Jihyuk has been acting weird the entire day.

She was the same that morning, however. She woke up at the same time, retraced the steps she took every morning for the months towards the kitchen, and made breakfast. Same old, same old. As soon as I sat down on my usual seat, she immediately set the table and prepared my food for me. Sometimes I think about how Jihyuk does almost everything for me – that the only thing missing was for her to chew my food for me and for her to brush my teeth herself.

So it was that, she was perfectly fine and normal that morning, until the time came for her to eat.

She didn’t.

Jihyuk sat across me, our knees touching under the table. She had a sullen expression on her face and I was a hundred percent sure that she was fine last night. But then morning came and now she’s acting all weird. “Baby,” I said, putting my fork down. “Aren’t you hungry? Why aren’t you eating breakfast?” I was prepared to stand up and reciprocate her act by making her food, but she didn’t respond. “Hey, is something wrong?”

She shook her head. Just as I was about to hold her hand, Jihyuk stood up and went inside the bedroom. Something was really going on, but to be sure, I had to check. “Jihyuk-ah,” I called out, and she hurried to my side obediently. “Can you get me some water?” Without another word, she rushed to the kitchen, poured water into a glass, and returned to my side.

Sipping from the glass, “It’s too warm,” I complained. “Can you put some ice cubes in it?”

And she nodded without a sound. This, I knew, was downright weird. The usual, normal, un-weird Jihyuk would follow only on the first request. If I had any more orders, she would yell at me to do it by myself. But now, it was the opposite. Jihyuk handed me my water with five ice cubes in it. I just stared at it. “It’s too cold,” I complained. “Get me a new one.”

This time, she nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. As soon as I saw two ice cubes in the glass, “It’s too few. Add another one,” I said, and she obliged silently, almost giving me the goosebumps on how weird she was today.

When I had quit complaining and resumed eating, she was still standing beside me. “Do you still want me to do anything?” Jihyuk asked softly. I shook my head, and she retreated back into the bedroom. I didn’t ask her to do anything and just washed the dishes myself. Entering the bedroom, I was surprised to see her ironing my clothes. She looked tired after finishing the last one.

“I thought you prepared my clothes last night?” I asked, examining each of the clothes hung in my closet. Each was ironed neatly and without a crease. What was happening to this woman…

She handed me my towel and opened the bathroom door. “Just in case you change your mind, you have clothes to choose from,” Jihyuk explained.

From there until I left the house, I assured her I can do things by myself. She insisted on buttoning my shirt for me, but I beat her to it. Kissing her before I left for work was routine every morning, but as soon as I approached her, she shied away. “Why won’t you kiss me?” I asked sadly. She just opened the front door. “You’re pushing me away?” I asked, and was somehow glad to see her smile for the first time that morning. But still, she didn’t speak. “Just one kiss, I promise. And then I’ll go,” I bargained, before quickly pecking her lips. Grinning victoriously, “I love you. I’ll go now. Be sure to lock the door, okay?” I reminded as usual and left.

***

Filled with worry all day, I decided to leave work early. Darkness welcomed me home. It was only six in the afternoon, and no sign of Jihyuk anywhere, so I figured she must’ve stayed behind in school to finish all she needed to do. When I entered the bedroom, I realized that she hadn’t left home after all. She was lying in bed with still the same clothes on.

“Jihyuk-ah,” I whispered, brushing her hair away from her face. That’s when I realized she was burning with fever. “Wake up,” I said, prodding her arms until her eyelids fluttered and opened. They widened as soon as she saw me.

She forced herself up. “Why—what are you doing here?” Then she glanced at the time. “It’s late. I should’ve prepared your dinner by now, and you haven’t changed yet.” She looked down at my clothes.

“Stop it,” I ordered, making her silent from all her unnecessary panicking. Noticing how she hasn’t even taken a shower since this morning, I stood up and found a fresh one in the closet. “Come, I’ll help you change,” I said, yanking her top up and off of her, but she hesitated. “What?”

“Turn around.”

I snorted. “You’re kidding, right? Ppali, change now.”

“Ani, you won’t turn around.” She buried herself more under the blankets. 

I rolled my eyes. “Why won’t you change?”

“Why won’t you turn around?’ she retorted, stubborn as always. 

“It’s just a shirt, for heavens’ sake. And I’m your husband, for crying out loud. I’ve seen everything already.” She had her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to me. In the end, I sighed. “Fine,” I said, turning around to face the wall. There was shuffling behind me as she finally got to change. When I faced her moments later, Jihyuk was lying back in bed. I took both her hands and said, “You’re—“ As if on cue, I was cut off by her loud sneeze. “—sick.” 

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” She reached for a tissue. “But why do you say it like I’m about to die?”

“Because I feel guilty.” I looked down and played with her fingers. “I’m a doctor. I take care of sick people, but I can’t even take care of you. For one, I didn’t even know you were sick.” I kissed her hand. “I’m sorry, okay? I won’t go to the hospital tomorrow so I can look after you,” I said. “Would that make you feel better?”

“That’ll make me feel guilty.” She let out a yawn. “Don’t treat me like a baby. You can go to work. I can take care of myself. I can walk, see? I still have my legs. And I can still jump whenever I want to. It’s not like I’m preg—“ Jihyuk stopped in midsentence, glancing at me briefly. “It’s not like I’ll die with this fever.” She mumbled and finished with a sneeze.

“And colds,” I added.

“And colds.”

I stared at her red nose and droopy eyes. “But I’m worried about you,” I said, brushing hair strands away from her face. “Do you want anything? I’ll cook for you so you could eat and drink medicine.” 

She shook her head no. “I just want to sleep some more,” Jihyuk said, settling more comfortably in bed. “Do you want to lie down beside me?” she asked, opening her arms to welcome me in between them. As soon as I settled in beside her, my eyes instantly felt heavier. Her warmth feels comforting. “I missed you a lot,” she said hoarsely. “We live in the same house but we don’t see each other that often."

I hummed against the top of her head in response. “Do you want us to go out after we wake up? We can walk along the park or just sit somewhere.”

“Out? At night?”

“Yeah, like we used to, remember?” I replied, eyes slowly closing. “The fresh air will help you get better, and some exercise will do you some good.” And I closed my eyes, finally giving in to the exhaustion that hovered over me. I woke up hours later at midnight, however, and immediately panicked as Jihyuk's temperature was still the same. I left a towel under running water and checked whatever medicine we had here at home. Grabbing an aspirin I found and the damp towel, I returned to her side in bed. She remained unmoving. Pressing the towel down her arms, neck, and forehead to cool her down, "See?" I said, smiling to myself. "I can stick to one decision for a long time." 

I continued trying to cool her down until she woke up. She rubbed at her eyes and said, "Are we going to go out?" 

Handing her the aspirin and a glass of water, I nodded. "Drink this first." I watched as she did so really slowly. "Can you walk or do I have to carry you?" In response, she just held her hand out to me. I pulled her up as gently as I could, assisting until she can stand up by herself. A little wobbly at first, Jihyuk obviously still wasn't feeling any better. "Wait here," I said, leaving her by the living room. From my working clothes, I changed into more comfortable ones and grabbed a jacket along the way, just in case it was chilly outside and Jihyuk would feel cold. When I left the bedroom, Jihyuk was leaning against the sofa and looked as pale as ever. "Shall we?" I asked, holding my hand out. She clung to me and we both left the apartment complex.

We walked slowly, with me taking little steps to match Jihyuk's. I was almost about to regret taking her out and tiring her instead of leaving her to rest, but it seemed like she was slowly regaining her strength as we walked. Maybe that was all Jihyuk needed: the outside world. She was always all over the place, and so having been confined inside walls and classrooms made her weak and sickly. Once in a while, she would look at me and smile, and I knew for sure that I had made the right decision in taking her out. 

At one point of our walking, I raised our intertwined hands above her head, spinning her around slowly. “What was that for?” she asked.

“Have you forgotten? You like being spun,” I said. “Or, at least, you used to. Do you still?”

Jihyuk pondered over it for a while, and nodded in the end.

Once we arrived at the park and had settled on a spot by the grass, I put the jacket around her and keep her close. I felt for her forehead and realized she had cooled down a little. “Sometimes I think,” Jihyuk started, pressing her back on my chest as she leaned against me. “Maybe I should always get sick so we’d have time together. I should always have colds so you’ll notice me.”

I laughed. “That’s crazy.”

“I know,” she said, grinning. She inhaled with great difficulty due to her clogged nose, and her voice sounded different too, which was kind of cute, actually. I put my chin on her shoulder and felt the exhaustion creeping in. “Hey,” Jihyuk said, almost as if she knew I was about to fall asleep. “Quiz me. I know everything about you.”

Despite my heavy eyelids, I managed to look at her in amusement. “Really?” I said with a laugh.

“You underestimate me,” she said. “Ask me anything. I know everything, even the things that you yourself don’t even know.” My eyebrows raised in disbelief. This girl, seriously… “I know everything. I know that you had two pets, both dogs, and that they died the day right after you got them as presents. I know that you gave the name “Mr. Fishy” to the first fish you caught, and then it slipped through your hands before you can even pet it. I know that you have a scar on your right knee because you lost your balance while learning how to ride your bike. I know that you like to keep receipts of everything you’ve bought – and I know that you’re not really sure why you keep them, either. I know how you talk in your sleep and how you like to keep your research papers in chronological order in your drawer. I know that you like your coffee and tea with two spoonfuls of sugar, and your water with exactly three ice cubes. I know everything about you without being told twice, see?”

“Fine,” I said, feeling so flattered that she knows as much. “If you know everything about me, then what’s my name?”

She flicked my forehead. “You punk.”

I laughed, holding onto her tighter. “I love you too,” I said, and finally gave in to sleep.