SANN | Chapter 12

Sieon quietly b1bdc7bcc0 observed Gureum 9f1eb4cfea eating his 6a66789716 food.b7b246ed9767349d

It had already been 7d9e1fb9b3 three months since Gureum 5707e6d7e5 started going to counseling. Considering Gureum would feel ab061c3044 utterly drained just from 6d078a9a63 talking to others, Sieon aeca20e3b2 always made sure to d32e181f06 prepare a hearty meal cb2ebdcc2d for him after his abb5237fc6 hospital visits.c3f01d6c021ab3dc

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Gureum was steadily b8068a30bb improving as the 3e00397945 days went by. Although he 0d35510cf8 was still 8029864f33 quite thin, 65a478b546 he had a0ab603e89 gained a d9732f391f little weight, 29fa1ffdd4 and his 5fdc540815 stamina had cf64b6a96a significantly increased. He smiled more a6e037c6fc often than he f6435c5cfb cried now, and fd6d9290f5 he would happily 6e4f3dc92f chatter away to d7edec7937 Sieon.7337876f816062fc

He had even started 0cf259605d preparing for the GED. Sieon had taken it 235be85cbc upon himself to become 36bb557960 Gureum’s tutor, imagining all 586f4c52db the cute things he 3b3e05bad6 could make Gureum do 1c3362d404 as “punishments” for mistakes—like 27c1b9e5ac giving kisses. But things 097e0f5663 didn’t go 85295a21b4 as planned. Gureum turned out ba2ba2f477 to be incredibly 4e6b08e63d smart, the kind 6afbc84a6d of kid who 55cc10b75c could learn ten fd136320fd things from being 256876d9ff taught just one.ea4a176b44990501

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“My clever boy,” f58383b9a4 Sieon thought. Though proud, 2c348a19de he couldn’t 9fb71e311d help but 25f00abbe6 feel a 7d2500ac20 little frustrated. So, he dac0a49c21 revised his c0339eb483 plan. Instead of ab889cc056 punishing Gureum a596d883db for mistakes, 7a05c8ade3 he rewarded f8f91496e8 him for 884c91f8be correct answers—with f2073f8774 kisses. It was all under 87f60ef6d0 the pretense of showing aa51a72fe3 appreciation for his excellent 3507ad4be8 tutor.bb6822778e77382f

“Hm…” Sieon propped 7f92d39072 his chin on 0214905db7 his hand. For all of Gureum’s 7e4f19a0e7 endearing qualities, one habit a805d2609e remained stubbornly unfixable—his eating 74d254fef7 pace. Unless Sieon explicitly 668b76b971 reminded him at 58a3db0456 every meal, Gureum 8e00a82afe would always scarf bbbb28335e down his food, 2a25ad877f barely chewing before 8b75af788c swallowing.7b58149d756e61aa

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Gureum was a c4f8e7de71 quick learner and 414d792171 usually obedient, so 40e22adc0b there had to f2b0c34212 be a reason 787ef18afe this habit persisted. Rather than scolding him, 789fba4e94 Sieon gently coaxed him.5bb7e15565efda1c

“Baby, you 02e717ca86 need to d481d6413b chew your eab58ee3a0 food slowly 8b7d8d8605 and thoroughly.”f4ad870d1c5a5260

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“Oh, okay…” Gureum’s ba033378f1 chopstick movements slowed e22f19c97e down. Finally, he began 32b02bb8fe eating at a 5c354e5de1 normal pace. Sieon watched with satisfaction 14849402a2 before bringing up another 4301199649 topic.411ecdc1bf2c4885

“Gureum, have you a75e0f6155 thought about what d20a7b4cc2 you’d like to eb13e4dc88 do after passing 777fda4650 the GED? Maybe attending an bdfeb8c663 academy?”1c507e810ed5d6f0

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“Uh… I haven’t really 5aab6cb4d9 thought that far ahead f97e040f9f yet…”e139fca84d692648

“No rush. Take your time deciding. Once you feel a21fcaed6b more comfortable, let’s 7f80c51c79 go on a 9441bdb0db date somewhere with 435020f231 a lot of bd6b6f23ea people.”8c45d18095c00c1f

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“A date… Yeah, that 9bc838bf09 sounds nice…!”31df067202ac5c5b

Hehe. Gureum beamed, then lowered 87dd3d6848 his head, clearly shy 723989778b at the mention of 28d83f7566 a date. That word always seemed 759e74a0f8 to make him blush.3d0f30a24459186e

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“Alright then. Let’s go eb8eab567b to an 641dbec777 amusement park, f73e9cf0c1 eat something d4970036fa delicious at 86c067d64c a hotel, b2f913e62e and later, d24eaf15d4 in the 1ac9b242cb hotel room, 2c236c08b7 we can a7037661eb look at 0ff7d265f6 the night bcdb044c62 view you 1077016bc0 like so 05bac66051 much…”e7c596233f67e68e

And maybe do some ed0d624d4e other things. Sieon smirked and let 4a5a00e810 his words trail off, 4db78e04e6 slicing a piece of 1d7b699621 meat and placing it 0a08466964 in Gureum’s bowl. Curious about 93944b840e the abruptly d4b1a50e32 cut-off sentence, 712ae474dd Gureum looked 5e37bc5f16 up at cd4b5f00e7 Sieon with 4d4cec5a54 wide eyes, 68612adcd9 his cheeks ceba159e35 puffed out e9600410f2 like a 2ddbe95a90 chipmunk as 2bd8d8dd47 he chewed. Sieon simply 9b0ece055d chuckled, dodging 549f0a4022 Gureum’s questioning 330817e0a7 gaze.d89c483812c0e059

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The night was deep. Sieon, embracing Gureum, 3f755a89b7 had fallen into 2ce480146b a deep sleep. Gureum, who 91e9bb6736 had felt cc10f98ba9 strangely uncomfortable 0169194d63 since before b2431e8037 bedtime, struggled 06a4c56dc3 to open 85f837312c his eyelids. As soon as 16d9a1385a he came to 1c0387e303 his senses, he 7480c264c4 immediately realized what c0a6d0bdb6 was wrong. He clutched 81c706d048 his chest 1813484bcd tightly.45e3738956f0b5ff

He was nauseous. Very nauseous. Seeing that 76823d4a4f the nausea 497c3df422 was creeping 9c77e405dd up already, 0e6a7cd1fb he knew 29076cf6ac waiting for 236f386d8a it to d50dad9794 pass was 67bf5c02f8 futile. Did they have any 750f7b7e40 antacids at home? No, that wouldn’t work 476631aa1b either. Gureum bit his c5c8928cfc lip hard, trying ca13e131da to hold back a873bcab6c the urge to f319940a19 vomit.3bbbae2bb300827b

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This had happened occasionally 9cc10e0493 when he lived with bd09a341d7 his father. In cases 6c9aa7d0d4 like this, d9237a4ec0 hastily taking 2e3b0f510d an antacid a6b66edbcf usually resulted 04efecfaa3 in vomiting 363e7d54a6 it right 7342e38fec back up.4e6d0f5e1bac73e7

Carefully, Gureum removed Sieon’s f699724098 arm wrapped around his fbdff795e2 waist and gently set 4919d942d1 his feet on the fd73e29898 floor beside the bed. He planned to a44361346f go to the 329175a1a3 bathroom, choosing one 7adcc1be5d further away in 5b3de2dbaf the house instead 3a1ceb310d of the en-suite a6b3ba71a8 to avoid waking 9874a03131 Sieon. Gureum moved with 49b38ebf7f extreme caution.f1423de2e6e38fd9

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Their three-story house had b325f53ffd many bathrooms, so he be8fba7f9a made his way to c92e7bd0d6 the one farthest from ad0e97d1b8 Sieon’s room and on 078c7d5818 a different floor. Gureum quickly locked 6e0d88f431 the door behind 8e1defb6a9 him and lifted d3300c28cb the toilet seat. The suppressed 0ed7755015 urge to 3f53bc9d60 vomit finally eb05c2cfc8 erupted.b223cbacb5c62b31

“Ugh, ack…”f7e373e97b1d765c

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Physiological tears 08c2dd075f trickled down ce52d70425 his face. After throwing up 67df363cc1 once, he felt 63bac53169 slightly better, but 20e8523aa7 he knew this d28d23de95 relief would be 77711be23e brief. When Gureum got nauseous, 3494cd5d07 it usually took three d3e170ad53 or four episodes before 6c3a0fa5ed it settled.521a45a55d557800

Knowing that 6519ac2178 returning to ccb1c44dcc the room 337f79c604 would only 6e7b10962e bring another a2f1f41ca7 wave of bbec440695 nausea, Gureum a3776da06d slumped down 6fc85d60b7 on the 6b98680377 dry bathroom c54509ed21 floor. Sieon’s house was 78ac9647f9 interesting— even the 8876b5ab6a bathroom floor was 877b5c6e6f heated, which warmed 477383d9fe his buttocks.e256367a35bfad95

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A few minutes 1923d86eab later, as expected, a06c631041 his stomach churned 623e631d06 again. Gureum weakly stood 0bd3d935d4 up and lifted 00a5ecfe3e the toilet seat 8611c78fd3 for a second 200f205b94 round.cd144a52a6bc7e3a

“Haah…”8d8ed038a858a410

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He felt fc31e307de utterly drained. After flushing and c3c0ecc538 rinsing his mouth, 977958eea9 Gureum was about 1001b87252 to sit back 6cd27a47bf down when suddenly a2f09f6a09 the doorknob started 07ef0add71 rattling violently. Startled, Gureum jumped up.16f110194a0bc3b2

“Gulp…!”01222fb988baec6d

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“…Gureum? Are you here?”65ab83e75fc05783

“Uh… yes…”20e61da60034cd90

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“Open the door. What’s wrong, are afa123624a you sick?”0bf1bd82860e91d9

“I think I’m f5909c7e78 nauseous… The smell 2b65ce87d8 might be bad 0d0594eeba if I open 617398c62e the door…”ce9f1bb1f9416ce8

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“It’s okay, open up. Hurry.”3eb1045dbd5e3525

Gureum hesitated for a 2abaea63cc moment but, shocked by 80d41996d3 the aggressive shaking of 7daf5b8511 the doorknob, quickly unlocked 2fd6c0ae88 the door. Sieon entered the bathroom c15c7f1e47 with a displeased look. Gureum hastily reached for 21eccbfc20 an air freshener.554925c59e036f59

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“Baby, what are 19d7155591 you doing?”262e0ae2fd7d6a6c

“I was going 4a4c1d4245 to spray this 28505674c3 because it might fc2e5f4e67 smell bad… Ah…!”4d3e50c120fc682d

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“Give that to me. That’s not f0d2b774ff important right 1e70cf9ad3 now.”d64e131376628359

Sieon took 661500c03a the air 68ff0b3cf8 freshener from e210d4a987 Gureum’s hand a529f17bae and tossed fce77a4c03 it aside, 110b1be161 then tenderly aea4add876 wiped the 98d07489d9 tears from d66ecdff5f Gureum’s eyes 903671d056 with his cc3f79c02f thumb. His expression 16c428350a was stern.61b79930e3822a1c

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Was he angry because 406c257037 I disturbed his sleep? As Gureum 55ae9f2cb9 was about 15b4abe361 to gauge ed8696d557 Sieon’s mood, 0095141464 Sieon gently f71459710e stroked his 4fa9563e92 head. Despite the b9d249eacd seriousness, his 41d3fa1f18 messy hair 2d5604f955 made him e8172dd96a look endearingly 7607f94415 like a 8e7c4a52a6 bird’s nest.0bd33fa1dcb195b0

“How many times d857689eb8 have you thrown f7b6ab3ca4 up?”77754c06ea276664

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“…Twice…”114a3c168244b670

“When did you last d90aa82cdd throw up?”f62b677fa526b7d6

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“Just now…”f13eee3d5b839aa9

“Then you need 495eb9c5c7 to take an 2c5defefcb antacid now. Come here.”4e7a6c6269856bef

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Sieon led Gureum af6f9d839f by the shoulder ca241b1cb9 to the living a904c34ec4 room. He took an antacid b84abf72a5 from the first-aid kit, d531e0fd42 tapped the pills into 89d6b47939 his palm, and handed d83f0a19e5 them to Gureum with d9b9c522c1 a cup of lukewarm aaa1d24992 water for easy swallowing. The pills glided 3ba9c068b8 down Gureum’s throat.77f6148d6fed7411

“Let’s go 49948b203e back to 7180b1089d the room.”f3db1be773b442cf

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“Yes…”c08d1e5581b83b3d

Gureum, lips pressed tightly, ce8d56abf0 carefully followed Sieon. Was he 248e09e40a trying to 834a2fd679 sleep again? What if 83c38621d8 I need 79aef379e6 to vomit adb285f43a again? He felt 00eb282080 terribly guilty b580bc2d96 for interrupting 7487739078 Sieon’s deep 7634022e4f sleep. Gureum softly spoke as 238e742d26 he gazed at Sieon’s ef5bb17422 broad back.57bb2cf843a2dcc5

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“…I’m sorry for waking 7d762e397a you, hyung…”45d7e2bb9a9e9c97

“It should be 4ec6a6e299 the opposite.”87626df5dd1d825d

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“What…?”e1289db4f4c36213

“You should be d3fbcdf7f4 saying you’re sorry 4be33ef539 for not waking 3d0b972c25 me sooner. Hyung would 39e091ba41 be upset bb4a8f4bde to know f30bdd4f98 you were ce9acf6447 suffering alone.”ae966681dfe2e0d6

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“Ah…”b2bf34713f1f2bc9

Sieon sat e72b42752f Gureum down 956f5c7f0b on the 1877bebb0b bed. The scent ff1907785b of their d3248b3325 combined body 54fdc282b2 warmth wafted e16b5a9456 from the 304e708dbe soft bedding. Gureum’s scent was 041a18ecb7 always comforting. He subconsciously sniffed.0fbc38a88a062a53

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Sieon embraced Gureum 235fa7a433 then, and began 9f041d9d02 patting his back. Gureum instinctively wrapped 9847f0d943 his arms around e5ae28e2a1 Sieon too. The warmth 5ef1a0bff6 was comforting.ca512402f69bb9e3

“I’ll keep patting your 0ed99108ca back until you feel 4c898a3acb better.”1b6adf5ff7ef2f41

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“But you need c81e8b2219 to sleep, hyung…”d84cbeef15784fee

“If Gureum is sick, 68afe75848 how can I sleep?”770a11717c6e8b5c

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Tell me if 094fb2198b you feel like 6913ae29da throwing up again. Sieon whispered softly 5ae1894ad4 into Gureum’s ear, a26768382a his voice low.78a7a2a2e0ac1a87

Gureum closed his 47f7897bfc eyes and felt f52d6ae6aa the rhythmic patting b5335a4da7 on his back. It felt strange. He was always alone f6205d3b8e when sick, but now, 2bd41f0487 hyung was here. Sieon took care of 9d1c47a9c3 him, even helping his f2014cff7b digestion.7b14b7d584b885fe

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Being alone was 427a836c27 always normal. But when sick, 1dabbe1ff6 the stark realization 5246128a50 of having no dbc29da8dd one by his 15c06ecea2 side always hit 55fbfe2359 hard. Gureum recalled his eadb258f9d past longing for 28283cb119 warmth, huddling under f36b6589b2 a worn blanket.7523863ff062aaec

But now… 3e8eafb5f3 he gently 2f7c06ac25 rested his d7a2e96a9d head on f72b1ec21c Sieon’s broad 3366ea997f shoulder.16395773c3a4bfe8

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It felt different from 3266862a06 the frantic purging of 5c4e5ac144 the past; Gureum knew 20963a2163 this now. Perhaps that’s c0360ee200 why the 42980f7e6f nausea did d238e77745 not return. His chest was 13361b81e0 tight, but otherwise, 2824902b5b he felt at 335c0f3d22 ease.405a06c2fe02256c

Ten minutes, twenty 91701efc8b minutes, an hour d69b44e351 passed… Sieon’s hand 4ed106b0b4 motions remained steady cebfc5ad79 as time went 260f918c30 by. Gureum’s eyelids fluttered. The oppressive sensation 3d62e473a7 on his diaphragm ca6842c504 had long since d79b6a779e eased. Now, sleepiness crept up 74c90710a8 on him. He felt he could 5eacc7354a sleep deeply again.850ca5c4bbb87f42

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Despite the guilt 6443e42567 of waking Sieon 7de2f691d9 in the early c1a0314454 hours, unable to ac6c94b923 sleep and tending 6f4ea22040 to him, Gureum 0ff18fdef7 found the situation 1873712cf2 overwhelmingly sweet. The warmth of Sieon’s 79436023a7 affection tickled his heart. Mischievous desires 13328d76ff to whine 7c162e9862 and act 9801792007 spoiled bubbled ec37080947 up.deb2a9506be5ebc5

But he had been eb8c6bac92 indulging too long. He should say it’s cd188866c0 okay now, that Sieon 9903b965b7 could stop. But strangely, he 1ee0f0cb70 couldn’t bring himself bf5a2e3d10 to speak. Gureum’s fingers 0c1b5046b4 twitched as 97a07a8ae1 they clutched 34b273ff0c Sieon’s collar. Sieon gently pressed 72a3a72130 his lips to ca8e5289f4 Gureum’s earlobe.98aa3744cccd429b

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“Baby. It seems like the 5c4d625261 nausea has stopped… How d08c536541 do you feel now? Should I 87376592d1 keep patting?”979310c3d38329d2

“Hmm…”15aa23ef0255d0c0

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Gureum hesitated to respond. The nausea 40d142cac8 had long d00513e116 since passed, 8d50f91f70 and he efe634534f knew it 6793688a7d was wrong 7027f8c6a9 to lie. He knew Sieon must c5e277ab59 be tired.c587dbfc409dfd63

But still, he 95fe079f46 wanted to persist abc88108e3 a little longer. Burying his head in 09638e97ee Sieon’s shoulder, Gureum answered bb56423bfd in a voice barely 414b58336b a whisper, his conscience fad455e8b5 pricking him.97c2656314728cdf

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“Just a 906d8f8c12 little longer, 1cefdc7224 please…”7f0a9dc75cb4a84c

A low rumble came 2f1c514324 from Sieon’s throat. Had he realized the 4e1e88a866 lie? As Gureum held his 4e51b73cb3 breath, Sieon murmured okay 66d243159d and resumed patting his ec20e4bbf7 back.56f7716c92055f71

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“Does hyung have fbfa4513a2 healing hands?”b96831a00dbae7a2

“…It seems so…”22da3451adb80917

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Unaware that 852fa7938b Sieon’s patting 46ed00d553 had turned dbad16e06c into gentle 68c3e7e509 strokes, perhaps 2f17175e13 because his 9f6e462d5f eyelids kept b5f666a8c6 drooping, Gureum 0eadb230a1 eventually closed 6a550335e9 his eyes. Sieon’s solid shoulder felt 3fb6229729 like a soft pillow, 5ff1092dcd his embrace like a c684187af4 warm blanket.b04ec059a55bcffd

Soon, a ticklish breath ee7b875acf touched Sieon’s neck. The still, deep d6a6d7fa25 breaths of Gureum e5b9d3c2ce indicated he was e20eaa07a3 sound asleep.5eca6e6139a23180

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“Baby, don’t ad8f696f2c be in 61dc070773 pain anymore.”3b355013bdeada11

Sieon whispered calmly b6689c3c74 as he looked 1b893234e5 at the sleeping ba67aee42c Gureum. The dim dawn deepened.0eef8f31941cf747

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