Chapter 17 (Continued)

 

My voice was hoarse and wouldn’t come out properly.

 

Baek-seo was sitting in a chair next to the bed. She was wearing an off-shoulder top and a flowy skirt that reached her knees. Her coat was hanging on the clothes rack.

 

“I came because I couldn’t reach you.”

 

I remembered my smartphone ringing several times. It must have been Baekseo calling.

 

“How did you know my house’s password?”

 

“Last year, I had to come to the department head’s house to pick something up, and you gave me the password over the phone. Don’t you remember?”

 

“Oh… right.”

 

She still remembered that.

 

“……”

 

I didn’t have the energy to maintain my usual poker face. I didn’t want to show such a weakened state.

 

Still, I felt at ease with Baekseo here. It must have been tough dealing with the flu.

 

“Should I bring you some porridge?”

 

Porridge? Did she buy it? Or did she make it? Now that I think about it, I remembered smelling porridge in my dream. Had I smelled it while Baekseo was making it?

 

‘I am pretty hungry.’

 

Just hearing about the porridge made me feel extremely hungry.

 

I turned my head towards the window. The sky was turning a deep navy blue. It was evening.

 

Only then did I realize that I hadn’t eaten anything all day.

 

I looked back at Baek-seo.

 

“Uh… I’d like that.”

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

Baek-seo brought a bowl of fluffy porridge made from soaked rice and a stainless steel spoon from the kitchen. She also brought small dishes of soy sauce and sesame oil.

 

“Ugh…”

 

I carefully sat up. A headache hit me, but I could feel that my body had improved slightly thanks to the care I received while I was asleep.

 

“Leader.”

 

Baek-seo scooped a spoonful of the white porridge and blew on it to cool it down.

 

“Ah~”

 

“……”

 

Baek-seo held the spoon out to me as if she were feeding a child.

 

For a moment, I almost opened my mouth, but then the words Baekseo had recently said to me flashed through my mind.

 

─ ‘I’ve come to realize that I need to take care of the department head myself.’

 

No. This isn’t right…!

 

“…I’ll feed myself.”

 

“Will you?”

 

I took the spoon and the bowl of porridge from Baek-seo and began eating it myself.

 

Despite the plain taste of the porridge, it felt incredibly delicious.

 

I added some soy sauce and sesame oil to it, then took another spoonful. The seasoning was just right, which made my appetite even stronger.

 

Baek-seo watched me eat with a satisfied look. Was she my mom or something?

 

“Baek-seo.”

 

Still, I had to say this.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“For coming over.”

 

It wasn’t just a polite gesture. I meant it sincerely.

 

I am not a superhuman. I just need to appear as one in the Disciplinary Committee, but in reality, I am an ordinary person. I was reminded of how lonely one can feel when they are sick. I suppose that’s why I was so fond of Dalbi, my first friend.

 

Even though it hurt my pride to show such a vulnerable side to Baekseo, I was deeply moved by her coming to take care of me when I was suffering alone.

 

Baek-seo smiled and shook her head.

 

“No, if the department head is sick, of course I should come. Besides, it’s nice to visit your place again after so long.”

 

“Why my place?”

 

“Isn’t it fun to visit a friend’s house?”

 

I chuckled.

 

“Yeah, I guess so.”

 

“If you want to come over, you’re always welcome.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’re always welcome. Anytime.”

 

As I said this while eating the porridge, Baekseo suddenly fell silent.

 

‘…Why isn’t she saying anything?’

 

Why so quiet? Did I say something wrong?

 

I glanced at Baek-seo. For some reason, she looked contemplative.

 

“Anytime?”

 

Baekseo asked again, her expression becoming serious.

 

I nodded.

 

“Is that strange?”

 

“Well, that’s practically living together…”

 

“?”

 

Maybe it was because my head wasn’t working properly due to the flu, but I couldn’t understand why she came to that conclusion.

 

……

 

After taking some new medicine Baekseo brought and lying down again, she continued to take care of me diligently as the night wore on. I lost count of how many times I imagined how happy I would be if I married someone like her.

 

She even placed her hand on my abdomen over the blanket and gently patted it. I could tell she was trying to alleviate my discomfort.

 

It was past midnight. Baekseo was reading a book she had brought from my room.

 

“Baek-seo.”

 

“Yes, Leader?”

 

Baekseo looked up from her book immediately upon hearing my call, responding with a gentle smile. She repeatedly tapped the book quietly with her index finger.

 

“You can go home now. It’s late.”

 

“I’ll stay until you’re better. We need to go to school together tomorrow.”

 

Really. She’s such a kind person.

 

But this was burdensome for me. She needed to go home before the last train.

 

Sleepiness was coming over me again, so I had to send Baekseo off before I fell asleep.

 

“It’s okay. I think I’ll get better if I sleep now…. I owe you a lot today. You gave me a wet towel and made porridge….”

 

Baekseo’s finger stopped tapping the book.

 

For a brief moment, her eyes seemed to widen slightly.

 

She quickly returned to her usual expression, but I didn’t miss that subtle change. It was too dramatic to ignore.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“…Nothing.”

 

Baekseo shook her head and closed the book. Was her reaction just a coincidence?

 

“Are you sleepy?”

 

Baekseo asked, placing her hand on the blanket again and gently patting me.

 

“Yeah, sorry, but I need to sleep. You should head home….”

 

“Don’t worry about me.”

 

“Go home before the last train. I feel bad for keeping you here.”

 

I had shown enough of my disheveled self. I didn’t want her to see me falling asleep in this condition.

 

“…Okay. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

 

“Alright….”

 

“Should I sing you a lullaby?”

 

“Don’t do that.”

 

Hearing a lullaby would make me feel even more pathetic.

 

Baekseo seemed to be joking and smiled warmly.

 

I closed my eyes. Thanks to Baekseo’s gentle patting, I soon drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

“…….”

 

Oh Baekseo quietly watched Ahn Woo-jin as he fell asleep. After a few minutes, Woo-jin was completely asleep.

 

The gentle smile on Baek-seo’s face gradually faded. She headed straight to the kitchen.

 

She opened the lid of the silver pot on the gas stove, revealing the white porridge inside. It was perfectly cooked, with no issues at all.

 

“It wasn’t Woo-jin who made it….”

 

Baek-seo muttered softly.

 

Her eyes gradually darkened.