ACTSV chapter 19

* * *

The destination of Soohyuk’s car was not the hospital but Jingyeom’s house.

The house they arrived at after climbing a steep hill was so old and dilapidated that it never ceased to amaze him.

“Are you really sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“Yes, I’m completely fine now!”

Until he got in the car, his face was pale, but now he seemed to have regained some color.

His skin was still pale, but it was better than before.

When Soohyuk called Jinwoo earlier, Jinwoo, unusually excited, shouted at him. It was anger directed at Soohyuk, not Jingyeom.

When he mentioned his heart was pounding and his head was dizzy, he had to listen to Jinwoo insist on going to the hospital until the call ended.

However, Jingyeom didn’t want to go to the hospital for three consecutive days. He kept insisting that he would rest at home until Jinwoo reluctantly told him to take care and get some rest.

Soohyuk, who had been listening to the call, also agreed with Jinwoo.

Going to the hospital seemed better than going home.

But since he didn’t want to go, Soohyuk had no intention of forcing him.

There was no need to go that far.

So, he came to this place saved in the car’s navigation.

“Thank you for driving me home. And thank you for the meat too!”

He thanked him twice for two favors. As he got out of the car, Soohyuk followed him out.

Jingyeom stood in front of the gate, waiting for him to get back in the car and leave.

As he watched blankly, Soohyuk took most of the shopping bags from the back seat.

Soohyuk passed by Jingyeom and pushed the gate with his foot. The iron gate creaked open.

“Aren’t you going?”

“I am going… Aren’t you going?”

“I’m just going to drop these off and leave.”

He intended to just hand the bags over to Jingyeom and leave, but he was concerned about his earlier pain and how thin his arm was.

He noticed it when he carried him yesterday—he was too skinny.

Was it because he ate too little, or was it the aftereffect of being sick?

Either way, he preferred to carry the bags up rather than let him struggle with them.

When Soohyuk started up the stairs, Jingyeom hurriedly followed.

“Why are you taking those?”

“They’re yours.”

Jingyeom blinked in confusion.

He had tried on the clothes, looked at the bags, and checked the wallets, making various comments while sticking close to Soohyuk, so the staff wouldn’t hear.

Every time he asked about his preferences, he thought it was just for reference. But now, he was told they were his.

“…Why are they mine?”

It was more a mutter than a question.

Soohyuk climbed the metal stairs with a steady pace.

It was strange that someone as frail as Jingyeom lived in a rooftop room.

The view was clear since no tall buildings were around yet. It was a completely different scenery from Wonbeom’s house.

He placed the shopping bags next to the door. Jingyeom would bring them in on his own.

As Soohyuk was about to leave, Jingyeom grabbed his arm.

“Are you really going to leave those?”

“I told you they’re yours.”

“But… why are they mine?”

More than anything, since he had accompanied him, he knew the prices of the items in those shopping bags.

They were too expensive for him to even consider buying. He was shocked when he saw the price tags.

Seeing Jingyeom’s confused expression, Soohyuk added more explanation.

“It’s a gift for spending the day with me.”

“I don’t think I spent enough time with you to deserve these…”

He picked up the shopping bags, suggesting he should take them back.

But Soohyuk didn’t take them.

Despite Jingyeom’s clear intention to return them, Soohyuk simply went down the stairs.

Jingyeom tried to follow him down, but the shopping bags got in the way, slowing him down.

By the time he reached the bottom, Soohyuk was already in the car.

He knocked urgently on the window, which Soohyuk lowered just enough for their eyes to meet.

Soohyuk’s eyes curved into a crescent moon shape as he smiled.

“Wear them the next time you meet me.”

“Are we going to meet again?”

“Yes, not just once but continuously. Oh, and one more thing.”

Jingyeom, curious, watched as Soohyuk beckoned him closer.

“Next time, call me hyung. You’re not an employee of our company, so why do you call me director?”

“…You said you didn’t like being called ahjussi.”

“So call me hyung. I’m leaving.”

Jingyeom watched blankly as the window rolled up and the car drove off.

The weight of the shopping bags in his hand pulled his arm down. The gathered handles pressed into his palm.

Jingyeom’s head tilted to the side, unable to understand Soohyuk’s actions.

“Why is he like that…?”

Was he trying to use him to get close to Jinwoo?

Jingyeom’s face scrunched up at the thought. It wasn’t the idea of being used that bothered him, but the thought of Soohyuk trying to get close to Jinwoo.

He would never allow it. From now on, Soohyuk was forbidden from approaching both his house and Jinwoo.

Resolving to ensure that, Jingyeom’s eyes burned with determination.

As he looked around the living room, his eyes darted around, unable to focus. Jinwoo must have seen this mess in the morning, but he hadn’t said anything.

Maybe he was too busy, but Jingyeom felt guilty and started to clear some space.

When he added the shopping bags, the space he had cleared disappeared.

He thought he should sell them quickly to make some money and tidy up the house.

“What should I do with these…?”

If he were the real Baek Jingyeom, he might have been happy to receive them, but he wasn’t. It felt burdensome.

If he had known they were for him, he wouldn’t have recommended so many things at the store.

Moreover, the large logo on the shopping bag was too conspicuous. It was a high-end brand that even people unfamiliar with luxury brands could recognize.

Especially the sling bag he had carefully chosen because Jingyeom mentioned needing a bag.

He had been shocked to learn the sling bag alone cost over three million won. Since it wasn’t his money but Soohyuk’s, he hadn’t thought much about it and chose it.

It wouldn’t suit Soohyuk in a suit, but it would look great with casual wear.

It wasn’t just the bag. There were clothes, shoes, and wallets—various items. Even with just the items here, the total cost was over ten million won.

He was starkly reminded of the different worlds they lived in.

But to think they would become his…

If it were something worth a few ten thousand won, he would have simply thanked him and accepted it. But these were way too much.

He pondered how to return it, wondering if the problem was the Hanwoo he had swallowed angrily all the way to his throat.

Or was it the shock when he almost fell? His stomach felt queasy.

He strongly felt that he would feel relieved if he vomited now, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it because he didn’t want to waste what he had eaten.

He climbed onto a clean bed without any belongings.

Stretching out his arms and legs, he stared blankly at the ceiling, causing his eyelids to droop repeatedly.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t slept, but why was he feeling sleepy?

Did he eat too much?

Was the meat too tender?

Even his thoughts wandered strangely due to sleepiness.

He yawned so widely that his mouth almost tore, then turned his body sideways and lay down.

He had heard that it’s better to lie on the left side when you lie down right after eating.

He wiped away the tears caused by yawning and struggled to ignore his stuffy stomach as he fell asleep.

How long had he slept when Jingyeom woke up at the sound in his ear? He had come home earlier and turned on the lights, but they were off again.

Then Jingyeom, blinking slowly at the light visible from the living room, sat up. The rustling sound continued to be heard.

“…Jinwoo?”

“Are you awake?”

“…Why didn’t you turn on the lights or do anything?”

“I was afraid you might wake up, so I didn’t turn them on.”

Jingyeom felt a pang in his heart at those words.

What on earth did Baek Jingyeom do that he couldn’t even turn on the lights in the house he came back to after work?

Frowning, Jingyeom got off the bed, turned on all the switches, and brightened the house.

“From now on, I’ll turn on the lights even if I’m the one going to sleep. Staying in the dark all the time will ruin your eyes.”

“…Alright.”

Jinwoo hesitantly replied, and Jingyeom chuckled as he noticed the bag in Jinwoo’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh… I found something I hadn’t seen before.”

Jinwoo came straight home after work and found Jingyeom lying asleep on the bed.

His breathing was steady, and there were no signs of sweating or groaning in pain.

When he heard earlier that his heart was racing, he wanted to rush over immediately.

Especially since yesterday, there was something he hadn’t been able to tell Jingyeom before he fell asleep.

When they went out with Hoonil, he mentioned that it wouldn’t be good to proceed with surgery on Jingyeom’s current condition.

His immune system was too weak, so even if the surgery went well, recovery would be slow, and complications could arise.

Although the tissue valve was nearing the end of its lifespan, it wasn’t urgent to perform the surgery.

Hoonil stressed several times that Jingyeom’s health was more important than finding his memories, a point that Jinwoo couldn’t argue with and kept silent about.

Anyway, Jinwoo thought that Jingyeom eating the peach earlier was due to his own carelessness.

So when he heard Jingyeom say his heart hurt earlier, Jinwoo felt his own heart sink.

Fortunately, seeing his current state reassured him that he seemed okay.

He gazed quietly at Jingyeom’s sleeping face, covered him with the blanket, turned off the bedroom light, and stepped out into the living room.

He turned on a lamp in the corner and turned off the living room lights.

Living in darkness was familiar to him.

As he did, he noticed a shopping bag in the morning that he hadn’t seen before.

“…”

They were all from brands that he hadn’t seen before… Even though he lost his memories, it seems that he couldn’t give up his true nature.

* * *