Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room.
Seo Yoon frowned slightly.
Her eyelids felt unusually heavy.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
The familiar ceiling of her bedroom greeted her, but her body felt weak, as though every ounce of strength had been drained overnight.
"..."
She tried to sit up.
A wave of dizziness immediately forced her back against the pillows.
"...Great."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The fever hadn't completely broken.
The bedroom door opened quietly.
Sang-Hyun walked in carrying a tray.
A bowl of warm porridge.
A glass of water.
Medicine.
Seo Yoon stared at him.
"...Why are you still here?"
Without answering, he placed the tray on the bedside table.
"You have to eat."
She sighed.
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to eat."
"I said I'm not—"
"You'll eat."
His tone wasn't loud.
It wasn't angry.
It was simply...
Final.
Seo Yoon narrowed her eyes.
"You know..."
"...you're incredibly annoying."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've been told."
She crossed her arms.
"I can take care of myself."
Sang-Hyun looked at her.
"No."
"...Excuse me?"
"You've spent years proving that you can."
He paused.
"And yesterday proved that you shouldn't have to do it alone."
Seo Yoon looked away.
"...I don't need anyone."
"I know."
Silence filled the room.
"But needing someone..."
He looked at her calmly.
"...and having someone are two different things."
For the first time...
Seo Yoon didn't have an answer.
After several quiet seconds...
She reluctantly picked up the spoon.
"This doesn't mean you win."
"I know."
She took one bite.
"...It's too hot."
He calmly slid the glass of water toward her.
She looked at him.
"...Did anyone ever tell you you're impossible?"
"Several."
She couldn't help it.
A tiny laugh escaped her.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
Sang-Hyun noticed.
Of course he did.
He didn't mention it.
Once she finished eating, she reached for the medicine.
Before she could open the packet—
Her hand trembled.
Just slightly.
Sang-Hyun silently took it from her, opened it, and handed it back.
"...Thanks."
The word escaped before she could stop it.
She blinked.
Realizing what she'd just said.
"...Forget I said that."
"I can't."
She sighed dramatically.
"You're the worst."
"So I've heard."
The room fell quiet again.
This silence, however...
Was different.
It wasn't tense.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It simply...
Existed.
After a while, Seo Yoon looked toward the large window.
"...Why?"
Sang-Hyun raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you doing all this?"
"You barely know me."
"You've tested me."
"You've challenged me."
"You've annoyed me."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"So why stay?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead...
He stood and walked toward the window beside her.
Looking out over the city below.
"...Because."
A long pause followed.
"I know what it's like."
Seo Yoon turned toward him.
He continued quietly.
"The expectations."
"The responsibility."
"The loneliness that comes with being the eldest."
His voice remained calm.
But for the first time...
It carried experience.
Not observation.
Experience.
"I know what it feels like to believe that if you stop..."
"...everything falls apart."
Seo Yoon stared at him.
She had never imagined...
That someone else truly understood.
Not out of sympathy.
Not out of pity.
But because...
He had lived it too.
Neither of them spoke again.
They didn't need to.
Sometimes...
Silence said enough.
And for the first time in years...
Seo Yoon didn't feel completely alone.