A fever makes the entire body sensitive.
Even just lying under the blanket.
The shoulders, back, and hips supporting one's weight don't feel much since they're already touching the mattress.
But any sensation that crosses the threshold and provides new stimulation triggers pain.
Even the slightest muscle movement.
Even the feeling of the blanket brushing against skin.
Even the air that's slightly cooler than inside the blanket, seeping through the gaps.
Each time she felt these, Hyunseo would get goosebumps.
How long had it been since she'd been this sick?
Since joining HLG team, thanks to the coach who devoted all attention to managing the players' condition.
She hadn't experienced even a common cold, let alone an upset stomach, or even nutritional imbalance.
Was her immune system weakened because her body had changed?
Or was it because she'd been away from the team's care for just two days?
Either way, Hyunseo was suffering terribly.
They say a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body.
And now that she was sick, all sorts of unpleasant thoughts were crossing her mind.
With my body changed like this...
Did Mom and Dad really accept me as Hyunseok?
Though they had confirmed she was their child through genetic testing.
And they had cross-verified each other's memories to gain her parents' trust.
But that might have just been an act to comfort her in her confusion.
Perhaps both her father and mother still had their doubts about her.
While reassuring Hyunseo to her face, they might be secretly inquiring about Hyunseok's existence behind her back.
The same could be true for her teammates.
From circumstantial evidence to genetic testing.
Though all the conditions had been met for them to intellectually accept that Hyunseo and Hyunseok were the same person.
Some might still be unable to accept it.
Of course, they all denied this.
They said that even as a woman, Hyunseo was still their mental older brother.
Some still called her "hyung," while others deliberately acted playfully as they had before.
But ultimately, the difference in physical gender inevitably created awkwardness.
No matter how much they pretended otherwise, her teammates treated Hyunseo with a sense of unfamiliarity.
And when Hyunseo noticed this, the corners of her mouth would tremble despite her smile.
Well, the guys weren't used to women, so it was understandable.
Perhaps that's why she tried to act even more cheerful.
Pretending to be thrilled about becoming a beautiful woman, showing off her good figure.
Determined to exaggerate that she didn't mind, regardless of whether others felt embarrassed.
But perhaps her emotions had become more sensitive since becoming a woman.
Or maybe things that wouldn't have bothered her as a less sensitive man now irritated her.
Or perhaps she was disgusted with herself for feeling irritated.
Hyunseo wasn't pleased with her own unsettled feelings.
Was her illness causing her mind to be eaten away like this?
At least the throbbing in her head had lessened thanks to someone placing something cool on it.
But that was just a temporary fix.
It didn't prevent her body from shivering.
In her half-asleep state, she hadn't noticed, but as she gradually opened her eyes, still dazed by the sounds around her, she began to survey her surroundings.
Were Mom and Dad doing well?
Did her teammates still see her as Hyunseok?
What if everyone saw her as a stranger?
What if they had placed her in this house where only women lived, like an abandoned duck egg, and were planning to recruit another player...
Just as these thoughts were making her eyes well up with tears,
The voice that had awakened her reached her ears in gentle tones.
"Ughhhh, I should have done it when I had a chance to win in the first round... What? You're saying I wouldn't have made it against those veterans anyway? Yeah, you're right, I didn't make it. But what's this now? I can't even get past stage 1."
"Hmph. Noel, this is the difference between you and me. At least I consistently make it to stage 2."
"What are you talking about? In the end, neither you nor I, Jaemin, can get past stage 2."
"That's not true! I almost made it to stage 3! I could fly if I just reached the cooperative stage!"
"When you say 'fly,' you're not talking about being bounced off by viewers picking you up, are you?"
"..."
Strangely, listening to that slightly thin yet calm voice among those voices.
Far from feeling upset, Hyunseo actually felt somewhat peaceful.
Why was that?
When she was alone, all kinds of noise, even sunlight tapping on her eyelids, had been unpleasant.
Why did Noel's voice sound so good to her now, when she wasn't even taking care of Hyunseo, just playing games while Hyunseo was sick?
Of course, she didn't dislike Noel to begin with.
No, she could say she was quite fond of her.
A child who grew up well-mannered despite an unfortunate family environment.
And a junior top laner who had surpassed her.
Though she had been jealous at first.
It was impossible not to like Noel as a person.
But in her current state, when everything felt unpleasant, she would have expected Noel's chatter to be irritating too.
Why did her voice, complaining to viewers and Jaemin, sound so pleasant?
"But if we get eliminated, the viewers will proceed to stages 3 and 4. Where do all these people who keep matching with us to target us come from? A game matches 80 people at once, are they people who were waiting in line and happened to match with us?"
"Nah. Even though there are a lot of people watching the stream right now, not many of them are actually playing Falling Guys. And if you look at their IDs, it seems like they quit right after eliminating us, then come back out and queue up again to follow us."
"Really? They go that far to target us? I understand wanting to play with us, but wouldn't it be better to finish the game if they have a chance to win?"
"People who play this game now have probably already bought all the customizations they want. So they probably don't have much reason to be desperate for wins."
"Ah, that's true. Wait a moment. Keep playing, I need to go change the ice pack for Hyunseo unnie."
"Okay, see you."
She seemed to understand the reason now.
Hyunseo hadn't even touched an ice pack, let alone placed one on her head.
So why was there a cool towel on her forehead?
Obviously, someone had been nursing her.
It seemed that someone was Noel.
Perhaps Gabi or Jaemin had also helped Noel care for her.
But right now, the one beside her, whose voice was familiar even in her half-sleep, was Noel.
"The towel is really wet. I need to change it. Huh, did it always leak this much water?"
From what she could hear, Noel seemed somewhat clumsy at nursing.
But despite her own leg troubles, she had gone to the trouble of bringing ice from the kitchen.
Wrapping it in a bag, and even adding a towel so it wouldn't be too cold.
Noel must have been muttering in front of the unconscious Hyunseo.
That's why her voice felt familiar and welcome to Hyunseo.
Of course, it was also true that she had heard Noel's voice more than Jaemin's or Gabi's.
So it was familiar in that sense too.
But if she had heard Noel saying she did this and that for her while half-asleep.
Gratitude might have accumulated unconsciously.
Not wanting to deny that gratitude, Hyunseo carefully asked while quietly receiving Noel's care:
"Did you do all this, Noel...?"
"Oh, unnie, you're awake? Not everything. Gabi froze the ice and roughly made the ice pack. I just change it on schedule."
"That's not 'just.' It must have been troublesome. Thank you."
They say out of sight, out of mind.
Perhaps that's why her feelings toward her parents and teammates had been somewhat damaged.
And conversely, since Noel's voice had penetrated to the level of her unconscious.
Was that why Noel's thoughtful words sounded so pleasant?
No, it wasn't just that.
There was probably some comfort in being the same gender, but.
Perhaps it was because only Noel treated her with complete ease.
Noel treated Hyunseo consistently.
When Hyunseo was a man, she had called her "hyung" somewhat disrespectfully and acted indifferently.
And now that she was a woman, Noel still maintained that nonchalant expression as if gender didn't matter.
And contrary to that look in her eyes, because they were on the same team.
Or because they were living under the same roof.
If not that, then simply because she was sick, Noel was going to the trouble of taking care of her.
"What's there to thank? Just get better soon. You need to get better and go top. The Top Lane Maniac shouldn't be sick."
That made tears well up in Hyunseo's eyes even as she kept them closed.
Whether she was a man or a woman, it felt like Noel was affirming that she was simply Hyunseok, or Hyunseo.
Above all, if Noel had been ignorant of the situation, it would be different.
But Noel already knew her circumstances.
She was such a clever child that she had figured it out on her own, without Hyunseo or the team members saying anything.
If someone like that affirmed her.
That judgment must be right.
I am still Hyunseok.
"Yes, I need to get better..."
Thanks to this, the wandering in her sick mind melted away with Noel's warmth.
Now the only chill remaining in Hyunseo was the ice pack on her forehead and the fever making her body shiver.
"Get better soon so you can play Falling Guys with us too, unnie. I can't be the only one suffering here."
"..."