Irresponsibility Chapter 3.5

Can you become a doctor at twenty-three…? Is he a genius?

Or maybe they don’t care about age and go by rank.

“Chew your food thoroughly.”

Joo Yeoun, who had been lost in thought, came to his senses at the low voice. The dining table in front of him was packed with sliced raw fish and various side dishes that came with it.

“Ah. It would be better to eat some porridge first and then the sliced raw fish.”

He had only eaten porridge for over a month, and he had recently eaten porridge because of body aches, so Yeoun didn’t want to eat any more porridge now. Baek Geonhyuk, who was heading to the sink, seemed like he was about to take out that instant porridge from the cupboard again, so Joo Yeoun urgently opened his mouth.

“Hey…!”

The large back stopped in its tracks.

“I’m n, not eating porridge….”

Joo Yeoun added, his words trailing off.

But Baek Geonhyuk, with his hand on the cupboard, didn’t move an inch.

What’s wrong with him. Yeoun glanced at him. When he did something unexpected, it made him be on his guard. He was retracing his own words, when the huge back heaved and a deep breath was let out.

Startled, Joo Yeoun, who had grabbed the dining table, soon furrowed his brow. The corners of Baek Geonhyuk’s eyes, who had turned around, were faintly curved. It was an expression one wouldn’t notice without looking closely, but he could read it because he had been like that ever since the day before yesterday.

“Alright. Then just eat one spoonful of rice.”

Joo Yeoun followed Baek Geonhyuk with the corner of his eye as he put a little bit of rice into a bowl. Why does he keep smiling. Just as a suspicion was about to form, a large hand placed a rice bowl in front of him.

“The steamed egg here is delicious.”

That hand also pulled the steamed egg and placed it in front of him. Joo Yeoun hesitantly nodded his head and picked up his spoon.

His face was gentle as he put a spoonful of rice in his mouth and ate the steamed egg. Baek Geonhyuk pulled the sliced raw fish closer in front of Joo Yeoun, and also pulled the vegetables slightly closer.

“This is still warm.”

The corn cheese was placed in front of Yeoun. Ah, he has to eat the abalone too.

Yeoun followed the plate that was being placed between the packed plates in front of him and asked.

“Wh, what about you?”

At those words, Baek Geonhyuk’s eyes widened slightly.

“I’m eating too.”

Answering, he let out a chuckle.

Yeoun watched him pick up a piece of sliced raw fish and eat it, then hesitantly picked up his chopsticks.

The corn cheese had hardened slightly, becoming like a pancake. So he could pick it up without difficulty with his chopsticks.

Yeoun tore off a corner of the corn cheese and put it in his mouth. The corn kernels popped, and a salty and sweet taste came at the same time. The aroma of butter also lingered.

Chewing, Joo Yeoun set his gaze on the plate of sliced raw fish. At that, Baek Geonhyuk explained.

“It’s an assortment of sliced raw fish, but I don’t know what’s what.”

Is this flounder. Baek Geonhyuk pointed to the sliced raw fish with his chopsticks, uncertain.

“Red sea bream, rockfish, flounder?”

All wrong. Yeoun pointed to the white-fleshed fish with his chopsticks.

“Th, this is fl, flounder.”

“This one?”

“Yeah.”

Red sea bream, rockfish, flounder. As he pointed to each one with his chopsticks, Baek Geonhyuk tilted his head.

“Are you saying that because you know?”

“I k, know better than you.”

At those words, Baek Geonhyuk let out a laugh that sounded like a leak of air. Then he said, “Yeah, I don’t know much about sliced raw fish.”

“I just eat it for the taste of the sweet and sour chili paste.”

Speaking in an indifferent tone, he picked up a few pieces of sliced raw fish and dipped them generously in the sweet and sour chili paste. Then he put them in his mouth and nodded his head. It’s delicious. Baek Geonhyuk, who had quickly chewed and swallowed, turned his gaze to the sliced raw fish bibimbap.

“I’ll mix this and serve you a portion.”

He said as he got up. Yeoun glanced for a moment at him getting a new spoon and bowl, then turned his head.

He picked up a piece of sliced raw fish and dipped it lightly in the sweet and sour chili paste. As soon as he put it in his mouth, a sweet and sour taste spread. The texture was chewy.

Chewing thoroughly to swallow what was in his mouth, Yeoun suddenly looked at the dining table. His gaze fell on the plate full of plump sliced raw fish, and then it went to the corn cheese from which he had torn off a corner, and to the steamed egg.

…It was delicious.

Joo Yeoun blinked his eyes blankly. Had he ever felt that food was delicious recently? It was all food he had eaten to survive, and sometimes he had forced himself to chew and swallow.

“If you can’t eat it, leave it.”

“Okay….”

Perhaps finding his fixed gaze on the table strange, Baek Geonhyuk tilted his head. Their eyes met, so Yeoun fumbled to pick up his spoon and ate the sliced raw fish bibimbap. Only then did he sit down.

“Hmm. Is it a bit spicy.”

Baek Geonhyuk, who had taken a large spoonful, muttered. While doing so, he looked at Joo Yeoun as if to ask how it was.

“N, not really.”

“Are you good with spicy food?”

“Yeah. Th, this much is n, not very spicy.”

Joo Yeoun immediately took another spoonful of the sliced raw fish bibimbap. It was quite spicy with the addition of minced cheongyang peppers, but it was just enough to whet the appetite.

He was originally good with spicy food. In the past, he had even gone to challenge a spicy noodle soup with his friends.

Right. There was such a time. Yeoun thought and picked up his chopsticks again.

The meal that day continued for quite a long time.

*

The fact that he had enjoyed a meal for the first time in a while was a bit of a shock to Yeoun. He had never once thought that a meal eaten in this house, facing that dangerous person, would be delicious. Is it okay to be this carefree?

But it didn’t feel bad to think of it as proof that he had gotten better than before. It seemed much better than eating food that felt like chewing on rubber.

If there was one problem, it was that his stomach hurt a little.

He had never had a stomach ache from eating spicy food in his life. Could a short period of being a patient have had such a big impact? He had gotten a stomach ache from eating food that wasn’t even painfully spicy.

He tried to endure it, but his stomach hurt so much that he couldn’t sleep. So after thinking for a long time, Yeoun finally came out. In the past, he would have been groaning alone in his room, but now he was at a point where he wouldn’t do that.

“Huh? What can I get you?”

Since Joo Yeoun, who rarely came out of his room at this hour, was heading to the kitchen, Baek Geonhyuk immediately came out of his room.

Joo Yeoun shook his head and grabbed the refrigerator handle. It was only natural that Baek Geonhyuk was even more surprised by that. Had Joo Yeoun ever touched the refrigerator besides at mealtimes? Except for when he was looking for his cell phone before, there hadn’t been a time.

“I was going to dri, drink some milk….”

Yeoun answered naturally and opened the refrigerator door. His goal was the milk he had seen on the refrigerator door in the morning.

He glanced at Baek Geonhyuk standing behind the door and was about to reach for the milk, but a large hand came first and picked up the milk. Joo Yeoun curled his lost hand and raised his head. Baek Geonhyuk, with the refrigerator door between them, tilted his head and looked down at him.

“Yeoun-ah. What did I say to do when you’re sick?”

He asked quietly. Because it was late at night, his voice was low, so even though it was a soft tone, it was a little intimidating.

“It’s n, not that I’m sick, it’s just….”

“Yes.”

Baek Geonhyuk answered in a low voice. His gaze sharply scanned the pale face that was blinking its large eyes awkwardly.

My stomach hurts. Joo Yeoun, who had uttered the words as if whispering, lowered his head. He resented his own body that wouldn’t follow his will. Why do only embarrassing things keep happening.

Joo Yeoun, with his head bowed deeply, stealthily reached out his hand. He was planning to quickly drink the milk and go to his room to try to sleep.

What Baek Geonhyuk was lightly holding was a 1-liter carton of milk. Avoiding the huge hand that completely covered the middle part, Yeoun lightly touched the milk carton with his fingertips. Perhaps not knowing that it meant he wanted to take it, the large hand didn’t budge, so he grabbed the bottom. Trying to avoid Baek Geonhyuk’s fingers that had invaded all the way to the bottom, he ended up holding only the very bottom, which looked very unstable.

“What are you doing?”

A low voice was heard. Flinching, he raised his head, and Baek Geonhyuk was looking down at him with his temple pressed against the refrigerator door.

He tried to pull the milk carton with a little force, but the cold sensation slipped out of his hand instead. The hand that had grabbed the empty air looked a little embarrassed.

Baek Geonhyuk’s gaze also fell on Joo Yeoun’s hand. Thinking that it looked similar in color to the milk, he put the milk back and closed the refrigerator door.

“I’ll give you some medicine.”

“It’s not en, enough to take medicine….”

Joo Yeoun, who was waving his hand, shut his mouth tightly because Baek Geonhyuk was staring at him. For a one-year age difference, it was a very stern look.

…Is this right?

While he was lost in thought for a moment, Baek Geonhyuk opened the TV stand and took out a first-aid kit. At a glance, it was packed with medicine. There were medicines sold at pharmacies, and there were also things like small medicine containers and bandages. There hadn’t been a first-aid kit in that spot before, so it seemed to have been brought there recently.

“Hmm….”

Heartburn. Muttering, he finally found the medicine, closed and put away the first-aid kit, and got up. Then, as he approached the kitchen, Joo Yeoun hesitated and pressed his back against the refrigerator.

“I don’t think milk would be good. Let’s take the medicine first.”

“Okay….”

At the whispered answer, Baek Geonhyuk gave him a furtive glance. Seeing his slightly flushed face, a faint playfulness appeared in his eyes.

“Are you going to bed right away? I’m going to bed a little later.”

At the out-of-the-blue words, Joo Yeoun looked up at him.

“I’m worried you’ll wake up if I get into bed while you’re sleeping. Are you a light sleeper?”

“…No,”

“That’s a relief.”

Baek Geonhyuk quickly cut off the words he had started to say in denial. Then he said, as if muttering.

“Now that we have to sleep together in one bed, should we get matching couple pajamas?”

He was talking about how he would sleep in the same bed with him if he hid that he was sick. Joo Yeoun urgently opened his mouth.

“A st, stomach ache i, isn’t being sick.”

Why isn’t that being sick. Baek Geonhyuk, who passed by Joo Yeoun casually, filled a cup with water. At the action of lightly tapping the back of his hand with the cup handle, Yeoun grabbed the handle, and he opened the medicine box.

“Hand.”

Yeoun held out his empty hand. Tap tap. After dropping two pills into Yeoun’s palm, he suddenly furrowed his brow and muttered.

“It’s not something like food poisoning, is it?”