In the early afternoon, Kwang Soo arrived at the doorsteps of Ji Hyo’s house. He was unable to reach Ji Hyo since morning and figured she might have overslept. He dropped by her house to bring her some brunch in case she had forgotten to eat again. However, he had been ringing the doorbell and calling her phone yet no one answer. Getting slightly worried, he decided to dial Jong Kook’s number since he knew they were out together last night.

“Yobuseyo” A sleepy voice answered the call.

“Jong Kook Hyung, This is Kwang Soo. Sorry to disturb you, I did not know you are still sleeping.” Kwang Soo said sounding a little guilty. “Do you know where is Ji Hyo Noona, her phone is off and I could not reach her. You were with her last night right?”

“She is at home resting.” Jong Kook answered without hesitation.

“But I called her and rang her doorbell but she did not answer?” Kwang Soo sounded a little worried. “I’m afraid…”

“You are outside her house?” Jong Kook asked in an alert tone, sounded a little surprised.

“I am, I brought her some…” As Kwang Soo was speaking, he heard footsteps coming behind the door. The door swung opened and Kwang Soo was taken aback by the person who opened it.

“Jong Kook Hyung?!” Kwang Soo exclaimed “What are you doing here?!”

“It’s not what you are thinking.” Jong Kook sounded a little flustered. “Come in first.”

Kwang Soo shot a suspicious look at Jong Kook and went inside the house. He observed the surrounding and noticed Jong Kook’s tired look with three buttons of his shirt ed and the long sleeve of the shirt being rolled up, revealing his muscles and abs. The sofa seemed to be slept on for quite a while. However, Ji Hyo was nowhere in sight and her room’s door was closed.

“Ji Hyo is sleeping in her room.” Jong Kook began. “She is running a fever.”

“Is she alright?” Kwang Soo asked in a concerned tone. “She told me she was experiencing some chills and headache yesterday. I didn’t realize it might be that bad.”

“The doctor said she caught a cold that’s why she had gotten a fever.” Jong Kook explained. “She had taken some food and medicine. Right now, she had fallen asleep in her room soundly. The fever seemed to had gone down a little with the effect of the medicine and some sleep.”

“Oh…. You stayed up the whole night with her to look after her?” Kwang Soo questioned and Jong Kook nodded. “Have you caught some sleep?”

“I managed to get some rest on the sofa after seeing her fever subsided a little, I was intending to leave after she wake up later.” Jong Kook sighed. “Your Noona, is awfully stubborn.” Jong Kook commented with a little helplessness in his tone.

Kwang Soo laughed at the way that Jong Kook said. “She is, since the day I knew her.”

“The most stubborn person I ever met.” Jong Kook added.  “And what’s with her and her strong resistance to go the hospital?” Jong Kook asked Kwang Soo. “Does she have a problem with hospital?”

“Kind of.” Kwang Soo answered without hesitation. “Noona would never step into the hospital for treatment, especially in the middle of the night on her own will. She would rather wait till the morning to visit the clinic downstairs or something. I guess unless emergency or so, you would never see her visit the hospital for treatment willingly herself.”

“Why?” Jong Kook sounded a little puzzled.

“She had a very bad experience there.” Kwang Soo started to explain. “When she was slightly younger, she was admitted to the hospital for exhaustion. Doctor gave her some IV drips which at that point of time no one knows she was allergic to it, even herself. She found it so hard to breathe but thankfully it was discovered at the right time. However the next day, somehow the hospital had mixed up her condition with another patient unknowingly.  The nurse who was on duty gave her another shot of IV drips which almost killed her. She nearly died when no one was around in the middle of the night to take care of her. From then on, she hated to go to the hospital for treatment. She had some sort of phobia.”

 “That explains….” Jong Kook figured, thinking of the incident last night.

----------------

“Give me a chance to prove to you what I said to you is true.” Jong Kook looked into her sobbing eyes and caressed her slightly flushed face. He knew she still had some doubted in him, but he could not blame her. His anger was a little sudden, a little unexpected. However, it was true to his heart. Despite that, he himself wondered if those words was for her to hear, or for him to convince himself.

He gazed into her eyes while waiting for this woman’s reply. The silence is slowly killing and driving him crazy. He feared that this woman might say something he did not want to hear, considering the fact that she thought his feeling was a false one. He really wanted to prove this woman wrong. He wanted to show her, right now, he was really falling for her as she was slowly capturing his heart unknowingly. “Oppa.” She finally uttered weakly, breaking the silence.

“Yes Ji Hyo yah?” Jong Kook felt his heart thumping fast when she lay back on his chest. His body turning slightly hot from her soft words, but something is not right, he could feel her face was slightly hot but her body turning a little too cold.

“Oppa, I feel so cold.” Ji Hyo’s breathing turned louder as she spoke. He touched her forehead after and discovered that she is running a fever. “Ji Hyo yah, you are burning.” He quickly carried her up and rushed back to his car. “We are going to the hospital.” He told her.

“No, please Oppa.” She pleaded weakly. “I’m feeling alright, just get me home….  It’s only a mild fever.” She pleaded him while tugging his shirt, begging him sincerely.

“You are burning hot. “ Jong Kook replied agitatedly. “You are going to the hospital.”

“No! I don’t want to go to the hospital now….” Ji Hyo shouted as though it was the last bit of strength she had. “Oppa, I will be fine at home. I just need to rest at home.” Ji Hyo said  after she calmed down while shivering.

“Don’t be stubborn Ji Hyo yah.” Jong Kook said. “You are shivering! Look at you…”

“Just let me sleep at home. I will eat some medicine when I get home.” Ji Hyo insisted. “If not, either you get me down now or I will get down myself.” Ji Hyo tried to struggle in Jong Kook’s arms. However, she was a little too weak and Jong Kook was too strong.

“Okay, I will get you home! But if you are still having fever in the morning, you are coming with me.” Jong Kook surrendered. Even though he knew with her current strength she would not be able to struggle out of his arms, she was so stubborn at times he was afraid that she might do something illogical. He knew she must have her own reasons for that but he shall not question her decision at this moment.

“Thank you Oppa.” She smiled at him weakly while lying back on his chest comfortably.  He placed her gently at the front seat and helped her buckled her seatbelt. “Just sleep a little while; I will wake you up when you are at your house okay.” Ji Hyo nodded her head with a smile and closed her eyes to rest. Seeing the sleeping beauty resting, he smiled to himself and started driving off.

Driving to her apartment area seemed like a regular thing to him now, he was so familiar around her neighborhood that he could get to her house effortlessly. Parking his car at the regular spot, he piggybacked her up to her house apartment quietly after waking her up. She lay on his back comfortably and it made him smile to know that. “Ji Hyo yah, what is your house password? Could you press it yourselves?” He arrived at her doorstep to realize he still did not know her house password despite sending her home many times. This was the second time he actually was at her doorsteps. Usually Ji Hyo insisted to go up herself, but he could not let her get home alone knowing she was sick. He had to see her at least safely resting on her bed before he could go home peacefully.

“It’s xxxxx.” Ji Hyo whispered to his ear. Jong Kook could feel that Ji Hyo’s voice was even softer than before and got more worried. “Ji Hyo yah, I think we really should go the hospital…”

“I’m really okay.” Ji Hyo proceeded to open her cabinet to grab some medicine after Jong Kook put her down under her request. “I’m eating my medicine now.” She held up her medicine and gestured to him with a tiny smile like a little kid who was trying to prove to her parents she had done her work. Seeing her acting like a little kid, Jong Kook’s corner of the mouth slowly turned up. “I ate my medicine. You can go now. It’s very late already.” Ji Hyo suggested weakly.

“I would, provided you get onto your bed and sleep.” Jong Kook insisted. “I need to see you rest.”

Ji Hyo pouted but still heeded to his request. While Ji Hyo went to her room and changed her clothes, Jong Kook went to the kitchen to find a pail and face towel. By the time Ji Hyo was done, he had completely filled the pail with icy cold water. “I went to the kitchen uninvited to get you some cold towel.” Jong Kook informed her.

 “I really could take care of myself. You don’t have to do that Oppa. Let me send you out. ” Ji Hyo tried to drive Jong Kook out of her house but to no avail.

“It’s either you assured me that you had slept or you are going to the hospital now.” Jong Kook threatened her and Ji Hyo gave him the pouting face again. Both of them slowly went into Ji Hyo’s room as Ji Hyo covered herself with blanket with Jong Kook’s help. “Now, just sleep. I will lock the door for you when I leave the house.” Ji Hyo nodded at his words and closed her eyes.

Jong Kook grabbed a chair and the pail of water on her side table. He sat down and carefully wetted the towel with the icy cold water to place it on her forehead, trying to lower her body temperature. Seeing her falling sleep, he slowly her head and wanted to leave the room. When he stood up, he felt that Ji Hyo’s cold hand grabbed his fingers. “Oppa, please don’t go. Could you accompany me for the night?” He was not sure if Ji hyo was actually fully awake when saying those words or speaking in her dream.Be that as it may, he really wanted to be by her side.

“I really can’t reject your request, can I?” He went back to seat on the chair and look at her. “Hope you sleep well, sleeping beauty.” For the whole night, he had been helping Ji Hyo changed to towel on her forehead constantly. Sometimes, he almost dozed off as he was extremely tired but kept himself awake to take care of her. Constantly, he monitored her temperature but it did not seem to be going down at all.

He went to the kitchen and changed the water when it was no longer cold. While the water was filling up, he noticed the packet of medicine that was carelessly left there. He picked it up and got a shock when he saw the medicine. “Aish, this Song Ji Hyo.” Jong Kook slapped his forehead. “I should have known better.” He threw away the packet into the dustbin and went back to the room.

At that time, it was early in the morning and Ji Hyo’s fever seemed to had gone worse. Ji Hyo was still sleeping but she was breathing heavily through . His worries for her had filled to the brim. He gently scooped her up into his arms and told her. “Ji Hyo yah, its morning and we are going to the hospital now.’

The word hospital seemed be like an alert tone for Ji Hyo. The moment she heard that, she jolted up and resisted weakly. “I’m fine! I just need more rest!”

 “You are not, your fever had gone from bad to worse! The medicine you ate yesterday had expired more than a year ago! Can’t believe you took it without noticing it. Aish, I should have feed you personally.”

Ji Hyo giggled at Jong Kook’s comment. “Maybe you should, I might have recovered by now.” She joked in a weak voice.

“How can you still laugh and joke like that?” Jong Kook was a little agitated by the woman’s reaction. “We are going to hospital now.”

“I really don’t want to.” Ji Hyo rejected. “Just let me sleep, I just need more rest!”

“Nope, you are coming with me.” Jong Kook insisted. “I told you last night, if your fever did not subside it’s going to be my way now.” Jong Kook could not risk this woman’s health by her stubborn behavior. This time, despite her kicking and struggling, he persisted to the doorstep.

“Then just bring me to the clinic downstairs. It should be opened by now. Please Jong Kook Oppa, I beg you.”  She stopped her struggle but hooked her arms tighter around his neck. “I really don’t want to visit the hospital, I hate being admitted to the hospital.” She whined.

Jong Kook sighed at her words. “Okay fine, clinic then, no more compromising.” He gave in again.