CH 114

“There’s no way to know exactly when he’ll wake up.”

In a panic, she had hurriedly contacted the doctor.

That day, he fell back into a deep sleep, as if beginning all over again. Just as before, whenever medical staff visited to bathe him, check his condition, or administer shots, Lee-yeon only stared blankly at him.

His body was cold some days, warm others. Even little abnormalities like this made Lee-yeon’s emotions jump all over the place, changing dozens of times within one day.

“Chae-woo, when on earth will you wake up?”

Just like every other day, she squeezed in bed next to Chae-woo, who lay still as a piece of wood.

If she didn’t sleep in the same bed as him, who knows whether or not he’d become even more distant? Lee-yeon could not yet break free of that illusion. She didn’t want to admit that the string forcing them together had been cut, that he didn’t need her anymore.

“Not even a forest princess would sleep for this long.”

Lee-yeon stared vacantly at his unresponsive profile.

“Can you hear me? If you’re listening, hurry up and come out of there.”

“…….”

“What is a man who always has nightmares doing in there all alone?”

It was the thick of summer but lying next to Kwon Chae-woo chilled her to the bone. From time to time, she woke up and rushed to check his breathing, wondering if she were clutching onto a dead body.

Some days, she missed him so much that she waited up all night, wondering if he’d get up to go to the bathroom.

That was how a whole month passed.

A man who was clearly alive but could not make eye contact or respond to anything. Kwon Chae-woo, fast asleep and unconscious.

Without his interference, Lee-yeon’s regular lifestyle of eating, working, and going back home became more grueling. Each day, she simultaneously looked forward to and dreaded the next. Mornings, nights—it was all hard for her.

“But I’ll wait.”

Lee-yeon closed her eyes with resolution.

“As I’ve said before, patients who can’t move or talk are comparatively quite easy to care for.”

“….”

“Trees also hibernate. Shaking off leaves and going to sleep is their preparation for springtime. Maybe your deep sleep is for a reason, too. So when you’re all done with whatever it is you’re doing, wake up, please. All the time I’ve spent waiting for trees to recover has given me a lot of patience.”

“….”

“We’ll have a lot to talk about.”

Her eyelashes trembled, but his fingers remained still, not showing even the slightest sign of movement.

***

“Director, I don’t see him.”

Gyu-baek, who usually shows the discipline of a well-trained kid soldier, spoke as he roamed around the house distractedly.

He was the type that had to sit and get settled in the proper spot before beginning anything. As he examined his surroundings, he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. It was obvious who Gyu-baek was looking for.

“Ah.”

A hopeless gleam shone across the face of Lee-yeon, who sat before the TV in a daze.

“Ma’am, it seems I lost him.”

“What?”

“As expected, that’s the end of theold monkey. My understanding was correct.”

As he spoke, Gyu-baek glanced out at the front yard where Chae-woo often used to exercise. Lee-yeon smiled bitterly.

It seemed like Kwon Chae-woo had left a lot behind. Choo-ja, Joo Dong-mi, Gyu-baek—already this many people had asked and worried about him all month long. She wished even more people would be holding onto him like this.

“He’s not lost, Gyu-baek.”

Sometimes, when Kwon Chae-woo disappeared like this, she feared she would be the only one to remember him. There are times when those sorts of anxieties can eat away at a person. She looked at Gyu-baek with a refreshed sense of relief.

“Kwon Chae-woo is sleeping now. He’s asleep on the second floor.”

“….”

Gyu-baek, who rarely showed strong expressions, suddenly looked as if he’s heard something preposterous.

“He… he’s lost his mind.”

“What?”

“Female bears, they give birth in hibernation, but males sleep through the whole thing. They don’t take care of their babies, they don’t even live with the females. This old male has nothing to parrot, so he’s mimicking the life of a bear. It’s shocking, truly shocking.”

Gyu-baek’s words spilled out in a flurry.

“You ought to become a female praying mantis.”

“What?”

“The female mantis eats the male. And you can’t let that male be an exception to the rule.”

“That male—no, Kwon Chae-woo will wake up soon.”

Then Gyu-baek frowned and shook his head exactly five times. “No. He is sure to continue sleeping.”

“What?” Lee-yeon laughed off Gyu-baek’s air of pity as he continued.

“I’ve seen males like him more than enough times. My grandfather drinks, all day every day. My uncle is similar. They don’t change. Some men just have a screw loose from the very start. In bears’ case, even if they sleep for a long time, their bones and muscles are fine… but he took a wrong turn somewhere.”

Gyu-baek, perhaps feeling uneasy, sat down and began to quickly leaf through the pages of a book.

“The man needs to regain consciousness quickly. When you laze around, you’re sure to lose your territory to a younger monkey.” The child babbled, comparing Kwon Chae-woo to a monkey.

“Of course.”

Lee-yeon only patted the boy’s head. Gyu-baek, who usually might have resisted, pushed his head down as if giving her permission.

Choo-ja and Gyu-baek’s everyday life at Spruce Tree Hospital remained normal. Lee-yeon’s already dull face became even more darkly clouded.

Will this sort of thing keep happening again and again? Not just this once?

She bit her lip and covered her tired eyes with her palm. Will I have to feel this alone, this abandoned, over and over again?

Living with a man who could wake up at any moment might end up being a lot more difficult than she originally thought. The man bloomed as briefly as a flower, and Lee-yeon would have to tolerate getting through it all alone. It would become a life dedicated to waiting, waiting for the arrival of that one abnormal day.

She fiddled with the wood carving Kwon Chae-woo had gifted her.

* * *

After the sacred tree’s surgery, the number of inquiries sent to the hospital increased, as if they’d unintentionally left a strong impression on the public.

Lee-yeon took it all in stride. Only by keeping busy could she continue to stand up and overcome the listlessness that often struck her. Once again today, Lee-yeon stopped by the tennis court construction site, which was now in full swing. She was in the process of making an estimate.

“The trees died because all their holes were blocked off.”

Using her toes, Lee-yeon pointed out the water veins that had been completely covered by the soil at the construction site.

“First of all, we’ll need to construct a well—I’m sorry, just one moment.”

Lee-yeon excused herself as she felt her phone buzzing in her pants pocket.

But as soon as she saw the name on her screen, her face visibly stiffened.

It was Kwon Ki-seok.