* * *
Jingyeom found it hard to concentrate on his studies while at the hospital, so he decided to look into private academies.
Trying to self-study with no prior knowledge made it difficult to progress, and he couldn’t keep up.
He considered online lectures but chose the academy because he felt learning directly from a person would be more effective than watching videos.
There was a government program that subsidized the cost of certifications, so it seemed like it would cost less than he initially thought.
Jingyeom didn’t want to burden Jinwoo with his academy fees, so he did a lot of searching.
He also considered getting a part-time job, but he was waiting since Soohyuk said he’d introduce him to one.
He hadn’t yet told Jinwoo about his current plans.
If he said he was going to attend an academy, Jinwoo would probably offer to pay for it.
If he mentioned getting a part-time job, Jinwoo would likely tell him not to, so he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
As he was lost in thought, he heard a notification sound from his phone.
When he checked it, he saw a message that money had been deposited into his account — his salary for two weeks of work had arrived.
“…Huh?”
He thought he might have read it wrong, so he checked again, counting the digits with his fingers from the back.
“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand… hundred million? …Three million won?”
Thinking it might be his account balance instead of the deposited amount, he checked the app again. It was indeed a deposit.
The depositor’s name was “Tak Wonbeom” rather than a company name, and the amount was three million won.
Jingyeom tilted his head in confusion.
“Why? …Why?”
Even if he had worked for a month, he would have thought it was a lot of money, but he’d only worked for two weeks.
The amount was too large for that.
Jingyeom immediately sent a message to Wonbeom.
Me: Hello!! I just checked the deposit, and I think there might be a mistake! (10:22 AM)
★Wonbeom-hyung★: What? (10:23 AM)
Me: My salary! It’s way too much! (10:23 AM)
He saw the message, but no reply came.
As he stared at the message window for a while, a call came in from Wonbeom.
“Hello!”
― “What’s this about your salary?”
At Wonbeom’s curt voice, Jingyeom took a sharp breath in and let it out.
Had his message disturbed him at work?
“No, I mean…”
― “…”
“It’s just… too much.”
Whenever he saw Wonbeom’s cold side, he became afraid again. Even though he didn’t think Wonbeom would actually hurt him, he still found himself shrinking back.
― “I gave you what you earned.”
“I didn’t do enough to earn this much, did I?”
― “At least you know that.”
“…I do know!”
Jingyeom, who had been shrinking, suddenly straightened up.
It was true that he hadn’t done much because he didn’t know how to do many things, only handling very simple tasks.
But he had tried his best.
Whenever Jinwoo and Secretary Yang were doing something, he would watch closely and remember so that he could move ahead the next time they did it.
He worked hard to be as helpful as possible to both of them.
As Jingyeom’s voice grew louder, Wonbeom scoffed.
― I heard you’re preparing to be a secretary.
“Jinwoo said that? That I’m preparing to be a secretary?”
― No, Director Sun did. He said he would take you in without question if you get your secretary certificate. Did you make a deal with him?
“No, I said I wanted to do it on my own.”
― …It will be hard for you to enter my company on your own.
At that moment, Jingyeom clenched his teeth. He knew it was true, but it still raised his heart rate.
As his heart rate, displayed on his smartwatch, slowly began to climb, he took deep breaths to calm himself.
His loud breathing seemed to soften Wonbeom’s voice.
― I’ll help you get a job once you get your certificate.
“I’ll get in on my own!”
― Alright, let’s see. But that is the correct amount for your salary, so don’t spend it on anything strange, like last time…
“Last time? Last time… Ah! I don’t do that anymore!”
Jingyeom furrowed his brow, realizing what Wonbeom was referring to. Even though it wasn’t something easy to forget, there was no need to bring it up again and again.
“You were the one doing it, not me!”
― …Me?
“Yes! You even signed a contract last time.”
Jingyeom, still convinced that Wonbeom was involved in a multi-level marketing scheme, remained firm.
But as he listened to the sound coming from the other end, his furrowed brow relaxed.
It was the first time he heard Wonbeom laugh. It wasn’t loud, but it was clear that he was laughing. Soohyuk had a loud, refreshing laugh, but Wonbeom’s laugh had a certain restraint to it.
The laughter didn’t last long. It stopped quickly.
If it had continued, he might have laughed along without realizing it, but it ended too soon.
“….”
― Did you think I was still doing that?
“…You aren’t?”
― I stopped a long time ago. I’m not foolish enough to fall for a pyramid scheme, unlike some people.
“Well, I don’t get tricked anymore either….”
Back then, he hadn’t known what a pyramid scheme was, but after Jinwoo explained it, he quickly understood it was a bad thing.
He thought Wonbeom was still doing it, but it seems he’s not. That’s a relief.
Now that he doesn’t remember most things, every experience feels new. That might be why he watches YouTube so much — so he won’t be caught off guard like before.
― Baek Jingyeom.
“Yes?”
― I’ll grant you one wish if you get your certificate.
“A wish?”
― Yes. It’s important to have clear motivation when setting a goal. It helps to have a reward, too.
“…Any wish at all?”
― As long as it’s within my ability.
He was intrigued.
But he was also puzzled about why Wonbeom would make such an offer when he had nothing to offer in return.
If Soohyuk had made the offer, he might have understood, but it was even more puzzling coming from Wonbeom.
“Why would you grant me a wish?”
― Just because I feel like it. Do your best.
The call ended there.
The conclusion was that the money deposited in his account wasn’t a mistake, and if he got his secretary certificate, Wonbeom would grant him one wish.
Wonbeom had given Jingyeom a reason to study, but it didn’t actually feel that compelling to him. There wasn’t really any wish he wanted to make.
As he tapped the phone screen, the display brightened, revealing a clear sky photo taken from home, along with a pile of unread messages.
“Ah….”
Come to think of it, Secretary Yang had told him to check Jinwoo’s phone wallpaper, but Wonbeom’s smiling face had filled his mind so completely that he had completely forgotten.
‘I should ask Jinwoo to show me when he gets off work later.’
Thinking about how Jinwoo had desperately tried to stop him made him even more curious. Even though a lot of time had passed, and Jinwoo might have changed it by now, he was still curious.
That evening, when he checked Jinwoo’s phone, it had the default wallpaper.
When he asked about it, curious about what Secretary Yang had meant, Jinwoo brushed it off, saying Secretary Yang must have been mistaken.
Since Jinwoo said so, he didn’t want to dig deeper, so he let it go.
As the hospital stay grew longer, more and more of Jingyeom’s belongings started piling up in the room.
Determined to study properly, he bought a book for practicing handwriting after being dissatisfied with his notes.
Along with it, he purchased a notebook and pens specifically for handwriting. They weren’t expensive, but little things were slowly accumulating.
Hoonil, who had come for a house call, chuckled at the sight of them.
“Are you planning to live here now?”
“No!”
“Doesn’t seem like it? Looks like you’re setting up a full household.”
Even though he wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital, half the closet was filled with clothes, including Jinwoo’s and some that Soohyuk had previously bought and brought over.
Even when he tried to refuse them, Soohyuk insisted they didn’t fit him, so he was forced to accept them.
“Is your studying going well?”
“….”
“Have you started?”
“…”
Jingyeom subtly shifted his gaze and stared vaguely at the side of Hoonil.
Even though he had confidently bought all sorts of things, claiming he would study, he hadn’t actually opened a book properly yet.
When Jingyeom visibly avoided his gaze, Hoonil chuckled and said, “If that’s the case, just relax and have fun. Don’t stress about needing to study. That’s worse.”
Jingyeom gave a somewhat awkward smile at Hoonil’s words.
It was true that he had become more anxious than before, especially with his discharge approaching.
“How’s your body feeling? Any weakness, pain, or trouble sleeping?”
“Nothing like that… but it’s a bit itchy here, and my whole body feels stiff.”
Jingyeom pointed to his surgical site.
He knew not to scratch it, even if it itched, so he was doing his best to endure it, but his hands kept reaching for it in his sleep, which was a problem.
It was fortunate that he had a thick dressing band and wore a hospital gown.
Otherwise, the surgical site would have torn open long ago.
Hoonil continued, saying it wasn’t something he could help with.
“It’s itching because it’s healing well, so don’t scratch it even if it itches. It was fine when we checked. If the pain is severe, make sure to take painkillers. Don’t hold back and risk putting stress on your heart.”
“Got it. Aren’t you tired of saying the same thing over and over? I already know everything, so you don’t have to keep saying it!”
Jingyeom knew that Hoonil was speaking out of concern, but hearing it so often had started to feel like nagging.
Of course, he understood these were the most important precautions. Still, hearing it every day was starting to wear on him.
“No, I’m not tired. Anything else bothering you?”
“Um… having to take my medication on time?”
“Why is that a bother? Your caregiver and Jinwoo are taking care of it, right? You have to take your medication for life, so you need to get used to it.”
Jingyeom nodded. He had been scolded for mentioning it unnecessarily.
“Here, there are many people to help you, but it won’t be like this after you’re discharged. Make sure you don’t run out of medication. Set alarms on your phone. Oh, and if you forget to take it, take it as soon as you remember, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Did you read everything I gave you last time?”
“I read it very carefully. I even memorized it all!”
Jingyeom tapped his temple lightly with his finger.
After this surgery, as long as no major issues arose, there would be no need for another one.
However, he would have to take medication for the rest of his life.
The materials Hoonil gave him listed foods that didn’t pair well with his medication, along with others he should avoid entirely.
Although there were many foods he needed to be cautious about, it wasn’t like he had to avoid them altogether — he could consume them in small amounts, which wasn’t too bad.
Besides, since there were already many things he couldn’t eat, the guidelines didn’t really faze him.
Hoonil looked at Jingyeom with an ambiguous expression.
“Can I trust your memory?”
“…What?”
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
Thanks
Thanks 😊
Hoonil don’t do that 😅😅😅
Hoonil…!!(‘ε’*)
Missed Soohyuk and Jingyeom interaction
😂😂