Miracle Illusion

Chapter 2.2 - A Part Of The Lost Memories (2)



“…Okay.”“I’m going to sleep.”Sungwoon seemed to accept his parents’ death more easily than expected. Yeonwoo gritted his teeth and turned his back. It was fortunate that there was no sound to the tears streaming down his cheeks. The sound of footsteps stopped at the door. Then, with a rattling sound, cold air came in.“Hey. Hong Yeonwoo.”“…Yeah.”“Sorry for being harsh.”“……”“Goodbye. See you tomorrow.”Yeonwoo’s steps halted. He couldn’t move further and clung to the door, silently shedding tears. Occasionally, a hiccuping sound could be heard, but Sungwoon pretended not to notice. Hong Yeonwoo, see you tomorrow. Hong Yeonwoo, see you tomorrow.“Okay.”The sound of footsteps faded away again. The door closed, and silence filled the hospital room.“Ugh…”A painful groan escaped from Sungwoon’s lips as he turned to face the wall. Tears streamed down his temples, pooling at the bridge of his nose and in his ears. He knew. He had known about his parents’ death from the beginning. He knew better than anyone that the moment he acknowledged it, it would become a reality.“Ah…”His face contorted. Sungwoon’s shoulders shook as he lay on his side. The quiet hospital room, where only the sound of the heating system could be heard occasionally, was filled with sorrowful sobs.‘What are you talking about? The child survived, so of course, the immediate family comes first. No, I told you. Oh, this person! I asked the lawyer directly. It doesn’t go to the collateral relatives. Sungwoon is the immediate family. Oh, this is frustrating. Parents and children are immediate family, and siblings are collateral relatives. Sungwoon survived, so it won’t go to the collateral relatives. Oh, I don’t know. I took care of the patient, so why are you making a fuss?’I remember my aunt’s voice echoing in the hallway on the day she last showed her face, the day I regained consciousness. Her voice was annoyingly loud as she talked on the phone.“Haa…”The tears stopped. It seemed the sun had completely set, as the hospital room was dark. Sungwoon slowly got up. His empty eyes were hollow. He grabbed the armrest and stretched his legs out from under the bed. He wasn’t fully recovered, but he could now walk on his own with something to hold onto.“……”As he grabbed the IV pole and tried to take a step, something caught on his thigh. It was the round stool. Sungwoon quietly looked down at the round stool where Yeonwoo had been sitting just a moment ago.He was the only one who stayed by my side, I shouldn’t have hurt him.Hoping his belated regret would reach Yeonwoo, Sungwoon slowly walked. The moment he acknowledged his parents’ death, he had to follow them. There was nothing left for him.The hospital room was on the fifth floor, so it wouldn’t take long to reach the rooftop. He couldn’t use the stairs in his current condition, so he would have to take the elevator. It wasn’t that late, so there wouldn’t be anyone to stop him. Deciding not to hesitate in front of death and to jump in one go, Sungwoon opened the hospital room door.“……”The moment the door opened with a rattling sound, Sungwoon’s tear-filled eyes wavered. Almost simultaneously, Yeonwoo, who had been crouching against the wall with his face buried in his knees, looked up.“Uh…”“What are you doing?”Sungwoon’s eyes turned fierce in an instant. His jaw tightened. Yeonwoo froze at his cold expression, as if he were about to throw a punch. Sungwoon clenched and unclenched his hand with the IV repeatedly. It felt like his blood was boiling.“You’re really something.”“……”His voice was filled with irritation. Yeonwoo, who had been sitting, quickly stood up and rubbed his reddened nose with the back of his hand. His eyes were swollen from crying so much with his back to the hospital room. Sungwoon let out a breathy laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.“Don’t you have a home? Why are you making a fuss here?”“I was about to leave.”“Then go.”Sungwoon walked past Yeonwoo. He gripped the IV pole tightly and tried not to limp. The thought of someone watching his unsteady steps made his neck flush with heat. The sound of the old wheels scraping the floor gave him chills. It wasn’t even an uphill walk, but he was sweating just from walking a bit down the hallway.Sungwoon, panting, stopped in front of the elevator. Fortunately, the elevator was already on the fifth floor, so there was no need to wait. Without hesitation, he got on and pressed the button for the top floor, the seventh floor. He was confident it would be open since he had seen people go up to the roof to smoke.“Seventh floor.” With the machine’s voice, the door opened. Sungwoon, leaning against the elevator wall, mustered his strength again.“Ah… damn it…”“……”The moment the door opened, it wasn’t the iron door leading to the roof that greeted him but Yeonwoo’s face. Sungwoon, suppressing his boiling anger, ended up cursing under his breath. Yeonwoo, whose cheeks were flushed as if he had run up the stairs, looked up at Sungwoon while panting heavily.“Do you want to die?”“……”“Seriously, get lost while I’m being nice.”No matter what Sungwoon said, Yeonwoo didn’t budge. The elevator door repeatedly closed and reopened. Sungwoon, pushing the IV pole, walked forward and roughly shoved Yeonwoo. Fortunately, the roof door wasn’t locked. Sungwoon grabbed the round metal handle tightly.“…Where are you going?”At the same time, Yeonwoo’s pale hand tightly gripped Sungwoon’s sleeve. Sungwoon’s eyebrows shot up, and the back of his neck turned blotchy red—a sign he was extremely angry.“What are you going to do by knowing?”“Can’t you not go?”“…Nonsense.”“If you want to get some fresh air, let’s go outside together. There’s a garden and benches on the first floor.”“Just get lost.”“Or do you want to go to the reservoir? There’s a reservoir with a beautiful night view in our neighborhood. You can use the wheelchair. I’ll push you.”“Haa…”Grabbing the roof door with one hand, Sungwoon glared at Yeonwoo fiercely. His eyes were filled with rage. Yeonwoo, trembling his lips, kept mumbling.“Hey.”“Yeah.”“Go home.”“……”“Please. I’m begging you.”This time, it wasn’t a curse. Sungwoon sighed long and hard, pleading. Yeonwoo’s dark eyes wavered.“I’m not going.”“Haa…”“Come down with me, Choi Sungwoon.”“Ah…”“If you don’t like grapes, I’ll get you something else. What fruit do you like?”“Hey.”“I thought you liked grapes. That’s why I bought them every day. I didn’t know you didn’t like them. I thought you did.”“…Hey.”“Oh. You like walnut bread, don’t you? I searched all over the market to find it, but they said it’s not available these days. I don’t know why they stopped making it; it’s delicious.”As Yeonwoo continued talking, his jaw clenched, creating wrinkles like a walnut. Sungwoon’s eyes trembled. Yeonwoo tightened his grip on Sungwoon’s sleeve, wrinkling the thin hospital gown.“Let’s go down. Okay?”The corners of Yeonwoo’s mouth, which had been trying to act brave, drooped. Tears quickly welled up in Yeonwoo’s eyes. Even as his vision blurred, Yeonwoo didn’t stop speaking.“Come down with me. Let’s go down…”As Yeonwoo continued to speak, his eyebrows furrowed. Tears filled his large eyes and fell continuously down his cheeks. Yeonwoo tried to hold back his sobs, straining his neck. Sungwoon, watching him, lifted one corner of his mouth.“Hey.”“Yeah.”“I was in a car with my parents, and I was the only one who survived.”“……”“The last thing I grabbed was my mom’s hair.”“……”“No matter how hard I try, I can’t remember anything else, but I remember that.”“……”“I have nothing left.”“……”“Damn it… What do you know? Just let me die. Please.”Sungwoon covered Yeonwoo’s hand with the one that had been holding the door. The sudden warmth made Yeonwoo burst into the sobs he had been holding back. A sorrowful cry escaped from his drooping lips.“Don’t say that…”For the first time in front of Sungwoon, Yeonwoo showed his tears, crying as if he were releasing all the pent-up emotions at once. Even so, he didn’t let go of Sungwoon’s sleeve.“Don’t say you’re going to die, Choi Sungwoon. Come down with me…”His words were interrupted by sobs. Sungwoon, who had been watching him cry blankly, felt his eyes darken.“Stop it. I’m starting to get angry.”Realizing that Yeonwoo had no intention of letting him go, Sungwoon used his strength to pry Yeonwoo’s hand off his wrist. Yeonwoo, who had been crying profusely, quickly reached out again, but Sungwoon was faster.“Choi Sungwoon. Hic… Don’t do it. Don’t…”Sungwoon pulled the IV needle out of his hand, let go of the IV pole, and staggered out the roof door. Yeonwoo quickly followed. Sungwoon’s curses were carried away by the fierce wind. His legs felt weak, as if his knees would buckle at any moment, but he gritted his teeth and moved forward.“Don’t do it. Please. Please…”Yeonwoo, who had run after him, clung to Sungwoon’s arm. Despite his weakened body, Sungwoon managed to throw Yeonwoo off in one swift motion. Yeonwoo, who had fallen to the ground, got up like a roly-poly without even a groan.“Please. I’m begging you. Okay? Don’t do it.”Yeonwoo cried out like a madman. Sungwoon couldn’t understand why someone else was making such a fuss when he was the one who wanted to die. Yeonwoo, whose palm was bleeding from falling, ran towards Sungwoon again.“Don’t die. Please. I’m begging you. Don’t die.”Yeonwoo hugged Sungwoon’s waist tightly and put all his strength into his legs. If he hadn’t been injured, carrying someone and jumping off would have been nothing, but in his broken state, even managing his own body was a struggle. The railing was right in front of him, but his body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.“Hic… Ugh…”Yeonwoo cried so hard it seemed like he would pass out. Sungwoon could feel his back getting soaked. Exhausted, Sungwoon collapsed on the spot. At the same time, Yeonwoo also fell to his knees on the ground.“Hic…”Yeonwoo, whose eyes were so swollen he could barely open them, clung to Sungwoon’s knees with his arms, struggling to breathe, afraid Sungwoon might run to the railing.“Haa…”Sungwoon, also drained of energy, panted with his palms on the ground. He could have died if he had gone a little further, but damn Hong Yeonwoo had ruined everything. He was so angry he felt like he was going to lose his mind, but no words came out. The two of them panted in the biting wind for a long time.“I’m sorry for not knowing. I’m sorry for not understanding your feelings… Hic…”Yeonwoo, who was tightly hugging Sungwoon’s knees, spoke breathlessly.“I… I never had parents… I’ve never even seen their faces. I’m sorry for not knowing…”His words were interrupted by gasps for breath. Sungwoon stared at Yeonwoo with empty eyes. Yeonwoo’s chest rose and fell with each breath.“Life is shorter than you think, hic… It’s short…”“……”Sungwoon couldn’t understand what he was saying. He just watched Yeonwoo without saying anything.“Let’s do something fun together…”“……”“Life is too short… Hic… It’s too short to regret…”“……”“Just tell me one thing you want to eat each day, or something you want to do…”“……”“Let’s just do that. Don’t die, just do that…”Sungwoon’s shoulders, hunched and trembling, shook greatly. A sigh escaped his lips.“And why do you say… why do you say you have nothing left.”Hiccuping sobs interrupted the conversation here and there. Yeonwoo’s shoulders shook, but he didn’t stop talking.“I, I…”Whatever he wanted to say, Yeonwoo couldn’t continue and lowered his head. Tears pooled on the floor. Sungwoon scoffed quietly. Yeonwoo’s body trembled, and he silently shed tears without lifting his head.“What are you?”“……”His cold voice carried on the wind. Yeonwoo barely managed to lift his drooping lips. Sungwoon, who had raised one corner of his mouth, also quietly shed a tear.“What are you to me?”“……”“Hey.”“……”“I don’t even know what memories I’ve lost. And I don’t really want to find out. I remember everything I need anyway. Do you understand what I’m saying?”“……”“You were nothing to me, so insignificant that there’s no need to remember you.”“……”“So stop interfering with my life. It’s so… irritating.”He had no strength left to get up. Sungwoon leaned back and looked at the dark sky. It was a perfect day to die, but it was a waste. Realizing he had turned twenty without knowing it and forgetting the days he didn’t remember made him feel a bit melancholic.There was a distant sound of thunder. He vaguely remembered hearing a weather forecast about rain in the morning news. Sungwoon looked up blankly at the dark clouds covering the sky. All the while, Yeonwoo swallowed his sobs quietly, never once lifting his head.⟡˖ ࣪“You’ll freeze to death if you sleep there.”“I’m not sensitive to the cold.”“Bullshit. I can’t sleep because of your chattering teeth.”“I’ll keep my mouth shut.”Lying in bed, Sungwoon spoke quietly, staring at the darkened fluorescent light. A faint sound of laughter came from below. In a way, Sungwoon had given in. Despite all the harsh words, Yeonwoo had followed him all the way back to the hospital room. He shamelessly declared that it was too late and that he would sleep there. Exhausted, Sungwoon didn’t stop him and went to wash up with a towel around his neck. When he returned after a while, Yeonwoo was waiting for him, lying neatly on a makeshift bed under his bed. It was absurd. He had been angry earlier, but now it just seemed ridiculous and made him laugh.“Hey. Are you asleep?”“No.”Sungwoon, lying on the high bed, and Yeonwoo, lying on the low bed, talked while looking at the ceiling. Sungwoon traced the edges of the round fluorescent light with his eyes.“I find it absurd too… I really don’t remember.”“…It happens.”“When did we become friends?”“Since last year.”“It’s January now, when last year?”“September.”“What? Only four months?”“……”Yeonwoo didn’t respond, tightly closing his lips at the word “only.” Sungwoon tapped the armrest with his fingers and continued.“Where did we meet?”“You transferred to our school.”“I heard that.”“Yeah. So we decided to be friends.”“That’s a really simple story. You must be bad at studying.”A laugh erupted from below at Sungwoon’s blunt reply. It was the first time he had seen both Yeonwoo’s laughter and tears. Perhaps it was a kind of commemoration. Sungwoon covered his eyes with his arms, lost in a fleeting thought.“What’s so funny?”“Just.”“Your sense of humor is really weird.”“Now you seem more like yourself.”“……”“Just a little. More like yourself.”There was a hint of sadness in the faint laughter. Momentarily at a loss for words, Sungwoon pressed his eyelids with his arms. Maybe Yeonwoo was right. When he broke down on the rooftop, facing death, and shared his pain with someone else, he felt a slight relief. It was strange. His parents were still gone, he was still alone in the world, and he still wanted to die, but he felt a tiny bit of relief, like a needle hole.“What did we do?”“What do you mean?”“You and me.”“……”“You said we were friends. If you come here every day and make a fuss, we must have been really close.”“We went sledding.”“What?”“We went sledding. I used a sack, but you got stuck in a rubber tub and fell.”“What nonsense.”“We also did fireworks.”“What?”“Fireworks. There’s a railroad track above my house. We did fireworks there.”In the darkness, Sungwoon narrowed his eyes. He didn’t even like fireworks. He wasn’t a child who would go sledding. Everything Yeonwoo said seemed absurd.“Let’s go outside tomorrow. The doctor said we could take a walk outside.”“……”“It’s going to snow tomorrow. A white Christmas.”“Christmas was ages ago, idiot…”“Anyway. Let’s go see the snow tomorrow.”“Hey.”“Yeah.”“I’m serious, don’t come from tomorrow.”“……”“I don’t want to see you.”“If it snows, let’s have a snowball fight.”“I’m going to change hospitals.”“Let’s make a snowman too. You’re good at art, so you’ll make a great snowman.”Yeonwoo’s voice grew more emotional. Sungwoon pretended not to notice and continued the awkward conversation.“Shut up. Just sleep.”“Yeah. You sleep well too.”“I hope you’re gone when I wake up tomorrow.”“I’m not good at taking hints.”“Start now.”After Sungwoon’s words, Yeonwoo didn’t respond. Even someone as shameless as him could be at a loss for words. Sungwoon turned his back to the wall. He stared at the patterned wallpaper for a long time, then turned slightly at the sound of soft breathing behind him.“It’s so damn cold, damn it…”Even with the heating on, the floor wasn’t warm. Yeonwoo had taken off his padded jacket and was sleeping in just a thin shirt. Sungwoon looked down at his pale face, curled up like a shrimp. He sighed inwardly and threw his blanket down. It landed haphazardly on Yeonwoo’s lower body.“Annoying, damn it. I told you to go home…”Sungwoon turned over and lay down again, then quickly got up and straightened the blanket. He covered Yeonwoo from neck to toe and lay back down. It wasn’t like he had the energy to take care of himself, let alone worry about Yeonwoo. The sound of the wind tapping on the window grew louder. The ticking of the clock’s hands also seemed louder. Everything except the silence was irritating. Lying without a blanket made his body shiver. No matter how strong Sungwoon was, he was still a patient.“Don’t make me do this twice.”Sungwoon, getting up for the third time, grabbed Yeonwoo’s padded jacket from the hospital room door. Despite the noise from moving back and forth with the IV pole, Yeonwoo didn’t stir once. Back in bed, Sungwoon covered himself with Yeonwoo’s padded jacket. His body warmed up quickly.What is this smell…There was a peculiar smell whenever he got close to Yeonwoo. It was musty, reminiscent of the smell at his grandmother’s house in the countryside. When he first regained consciousness, his senses were so heightened that he found it simply nauseating. Now, it didn’t seem so bad.From under the bed came the sound of quiet breathing. In the darkness, a small silhouette rose and fell. After watching the sleeping Yeonwoo for a long time, Sungwoon slowly spoke.“Hey.”There was no answer from the darkness, as expected. Sungwoon continued talking to the black figure.“It was you, wasn’t it?”Steady breathing responded instead of words. Sungwoon blinked slowly and chewed the inside of his cheek.‘Wake up, Choi Sungwoon.’‘Just don’t die. It’s okay. Just wake up.’‘Choi Sungwoon. It’s okay. Wake up, please…’He had found the owner of the sobs that mixed with his screams in his nightmares. It was none other than Hong Yeonwoo. When he was lost in a dark panic, crying out for his parents, Yeonwoo was the only one who called out to him. At first, he was unsure, but seeing Yeonwoo cry today confirmed it. Yeonwoo had been calling out to him constantly while he was in a coma.“……”What kind of relationship did we have, you and I?When Sungwoon closed his mouth, silence returned to the hospital room. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to summon sleep that wouldn’t come.‘I like the taste of tears.’‘Are you sure?’‘They say the tear flavor is the best?’‘It’s really spicy.’‘Oh, you’re crying because it’s spicy, not because it’s delicious?’‘Yeah.’‘It’s okay. A real man can handle the spice.’‘Okay, then. Sir, one tear flavor and one mild flavor, please.’Determined to pay this time, Yeonwoo rummaged through his back pocket and handed over four 1,000 won bills. The kind market lady handed them a bottle of sauce, telling them to use as much as they wanted.‘Teriyaki? Chili?’‘Which one’s good?’‘I’ve only tried teriyaki with my grandma.’‘Then teriyaki.’‘Okay.’Yeonwoo shook the sauce bottle a couple of times and poured a long line of sauce over Sungwoon’s chicken skewer.‘You have no sense at all.’‘Why?’‘Who pours sauce like that?’‘Then how should I pour it?’‘Give it here.’Sungwoon grabbed the sauce bottle from Yeonwoo’s hand and squeezed it over Yeonwoo’s chicken skewer.‘What’s this?’‘My heart.’‘It’s crooked.’‘You’re such a superficial person.’The two laughed heartily. There was a heart drawn with brown sauce on Yeonwoo’s chicken skewer.‘You’ve got snot coming out.’‘It’s tears.’‘But it’s coming from your nose…’‘Hey. In moments like this, you’re supposed to pretend you don’t notice. You have no sense, seriously.’‘Looking at it again, it does seem like tears.’‘Hey. I think my esophagus is burned.’‘What are you talking about?’‘It feels like my throat has melted.’‘Why? Does it hurt?’Even though it was nonsense, Yeonwoo looked at Sungwoon with a worried expression. He had boasted that a real man could handle spice, but after just one bite, he was tearing up.‘Just take one bite.’‘No. I can’t eat spicy food.’‘Just one bite.’‘No. This is spicy enough for me.’‘You’re really sensitive.’‘……’‘It’s okay. It’s enough for me to eat through tears and snot. If it were me, I would have eaten all of yours too.’Yeonwoo, feeling defeated, opened his mouth. The large piece of chicken slid in as if waiting. As Yeonwoo chewed expressionlessly, his face gradually turned red. Sungwoon laughed so hard he held onto a telephone pole.‘It’s really spicy, isn’t it?’‘Ugh… Why did you make me eat this?’‘Because we’re in love.’‘…What does that even mean.’‘We need to share the pain.’Somehow, Sungwoon looked happy. The chicken skewer, after just two bites, ended up in the trash, but they enjoyed sharing the milder one Yeonwoo had chosen while exploring the market.‘The chocolate milk is better, isn’t it?’‘Yeah.’‘Let’s drink chocolate from now on. Plain milk tastes weird.’‘Okay.’Sungwoon had stopped Yeonwoo from buying plain milk at the supermarket and handed him a chocolate milk instead. Yeonwoo, who had insisted he liked plain milk, drank every drop of the chocolate milk. Sungwoon had guessed right. He had never tried anything other than plain milk.‘Shall we go stargazing again tonight?’‘Sure. Let’s bring a mat and blankets.’‘Yeah.’When they arrived at a secluded spot, Sungwoon casually took Yeonwoo’s hand. Yeonwoo, whose ears turned red, nervously looked around. Sungwoon smiled brightly, showing his teeth.‘Don’t let go.’‘Huh?’‘Don’t let go of my hand.’‘…Okay.’‘I won’t let go either.’The path to stargazing was longer than expected, but being together made it less cold.As Sungwoon turned to face the wall, a small smile crept up his lips. It was the first night since the accident that he didn’t have a nightmare.When he opened his eyes, no one was there except himself lying in bed. Before he could feel the sunlight streaming through the window, Sungwoon instinctively took a deep breath. Something felt missing.‘…Oh.’There were no nightmares. No sticky hair in his hands. Sungwoon opened his mouth slightly and looked at the clock on the wall. It was eleven in the morning.‘You slept a lot…’Since the accident, he had suffered from severe insomnia. He often woke up suddenly at dawn, and even the short times he slept were plagued by horrific nightmares, waking him in fear.Maybe life was getting better. The blanket was still soft, and his face wasn’t sweaty. Sungwoon let out a chuckle.‘So much for having no sense.’Sungwoon unconsciously looked to the side and mumbled, seeing the neatly organized makeshift bed and chair. He had expected Yeonwoo to be watching him with those wide eyes when he woke up, but it seemed he wasn’t completely clueless after all.Sungwoon probably pushed aside the blanket that Yeonwoo had covered him with and stretched his legs out of the bed. The tingling feeling from his toes when he woke up had significantly lessened. Time was indeed a healer, even when life felt unbearable. Sungwoon stood on the floor, holding onto the IV pole. His knees almost buckled, but he gritted his teeth and endured.“Haa…”Washing up was a task. It was hard to stand for long without holding onto the IV pole, but to wash, he had to let go. Yeonwoo had offered to help, but as long as he was alive, he had no intention of showing himself in such a pitiful state. Sungwoon leaned against the shower room wall and slowly showered. Warm, steaming water gently soaked him from head to toe.He used the showerhead to clean the foggy mirror. His reflection looked terrible. His eyes were hollow from weight loss, with dark circles underneath, and his lips were dry and cracked. His pale skin was rough from lack of sunlight, and his black eyes were dull and lifeless. Letting out a helpless laugh, Sungwoon splashed water on his face again.“……”It took over an hour to wash up. With a towel around his neck, he trudged back to the hospital room, which was still empty. The ticking of the clock sounded unusually loud. It had been annoying from the start, and he considered removing it altogether. Instead of getting back on the bed, Sungwoon took out the round stool Yeonwoo always sat on and sat down.“What to do.”He leaned against the bed and stared blankly into space. Time seemed to pass slowly. His rehabilitation training wasn’t until four, so he had plenty of time. What had he done yesterday? He usually did nothing, but today felt especially empty. Instead of searching for the reason, Sungwoon rolled his eyes, thinking about how to pass the time.“Oh… you’re awake.”The door opened at that moment. Just when he thought he had nothing to do, just when he thought lying in bed and staring at the ceiling was all he had until four. Yeonwoo cautiously opened the hospital room door and came in.“Did you wash up?”“…Yeah.”“Look at this.”Yeonwoo’s nose was red with excitement, and he held a yellow pinwheel.“There are so many pinwheels in the garden. They’re spinning really fast because of the wind.”“……”“I made a snowman outside too. I wanted to bring it in, but the security guard scolded me on the first floor. He said we can’t bring snowmen inside.”Yeonwoo sniffled as he spoke. Sungwoon, who had been staring blankly at the still pinwheel, looked up at Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo quickly averted his eyes.“Shall we go out?”“……”“Let’s go out. Let’s go before rehabilitation training.”Yeonwoo placed the pinwheel on the refrigerator and urged Sungwoon. Sungwoon turned his head to look at the wall. Yeonwoo’s smile faded, interpreting it as a rejection.“I made the snowman really well.”“……”“It snowed a lot. The ground is covered. But they’ve cleared paths, so we can walk there. There are many people outside. It’s not too cold with a padded jacket.”Yeonwoo mumbled as if making excuses. Sungwoon’s gaze dropped, then quickly returned.“Be quiet.”“……”“I can’t walk to the first floor.”“Huh?”“I need a wheelchair.”Yeonwoo’s smile grew wider at the blunt response. He quickly approached.“Okay. I’ll push the wheelchair.”Against the wall where Sungwoon looked, a folded wheelchair was placed. Yeonwoo opened it with a wide smile, his round cheeks flushed. Sungwoon slowly stood and opened the wardrobe. The wardrobe with his outerwear. It was the first time he opened it since being admitted.“Is it cold?”“Not really.”Yeonwoo pushed the wheelchair. Sungwoon, wearing a thick padded jacket over his hospital gown, sat in the wheelchair and gazed at the outside scenery he hadn’t seen in over two months. The sound of children having snowball fights could be heard from all around. Occasionally, a biting wind would blow, but it was all part of the scenery.“If we go back there, there aren’t many people.”The middle path showed signs of being swept clean with a broom. Yeonwoo used his strength to turn the wheelchair. Watching the white snow piled high on both sides of the path, Sungwoon regretted not walking out, even if it was a bit of a struggle.“There it is.”As Yeonwoo said, there were hardly any people in the backyard. Passing the smoking area, Yeonwoo stopped at a pavilion with benches. On the brown bench was a round snowball. Sungwoon leaned forward, focusing on the mysterious round object.“You said it was a snowman.”“Uh… someone took the head.”Yeonwoo, looking flustered, picked up the snowman, which was now just a lower body, and looked around. The spot where the snowman’s head had been was now flattened.“Ah… that’s too much.”“……”“They took the head.”Yeonwoo looked genuinely upset. Holding the lone round snowball, he looked around angrily. Watching him, Sungwoon couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.“……”“……”The laughter ended in silence. Both of them closed their mouths at the same time. Yeonwoo, with wide eyes, stared at Sungwoon.“What are you looking at?”“……”“Never seen someone laugh before?”Though he spoke gruffly, Sungwoon’s neck turned red with heat. Laughing wasn’t a big deal, but they both remained silent for a long time, looking at each other.“Let’s make the snowman again.”“……”“You make the head. I’ll make the body.”Yeonwoo, who had looked away first, sniffled and sat down on the ground, gathering snow. He then handed the pile of snow to Sungwoon. Sungwoon, caught off guard by the cold snow in his hands, winced.“Is it cold?”“It’s really cold.”“Well, snow is cold.”Yeonwoo beamed. His eyes crinkled when he smiled. This time, Sungwoon looked away first. Feeling his body heat up, he began to mold the snow in his hands. As his warm body heat touched it, the snow quickly turned into a solid lump.“What are you doing?”“……”As the snowball kept breaking apart, Sungwoon pressed it together irritably. Suddenly, his feet felt cold. Looking down, he saw Yeonwoo piling snow around his shoes. Sungwoon tilted his head slightly. Snow was piled high around his shoes. Since his shoes were waterproof, they didn’t get wet or unbearably cold.“I asked, what are you doing?”“……”Without a word, Yeonwoo continued to cover Sungwoon’s shoes with snow. His rounded back rose and fell with each breath. Sungwoon snorted in disbelief.“Ah…!”Yeonwoo, who had been bending over to trap Sungwoon’s feet in the snow, suddenly screamed. His shoulders hunched up, almost touching his ears.“Snow got down my back.”Yeonwoo, on the verge of tears, reached back to rub his neck. Sungwoon, who had been sprinkling crushed snow on Yeonwoo’s head, let out a sly laugh.“I have hands too.”“I put it on your feet, but you put it on my body.”“I sprinkled it on your head, and it went down.”“Same difference.”“You started it.”“……”At the age of twenty, the two of them continued their childish argument. Yeonwoo, wiping the droplets on his back with his clothes, glared at Sungwoon before scooping up a handful of snow and throwing it at his shoulder. The snowball hit his black padded jacket and scattered.“Do you want to die?”Sungwoon didn’t back down. He awkwardly kicked at Yeonwoo with his foot that wouldn’t cooperate. The snow piled on his shoe scattered towards Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo, flailing his arms in the air, grabbed another handful of snow and threw it at Sungwoon. This time, it hit him square in the face.“You’re really mean, considering you’re perfectly fine.”“Huh?”“I can’t even use my hands and feet properly.”“……”“You take snowball fights seriously against a patient, don’t you?”Though Sungwoon’s voice was filled with playfulness, Yeonwoo, not catching on, stood up abruptly, his face full of worry and apology. Was he naive or just plain stupid? Sungwoon stifled his laughter and deliberately hardened his expression.“Does it hurt?”“My face is paralyzed.”“Let’s go inside. I’m sorry.”That foolish Hong Yeonwoo acted as if he would believe everything he said. Sungwoon, amazed, let out a hollow laugh and grabbed Yeonwoo’s wrist.“It doesn’t hurt, you idiot.”“……”With one corner of his mouth lifted, Sungwoon extended his hand towards Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo, frozen in place, did nothing but stand there, stiff.“…What are you doing?”“Huh?”“Give me some snow. You said we were making a snowman.”It was really absurd. Unable to get out of the wheelchair, he extended his hand for snow just like before, but Yeonwoo grabbed his hand instead. Sungwoon scoffed, and only then did Yeonwoo realize his mistake and hurriedly sat down to gather snow. It felt as if Yeonwoo’s heartbeat was audible to Sungwoon.“Here.”His palm was filled with snow. Yeonwoo’s cheeks flushed as if they would burst at any moment, his nose sniffing.“……”“The pinwheels are spinning.”As the biting wind blew, a noisy sound came from nearby. When they turned their heads, they saw colorful pinwheels spinning busily. Red, blue, yellow, green… The pinwheels, about the size of a palm, spun in the wind. Sungwoon watched them, holding the melting snow in his palm.“They won’t melt anytime soon. It’s still cold.”Sungwoon made the head, and Yeonwoo made the body. The problem was, the head was much larger. They could have swapped them, but Yeonwoo stubbornly completed a snowman with a disproportionately large head. Placing the snowman on the edge of the bench, Yeonwoo clapped the snow off his hands and smiled brightly.“Let’s go in now. You can’t catch a cold.”“……”Sungwoon didn’t respond, but Yeonwoo didn’t wait and immediately pushed the wheelchair. Sungwoon glanced back at the snowman on the bench. For some reason, he felt reluctant to go inside. He didn’t particularly like snow and wasn’t interested in snowmen.“Let’s rest a bit and then go for rehabilitation.”Yeonwoo chattered to himself as he energetically pushed the wheelchair. Each time the snow on the wheels flew into the air, a cold sensation touched his ankles. How long had it been since he had been outside? It wasn’t like he wouldn’t see it again, but Sungwoon stared endlessly at the landscape with cloudy eyes. His nose tingled for no reason. I’m alive. I’m living. That thought suddenly crossed his mind.“Hong Yeonwoo?”It was a stranger’s voice that stopped Yeonwoo’s much lighter steps. Yeonwoo, whose name was called, turned around first, followed by Sungwoon. A large man in a short padded jacket was approaching them.“Do you know him?”“……”“Do I know him too?”The man was unfamiliar. He could be someone Sungwoon didn’t know, or someone from his lost memories. Sungwoon tapped Yeonwoo’s arm, asking, but Yeonwoo remained frozen. Sungwoon’s eyes narrowed.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.