Stepping inside the apartment with quiet curiosity, Jihoon let his eyes wander, taking in his surroundings.
Though the layout was identical to his own, the space felt much larger. Perhaps it was due to the minimal furniture, or maybe it was the muted color scheme that made everything feel empty and lifeless.
It wasn't spotlessly clean, but it wasn't messy either. Still, the place had an air of neglect, as if someone had once made an effort to keep things in order but had long since given up. A few books lay scattered on the sofa, their pages slightly askew, like remnants of a forgotten evening.
Ryul led him toward the kitchen, which was adjacent to the living room. Just as he began explaining the area, a sudden wave of dizziness seemed to hit him. His posture faltered, and his hand instinctively shot up to his head, his expression briefly contorting with discomfort.
Jihoon immediately stepped closer. "Ajeossi, you should go and lie down," he urged gently. "Don't worry about anything. I'll take care of it from here."
His gaze flickered to the tiffin in Ryul's grasp, noticing the strain in his fingers. Reading the unspoken fatigue, Jihoon reached out and gently took it from him.
There was no denying that Ryul was now a shadow of his usual self, as if every last bit of his strength had vanished into thin air. The sight left a tinge of sadness in Jihoon's heart, a quiet ache that he couldn't quite ignore.
"Then… I'll head to bed," Ryul muttered, barely mustering the energy to finish his sentence.
"Okay."
Jihoon watched as the man turned away, his steps slow and heavy, almost dragging. He made his way toward a room further past the living area, and as the bedroom door clicked shut behind him, the apartment fell into silence once more.
Nodding to himself, Jihoon turned toward the kitchen with renewed focus. If nothing else, he could at least make sure the sick man had a proper meal.
His gaze fell on the tiffin in his hand. Given Ryul's condition, heavily seasoned food would not sit well with him, nor would he likely have the appetite for it. Deciding to save it for later, Jihoon walked over to the fridge to store it, hoping the man would recover before it gets spoiled.
The moment he opened the fridge, however, his brows knitted together. Shelves lined with bottles of alcohol and water greeted him. He leaned in, searching the compartments, even checking the freezer, but the result was the same.
"You have got to be kidding me…" he muttered, pulling back in disbelief. "How is there no trace of food?"
He stood there for a moment, staring at the barren fridge before letting out a small sigh.
He didn't have much to work with–actually, he had nothing at all.
Deciding it would be better to grab the ingredients from his own apartment, he hurried out, leaving the door slightly ajar to prevent it from locking automatically and leaving him stranded outside. Since the door was the same as the one in his own unit, he knew it could easily be opened from the inside, but re-entering would require the keycode. He did not want to disturb the sick man over something so trivial.
Jihoon made his way to his apartment and entered the code, the soft beeping signaling his entry. Inside, Haneul was sprawled on the carpet, completely absorbed in his dinosaur figures. His crayons and sketchbook lay nearby, forgotten in favor of his new game.
Hearing the door unlock, Haneul got up and scurried over, peeking up at his brother before stepping aside to let him in.
"Are you still having fun?" Jihoon asked as he walked past him, ruffling his hair.
Haneul hummed in response and went straight to where he left off, too absorbed in his own little world to pay much attention.
Jihoon, meanwhile, headed straight for the kitchen, swiftly gathering everything he might need. Moving back and forth across the space, he placed various ingredients into the woven basket sitting on the counter.
Just as he was about to finish, something crossed his mind.
"Oh! I might need that," he muttered to himself, turned on his heel and headed toward the bedroom. He reached up to pull a foldable table from the top of the wooden cupboard.
Peeling off the plastic cover, he inspected the smooth surface before tucking it under his arm. His attention shifted to the bedside table, where the medicine box was kept. He grabbed that too, just in case the man didn't have any cold medicine at home.
With everything collected, Jihoon headed toward the door, carefully balancing the items in his arms.
It was only then that Haneul finally looked up, noticing his brother was about to go out again.
"Where are you going, hyung?" he asked, blinking in curiosity.
"I'll just be next door for a while. That ajeossi is really sick right now, and he needs to take his medicine."
Jihoon answered calmly, glancing up at his younger brother while adjusting his shoe to fit more comfortably.
At his words, Haneul's expression faltered. While he didn't say anything, the discomfort in his posture was clear.
Reaching out to open the door, Jihoon turned around briefly. "Haneul, lock the door properly, okay? I'll be back soon."
Haneul gave a small nod but remained silent. He watched as Jihoon stepped out, the door closing with a soft thud behind him. After a few seconds, he got up and walked over, tugging at the door to test it.
"....It's already locked without me doing anything," he muttered under his breath, pouting slightly before returning to his scattered toys.
Meanwhile, Jihoon adjusted the weight of the items in his arms and pushed open his neighbor's door with his foot. He carefully stepped inside and nudged the door shut with his elbow, hearing the familiar soft clink of the automatic lock settling into place.
The apartment was just as quiet as before, the air carrying the same faint chill from earlier. Wasting no time, Jihoon made his way to the kitchen, setting the supplies down and rolling up his sleeves.
As he worked, the dull stillness of the space slowly began to shift. The soft bubbling of simmering broth filled the silence, and the comforting scent of rice porridge soon drifted through the air, replacing the emptiness with something warm.