Chapter 49
After hearing everything I had to say, Unnie hugged me once more. Was it because she had directly faced the younger sibling of her closest friend? I must have trembled without realizing it. Seeing the worry in her eyes... I felt sorry for making her worry for no reason.
I wondered if I'd become too weak. I knew humans were ruled by hormones, and that I was somewhat emotional by nature, but crying or trembling over something like this seemed a bit much, didn't it...?
"Should we wash up soon and eat dinner afterward?"
"Yes, Unnie."
Minsu oppa, who had been in the living room, also emphasized that I should contact him if anything happened and that he would help, then went home. After washing up and eating dinner with Unnie, I spent some time with her. When it was time for bed, I lay down, but perhaps because I'd slept for a few hours earlier, or because I'd had a nightmare, I couldn't fall asleep easily.
"Can't you sleep?"
"No... Maybe because I slept a little earlier."
"I'm sleepy, so I'll go to sleep first. If you feel anxious, you can stay in my arms."
"Okay..."
Unnie quickly fell asleep, but I couldn't. Was it because I'd slept until just before dinner...? Or because I was afraid of having another nightmare...? I lay there with my eyes open for over an hour. Even then, I barely got any sleep before waking up in the middle of the night because I needed to use the bathroom.
"Uuugh, I'm tired..."
"Mmm... Jia, did you not sleep...?"
A little after six in the morning, Unnie, who had gotten up as usual, rubbed her eyes and asked me.
"No... I fell asleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night because I had to use the bathroom..."
"Oh, no... If you still don't feel well after you get to school, go sleep in the nurse's office."
I couldn't sleep, but I was so exhausted that all I could do was yawn and nod. I couldn't even keep my eyes properly open. After arriving at school, I could barely walk and couldn't even answer Yuna when I met her in front of the school.
"Hi, Jia!"
"Hi... Yaaawn..."
"Are you really sleepy?"
"Yeah..."
What perfect timing—to start getting sleepy right after arriving at school. Unable to keep myself upright as drowsiness overwhelmed me, I was supported by Yuna all the way to the classroom.
"Huh? Yuna and Jia, what are you two doing?"
"Jia couldn't sleep, so she's really exhausted."
"I've never seen her like this before. I'll help too."
With the two of them supporting me, I entered the classroom and sat down, only for my body to slump onto the desk and fall asleep on its own. Even Yuna's flustered voice sounded like a sleeping pill putting me to sleep.
*
Jia had seemed weak since morning. Just how little had she slept to be this exhausted? Even someone who had stayed up all night could usually endure until first period by playing with their phone... But Jia apparently didn't even have the strength to take out her phone. She kept dozing, and as soon as she reached the classroom, she collapsed onto her desk and fell asleep. She slept so quietly that she probably wouldn't be caught, but...
"Jia, Jia? Do you want to go to the nurse's office?"
Jia didn't seem to hear me and simply slept, making only quiet breathing sounds. What should I do...? Jinwoo hadn't arrived at school yet, so I would have to ask Yeji for help.
"Yeji! Help me!"
"Huh? Is Jia sick?"
"I don't know, but just in case."
Yeji and I supported Jia and took her to the nurse's office, where the school nurse measured her blood pressure.
"Could you hold her so she can maintain the proper position?"
"Do we just need to hold her?"
"Yes."
After Yeji and I held Jia in place and helped with the blood-pressure measurement, the school nurse's expression darkened. What could have happened this time?
"Her blood pressure..."
"Her blood pressure...?"
"It's not at a dangerous level yet, and we have to take into account that she's asleep, but even considering that, it's rather low."
"It won't cause any problems, will it...?"
"I'll keep an eye on her so that nothing happens. More importantly..."
"More importantly?"
"I'm worried that she might be having a nightmare."
I wanted to keep watching Jia, but homeroom was about to begin, so I had to return to the classroom. Nothing would go wrong, would it...?
*
Haa... I think I had another nightmare. I don't remember it well, but I'd sweated enough to leave marks on the bed, and I felt so awful as soon as I woke up that I needed to take deep breaths.
"Haa... Hngh..."
My body was trembling. Had I dreamed about being blatantly sexually harassed again, like yesterday? Even though I couldn't remember it at all, I felt terrible.
"Are you awake?"
"Yes... Thank you for taking care of me."
"Your blood pressure was rather low, so I couldn't leave you alone."
"Oh..."
"Do you think you can go eat lunch?"
"What? Lunch?"
I couldn't understand what the nurse was saying, so I looked at the clock and saw that it was already almost lunchtime. Had I... slept for over three hours? I was frozen as if my brain had stopped working when Yuna and Yeji opened the nurse's-office door and came in.
"Jia~! Let's go eat!"
"Are you feeling a little better? Let's go eat."
Yuna and Yeji seemed to be close friends who were perfectly in sync. Whenever I was involved, they often spoke at exactly the same time. The nurse nodded at me, so I assumed that meant it was all right for me to move.
"Yeah, let's go eat. Thank you, Nurse."
"All right. Jia, you aren't in perfect health, so come straight here if you feel even a little strange, okay?"
"Yes, I will."
On the way from the nurse's office to the cafeteria, I happened to see Hwang Jihye. She looked around, then seemed to grin when she saw me. Was she planning to do something to me...? There was malice in her smile.
"Jia, what's wrong?"
"Hmm? Nothing."
"Really...? If Jia says so, then I guess it's fine."
Yuna didn't seem to notice, but Yeji must have caught on, since she acted as though she would simply let it pass. In any case, the cafeteria was crowded again today. The lively atmosphere was nice, but it was so energetic that, as a fairly introverted person, I just wanted to eat quickly and leave.
After eating lunch with Yuna and Yeji, I was on my way back to the classroom when Hwang Jihye approached me as I came out of the bathroom ahead of them.
"Hey~ My teacher~"
"Do you need something?"
"Yeah, quite a lot..."
Jihye stroked my chin with an unpleasant smile, as though something about me bothered her. I felt so creeped out that I wanted to shove her away immediately, but perhaps because of my low blood pressure, I was already weak and couldn't summon even that much strength.
"I don't know what it is about me that bothers you... but let go of my wrist. It hurts..."
"I grabbed it so it would hurt..."
"Hey! Hwang Jihye! Let go right now!"
"Get away from Jia!"
Jihye let go at once and took off running. Her suspension must have ended, so had she gone back to her own class? She must have approached me for a reason... My thoughts were becoming tangled. I didn't want to get involved in any more complicated matters...
"Jia, are you all right?"
"Oh my, your wrist is red..."
"I'm fine..."
I'm tired... I'd missed the entire morning's classes, so I had to attend the afternoon ones, but my body didn't feel capable of keeping up. When I returned to the classroom, my classmates welcomed me. Was there something going on today...? I was grateful that everyone was worried about me, but it was exhausting when they surrounded me and all tried to talk to me.
After afternoon classes ended, I was packing my bag to go home when Yuna spoke to me.
"Jia, do you want a ride if you're okay with it?"
"Huh? In your car?"
"It's Friday, you know, so I got dragged somewhere... If you're okay with it, I was going to drop you off in front of your house."
"I'm fine. You can give Yeji a ride instead."
I appreciated Yuna's kindness, but I felt uncomfortable with other people learning where I lived. If someone secretly followed me and found out anyway, there'd be nothing I could do, but... I should contact Minsu oppa. Is my blood pressure really the problem? I don't think I could walk home.
"Oppa... It's me, Jia..."
[Are you done with school?]
"Yes. Could you come pick me up? I'm so exhausted..."
[I'll be right there. Wait a little.]
"Thank you, oppa."
Once the call ended, I could no longer hold out, so I sank down onto a bench in the schoolyard.
"Oppa~? I wonder who that could be~?"
"It was... you, Jihye..."
"Are you ready to tell me who's backing you now?"
"No..."
It was becoming too hard to keep my eyes open. It was a miracle that I'd attended afternoon classes without falling asleep... I really couldn't hold out anymore. Sleeping here was dangerous, but I wanted to sleep...
*
Huh? What's wrong with this bitch? She's fallen asleep on a bench in the schoolyard without anyone to protect her? What kind of bitch does that?
"Hwang Jihye! What are you doing!?"
"You... who were you again?"
"I'm Kwon Jinwoo from Class 3. What did you do to Jia?"
Pfft... Is this the entrance of a dark knight? Well, Jia was quite a beauty, so the urge for men to protect her must be an instinct that rose up at the genetic level.
"I didn't do anything, okay? What would I gain by laying a hand on her? I'd get held back if I messed up."
"It's hard to believe, but if you want to prove it, get lost right now."
Just then, I saw a car pull up at the school's main gate. Oh, that man was pretty handsome. Wait, wasn't he the man who'd been with Jia?
"I'm seeing your face for the first time. Are you Jia's friend?"
"Yes, that's right. We're very close friends."
"No, he's a notorious psycho who's been harassing Jia!"
"I won't make an issue of it today, so could you step away from Jia?"
Could this man be the backer I'd been looking for? No, real backers usually didn't come out in front themselves. Unless he was Jia's biological father...
"Okaaay~ I'll get lost right now, then~ Jinwoo's ruining everything~"
"Don't say strange things. Leave now, Hwang Jihye. There won't be a next time."
That Jinwoo had really fallen head over heels for Jia. Hahaha! The face of a man in love was always hilarious. It was a shame I hadn't found out for sure who was backing Jia... But if someone was willing to rush over and take care of her like this, wouldn't he show up at the sports festival too? I could find out then.
*
Jia's condition seemed strange again lately. I should take her to the hospital first. I could only hope she wasn't having nightmares.
"Minsu? What happened to Jia?"
"She didn't look well, so I brought her here."
"We'll examine her right away. Could you wait a moment?"
The test results weren't bad, but they weren't good either. Jia's blood pressure was low, and her overall health was run down. Her blood pressure wasn't dangerously low, but she might have trouble coming to school next week...
"She should improve a little if she gets plenty of rest at home."
"Is there anything else wrong?"
"Her blood pressure is a little low. Her overall condition isn't dangerously bad, but I don't think she'll be able to move around energetically."
"I hope it isn't anything serious."
"As you know, Jia is suffering from a rare and unusual disease. We can't guarantee whether the changes in her body and her adaptation to them will lead to a complete recovery, or whether this is an illness she can't recover from."
"...I'll clear my schedule for the time being so I can keep a close eye on her."
I might have to come in unexpectedly over the weekend, so it would be a great relief if Minsu watched Jia at home. Dr. Seo, Jia's attending physician, had said the same thing, so we should let Jia rest over the weekend, check the test results on Monday, and then decide on her schedule going forward.
"Nurse Park, how is the patient?"
"Oh, Doctor. Jia seems to be all right. It's not that serious, so we're going to let her rest over the weekend."
"I'd like to let you leave work right now, but there's still some urgent work left, so let's finish it together."
"Yes, Doctor."
Minsu took Jia home, and I desperately wanted to go home too, but I had to finish my work. Just a little longer.
*
I slowly woke up and opened my eyes to find myself lying in the bed at home. It was a relief to see the familiar ceiling...
"Are you feeling a little better?"
"Thank you, oppa."
"This may be overstepping, but it seemed like you were having a nightmare... so I was holding your hand."
"...Thank you. I've been having nightmares lately, and it's been difficult."
"How are you feeling?"
"Sometimes I feel weaker than when I usually wake up in the morning, and it feels like I've lost my energy."
Oppa must have been very worried about me, because there was a wistful look in his eyes. I didn't know what was wrong with my body either, so I could only feel frustrated.
"Come to think of it, Unnie must be busy."
"Yeah, she said she had a lot of work. She'll probably be home late."
"Then I might get to have dinner alone with you, oppa. Hehe..."
Just then, my phone went off, and I saw a message from Jiyeon Unnie saying that we should eat dinner first. Oppa read it, then headed to the kitchen, saying he would make us something light himself.
"What kind of food do you like, Jia?"
"Hmm... If it's something light... I was thinking of a salad and soup."
"Korean meat soup might be a little heavy, so I'll make something light, like soup. Would chicken salad be all right?"
"Yes, I like that. I'm looking forward to a meal cooked by you, oppa."
Oh? I had a personal message from Yuna. Let's see... She must be really worried about me.
'Jinwoo is really worried that something might have happened to Jia because Jihye approached her.'
Oh, right. Jihye had approached me, hadn't she? Maybe I hadn't paid attention because I was too tired and weak at the time. My memory was a little hazy. Right now, I was in a pleasant situation with oppa taking care of me, so I should forget about anything unpleasant for a while. If my mind relaxed, perhaps my body could relax a little too.
I barely had any strength as it was, so if I worried about things like that, I might end up in a state where I couldn't even eat dinner unless someone fed me. The best thing I could do was relax as much as possible and sit comfortably on the sofa.