When Your Pain Becomes Mine

38. Burning Feeling

"Hey, Gyeonhui, chill out. He hasn't finished talking yet. Let's listen more, please?"

Ojae tried to calm Gyeonhui down with a soft tone.

"Hah…"

However, Gyeonhui huffed, seemingly unable to calm down.

"Go on, please."

As Ojae spoke, Dr. Seo slowly began again.

"The United Kingdom is an area where Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or mad cow disease for humans is prevalent, so blood donation is restricted. If you stay for more than three months there, you can't donate blood forever."

"I just stayed for a week."

Dr. Seo nodded upon hearing Gyeonhui's words, who was feeling victimized.

"Right. I'm glad you did."

"So that means... then it is possible to donate blood?" Ojae hurriedly asked.

"Theoretically, yes."

After hearing Dr. Seo's answer, Gyeonhui breathed a sigh of relief.

"But we have to wait three months for a blood donation because of the possible incubation period just in case."

"What's an incubation period?"

"To prepare for every situation that something could happen. We have to wait three months to make sure."

Dr. Seo didn't back down because it was also a matter related to the patient's life directly.

Unable to resist his frustration, Gyeonhui rose from his seat and left the office.

"Dr. Seo, I'm so sorry. We'll come back."

Ojae departed Dr. Seo's office and followed Gyeonhui outside.

***

Early in the morning at the entrance to Sun's apartment.

Sun had Labong in a carrier bag that was shaped like a spaceship coming out of a building.

"Ruff! Ruff!"

Labong barked excitedly because he hadn't gone out with her in a long time.

"Labong, are you excited? I'll bring you out more often."

Sun said to Labong while feeling sorry for him. She stopped for a moment because of the sudden anemic symptoms she was feeling.

"Hah…"

She took medicine at dawn, but it was already wearing off.

"... I should go to a hospital and get an IV at least."

She didn't want to ruin the picnic day because of her health.

"Yap, yap, yap!"

At that point, Labong barked toward the car that was parked beside the alleyway.

"Shhh. Labong. Be quiet on the street."

However, even after hearing her words, Labong still looked so excited and continued barking.

At that time, Eunwoo came out of the car that was parked with a portable vacuum.

"Huh? Sun?"

"Dr. Park?"

They looked at each other and cried out in amazement.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was going to clean the car."

Eunwoo scratched his head with an awkward smile.

"Oh, do you have anything to clean in your car?"

Sun said while looking inside of the clean car.

Eunwoo, who was smiling, approached Labong in her bag.

"Someone barked so loudly; I see that it was you. Labong was saying hello to me."

Eunwoo said after looking into Labong's eyes.

She watched Labong and Eunwoo and smiled, but she seemed unwell.

"How about you?"

"I'm going to stop by the hospital."

Eunwoo looked at her and was surprised by the word hospital.

"Well… Oh, designers like us often stay up all night, so it's common to get an IV in our business. Hahaha."

She rushed to speak. Eunwoo nodded, but he couldn't help worrying about her.

"Then I'll take you."

"Oh, no. I'm fine." Sun waved her hands.

"You can't take Labong to the hospital anyway," Eunwoo said.

"Hah…"

She was embarrassed and couldn't speak anymore. She didn't think far enough ahead to consider Labong.

"Please, humor me and let me drive you there."

"... Thank you."

"You don't say that to your friend."

In his relaxed voice, she showed a pale smile on her face.

"Seatbelt, please."

"Yes? Oh, yes."

Eunwoo was waiting for her to fasten her seatbelt before starting the car with a smile.

The car started smoothly as soft as his voice.

***

In the elevator of the hospital.

Gyeonhui, Ojae, and a patient were on board.

A short time later, the elevator door opened, and as soon as the patient left, Gyeonhui started speaking.

"Everyone else who had her blood is fine! Why the hell is it just happening to me…"

"It's retribution. Karma. Have you ever bothered her?"

"What did you just say?"

Ojae kept his mouth shut upon seeing Gyeonhui's glaring eyes.

"Hah..." Gyeonhui sighed to release a bit of his anger.

"Calm down. Relax, relax." Ojae waved his hands up and down.

"How dare you tell me to calm down! You're the one who sent me to England with that crappy information."

"That's why I told you that I should go there instead..."

"Is that what you're telling me now?"

Gyeonhui said and looked at Ojae with fierce eyes.

"... Sorry. It's all good, though. It's possible to cure yourself now after three months."

"I feel like I'm going to die right now. You say that to me because you don't feel any of this pain. You don't' have to suffer! Ugh..."

At that time, he felt the pain in his stomach and in his back at the same time.

He would feel a little better at dawn when Sun took medication, but the pain would start to rush in again.

"How can I wait for three months..."

He clutched his stomach with a grimace.

***

The parking lot at the hospital.

"I'll be back soon."

She left the car and looked sorry for Eunwoo.

"We've got some time, so get some rest as much as you need."

"Ruff! Ruff!"

Labong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, barked, agreeing enthusiastically with Eunwoo.

After waving to Labong, she turned and got into the elevator.

When she disappeared, Eunwoo held Labong in his arms.

"We're going to go for a picnic today. Are you excited too?"

Labong looked at him, cutely, with his tongue out.

"You're so cute, Labong." Eunwoo stroked Labong's head.

'Bzzz.' Then, a phone vibrated.

"Hmm. It's not mine."

After looking at his cell phone, Eunwoo looked at the spot where the vibration sound originated.

It seemed like the vibration was coming from Labong's stomach.

"What?"

Eunwoo was surprised and listened to the vibration. He smiled after he understood the situation.

"Labong, let's move you for just a moment."

When Labong moved from his seat, Eunwoo saw Sun's cell phone that she had left.

'She must be so tired...'

Eunwoo didn't know that she was tired when he saw her outside but concluded that she must have been exhausted since she forgot to take such a valuable item.

He saw the caller ID and noticed that it was her co-worker, Ari.

After a while, the disconnected phone began to ring again.

After a moment, Eunwoo answered her cell phone, thinking that it might be an emergency.

"Why aren't you taking my call? Did you go to hospital? How are your menstrual cramps?" Ari's words spilled over the phone like a rapid-fire gun.

"... Hello?? Miss Ari?" Eunwoo answered the call carefully.

"Huh? Who is this?"

"Me... It's Dr. Park at the Blue Rose."

"Dr. Park? Are you with her?" Ari asked, raising her voice and was a little surprised.

"Oh, yes, Sun has just gone up to the hospital. She left her phone behind."

"Okay. I called her to ask how her how she was feeling."

"She just went up a while ago to get an IV."

"... That's great. Then please take good care of her. "

"Sure. I will take her once she's done getting the IV."

"Thank you. I'll see you soon then."

"Bye."

After losing in his own thoughts, Eunwoo slowly picked up his cell phone with a worrisome expression.