Jieun

Her vision is blurry and it felt like a hammer is constantly hitting her head. When she remembered that she has to go back to Seoul, she tried to get up but all she managed to do was lift her head a little.  She tried to give it another go but her head felt impossibly heavy; not shortly after she felt a warm set of hands, cradling her head back to the pillow.

She tried to see who it was, but her vision was not cooperating. Her headache was so bad it made everything look hazy, as if she was trapped inside a neverending mirage.

“I need to go home…” she tried to say, but the person who was beside her didn’t respond.  Instead, she felt a warm towel being placed on her forehead.

**

She woke up with a start, feeling her entire body shiver. Her entire body was covered by a thick blanket, sweat trickling down her back and on neck, yet her body felt ironically cold. Feeling worn out, every part of her body hurt and all she was able to do was cry in frustration. She wanted to go back to Seoul. That's all she wanted to do, yet she can't even move her body properly.

 Opening her eyes, she could see that a dim light was on, and a figure was seated near the bed.

She d around the unfamiliar bed, half wishing she was home. 

“Eomma?” She mumbled weakly.

Somehow she felt that she wasn’t home. Something didn't feel right. 

She tried to keep her eyes open but her lids felt too heavy, and she drifted back to sleep.

**

Jihoon

“Mianhe, halmeoni. I should’ve picked her up from the bus terminal when it started raining hard.”

Youngja gave him a scolding look.

“I don’t know what happened between you two. When I offered her your phone number she even told me that it wasn’t a good idea to contact you. But when I saw her hunkered down on the table, with a fever, I knew I had to call someone. I am an old lady and I can’t take care of her, you know that.”

Jihoon nodded, feeling guilty about the trouble Jieun brought on Youngja, but mostly because it was partly his fault that Jieun got into this state in the first place.

Her fever hasn’t gone down and she looked delirious, not even able to register where she was. He left the sleeping Jieun for a moment and ate something because Youngja kept forcing him to take a break and have dinner because it was getting late.

“I’d better go back and check on her. If she gets better, I’ll take her to my house and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“I’m not worried about being troubled by having her here. I just hope the poor young lady regains her health soon. She looked so devastated when she walked into my restaurant, and I didn’t even know she was also sick.”

That didn’t make Jihoon feel any better at all. He took the plate and cup to the sink and went straight to the bedroom where Jieun was lying down. She was still sleeping and somehow that made him a little relieved. When Jieun was trying to get up, looking disoriented and mumbling words he couldn’t understand, it made him feel sorry for her.

This is why we don’t say and do things when we’re angry, Jihoon.

He took the towel from her forehead and dipped it on basin beside him, then placed it back on her forehead. Her skin still felt too hot, that it made him wonder if he should take her to the hospital. But even if he did, the roads are closed and the rain is still pouring, although the wind has died down a bit.

Jieun stirred from the bed, again trying to get up but not able to. He sat on the side of the bed and soothed the crease that started to form between her eyebrows from the effort. When she relaxed, he her hair, trying to soothe her back to sleep. It seemed to work because Jieun’s breathing started to even out. She went back to sleep in no time.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered to the sleeping Jieun.

**

Jieun

When Jieun opened her eyes, she was welcomed by the sight of Jihoon sleeping in an awkward position. His left arm was slung over the space on the side of the bed, his head resting over it. Raising her head despite the constant throbbing pain, she was able to see that he was sitting on the floor. It looks like he’s been nursing her all night.

The effort from merely raising her head exhauste