Chapter 66: Admit it.
“Maybe the hospital won’t be able to figure it out.”
Jin Suho looked curious, but he didn’t ask any questions. He just glanced outside, as if he was worried someone might come. Yoo Yeon Seo watched his back and reassessed him.
‘He’s a pretty good person.’
He helped her even though he didn’t know the whole situation. She thought she should thank him later. With money or a gift or something...
“Anyway, thank you. I’ll repay you later.”
“You don’t need to repay me... Can I just ask you one thing?”
“...If it’s something I can answer.”
Yoo Yeon Seo looked wary as he said he would ask one question. Jin Suho opened his mouth.
“Do your family members not know about your condition at all? Are you afraid they’ll worry?”
“Well... That’s one of the reasons.”
Jin Suho stared at him intently. In ‘Dreaming’ and now, Yoo Yeon Seo had some strange aspects. He seemed flexible but stubborn, emotionally lacking but sensitive.
“You have a weird way of speaking when I look at you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You talk about your own problems as if they’re someone else’s.”
Yoo Yeon Seo felt embarrassed, but he didn’t show it. Come to think of it, he had heard something similar before... Was it that he was bad at ‘normal things’?
“But you should tell your family. They don’t know what will happen to you.”
“I don’t know...”
Should he tell his parents, Yoo Geonmin and Choi Yujin, who were in a coma? It would be a mess. He couldn’t even imagine how much they would fight and cry. His grandfather would probably tell him to quit acting and get treatment while helping with the company. His grandmother? Would she really worry about her grandson?
And his brother... He was the most reasonable person to confide in, but did he really need to?
“You should tell your family. Or your friends...”
“What difference would it make if I told them?”
“They could help you like I did.”
“That’s because you’re a complete stranger.”
Jin Suho chuckled.
“Well, weren’t we friends in a way?”
“Well... You’re more like an acquaintance.”
“That’s the same as a friend.”
“Is it?”
Yoo Yeon Seo, who had been sitting down, got up and casually swept the floor with his foot where he had vomited blood.
Fortunately, it was a dirt floor, so he could hide it without a tissue.
“Anyway, think about it. I think it’s better than keeping it to yourself.”
Jin Suho wondered if Yoo Yeon Seo knew about his illness and that he couldn’t be cured, so he said the hospital wouldn’t be able to figure it out. So he seemed resigned...
Jin Suho, who had a lot of imagination and sensitivity, making acting his calling, had a lot of things, but he also witnessed his mother’s tragedy when he was young and lived with an unknown illness by himself. He felt pity for Yoo Yeon Seo’s situation.
“See for yourself.”
It was a bit different, though.
Yoo Yeon Seo frowned. He didn’t think Jin Suho’s advice was useless, but he didn’t feel the need to do it because it wasn’t unbearable.
“But why do you care about me?”
“Wouldn’t anyone worry if they saw someone vomiting blood? Especially if they’re close to being a friend.”
“Really?”
Hmm... Jin Suho was nosy. Anyway, he was glad that it ended without much trouble. They came out of the warehouse and joined the cast.
‘The hallucination... disappeared.’
He just laughed when they asked where he had gone.
‘Come to think of it...’
The words that doubted his mother’s suicide. The real Yoo Yeon Seo had confided in someone. He didn’t know who it was, though...
‘This is like pushing me to keep synchronizing my memories.’
He still had a headache even though he vomited blood.
“Yoo Yeon Seo, you left in a hurry earlier... Was something wrong?”
“I’m fine.”
The PD didn’t ask any more. He remembered the words of the director, ‘Don’t bother him too much, no matter what he does’.
That’s how he got through the second hallucination without any problems. Yoo Yeon Seo lay down on the bed and slept comfortably. Until he woke up from his sleep before dawn, feeling uncomfortable somewhere.
“...”
On the ceiling above his feet, two legs and a white skirt were dangling weakly.
Yoo Yeon Seo soaked the blanket with cold sweat and held back the nausea. He staggered to the bathroom. He turned on the sour water and hid the sound of his vomiting.
“Yoonseo.”
After repeating it several times, the child called Yoonseo’s name. The child pointed to himself and said his name was Raul.
“What, you have a kid?”
“He must be a kid from this neighborhood. Did you get kicked out again, bro?”
“No, I think I have electricity in my hand.”
Choi Junyoung, who was kicked out for breaking something, made exaggerated gestures to scare the child. They communicated with the child with gestures even though they didn’t speak the same language.
They played with the child, Raul, when they had spare time after receiving the guests at the guest house.
When the sun was setting, someone who looked like a parent came near. He looked anxious, as if he had been looking for him because he wasn’t home.
“*Did our child cause you any trouble?”
“*No, we all had fun thanks to Raul.”
The parents’ tense shoulders relaxed a little at Yoonseo’s words. Raul’s mother sold souvenirs to tourists, so she spoke English. His father worked at a construction site.
The production team thought they could get some footage from the appearance of the cast playing with the child, and asked for permission to film this scene instead of saying they would see him when he came.
“*Is that okay?”
Raul was excited to ask if he could come here to play again, so he didn’t seem to be doing it for the camera. The parents felt bad for leaving the child alone, so they nodded their heads.
“*Don’t feel too burdened. We also want to film it, so we’ll pay you for the child’s appearance fee.”
“*Thank you.”
After that, Raul visited the guest house ‘Today’ whenever his parents left home to work. Not only Yoonseo, but also other cast members played with the child when they had time.
“Nice picture.”
The PD nodded his head with satisfaction. Raul had bright eyes and was lively and cheerful. He felt similar to the child who was popular in the parenting entertainment show, so the PD already sensed the success of the program.
Raul learned how to draw from Lee Yoonjung, and sang songs with Choi Junyoung.
“Do you want to do it too?”
And he tried to help out without being asked. Raul waddled after Jin Sooho and moved the laundry basket. He looked like a penguin, so everyone laughed.
“Do you want to try it?”
The child persisted in whining and helped him fold the blanket, and the cast left him alone with a pleased expression.
The production team brought a badge with the logo of the guest house ‘Today’ and pinned it on Raul’s clothes. Raul was happy and ran around.
“Look over there.”
Yoonseo also came out to see the child whenever he had time.
The writer talked to him when he saw a smile on his lips.
“Yoonseo, you like the kid, don’t you?”
“Kids are cute.”
After that, Lee Heeseo’s fever showed up intermittently.
Every time, Yoonseo had to control his uncontrollable body and spit out blood secretly.
“Writer, do you always feel this good when the kid smiles?”
“It depends on the person, but I feel good for now. It’s healing.”
After staying up all night, he felt a little better when he saw Raul’s pure smile.
The time at the guest house ‘Today’ passed peacefully.
“It’s best to go by without any trouble.”
“And Raul is cute.”
“Right.”
When their filming was nearing the end, they spent time with various people at the guest house and played with the cute Raul, an incident happened.
“Bro! Sis! Anyone, come here!”
Kim Ijun woke up the cast with a different voice than usual.
“What’s wrong, why?”
“The kid... Raul is weird.”
“What?”
They all followed Kim Ijun anxiously at the shocking news. Raul was lying on the sofa in the living room, clutching his stomach and groaning.
“His fever is too high?”
Yoonseo turned his head sharply after measuring the child’s fever.
“Where’s our medical team?”
“The PD went to call them.”
As Yoonseo was about to get up, remembering the small hospital he saw on his way to the morning market, Raul grabbed his hand as if to stop him.
“What do we do...”
They all didn’t know what to do and shut their mouths and waited for the PD, when Lee Yoonjung’s sorrowful voice rang in their ears.