…Cause when you’re sick, I get sick watching you getting sick

These antibiotics is just quick way to get you more sick…

 

A sweet song is playing gently through Hyewon’s laptop computer speakers while she’s sitting in front of it in the dark dim light of the room she shares with another woman…

 

Eunbi…who is now sleeping soundly like a baby in her bed. Her beautiful face looks a bit red since her body temperature is higher than normal.

 

Eunbi is sick.  

 

And that’s the reason why Hyewon, who is sitting in front of the computer, tries searching for keywords like ‘Paracetamol’, ‘How to treat a sick person’, and ‘tepid sponge’. She even had to dim down the light and some smooth gentle songs to get relax mood for Eunbi, who skipped her dinner and had been sleeping since 5 PM today.

 

But she definitely needs food.

 

That’s what Hyewon thought. She’s been living with Eunbi for a while, and Eunbi, who is the most hardworking person she’s ever known, always skips her food. And Hyewon, of course, has always been worried. That’s why she decided to ‘always’ come back home before Eunbi every day. Just to order some delivery for herself and pretend to over-order by accident just to give the food to Eunbi.  

 

“Is it alright? Are you really giving them to me?”

 

That’s what Eunbi always asked. But she would happily take it anyway. Because, Hyewon knows this well, she has no time at all. She has to spend all her time working to pay for her rent and to pursuit her dream.

 

Living in Seoul is expensive, especially, when you have to pay for everything yourself. That’s why they had to live in this shared apartment in the first place. Hyewon is a final year university student from Yangsan and Eunbi is a music composer intern in one of the biggest music companies in Seoul from outskirt. They stumbled across each other through some random accommodation website, and finally, they became roommates.

 

And that’s when Hyewon developed her feelings towards the other girl whom she shares the apartment with.

 

At first, Hyewon didn’t know. She thought all her ‘worries’ about Eunbi rooted from her fundamental need to take care of a younger person…since she’s an older sister to her younger brother, Kyungwoo, who now lives further away in Yangsan where she’s from.

 

But her feelings for Eunbi have become clearer whenever Eunbi gets sick…

 

She hates it whenever Eunbi has to come home late at night and ended up getting sick in the morning.

She hates it when those cute little cheeks of Eunbi turned red because of the flu.

She hates it when she hears those sweet voices of Eunbi cracked due to sore throat.

She hates it when Eunbi didn’t touch her delivery food because she felt nausea and couldn’t eat.

 

She hates it when she hears those little ‘Achoo’ voice from Eunbi’s sneeze, even if it’s cute.  

 

This time has been the 3^rd time Hyewon sees Eunbi got sick like this, and she’s sick of it.

 

It hurts her heart.

 

“Unnie, wake up.”

 

After reading almost every search result that came up, Hyewon is now ready to properly take care of the sick person. She softly pokes Eunbi’s arm. Eunbi groans a bit without opening her eyes. So Hyewon starts poking again…

 

“Unnie, wake up, you need to eat something and take these pills.”

 

“Ughhh”

 

That’s Eunbi’s voice in reply. But she's finally awake. Her soft little eyes squint through the dark while trying to look at Hyewon’s blurry face.

 

“How long had I been sleeping?”

 

“Dunno, maybe 3 – 4 hours.”

 

Hyewon replies, then lays the back of her hand on Eunbi’s forehead, just to check the temperature.

 

“You still have fever. You need these pills.”

 

Hyewon shows Eunbi Paracetamol she prepared in her hand.

 

“Ok”

 

Eunbi agrees sheepishly and tries to reach for a glass of water Hyewon prepared for her on the bedside table but Hyewon stops her right there.

 

“No, not now, you should eat something first.”

 

“Hyewon-ah~! Achoo!”

 

Eunbi was going to argue but while she raises her voice, she sneezes. Hyewon laughs a bit and hands her some tissue paper.

 

“You know, when this happens, I always lose my appetite.”

 

She mumbles that when trying to wipe off her snot. Her little nose turned red and it makes her looks like a reindeer. Hyewon smiles a bit and pinches Eunbi nose softly just to tease.

 

“You have to eat something even when you lose your appetite, Eunbi-ya. Fasting is not good for your health.”

 

While Hyewon says that Eunbi pouts.  

 

“I don’t know who’s older anymore.”  

 

Hyewon smiles with pleading face.

 

“Just…please?”

 

Seeing Hyewon like that, Eunbi finally agreed to ‘eat something’. A soft food like hot congee Hyewon prepared for her does help soothing her sore throat. Then she took the pills. Then she drank lots of water. And then, she got into bed again.

 

“I’ll have to give you tepid sponge.”

 

“tepid what?”

 

“I’ll have to wash you with wet towel to decrease your fever…”

 

“Oh”

 

Eunbi looks a bit hesitant. Hyewon can feel that she’s a bit shy to get ‘washed’ by ‘a roommate’ and the thought of touching Eunbi makes her heart pounds too.

 

“If that’s ok with you…”

 

Hyewon askes hesitantly…

 

“That’s…alright.”

 

Eunbi replies softly with her face all red.

 

That’s maybe because of the fever…don’t delude yourself Hyewon!

 

Hyewon tries to warn herself that while filling a small bowl with water in the sink. She prepares Eunbi’s small towel for her. And when she got back to the bedroom, Eunbi was there, waiting.

 

She sat on Eunbi’s bed and started to wipe her forehead gently.

 

“I hate it when you get sick.”

 

Hyewon mumbles while she’s wiping Eunbi’s left cheek softly.  

 

“Really? I love it though.”

 

Eunbi replies and that surprises Hyewon.

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Because whenever I get sick, you always take a good care of me, Hyewon-ah.”

 

That answer made Hyewon stunned for a minute.

 

“But I…”

 

“I know you’ve always been taking good care of me, but it’s more obvious when I’m sick.”

 

Eunbi is now blushing.

 

“I know you ordered 2 portions of food on purpose. You’ve never accidentally over-ordered them. You just wanted to give them to me…and I always appreciated that…”

 

Hyewon is stunned.

 

“Uh…I…yeah…I mean.”

 

She tries to clear and starts to make serious face.

 

“That’s because I hate it…when you get sick. So I want you to take care of yourself well.”

 

She proclaims.

 

“But if you can’t do that on your own, well, I might have to take care of you…for you.”

 

That’s the lamest love confession I’ve ever heard.

 

Eunbi thought that with herself…but then she smiles again.

 

“Thanks, Hyewon.”

 

She says that while tugging herself into bed.

 

“I always appreciate your effort, you know that, right?”

 

Eunbi smiles softly.

 

“But I’ll appreciate it more if you just…make any effort to confess your feeling to me.”

 

What did she just say?

 

“Instead of keep telling me not to get sick.”

 

What on earth…I mean…

 

Hyewon is shocked. Eunbi takes a small glimpse at her and pout, then she turns herself to the wall, turning her back to Hyewon who is still confused.

 

“Wait…”

 

“I’m tired, I’m gonna get some sleep now.”

 

“Eunbi Unnie~”

 

No response.

 

“Eunbi-ya~”

 

She pulls Eunbi’s shoulder gently as if she’s trying to ask her to turn back again. Eunbi smiles a bit then sighs.

 

“Ok…what?”

 

When Eunbi turned around again and asked that, Hyewon didn’t reply with words. She replied with her soft lips…against Eunbi’s lips…At first, Eunbi was stunned by the prompt action, but then, she closes her eyes while enjoying her first kiss with this woman. Hyewon never told her how she felt. But right now, her action speaks lounder than word.

 

Then their lips parted.

 

“You…”

 

Eunbi doesn’t know how to respond anymore.

 

“Don’t you afraid of catching my cold?”

 

Hyewon grins.

 

“Nope.”

 

Her reply makes Eunbi blush again, and now, Hyewon knows that her red cheeks aren’t the result of the fever.

 

It's because of her.  

 

“But I’ll hate it if you get sick…”

 

Eunbi pouts.

 

“Worth it though.”

 

Hyewon smiles while patting Eunbi’s forehead softly.

 

“You’re totally worth it.”

 

Her answer made Eunbi’s heart pounds again, but this time, she doesn’t have time to reply. Because Hyewon leans towards her and starts kissing her again.

 

Damn…

 

Eunbi thought with herself.

 

I really do love it when I get sick.

 

-Fin-