Chapter 88
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88
A few more days passed.
“Your recovery is remarkably fast. If you maintain this condition, you should be able to be discharged next week.”
As the doctor examining Eun-seol spoke with a look of surprise, Dokyun shifted his gaze to her.
Her recovery certainly did seem fast. To be cleared for discharge just three weeks after having her leg so badly broken…
Even Dokyun, who knew little about medicine, could tell that this was not a normal rate of healing.
Her physical abilities were astounding every time he saw them.
As Dokyun stared at her blankly, she finished her conversation with the doctor, turned to him, and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yes.”
He nodded at her words and pushed the wheelchair she was in out of the examination room.
They made their way down the long corridor, heading back to her hospital room.
Dokyun noticed her staring blankly out the window and followed her gaze.
It was a view of bare trees standing in a long row on either side of a well-paved road.
It seemed somewhat desolate, somewhat silent—a landscape that truly suited winter.
He could see people walking below, braving the biting wind that whipped beneath the trees, and cars coming and going along the road. There were sedans, large trucks, and even the occasional ambulance.
After taking in the scene, Dokyun looked back at Eun-seol, who was still gazing out the window, and spoke.
“Would you like to get some fresh air?”
He asked, wondering if she was feeling cooped up from being stuck in her room. She mulled it over for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. Let’s get some air.”
“Then let’s stop by the room first. We should grab your coat, don’t you think?”
“Alright.”
She fell silent again after her reply.
Dokyun watched her for a moment before closing his own mouth and pushing the wheelchair.
* * *
A chilly wind enveloped them as they exited the building.
Dokyun flinched slightly at the biting cold that made the tip of his nose sting, then looked down at her.
“Are you not cold?”
He asked because she had shown a sensitivity to the cold since their first outing. He saw her wordlessly huddle into herself.
She was shivering despite wearing two layers of coats.
The other personalities didn’t seem to feel the cold this way, but she particularly hated the frigid wind.
As Dokyun was lost in thought, she shook her head in response to his question.
“It’s fine. Let’s just do one lap to clear my head.”
Her reply was delivered in a calm tone.
Nodding, Dokyun began to push her along the walking path built on the hospital grounds.
He had only ever seen it from a distance while coming and going, but now that he was actually on it, he had a different impression.
Unlike the main road, the path was lined with evergreen spindle trees, giving it a touch of green. The surrounding area had been cleared to let in plenty of sunlight, making it feel refreshingly open. Although it was the middle of winter and no flowers were in bloom, the vitality held within the tall, stretching branches painted a scene that felt lively enough without them.
Furthermore, it was clear that a great deal of care had been put into the aesthetics, as one would expect from a major hospital. The decorative objects placed here and there and the brightly colored pavement erased the cold feeling typical of artificial structures.
“They did a really nice job with this place.”
Dokyun remarked with a hint of admiration after looking around the path for a while. She glanced at him and tossed out a reply.
“Don’t act like such a country bumpkin. It’s embarrassing to be seen with you.”
It had been a while since he’d heard her insults.
Dokyun flinched at her words and grumbled in an awkward voice.
“What’s so country bumpkin about that…?”
Her words hit a little too close to home.
It was the truth. Although he had moved to Seoul for university, Dokyun had lived his entire life before that in a mountain village in Gangwon Province. He was, in fact, a country bumpkin.
He remembered how he had walked around, constantly looking left and right, completely intimidated by the noisy atmosphere when he first arrived in Seoul. As he muttered his complaint, she let out a smirk and insulted him again.
“My apologies. You’re not like a country bumpkin, you are one.”
“Hey, come on…!”
Would it kill her to be a little kinder? He narrowed his eyes and glared at her for teasing him, but she had already lost interest, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.
Wondering what she was looking at, he followed her line of sight. There was nothing there but a long line of trees and small birds flitting between them.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“The trees.”
A short reply. Dokyun tilted his head, his curiosity piqued again, and she continued in a daze.
“I was just looking.”
“Ah, I see…”
Dokyun watched her fall silent again and decided it was best not to disturb her, so he closed his mouth.
After a long while, she continued to stare blankly in the direction of the trees before suddenly speaking.
“Those birds are annoying.”
“Pardon?”
“The way they hop around. It’s annoying.”
Wondering what on earth she was talking about, Dokyun followed her gaze and saw a line of birds flying between the trees.
“Aren’t they cute?”
“Cute, my ass.”
As she spat out the sharp retort, Dokyun studied her face and felt his eyes narrow.
Annoying, she says.
Her eyes were darting back and forth. The perpetual frown line between her brows had smoothed out slightly.
It was a face that anyone could tell was enjoying the sight.
He wondered why she had to put it like that when she could just say she liked them. As he watched her, her mouth was now slightly agape.
Is she just shy? No, what is there to be shy about? As he was thinking, she must have felt his stare, because her expression soured and she spoke.
“What.”
“Ah, nothing…”
Her glare triggered his PTSD.
Dokyun quickly averted his gaze, pressed his lips together, and began pushing the wheelchair again.
A sense of injustice welled up inside him, but he couldn’t find the words to retort, so he kept his mouth shut and continued walking.
“Meow~.”
This time, he heard the cry of a cat.
The sound came from somewhere nearby. Dokyun turned his head in its direction and saw a plump cat emerge from between the bushes.
It was a yellow cat with a white snout and four white paws.
A scrap-eater.
Seeing how chubby it was, it seemed to be a cat that lived off the hospital’s leftovers.
Dokyun watched it for a moment, shuddering as he was reminded of his military service. Then, he felt a jolt from his hands and turned his head toward her.
At the end of his gaze was Eun-seol, her hands twitching as her eyes were completely stolen by the cat.
She was having a staring contest with it, her eyes wide.
Does she like cats, too? Dokyun narrowed his eyes, about to say something, but closed his mouth again and looked back and forth between the cat and Eun-seol.
Was there some kind of telepathy he didn’t know about? He could feel a strange tension in the way they were staring each other down.
The standoff continued for a moment, neither blinking as if their eyes didn't sting at all.
“Meow.”
The cat, declaring its defeat, disappeared back into the bushes.
“Ah…”
A sigh of disappointment escaped her lips.
Dokyun looked at her and saw her staring at the bushes where the cat had vanished, a look of regret on her face.
His mouth began to itch with things to say, and unable to hold it back, Dokyun spoke in a subtle, roundabout tone.
“You must like animals.”
“I do not.”
Another denial shot out immediately.
Dokyun felt a mischievous urge rise up again at her almost defiant attitude, but he thought of what trouble he might get into if he spoke up, so he clamped his mouth shut and endured it.
A moment later, thinking back on the situation, Dokyun was suddenly reminded of his family’s cat and let out a small laugh.
“Seeing that cat just now reminded me of Pporongi. He’s just as chubby as that one.”
Flinch.
Her fingertips trembled again. Immediately after, she clenched her fist, shifted her gaze, and tossed out a comment.
“I don’t see what’s so great about a furball that sheds everywhere…”
She said it with a slight scoff, but…
Your body seems to be saying otherwise.
He thought she should probably hide her hands.
Of course, he didn’t say that out loud. Humans were animals that learned, and Dokyun was a pretty good student.
They walked on for a little while longer. As Dokyun observed her behavior, he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
The holidays were now just a few weeks away.
If I use this…?
Couldn’t he convince her to come to his parents’ house?
He hadn’t gotten a clear answer from her since he’d asked before.
He felt truly sorry to Eun-seol, but he was in a desperate situation himself.
It was a mistake made in a fit of anger, but there was no taking it back.
Knowing his mother’s personality, she would have already spread the news all over the neighborhood that he was bringing a woman home for the holidays, and all the village elders would be dropping by to see for themselves.
He shuddered just imagining the look on his mother’s face if those old folks saw him arrive alone and said something like, “Well, what did you expect?”
It was a point of no return.
For once, he didn’t want to hear her ask how long he was going to live so pathetically alone.
Gulp.
A dry swallow went down his throat. Dokyun slowly shifted his gaze toward her and, hiding his trembling as best he could, opened his mouth.
“Still, he’s pretty cute, you know?”
“…I’ll respect your taste.”
“He’s a bit selfish, but when he’s in a good mood, he’ll come to the door to greet you, sit on your lap, and even rub his head against your arm.”
Flinch.
The more he spoke, the more intensely her fingertips twitched.
It’s working! This is working!
His conviction grew, and Dokyun continued in a brighter voice than before.
“We also have a dog in the yard. But Pporongi has such a nasty temper that he starts crying and getting on the dog’s nerves whenever he sees it through the window. Then the two of them will start barking and fighting for a while, and that’s a sight to see.”
The trembling that had started in her fingertips had now spread to her shoulders.
The time was ripe. Feeling that it was time to get to the point, Dokyun carefully opened his mouth.
“Would you… like to go see him?”
He asked, hiding his nervousness as much as possible.
At his words, her twitching fists clenched tight.
Then, her gaze turned to him. With an expression that looked like she was suppressing something, she gritted her teeth and gave her answer.
“Stop being a smartass…!”
Her eyes were wide.
Dokyun felt himself shrink back.
So this method won’t work after all. As the thought crossed his mind, he avoided her gaze and muttered.
“Sor—”
It was over. Just as a sigh was about to escape his lips…
Her mouth opened.
“I was already planning on going. I meant stop being a smartass with your pointless chatter.”
“Pardon?”
At her words, Dokyun’s head snapped up. Unless he had misheard, her answer was a definite yes.
“I said I’ll go. It’s not like I have a choice, do I?”
She said with another sigh. The moment Dokyun’s expression lit up, she hardened her face and added sharply.
“And just so you don’t get the wrong idea because of the timing of this conversation, this has nothing to do with that cat. I was going to go anyway.”
She was being awfully defensive.
He didn’t know why she was making such a long-winded excuse, but Dokyun, satisfied that he had gotten her confirmation, nodded vigorously and replied.
“Of course. What do you take me for?”
“A fucking bastard.”
It was the most direct curse she had thrown at him in a while. Dokyun flinched, and seeing this, she hunched her shoulders slightly and continued.
“Let’s head back inside. It’s cold.”
“Ah, yes.”
He glanced at her cautiously. She had regained her usual composure and had already looked away from him.
A long breath escaped him.
Whatever the case, it was a truly fortunate turn of events.