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.

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.

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.

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While Cheon Sejoo went to buy coffee at a cafe in one corner of the department store food court, Sejin pondered deeply before choosing the snacks. A large tiramisu, dacquoise, and a cheesecake tart. After paying at each store and receiving the packaged goods in turn, a stand near the escalator caught Sejin’s eye.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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Unable to hold back any longer, Sejin turned and approached the escalator stand. Without hesitation, he ordered from the employee.

“I’ll have the salmon cream cheese, please.”

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

Cheon Sejoo arrived while the employee was chopping the smoked salmon and dill. He casually took the three shopping bags from Sejin’s hands and handed him a chocolate-laden frappuccino. Then, he pulled his card from his jacket pocket and handed it to the employee.

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“Please charge it to this. Are you buying this for yourself? I thought you hated the smell of herbs.”

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.

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“Use this one.”

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

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“…….”

Cheon Sejoo chuckled, gently bumping his head against Sejin’s, and said so. Sejin, with a sullen face, glared at him as if telling him to stop talking nonsense, and soon accepted his card and the cream cheese from the employee. With it in hand, the two headed back down to the underground parking lot.

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Sejin didn’t know that Cheon Sejoo was covering Kim Hyunkyung’s hospital bills. Because Cheon Sejoo wanted Sejin to remain unaware, he and Kim Hyunkyung had agreed to tell Sejin that the treatment and hospital expenses were coming from Ehwagak.

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.

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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.

“Here, let me carry that.”

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“I can carry it all by myself.”

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.

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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.

Having undergone chemotherapy last week, Kim Hyunkyung had lost her appetite and barely eaten anything. There was no way she could have eaten all those snacks after barely finishing half of her hospital meal and pushing her tray away. It was clear she had shared them with the other patients in the ward.

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Sejin didn’t quite like the idea of the food he’d bought with the money he’d earned through hard work cleaning going into other people’s stomachs, but since they were getting along with his mother, he put up with it.

After refilling the empty refrigerator with drinks, Sejin turned to Cheon Sejoo and spoke,

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“You stay here.”

“Huh?”

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“I’ll go get Mom. You’re tired from driving, so just sit down.”

“Respecting your elders, are we?”

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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.

Sejin then rummaged through the paper bag he’d been carrying since from the department store and took out a small glass jar of pudding and placed it in front of him. Cheon Sejoo frowned at Sejin but knowing he would eat it anyway, Sejin left him and went out of the room.

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The closer he got to the lounge, the louder the chatter became. He quietly opened the door and peeked inside. As dinner time had just ended, patients were gathered in small groups, sharing dessert.

Everyone in the oncology ward was a cancer patient, but not everyone was in advanced stages like Kim Hyunkyung. Many patients had luckily discovered their cancer early and had the tumors removed with minor surgery, and many had just been admitted and were starting their chemotherapy treatments. Although the nature of the illness might suggest a somber atmosphere, it was anything but in the lounge.

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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.

However, this atmosphere was only prevalent in the mild-case patient ward. Sejin recalled the last time he had come to the hospital and accidentally taken the wrong elevator, ending up in the severe-case patient ward one floor above. 

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That place was different. The ward where patients facing imminent death made their last attempts was steeped in heavy silence, devoid of any liveliness. Sejin, hoping Kim Hyunkyung wouldn’t end up there, looked around.

Kim Hyunkyung was in front of the large TV in the lounge, where the younger patients had gathered. Despite being in her mid-thirties, her youthful appearance placed her among the group of patients in their twenties, rather than the middle-aged women. The five women were sitting at a round table, working on jeweled cross-stitch with a bowl of sliced apples in the center.

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“Mom.”

“Oh, my son is here?”

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“Sejin, hello.”

“Hello.”

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

“Did the Manager not come?”

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Cheon Sejoo was popular. With his handsome face and kind, gentle demeanor, every woman who exchanged even a single word with him seemed to fall for him. This truly annoyed Sejin.

“He’s busy.”

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Sejin replied, his expression unchanging and impassive. It was a lie that would be easily exposed if they happened to run into Cheon Sejoo in the hospital room, but Sejin didn’t even flinch.

Ah, what a shame. 

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Watching them laugh playfully, Sejin’s lips curved slightly as he looked at Kim Hyunkyung.

“Did you eat?”

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“Yeah, I ate. What, did you bring something again? I told you to come empty-handed.”

“It’s for you to eat with the aunties.”

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“Ah, ‘aunties’ again!”

At Sejin’s words, the young woman sitting to the right of Kim Hyunkyung said, raising her voice in laughter at Sejin’s words. Sejin indiscriminately called any woman over four years older than him ‘auntie.’ 

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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. 

“Eat it before it gets cold.”

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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.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

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

“Okay, go and rest on Mom’s bed.”

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Sejin nodded curtly and left. Being around too many people drained his energy. Especially after he grew taller. Adults and children alike stared at him, and it took quite an effort to ignore their gazes. 

How does Cheon Sejoo endure these stares? 

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Sejin thought as he left the lounge.

Before closing the door, he glanced back. They were sharing the snacks with the next table, likely because there were so many. Seeing only a small dacquoise placed in front of his mother made Sejin’s stomach clench, but he recalled what the nurse had said on the day they transferred to the cancer center.

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The patient’s comfort and happiness were very important. So, if sharing the snacks made his mother happy, Sejin had to be content with that.

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