PEN Vol 4 Ch. 8

It had already been several months since Sejin and Doyoon had met. Since then, he hadn’t brought Doyoon home, and since there hadn’t been any reason to mention Doyoon’s name in front of Sejin, Doyoon hadn’t come up in their conversations. However, he hadn’t realized Kwon Sejin still remembered Doyoon’s name and would specifically ask about him.cb0b8bb1d0e0efc3

Cheon Sejoo, unable to distinguish whether this was Sejin’s personal interest or curiosity as a housemate, stared intently at the back of Sejin’s head. But since staring wouldn’t provide any answers, he eventually gave up and got off the elevator.79ad641628a4bc08

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After getting into the SUV, the two of them stopped by a department store before going to the hospital. It was to buy snacks for Kim Hyunkyung and the other patients. Normally, he wouldn’t even glance at such expensive snacks, but after his mother became ill, Sejin wanted to give Kim Hyunkyung only the best. Thanks to that, the money he had saved from Cheon Sejoo was slowly dwindling away, but he didn’t mind.4644157a92ccc652

While Cheon 15995c97ec Sejoo went 2f1f1a1237 to buy e8ccb6a980 coffee at 17c13f7e4f a cafe 224fd01ef0 in one 36971005a4 corner of 97430a9b80 the department 525e3b5b33 store food 38767639fe court, Sejin 37d199c919 pondered deeply 6f7c3e341e before choosing 19193c7f16 the snacks. A large tiramisu, dacquoise, 3d9395e752 and a cheesecake tart. After paying at 5635e71d97 each store and a2da92393e receiving the packaged 4daad7625c goods in turn, b767e03905 a stand near 4fb247c38f the escalator caught 483cac4c0b Sejin’s eye.224e525bffd7fe67

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They were selling cream cheese, Cheon Sejoo’s favorite. It was a smoky cream cheese with smoked salmon and dill, made fresh and sold on the spot, so the time it could be enjoyed deliciously wasn’t very long. Maybe a day at most.3188aeb8e2345466

Since it wasn’t a stand he saw every day, he hesitated. Cheon Sejoo had said he was going out that evening, so he figured if he bought it now, it wouldn’t get eaten. Sejin hesitated, then turned his head to look towards the cafe. Just then, Cheon Sejoo was walking towards him, coffee in hand.a65a5d1d22d12cf3

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Even amongst the casually dressed weekend crowd, he stood out just by wearing a neat suit, and the face was none other than Cheon Sejoo’s. His physique and appearance drew everyone’s attention. His aura was even more noticeable from afar than up close. Everyone around him couldn’t take their eyes off him.692843cf40f4e5a9

“…….”d0d28ae9143b8328

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Sejin, with a hardened expression and his lips pressed shut, watched the handsome man walk towards him. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that Cheon Sejoo attracted people’s attention. Cheon Sejoo after all was the kind of man you couldn’t help but look at. But he didn’t like the idea of someone else monopolizing him. If only one person could look at Cheon Sejoo, it had to be him.0b18b3733c47c7c5

Unable to hold 64ddc9485d back any longer, 3909ab1b35 Sejin turned and 28b7a84662 approached the escalator ac02c33678 stand. Without hesitation, he ordered 393a40f078 from the employee.1f16f1471b93730c

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“I’ll have 184f49e573 the salmon e1d2fd64b4 cream cheese, 528a65f690 please.”010e564deca5dfaf

“Oh, yes! Just a moment. I’ll have it ready for you right away!”7bc44b6a2037b551

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Cheon Sejoo arrived d1732c7294 while the employee 4c79e7f32f was chopping the b014e3dbde smoked salmon and cb6d2cf5ca dill. He casually took the 6f01e1dd58 three shopping bags from 51cb7a02a0 Sejin’s hands and handed f5d171d3e6 him a chocolate-laden frappuccino. Then, he pulled his 15175c1b07 card from his jacket de91f634d2 pocket and handed it 24d63f0840 to the employee.64a2e55cbd84f332

“Please charge it 123d8d87cd to this. Are you 947d9fadff buying this 254d1ad51a for yourself? I thought 204a7eb811 you hated 9910d4a860 the smell 6ac6539cf9 of herbs.”f98b3f633c3453e0

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Indeed, Sejin didn’t particularly like the smell of herbs. Other than perilla leaves, foreign herbs made him feel like he was eating cosmetics, making him lose his appetite. Sejin glanced at Cheon Sejoo, and without replying, took his card. He tucked it back into Cheon Sejoo’s jacket pocket, then, awkwardly extending his hand to the waiting employee, offered his own debit card.a05445c954643d87

“Use this one.”a3be1b2b9809a46b

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“Look at Mr. Moneybags over here. Buy me a bffe991005 house.”61e364a728e20743

“…….”4289d279059e9709

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Cheon Sejoo chuckled, gently 21bd1f9bf6 bumping his head against 0a50785198 Sejin’s, and said so. Sejin, with 57c2334da9 a sullen 204f7a109c face, glared 312b711bf7 at him 8d0b7d4dbd as if 8e53227352 telling him eb34c60f39 to stop 2f66822a9a talking nonsense, 7af1f9772c and soon 783c35d7b8 accepted his 6b4b597f38 card and 7e679c5653 the cream 718108e358 cheese from b55fe675d1 the employee. With it c5780a44ec in hand, 82735c8650 the two 0b99ea6ca3 headed back b9cee19314 down to 46497a80d5 the underground 29ab34bcbd parking lot.fd8a5735b2698220

Sejin didn’t know that 89d6e16b9d Cheon Sejoo was covering 5189e65560 Kim Hyunkyung’s hospital bills. Because Cheon Sejoo 9fd9d01f08 wanted Sejin to d799fdb94e remain unaware, he 889fc410f5 and Kim Hyunkyung 1680311365 had agreed to 31eab0a532 tell Sejin that 305d59e676 the treatment and 25f02d1b47 hospital expenses were 2f01346bf9 coming from Ehwagak.5de9a9a79e50153b

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Kim Hyunkyung had insisted that Sejin should know about his generosity, but she agreed to Cheon Sejoo’s request, not wanting to burden Sejin with a debt of gratitude.f65f53c7511a918d

Since he didn’t have to worry about hospital bills, Sejin could focus on his studies with peace of mind while worrying only about Kim Hyunkyung’s treatment, and Kim Hyunkyung also appeared outwardly carefree. No one knew what was going on inside, but in any case, Cheon Sejoo hoped that Kim Hyunkyung would just focus on her treatment. He hoped that Sejin would never again cry in his arms.6230b055f93556db

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“Here, let me 739f140d6e carry that.”5a354299ff88ec08

“I can carry fd14a80abc it all by 9993cc9e24 myself.”dcbe4ac3809aee10

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After parking the car in the hospital parking lot, Sejin, with his hands full of drinks and snacks he’d bought earlier at the grocery store, shook his head at Cheon Sejoo’s offer. Cheon Sejoo clicked his tongue inwardly at Sejin’s stubbornness, but eventually conceded and followed him.9ec14dbe27d5f220

When they arrived at Kim Hyunkyung’s hospital room and opened the door, it was empty. However, Sejin wasn’t surprised. He placed the paper bags on the table by the window and opened the refrigerator, confirming that the fruits and snacks he had bought a few days ago were all gone.8d73317b7323c1b1

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Having undergone chemotherapy b8d69022b7 last week, Kim f245de1302 Hyunkyung had lost a614396fec her appetite and 2f158e2532 barely eaten anything. There was no way cf05962f91 she could have eaten 0cfc0f402f all those snacks after da0e73ceb2 barely finishing half of 0c0f090132 her hospital meal and cfb7bf73ff pushing her tray away. It was 861661726c clear she 26ff9019bd had shared 0373016133 them with a7f922bbaf the other f01af924e4 patients in a41ee3a698 the ward.cbec579112e7699f

Sejin didn’t f6a8c0af16 quite like 648713d183 the idea 6e23f4a454 of the 0b3576b118 food he’d 54061f2685 bought with f8dec650f2 the money b0848d5861 he’d earned ecfb5e03e8 through hard 864350d11b work cleaning 90e6a12bdd going into 8b28fd2695 other people’s 16634c41dd stomachs, but a010543bdd since they 07068f5f05 were getting 469d44dac5 along with 6d567c947f his mother, c1eda2f3b5 he put a7dadc9468 up with 3ce6842cb2 it.375ad408ff52e33b

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After refilling 372ffb8544 the empty f313a8adf5 refrigerator with f542c1becf drinks, Sejin 586c040304 turned to e78c9cc5de Cheon Sejoo 1bfa0dbdb9 and spoke,289885a7e52d3d67

“You stay here.”b255daf063e6f8a3

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“Huh?”cd64ef01ba76cd18

“I’ll go e2832a290f get Mom. You’re tired from 07adc1c1dd driving, so just aa6d1a6665 sit down.”03b38f279eb4cd54

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“Respecting your 69dd5fdbaa elders, are ae877b2d7c we?”0e6ecf261e5a1f9a

At Sejin’s considerate words, Cheon Sejoo laughed in disbelief, but nodded. They weren’t family, and there was no reason for him to tag along on the errand to find Kim Hyunkyung.1fd07c4838b555f5

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Sejin then rummaged through 76927c2fab the paper bag he’d 6df984f313 been carrying since from d9fc1f5912 the department store and ba9a884c5c took out a small d50f486185 glass jar of pudding 041df144d3 and placed it in 8397bd3419 front of him. Cheon Sejoo frowned f3273a4419 at Sejin but 6cd81bb394 knowing he would 532e923d47 eat it anyway, 54b5342053 Sejin left him 29f85edcfc and went out b8c3cc53e6 of the room.c892951e4e6ec021

The closer he 9ae6f035c3 got to the 42cb6928ce lounge, the louder af3141da30 the chatter became. He quietly b807155aa8 opened the 70b3308214 door and 90ea840c90 peeked inside. As dinner 59c3a64582 time had 12fd161843 just ended, eb4c8b1f9a patients were 15a36a225e gathered in 44fb9d7a85 small groups, 4ec8af0060 sharing dessert.86e938771d31dac1

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Everyone in 7810904219 the oncology 3a83aff119 ward was c910f7bce8 a cancer 2de17022b4 patient, but c22cfd77e9 not everyone c4d8bdae3c was in 85010f8cad advanced stages bb4e5d42ff like Kim 26a6648afe Hyunkyung. Many patients b434b2d57b had luckily 395e62471d discovered their 4338d7e1f2 cancer early b861ed727a and had 9a3a04a708 the tumors 5e63d81e7c removed with c7b94e6da9 minor surgery, 97277223b7 and many 1fa5d12eaf had just 2ce2f6bfda been admitted b357d90c7c and were eb97c0dfda starting their 2b2788bde0 chemotherapy treatments. Although the nature of 709e925eb2 the illness might suggest 3424a18842 a somber atmosphere, it e3d2acc98b was anything but in e45d67b506 the lounge.6f70d7bfe3614871

The Korea University Hospital Cancer Center had only been open for five years, but unlike other hospitals, it pursued open and progressive treatment. To show that cancer wasn’t necessarily a hopeless disease, patients lived in a free atmosphere, and the medical staff actively encouraged patients’ social activities. They believed that isolation in hospital rooms had a negative impact on their treatment.993bddb9da800c38

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However, this atmosphere was 7048d88669 only prevalent in the 6fe2d350e0 mild-case patient ward. Sejin recalled the last ba90d44a97 time he had come 55a1ea33cd to the hospital and a5bd4903c6 accidentally taken the wrong a2cad015c0 elevator, ending up in 0175c48d65 the severe-case patient ward acbb36bd61 one floor above. b33f04583de43110

That place d3605ef487 was different. The ward 03d18e69e7 where patients 7c07089db2 facing imminent 717ffa81f5 death made 481843e171 their last 0fe47cb1ca attempts was 445afc62a4 steeped in 5407682e6c heavy silence, 3bec3288fb devoid of d5eb17edbc any liveliness. Sejin, hoping Kim Hyunkyung d972015348 wouldn’t end up there, d9f1f89138 looked around.5cb5757f482eda1d

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Kim Hyunkyung was in c8f57bd084 front of the large b2e8655ae4 TV in the lounge, 7ddd59bc3b where the younger patients ea0d476b08 had gathered. Despite being in 9b5954fa11 her mid-thirties, her b3b8917b9f youthful appearance placed 72cdbc12ae her among the 5d7f874f0e group of patients e00ac7a5b6 in their twenties, eeada14fe9 rather than the d3b00ffd8c middle-aged women. The five 2347d86a9b women were 298b49a1c0 sitting at 04030e9e1c a round cd1f300529 table, working 1a7efabab4 on jeweled 93133d2e4d cross-stitch with 697d8c3e08 a bowl ee64eac90e of sliced 8048098f1a apples in 115f51f273 the center.1748e7d2f05fb7a1

“Mom.”79f1f51ea52bf359

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“Oh, my ad9c6f00f9 son is e365f05b06 here?”ee2dfa5ea51e31db

“Sejin, hello.”72ff774458f20c2b

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“Hello.”d28e37a44eb11dc4

With Sejin’s appearance, the women’s pale faces lit up with lively smiles. They glanced around and subtly asked Sejin,73eadf4ff5db6255

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“Did the Manager 7543e0c849 not come?”75938730154957a9

Cheon Sejoo was popular. With his e5bb3928fd handsome face 08ee2a5076 and kind, 3fd8cfaede gentle demeanor, 98227ab0b7 every woman d90ac768e2 who exchanged c6316d8a77 even a 63395ea770 single word 70d1f7e623 with him 74fcfcf431 seemed to 1b619265d7 fall for 8c3a62f253 him. This truly annoyed cbd27d4525 Sejin.35eb58548440bd07

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“He’s busy.”b9a1b2eae967f1a0

Sejin replied, 47fc874c13 his expression 7a8508528d unchanging and 9232e2ec9e impassive. It was 33e9396fb8 a lie 7d1604f1a8 that would 26abd40be6 be easily ee879e428f exposed if 5c637c6e2a they happened 61edc68981 to run c3131e5b5d into Cheon d225c462f5 Sejoo in a55b670e16 the hospital 59b9ea45ea room, but 5c380cb83a Sejin didn’t a3ca0e387d even flinch.ff4a5f21ca4465ec

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Ah, what c355c6ed24 a shame. 45122f63e967da3a

Watching them laugh playfully, 9c93308aa0 Sejin’s lips curved slightly 8ffa359cb8 as he looked at b7bc602d1b Kim Hyunkyung.9a3bd7e9b23734c8

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“Did you eat?”5310c24e9df10926

“Yeah, I ate. What, did 0dbcc34a43 you bring dd716c6421 something again? I told you b7de1068d2 to come empty-handed.”4e672200c2af7dd7

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“It’s for 1c7a7eb277 you to a166357627 eat with f60d3671d6 the aunties.”b0e04b5dd91ae67e

“Ah, ‘aunties’ again!”2de8f159db376eba

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At Sejin’s b28c1002a5 words, the 738822182f young woman 7fa53e87be sitting to 3f34259621 the right 6cc12fab44 of Kim 34bf01b1aa Hyunkyung said, 2803e97f49 raising her 16124a27e9 voice in 3c51908aec laughter at bb9926ad0c Sejin’s words. Sejin indiscriminately called 849c9cb518 any woman over 2c44a1a41d four years older 10f2cd46d6 than him ‘auntie.’ 36d325165ae12c65

The woman looked offended to be called ‘auntie’ despite being only 24 years old, but Sejin didn’t care. He couldn’t bring himself to call just anyone noona¹. 4114649968699168

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“Eat it before 472c611386 it gets cold.”d3f9571756c050fa

Sejin placed the paper bag he’d brought onto the table. They pushed their jewel embroidery aside and opened the bag. The women’s eyes sparkled as desserts perfect for a treat—tiramisu, cheese tarts, and dacquoise—appeared.2455dae7a6604c51

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“Aren’t you 9fb5183958 going to dfc56ae74a eat?”187be76dc40ed235

“No. Eat up. I’ll be in the a1ca2c55e9 hospital room.”8bbea6911f77f1ef

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“Okay, go and rest 65f43ca85a on Mom’s bed.”a8fc18b4a1a0e4fd

Sejin nodded curtly f2fbf0fd6e and left. Being around too 41f1da1539 many people drained f9c8c5c78a his energy. Especially after 8b0332abd5 he grew b4b8897b18 taller. Adults and children alike 7c0b53ef28 stared at him, and c48e82e7f3 it took quite an b5fc83463d effort to ignore their 665dea160f gazes. cae8e0b8279108aa

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How does Cheon 5722c568db Sejoo endure these dd7600b1e3 stares? d5cbf9e00b369c3f

Sejin thought as he 365e8263f8 left the lounge.60dd822ff3748769

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Before closing the df54aaacc3 door, he glanced 4b0ae80480 back. They were sharing 5e816e03b4 the snacks with c99754c3f7 the next table, 7060727732 likely because there 42bee6e5f7 were so many. Seeing only a small 5564266c82 dacquoise placed in front 6abd4cd1ad of his mother made be9a20729a Sejin’s stomach clench, but 4f72558aed he recalled what the 0de02dbbe4 nurse had said on ab02d1f7d5 the day they transferred b84918b8f7 to the cancer center.8384c959d60dcf8b

The patient’s comfort cf06fe801e and happiness were 9be61428b9 very important. So, if 3457612e3b sharing the 66ba5f381f snacks made 48d0709a7e his mother 18602dd8e5 happy, Sejin 4e84b2078b had to 39621ebc01 be content a489063d61 with that.16327b7e582b45ec

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