I was directed to.
I even grabbed painkillers and digestive medicine that weren't immediately necessary, tossing them into the basket as they came to hand. My hands kept trembling despite the rush.
While the clerk was scanning the barcodes, I looked around and asked.
"Is there a large hospital nearby? I haven't lived in this neighborhood for long."
"Yes, it's five minutes away by taxi."
"...Thank you."
The tension momentarily eased at the news that a hospital was close by.
I barely stopped my legs from giving out. I felt like I’d lost my mind.
The way back to the dorm felt even longer than the way to the store.
When I rushed back with the bag full of various medicines, all the lights in the living room were on. It seemed Jeong Seong-bin had turned them on.
"Hyung!"
"There are fever reducers inside. Let's give him one of those first."
Jeong Seong-bin, who had run all the way to the entryway, took the bag from me.
When I looked down to take off my shoes, I realized I was wearing a pair of sneakers that I didn't even recognize.
Jeong Seong-bin and I helped Park Ju-woo, who couldn't easily get up from the bed, take the medicine and laid him back down.
Before long, Park Ju-woo fell asleep with a flushed face.
You scare the life out of me and then go off to dreamland? It was exasperating, but I’d let it slide since he was a patient.
Once I had a moment to breathe, my senses slowly returned.
At the same time, I remembered the sky I’d seen on the way back from the convenience store, beginning to glow with the faint light of dawn.
"Wait."
"Yes? Why, Hyung?"
"What time is it now?"
"5:00."
"5:00?"
I’d suspected as much, but morning was truly coming.
I was fine with missing a day of sleep, but Jeong Seong-bin had to go to school when morning came.
I gestured for Jeong Seong-bin to lie down and said, "Go back to sleep. I'll watch Ju-woo."
"What about you, Hyung? You should sleep too."
"I'll sleep once you guys head to school."
I wasn't entirely sure, but I remembered hearing that excessively high fevers could be dangerous.
Since it wasn't certain if Park Ju-woo’s fever would break, I couldn't just lie down and sleep myself.
I said goodnight to Jeong Seong-bin and turned off all the lights in the living room.
Then, relying on the light from my phone, I returned to the side of Park Ju-woo’s bed.
Somehow, I had a feeling I’d be pulling an all-nighter today.
Fortunately, Park Ju-woo showed signs of improvement as time passed.
I was only able to set my mind at ease after confirming his fever was dropping every 30 minutes.
The manager, who had come at the crack of dawn as soon as he saw my message, took Park Ju-woo to the hospital early in the morning.
After sending Park Ju-woo off to the hospital.
Since sleep was out of the question anyway, I picked up the bag Jeong Seong-bin had left scattered in the living room, intending to organize the medicine I’d bought.
The bag contained all sorts of medicine.
Including things that couldn't even be called medicine.
"...Why on earth did I buy hangover cures?"
I must have grabbed them because they looked somewhat similar to digestive medicine.
It was a miracle they hadn't broken even though I’d run while carrying the bag.
What came out next was equally absurd.
"Pediatric fever reducer? Did I not read the labels...?"
A hollow laugh escaped me at my own stupidity. It had been a frantic morning.
"So that's why the manager stopped by this morning?"
Choi Je-ho, who ended up eating breakfast with just me since Park Ju-woo was gone, asked.
I nodded, my face likely looking like a ghost from not sleeping a wink.
"But how did you know? You said it was the middle of the night."
"I was up late checking something."
My eyes, which hadn't closed for even 30 minutes last night, felt stiff.
As I rubbed my eyelids with my fingers, Choi Je-ho spoke.
"Hey, you're really gonna drop dead at this rate."
"Didn't I tell you to speak nicely?"
Whether I asked him nicely or not, Choi Je-ho was busy inspecting the medicines neatly arranged in an empty side-dish container.
In my haste to organize, I’d ended up demoting the container Jeong Seong-bin’s mother had used for young radish kimchi into a medicine box.
"You organized the medicine just like yourself."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
At my words, Choi Je-ho told me to do whatever I wanted and closed the lid of the side-dish medicine box.
Should I start doing roll calls every morning and evening to check on the patients? I felt like I was aging by the day.
As if he recognized my exhaustion, Jeong Seong-bin made a commendable suggestion during the resumed group meeting: "Let's make sure to tell each other if we're sick."
He was so admirable I almost felt like crying. It was a day that made my eyes sting.
Though it looked more like my eyes were stinging because my nerves were shot and my intraocular pressure was rising, rather than from being moved. But whatever. I just hope no one gets sick anymore.