CHAPTER 51…………………….

Episode 51

“Sh-shared bed? What do you mean by that?”

Chohi asked, flustered.

“There’s no other way, is there? It’s the only way for both of us to stay in this room without going out and rest comfortably.”

“Even so… a shared bed…”

Dowoon was a patient with a gunshot wound. Naturally, it made sense for him to sleep in a bed.

But that didn’t mean Chohi had to sleep with him.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa. It’s not even the right size.”

In fact, the bed was large enough for two people.

But considering the implications of a man and woman lying together, she couldn’t possibly accept.

“The bed is big enough for two. What’s the problem?”

“It’s not the size that’s the issue.”

“You’re not thinking something… strange, are you?”

“S-strange? I’m not!”

Dowoon hit the nail on the head, but Chohi immediately denied it, embarrassed.

From the moment he suggested sharing a bed, her mind had briefly filled with awkward thoughts.

“You’re the patient, so you should sleep comfortably on your own.”

“But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable either.”

Dowoon was firm. Why was he so desperate to have Chohi sleep in the bed with him?

Chohi bit her lips nervously.

She had only just realized her feelings for Dowoon.

If she were to lie in the same bed before calming her heart, she would surely toss and turn, unable to sleep.

“No. It’s better to just say we fought and sleep in separate rooms. Then I’ll—”

“Ugh—!”

She almost wavered, but Chohi tried to refuse firmly. Yet before she could finish speaking, Dowoon clutched his side and collapsed, kneeling by the bedside.

“Dowoon!”

Startled, Chohi quickly moved to his side and supported him.

Dowoon grimaced, breathing heavily. The pain from his gunshot wound seemed severe.

“The painkillers aren’t working well…”

“Does it hurt a lot? Should I get more medicine?”

“Would you do that? Please. The wound is starting to hurt worse now.”

Chohi quickly took painkillers from the medical box and handed them to him with water.

She hadn’t expected him to be in so much pain.

Worried, Chohi personally helped him take the medicine.

For a brief moment, Dowoon’s gaze wavered, but it was quickly overtaken by pain.

“What should we do? Should we go to a hospital tomorrow?”

“Rest will help. But… it might hurt all through the night.”

“All night?”

All night?

He should get good sleep to recover quickly. If he was in pain all night, that would be serious.

“Yes… I may need more painkillers during the night… tossing and turning could reopen the wound…”

“Th-then what should we do?”

“It might be better if you stayed by my side…”

Dowoon’s words trailed off. Seeing him frown in pain made her heart ache.

“You want me to stay in this room?”

“If you want to leave, I can’t stop you…”

Chohi briefly wondered if Dowoon was pretending to be in pain just to keep her there. But she quickly dismissed the thought.

No matter what, he wouldn’t lie about being shot.

With a worried voice, she nodded.

“Alright. I’ll stay in the room with you. You sleep first; I’ll make sure you don’t toss and turn in the middle of the night.”

Quickly agreeing, Chohi pulled back the blankets and gestured for Dowoon to get in.

“Then I leave it to you.”

Unlike before, Dowoon weakly slid under the blankets Chohi had arranged.

Chohi quickly moved to his side and placed her hand on his forehead. Fortunately, he had no fever.

“I’ll prepare a damp towel, just in case. We don’t want you to get a fever at night.”

Dowoon nodded briefly, and Chohi hurried to the bathroom.

As Chohi left, a small chuckle escaped Dowoon’s lips.

“Ha ha…”

He laughed at himself, embarrassed.

Pretending to be in pain just to share a bed with her.

A month ago, he could never have imagined he’d act so foolishly.

“To go this far…”

Yet, when Chohi insisted on separate rooms, he had instinctively clutched his side and collapsed.

Honestly, it wasn’t necessary.

But somehow, he felt a twinge of regret that it hadn’t been necessary.

Shot in the waist, yet she fed him, helped him dress, and stayed up nursing him all night.

It was all new to Dowoon.

Even before joining the Korean Provisional Government, he had completed numerous missions in various groups. Getting slashed with a blade was routine; being shot, though less common, wasn’t extraordinary.

Each time, Dowoon had to treat himself.

Injuries were his responsibility.

If there was a doctor among his comrades, he could ask for help, but it was always inconvenient.

Many others were injured too. He couldn’t indulge in pity.

And even if injured, it was expected to bear it stoically and see it as an honor for fighting for the country.

No comrade fussed over Dowoon like Chohi did.

Because it was normal, her concern felt fresh and unusual.

“Worry this much? It’s really nothing…”

She had called him a comrade, but had any comrade ever cared for him like this?

Her worry and care struck something deep within Dowoon.

A desire to be looked after like this.

It was a strange feeling, even to him, but it grew stronger the more she cared.

He wished Chohi would touch him a little more with her small, warm hands.

So, even for things he could do himself, he sought her help.

To feed him, dress him, and now, stay with him all night.

Like a spoiled child, Dowoon held onto Chohi.

Thinking she would leave the room made him want to fake being in pain. It was an instinctive, unplanned action.

“Since it’s come to this, I might as well enjoy it.”

Smiling, he closed his eyes.

Minutes later, Chohi returned, placing her hand on his forehead again.

Under her warm touch, irresistible drowsiness swept over him.

“If only Chohi were really my wife…”

A shameful thought came to him in drowsiness, but he soon fell completely asleep.

The Next Morning

Chohi left the house, leaving Dowoon fast asleep.

Reflecting on last night, she couldn’t stay idle.

In a way, it was her fault that Dowoon had been shot. So she felt responsible for taking care of him until he recovered.

Unable to go to a hospital, he was surviving only on painkillers, which wasn’t enough.

“He’s in so much pain…”

Suppressing her worry, Chohi headed to a pharmacy in the new district, planning to buy the right medicine.

Getting off the rickshaw in the new district, she breathed in sharply, noticing the police lining the streets more than usual.

“The aftermath of the Opera House incident must be severe…”

Two days ago, Park Jin and his men had caused chaos after shouting independence slogans at the Opera House. The police were in hot pursuit.

Apparently, those who shouted weren’t caught.

“Park Jin said he sent Dowoon safely to Sanghae… He shouldn’t be caught, right?”

Just seeing the police on the streets made her tense.

Though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she had been inadvertently involved in the incident.

Outwardly unrelated, yet inwardly tense.

Trying to appear calm, Chohi headed for the pharmacy in front of her.

It sold Western medicines.

She had never been there before, but it reminded her of the clustered pharmacies she had seen in Jongno while in Gyeongseong.

Ding-dong

[Welcome.]

An unexpected greeting in English surprised Chohi as she opened the pharmacy door. A middle-aged Western pharmacist called to someone behind a curtain.

[Are you Japanese? I’ll need Miss Rita. Rita!]

[It’s fine, no need. I’m Korean, and I speak English.]

[Wow, a Korean who speaks English!]

Chohi’s reply brightened the pharmacist’s expression.

[No need for translation, then. Most people here can’t speak English, so communication has been difficult.]

[Really?]

[It’s great to meet someone who speaks English! We have a Korean staff member here today, but she doesn’t speak English well.]

The pharmacist babbled on, happy to meet someone who could communicate.

[By the way, what brings you here?]

[I’m looking for medicine that works well on wounds.]

[Are the injuries severe? Can you describe them?]

“Well…”