Gala's eyes went perfectly round when his hand felt like it was burning from the heat of his wife's body.
"Since when did you get this high a fever, sweetheart? How did I not know you were sick?" Gala babbled, overwhelmed with guilt.
"Mommy, Tari wants to come with you." Mentari began deliriously murmuring again as she clutched the thick blanket wrapped around her petite body.
Drip.
Gala's tears fell without his permission when he heard the plea of the wife he loved more than anything.
"Don't say that again, Tari! It breaks my heart to hear that you want to leave and follow your mom, too." Gala's voice trembled as he gripped Mentari's burning hand tightly.
"Don't ever think about leaving me, sweetheart! You're everything to me. Without you, my life might truly go dark. So don't leave me, Mentari, okay?"
Gala kept babbling as his tears continued to fall.
Maybe what Gala said sounded overly cheesy, but it was the truth. Gala, who had grown up all alone and never knew what affection was, finally learned what it felt like to be loved after Mentari entered his empty life.
Aside from his best friend Alzi, Gala considered Mentari his everything.
Mentari was his world. Without her, Gala's world would come crashing down.
"Oh God... What am I supposed to do? How can I bring Tari's fever down?"
Gala roughly rubbed his face, completely at a loss for what to do.
Gala had never taken care of a sick person before. So it was only natural that he had no idea what he should do to bring Mentari's fever down.
"G-Gala?"
Thump.
Galaksi jolted when he heard Mentari call his name.
"Gala... Forgive Tari!" Mentari's brow furrowed even more deeply as she kept calling for Gala in her subconscious.
"Gala—"
"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm right here. You don't need to apologize. I promise I'll make your trauma go away as soon as possible."
Gala brought Mentari's hand to his cheek.
"Don't be like this, sweetheart! I don't know what to do," Gala whispered, his chest constricting painfully.
Mentari was usually cheerful despite all the injustice she had endured. Now, seeing her so fragile and ready to give up on life, Gala's heart hurt as if it were being sliced apart.
Gala stared at the small window in his room. "Huff... It's morning already? I need to buy medicine at the pharmacy. But who will stay with Tari if I leave?"
Galaksi was overwhelmed with confusion. He looked at Mentari and let out a harsh sigh. There was no way he could leave his wife alone while she was suffering from such a high fever.
Gala touched Mentari's forehead again, but this time in a different way. He pressed his forehead against hers, and his eyes went perfectly round when he felt that Mentari's fever had climbed even higher.
"I can't just leave this alone. I need to ask Arumi for help. She's the only one who can help me. I might as well bring Alzi, too."
Gala continued babbling as he searched for his phone. He hurriedly looked for Arumi's contact number. She was Mentari's best friend.
It didn't take long for the call to connect, and Arumi's hoarse voice came from the other end. The girl had probably just woken up, but Gala didn't care. The only thing on his mind right now was Mentari, Mentari, and Mentari.
"Hey, Rum. Can I ask you for a favor?" Gala asked without beating around the bush.
"What is it?" Arumi asked lazily.
She had been having a wonderful dream about riding the sport bike she had always wanted. But Arumi's dream ended miserably when she suddenly fell out of bed because the sound of her phone echoed loudly through the room.
"Can you come to my rented place right now? Please, I need your help!"
"You're safe, right, Gal? It's not like you to beg someone for help like this." Arumi was bewildered. She had never heard Gala beg anyone for help before, no matter how difficult his life was.
"I'm fine, but Mentari isn't," Gala blurted out, making Arumi's eyes, which had been heavy with sleep, snap wide open.
"What happened to Mentari? Why did you say my bestie isn't safe?" Arumi pressed impatiently.
"Mentari has a high fever, and I don't know what to do," Gala answered, leaving Arumi even more confused.
"Wait, wait! How did Mentari get a fever, and you don't know what to do? Are you at Mentari's house?" Arumi asked, her curiosity surging.
"I already told you we're both at my rented place. Don't ask so many questions right now, Rum. I'm freaking out—Mentari's body is burning up."
"Oh, okay. I'm on my way right now," Arumi said before hanging up, now panicked and worried about her best friend's condition too.
"Bring Alzi with you, and please, please buy some fever-reducing medicine first. I can't leave Mentari here alone," Gala pleaded. Arumi nodded in response, even though Gala couldn't see her.
"Before I get there, put an ice-water compress on Mentari's forehead, Gal! That should help, too." After saying that, Arumi ended the call.
"I wonder why Mentari was already at Gala's rented place this early in the morning," Arumi muttered, confused.