#81

I called his name once more to send him off, but all I got in return was a desperate request to stay a little longer. As I silently stared at him, Lee Daon, I eventually sighed softly and spoke up.

“Don’t you want to be alone in your room?”

Remembering what Lee Daon had said earlier, that he came downstairs because he wanted to see me, I asked, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Lee Daon slowly nodded. 

Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe he doesn’t want to be alone on a day like this, when he’s not feeling well. I nodded, understanding why Lee Daon wanted to stay in my room. But understanding the reason didn’t change the fact that he was still sitting there in the chair.

“But Daon-ssi, you’re still a patient, so you can’t just keep sitting there.”

From how well he was moving, it seemed like he was much better, but he was still a patient. And as a patient, he needed to rest and lie down.

At my firm words, Lee Daon lowered his head with a sullen expression. I let out a quiet sigh as I looked at him.

“How about you just lie down with me?”

Since I would probably feel uncomfortable sending him away like this, and he seemed like he didn’t want to go back either, I suggested a compromise.

“Yes……?”

“Since Daon-ssi wants to stay here, and I’m worried about you sitting in that chair, I thought it might be okay for us to lie down together. The bed is big, so I don’t think it will be uncomfortable for both of us.”

I nervously spoke my thoughts but suddenly realized that this might be putting pressure on Lee Daon.

“Of course, if Daon-ssi feels uncomfortable, you don’t have to……”

“I’ll lie down!”

Before I could finish saying that if he was uncomfortable, he could refuse my suggestion, Lee Daon interrupted and shouted that he would lie down. I looked at Lee Daon, whose face seemed a bit flushed, and after a moment, I moved over and lifted the blanket to make space for him to lie down comfortably.

Lee Daon, despite his earlier bold declaration, moved cautiously as he got onto the bed. Once I saw that he had laid down properly, I covered him with the blanket.

“Go to sleep.”

As I said that, I patted Lee Daon’s chest a couple of times over the blanket. Then, considering how tense Lee Daon seemed, I straightened my body and closed my eyes.

It was clear that he was awkward about sharing a bed with someone, so I didn’t want to keep talking and make him feel uncomfortable. Besides, I didn’t have the energy to keep talking either. If I fell asleep first, he’d probably feel more at ease soon enough…… With that calm thought, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

But once again, I woke up frequently. And each time I awoke, I could hear the sound of steady breathing beside me. Looks like he’s sleeping well…… I thought drowsily, repeatedly closing my eyes again.

However, suddenly, I heard a strange noise coming from beside me.

It sounded like some kind of muffled groaning…… Struggling to lift my heavy eyelids, I checked on Lee Daon, who was lying next to me.

Lee Daon was crying, tears streaming down his face as he moaned in his sleep.

“Don’t…… please don’t……”

It seemed like he was having a nightmare. I thought it would be best to wake him up, but the words that came out of Lee Daon’s mouth stopped me from doing so.

“Don’t hit me…… please, Dad……”

I froze in place, still with my hand outstretched as if I was about to wake him. There was no need to hear more clearly—I already knew exactly what he was saying. Suddenly, I remembered Lee Daon and Lee Gaon’s dark expressions when I had asked about their father the day before.

Could it be……? Could it be that his father……?

The mere thought of it made me bite my lip. Until either Lee Daon or Lee Gaon spoke to me directly with a clear mind, I couldn’t be sure of anything. I decided to bury what I had just heard deep in my heart, waiting until I was certain or until one of the twins spoke up themselves.

Still hearing Lee Daon groaning in distress, I grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently.

“Daon-ssi. Daon-ssi? Wake up. Come on, try to come to your senses.”

“……Huh?”

“Daon-ssi? Are you awake? Can you see me?”

I brought my face close to his, asking, and Lee Daon, still dazed, looked at me with blurry eyes.

“President……?”

“Yes, it’s me. Are you feeling a little more awake? I woke you up because you were groaning and seemed like you were having a nightmare.”

“A nightmare……?”

Lee Daon, blinking slowly as if assessing the situation, soon looked at me with much clearer eyes. He seemed to be thinking about something before he slowly opened his mouth.

“Did I…… maybe talk in my sleep……?”

“No. Not really. You just kept groaning.”

I said it clearly, not wanting to make Lee Daon feel uncomfortable, and he looked at me with a strange expression.

“……President.”

“Yes?”

“Did you know? When you lie, your expression becomes really awkward.”

……I didn’t know that. Embarrassed, I bit my lip and slowly returned to my original position, pulling the blanket over me. Then, I heard Lee Daon’s soft chuckles.

“Sir.”

“……”

“Sir.”

“……What is it?”

I answered in a gruff voice, feeling shy, and then I felt the sensation of him patting my head over the blanket.

“Please move this. Let me see your face.”

“No.”

“If you keep covering your head with the blanket like that, you might get a fever.”

“I’m fine.”

I was sure my face was red, but I didn’t want to show it to anyone else. As I stubbornly held onto the blanket and burrowed deeper into it, Lee Daon laughed softly, as if resigned to the situation.

“Lee Gaon told me that I talk in my sleep when I’m asleep. So, I thought I’d ask, and, as expected, it’s true.”

“……”

“Sir, what did I say?”

I didn’t answer Lee Daon’s question. Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond. I couldn’t exactly tell the truth, and even if I lied, he probably wouldn’t believe me.

“Did I…… talk about my dad?”

Lee Daon, pinpointing exactly what I had been thinking, caught me off guard. I flinched and trembled, and Lee Daon, with a voice full of certainty, said.

“……I really did, didn’t I?”

“……”

“I thought so. The dream was about my dad, and if you’re going so far as to lie to hide it, then it must be about that.”

His voice was surprisingly calm, and slowly, I lowered the blanket and looked at Lee Daon, who was lying next to me. He was wearing an expression as if he hadn’t been crying at all. Seeing his face, I quietly spoke up.

“Do you often have nightmares?”

“Huh?”

“Nightmares…… do you often have them?”

Lee Daon looked at me with wide eyes, clearly not expecting my question.

“In situations like this, shouldn’t you be asking if my dad hit me?”

“That might be something someone doesn’t want to answer. They might not want to recall those memories.”

To me, it was just one question, but to the other person, it could be a huge wound. That’s why I preferred not to ask first, and instead, I’d wait until the other person was ready to share. If they did, I’d listen seriously. If they didn’t, I’d just forget about it. That was my way.

“That’s true. You’re right. That could be the case.”

Lee Daon gave a faint smile and agreed with what I had said. Then, after a moment of hesitation, as if thinking about something, he spoke again.

“I do often have those kinds of dreams. It’s been years since I left that house, but I still have them. I guess I just can’t forget.”

“……Is that so?”

I answered in a calm voice and reached out to Lee Daon’s face. I gently rubbed his face, where traces of tears still lingered. Lee Daon closed his eyes and rubbed his face against my hand. He remained silent, as if saying he didn’t want to speak anymore, and just lay there, feeling the warmth of my palm.

Seeing that, I found myself speaking without thinking.

“Would you like me to hug you?”

It was a rather impulsive statement, but I didn’t regret it. I met Lee Daon’s eyes, which were looking at me as if unsure if he had heard correctly, and waited for his response.

“……Yes.”

After a moment of hesitation, the words that slipped from Lee Daon’s lips were an acceptance. As soon as he agreed, I reached out, wrapping my arms around his neck and waist, pulling him into my embrace. Both Lee Daon and I were wearing lighter clothes than the day before, so we could feel each other’s body heat clearly.

I moved the hand around Lee Daon’s neck up, gently stroking the back of his head. As I held him, Lee Daon reached out and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“It’s warm.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. It’s warm. It was really warm yesterday, too. I guess your arms are always warm.”

I realized that when Lee Daon mentioned ‘yesterday,’ he was referring to the moment when I had held him outside. Even then, he had felt my warmth. It somehow made me feel a little relieved.

As I continued to stroke his head and back, sharing warmth with Lee Daon, I started to feel drowsy again. How long would this cold last, making me feel so exhausted……? I struggled to keep my eyes open, refusing to give in to the overwhelming sleepiness.