Hospitalization

I was sleeping so deeply I even drooled onto the pillow,

when I woke up to the curtain being pulled open with a loud chwak—.

At first I thought A-ra had come,

but the person who entered paid no attention to me and was rummaging through the things they had brought,

so I immediately realized it was a nurse or a doctor.

If it had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A-ra, she would have burst in asking if I was okay and making a whole fuss.

"Patient, since your guardian is running late, I'll start with the blood test and IV."

"Okay..."

I'd been woken from sleep, so I was dead tired.

I just nodded and gave a short reply.

It seemed my admission was confirmed.

I knew that before getting admitted, they usually do a blood test, a urine test, and maybe an ECG along with a pulmonary function test, all together.

The tinnitus was gone, but the headache still hadn't let up.

The nurse rolled up my sleeve, placed my arm on the stand, tied a yellow rubber band around my upper arm, and very skillfully opened the packaging of a few syringes.

After disinfecting my wrist with an alcohol swab,

the nurse presented a needle that looked more painful than I expected.

"It'll sting."

As soon as the cold, cold needle pierced my flesh,

I felt a pain that made my eyes screw shut.

What 'sting'? Having your flesh pierced could never just feel like a sting.

"Sseu-eup... I think I missed... I'll stick you again."

"Ugh... it hurts..."

"Sorry."

It seemed the vein wasn't visible enough,

so she'd failed to insert it on the first try.

She tore open another alcohol swab,

wiped my wrist,

and inserted a new needle.

Only after the second puncture did blood start beading at the needle tip,

and she connected the tube labeled with a barcode bearing my name to the end of the needle.

Then, blood spurted out like a fountain in a park lake.

It was hard to watch, so I turned my head away with a snap.

It's not that I have a phobia of blood,

but watching seemed to make the pain worse, I guess you could say.

My dizziness also intensified, making it hard to keep looking.

She filled four tubes about halfway

and then swirled the one with bright red blood like she was swirling wine.

'Had this nurse tasted some wine before?'

After that, she didn't pull the needle out but immediately connected the IV line to it.

Then, cold liquid flowed into my vein,

and instantly goosebumps rose all over my body.

I had the unpleasant illusion that I could feel the vein itself hurting—

it was that uncomfortable.

"But why am I getting an IV?"

"This is a saline injection with added vitamins.

Hospitalized patients spend a lot of time lying down, so their fluid intake tends to be low.

That's why they often complain of dehydration, so we routinely administer this."

Well, I suppose people who are sick and lethargic

wouldn't have the energy to drink water.

And from what I heard, it didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seem to contain glucose.

But since you have to fast before a CT or MRI,

'wouldn't it be better to give glucose with it while you're at it?'

"Then, I'll come back once your guardian arrives.

At that time, you can complete the admission procedure and sign the contrast agent consent form,

then get assigned to a ward and head up."

When I gave a greeting to the nurse who had explained everything in detail,

she smiled quietly, drew the curtain, and left.

A man's smile... it gave me a slight chill.

Still, he was a handsome nurse, so he must be popular with the women.

To wake myself up,

I lightly slapped my cheeks.

I must be the only one sleeping so soundly in the emergency room.

This is a place where some people face life or death, after all.

'Anyway, when is A-ra noona coming?'

My phone's clock was already pointing to 5 o'clock.

Around this time, A-ra would normally have arrived home, finished her shower, and changed clothes.

'Is something wrong?'

'I'm worried that maybe she got distracted worrying about me and got into an accident herself.'

Even so, my body was demanding that I get some sleep quickly.

It was as if it was raising a megaphone

and yelling that it would go on strike if I didn't sleep now.

'Should I catch some more sleep...'

It's not like I'm snoring,

so sleeping with the curtain drawn should be okay.

After all, I'm a patient too.

They wouldn't give a patient who came in sick a hard time for sleeping.

'Yeah, let's just get a good rest and then wake up.'

I nodded to myself, rationalizing,

and laid my head on the pillow.

Then I pulled the blanket up to my toes

and closed my eyes.

"Guardi...an! No run...ning!"

The nurse shouted so loudly that it could be heard throughout the emergency center,

forcing me to open my eyes.

I checked my phone while lying down

and saw the hour hand already pointing to 6.

'I felt like I'd slept about five minutes, but an hour had already passed.'

I yawned and sat up on the edge of the bed.

At that moment, as if timing it perfectly,

someone threw back the curtain and stormed in while I was mid-yawn.

There stood a woman with a sad expression that didn't match her pretty face.

It was just A-ra.

I gave another big yawn and raised a hand in greeting.

Only then, as if she'd realized she was mistaken,

she let out a deep sigh.

It was a sigh of relief.

"......Seong-hwan-a, are you okay.....?"

"Noona, you're here? I'm fine."

A-ra didn't believe me and

ran her hands all over my body.

Her touch, which was sneakily indulging her own desires, felt somehow provocative.

That part is sensitive, so I told her not to touch it anywhere but the bed.

Apparently, the nurse noona at the emergency center reception desk had gotten confused

and mixed me up with the noona who had rear-ended a taxi.

She'd called A-ra

and said there'd been an accident, that I'd been brought by ambulance,

and that I was still unconscious, so she should come quickly.

The reality was that I'd ridden in a police car to the ER entrance

and then walked inside on my own two feet.

"Were you surprised?"

"Yeah........"

I reached out and stroked A-ra's cheek,

and she, looking like she was about to cry,

stroked the hand caressing her cheek.

"Sorry I'm late..."

"I told you there's no need to be sorry. I only came because the police told me to—I had no choice."

I chuckled, saying she was worrying too much just because I'm a man,

and told her not to worry, stroking her hair with the hand that had been on her cheek.

For about five minutes, A-ra kept her head deeply bowed

and enjoyed my touch like a cat,

then wiped around her eyes with her sleeve and stood up.

Her slightly moist eyes

sparkled like stars in the night sky.

"Noona, are you crying?"

I giggled and teased A-ra.

In response, A-ra, flustered, shook her head vehemently.

Doesn't vehement denial mean affirmation?

It seemed she had shed tears but was embarrassed for me to see.

"Wh...What woman crying...! They say a woman only cries three times in her life!"

"Three times? When are you allowed those?"

"When you're born, when your parents pass away... and... when you enlist?"

A-ra tilted her head as if she couldn't remember either.

Seems crying while bowing deeply to your parents when enlisting is also allowed.

'I don't know who made that rule, but they're quite merciful.'

Come to think of it, 'in this world, women go to the military, don't they?'

Some people think it's a natural duty,

and others think it's unfair that only women go—

similar to the other world, but there was one fundamental difference.

I knew that having completed military service gave you extra points on the civil service exam.

"Anyway, I'll go do the admission paperwork and come back, so don't sleep—sit and wait."

"Okay~"

I gave A-ra a big smile,

and she looked at me like I was a helpless child and patted my head.

'We're only two years apart—does A-ra noona remember that?'

'From the way she treats me, she seems to treat me half as a husband and half as a younger brother.'

***

After finishing the admission procedure,

we arrived at the hospital room where I'd be staying.

As expected,

A-ra had put me in a single room.

In the past, I would have said a six-person room is fine,

but since I'd started to gain a bit of fame,

I swallowed those words.

If I used a multi-person room,

I'd be bothered by other patients and their families until discharge.

Considering that, the single room was an extremely reasonable expense.

"I'll bring a toothbrush and shampoo from home."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it..."

Saying not to thank her for such a little thing,

A-ra smacked my back with a loud sound.

It hurt a bit, unlike usual, which startled me,

but compared to the worry I'd caused her, it was nothing,

so I kept quiet.

"Since we're already here, let's get your body checked from head to toe."

"You... you don't have to go that far..."

"Listen to noona."

"Yes..."

She pursed her lips and spoke firmly, and I was defeated.

Not that I could ever challenge her in the first place.

I changed into the patient gown laid out on the bed

and put the clothes I'd been wearing in the wardrobe.

It was my first time wearing a hospital gown,

so it felt novel.

Wearing this made me feel like a real patient,

almost as if it gave me a headache and stomachache I hadn't even been feeling before.

Plus, the color being pink was a bit annoying.

I don't know about the men of this world, but I really hated pink.

Especially hot pink like this gown, I could say I detested it.

"Can't I wear the blue one?"

"Blue is for women."

"Even if it's for women... I don't mind..."

"What would people think if a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man wore something a woman wore?!"

A-ra was about to get angry, so I shut my mouth.

I'd been too childish.

*

Come to think of it, it was already this late.

It was already past 8.

There was no strict visiting hour limit,

but since six-person rooms usually turned off the lights at 9,

out of consideration, everyone except one guardian left at 9.

In A-ra's case, she was the only guardian, so she could stay,

but she was an idol with work tomorrow, so I couldn't let her stay at the hospital.

"Noona, go home and rest quickly."

"Huh?"

"You have to go to work tomorrow. Surely you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not thinking of staying here?"

"Uh... can't I?"

"Of course not..."

No matter that it was her husband's hospital room,

I couldn't bear to see A-ra, an idol, sleeping on a cot.

That cot would wreck her back after one night

and would definitely give her a cold.

Why make her suffer like that unnecessarily?

I assured her I'd be fine alone, told her not to worry,

and pushed her toward the door.

"Go home and rest. There are side dishes in the fridge, so don't buy instant noodles—

make sure you eat at home. Got it?"

"Yeah..."

"Take off your clothes and put them in the basket under the washing machine.

Sort them carefully by color, and put your underwear in a separate laundry net."

"Alright... I'm not a child."

"But then every time you leave your socks inside out,

and you toss your underwear and going-out clothes into any basket mixed together."

"Ugh...."

A-ra stood in front of me with an expression that looked like she might cry any second,

and closed her eyes.

I gently kissed her on the lips.

I'd wanted a sweet, leisurely kiss,

but A-ra's tongue invaded,

so I too deployed my siege weapon and attacked A-ra's castle walls.

I wasn't sure if we should do this in a hospital room,

but since it was a single room, what did it matter.

I stirred A-ra's mouth aggressively.

Lately, just receiving A-ra's kisses was enough to get me so excited that my lower region became moist,

so going further would be dangerous.

As if to prove it,

A-ra's wandering hand was heading toward increasingly sensual territory,

so I held back tears and slowly pushed her away by the shoulders.

Already as flushed as a high-blood-pressure patient, A-ra,

despite being pushed away by the shoulders, begged for more kisses.

If we kept going, it felt like we'd end up doing the main event right there in the hospital room,

so I shook my head side to side.

A-ra wore a very regretful expression.

"Let's do it later after I'm discharged, at home."

"....Fine."

Anyway, since I was hospitalized from the accident but had no injuries,

I'd probably be discharged in two days.

After that, slowly enjoying ourselves at home

would be good for both me and A-ra.

A-ra put on a mask and hat to disguise herself.

In places like a hospital, it seemed best for everyone that she disguised herself to avoid unnecessary confusion.

"Well... I'm going then?"

"Set your alarm and sleep tight~"

Maybe because she'd nagged right until the very end,

A-ra stuck her tongue out and made a 'merong' sound at me.

She looked so cute that I smiled fleetingly.

After A-ra left and the door closed,

only the sound of my own breathing echoed eerily in the hospital room.

Before I knew it, the IV bag had drained a lot,

so it was time to change it; I pressed the nurse call button.

I'd have to ask them to recharge me soon.

The metaphor was a bit funny. Recharging, huh...

"Ah...!"

Come to think of it, I'd forgotten to ask A-ra to bring my phone charger!

It would be too shameless to ask her to bring it now...

Or maybe I should go to the convenience store and buy one?

But there were probably still many things to be explained or tests to be done—

would it be okay to just go down to the convenience store without a word...?

No way that would be allowed...

If I'd known, I'd have bought one beforehand...

I stared at the floor and hung my head.

It was too pathetic how my brain forgot one thing the moment I thought of another.