ACTSV chapter 165

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Jingyeom stared intently at his reflection in the mirror and, as if making a decision, nodded.

With a resolute expression, he turned toward the door, but then paused.

“…Was it always this far?”

He only needed to take a few steps, yet the distance felt oddly long, as if it were tens of meters away.

“I can do this!”

Still, he had to move forward. Jingyeom whispered to himself and tried to step forward, dragging his feet.

Just then, Wonbeom knocked on the door.

“Can I come in now?”

“Yes!”

Though Jingyeom still felt awkward around him, he realized that accepting his help would be better than risking a fall.

So, he quickly replied.

Wonbeom entered and lifted Jingyeom, just as he had before.

His strong arms firmly supported Jingyeom, who instinctively clung tightly to Wonbeom’s head as his view unexpectedly rose.

Even after reaching the bed, Wonbeom didn’t put him down.

“You’re light.”

He had noticed this before, but Jingyeom really was light.

Even holding him with one arm wasn’t difficult at all.

“Honestly, I could hold him like this for a while,” he thought.

Glancing down at the bed, Wonbeom seemed to consider it, then turned slowly toward the hospital window.

“Uh? Could you… put me down…?”

“Time’s short, so just let me do what I want for a bit.”

“…Why is time short?”

Jingyeom asked cautiously, worried something might have happened, but Wonbeom replied in a calm voice.

“We can’t stay here forever.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant…”

Feeling a bit deflated, Jingyeom straightened up slightly.

Being in Wonbeom’s arms and seeing the room from a different height gave him a strange new perspective.

“So, this is what it feels like to be tall,” he thought.

Though he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable, he couldn’t stay in this position indefinitely.

“How long is he planning to hold me like this?”

As Jingyeom stayed still, gauging the situation, Wonbeom readjusted his arms, making Jingyeom bounce slightly in his hold.

It seemed he didn’t intend to put him down anytime soon, so Jingyeom decided to wait until Wonbeom tired of it.

After a moment, as he continued to feel Jingyeom’s warmth, Wonbeom asked, “If I just carry you out like this, what would you do?”

“…Are you really going to?”

Jingyeom’s voice held a hint of wariness.

For some reason, coming from Wonbeom, it didn’t sound like a joke.

The thought that he might actually do it made Jingyeom instinctively tighten his grip around Wonbeom’s shoulders.

Seeing the weak attempt to push him away, Wonbeom’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

“If you keep that up, will you end up hating me?”

“Of course I would!”

“Then, I’ll hold back.”

“…So you have thought about it.”

“Multiple times a day. But since I don’t actually act on it, don’t hate me.”

Wonbeom’s tone was almost pleading, and it made Jingyeom loosen his grip a little.

It was strange—he’d never seen Wonbeom look weak before, but he suddenly reminded him of Jinwoo when he was feeling down.

It felt almost out of place, making him question his own reaction.

Caught in the peculiar feeling, Jingyeom nodded slowly and spoke gently, “Alright, so… you can put me down now.”

“How cold.”

“…You’ve been holding me for long enough, haven’t you?”

“It’s nowhere near enough for me. For me to feel satisfied, I’d have to hold you for days.”

Wonbeom’s expression was serious, without a trace of a smile.

His eyes, reflected in the window, were deep and intense.

But Jingyeom, cradled in his arms and turning his head away, didn’t see it.

“Maybe I should just take him home like this,” Wonbeom thought.

The longer he held Jingyeom, who wasn’t resisting, the more the idea tempted him.

Jingyeom was walking with assistance now, and things outside were certainly less dangerous than before.

But if he actually took Jingyeom with him…

“It’d cause a commotion,” he thought.

Jinwoo and Soohyuk would go wild, but he didn’t care.

The real question was whether Jingyeom would be happy.

Still, just holding him like this felt like a balm, washing away his fatigue.

“This must be why Soohyuk keeps calling and visiting him.”

Wonbeom had tried reaching out more often too, but his lack of conversational skills usually ended conversations quickly.

Compared to Soohyuk, who even exchanged selfies with Jingyeom, it was a little… enviable.

Remembering a photo of Jingyeom he had seen before, Wonbeom tightened his hold slightly.

“Hyung, could you put me down?” Jingyeom pressed his hand against Wonbeom’s shoulder, straightening himself as much as he could, making his intention clear.

Reluctant to let him go, Wonbeom paused before taking a slow step.

“I’ll put you down if you grant me a favor.”

“What favor? …No, why should I?”

“It’s nothing hard. Or we could just stay like this.”

As Wonbeom tightened his grip, Jingyeom found himself back in the same snug position as before.

“Well?”

Jingyeom blinked rapidly, weighing his options.

“To be fair, he’s never asked me for a favor before.”

He’d said it wasn’t anything difficult, and it didn’t seem like he’d ask for something unreasonable, so Jingyeom gave a light nod.

“Send me a picture. Not the one you gave to Director Sun, a new one. Something totally different. Oh, and don’t share the one you send me with him.”

“A picture? Why?”

“A selfie of you. Just a nice shot, smiling.”

“…Guess it’s not that difficult.”

Today, Jingyeom felt like he’d seen several sides of Wonbeom he hadn’t before.

He never imagined he’d ask for a photo, especially a smiling one.

Though he’d sent them to Soohyuk, he’d never sent one to Wonbeom; he’d never felt the need to.

Soohyuk often begged until Jingyeom finally sent one just to quiet him.

He didn’t mind taking photos, and his face looked good from any angle, so taking selfies was rather enjoyable.

“I’ll take one and send it to you later.”

“Ten of them.”

“….”

“Or twenty?”

“I’ll send ten more photos. Just please…”

At Jingyeom’s whining, Wonbeom finally let him down.

Once he sat on the bed, Jingyeom subtly inched away from him, clutching the pillow tightly.

‘When is Jinwoo getting here?’

Although he knew the hospital and the company weren’t exactly close, he felt that he shouldn’t stay alone with Wonbeom much longer.

In the past, it wouldn’t have mattered, but now Wonbeom’s behavior was straying too far from his expectations.

Since the drive-in theater incident, this was the first time Wonbeom had openly shown his feelings, leaving Jingyeom unsure how to react.

It wasn’t like the original Tak Wonbeom, nor did he resemble the Wonbeom Jingyeom had experienced so far.

An awkward silence settled between them as neither spoke.

Jingyeom watched Wonbeom cautiously, sensing that something unexpected might happen again.

His eyes darted around, only to meet Wonbeom’s gaze directly.

Wonbeom’s lips, which had been pressed into a thin line, curved into a gentle smile.

“Why are you so wary? Are you worried I might do something?”

“…No, I’m not.”

Feeling he might have looked a bit distrustful, Jingyeom lowered his gaze.

Maybe he was overreacting and reading too much into it when Wonbeom didn’t mean anything by it.

As Jingyeom fidgeted with the pillow in his hands, he suddenly felt Wonbeom’s forehead gently press against his.

Startled, Jingyeom looked up, their noses brushing as they met eyes.

The closeness made Jingyeom flinch, his whole body shaking slightly as he jerked his head back, nearly toppling over.

Wonbeom quickly reached out, steadying him with an arm behind his back.

“Careful.”

“…Hic!”

“Do you always hiccup when you’re startled?”

Wonbeom chuckled playfully, propping himself up on one arm and leaning in slightly closer.

“Are you finally noticing me?”

“…”

“Before, you were so casual touching me that I figured you didn’t see me as a man at all.”

“When did I ever just touch you like that…!”

“Do you not remember? You touched me so much back then I barely managed to hold myself back. Did you forget?”

Even amid his surprise, Jingyeom sensed that Wonbeom might be misunderstanding something, but then memories of that day at the mansion surfaced.

‘Ah!’

Come to think of it, Wonbeom had treated him so nonchalantly back then that he hadn’t thought much of it.

Now he wondered why he hadn’t been more aware of Wonbeom’s interest in him.

That was undoubtedly his own oversight.

Jingyeom’s face grew uncomfortable as his gaze wandered to the corner of the hospital room, avoiding Wonbeom.

He wanted to explain himself but couldn’t find the right words.

It wasn’t like he could pretend nothing had happened—he was the one who had offered to help Wonbeom clean up, even saying it was no big deal.

He had no excuse, even with ten mouths.

But his intentions had been anything but improper.

Knowing how unpleasant it was to feel unwashed, he’d only wanted to help.

As Jingyeom continued to avert his gaze, Wonbeom leaned closer.

“Do you remember now?”

“…”

“I told you I don’t like repeating myself. Don’t look away.”

Though he always said he hated repeating things, he’d done so multiple times just for Jingyeom.

He knew he wouldn’t have been so patient with anyone else.

For Jingyeom’s sake, he’d be willing to explain things as many times as needed.

But he didn’t want to let him look away right now.

These moments of being alone together were too rare.

When Jingyeom’s gaze finally returned to him, Wonbeom smiled in satisfaction.

Jingyeom, glaring slightly as he scrunched his nose, tried to gather his resolve.

“I wasn’t just touching you! I was helping you clean!”

“For a simple cleanup…”

For a split second, Wonbeom’s gaze flicked to Jingyeom’s lips before he looked away.

“…it felt a bit too intimate.”

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