Flower Fiancé Chapter 127

“Yes. There’s no specific medicine for it—usually, if you give fever reducers and wait, it subsides on its own.”

Unlike the anxious Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo, the housekeeper calmly conveyed her thoughts. Since she had raised her own children and even married them off, her advice born from experience couldn’t be ignored.

“Then, let’s monitor his condition, and if his fever rises again, we can contact the hospital then.”

Choi Moohyuk said in a calmly settled voice, then took Geon-i into his arms and lightly patted the shoulder of Ji Yeonwoo, who was still full of worry.

Because it was late, they hurriedly arranged for the housekeeper to leave first. Then Choi Moohyuk went into the bathroom, quickly washed his face and hands, and came out to change into comfortable clothes.

“Give Geon-i to me. I’ll hold him.”

Choi Moohyuk took the sleeping Geon-i into his arms and leaned back against the sofa. Geon-i’s small body in his arms was warmer than usual. Choi Moohyuk, who had been checking Geon-i’s tiny forehead with his rough, large hand, adjusted Geon-i as he had slipped slightly and held him closer. As he stroked the back where he could feel Geon-i’s soft breathing, Ji Yeonwoo sat down on the edge of the seat next to him.

“What about your work? Is it okay for you to leave like this?”

“It’s not fully wrapped up, but it’s fine. I can handle it in the early morning.”

Ji Yeonwoo, looking at Choi Moohyuk, let out a small sigh and brushed his face with one hand.

“My mind went blank when I heard Geon-i was sick. Even though I knew you were so busy you had to work late every night, I couldn’t help but tell you.”

“Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing.”

Choi Moohyuk reached out his arm that wasn’t holding Geon-i and wrapped it around Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulder.

“If you hadn’t told me because you were worried about me, that would have hurt and upset me even more.”

“…”

“How could I just sit still knowing Geon-i is sick?”

“Mr. Moohyuk…”

“Yeonwoo, there’s nothing in this world more important than my family.”

Ji Yeonwoo looked up at Choi Moohyuk with his eyes lowered at the corners. As he stroked his soft, fluffy hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead, his eyelashes dropped closed. There was a trace of moisture at the corner of his long eyes.

“Did you find out when the housekeeper called?”

“Yes. She said Geon-i kept fussing, so she took his temperature and it was 38.2 degrees.”

“So you closed the shop and came straight home?”

The dark head nodded. Choi Moohyuk wrapped his arms around Ji Yeonwoo’s shoulder and the back of his head, gently stroking him.

“You must have been really startled.”

“I couldn’t think of anything. I didn’t even know what to do… If it weren’t for the housekeeper, I might have just grabbed Geon-i and run to the nearest hospital.”

Even though he knew from several experiences that going to Sunwoo General Hospital would get them prompt treatment, it meant he had been so flustered that he couldn’t even think of that.

“First, let’s call Dr. Kim. Like the housekeeper said, taking a baby under one year old to the hospital without thinking might not be the best idea, so it’s better to listen to Dr. Kim’s advice before we act.”

“Yes. That sounds like a good plan.”

Ji Yeonwoo immediately brought the thermometer and measured Geon-i’s ear temperature. 37.9 degrees—the fever that he thought had come down was slowly creeping back up.

Choi Moohyuk called Sunwoo General Hospital. Dr. Kim, who happened to be at the hospital, answered, gave instructions on what measures to take, and then said he would come to their home.

Since the baby was now 11 months old, even if they went to the hospital, there weren’t any special tests that could be done. The types of IV fluids that could be administered were extremely limited, and coming to the hospital where many people came and went could actually be worse, so he said he would come to the house with a pediatrician. Choi Moohyuk expressed his gratitude.

The diagnosis from the pediatrician who came to the house was indeed “dolchire” [a common fever around the first birthday]. Although they said it was a viral infection, hearing that these common viral infections around this age were generally referred to as dolchire reminded him of what the housekeeper had said earlier. He realized once again that age and experience were domains that couldn’t be ignored.

The pediatrician placed an IV line on Geon-i’s foot. He said that sometimes after a dolchire fever subsides, a rash may appear, but it would settle down within 2-3 days, so there was no need to worry too much.

After Dr. Kim and the hospital staff left, peace finally returned. Fortunately, Geon-i, who had received the IV, didn’t develop a higher fever. Though the rate was slow, seeing that the fever had come down somewhat, Choi Moohyuk went to his study to handle work. His body was tired and his mind was entirely consumed with worry for Geon-i, but there were matters that needed to be decided before 9 AM, so he couldn’t postpone them.

Even though he thought he had finished the work as quickly as possible, a full hour had passed. Time was already racing toward 4 AM, and having not slept a wink, he felt as if his head was being struck with a gong.

Leaning back in his chair with a shallow breath, Choi Moohyuk pressed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. When the headache still didn’t subside, he pressed his temples firmly with his fingertips, then suddenly realized how quiet it was outside.

Rising from his seat, Choi Moohyuk went out to the living room. The living room, with its lights dimmed softly, was empty. Instead, seeing the bedroom door slightly ajar, he approached and carefully opened it.

The dim light on the bedside table illuminated the king-size bed.

Geon-i, with a new fever patch on his forehead and a pacifier in his mouth, was asleep, and next to him, Ji Yeonwoo lay on his side facing Geon-i, curled up like a shrimp. He must have been so tired that he didn’t wake even when Choi Moohyuk opened and closed the door.

The sleeping faces couldn’t have been more peaceful. It was hard to even imagine that they had been in such a commotion.

Choi Moohyuk sat on the edge of the bed, watching Geon-i and Ji Yeonwoo sleep, and let out an involuntary chuckle.

He turned off the bedside lamp and climbed onto the bed. He pulled up the blanket that had slipped down, covering Ji Yeonwoo up to his chest, and lay down, pulling Ji Yeonwoo into his arms from behind. Hmm? Sensing the presence, Ji Yeonwoo turned his head with a half-asleep face.

Mr. Moohyuk—just as he was about to say it, Choi Moohyuk raised his index finger to his lips. Understanding the meaning, Ji Yeonwoo quickly turned his head to look at Geon-i. Having suffered all day with a high fever, Geon-i was in a deep sleep, oblivious to any presence or sound.

“Geon-i’s fever has come down completely.”

“Yes. What a relief. You worked hard.”

“You worked hard too, Mr. Moohyuk.”

With those quiet words of comfort exchanged, Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo nestled their bodies together like spoons.

Perhaps because they had been so startled and exhausted, the two fell asleep almost instantly.

∞ ∞ ∞

After the commotion of Geon-i being sick, they decided to put the family trip plans on hold for a while.

It might have been dolchire, and they’d heard that babies sometimes develop high fevers without apparent cause before their first birthday, but while looking into the cause, they recalled the trip to the seaside.

They remembered that day had been particularly windy and cold. Thinking that the sudden sea breeze might have affected Geon-i without them realizing it, Ji Yeonwoo, without a moment’s hesitation, firmly insisted that any trips with Geon-i should absolutely be postponed until after his first birthday.

Fortunately, Geon-i got through the dolchire safely without a rash. Though it wasn’t common, they had secretly worried after hearing that if the rash was severe, it could leave scars. A few faint red spots appeared on his belly and inner thighs, but they subsided as if they had never been there, much to the relief of Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo.

Today, both Choi Moohyuk and Ji Yeonwoo had the day off. Choi Moohyuk had finished an urgent project and taken a day of rest, and <Flower Fiancé> was on its regular holiday.

They had given the housekeeper the day off as well and were planning to spend some quality family time together when, out of the blue, the doorbell rang.

“Who is it? Were we expecting someone?”

At the unexpected visitor, Ji Yeonwoo held Geon-i, and Choi Moohyuk looked at Ji Yeonwoo with a puzzled expression before walking to the entrance. On the intercom screen, a familiar face appeared. As soon as he saw the face, Choi Moohyuk frowned.

“It’s Minhyeok.”