Without You (A Young K FanFiction)

Chapter 33 - "Baby"-sitting

I was trapped in another meeting the next morning. We were preparing for the next film I would be co-directing, a sci-fi movie. The title was Leave No Trail. I had no problem with the film, except that it would be shot mostly out of South Korea. We would be filming the first part on Jeju Island and the rest in China. That meant a long-distance relationship for me and Young Hyun.

Although the shoot in China would start in June, it had already dawned on me how our relationship would be after my contract with CJ E&M expires. The company actually offered me another one-year contract, but I was still deciding, especially since I had a pending project with Studio Roman. I had not discussed it yet with Young Hyun and I did not know how to tell him.

After the meeting, which finished after lunch, I decided to go directly to the company's cafeteria to grab my late lunch. I was on the elevator when I remembered to check my phone. Good thing I did because I saw 13 missed calls and 21 unread messages from Jae, Sungjin, Wonpil and Dowoon!

So I immediately called Jae to ask what it was about.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked the moment he answered my call.

"Jjang! We've been trying to reach you since earlier." There was urgency in his voice which made me worried.

"Sorry, I was in a meeting. We just finished actually. What is it about? You're scaring me."

"Brian is sick. He's in the dorm right now. Can you accompany him?"

Sick? Young Hyun was sick?

As soon as the elevator door opened, I rushed out of the building. I told Jae I would come and then called So Eun telling her about the emergency. When I got in a taxi, I phoned Young Hyun next, but he was not answering, so I started to worry.

How sick was he? Did he catch the flu because of the rain last night? Why would he not answer his phone?!

I arrived shortly at the address Jae gave me. Young Hyun was even surprised when he saw me standing outside their unit.

"Jjang? What are you doing here?"

He was indeed sick, but unlike what Jae made me think so. He was wearing a black hoodie and gray sweatpants.

"Jae said that you're sick, so I rushed here. Can I come in?"

He hesitated. "But...argh. Crap, Jae."

I laughed at him and he finally let me in.

Their dorm was neat and clean. It did not seem as if five guys were residing there.

"It's probably why they cleaned earlier. They know you'll come."

He offered me a seat on the sofa beside him.

"Or they set us up." I faced him. "I was really worried that I rushed here as soon as Jae said you're sick. Plus they were trying to contact me since morning."

Young Hyun rested his head on the sofa's headrest and closed his eyes. He was really ill. "They even bothered you. Aren't you busy?"

"I just came from a meeting." I touched his forehead and felt he was burning with fever. "Have you already taken medicine?"

"I did."

"You should rest then. I'll go buy food."

He lied down on the sofa and I covered him with a blanket. I was about to go when I remembered to ask, "What's your door's password?"

He told me with his eyes close.

I went out to buy us food. It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon and I was already famished. I went to a nearby food house and ordered rice and soup for us. When I returned, Young Hyun was sleeping soundly.

So while eating my late lunch, I took out my laptop and worked. Yes, worked. I had my laptop with me since I no longer dropped by my work station after the meeting. I was working on the first draft for another film I had to submit to our executive producer in Manila.

I was so immersed in what I was doing that I did not notice the time. I just realized it was already five pm. When I looked at Young Hyun, he was already awake and staring at me.

"You're awake," I stated.

He smiled. "I've been watching you for a while."

"You did?" I faced him and touched his forehead again. He was still hot (as in with fever, not hot "hot", you know), but his temperature already went down a bit.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm already fine because you're here."

My heart went haywire again.

"And you still manage to joke around on that state. Who told you to stay in the rain and catch flu anyway?" It was like I was scolding a five-year-old.

"Ya, just get back to what you're doing." He tried to turn me back to my work, but I did not budge. "I like it better when you're quiet."

Hah! "Okay. I'll just leave then." I was about to stand, but he caught my hand and pulled me down again. I was sitting on the floor with my back on the sofa.

"No. Sorry. I'm just joking. Just stay here." He intertwined our fingers, meaning he really did not want me to leave. This guy, really.

I faced him again and stared at him, just stared at him.

"Wae?" He probably got self-conscious. He covered his mouth with his other hand. "I forgot to shave since I don't feel okay."

I laughed softly and removed his hand from his mouth. "It's not that. You still look good, anyway."

Young Hyun smiled, his eyes getting smaller. I really loved his eyes.

"I really wanted to hug you, but you might get sick, too." He suddenly said. "I'll just be contented looking at you this near."

Another silence went between us. We just stared at each other's eyes until I decided to tell him my dilemma.

"I have a new project with CJ E&M. Another movie. We'll be filming in Jeju starting the last week of May, then we'll film the rest in China for four months."

He did not say anything for a minute. Then he sighed and finally said, "It would be hard to see you often then. We'll be starting our World Tour in June. We should go on a lot of dates before that."

I smiled at what he said, but I remembered my other concern. "My contract with CJ E&M will be expiring in October. They offered me another contract, but..."

"But?"

"I have a pending film in the Philippines and I've been offered to direct a Hollywood movie next year."

It was Wes Ball who gave me the offer. He called me that morning to tell me that. So I really had a lot on my mind. Add Mara's wedding and the release of Pearl of the Orient.

"So what's your plan?" He asked.

I tried to read his expression, but I could get nothing. It was guarded.

"I don't actually know. I wanted to stay here, but I don't want to miss those opportunities."

"And I don't want you to miss those opportunities either. So don't stress yourself over that matter. You can always come to Seoul, anyway and I can always find you wherever you are." It sounded like a promise and I liked it.

"But that would mean a long-distance relationship for us."

He shook his head and pulled me closer to him. Forget the flu. "Ya, that's still months away. Let's not think about that yet. For now, let me just stare at you."

I smiled and rested my head on his arm. I watched him until he fell asleep again.