That night, Yeo Ri ran a high fever, sending Hyuk and Gun into a frenzy .

"Let's go to the hospital, okay, Yeo Ri-ah?" Gun coaxed hurriedly .

Yeo Ri shook her head slowly, "N-no . . . not the hospital . . . " she croaked, her voice hoa.r.s.e . If they went to the hospital, then the things she was trying to hide would be revealed . She was afraid of what would happen to Hyuk and Gun once that man caught wind of the broken secret .

"Stop being so stubborn, you stupid girl!" Hyuk paced back and forth restlessly . It was clear that he was extremely worried .

"No . . . I'm . . . fine . . . "

"The h.e.l.l you are!" Hyuk growled . He looked like he was ready to just pick her up and drive her off to the hospital . "Come on, let's go . " Hyuk knelt down to help her up, but just as he was about to touch her, she drew back from him, avoiding his hand .

"I'm really . . . fine . . . " Yeo Ri insisted . "Just . . . a little bit of . . . rest . . . is . . . good . . . enough . . . " she wheezed . Saying so many words tired her out .

Hyuk took back his hand, frowning . The girl absolutely refused to go to the hospital and it was driving them crazy .

"Fine, suit yourself . " Hyuk finally gave up after trying to force her to go for a few more times . Seeing her pale face, he had no choice but to give up . "I'll make something for you to eat . Take your meds afterwards . "

Hyuk left for the kitchen . He thought to make rice porridge . Though he wasn't good at cooking, simple things like plain porridge were easy enough for him to make . He crashed at In Guk or Jin Goo's house quite a lot and neither of them knew how to cook so he always ended up cooking something in the kitchen so that they wouldn't die from hunger .

Meanwhile, Gun stayed by her side, constantly replacing the damp cloth on her forehead . Thanks to her high temperature, it warmed up quickly . After only a few seconds, he would dip the cloth in water, squeeze the excess liquid out, and put it back on her forehead to cool her down .

"Oppa . . . cold . . . "

"Cold?" Gun heaped another blanket on top of Yeo Ri, "Is this better?"

Half an hour later, Hyuk came back, a bowl of porridge with watered down kimchi and a gla.s.s of water in hand .

Seeing the food, Gun helped her sit up .

"Eat," Hyuk placed a spoonful of porridge close to her mouth . She was too weak to eat by herself so he personally fed her .

Yeo Ri opened her mouth slightly, her eyes closed . She had no strength to even move .

Hyuk carefully pushed the spoon into the narrow opening, tipping it . Unfortunately, most of the contents spilled . He wiped her mouth and chin patiently, and continued feeding her . Seeing her so weak made his heart break .

"Yeo Ri-ah, you have to eat so you can be healthy again . Please, okay?" Gun's voice cracked as he rubbed her back, coaxing her .

After toiling for almost an hour, Yeo Ri finally finished the whole bowl .

Hyuk wordlessly crushed the pills with the spoon, then fed it to her, helping her wash it down with the water . Yeo Ri coughed, swallowing the pills with difficulty .

"Good girl," Hyuk mumbled . Together with Gun, he helped the girl lay down and tucked her in . She became unconscious thanks to medicine, and the boys finally had a chance to relax .

Come morning, Yeo Ri's condition was significantly better . However, her temperature could still be considered high so she was still constricted to bedrest .

Gun reluctantly headed to school, leaving Hyuk to take care of Yeo Ri for a few more hours . He glanced at the clock on his phone .

He was getting late for work but Yeo Ri still needed to be looked after . After debating for a long time, he finally decided to go to work . He was in dire need of money and therefore couldn't afford to lose his job .

For one last time, he checked her temperature .

"Wait for Oppa, okay?" Hyuk kissed her forehead, then rested his forehead on hers . It felt so hot that it became scalding after a few seconds . Reluctantly, he extracted himself from the girl and placed a cool, damp cloth on her forehead .

Then, he left for work .