ACTSV chapter 163

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While Jingyeom was diligently walking around the hospital room using his mobility aid, Jinwoo stood by, watching over him.

Both of them awkwardly turned their heads when they saw Wonbeom enter.

“What’s with that reaction?” Wonbeom asked, tilting his head slightly.

Jinwoo was the first to regain his composure and greeted him.

“Welcome, President.”

“Hello!” Jingyeom hurriedly greeted him as well.

He wanted to bow, but since his arms weren’t strong enough to fully support himself, he held onto his device tightly, managing only a slight nod.

“What brings you here at this hour…?”

Jinwoo checked the clock on the wall. It was just after lunch, broad daylight, so the visit was unexpected.

“I wanted to come.”

Jinwoo’s eyes twitched at the straightforward answer.

If Wonbeom was away, it was obvious that Secretary Yang would have to cover for him.

Jinwoo felt a twinge of sympathy, recalling Secretary Yang’s recent complaints.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this is a mobility aid. I use it to practice walking,” Jingyeom explained, demonstrating as he carefully took a few steps forward.

Jinwoo, who had been momentarily hesitant, kept a sharp eye on him, ready to catch him if his knees buckled.

Wonbeom watched Jingyeom walking with quiet interest.

Until recently, whenever Jingyeom needed to move, Jinwoo would carry him—from the bed to the sofa, even to the bathroom.

Back then, it made sense since Jingyeom couldn’t walk.

Even when Wonbeom or Soohyuk offered, Jinwoo refused, and Jingyeom also felt uncomfortable, so he had never attempted to move alone since coming out of his coma.

After observing his improved gait, Wonbeom asked, “Can you walk on your own now?”

“No, it’s still hard without this,” Jingyeom replied, gripping the aid tightly.

Moving around the hospital room was still exhausting for him, and overdoing it would do more harm than good, so he only walked briefly after meals to help with digestion.

Wonbeom had arrived during one of these short practice sessions after lunch.

“Did you come alone?” Jingyeom glanced at the door, which hadn’t reopened, and asked.

Wonbeom tilted his head again, displeased with Jingyeom’s habit of asking about Soohyuk.

“Yeah, I sent him on a business trip.”

“A business trip? Abroad again?”

“No, just out of town.”

Wonbeom had wanted to send Soohyuk overseas, but Soohyuk had stubbornly refused, so he sent him somewhere nearby instead.

Although it was only a few hours away, even arranging that had been difficult.

While it was unavoidable at times in the past, Soohyuk, who was now a director, had complained that he couldn’t keep being sent away indefinitely.

Normally, Soohyuk would have gone without a fuss, but with Jingyeom here, he seemed unwilling to leave, stubbornly resisting until the end.

Whenever he went on a business trip, he’d be gone for at least two or three days, sometimes over a week, and Soohyuk really didn’t want to go this time.

Although he could technically visit Jingyeom anytime, the thought of being physically far away didn’t sit well with him.

If Soohyuk found out Wonbeom had visited the hospital alone, he’d probably rush back to Seoul immediately.

Wonbeom had made sure to keep this under wraps.

Satisfied with his decision, Wonbeom added, “He’ll be gone for a while.”

“When did he leave? He didn’t mention anything about a trip….”

“It was decided just recently, so he should be on his way now.”

“Oh… I see.”

The last message Jingyeom had received from Soohyuk had been about his back-to-back morning meetings, ending with complaints.

Usually, Soohyuk would message him around lunchtime, saying something like, “Enjoy your meal,” or asking, “Did you eat?” But today, there had been nothing.

‘He must really be busy.’

Realizing why he hadn’t heard from Soohyuk, Jingyeom nodded.

Talking while standing had started to wear on him, so he slowly made his way over to the bed.

Once he sat down, Jinwoo moved the mobility aid to the corner.

“President, have you eaten?”

“I have, but I didn’t have any coffee.”

“….”

“Coffee.”

With a pointed look, Wonbeom’s request prompted Jinwoo to take a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly before he responded.

“Shall I order it for delivery?”

“I’d like to have one bought by Secretary Baek for a change. From the café near the company.”

“…Near the company?”

“There’s a car in the underground garage. Take a few of the security team outside with you. It’s been a while since you got out, so you should get some fresh air.”

Jingyeom’s eyes widened at this.

Although he’d been told it wasn’t safe for him to leave the hospital, now he was being sent to a café nearby for coffee?

“Does this mean I can go out too?”

At Jingyeom’s excited tone and gleaming eyes, Wonbeom’s gaze wavered slightly.

“…Just for a little while.”

“Wow! So I can finally go out? Really?!”

“No, not you.”

“Huh? …Why not? Why is Jinwoo allowed, but I’m not?”

Jingyeom’s bright expression fell instantly.

He knew the reasons why he couldn’t leave and understood, but being confined to the hospital was suffocating.

Though he could barely walk on his own, the thought of being able to leave made all the difference.

The difference between knowing you could leave anytime and knowing you couldn’t was stark.

At Jingyeom’s defeated tone, Wonbeom stepped closer.

“When you can walk on your own, then you can go. You’re doing much better, but you’re still not entirely stable.”

“….”

“When you’re able to walk alone, that’ll be your time to go out. Don’t look so down.”

Wonbeom’s rough hand gently patted his head.

He knew how confining it felt to be stuck here, and he felt sorry for Jingyeom.

Jinwoo, meanwhile, had more freedom.

He stayed because he wanted to be by Jingyeom’s side.

Technically, he could go out anytime, as long as he was accompanied by security.

But Jingyeom’s frail body, which turned every situation into a challenge, needed careful handling.

Reluctantly, Jinwoo stepped out of the room, though he hated leaving, aware that Wonbeom was the one supporting them.

He hadn’t tried to ingratiate himself with Wonbeom, but ultimately, he couldn’t defy his boss, who was giving them all this support.

After Jinwoo left, Wonbeom sat in the chair by the bed.

Being alone together had once felt awkward, but after spending time at the estate, they’d grown comfortable with each other.

“Is it okay for you to be here in the middle of the day? Aren’t you busy now as President? You’ve been so busy you haven’t even been eating properly.”

“I’ve been working hard, so one day off is fine.”

“Right. You need breaks, too. So why not rest at home?”

“Seeing you is my rest.”

At Wonbeom’s words, Jingyeom pressed his lips together, blinking rapidly as he averted his gaze from Wonbeom’s intense look.

These kinds of tender words usually came from Soohyuk, so hearing it from Wonbeom felt strangely unsettling.

His whole body felt prickly, but instead of scratching his arms and chest, he nervously pursed his lips.

“It’s been a while since it’s just been the two of us. I liked it at the estate.”

“….”

Jingyeom’s eyes darted around as he looked for something to say, and Wonbeom, watching him intently, offered a slight smile.

“It’s good to be aware, but don’t avoid my gaze. I told you—I’m here to see you.”

“…”

“Since when did Baek Jingyeom get so tight-lipped?”

His voice carried a gentle hint of amusement.

Jingyeom slowly shifted his eyes back to Wonbeom.

For the first time, Wonbeom’s face—usually so unreadable, hiding any clue of his thoughts—was softened with a warm tenderness.

“Finally, I get to see it.”

Jingyeom unconsciously clenched his blanket.

Although he’d seen Wonbeom relax his expression before, this particular look was something entirely new.

Only now did it truly sink in that Wonbeom actually liked him.

Life at the mansion had felt so ordinary that Jingyeom had momentarily forgotten.

When he thought about it, the way the three men expressed themselves was so different.

Suhyeok was the most straightforward.

He didn’t try to hide his feelings, expressing them openly and boldly, to the point that Jingyeom felt he could easily get swept up in his presence and find himself in a relationship without even realizing it.

In contrast, Wonbeom’s expressions were so subtle that Jingyeom often wondered if he actually liked him at all.

It just felt like Wonbeom had slightly lowered his guard and allowed Jingyeom a little closer.

But now, with this gaze so clearly different, Wonbeom’s sincerity finally hit him.

‘So he can make expressions like this…’

Now that he thought about it, even at the mansion, he had never once interrupted Jingyeom when he talked non-stop, nor told him to be quiet.

Even if he played a game beside him while he read, Wonbeom never moved away or voiced any complaints.

The Wonbeom from Gray would never have hesitated to break anything or anyone to get what he wanted rather than simply letting go of things he liked.

This gentle image felt like a stark contrast.

‘Why did he act like that toward Jinwoo, though? Suhyeok too…’

Jingyeom knew it was pointless to keep comparing this version of Wonbeom with the original, but he couldn’t help wondering.

He briefly worried that if these two suddenly reverted to their original selves, things might turn dark, just like in the book, where Wonbeom had kidnapped and isolated people to keep them close.

‘Nah, no way that’ll happen.’

Wonbeom looked so warm that Jingyeom brushed off his doubts.

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