Love Born of Pity Chapter 35

The caregiver told her to stay in her room, but Kwon Heeyeon felt stifled. After a short nap, she had watched every remaining game and even all the highlight videos. To kill the boringly slow time, she insisted on taking a walk around the hospital.

“Then let’s go together.”

“I can move around by myself now. Just rest in the room.”

“What if you fall? No, I’m worried, so no.”

“Caregiver. I have a lot on my mind, and I want to be alone. I can’t organize my thoughts if someone is with me. I’ll just take a slow walk.”

After some back and forth, the caregiver nodded. She draped a thick cardigan over Kwon Heeyeon. Kwon Heeyeon said it was too thick for the warm weather, but the caregiver firmly insisted she wear it.

With a displeased expression, Kwon Heeyeon, wearing the cardigan, pulled the IV and nutrient stand and went out. The caregiver, watching her precarious back, sighed as soon as Kwon Heeyeon left the room.

Kwon Heeyeon went straight to the elevator and down to the first floor. She felt a little ridiculous being the only one wearing a thick cardigan while everyone else was in sleeveless or short-sleeved shirts. Heading toward the entrance, she took off the cardigan, hung it on the IV stand, and went outside through the revolving door. Then, feeling a subtle chill, she had no choice but to drape the cardigan she had boldly taken off back over her shoulders.

“……What? Why is it cold?”

Even standing under the sunlight, it felt warm but not hot. Pulling the IV stand, she slowly walked through the outdoor park, but before she could complete half a lap, she sat down on a nearby bench to catch her breath. Perhaps coming out alone was too much. Kwon Heeyeon, rubbing her sweat-drenched forehead with the back of her hand, lowered her head.

“Ah, dizziness……”

Just as she was feeling despair, wondering how she would get back inside, she felt the presence of someone stopping in front of her. Kwon Heeyeon slightly lifted her head.

“……Heeyeon? Is that Heeyeon?”

“Uncle Yoon Taek……?”

“Oh my. I heard you woke up, that you were transferring hospitals…that you were transferring here…I missed you so much…!”

Kwon Yoon Taek bent down, sat, and grabbed Kwon Heeyeon’s hand. He pressed his forehead against her thin hand, as if it would break if he squeezed it too hard, and sobbed, his back heaving.

“Jiho, Jiho said I shouldn’t see you yet… I wanted to see you as soon as possible, but Jiho kept stopping me.”

“My brother? Why…….”

“I don’t know. Why shouldn’t I see you? I said I wanted to see you, even when you were asleep… I said I couldn’t work because I was so worried about you, but Jiho just kept saying no…!”

“But…… Why does Uncle look so haggard?”

Kwon Heeyeon also started to tear up. She felt sorry, remembering that she hadn’t asked about her uncle when she woke up. She vaguely assumed he was doing well, but his hair was streaked with gray, and his cheeks were hollow from weight loss.

“I’m getting old, and busy making a living.”

“Uncle……”

“Don’t tell Jiho I came here. Okay? Jiho told me not to come, but I came anyway. I’m so glad I got to see you like this since you were outside.”

“He told you not to come? Why on earth?”

Kwon Heeyeon sighed deeply, looking at Kwon Yoon Taek, who looked older than his age, probably due to hardship.

“Did you struggle a lot while I was hospitalized? Did you… contribute to my hospital bills too? Did you? Ha……. I knew it. I knew my brother wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.”

Kwon Yoon Taek avoided answering her careful question and stood up. Sitting next to Kwon Heeyeon, instead of saying no, he soothed his niece, saying it was okay.

“That’s nothing. Who else do I have besides you and Jiho? It’s only natural for family to help each other. Jiho had it harder than me. He even sold his bod― no, that’s not it.”

“What……?”

Kwon Heeyeon naturally completed the interrupted sentence. Body…? Sold his body? Did he sell his body to some strange person to pay for my hospital bills? Could he have done such a thing?

As Kwon Heeyeon stared at Kwon Yoon Taek, he slapped his own mouth, exclaiming that he shouldn’t have said that.

“Uncle.”

“Do you think Jiho wanted to do that? Back then, you……. Sigh, what am I saying to a child? Don’t let on. Pretend you don’t know anything to Jiho. He must have been so desperate……. Right? I shouldn’t have come and said all this to you. What should I do……?”

Kwon Yoon Taek glanced at Kwon Heeyeon’s expression and smiled faintly, as if trying not to be noticed.

“I’ll come back later. You’ve been through a lot. Okay? You’ve been through a lot. It’s enough that you woke up. That’s all that matters.”

Kwon Yoon Taek reached out to pat her thin shoulder, but quickly withdrew his hand, seeing her frail, bony frame. He continued to tell her not to let on to her brother, saying that Jiho must have been desperate, leaving Kwon Heeyeon in confusion.

Kwon Heeyeon was so bewildered that she couldn’t remember if she had properly said goodbye to Kwon Yoon Taek, or where she had dropped her cardigan.

“Caregiver……”

“Yes?”

“How much do you charge for caregiving? You said this rehabilitation hospital is expensive, right? How much is a single room… a special room like this per day? Insurance… does insurance cover it…?”

Flustered by the rambling questions, the caregiver, while understanding her confusion, explained everything in detail. She explained the approximate cost of caregiving.

Kwon Heeyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. The caregiver added that she charged a bit more because she took care of Kwon Heeyeon 24/7, without holidays. However, Kwon Heeyeon didn’t hear her explanation.

“So how much does my brother pay every month……? You’re saying insurance doesn’t cover this kind of room?”

“Insurance covers up to a two-person room, as far as I know. This is my first time in a single room. It’s better than being at home. Your brother is really struggling, Heeyeon.”

“…….”

The more she heard about Kwon Jiho’s struggles, the more repulsed she felt towards him. Was he using that kind of money to pay for her caregiving and hospital bills? How could he earn that much money every month…?

The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became. She recalled how he had compulsively pulled up his turtleneck, trying to hide his nape.

“Ha……. Really……”

“Heeyeon?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. Kwon Heeyeon dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and sighed deeply. What kind of unavoidable situation could have led to this?

“What time is it?”

“……It’s 5 o’clock. It’s almost dinner time……. Why are you crying? Huh? Why? Are you upset because you lost your cardigan? Should I go look for it?”

“……My brother bought that too, right?”

“Mr. Jiho bought and brought new ones every season. He said he didn’t know when you would wake up……. Thick ones for winter, thin ones for summer. He was so devoted. You should be good to your brother. He’s been through a lot.”

The caregiver, assuming the siblings’ relationship was finally improving, explained how diligent Kwon Jiho was and how carefully he had taken care of Heeyeon while she was unconscious. Kwon Heeyeon barely touched her dinner and lay down in bed.

The clock hand moved towards 7 o’clock. Kwon Heeyeon gathered her emotions, waiting for Kwon Jiho, who would soon enter the room.

♬⋆.˚

When summer came, Kwon Jiho naturally went outside to wait for Do Yeonjae. Since the sun didn’t set until well past 6 o’clock, he couldn’t give up the chance to enjoy the warm sunlight, even if it was late.

While he was looking up, basking in the summer heat, a familiar car stopped, flashing its hazard lights. Do Yeonjae got out of the driver’s seat. Lately, he had been driving himself more often, without a chauffeur.

Before Do Yeonjae could beckon him, Kwon Jiho started moving. Do Yeonjae, as if he wasn’t, carefully examined Kwon Jiho’s face as he approached with light steps. He had been depressed all day, but now his expression seemed fine again.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, I just came out, so I didn’t wait long.”

“I told you not to stay outside in this heat.”

“It’s warmer outside than in the academy.”

At his awkward smile, Do Yeonjae, as if he couldn’t help it, didn’t scold him further and let him into the passenger seat. They weren’t close enough to engage in casual conversation, so Do Yeonjae drove, and Kwon Jiho looked outside, silently traveling to Kwon Heeyeon’s hospital.

When they stopped in traffic during rush hour, they briefly talked about how Heeyeon had been transferred to a good hospital. Kwon Jiho didn’t ask any further questions, as if that was enough. Feeling Do Yeonjae’s gaze on his clear face, which held a faint smile and looked straight ahead, Kwon Jiho turned his head.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your eyes look swollen.”

“Ah…… Do they?”