Sokcho Town.

After the nurse took the blood pressure measurement, she immediately walked out of the ward with a smile. Then, I grabbed the book that was lying on the bedside table while waiting for Daehyun to return from buying lunch.

Today, after a few days in the hospital, I was trying to get through the boring day after day, by just reading the book that Daehyun bought for me two days ago, and finishing it in just one day.

Not surprisingly. I had always loved reading books since in school until I entered college. Even after I got into a relationship with Donghwa, I often took him to the library even though he wasn't someone who was into reading.

I missed those times, but all of them were gone long ago, and would never happen again.

Around 14:00 at noon, like the previous days, I sat on the patient bed and daydreamed as if I was just living alone in this world while waiting for death.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall as if waiting for time to stop spinning. Then, I shifted my gaze to the bedside table and saw Daehyun's watch that he left. I grabbed it and noticed that the time difference was ten minutes different.

I remembered that I had asked him about this once, and he said that he didn't want to be late for work, so he delayed his hour so that it was a little slower.

Kim Daehyun was indeed a man who was always disciplined about everything and hated chaos. He was also a calm person, but when his calmness was disturbed, he could stab someone with his cold gaze like a cold-blooded beast that wanted to prey on rodents.

When I compared to Donghwa who had a bad temper and would go berserk if the things beyond his plan, Daehyun preferred to remain silent rather than express his anger and that was what made him be respected by many of his business opponents.

However, recently Daehyun's good temper had begun to show what he was like if he loved someone. He couldn't even stay silent and always talked a lot. It was different from what he showed in the office, where he was cold; didn't talk much; rarely showed a smile. That's why his employees never dared to look into his eyes for more than five seconds.

Thinking about him, I remembered that Daehyun had not returned since he left to buy lunch an hour ago. It made me wonder, what took him so long out there?

Feeling bored, I closed the book I was reading and put it on the table, then leaned my back against the back of the bed.

A week ago, after our argument that night, the pain in my head suddenly appeared as if it had been hitting me with a single hard blow, feeling the intense throbbing and dizziness at the same time. It made my whole body go numb until I was unconscious. Then, when I woke up, I was already in a different place, a place where I spent my boring time for the past few days.

I woke up after two days in the hospital. When I opened my eyes for the first time, the first person I saw was Daehyun with a pale face, looking less rested, just because he was constantly awake to wait for me to wake up.

He didn't say anything to me and didn't complain, but his face couldn't cover the fatigue he had been through during those two days.

Apart from the company that was being quite far from Sokcho, he also had to set aside his free time just to look after me and make him sleepless.

I took a deep breath.

He was both too kind and quite stupid. I thought that he shouldn't be wasting his time on a half-dying person like me.

A few moments later, the double knock on the door immediately made me turn my eyes towards the door. Someone opened the door, and Daehyun came in with a bag of food and some fruits.

I complained, "Daehyun, you've been taking so long. Where have you been?"

He smiled, then walked over to me. When he was beside me, he put the food he had just bought on the table and sat down on the bed.

His big hand moved to touch my face gently, then asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

I turned my gaze to another side, showing a sullen face. "No. Don't get me wrong."

Hearing my words, he smiled then kissed my cheek gently. "Then, why do you ask that?"

I was surprised but didn't say a word.

"Sorry, I have a business to take care of just now." He chuckled, took out two bowls of food with meat, then handed one bowl to me, saying, "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Daehyun ate heartily, he even finished the food I left behind. He said, his mother once said that they shouldn't waste food and be grateful for everything because out there were many less fortunate people, even working hard just for a bite of rice.

After lunch, Daehyun cleaned everything up. Then, he sat beside me, smiling incessantly.

"Do you want to eat an apple? I'll peel it for you."

Before he grabbed the apple and knife on the table, I immediately held him and said, "Daehyun, I don't want to be here. Have you talked to the doctor?"

He froze for a moment before straightening his back again and speaking in a dry voice, "I won't allow you."

"Daehyun, I can't stay in this place all the time. I don't like it." With a pause, I touched his face with my hands, and said, "I don't want to spend my time here. I want to go home. I'd rather spend the rest of my life in my own place than have to—"

"Chunghee!" He held my hands, looked at me with genuine care and affection. "Don't say things like you won't live much longer."

I paused for a moment, then asked, "Brother Kim, do you want to see me suffer?"

He lowered his gaze a little, then shook his head weakly.

"No? Look at me." I caressed his face gently and lifted his chin slowly, "Do I look happy to be here?"

He took a deep breath, and then said, "But, if it is suffering that will make you recover from this disease, then I would rather make you suffer."

"There is no 'suffering' that makes people get well. Don't talk nonsense."

My face turned dark, staring intently at him before laying down on the bed.

Soon after that, Daehyun persuaded me, "Chunghee, you better have to continue your treatment. We have to go back to Seoul."

I stared at him silently before replying in a low voice, "I don't want to go back to that city. There are many things I want to forget there. Besides, I don't want Donghwa to find me. If I meet him, I'm afraid that I will feel sorry for him, and will come back to him. I don't want to."

"Then what if we go to Busan? I have an acquaintance there. He is in charge of one of the huge hospitals. So, please, don't make any excuses. If you don't want to see Lee, I can work on it. But, please, don't ignore your condition, you have to do the surgery. After that, you're free to choose where you will hide. Even if you want to go abroad, I'll take you wherever you want."

"I don't have money to pay for my medical treatment anymore. I've used up some of the money I have raised."

"Don't think about it. At any cost, I'll cover it all. I can also cover your living expenses at once."

When I heard those words, I was suddenly speechless. I stared at him silently, wondering how he could say all this without a hitch.

He said again, "Chunghee, don't think about anything other than your current condition, okay?"

In the long silence, I smiled meaningfully, then asked, "Do you offer this because you loved me or you want to do it because we are friends? I want you to answer me honestly."

He was silent for a moment before he answered in deep words as if they were from the bottom of his cold, deep heart.

"It's because I love you. I hope this is my second chance. I liked you for years but before I confessed my feelings, we had to separate because of a situation. But, when we were reunited after twenty-two years, I was both happy and disappointed. I was happy to see you one more time and disappointed that you're with someone else. Satisfied? "

He didn't forget to say, "You want me to be honest and now, I'm being honest. I know you just set me up with that question but I don't care. As long as you want me to be honest about my feelings, then I'll do it."

I grinned. "I appreciate it. Then you must already know my answer, right? So, don't force me."