Chapter 45 – It’s Not Really You Idiot, You Still Don’t Know Me That Much
It was a godsend that I caught a taxi. There was no need to call an ambulance; I took a taxi and went straight to the nearest emergency room.
“My boyfriend is very dependable. Sensitivity is good. My girlfriend will really like it.”
I just smiled bitterly at the man’s joke as I pressed down on the accelerator and narrowly passed the signal.
Hye-ji’s chest rises and falls precariously every time she breathes, as if her fluids are about to break. Her pale cheeks and pale chapped lips evoke her guilt.
… What on earth did you do?
It would have been nice to come at least once instead of just waiting.
When I arrived at the hospital, I carried Hyeji on my back. It was only when I saw the doctors starting to check Hyeji’s condition that I was able to sigh deeply.
“Ha…”
I desperately wanted to smoke.
However, before I had time to spare, a doctor who looked like he was about to make a bad diagnosis approached me and asked me a few questions.
“Uh, are you the guardian?”
“Oh, yes.”
“What is your relationship?”
“Boyfriend.”
“boyfriend…”
When I heard those words, I immediately understood why the doctor trailed off and put on his round glasses.
“Oh, the patient is malnourished. “I ended up like this because I was in really bad shape due to a lot of fatigue, and I wasn’t eating properly.”
“Teacher, then…”
“In modern times, although fatigue may accumulate, it is not often accompanied by malnutrition. Even more so when there is a guardian like this.”
My heart became heavy at the doctor’s advice.
I should have paid more attention.
I should have thought that something like this could happen at any time given Hyeji’s eating habits, where she only eats ramen and soju instead of eating proper rice.
Instead of just asking if they were eating well, they should have at least secretly visited him in the name of surprising him at least once.
“First, it’s not a serious condition, so don’t worry. “You will be fine by the time you finish receiving the IV.”
“… Thank you.”
“Please take good care of me.”
The doctor left those words and disappeared.
I tracked down and approached the bed where Hyeji was lying. As she slowly closed the curtain, she felt completely separated from the busy, hectic air of the emergency room.
There is a long IV in the back of Hyeji’s white and delicate hand.
Knock.
Knock.
I quietly watched as the IV dripped slowly.
Before I knew it, I let out a deep sigh that felt like the ground was falling.
It was a little after 10 p.M.
It really didn’t seem right to write a series while Hyeji was bedridden, so I posted a notice of hiatus without hesitation.
[Illere is hospitalized, so we will inevitably be closed for the time being.]
It is difficult to explain in detail, but due to circumstances, he needed nursing, so I decided to take on that role. I would like to apologize once again to my readers. Although it may be shameless, please pray for Illere’s recovery. I’m really sorry.
I briefly wondered if writing down my reasons in such detail was the right thing to do, but I didn’t want to lie to my readers even if no one knew. Let alone winning an award, I was so grateful to the readers who steadfastly read the novel despite it being full of loopholes, so I wanted to repay the favor in some way.
Hyeji would understand this much.
Knock.
Knock.
While staring blankly at the slowly dripping IV solution.
He looked at Hyeji and straightened her hair.
I looked at the IV drip again and carefully held Hyeji’s hand that did not have IV drip in it.
And, so I spent several hours.
When her IV fluid had decreased significantly, I was holding Hyeji’s hand somehow to prevent her from dozing off.
“Ugh…”
Hyeji frowned and opened her eyes, letting out her pained moan.
“Hyeji, are you okay?”
For a moment, she stared at me with her less open eyes, wondering about the warmth of her hand and the sudden question.
“… “Where is this?”
“What?”
“I can’t feel anything down there, what happened…?” ?”
Looking at the drip, it seems to be fine.
“What happened in the first place?”
“Hey, Mr. Writer, please lend me your phone…” .”
“Why. How about finding the missing pepper? “I absolutely hate futanari, so don’t make jokes like that.”
“It’s a waste.”
“You, you?!”
Just as an incredibly dangerous scene was about to pass through her mind, Hyeji stuck out her tongue and smiled weakly.
“Just kidding~ I don’t have a hobby of fucking either.”
Thank goodness.
For some reason, I felt something strange around her buttocks, but I tried to ignore it and decided to say something to Hyeji first.
“I’m sorry, Hyeji.”
“Why are you sorry oppa?”
“Because I don’t care too much. I should have come at least once. If I knew it would be like this…”
“Are you okay. “It’s my fault for not taking proper care of myself, why is it your fault?”
Hyeji smiled sheepishly and stroked her hair once.
“Oppa, I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Just um… You’re so angry because of me. I can’t even receive communication properly. I think I would have been disappointed too. But actually, I…”
Heji muttered, hesitant about her words for a moment, but then she sighed softly, rummaged through her pocket, took out her cell phone, and opened the screen to show it.
“Actually, I was a little busy.”
What Hyeji showed was the feedback she shared with her clients.
There were two requests, and both were processed as ‘payment complete’.
“The site will deposit the money only after you deliver the finished copy. So, somewhat unintentionally, I did it diligently.”
“Why did you push yourself like this?”
“Originally, I was really only going to draw my brother’s paintings and not accept any requests from her…”
Hyeji said that much and closed her mouth again. When she saw Hyeji hesitantly avoiding eye contact, she already had a rough idea of what she wanted to say.
“… “It must have been difficult to make a living with just the profits I shared.”
“No, brother, I’m not saying that’s necessarily true. That is…”
“It would have been better if this had been a big hit.”
There is only one reason why Hyeji had to go through her hardships.
I draw my own illustrations first and share the profits from the novel, but that’s because the novel didn’t do well.
I thought of Hyeji and decided to share the proceeds from her novel.
Rather, that is why she never told Hyeji that her living expenses were not enough.
In other words, not having enough living expenses is the same as saying that the payment for my work is not easy.
So, as a matter of urgency, I took on two outsourcing jobs to raise enough money to last just one month. I finished them as quickly as possible to cover the urgent money, and at the same time, I saved not only the time I spent eating, but also the time I slept and the time I read messages in order to accommodate my drawing schedule. They were overworking themselves.
“It’s just that I was making too much money to live off of. It has nothing to do with my brother.”
“If you’re going to do it like this, just say you’ll draw a little less.”
Still, I really wanted to tell you that. If the situation is that difficult, wouldn’t it be okay to adjust my schedule to draw less of my illustrations?
Although she shouldn’t criticize Hyeji, she sincerely wanted to scold her for her foolishness. She said what is more important than health? If she wasn’t healthy, she wouldn’t be able to draw the picture she likes.
But contrary to what I thought.
Hyeji smiled and held my hand tightly.
“I now prefer pictures.”
“I like my older brother better.”
Hyeji’s hand, which did not have an IV inserted, was still pitifully cold.
“It was so hard and I had a lot of nosebleeds, but because I thought my brother would like me, I gained strength that I didn’t have before.”
Hyeji smiled calmly and mumbled like that, like a puppy that wandered all over the neighborhood looking for its owner and then came back without a word of resentment and reached out to me to pat her head.
“I’m sorry for making you worry, so I’ll give you a kiss.”
Hye-ji’s cute gesture of sticking out her lips and closing her eyes was not just to ease the situation.
When I briefly watched Hyeji’s feedback process earlier, I was quite surprised. When she talks to me, she uses a lot of sageun emojis, but when she accepts other people’s commissions.
Yes. Thank you.
ㄴIf there are no changes, we will proceed as is.
ㄴI will share the work process so far.
It was an iron wall that went beyond being extremely business-like and felt unfriendly.
Hyeji was not kind to any customer. She was not a girl who smiled warmly at just any man. The reason why Hyeji’s smile in my head is so dazzlingly beautiful and sometimes so sexy that I think it’s too much.
The target is none other than.
It was because it was me.
“Still, Hyeji.”
I gave Hyeji a kiss on the side with her mouth out and stroked her head.
“If you really love me, don’t be so pushy next time. It means putting you first before me. “You know what I mean, right?”
“But oppa, it’s good because if there are a lot of illustrations, the number of views goes up.”
“Of course it’s good. But I don’t want to move up the rankings after seeing you suffer and suffer like this.”
It’s already a little too late to worry and take care of him.
Still, if only I could repay my debt by using my words or my tongue. If Hyeji is happy with that.
I could have said as many embarrassing things as I wanted.
“It’s okay if your novel doesn’t get ranked. “You don’t even have to win an award.”
“I like you more than novels now.”
Hyeji’s pretty eyes gradually become moist. I quietly pulled Hyeji towards me and hugged her as she cried. I leaned forward a little and hugged her so that her IV line wouldn’t get too tight.
I felt very thin over the past few weeks. The feel of Hyeji’s shoulders and back in her arms is unfamiliar.
“Oppa, I love you.”
“Me too.”
“Okay then.”
Hyeji sniffled, wiped her eyes, and asked me with a pleading puppy-like expression to take her for a walk.
“We have sex here.”
… Huh?
No wait, what?
“Hye, Hyeji. What now…”
“I told you to prioritize me over your brother.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“Still, I like to see my brother happy, so you must buy me the morning after pill tomorrow.”
“No matter what, this is a public place…”
“Oppa.”
Hyeji held up the back of her hand, which had an IV inserted in it, in front of me and looked pitiful.
“It’s even worse because it’s a public place…”
I lost my mind.
Do you really do it?
Here… ?
