* * *
‘Secretary Baek or Director Sun. Who could it be?’
The only person with access to Jingyeom’s phone was Jinwoo, but Soohyuk could have easily blocked the number if he wanted to.
Wonbeom checked the blocked numbers list, just in case.
“…Why are there so many?”
“Oh… I have my reasons.”
Jingyeom smiled faintly, as if to signal that he didn’t want to be asked further. Then, he shivered slightly and spoke cautiously.
“…Is my brother’s number blocked too?”
“Yeah. Did you ask to check if you blocked my number?”
“What? No! That’s strange. Last time, Soohyuk’s number was blocked too, so why…”
Wonbeom’s eyebrows twitched.
‘It was Secretary Baek.’
He quickly grasped the situation. Secretary Baek had blocked the number, and Soohyuk, realizing this, had unblocked only his own.
“Now that you know my number, you can save it.”
“…Yes.”
Jingyeom kept muttering, “That’s strange…,” as he saved Wonbeom’s number.
“What will you save it as?”
“Wonbeom Hyung.”
“You’re not going to add a star?”
“A star?”
Jingyeom looked puzzled, and Wonbeom nodded.
“Secretary Baek has stars before and after his name.”
The recent call log was full of ‘☆Jinwoo☆’, so it was hard to miss.
“Do you want me to add a star for you too? Since Jinwoo is a white star… should I make yours a black star?”
“…Sure. What about Director Sun? How did you save his name?”
“As Soohyuk Hyung.”
“Without a star?”
Jingyeom nodded.
Although he often exchanged messages with Soohyuk, they didn’t talk on the phone much, so Wonbeom hadn’t seen his name in the recent call list.
Jingyeom finished saving the number and showed the screen to Wonbeom.
★Wonbeom Hyung★
A smile slowly spread across Wonbeom’s face. Just having a black star on either side of his name made him feel strangely satisfied.
It gave him an inexplicable sense of accomplishment, especially since even Soohyuk didn’t have stars.
“Can I send you game invites sometimes?”
“What game invites?”
“Sometimes, when you play mobile games, you need energy, and you can get it for free by inviting friends. But I don’t have many friends…”
“Did you ask for my number just for game invites?”
“No, no! Not at all!” Jingyeom waved his hands, denying it vehemently. He hadn’t asked with that intention at all. He only said it to keep the conversation going.
“I was just curious… and thought it would be good to know your number!”
“Alright, I’ll accept that.”
“But it’s true…”
Jingyeom dropped his arms and muttered in a weak voice. He looked so pitiful and cute at the same time.
‘…Cute?’
Wonbeom couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. He had never considered anything cute before…
But Jingyeom, who was watching his every move, did indeed seem cute.
Wonbeom had always thought it best to remain cold and calculating to achieve his goals. He had never been interested in others or felt the need to understand them. But now, he was a little curious.
What exactly was this feeling he had towards the small creature in front of him?
What did he want to do?
Wonbeom stared at the cautious Jingyeom and slowly smiled.
“Thanks to the game, you’ve been upgraded from an acquaintance to a friend.”
“…It’s not really like that.”
“Alright. But don’t just send me game invites; send me other messages too. If you only send game invites, I’ll be disappointed.”
Jingyeom nodded slowly, pouting slightly.
He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but it seemed like Wonbeom already believed it, which made him a little upset.
Jinwoo brought sushi for dinner.
The rice grains were plump and shiny, with slices of fish glistening on top, looking absolutely delicious.
Jingyeom just stared at the sushi in front of him. He couldn’t eat raw fish before surgery due to the risk of viral infection.
He swallowed the saliva that gathered in his mouth and slowly ate his portion of porridge.
Jinwoo, who had been watching, put down his chopsticks.
He had bought sushi for Wonbeom’s dinner because there was a sushi place next to the porridge shop, but now he regretted it.
If he had known Jingyeom would want it so much, he would have just bought more porridge.
As Jingyeom stared longingly at the sushi, his eyes met Jinwoo’s. Realizing he was caught, Jingyeom quickly turned away, startled. His movement caught Wonbeom’s attention as well.
“Eat! Don’t worry about me, just enjoy your meal!”
Jingyeom hurriedly shouted and turned his back. He felt bad for possibly making them uncomfortable while they ate.
Dinner ended quickly. The porridge was portioned perfectly for Jingyeom, and even a small amount filled him up.
Wonbeom decided it was time to leave and stood up.
In the hospital room, the only things Jingyeom did were realizing that his number had been blocked on Jingyeom’s phone and having dinner.
“Are you leaving?”
When Jingyeom asked, Wonbeom nodded.
“I’ll walk you out! I’ve been cooped up in the hospital, so I could use a walk. I want to see you off.”
As Jinwoo tried to follow, Jingyeom told him to change clothes and rest comfortably, then trailed after Wonbeom.
“Your clothes are too thin.”
“They’re long-sleeved. It’s still summer!”
“Summer’s almost over. The temperature starts dropping in the evening, so wear something.”
Jingyeom closed his mouth, taken aback by the natural concern. He wasn’t used to hearing such words from him, and it made him feel strangely ticklish.
Unconsciously scratching his arm, Jingyeom escorted Wonbeom to the front of the hospital. After watching his car disappear, Jingyeom took out his phone at the sound of a message notification.
Soohyuk Hyung: What are you doing? (9:24 PM)
Me: Just hanging out
Soohyuk Hyung: Sorry, I wanted to come todayㅠㅠ
Did Tak leave? (9:25 PM)
Me: Yeah! He just left~
Soohyuk Hyung: He was there for a long time
Are you feeling okay? (9:25 PM)
Me: Yeah! Are you still at work?
Soohyuk Hyung: Yeahㅠㅠ There’s so much to do.. (9:26 PM)
Me: ㅠㅠ Make sure you eat dinner!
Soohyuk Hyung :I did^^
Soohyuk Hyung : Play with the doll a bit and get some rest~ I’ll come by tomorrow
Do you need anything? (9:27 PM)
Me: No! I don’t need anything!
Soohyuk Hyung :Alright^^ See you tomorrow (9:28 PM)
(wagging hips emoji) 9:28 PM
Me: Okay~ See you tomorrow!
Jingyeom’s face lit up with a bright smile as he looked at the phone screen.
On his way back up to the hospital room, he sent a message to Wonbeom as well.
Thank you for coming today!! Have a safe trip back!
9:33 PM
(smiling and shaking body emoji)
★Wonbeom Hyung★: Yeah (9:34 PM)
Even though the reply was just one word, it made Jingyeom happy.
Soohyuk and Wonbeom often visited the hospital room. There were days they couldn’t come, but they would check in through messages.
Soohyuk would often call. It was always during work hours, but Soohyuk didn’t seem to mind.
Even when asked if he shouldn’t be working, Soohyuk would insist it was fine, asking at length if anything hurt or if there was anything he wanted to eat before hanging up.
Even though Jingyeom suggested he could call after work, Soohyuk would always call when he was alone.
Though Jingyeom sometimes worried that he was disrupting Soohyuk’s work, Soohyuk’s reassurances allowed him to focus on the conversation without concern.
The long periods of solitude made these conversations a vital part of Jingyeom’s hospital life.
They exchanged messages regularly, to the point where Jingyeom started to wonder if Soohyuk was neglecting his work or might even get fired.
Jingyeom also occasionally sent messages to Wonbeom, wishing him a good lunch.
Most of the time, there was no reply, but on the rare occasion there was, it was just a single word, “Yeah,” making it hard to continue the conversation.
As a result, Soohyuk’s messages became a gift in the otherwise uneventful days.
They kept the boredom at bay, if only for a moment.
Time flew by quickly, and soon the day of the surgery arrived.
Having fasted since the day before, Jingyeom whined about being hungry.
“I’ll make you some tteokbokki once you’ve recovered a bit after the surgery.”
“…With gochujang?”
“Yeah, with gochujang.”
It wasn’t just an empty promise to calm him down—Soohyuk really intended to make it for him.
Unlike Jinwoo, who had been tense for days, Jingyeom was only concerned with his hunger, writhing on the bed.
Even right before the surgery, Jingyeom showed no signs of nervousness. He believed the surgery would go well, so he wasn’t worried about the outcome.
His only concern was the pain that might come when the anesthesia wore off, as he had overheard Hoon-Il mention.
Lying on the bed being wheeled to the operating room, Jingyeom grinned brightly and held Jinwoo’s hand tightly.
“Don’t stay out here while I’m in surgery. Go back to the room and make sure you eat, okay?”
“…Okay.”
“And don’t bother the doll.”
He said it to ease Jinwoo’s tension.
“…I can’t promise that.”
But it seemed to be of little help. Jinwoo’s face remained stiff with extreme worry and tension.
Seeing this, Jingyeom wrinkled his nose and then smiled again.
“Alright, just bother it a little.”
“…Okay.”
Before long, they reached the point where Jinwoo could no longer follow.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Okay.”
The door to the operating room closed, and the sign indicating surgery was in progress lit up in red.
Even though Jingyeom had told him to go back to the room, Jinwoo couldn’t bring himself to leave the front of the operating room.
His feet felt glued to the floor.
At that time, Wonbeom was busy reviewing documents and attending meetings, while Soohyuk was occupied with an ongoing company audit.
Both were doing their best in their respective roles, but the thought that Jingyeom was undergoing surgery today was firmly planted in their minds, refusing to fade away.
* * *
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Oh… so jingyeom is being operated already
I hope everything is going well
Be safe jingyeom baby
Omg
Ok but that was so thoughtful of soohyuk to call him during his working hours cuz jingyeom was feeling lonely T-T #teamsoohyuk
Pray for safe recovery #teamsoohyuk
So cute.
I know that he’s gonna be fine but i m still nervous
pls can someone explain, how exchange points on mana
For mana, you need to pay. For free point, please follow this.
https://transweaver.com/how-to-gain-points/