A case of Transmigrating as a Sick Villain chapter 83

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Jingyeom entered the operating room, his heartbeat quickening as he tried to steady his breathing.

Up until he walked in, he felt no particular emotion, but now, seeing the medical team prepared around him, the reality of the situation hit him all at once.

Hoonil, dressed in a teal surgical gown, met Jingyeom’s gaze with a warm look.

“It’ll all be over when you wake up. Don’t worry too much; just get some good rest.”

With Hoonil’s reassurance, Jingyeom nodded briefly and closed his eyes.

Not long after the anesthesia was administered, his breathing grew calm and quiet.

---

Jingyeom slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. His mind was foggy, making it hard to discern whether the surgery had gone well or not. But soon, his blurry vision cleared.

‘This is a hospital room.’

A strange thought crossed his mind. He had just opened his eyes and hadn’t sat up, so he should be seeing the ceiling, but instead, the entire room was in view.

Moreover, this wasn’t the hospital room he had been staying in.

‘What’s going on?’

He wanted to look around, but his body wouldn’t move as he wished. He was baffled.

He wondered if he was experiencing sleep paralysis and tried to muster strength in his body, but it was futile.

The situation unfolding before him was utterly unfamiliar.

‘…Is this a dream?’

All Jingyeom could do was wait to wake up from it.

As he held his breath, his head slowly turned, and a white doctor’s coat came into view.

The doctor’s face was blurry, and though they seemed to be saying something, he couldn’t hear it.

He only guessed that they were talking because their lips were moving.

‘What kind of dream is this?’

His head, which had slumped down, gradually turned again.

This time, his view fell on the doctor’s legs, the hospital floor, and a frail hand lying limply on the blanket.

The hand was so thin that the bones stood out starkly, and there was no trace of flesh on the fingers. It felt alien.

As he silently waited, wondering when he would wake from the dream, his vision suddenly began to spin.

Helplessly, he was sucked into that vortex, unable to close his eyes. The spinning was so intense that he felt like he might vomit.

If only he could lose consciousness, he wouldn’t have to endure this feeling.

‘Ah…’

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed. Just when he thought he might have to live in this place forever, the movement stopped abruptly, and he fell.

The speed seemed fast, but since he couldn’t see anything, he felt numb.

Then, as his body jolted, he suddenly opened his eyes.

Jingyeom blinked rapidly and sighed in relief when he saw the familiar ceiling above him.

He slowly rolled his eyes to look around and noticed a familiar head lying on the bed beside him.

Seeing that familiar shape made him smile involuntarily. He wanted to call out the name, but his voice was blocked by a respirator.

Moving was difficult, so he took a deep breath and then gently tapped Jinwoo’s hand, which was holding his even in sleep, with his fingertips.

Startled, Jinwoo jumped up as if he had encountered a wolf in a quiet chicken coop. Jingyeom was even more surprised by his sudden movement.

Jinwoo, who had raised himself up, quickly checked the heart rate monitor after seeing Jingyeom awake.

Thankfully, everything was normal.

Breathing heavily, Jinwoo turned his head and met Jingyeom’s slowly blinking eyes.

Jinwoo got up from his seat and pressed the call button while watching Jingyeom.

He tried to calm his racing heart by breathing deeply, but his eyelids and hands still trembled.

It wasn’t easy to settle down, especially since this was a moment he had been dreaming of.

“…Are you awake?”

Jinwoo asked, gently stroking Jingyeom’s face with a trembling hand. His voice was rough, and the tremor was evident in his tone.

Even though Jingyeom hadn’t been unconscious for that long, the fear couldn’t be helped.

Jingyeom wanted to respond, but he had no strength, so he simply tried to smile.

The unsettling dream made him want to cling to Jinwoo and feel the reality of the moment, but he couldn’t fight off the sleep that was overcoming him again.

“Hyung?”

Jinwoo quickly turned to check the machine. Thankfully, all the numbers were normal.

The nurse and Hoonil, who had rushed in after receiving the call, checked on Jingyeom.

“Talking to Jingyeom is harder than I thought.”

Even though it was expected that Jingyeom would be weak, Hoonil couldn’t help but say it.

In fact, Jingyeom waking up now was sooner than Hoonil had predicted.

He had assumed it would take up to a week for Jingyeom to regain consciousness due to his frail condition.

“…I know.”

Jinwoo, who was also aware of this, responded with a bitter smile.

“You shouldn’t sleep here anymore. Go lie down on a bed.”

“Just a little longer… just a bit more.”

Seeing Jinwoo’s unwavering gaze fixed on Jingyeom, Hoonil clicked his tongue softly.

Jinwoo took a deep breath.

Then, with both hands, he clasped Jingyeom’s hand tightly against his forehead.

Only then did his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, begin to calm down.

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The surgery was a success. In case of any unexpected complications, Jingyeom was kept in the intensive care unit for a day before being moved to a regular room, and he woke up two days later.

Moreover, his recovery speed was faster than expected. His efforts, coupled with Jinwoo’s diligent care, greatly contributed to this.

To avoid reopening his wounds, he refrained from excessive movement and made sure not to skip meals, even when he had no appetite.

Although he never got used to the bitter taste of the medicine on his tongue, he took it without fail.

Usually, the nurses handled the wound care, but Hoonil found time to personally take care of Jingyeom’s.

The surgical scars, which might have seemed unsightly to some, were healing well.

Jingyeom leaned against the bed, watching Hoonil as he tended to his wounds.

Hoonil noticed Jingyeom’s gaze and smiled.

“What are you staring at like that?”

“…It’s amazing.”

“What is?”

“It didn’t hurt as much as I thought… and I feel healthier than before.”

Jingyeom smiled, but it slowly faded away.

Health. Perhaps this was something Baek Jingyeom had longed for his entire life.

After finishing the wound care and applying fresh dressings, Hoonil reached out and gently stroked Jingyeom’s hair.

“The reason it doesn’t hurt is because you’re still on painkillers. The moment you stop, you’ll be begging for them again.”

In Hoonil’s assessment, Jingyeom’s body and mind were not yet in a state to endure pain, which is why he continued to prescribe painkillers.

Understanding this, Jingyeom nodded lightly.

“Ah… so, am I really healthier?”

Hoonil paused for a moment before answering the pale brown eyes staring at him.

“No, you’re the same as before. In fact, you have to be even more careful now.”

“Careful about what?”

“Yeah. You’ve always had a weak body. Remember how your blood doesn’t clot easily? That’s something very serious for you.”

Due to the surgery, Jingyeom now had to take a lifelong medication.

Anticoagulants, warfarin.

It’s a drug that prevents blood from clotting. Because of this, once bleeding starts, it’s hard to stop. Moreover, Jingyeom was also anemic, making him even more vulnerable.

Jingyeom nodded again, acknowledging what Hoonil said.

“Jingyeom.”

“Yes?”

“Just be careful, but don’t live too cautiously. If something happens, come to the hospital immediately. If this place is too far, go to another hospital. Tell them about your condition and get treated. It’s not that serious. Got it?”

“Just now, it was you who was being serious, wasn’t it?”

“I’m a doctor. I have to tell my patients the truth.”

It seemed like Jingyeom’s shoulders drooped a bit, so Hoonil, smiling even wider, ruffled his hair playfully. However, the familiar texture he felt on his fingers made him quickly withdraw his hand with a grimace.

“Ew… When was the last time you washed your hair?”

“Yesterday.”

“Doesn’t feel like yesterday.”

“…Maybe the day before?”

Jingyeom’s voice trailed off. His scalp was indeed itching.

Having spent most of his time in the hospital and with the increased workload at the office, it seemed like Jinwoo was getting more exhausted, so he had postponed washing his hair for two days, resulting in it becoming greasy.

He had worried about the pain post-surgery, but it never occurred to him that bathing would be such a hassle.

Only after the surgery did he realize how significant this problem was. He couldn’t shower because he had to avoid getting water on the surgery site, so he had to rely on a damp towel for cleaning.

Even just washing his hair required bending over, which was impossible to do alone.

So, Jinwoo had been helping him whenever he came home from work.

Jingyeom would lean back against the bathtub, and Jinwoo would carefully wash his hair.

Although they could have asked a caregiver to help, Jingyeom still felt a bit embarrassed about it, so he relied solely on Jinwoo.

Originally, Jingyeom had refused the idea of having a caregiver out of discomfort, but since he couldn’t even walk properly on his own, he had no choice but to hire one.

However, the caregiver only stayed from 8 AM to 6 PM.

Jinwoo wanted the caregiver to be there until he got off work and arrived at the hospital, but Jingyeom insisted he could manage alone for a while, so they agreed on these hours.

Initially, Jingyeom couldn’t leave the bed, so the caregiver arrived before Jinwoo went to work and left only after they had seen each other when he returned.

It felt awkward to have someone else in the room after being alone for so long, but they eventually became somewhat friendly after many conversations.

A week after the surgery, Jingyeom began practicing walking, but his entire body creaked from the aftereffects of the thoracotomy.

The upper body pain, in particular, would often strike without warning, making it difficult to move, so he deeply appreciated the caregiver’s dedicated help.

“Should I wash your hair for you?”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. You’re busy, aren’t you?”

“I’m not busy. If I were, do you think I’d be here? Or you could ask the caregiver.”

“I’m still a bit…”

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