Secretly, But Unable to Hide It

The Voice Note

In the narrow, two-bed hospital room, the other bed remains empty. At this hour, Minji is the only patient inside. The room feels eerily silent and lonely. She lies flat on the bed, her face expressionless.

Hanni hesitates before asking again, "Can I?"

Minji finally speaks. "Have you eaten dinner?"

"I bought some bread nearby." Hanni blinks, stepping closer to her side. She holds up the plastic bag for Minji to see. "I also got a box of oolong tea."

"How can you be full just eating that?" Minji glances around. "You should order some takeaway."

Hanni shakes her head. "I'm not very hungry."

"You haven't eaten properly. How can you not be hungry?"

"I'm really not hungry," Hanni insists, placing the plastic bag on the desk. She turns to grab a chair and slowly moves it next to Minji's bed. "If I want to eat, I will. I'm an adult, I won't starve myself."

Minji suddenly smiles but doesn't respond further.

Hanni sits down, pulls out the bread, and begins to eat. "I asked the nurse earlier," she says between bites. "You need to lie flat for six hours, and after twelve hours, you can get out of bed."

"En."

Hanni continues chewing. "You still can't eat anything for now, though. For the next week, you'll need to stick to liquid food."

Minji listens absentmindedly. "En."

Silence fills the room again, broken only by the soft rustling of Hanni unwrapping her bread and the sound of her eating. The heater makes the room warm, and after a while, Hanni begins to feel hot. She gets up, removes her coat, and hangs it on the back of her chair.

Minji comments lightly, "It's winter. Why are you wearing a coat?"

The sudden remark breaks the quiet. Hanni raises her head slowly to meet Minji's gaze, a flicker of defiance in her expression. "It's a long coat," she says, lowering her head to chew on her bread. "If you want to wear it, you can wear it, too."

Minji wants to laugh but stops, afraid of straining her stitches. Instead, she says softly, "It's colder here than in Seoul. Be careful. You don't want to get sick."

Hanni pauses, suddenly reminded of her last visit to Pohang. The memory makes her throat feel tight. She doesn't look at Minji and takes a sip of her oolong tea instead, nodding briefly. Forcing herself, she finishes the bread. Checking her watch, she asks, "Minji unnie, do you want to sleep now?"

"What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven."

Minji tilts her head. "And how are you planning to sleep here?"

Hanni considers the question. "I'll rent one of those chairs for caregivers. It's cheap."

"A caregiver chair? Won't it be uncomfortable for you?" Minji frowns, clearly disapproving. "The other bed is empty. Just rent that one instead."

"There's no need." Hanni mutters under her breath, "I'm not here to enjoy life." She stands up abruptly, heading toward the door. "Alright, Minji unnie, get some rest. I'll go ask about the chair."

After Hanni rents a caregiver chair, she takes the opportunity to visit a nearby supermarket to buy some toiletries. When she returns to the sickroom, Minji is looking at her phone, seemingly hesitating to send a message.

"What took you so long?" Minji asks, putting down her phone. "What did you buy?"

"Toothpaste, toothbrush, and towels," Hanni replies, taking the items out of the bag. "I want to freshen up."