“Are you okay?” he hears someone ask---–it's Su Bin. He stands up abruptly, startling her. She takes a step back from the crazed look on his face. 

“Um,” she says, confused and wary. He moves forward and before Su Bin can react, he shoves her away as he falls to his knees and starts vomiting. Su Bin finds herself frozen in shock for two seconds because she thought he was going to hit her, before she can snap out of it. She bends down next to him  and rubs his back and holds his shoulders as he pukes.

There standing in pedestrian lane, with Young Do puking his guts out. What is he doing here all alone? Su Bin wonders angrily. Because she knows this means she has to take care of him. And she----can't. She bites back a groan. 

“Girl, is your boyfriend okay?” Someone – an old lady, looking concerned, asks.

“Oh, no, he’s not my –,” Su Bin begins but finding there being no point in explaining to a stranger, just smiles weakly and tries her best to hold Young Do upright.

“Could – could you call a taxi?” she asks, finding it difficult to see the woman, now that Young Do is half leaning on her. She tries to push him to carry some of his weight, but he's completely out of his head. The woman is kind enough to help Su Bin and helps her hail a cab.

"Khamsamida," Su Bin tells the woman, while swatting Young Do's hands which are pulling at her hair and coat. He can't seem to stand straight. She winds an arm around his waist and leans against a street light. Once an empty cab arrives, she pushes Young Do into it and Su Bin heaves a sigh of relief. 

"Yaan, what's wrong with you?" Su Bin asks him, irritated. She was supposed to be heading back to her flat to catch up on her studies. She didn't have the time to babysit him! 

Young Do’s head lolls against his seat before it comes to rest against her shoulder. She shoves his head away annoyed, but it hits the window. Her eyes widen in panic as Young Do moans in pain.

“Omo, omo, are you okay? Did you hit your head?” She says feigning surprise as she rubs Young Do’s head. Young Do glances at her, his face crumpled up into a frown before he clutched his stomach. "Apa?It hurts?" Su Bin asks him, worried. 

Young Do barely manages to nod. “Ahjusshi, can you please stop at a dispensary on the way?”

When the Cab stops at a dispensary, Su Bin gets down to  and a water bottle. “Mogo,” she said, handing him a tablet and a bottle of water. Young Do shakes his head aggressively. “It’s alright, we’ll be at your place in a minute.”

Su Bin calls Rachel to let her know her brother is in a mess and then realizes belatedly that she's out of town. When Rachel answers the call, Su Bin is almost complaining. 

"Rachel, Young Do's all sick----Yeah, I know you're not in Seoul right now, but what about Myung Soo? Can he take care of Young Do? Oh, okay, I'll call him. You call him too. What---What should I do till then? Take... take Young Do to my flat? Oh. Okay. No, it's okay. Don't apologize, Yoo Rachel. It's unlike you. Okay, I'll call you when I reach home." 

Rachel had said Myung Soo wasn't going to be able to come until the morning because he was attending some party with his parents. Su Bin didn't even bother to ask why a party was so important that he wouldn't be able to leave. The rich had their own rules, Su Bin had realized by now.

Su Bin asks the driver to change the route, and has to hear him grumble the entire time about youngnastykids. Su Bin would've given him a piece of her mind but she her thoughts are occupied with the fact that Young Do was going to come to her flat. Her flatmates were not the most cooperative...She doesn't know what they'd think of this...

When they reach her flat, Su Bin is glad to find nobody's home yet. She quickly installs a very sleepy Young Do in her room.

"Kwenchana?" Su Bin asks, pulling the covers over Young Do. She resolves to sleep on the floor, at the edge of the bed tonight. She sighs at the thought. Su Bin goes to fix herself a cup of instant ramen and returns to eat it sitting at the foot of the bed. Young Do is half asleep when his phone starts ringing. 

"Omma is calling," he says sleepily, and hands her the phone. Su Bin would have refused to oblige him by answering the call if she had not been distracted by how...cute Young Do looked. It was such an unusual thing. When she realizes she's holding the phone and its still ringing -- rather loudly -- she quickly answers it before she realizes what she's done. She's on the phone. With Young Do's mom. 

"Ye ommoni, anyonghaesyeo,  I'm Yoo Rachel's friend, Su Bin speaking," Su Bin clears up feeling awkward. "I -- I, yes, Young Do is here. But he's sick. No, not to worry. He's going to be fine. Yes, please don't worry. He's just ...it's nothing serious," Su Bin says, when Young Do proves unhelpful in coming up with an excuse. He's just staring at her. Or trying to. His eyes are drooping, heavy from want of sleep. "Yes, I---Yes, I'll tell him to call you when he's better. Ne," by the time Su Bin hangs up she's almost hyperventilating. That had been the most stressful phone call she had ever been on. 

Young Do's mom's voice had been soft but firm. Su Bin knew his mother was going to chew Young Do to the bone for all the information later. All the circumstances looked too suspicious for a parent to be so calm...But of course, Young Do and Rachel's parents were out of town and who else could've helped...Su Bin groans, annoyed. 

When she hands Young Do his phone back, he gives her a sleepy smile. She feels her cheeks warm and her stomach churn.... But otherwise ignores it. She sometimes hates how warm and welcoming Young Do could be. She hates how much she adores it. Especially after seeing what an he can be.

Young Do scoots closer.  Closer than he would have sober. His head is near her thigh, he's looking up at her. His eyes wide open. It's taking him a lot of effort to stay awake.  Su Bin clicks her tongue and moves away.

"Jha," Sleep, Su Bin orders him but Young Do shakes his head. 

"What were you doing out?" he asks, instead.

"I was just... Walking," Su Bin says, softly. It is not a lie.

She watches as Young Do closes his eyes,  and nuzzles the pillow. She hopes that it smells clean. 

"What were you doing outside?" Su Bin asks, after a while. 

"I don't know...I was with my mother. Drinking. How did I end up on the street?" Young Do stifles a yawn and looks at Su Bin confusedly.

"With your mom? But aren't your parents outside the country?" 

"No, my real mom's in the country," Young Do yawns again. 

"Your real mom?" Su Bin asks, puzzled. And then it dawns her. Neither Rachel nor Young Do ever spoke of their parents, let alone the other half of their biological parents. Su Bin had never heard of Young Do's mom before...That means the person she had spoken to just now was... Su Bin gasps in shock and resists the urge to smack Young Do. She wasn't sure if he wanted her to know about his mom..let alone speak with her. Now there was no way to pretend it never happened...ugh.

"Well, how are you feeling now?" Su Bin asks, intent on changing the topic. Young Do buries his face into the pillow and murmurs an incoherent affirmative. He takes out the book lying on her bed. She watches him curl up on her bed like a cat and read the book she had bought a few days ago. It isn't long before his eyes flutter close.

Su Bin lays down her spare mattress at the bottom of the bed and lies down. When she gets up to charge her phone, 
she steals a glance at Young Do and finds him fast asleep. Young Do's long body fits awkwardly to match the size of the bed. His legs are bent at the knees and he's curled up on his side. She slowly moves to his side of the bed and plucks the book out of his hands. At the movement, Young Do's eyes open to focus on Su Bin for a second before shutting.

It is at three in the morning that Su Bin wakes up when she hears the bathroom door shut. It takes her five seconds to understand that Young Do is inside and vomiting his guts out. She scrambles for the door and finds his head bent over the toilet. She quickly moves to sit next to him and rub his back. He tries to protest her presence but she ignores him.

When he looks like he's done , Su Bin flushes the toilet and tries to pull him up to stand but he's too heavy and too tired from the vomiting to get up. So he sits there, one of his legs stretched out  and another bent at the knees, where he's holding Su Bin's hand