Me After You | Choi Seungcheol

8. Let Me In

Hey, Haeun. Sorry to bother you, but Seungcheol is not feeling well... the AC in his office was a little funky, so he basically spent the day working in Siberia. Anyway, I finally convinced his stubborn ass to go home, so he should be there in a few. Let me or Aeri know if you need help, okay? Good luck!

After reading Joshua's text, Haeun asked Dokyeom and Mingyu to drop by the drugstore while she prepared some porridge and herbal tea and waited for her husband to arrive.

A few minutes later, she heard the door unlock, and Seungcheol walked in, clearly unwell; the bags under his eyes denoting his fatigued state.

She ran to his side, placing a hand on his forehead. "Seungcheol, you're burning up," she stated with a frown.

"I'm fine. Just a little fever," he tried to reassure her, but the hoarseness of his voice betrayed him. He didn't want to admit it, but he was indeed feeling terrible. His head was heavy, his body felt hot and cold at the same time, and he was just really, really tired.

"You are anything but fine," she shot back, her arms crossed as a sign of disapproval. "Go upstairs and take a warm bath while I finish preparing your dinner. After that, you're going to take some medicine and go to bed early."

He made a move to say something, but Haeun gave him a warning look. "I could tell Mingyu to come here and drag you to bed, but I think that would be a little humiliating for you, so let's not get to that point, shall we?"

Too tired to argue, he mumbled something under his breath but proceeded to do as he was told nonetheless.

After dinner, the medicine did its job, and Seungcheol was out cold in a matter of minutes. Even though he was now sleeping peacefully, his fever persisted, so Haeun decided to stay with him to monitor his temperature and remain close in case he needed anything.

At some point during the night, she reached out to touch his forehead and was relieved to see his fever had gone down significantly, even though he still felt a little warm. Her hand veered off course, running gently through his hair; his dark brown locks surprisingly soft beneath her fingers.

She was caught off guard when his eyes suddenly fluttered open, catching her red-handed.

"S-Sorry, I... I was checking if you still had a fever, uhm," she rambled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Quickly withdrawing her hand, Haeun let out a gasp when Seungcheol gently grabbed her wrist, guiding her hand back to his hair. "Don't stop," he murmured groggily. "It feels nice."

She nodded and resumed playing with his hair until he fell back to sleep. As the night went on, she grabbed a blanket and settled on the couch beside his bed.

When dawn broke, Seungcheol stirred awake, only to find Haeun sleeping peacefully in front of him. His lips curved upwards, admiring her delicate features as the first rays of light started to shine through the window.

Even in his medicine-induced haze, he realized how nice it was to have someone caring for him. Being used to living alone from an early age, he liked the freedom this setup allowed him, as he was not one to easily rely on others or show his vulnerabilities. But at that moment, he was grateful for Haeun and the care and comfort she had provided him. Letting out a contented sigh, he closed his eyes and fell asleep once again.

***

The next time Seungcheol woke up, the sun was shining brightly, and he was feeling considerably better than the night before. He sat up, his eyes drifting to the couch where Haeun was no longer sleeping. From the little he knew of her, she was most likely up and about, busying herself around the house.