A case of Transmigrating as a Sick Villain chapter 81

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After sending the two people out, Jinwoo seemed oddly relieved. He mentioned having things to organize, but most of it was done in the morning, so there wasn’t much left to do.

Jingyeom sat on the bed, slowly swinging his legs.

“Are you really going to sleep here?”

“Yeah. I said I’d stay with you.”

“But… it’s uncomfortable.”

Jinwoo checked if the hospital room door was properly closed and sat next to Jingyeom.

“There’s a bed for me over there, air conditioning, and even a bathroom.”

Jinwoo placed his hand over Jingyeom’s, which was resting on the bed.

“Most importantly… you’re here.”

Jingyeom could feel the warmth of Jinwoo’s hand and the subtle movement of his fingers.

Whether Jinwoo was being sincere or just saying this to reassure him, it made Jingyeom feel a bit ticklish inside.

Typically, a guardian stays in a hospital room to provide care. Unless it’s after surgery, there’s no real need for a guardian to be by the patient’s side right now.

Jingyeom flipped his hand over and lightly tapped Jinwoo’s fingers. Watching Jinwoo’s fingers follow his movements, he smiled faintly.

“Still, make sure to go home and rest sometimes. No matter how nice the facilities are, home is best.”

“I will, when necessary.”

“Alright. You don’t have to be here all the time. Don’t overdo it; just do what you want.”

“Being by your side is what I want.”

Jingyeom’s face bloomed into a full smile, mirroring Jinwoo’s warm grin.

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Soohyuk and Wonbeom visited often, almost always together as if they had planned it.

Jinwoo would always open the hospital room door with a look of annoyance when they were with him.

But on the days he came alone, his face would light up with a bright smile as soon as he opened the door, as if he truly enjoyed coming by himself.

Since Jinwoo didn’t visit every day or inform them beforehand, Jingyeom found himself constantly watching the door around the time Jinwoo was supposed to arrive.

At some point, waiting became second nature to him.

Like a dog, Jingyeom would often find himself sitting and staring at the door at the same time each day.

The VVIP hospital room was isolated from the regular ones, so the hallway traffic was limited.

Moreover, Jingyeom’s room was at the end of the hallway, so no one passed by unless they were visiting.

He hadn’t come for two days, so Jingyeom figured today would be the day. After about 20 minutes of staring at the door, he finally heard the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Jinwoo wasn’t alone.

“Hyung, I’m here.”

Wonbeom appeared behind Jinwoo as he entered the room. Jingyeom immediately got off the bed.

“Hello!”

“Yeah.”

As expected, a curt reply.

Jingyeom cheerfully smiled and spread his arms towards Jinwoo, who, in turn, opened his arms to tightly embrace him.

“Welcome back. You worked hard today.”

Jingyeom gently patted Jinwoo’s back.

Lately, Jinwoo had been receiving a hug from Jingyeom every time he came home from work. It was Jingyeom’s way of giving strength to the family’s breadwinner.

While holding Jinwoo, Jingyeom gave a playful smile to Wonbeom, who was just standing there. Jingyeom didn’t see Soohyuk anywhere.

It seemed like he had come alone today, even though they usually came together.

Lowering his heels to match the height, Jingyeom released Jinwoo from the hug.

“Where’s Soohyuk hyung?”

“Working late. Have you had dinner?”

“Yeah, I finished everything today. But I’m feeling a bit hungry now.”

Jingyeom rubbed his stomach as he spoke, and Jinwoo, setting down his bag, asked:

“Should I go get something?”

“Um… tteokbokki?”

“I’ll get some porridge.”

“Then why did you even ask?”

“I was going to get something suitable for you to eat.”

Jingyeom pouted, causing Jinwoo to chuckle.

Though he used to only eat half of his hospital meals, he’s been finishing them all lately.

Since he’s been wandering around the hospital out of boredom, his appetite seems to have increased a bit.

Of course, he still grumbles about how tasteless the food is.

“In that case, I’ll get something for you and hyung too.”

“You should go home and eat. The housekeeper must’ve prepared a nice meal for you. If you eat here, it’ll all go to waste.”

“Ah… I didn’t think of that.”

Jinwoo turned towards Wonbeom, who seized the opportunity.

“You should leave with me when I go, sir.”

“I’ve only been here for five minutes.”

“Five minutes is enough. Besides, you don’t have anything more to say.”

“…Now that I think about it, today is the housekeeper’s day off. There won’t be any food at home. I’ll just get some porridge for myself while I’m out.”

And so, Jinwoo had no choice but to go get porridge, thanks to Wonbeom. He had planned to leave with Wonbeom, but when Jingyeom’s stomach growled, he reluctantly left the room.

If the housekeeper was indeed off, she would have prepared everything the day before, or sent someone else to set the table.

She’s been taking care of Wonbeom’s house and meals for a long time, so it’s unlikely that she would suddenly take a day off.

Jinwoo knew this too, which is why he thought Wonbeom was up to his tricks again. Still, not wanting Jingyeom to go hungry, he begrudgingly left to get food.

Left alone with Wonbeom for the first time in a while, Jingyeom nervously glanced around.

It felt awkward to be alone with him, even though it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was just unfamiliar, as it didn’t happen often.

“Please, have a seat.”

Seeing that Wonbeom was still standing, Jingyeom led him to the sofa.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good. Eating, sleeping, resting. It feels almost too leisurely, like I shouldn’t be this free.”

“Didn’t you say you were studying?”

As soon as he sat down, Wonbeom crossed his legs and leaned back comfortably against the sofa, placing his hands on his thighs.

Watching him, Jingyeom spoke with determination.

“Crossing your legs messes up your hips.”

“…What?”

Wonbeom asked in disbelief.

“It makes your spine crooked and causes problems later in life.”

“Huh.”

Wonbeom couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected response.

“Did you see that on YouTube?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you see it on YouTube?”

“Yes! If it gets too bad, you might need surgery for a herniated disc. So, um…”

Jingyeom’s gaze drifted towards Wonbeom’s legs.

Wonbeom, who had rarely been criticized for his posture since childhood, was at a loss for how to react.

He lightly trembled his leg.

If anyone else had said that, he would have either ignored them or made sure they were out of sight.

But since it was Jingyeom who said it, he couldn’t do either.

‘Damn it.’

Jingyeom’s pale brown eyes didn’t leave his legs, clearly expecting him to uncross them.

Following the slow movement of his legs, Jingyeom’s eyes tracked every motion.

“Like this?”

“Yes!”

Jingyeom’s face lit up with satisfaction as Wonbeom uncrossed his legs.

The large hand resting on his thigh twitched slightly.

The sheer brightness of Jingyeom’s expression made it clear he was pleased with the adjustment.

Would there ever be a day when that face would darken?

‘I don’t particularly want to see that.’

Jingyeom’s smiling face seemed to fit him perfectly, Wonbeom thought.

As Wonbeom stared at him, Jingyeom, feeling his gaze, nervously shifted his eyes and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

He gripped it so tightly that his fingerprints were visible on the screen, and rubbed it nervously before finally speaking up.

“Could you… give me your phone number?”

“My number? Why?”

“Well, I thought it might be good to have it. I’d like to slowly repay the support you’ve given me.”

Her pale hand fidgeted as she clutched her phone. It took some courage to say that.

Jingyeom didn’t think he and Wonbeom would have much reason to keep seeing each other.

He might see Jinwoo because he was an assistant, but Jingyeom was just the assistant’s brother.

In the original story, he forced a connection with Wonbeom by clinging to him. But this time, it was different.

He had no intention of doing that; he just wanted to know the number to repay the debt.

Of course, he could contact him through Jinwoo. Wonbeom might even prefer that.

But asking for his number was purely for his own selfish reasons.

Wonbeom was not only the protagonist of ‘Gray’, but also the first connection Jingyeom made in this world.

He didn’t know how long he could maintain this relationship, but he was determined to at least repay some of the kindness.

Wonbeom silently stared at the nervous Jingyeom.

‘What’s the big deal about a phone number?’

Despite being the one who asked, Jingyeom seemed to anticipate rejection, his eyes and fingers unable to stay still.

Without a word, Wonbeom turned on his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and dialed a number.

The call rang a couple of times before an automated voice announced that it couldn’t be connected.

Jingyeom had no idea what Wonbeom was doing, so he just waited quietly.

Wonbeom’s gaze shifted to Jingyeom’s phone screen. There was no reaction.

The number on the resume was correct. It even matched Jinwoo’s last four digits.

Wonbeom’s eyes, filled with a hint of curiosity, moved slowly.

“This isn’t your number?”

Wonbeom held out his phone, and Jingyeom checked the number before nodding.

“Yes, it is. …Wait, why isn’t the call coming through?”

“…”

Wonbeom’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Give me your phone.”

Jingyeom handed over his phone without hesitation.

With large fingers, Wonbeom navigated through it. The phone wasn’t locked, so it turned on immediately.

The background was a clear blue sky.

In the recent call history, Wonbeom’s number appeared, but it was marked with a circle crossed by a line—blocked.

Since Jingyeom had asked for his number directly, it was likely someone else who knew Wonbeom’s number had blocked it.

And it didn’t take long to figure out who that person was.

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