Chapter 91 - Unbearable Itch
Three days after the surgery, Kim Jun’s body was caught between hell and an even deeper inferno.
The moment he first woke up, he was burning with fever. When Mari checked on him, she said it was a post-operative infection and prescribed both antibiotics and fever reducers.
For the next two days he groaned in misery while only eating porridge. Just as he started to feel better, the wound began to itch unbearably. He scratched it, and blood kept seeping from the reopened area.
Even though they changed the dressing repeatedly and warned him not to scratch, the urge was impossible to resist. The other girls were genuinely worried it would get infected again.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Click.
Kim Jun had just woken up early in the morning when he heard the knock and told them to enter. When Eun Ji quietly stepped inside carrying the first-aid kit, his eyes widened.
“Hm?”
“Oppa, I’m here to change your morning dressing.”
“Not Mari… you’re doing it yourself?”
“We decided to take turns. I learned basic first aid too.”
It was something Gaya had mentioned before. Mari was teaching each of the top stars one skill at a time.
CPR for sudden cardiac arrest, how to stop bleeding from torn or sliced abrasions and stab wounds, proper wound disinfection and dressing techniques, and how to splint and compress fractures.
Every time she treated Kim Jun’s injuries, she would call the other girls over to watch and learn. It seemed she was gradually having them practice on their own.
Anyway, instead of Mari, Eun Ji was the one who came. She carefully peeled off the tape holding the bandage, unwound it slowly, and removed the gauze one piece at a time. The pads were soaked with blood and pus, heavily stained.
“Ah, oppa. Just so you know, I washed my hands with disinfectant.”
“No wonder it smells so strongly of it.”
She had disinfected thoroughly. Every time her long, slender fingers moved, the sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air.
Eun Ji dabbed the wound with cotton swabs, then brought one up to her nose and sniffed.
“What are you doing? Why are you smelling that?”
“Mari said if the area around the wound turns yellowish and smells fishy, I should tell her right away.”
“Hey, am I a damn fish now?”
“That’s what infected wounds smell like.”
Following Mari’s instructions exactly, Eun Ji checked everything one by one, then used tweezers to pick up an alcohol swab from the kit and disinfect the stitched area.
At first, right after surgery, the pain had felt like it would kill him. Now he could endure it to some degree.
Even so, moving his left arm still caused pain, but he could clearly feel the wound healing.
After cleaning it with the alcohol swab, Eun Ji took out iodine and gently applied it around the wound. She placed fresh gauze over it, finished the dressing, cleaned up the used bandages and gauze, and quietly stood up.
“What’s for breakfast today?”
“Fried rice.”
“Ooh~”
Kim Jun slowly moved his freshly dressed arm while preparing to eat.
From then on, as he continued treatment, he began delegating tasks to the girls one by one.
On the fourth day, Emily came to change his dressing. On the fifth, Rana took care of it. As Kim Jun watched the stitches gradually close and healthy flesh grow back, he became certain it was time to start moving again.
At first he couldn’t even shake or bend his arm except for his fingers, but once he could move it a little, he tied a resistance band to the window frame and began slow rehabilitation exercises by pulling it.
“Oppa, you can’t do that right now!”
“What are you talking about? I have to move it to heal faster.”
“It’s only been a week! You need a few more days before you can start moving it even a little!”
When Mari panicked and tried to stop him, Kim Jun attempted to push further, but the shaking in his left arm forced him to grab it and retreat to his room.
Still, as more time passed, moving became more natural. After checking the calendar, he was confident there would be no problem leaving within the promised two weeks.
“Before that, I need to fix the car a bit.”
“With that arm? That’s dangerous! If zombie blood or oil from the bumper gets on the wound…”
When Mari tried to dissuade him again, Kim Jun scratched his head, then spotted Do Kyung and Rana working out inside and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Hey, you two.”
“?”
The girls who had been on the stationary bike and treadmill wiped their sweat and came down at his call.
“Everyone, come outside for a second.”
“Yes?”
“That’s it! Pull that part! Both sides! Both sides!”
“Ughhh!”
Creak— clank— clank—
Do Kyung grunted as she pulled down, loosening the nut inside the crumpled bumper so one side dropped.
Following Kim Jun’s instruction to loosen both sides, she ran to the opposite side, inserted the wrench, and yanked with all her strength.
He had been making the idols do all kinds of work—tending flowerpots, chopping trees, installing pipes. Now he was even teaching them car maintenance.
“Once everything inside is loose, just pull out the loose parts.”
“Wait, ngh— hold this.”
“Hey, you can’t do that alone!”
Kim Jun immediately went over and supported it with his right arm beside Do Kyung. Mari and Rana, who had been working on the other side, also rushed over. The four of them grabbed the front bumper and pulled together.
“Hup— go!”
Screech— creeeeak—
The front bumper, which had been shattered and rattling inside, was yanked out with raw strength.
Once the cracked and broken sections separated, the damage was fully visible.
“Should we recycle this instead of throwing it away?”
He planned to seal the split parts with silicone, hammer out the dents, and cut the damaged outer metal bumper to attach to new parts.
“We also need to replace the windshield. The inside has to be completely scraped clean.”
“You want… us to do that?”
“I’ll handle the inside myself.”
It was simple enough—remove the glass shards and old sealant from inside, then bring the new glass from the camper and install it. If Kim Jun had been fully healthy, it would have taken just a few hours with the girls helping and using tools. Teaching them step by step would take longer.
“Hoo…”
After finishing his shower, Kim Jun unwrapped the raincoat he had wrapped tightly around his left side.
It was a makeshift solution he had come up with so nothing would get on the wound.
That night, after working on various tasks inside the house, he had the girls help him finish replacing the windshield.
Tomorrow he would replace the side windows and start planning additional external armor for the vehicle to prepare for attacks like the one from the First Wave’s bikers.
Just like when Mari had been injured, there were far too many things to do to stay lying down just because he was a little hurt.
Even while suffering through a week of constant pain and discomfort, the wound was steadily healing as he took medicine and received treatment.
“Aigoo~ I’m so tired.”
Even while working, the itch had grown worse. After the shower, he sat on the chair beside the bed and thought about cracking open a can of beer.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he’d had beer. Once this life was over, he wanted to grill some samgyeopsal, wrap it in a fresh lettuce leaf, and wash it down with ice-cold draft beer.
“Hoo…”
Lying down only made him crave alcohol more. Being on total abstinence made the itch drive him crazy.
Late at night, as he rummaged around the room looking for a cigarette, there was a knock.
Knock knock.
“Ah, come in.”
Tonight too, one of the idols had come to do his pre-bedtime dressing. When the door opened, the person who entered was…
“It’s my turn to treat you today.”
“Ah, okay. Gaya-ya.”
Gaya came in carrying the first-aid kit. Seeing Kim Jun sitting in the chair, she quietly sat on the bed beside him and prepared to treat the wound.
Kim Jun unwrapped the bandage himself and showed her the injury.
Most of the pus had drained by now. The glass shard wounds had started forming scabs. Once the stitched areas closed properly, they could remove the sutures and he would be able to move his arm without issue.
Gaya opened the kit and began the dressing exactly as Mari had taught her.
At that moment, Kim Jun twisted his body slightly and gently stroked her long, wavy curly hair.
“!”
“Your hair feels nice.”
“Just a moment. I need to change the gauze first.”
Even as Kim Jun kept touching her, Gaya acted like it was nothing new. She finished wrapping the fresh bandage, then threw the blood- and pus-stained gauze into the trash.
“But oppa, with your arm like this…”
“Just sit here for a bit.”
“…”
Without a word, Gaya locked the door and quietly approached Kim Jun.
He pulled the chair back slightly so she could sit on his lap, then gently wrapped his right arm around her.
Kim Jun quietly stroked the hair of Gaya, who sat on his lap nestled against his chest.
Rather than just sitting still, seeing the beautiful top stars moving around the house helped calm his mind even if he could only hold them.
Gaya must have just showered too—her dried hair carried a faint, pleasant shampoo scent that tickled his nose.
As Kim Jun ran his hand down her hair and along her back, she—accustomed to his touch—buried her face in his chest and they shared a quiet, peaceful silence.
“This feels good.”
“…Mmm, yes.”
It wasn’t an unpleasant situation. When he felt her small breaths against his chest, Kim Jun slowly started to get in the mood.
“Should we stay like this a little longer?”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
With the idol still held gently in his arms, Kim Jun embraced her for the rest of the night, talking with her until it was time to sleep.