Chapter Text
It's weird.
He woke up feeling comfortable despite having injuries all over his body. For some reason, his injuries didn't ache as much and he felt as if he woke up after years of slumber. His stomach also had a part in making him think of that.
When he came to, all he saw was the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling. Cale finally realized that he was still, indeed, inside of that stranger's house. However, since that man didn't show him any hostility, Cale accepted his fate in the hands of this man he didn't know. And he’s willing to learn more about the man since he… *AHEM* We’ll leave it at that.
He's nothing but been nice to him even though Cale was a grumpy little shit. After all, he still didn't know what that man was thinking, what he wanted from Cale and why he brought Cale here. He couldn't trust this stranger yet. Not yet.
A few days back, he cooked for Cale, he then fed Cale with much care, attended to his open wounds, wiped him off sweat and grime… Cale almost cried. No one had ever done this to him… Not after the Great War started.
"Believe it or not… this is not your world anymore," the man said. After hearing that, instant relief rushed to his head. It was as if all the burden on his back was lifted with that one sentence.
He wouldn't want to experience that hell again. Once was enough. Even though he lived in that world for decades, he no longer had any attachments left. With his comrades and families gone, he got nothing left in that world. He just desperately fought to stay alive. He didn't even know why he did it. Wouldn't it be better for him to end this whole shit and finally die? He's just… tired.
But the Gods up there really did like to mess with mortals.
Just as he thought he wanted to give up his life on the battlefield, this man he didn't even know. This man, who apparently was from another world, who looked so much like his enemy, saved him. Sometimes, he’d mutter the man’s name a few times so that he wouldn’t forget him, the man who had saved him despite not knowing anything about him. Kim Roksoo, a very peculiar name.
But soon, he threw his thoughts at the very back of his head. He had something more urgent to tend to.
He needed to go to the bathroom. And fast.
As he wanted to get up from the bed, his arm was stuck. Come to think of it, his arms had been oddly warm and heavy since earlier.
"..."
Cale wanted to say something.
He couldn't though. He just couldn't wake this man who was holding his arm while asleep at the side of the bed. This man looked so exhausted that he even furrowed his eyebrows in his sleep.
A part of Cale felt guilty for hogging all space of the bed for himself. Now, he didn't want to wake this man up for all he's done to Cale. He was known as a crazy bastard in Henituse County but he knew how to repay one's debt. And the least he could do for this man right here, who had helped him previously, was to let him sleep peacefully.
Cale let out a low grunt and got up slowly. Looking down on the other unconscious man, Cale sighed and decided to drape a blanket on his shoulders.
"...For now, let's just go to the bathroom first."
He quickly left the room and began to look for the bathroom in this small space of a house.
Nature's call.
***
While Cale was still taking his sweet time in the bathroom, Kim Roksoo woke up from his sleep. His back was aching from the position he slept in. Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Kim Roksoo who was still in daze after sleep, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"Again?" he mumbled under his breath. Kim Roksoo couldn't help but start to worry. 'Cale' left the bed, again, without him knowing. It's not once or twice 'Cale' had pulled this shit off.
The first time was when they accidently fell together on the hard cold floor (which resulted in a very awkward situation). Second was when Cale was struggling to use the shower and he slipped because of the wet tiles. Must've hurt, considering he hadn't recovered all that much. The third time was when Cale quietly admired the view of the Han River (had Kim Roksoo told you that he lived near the Han River? The district with expensive as fuck rent? No? Okay), he had woken up from his sleep due to being uncomfortable all over his body. …and so on.
Kim Roksoo had told him to not get out of bed without his knowing. He was still recuperating and in no condition to go anywhere alone.
Thankfully, the bed was still warm. Meaning, Cale left not too long ago. Kim Roksoo looked over his shoulders and sighed, "...He even gave me the blanket."
He got up and sleepily hauled himself to the bathroom. He could see the lights being on so he just waited outside until Cale finished his business. Just in case, really.
Click—
The familiar redhead popped out from the bathroom's door, looking like he just had the best dump in his entire life. It was then when Cale finally noticed Kim Roksoo standing there, beside the bathroom the whole time. He flinched and his soul almost escaped from his body.
"Oh sweet holy—! What the heck are you doing there?"
"Waitin'"
"What for?"
"Need the bathroom, obviously."
Kim Roksoo went in without any further thought. He looked at himself in the large mirror and washed his face on the sink. His sleepiness from earlier dissipated in an instant. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Kim Roksoo could see the obvious dark circles and unshaved stubble. He touched his chin and he could feel the prickly stubble. He then wiped his face with the towel inside the bathroom.
When he went out of the bathroom, Kim Roksoo saw that Cale was still in front of the bathroom, waiting for him to finish.
"...I know I've said this before, but you should rest while you still can."
The redhead silently obeyed Kim Roksoo's words and went back to the bedroom. Seeing this, Kim Roksoo sighed. It was fortunate that this man he brought back actually behaved. The incident before startled him but he believed that it was all just a misunderstanding on Cale's part. Look at how tame he is now. He even introduced himself first before he did.
Suddenly, his sight became blurry for a second. He shook his head and blinked a few times. Soon, the blurriness in his sight disappeared.
He had been feeling quite unwell ever since he got back from Grandma Kim's house. After all, he hadn't slept properly for who knows how long and fatigue had been accumulating. He even dozed off during the day while he was reading some novel to kill time.
'Has it gotten to me already?'
He suppressed the way his head was hurting and allowed himself to sit beside the bed. He gently, very gently said to the patient, "Can you turn over? I want to change your bandages."
Cale once again obeyed. Kim Roksoo felt weird. He felt like he was an owner with a dog except, this dog right here is a man around his age.
Looking at the pure white bandage around Cale's upper body, Kim Roksoo sighed in relief. That place had the biggest of cuts compared to the other cuts on Cale's body. It would be bad if it opened up again.
"Good. I was worried that it would open up."
Cale stayed silent the whole time Kim Roksoo changed the bandages for him. He had gone through this a few times and the sting didn’t even bother him anymore. When Kim Roksoo told him to raise his arm, he just did so. When Kim Roksoo told him to turn around, he also did as he was told.
The moment Kim Roksoo was finishing things up, Cale opened his mouth for the first time, “Unsightly, aren’t they?”
Kim Roksoo raised his eyebrow at the question, “What are?”
“My scars.”
“Of course they are.”
“Not even a moment of hesitation, huh.”
Kim Roksoo fell silent, cutting the last pieces of bandages. Only the sound of cutting could be heard inside the room.
Snip– snip–
Kim Roksoo broke the silence.
“But when these cuts recover and form new scars, they can be something for you to be proud of.”
Without waiting for Cale’s reply, Kim Roksoo rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his forearm which was full of horrible scars. Cale didn’t say anything this time.
“These scars were from the one moment I saved my friends and comrades. When I know I could be of help to them, I couldn’t help but be proud. ‘At the very least, I can fight alongside them,’ I thought,” he smiled bitterly while feeling the scars with his fingers.
“I see… Must be nice to have friends and comrades you are willing to sacrifice yourself for,” Cale said looking down on his own hands. He then looked back at Kim Roksoo. “I must thank you.”
“Thank me? What for?”
“I don’t know what your intentions are. I don’t know why someone like you suddenly saved me, a total stranger, stranger of another world at that. However, I am so very thankful that you saved me back there, I really do.”
Cale then smiled at Kim Roksoo.
“Kim Roksoo, thank you for getting me out of that hell hole.”
Kim Roksoo, not knowing what to say to Cale, only hummed in reply. Then, as if embarrassed, Kim Roksoo changed the topic.
“Go to bed.”
Just when Kim Roksoo was about to leave, Cale caught his arm and pulled him back. “Wait, get on the bed with me. Don’t leave,” Cale said while patting the space beside him. Kim Roksoo’s heart thumped, startled by the sudden offer.
Kim Roksoo tried to refuse. “It… won’t fit the both of us and I can just sleep on the sofa outside.”
But Cale insisted, tightening his grip on Kim Roksoo’s arm. “It’s still better to sleep on the bed rather than the cold-hard floor, right? Besides, isn't it cold outside?”
Kim Roksoo couldn’t just swat the hand grabbing him, afraid that he would get hurt again. But then, he wouldn’t be able to escape from his grasp either.
“Sigh, alright,” Kim Roksoo accepted defeat and nodded. He got beside Cale and tried to lie down. As expected, the bed was too small for two grown ass men. What he didn’t expect was that he was soon able to relax and could feel his eyes closing. Not long after, he could feel himself slipping to the land of sleep.
That night, he dreamt about how his loaf of bread was suddenly squeezed by a giant hand, ruining the perfect square shape.
The next morning…
He could feel a hand on the side of his chest, occasionally squeezing it. Kim Roksoo could also hear the perverted laugh the other person subconsciously let out in his sleep while doing so.
He found the cause of his nightmare.