I'm Right Outside Your Door
I’m certain of it—I’ve caught a cold.
I swallowed hard while taking off my shoes at the front door.
Now that I was paying attention to it, my throat did feel a bit scratchy.
“Achoo.”
A sneeze that came out of nowhere, followed by the feeling of a runny nose trying to crawl its way out from deep inside.
I couldn’t be 100% sure yet, but my body was definitely signaling that a cold was on its way.
“*Sniff*….”
If I just went to sleep without doing anything about it, I’d definitely wake up with a full-blown cold tomorrow.
Then again, I’ve been going out a lot more than usual lately, which isn’t like me at all. Between starting my part-time job and all the worrying and stress I’ve been dealing with, I suppose it’s no wonder.
Still, I’d be relieved if it just stayed a mild cold rather than something serious. As long as I wasn’t burning up with a fever and having to put a wet towel on my own forehead, I’d be fine.
I didn’t realize it when I was with my mom, but being sick all by myself felt incredibly miserable.
…And a little lonely.
Since it was still the early stages, I figured I could just get over it with some light cold medicine from the convenience store. But I was already home, and my body was flat-out refusing to go back out to buy any.
I just wanted to sleep.
I sniffled again.
“*Sniff*….”
I didn’t even have the energy to get on the computer. When I lay down on my bed to just mess around on my phone, I could feel that my forehead was unusually hot.
Yep, it’s a cold.
Then, a contact suddenly popped into my head.
The hospital contact for my “regular check-ups” that I received updates from every week. They had told me to feel free to reach out if anything happened to my body, no matter how small.
Honestly, I hesitated. Was it really necessary to report a simple cold?
The phrase “anything happens” is so abstract to begin with. I really wish they had given me some clear guidelines. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to reach out, so I sent them a text. Luckily, it wasn’t past the hospital’s closing time yet, so I felt comfortable sending it. If it had been past 6:00 PM, I might not have bothered.
The reply came back much faster than I expected. It seemed like they had someone specifically assigned to handle my case.
“Huh…?”
…It’s just a cold, though?
Is there really a reason to go all the way to that hospital? They’re sending a car? At this hour? All the way out here?
I’m not exactly a VIP; can’t I just get some medicine from a local clinic?
‘I shouldn’t have messaged them….’
Regret washed over me, but I couldn’t just pretend I hadn’t sent the text. It was too awkward to lie and say I was busy now, and I couldn’t think of a good excuse anyway.
I had no choice but to reply that I could go. If this were all for the sake of global scientific advancement, I’d let it slide, but based on how they usually operate, I didn’t find them all that trustworthy.
As soon as I sent the reply, another text came in telling me to wait a moment. A little while later, I got a notification that the car had arrived. Looking down from my window, I saw the same black car I always took for my check-ups parked outside. It wasn’t even a workday for them; the driver must be exhausted.
I put on a mask so I wouldn’t get the driver sick.
“*Achoo*.”
Even inside the car, the sneezing wouldn’t stop, and the inside of my mask felt damp and gross.
When I arrived at the hospital, the sky was already dyed in shades of orange. I had never seen any other patients here besides myself. The whole building felt like it was being operated solely for my benefit.
It was a little embarrassing, but I found myself getting a bit caught up in the atmosphere. The way they handled things didn’t always sit right with me, but there was no denying that coming here made me feel like someone special, which was a strange, pleasant feeling.
The driver, the hospital staff—they were all just doing what they were told by the higher-ups, right? Didn’t hospitals usually close at 6:00 PM? It wasn’t even an emergency room, and seeing all these people working overtime just because I had a cold actually made me feel sorry for them.
I walked down the hospital hallway, which I had become completely accustomed to, and was guided into a room. I sat down across from the doctor.
“Thank you for responding so quickly.”
“Is there really a reason for me to come all the way here…?”
“We cannot rule out the possibility that your immune system has disappeared entirely due to the transformation, and we need to conduct a precision test to ensure that standard cold medicine won’t have any adverse effects on your current physiology, as well as check for potential allergic reactions—”
The doctor started going on and on about things I didn’t understand. I listened to the beginning, then just stared out the window behind him. The sky was already turning dark.
Asking more questions would only be a loss for me—no, for both of us. If I asked questions, the explanation would get longer, and I’d be even later getting home. I’m sure the doctor felt the same way.
So, I just nodded.
It hurts.
My arm is throbbing. What’s a bit unfair is that they even drew my blood under the guise of an “immunity test,” even though it wasn’t a check-up day. The needle was thick, and it hurt enough to make a tear well up in my eye every time they poked me.
You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but I could never get used to the sensation of a sharp point piercing my skin. I didn’t have a phobia of needles, so I watched the needle go into my skin with my own two eyes. I had to, so I could prepare myself mentally.
After finishing all those grand, elaborate tests, the conclusion they gave me was incredibly obvious. The doctor clasped his hands together in front of him and spoke in a flat tone.
“It’s just a simple cold.”
Well, obviously. I told you it felt like a cold.
Suppressing my irritation, I rubbed the spot where a bandage with a penguin drawing on it was stuck with two fingers. I was slightly curious why they used something like that.
“You can take that off now.”
“Okay….”
“We checked for allergic reactions, and you’re fine with standard over-the-counter medication, so I’ll prescribe that for you.”
I received the medicine. It was just a regular paper bag of pills that I could have gotten at any local clinic in front of my house. I had come all this way just for this.
When I checked the time after getting the medicine, the evening had already passed and it was turning into night. Had they really stayed this late just because of me?
Alright, let’s not hate them too much. I’m sure they didn’t want to be here either.
‘Those people are having a rough time, too….’
I sighed to myself and prepared to head home. A staff member appeared from down the hallway. Usually, the driver would be waiting for me.
“I apologize, but you’ll have to find your own way back….”
“Excuse me?”
My voice had an edge to it before I could stop it. Anyone who wouldn’t be annoyed in this situation would have to be a saint. Why did they handle things this way? They make me come all the way here, and then tell me to get home on my own?
I couldn’t understand it at all. The staff member bowed repeatedly with an apologetic expression. It couldn’t be helped. Right, it couldn’t be helped. Me complaining wouldn’t change the situation.
I trudged out of the hospital. Looking up at the sky, I saw the moon partially hidden by clouds in the pitch-black night. I sniffled and headed toward the main road.
It was late. Should I catch a taxi to get home faster? That’ll be expensive.
…Come to think of it, Siu’s place was near the hospital.
Siu had been sprawled out at home the moment he got off work. He’d showered, and his hair, which he’d dried roughly with a towel, was still a bit damp.
The exhaustion from work was one reason he was currently lying there, but there was another reason, too.
The incident with Eunhae.
Sia had interrogated him the very next day.
Even though it was just text, he felt like he could hear Sia’s voice, and Siu let out a small laugh.
Sia didn’t reply. She probably either asked Eunhae or just let it go.
Siu lay on his stomach and reread the text history one by one. In reality, nothing had happened between them. If anything had happened, it only happened to Siu. Eunhae didn’t seem to remember a thing.
‘Am I the weird one…?’
Siu buried his face in his pillow. It was hard to breathe with his nose pressed against it, but he didn’t change his position. How did she manage to turn into a woman who was exactly his type, even after the transformation?
How was he supposed to treat Eunhae from now on? He felt like he’d already gone too far to keep his promise to Eunhae. The fact that it was his first time spending the night in the same space as a woman other than his family also played a part.
It was ambiguous to call it “sleeping together,” since they hadn’t shared the same bed. But even though nothing happened, that night hadn’t been “nothing.” For Siu, it was the day he’d broken his personal record for the most intense night of his life.
The accumulated fatigue might not have been entirely due to work.
Just as he was lost in these thoughts, his phone rang.
“Ugh…!”
He buried his face in the pillow and screamed. Thanks to that, the sound barely leaked out. The work group chat had been noisy for a while, so Siu was planning to ignore it as usual.
‘It’s probably just another announcement anyway….’
Still, he checked the screen just to see what it was about. Siu’s brow furrowed. He wondered if he was seeing things correctly. But no matter how many times he read it, it was the same message.
It was a text from Eunhae. It was 9:00 PM—no, almost 10:00 PM—and she wanted to come over today? Even if she left right now, it would be well past 11:00 PM by the time she arrived.
He didn’t even have the energy to tap the message, so he was just reading it from the notification bar when another message popped up immediately.
Siu, who had been lying on his stomach, kicked off his blanket and bolted for the front door. When he opened it, Eunhae was standing there.