Taewon sat down beside Jihyun, their knees touching.
"Give me your hand," he said.
Jihyun frowned. "Why?"
"The bandage looks sloppy,"
Taewon replied, already reaching over.
Jihyun jerked his arm back.
"Leave me. I can take care of myself. Don't babysit me."
Ignoring him, Taewon caught his wrist firmly and inspected the messy bandages.
"You don't want me to babysit, but you still put them on like a kid?"
"So now you're going to teach me how to apply medicine too? Leave it. I can do it myself. Let go of my hand."
"Sit still," Taewon said.
"Give me your hand."
Jihyun suddenly stilled, his tone cooling. "Don't treat me like this. Don't get attached to me. You know very well we're not for each other. One day, I'll have to leave."
Taewon said nothing, but his grip tighten a bit.
"Dad forced me into this. Threatened to block my cards and take away everything I love. But I'll say it again don't take care of me. One day, I'll be gone, walking a completely different path from you."
Taewon tied off the fresh bandage and finally released his hand.
"Until that day comes, I'll take care of you. For now, you're my responsibility."
After a while, Jihyun said,
"I have a favor to ask."
Taewon's heart twisted at the earlier words. He glanced at Jihyun.
"What is it?"
"Forget it. I'll tell you later."
He nodded and stood, heading to his room.
After some time, Jihyun leaned on the kitchen door.
"Taewon, lunch."
Taewon came over, taking his seat. A steaming bowl sat in front of him, pasta floating in milk like breakfast oats.
"What is this?" he asked, staring.
"Try it. It's cheese pasta," Jihyun said with a proud smile.
"I'm practicing. I'm thinking of opening a restaurant after I leave you. I'll be the chef."
Taewon nodded slowly, looking at the pale, soupy mixture. He took a cautious spoonful it was more like drinking soup than eating pasta.
"How is it?" Jihyun asked expectantly.
"It's tasty," Taewon said, swallowing with effort.
"But why is it like soup?"
"If you don't like it, don't eat it!" Jihyun snapped.
"I'm learning cooking for my future business. Even if my dad doesn't help later, I'll do it by myself. I'll run my own place and be rich forever. And I know you won't support me either you'd rather I just stay here stuck to you forever."
Taewon sat quietly, the tasteless pasta still in his mouth. He couldn't swallow yet didn't want to spit it out, listening to Jihyun rant, secretly amused at how ridiculous he was being.
Jihyun took a bite himself, muttering under his breath. Realizing how bad it was, his face didn't change. He got up, went to the kitchen, and dumped it into the sink before sitting beside Taewon again, pretending it had been fine.
Taewon took a sip of water and glanced at him.
"I'll cook something. What do you want to eat?"
"What? You can cook?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me before? That you can cook!"
"You never asked," Taewon replied simply.
"But you should have told me, even if I'm not interested," Jihyun muttered.
Taewon got up from his seat, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped into the kitchen.
Jihyun sat back and watched as Taewon pulled out garlic, cheese, and milk.
"He looks better in casual clothes than those stiff office suits. Broad shoulders, tall frame, long legs."
"Wait what the hell? Why am I looking at him like this?"
Jihyun shook his head quickly, looking away.
Taewon washed the dishes first, clearing the mess Jihyun had made.
"I'll make cream cheese pasta. Come here, I'll teach you," Taewon said.
Jihyun got up, stepped into the kitchen, and leaned against the shelf, watching Taewon with wide eyes.
"First, boil the pasta," he said, dropping it into the water. "Then, in a pan, sauté two cloves of garlic in oil. Add cream, milk, and cheese but don't use plain milk. Then parmesan, salt, pepper. No need for too many spices. Keep the flame normal, and add each ingredient one by one, not together. Otherwise, it'll turn out like soup."
Jihyun watched closely, unexpectedly focused, almost like a kid learning for the first time. Taewon noticed and hid a small smile.
"Once the pasta's boiled, drain it and add it in. Done."
He plated two servings and placed one in front of Jihyun.
The first bite lit up Jihyun's face.
"It's tasty!"
Taewon chuckled, watching him eat like he hadn't eaten in days. Then Jihyun choked, coughing hard.
"slow down,here" Taewon quickly handed him water and rubbed his back until he stopped.
The day passed quietly after that.
By ten, Jihyun was in front of the TV, Taewon in his room working.
Then Jihyun's body began to feel wrong. His temperature climbed, breath growing shallow. He tried to ignore it.
"Damn it's still four days early. Why now?"
He got up, walked stiffly to his room, and grabbed his suppressant. On his way to the kitchen for water, he bumped into Taewon, who had just stepped out.
For a moment, Taewon froze, sensing it. A heavy, sweet scent filled the air like roses.
Jihyun avoided eye contact, grabbed a bottle, and left.
Taewon's gaze lingered, but he said nothing and returned to his room.
An hour later, Jihyun's condition had worsened. Lying in bed, flushed and restless, he realized his suppressant wasn't working like it usually did.