After spending the night in Haewoon's room, the afternoon arrived, but the boy Kang Sihyun had been waiting for showed no sign of waking. Dinner was over, and it was time to depart for Russia. Kang Sihyun sat idly in the now quiet room, having sent the kids off to buy food.
It had been about ten days since he last heard Haewoon's laughter.
To say he didn't miss it would be a lie, and to claim he wasn't occasionally haunted by auditory hallucinations would also be false. It was only after the fall did every second, every minute bring reminders of his longing. This experience made him acutely understand the sayings about only recognizing the importance of someone's presence after they are gone, and realizing the value of something once it is lost.
Facing a sense of loss he hadn't felt in a long while, Kang Sihyun fiddled with his fingers before slowly raising his gaze. He was scared to look at the boy, who showed no change, as if his eyelids were too heavy to lift, having been closed for days as if burdened.
It was perplexing how long the boy had been asleep without even the need for an oxygen mask.
Suddenly, frustration surged.
"When do you plan to wake up?"
"……"
"All the trouble I went through to save you, and you just lie there. Don't you feel a bit guilty?"
His words were a mix of complaints and lament. He spoke as if joking, not wanting to seem like he was blaming the boy and fearing the weight he had just managed to shake off might return. Yet, as Kang Sihyun sighed after his own words, he reached out to brush Haewoon's hair.
He glanced at the ticking clock before turning his attention back to Haewoon.
In three hours, they had to depart. He hoped Haewoon would show some sign of movement before then, to reassure him that he wasn’t dead, that he was waking up, that he was alive.
"Anyway."
He softly reprimanded the usually playful boy who was now causing worry by being sick. While waiting for the children to return, he had nothing to do but tidy up the room. After straightening out a messy blanket, there really was nothing left to do. It was then that Kang Sihyun aimlessly shifted his gaze.
"……"
Suddenly, the world seemed to narrow, focusing solely on the silver-haired boy and the surroundings that enveloped him. Time passed excruciatingly slowly, brushing against Kang Sihyun, who held his breath.
The twilight peeked through the brown blinds of the window, and the light seeping through the curtains landed on the boy's eyelids.
Irritated by the light after being in darkness for so long, the boy slightly furrowed his brows. Kang Sihyun lost his words at the sight of the golden irises beneath the furrowed brows.
Forget about asking when he'd get up; Kang Sihyun was too stunned to speak when the boy, avoiding the light, noticed him.
"Ah…."
A low voice he had never heard before flowed out. The boy seemed surprised by his own voice, which sounded a few tones lower than usual, as he slightly flinched and looked embarrassed. He then gave Kang Sihyun a slight smile.
Though he appeared weak, his smile was as bright and pure as the first time Kang Sihyun saw him.
"What's with all the white? Is this heaven?"
It was absurd.
To think the first thing he'd say after coming back to life was such a playful remark was so like Haewoon. Kang Sihyun would have laughed if the situation wasn't so surreal, but instead, he simply followed the boy's movements.
Watching the blinking eyelashes, the lips moving as if speaking, the hands fidgeting awkwardly. Following all these movements, he once again met those golden eyes.
Softly, the boy's pupils folded in half.
"Why are you making me feel awkward by not answering? Is this really heaven?"
"……"
"Kang Sihyun?"
Only after Haewoon called his name in confusion did Kang Sihyun let out a low exclamation.
Without any warning, without any preliminary movements like twitching fingers, he had suddenly opened his eyes. And then, making jokes as if nothing had happened, smiling just like always.
That's why it felt so unreal, but now the reality of the situation was sinking in.
Even moments before Haewoon woke up, he had been talking to himself, but now that he had someone to respond and talk back, he couldn't think of anything else to say. Kang Sihyun blinked for a while at Haewoon's repeated calling of his name.
"Uh, I'm listening."
"I'm listening." Such a dumb response made Haewoon burst into laughter.
"You don't believe this, do you?"
"Uh…"
"I am alive, right?"
"…Yeah,
probably…"
"Why do you sound so dazed?"
As if the one who had just woken up was Kang Sihyun, his responses were pathetic and dazed. Haewoon even waved his hand in front of Kang Sihyun's face to check if he was conscious. The boundary between dream and reality was blurry, and he didn't want to distinguish between the two.
He kept his mouth shut, fearing disappointment if it were a dream.
"Is that it? No dramatic reactions, no tearful reunion or anything?"
Disappointed by the lackluster reaction, Haewoon made a teasing complaint. Hearing him whine about not getting a hug slowly brought clarity back to Kang Sihyun's eyes.
It was really Haewoon.
That unique mischievousness and natural charm were something no one else could imitate.
Suddenly, Kang Sihyun grabbed Haewoon's wrist.
"…Are you okay?"
"Huh?"
"Any pain, weirdness, feeling like your soul is leaving, aching somewhere, something strange in your stomach, feeling like an organ is missing… anything like that?"
Asking overly detailed and absurd questions, Haewoon looked perplexed but nodded. He checked his body and even lifted his clothes to inspect.
"…I'm fine? Not even a scratch or scar. Did you treat me, Kang Sihyun?"
"…Really okay?"
"Yeah."
"Ha…"
Kang Sihyun had been worried something bad had happened because Haewoon hadn't woken up for so long. His heart, which had been racing, slowly returned to its regular rhythm. He closely examined Haewoon's face, which didn't look like someone who had just gotten out of bed.
The pale complexion and slightly thin cheeks were needless signs of a patient, but his words and expressions were no different from the usual Haewoon. He looked perfectly fine and seemed in good spirits.
"If you were going to wake up just fine, then why…!"
Why had he slept so long, why had he taken so much time?
Remembering the worry and heartache he and the kids had gone through brought out Kang Sihyun's louder tone, but he stopped himself, knowing it wasn't Haewoon's fault. He sighed out his frustration, his chest deflating and his shoulders dropping.
That's when Haewoon suddenly leaned in to hug Kang Sihyun.
His thin arms wrapped around Kang Sihyun's body. Already slender, Haewoon seemed even thinner after lying in bed, making Kang Sihyun hesitant to push him away. Instead, he stayed still, letting Haewoon hug him, and looked bewildered.
"Sorry."
Haewoon apologized.
"Were you worried a lot? If you were this concerned, the other kids must have been too. This is bad…"
Then he casually added minor worries and jokes as if this ordeal was nothing. Unable to be more upset or worried, Kang Sihyun sighed and patted the boy's back. The motion felt more like stroking since he could mostly feel bones, leaving him with a complex feeling.
That's when it happened.
Bang!
The door suddenly opened, and the room, which had been filled with a somewhat awkward but warm atmosphere, quieted down instantly.
Kang Sihyun turned his head slightly toward the noise.
"Uh…"
"……"
"Uh…?"
It seemed as if Haewoon's daze had somehow spread. Jihye, holding the doorknob, looked back and forth between Haewoon and Kang Sihyun with surprised eyes. Behind her, the Class A students were all standing. Silence ensued, as if, like Kang Sihyun, Jihye and the children couldn't believe the fortune that had suddenly come their way.
It was Hamin who broke the tense silence.
"Kang Haewoon!"
The children who had hesitated at the door, wondering why they were stopped, craned their necks to see inside the room. Upon spotting Haewoon, Hamin pushed through the kids and rushed over, grabbing the boy's shoulders.
Swish, swish.
Back and forth.
Checking Haewoon's condition by moving him around to ensure there were no abnormalities, Hamin moved his mouth without making a sound. His eyes widened with shock, as if he had received an unexpected gift.
"You, you…"
Like Kang Sihyun and Jihye before him, Hamin struggled to find his words. Haewoon, amused by his two friends' stunned reactions, let out a burst of laughter and tapped Hamin's shoulder.
"Our Mimi, were you worried?"
Haewoon teased. Hamin's face scrunched up in response.
"Is that something to say? You really…"
If he could wake up just fine, why not do it sooner? What was the point of dragging it out? Were you trying to make a drama out of your life, making everyone anxious…!
The words Kang Sihyun had
hesitated to say were bluntly spoken by Hamin. As Hamin raised his voice and shook Haewoon, Kang Sihyun quickly grabbed his hand. Realizing he was speaking to a patient, Hamin straightened up and looked at Haewoon more seriously.
"Why are you waking up now, causing such a fuss."
It would have been simpler to say he missed him or was worried, but Hamin couldn't be straightforward. Haewoon, fully aware of what Hamin was feeling, chuckled at the boy's embarrassment, prompting the rest of the children to enter the room and gather around Haewoon.
Daun wrapped his arm around the boy's neck, Seowoo checked his pulse, and Haru slightly lifted Haewoon's eyelids to check on him, among other small health checks. Eventually, Geonu lifted Haewoon off the bed, and the room erupted into noise as they updated him on everything that had happened.
"Right, you slept in so late, you didn't even bring food."
"What? How can that be?"
"Would you have brought it? You can't eat right now anyway! How about some porridge?"
"What?"
The heartwarming reunion quickly turned into lively banter. What had he been doing all this time unconscious? Dreaming? Come to think of it, Mimi might have been performing a courtship dance in his dreams…. This is insane! Ah, Geonu, Mimi's biting! Hamin used to bite people. Daun, why are you…
"Ha…"
The stories seemed endless. For a moment, Kang Sihyun covered his ears, overwhelmed by the noise. Hamin bit Haewoon's arm, and Haru attempted to pry him off like a trainer with a pet. Soon, the children lifted Haewoon from the bed, intending to throw him up in a welcoming gesture. That's when Kang Sihyun finally spoke.
"Guys, he's still a patient…"
Not to lift him abruptly, not to pull out his IV, not to be too rough…
He lamented the thoughtlessness, but no one seemed to listen. Only Seowoo, standing a step back, caught Kang Sihyun's eye and shrugged.
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