Seo Jeong-won roughly tidied up the flower shop and headed straight to the terminal.
Even though he left at a leisurely pace, it was still close.
He was glad he didn’t miss the bus.
As soon as he found a seat and sat down, he sent a message to the caregiver he had been occasionally contacting, saying he would stop by briefly.
It had been a long time.
Seo Jeong-won slowly looked again through the photos the caregiver had sent.
The caregiver sent several photos every day so that Seo Jeong-won wouldn’t worry.
It was clearly different from the six months he had cared for his older brother alone.
Thanks to daily cleaning and lotion application, his brother’s face was pale but had a slight sheen.
The bedsores that had stained his back were healing.
Unlike the despairing six months ago, somehow he felt hopeful that if he waited, he might soon wake up.
The fact that he had made this decision painfully disturbed his conscience, but there was no other way.
He comforted himself by thinking anyone would have made the same choice.
There was nothing better left for him.
No, there was nothing to choose.
Like something he once said to him, even if he pretended to be naive, he believed the words that Kwon Tae-hee and his brother had not shared any emotional connection.
If that weren’t true, he would never have made this decision.
If only his brother would wake up, if only he would wake up.
Seo Gyu-won wouldn’t know.
When he went back to Kwon Tae-hee and signed the papers he handed him, Seo Jeong-won asked him not to inform his brother about the contract if he woke up.
“Sigh…”
His heart fluttering, Seo Jeong-won turned off the photos he had been staring at for a long time, closed his eyes.
The hospital room he arrived at was comfortable.
When Seo Jeong-won pushed the door open and entered, the caregiver was turning Seo Gyu-won’s body over to lie down.
“Who…?”
“Hello, I’m Seo Jeong-won. His younger sister.”
“Oh, you must be the guardian! Hello. We’ve messaged and talked a few times, but this is the first time meeting in person.”
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Seo Jeong-won bowed his head slightly.
When he handed the drink he had bought at the convenience store before coming up, the caregiver thanked him, although jokingly asking why he had gone to the trouble of buying it.
“Don’t worry too much about Gyu-won. I’ll take good care of him.”
“Thank you.”
“I frequently change his lying position and raise the blinds when it’s sunny. Though I can’t open the window. Also, his back has gotten much cleaner. Would you like to see?”
“No, I’ve seen the photos you sent. I was worried already, so really, thank you. More than that… please rest a bit. I’ll stay here.”
When Seo Jeong-won was explaining where the lounge was, the caregiver refused, saying it wasn’t necessary.
His youthful face showed a confused expression.
“This is my job. Thanks for caring.”
“It’s not that… I want to be with my brother too. It’s been a long time since I last saw him.”
“Oh dear, I should have noticed. I was just about to get some water. There’s still this much left, but it was filled yesterday. Please hold on a moment.”
The caregiver bowed her head full of embarrassment and awkwardness.
Seo Jeong-won also bowed his waist while repeatedly expressing thanks.
The caregiver grabbed the water bottle, smiled, and stepped aside.
After the quiet fading footsteps, the sound of the door closing was heard.
Seo Jeong-won, who was looking at his brother’s neatly trimmed nails, gently took his hand that was placed carefully.
She felt a cool body temperature.
The palm was soft, and the skin was smooth too.
It was thanks to the moisturizing lotion the caregiver applied every day.
When Seo Jeong-won took care of him, his skin was always dry.
As he stroked the back of his hand, Seo Jeong-won muttered to himself, now somewhat accustomed to the habit.
“I’m sorry I’ve come after such a long time. Have you been well?”
Looking tenderly at his pale face, he continued speaking.
“I’m busy taking care of the flower shop these days. Oh, about the flower shop — when I entered high school, my aunt and uncle took over a small flower shop. But after they passed away in an accident back then, no one has taken over yet. I heard the economy is tough… I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because the flower shop is small.”
Seo Jeong-won gave a bitter smile while looking at Seo Gyu-won, whose breathing was silent.
“Anyway, after not doing anything for a few months, it really got messy, so I’ve been there every day. I thought the plants had withered — the leaves and stems were so dry I thought they were dead — but after consistently watering, repotting, and giving nutrients, new sprouts came up. Isn’t that amazing? After bringing them back one by one, I feel like my brother will wake up too.”
He had many things he wanted to say if he woke up, but he worried he might not want to see him when he did.
If only he would wake up, even these worries would become happy ones.
If he says he doesn’t want to see me, I’ll ask just once to meet.
Seo Jeong-won nodded firmly as he made this resolution.
As he looked at his brother with loving eyes, the hospital room door opened.
The caregiver returned with a clean water bottle filled and met Seo Jeong-won’s gaze with a gentle smile.
“It’s nice having a guardian here. I can step away for a short time like this.”
“If it’s not inconvenient, I’ll come often from now on. And you can call me comfortably too.”
“No. If I treat the guardian too comfortably, I end up behaving rudely. My job creed is to keep a certain distance by staying somewhat uncomfortable.”
The caregiver said firmly.
Seo Jeong-won didn’t insist further.
He briefly agreed that her words made sense.
“Can I stay a little longer?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me and stay comfortably. Guardians are family.”
“Thank you.”
The caregiver felt sorry for the young guardian who kept looking at her nervously.
When she received the job request, she had no information about the guardian and refrained from asking the age as it seemed rude during their messages.
She sensed a naivety in the voice during calls but never imagined the guardian would be this young.
Today, facing Seo Jeong-won in person, she thought Seo Jeong-won might be very young — perhaps not even an adult.
“May I ask how old you are? You seem like a student.”
“Oh, I’m twenty-one. I’m not attending university, and I’m running a small flower shop in Seonam. I was going to ask… do you like plants?”
“Oh, you run a flower shop! Of course, I like plants and animals. But honestly, you look like a high school student.”
The caregiver said with admiration, and Seo Jeong-won smiled awkwardly.
He wondered what plant would be good as a gift for the caregiver next time he came.
***
Contrary to his intention to go home after spending the whole day with his brother, Seo Jeong-won stayed in the hospital for about an hour.
After exchanging several “please take care” and “don’t worry” phrases, he headed to the terminal.
When he cared for his brother alone, half a day passed quickly, but since the caregiver was doing everything, he had nothing to do but sit still.
Maybe because of the odd timing, the highway was clear with no traffic jams, so he returned to Seonam faster than expected.
He stopped at a bus stop to go to the flower shop.
He briefly considered taking a taxi but dismissed the idea.
Luckily, he arrived before sunset.
The sky was just beginning to tint red.
Seo Jeong-won, killing the boring time by repeatedly standing on and lowering his toes, suddenly took out his phone from his bag.
There were no missed calls or unread messages.
Not a single contact all day.
Seo Jeong-won found Kwon Tae-hee’s number familiar and hesitated for a moment.
Should he tell his brother he had returned safely and thank him?
Or… since there’s no contact, it probably means they’re not particularly interested, so maybe it’s better to stay quiet.
Why am I agonizing so much over sending just one message that it feels like my head will explode?
Seo Jeong-won, who had become sullen, stared intently at the screen, then nodded as if making a big decision.
[This is Jeong-won. I went to the hospital safely. Thank you.]
Looking back after writing it, it felt a little strange.
It seemed too short and only said the essential business.
Should I ask if they were busy all day, if they ate well, things like that?
I deleted the short sentence and rewrote it repeatedly for a long time.
Even after boarding the bus to the flower garden, I kept worrying.
[This is Jeong-won. Did you get to work well? The director kindly allowed me to go to the hospital. Thank you.]
It felt too stiff, so I added an emoticon.
[^_^ Be careful on your way home.]
Doesn’t it sound like a warning or something?
Like someone is watching dangerously from somewhere.
It even gave me a nervous feeling.
I erased everything from the emoticon to the end and wrote a message telling them to make sure to eat dinner.
Because I was agonizing over it for a long time, I arrived at the flower garden quickly.
The familiar name of the bus stop came on the announcement.
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