Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
They say people show certain behaviors when they're sick.
To give a simple example, A-ra ate more than usual when she was sick.
It was probably to preserve her strength by eating heartily.
And I also showed a certain behavior when I was sick.
It was quite hard to figure out since it happened unconsciously,
but it came to light according to Mom and A-ra's testimonies.
They said that I acted babyish every time I was sick.
Come to think of it, I had acted babyish toward A-ra before when I was sick.
It just felt like I needed support because I was struggling, but I never thought it would come out as acting babyish.
Well, it was still better than someone who cursed or got angry when they were sick.
"A-ra Noona."
"Yeah, Seong-hwan-a, does it hurt a lot?"
"Ugh... yeah..."
No, maybe it wasn't as good as I thought.
I didn't know if it was unconscious, but because I was sick, I was clinging to A-ra more than usual.
And what was with "Nun-na"... I meant Noona.
"Noona, pat my head."
"There, there..."
Watching me like that, A-ra smiled brightly and patted my head.
There wasn't a single trace of dislike or annoyance in her expression, only affection that found me cute and lovable.
But I'd been using informal speech since earlier.
Was it because I was sick?
Even when I tried to consciously use polite speech, informal speech came out unconsciously, so it felt weird.
"Our Seong-hwan, looks like he's been working too hard lately."
"Ung... did I work?"
No matter how much I was acting babyish, when asked if I had actually worked, my head automatically tilted.
I made one video a month, and I didn't really have a part-time job.
Was going to school and playing with Lil' One considered work?
No, childcare wasn't work.
"I mean the housework. You do all the cleaning and laundry, Seong-hwan, right?"
"That's only natural..."
"Tsk, where in the world is that natural? From now on, let your noona do things like cleaning and laundry too."
"Ung ung..."
I shook my head, signaling I refused.
A-ra was busy working, and she was supposed to do the laundry and dishes at home too?
I didn't have the confidence to watch that.
"Sigh... what will you do if you get sick like this again, doing everything alone?"
"I won't get huurt..."
"Okay, then let's get some good sleep today?"
"Yeah..."
A-ra's cold, cold hand stroked my cheek.
My body temperature was high from the body aches, so the cold hand felt cool and refreshing on my cheek, making me feel good.
After replacing the wet towel on my forehead with a cold one, A-ra
placed a bottle of cold ionic drink on the bedside table and went outside.
"Uhm... A-ra Noona.."
Like that, I called A-ra's name for the last time
and fell asleep.
***
"Noona, where are we going?"
The next day, A-ra woke me from my deep sleep, dressed me bit by bit, and then took my hand and went outside.
Was it because I was tired?
When I came to my senses, I was already seated in A-ra's Porsche.
"Where else, we're going to the hospital."
"I'm not sick anymore, though."
"Even so, you never know."
A-ra, sitting in the driver's seat, stretched her hand all the way to the passenger seat belt.
She grabbed the seat belt, pulled it taut, fastened it for me, and then grabbed the steering wheel.
"Seong-hwan-a, your health comes first for me. You feel the same, right?"
"Yes... Noona's health comes first for me too."
"Even so, your body is weak, Seong-hwan. If you get sick too, how could I just sit still?"
"No..."
She was right.
Maybe because I hadn't collapsed recently, I forgot, but my body was much weaker than I thought.
Even when I exercised for my health, nothing really changed...
"So, you get it, right? Let's go to the hospital, get examined, and get some medicine."
"Yes, I understand."
How could I turn away A-ra's worried heart?
I quietly nodded my head.
The place we headed to was a general hospital close to the apartment.
It wasn't our usual hospital, but since I wasn't very sick today,
we came to a suitable one.
"What is the patient's name?"
"It's Yoo Seong-hwan."
"Let's see... Yoo Seong-hwan-nim... What is your birthday?"
"January, '98... what was the day..."
My head was so foggy that I couldn't remember my own birthday.
Since we registered our marriage on the 10th, my birthday was definitely the day before...
"The 9th."
I was about to say it, but A-ra next to me smiled bitterly and
said it to the man at the reception desk first.
"Confirmed. What symptoms brought you here?"
"He has a fever, a slight headache, and says his throat hurts."
"I'll assign you to General Surgery. Please go that way."
"Thank you."
"Let's go, Seong-hwan-a."
"Yes."
I covered an overwhelming yawn with one hand and held A-ra's hand with the other as I followed.
*
"Sir, take a deep breath in... and out..."
The cold stethoscope moved between my chest and back.
These days, instead of telling you to pull up your clothes, the doctors put their hands under your clothes
to do it quickly and without embarrassment, which I thought was really nice.
"Say 'Ah~'."
"Ah~"
And then, they checked my throat using something like an ice cream stick.
Something I thought about every time I came to the hospital: can doctors really see the inside of the throat well?
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed hard to see it in three dimensions.
The light wasn't that bright, and most importantly, the tongue and teeth were covering the inside of the throat,
so it didn't look like it could be seen well.
"You have a pretty bad case of tonsillitis, and your tonsils themselves are a bit large..."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Since the tonsils are such a pointless organ that removal surgery is in high demand, how about considering a removal surgery?"
"Umm... that's a bit scary."
I didn't want surgery unless it was a situation where I'd die without removing them or something.
"Well, nothing bad will happen if you don't remove them. If you happen to consider it, just go to the otolaryngology department at a university hospital."
"Okay, is the examination over then?"
"You can go to the reception desk to make the payment."
"Thank you."
After A-ra said thanks, I straightened my clothes and went outside.
A-ra, who was still holding my hand tightly even after we came out, seemed worried about me despite the diagnosis being just tonsillitis.
"Noona, let's go eat."
"Yeah, what should we eat?"
"Shall we go eat meat? I want to eat pork belly and naengmyeon."
"How unusual? Let's hurry up and go."
A-ra gently stroked my head.
I gave her a bright smile in return.
***
"Ugh... I think I'm getting a fever again."
When we returned home, I started getting a fever again.
Was it because I had gone out and had fun?
The headache was worse than yesterday, and my head was getting so warm I felt like I might regress into an infant at any moment.
"First, lie down. Noona will go soak a towel."
She gently pushed me down from where I was sitting on the edge of the bed.
She covered me up to my chest with the disheveled blanket and stood up.
"Sorry..."
"This time, you're the one saying sorry, Seong-hwan?"
"If I'd known it would be like this, I should have just come straight home..."
"Don't say that. Get some more good sleep."
Soon after, A-ra returned with a towel soaked in cold water
and placed the towel on my forehead.
Tonsillitis was quite talented at making people suffer, causing a surprisingly high fever and something like chills,
making a person truly miserable.
Was this why tonsillectomies were in such demand?
Should I just make up my mind and get them cut out?
"Noona, I can't fall asleep... can't you stay next to me?"
"Shall I? Our Seong-hwan is acting extra babyish today."
"Do you not like it?"
"Not like it? Noona is absolutely dying of happiness."
"Noona likes it when you use polite speech, but I wish you would use informal speech once in a while."
"Uum... but that seems so rude."
"Seong-hwan-a, there's only a two-year difference between us."
"Uum... then I'll do that."
Maybe because I was sick, the informal speech came out automatically,
so I gave A-ra plenty of the informal speech she wanted.
To think the day would come when I used informal speech with A-ra.
All sorts of things happen as you live life.
Anyway, I hadn't known A-ra was thinking that.
It seemed she felt my use of polite speech was a bit stiff.
Then, shall I try speaking completely informally?
"A-ra-ya."
".........."
"A-ra-ya?"
I had gathered my courage to call her by her name, but A-ra wasn't reacting.
Ah.
Now that I looked, her face had turned completely red,
and she was making an expression as if she might collapse from high blood pressure at any moment.
Was she embarrassed after all?
"What is my A-ra so embarrassed about?"
"S-stop... Seong-hwan-a..."
"A-ra is cute."
I got up from the bed where I had been lying down and stroked A-ra's head.
Was she radiating heat because she was embarrassed? Maybe A-ra was the one who needed to be lying down and sleeping, not me.
"Let's sleep together."
"Huh...?"
When I pulled her slightly, A-ra fell deeply into my arms.
I lifted the blanket, and just like when we slept at night, we covered ourselves together and rested our heads on the pillow.
Perhaps because I was hugging her so tightly, I could feel the beating of A-ra's heart all the way to my chest.
It wasn't any different from usual, so why was she so nervous?
I placed my hand on her chest and groin area to tell her not to be nervous.
And then I stroked her gently, making a soft rustling sound.
"Ha-ung..."
"A-ra-ya, I love you."
"Ugh.. Seong-hwan-a.... I love you too."
And then I gave A-ra a shallow kiss on her lips.
Since I wasn't sick with a cold, a kiss should be okay.