ACTSV chapter 173

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A few days before his discharge, a commotion broke out over where Jingyeom would stay.

The instigator was Jinwoo.

While they were watching TV, Jinwoo suddenly suggested that he stay somewhere else for a while.

“Move houses?” Jingyeom repeated, thinking he must have misheard.

“Not that. Just until you’re fully recovered, why not stay somewhere else temporarily?”

“Why all of a sudden? I can walk fine now.”

Thanks to consistent rehabilitation, Jingyeom could now walk without any assistance.

While running or walking for long periods was still difficult, he could function well enough in everyday life.

“I know, but I’m still worried. The hill is steep, and there are a lot of stairs.”

“So what? I need to keep moving anyway.”

“It’s dangerous. I can’t be there all the time anymore…”

Jinwoo, who would be returning to work once Jingyeom was discharged, couldn’t shake his concern.

“I’m really okay. I’ll eat well, exercise regularly, so don’t worry.”

No matter how many times he said he was fine, Jinwoo seemed unwilling to back down. Jingyeom, who had been so ready to go home, found the situation baffling.

Since that phone call with Soohyuk, Jinwoo had been reconsidering the rooftop apartment.

As Soohyuk had pointed out, leaving Jingyeom there alone felt increasingly worrisome.

The old multi-unit building had narrow, steep stairs.

If Jingyeom twisted his ankle even once, it could lead to a serious accident.

What hadn’t seemed like a big deal before now felt like a major concern.

Even if it was fine now, the summer heat would soon be unbearable without air conditioning.

But the small room would feel freezing if they kept it running.

More and more flaws kept coming to mind, leaving Jinwoo feeling unsettled.

‘We can’t just move, either.’

He counted the money he had, but it was nowhere near enough.

Moreover, he was adamant about staying in his current place because the landlord had always been accommodating.

The security deposit was low, and the rent had never been increased even once.

The landlord often brought him kimchi or side dishes and had even installed an air conditioner, calling it a bonus feature.

Most importantly, Jingyeom loved the view from the rooftop.

He had planned to stay in the attic room until all his debts were paid.

‘But I guess it’s better to move.’

He didn’t want to be the kind of person who regretted things after they happened.

“How can I not be worried? I’ll start looking for a new place right away so we can move as soon as you’re discharged.”

“Are we moving together?”

“That’s the plan, if possible. If not, there’s nothing we can do.”

If Soohyuk and Wonbeom found out, they’d probably try to take Jingyeom to their homes, while conveniently leaving him out.

It would be more comfortable, for sure, and if he only thought about Jingyeom, it might actually be better.

‘But I just can’t stand the idea.’

Jingyeom pursed his lips, seeming to be deep in thought, and rolled his eyes.

Jinwoo saw this and gave a small smile.

That evening, Hoonil, who stopped by briefly on his way home from work, offered a solution.

“Stay at my place.”

The unexpected offer surprised Jinwoo.

Although Hoonil had always been aware of Jinwoo and Jingyeom’s situation, he had never offered any material help.

He had said to ask if they ever needed anything, but the only requests Jinwoo had ever made were for Jingyeom’s health, so it made sense in a way.

“No, I’d feel too bad about that.”

“I barely even stay at home. I’m more comfortable at the hospital.”

“But still…”

“How are you going to find a place suddenly when he’s about to be discharged?”

Hoonil hit the very thing Jinwoo was most worried about.

It was different if he’d prepared in advance, but trying to secure a place right before discharge was undeniably overwhelming.

Still, Jinwoo didn’t want to impose further on Hoonil after everything he’d already done.

When Jinwoo kept hesitating, Hoonil gave him a light pat on the back.

“It’s not some fancy mansion you’d feel burdened by. Just think about Jingyeom for now. It’d actually be nice to have some warmth in the house.”

“Then… is it okay if we stay for a bit after discharge? We won’t be there long.”

“You can stay as long as you need. Didn’t I say I hardly ever go home? I’m just dropping by to grab some clothes tonight.”

Hoonil’s casual attitude made Jinwoo feel a bit more at ease.

Still, he didn’t want to keep relying on him like this.

Hoonil had always been there, supporting him, even more like family than Baek Myungjun.

Once again, Jinwoo felt an indescribable gratitude.

Jingyeom, who had been glancing back and forth, rolling his eyes between them, grinned when he sensed Jinwoo was about to agree.

He’d been racking his brain to try to ease Jinwoo’s burden, not wanting to be the cause of more trouble.

But since there was nothing he could do alone, he’d been worried.

Now, thanks to Hoonil’s offer, some of that worry lifted.

“Oh, but my place is a bit messy. I haven’t had time to clean,” Hoonil said, stretching his lips into a smile.

Jinwoo laughed and thought to himself, ‘How messy could it be?’

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“Jingyeom, do you want to wait at the café downstairs?”

“After seeing this? There’s no way I can leave. This isn’t something one person can clean alone…”

Calling this place messy was an understatement.

It was filthy.

Truly filthy!

Even with socks on, you could feel the grime underfoot.

And it wasn’t exactly small, despite Hoonil saying it wasn’t some fancy house.

There were four rooms.

Two of the rooms were completely empty, with thick layers of dust and even cobwebs in the corners.

The other rooms weren’t much better.

Clothes were thrown carelessly all over the living room sofa.

There wasn’t a single clean spot in sight.

Jinwoo put a mask he’d packed on Jingyeom’s face.

He was worried Jingyeom might get infected by some germ just from being here.

“Keep your mask on, and don’t touch anything with your bare hands. …You’ll end up getting sick.”

Jinwoo sighed, rolling up his sleeves, and started cleaning.

Of course, he made sure to ask Hoonil for permission first, just in case he didn’t like people touching his things.

Hoonil only laughed and said he was grateful for the help.

Jinwoo gathered the laundry and started a load, then found garbage bags tucked away in the kitchen and threw in anything he deemed too dirty to keep.

The cleaning, which started around noon, didn’t end until evening.

He hadn’t cleaned the whole place, but he’d at least managed to make one room livable for him and Jingyeom.

“Jingyeom, I’ll run home and be back. We’ll eat together then.”

“Why home?”

“There aren’t any usable blankets.”

“Blankets? There are… oh.”

Jingyeom couldn’t bring himself to suggest using the ones here after seeing the dust scatter in the sunlight when he shook them out earlier.

Caring for his own health, he gave a quick nod.

Though he wanted to follow Jinwoo, he knew he’d only slow him down, so he saw him off with a smile.

Left alone, Jingyeom looked around the now somewhat cleaner house and stepped onto the balcony.

He naturally found himself gazing outside, a habit formed during his hospital stay.

“…I never imagined the doc lived like this.”

He had subconsciously assumed that as a doctor, Hoonil would be tidy.

Jingyeom wiped some lingering dust off a windowpane and decided he’d clean the glass properly later.

“Jinwoo’s probably getting ready for work now… I’m jealous.”

The word “work” wasn’t appealing to most, but Jingyeom longed to go somewhere, anywhere, for a job.

Sure, he wanted to earn money, but more than that, he craved experiences.

He’d never really accomplished anything significant, in his past life or this one, and that made him eager.

“…I’ll find something, eventually.”

Even with a frail body, there were jobs he could manage.

While Jingyeom was lost in thought, Jinwoo’s phone started ringing loudly as he made his way home.

He answered Hoonil’s call, only to be greeted by an irate voice.

― It’s unfair you won’t even share the address.

“You’ll have to talk to Hoonil about that.”

― He says he’s leaving it entirely up to you. But Jingyeom’s off-limits, apparently.

Jinwoo raised an eyebrow, intrigued by how differently things were unfolding compared to before.

“Do you think I have any say in this?”

― Oh, come on, don’t be difficult. Didn’t you agree to my place?

“That was only logical. The landlord agreed, and if the people involved are moving, there’s no reason for you to object.”

As soon as Soohyuk and Wonbeom had learned that Jingyeom and Jinwoo were moving to Hoonil’s place, they had rushed to the hospital.

Soohyuk, who had a spacious house with a garden prepared, insisted they stay with him, but Jinwoo had firmly refused.

Wonbeom also argued that it was better to stay where they had household staff, but that, too, was promptly rejected.

Everyone was exhausted from repeating the same lines over and over, but the victor this time was Hoonil.

― Fine, I’ll figure it out. What’s Jingyeom doing that he turned his phone off? Aren’t you guys together?

“I’m heading home for a bit.”

― Leaving Jingyeom alone?

“Gyeom’s not a kid.”

― “Who’s the one treating him like a kid? Fine, got it.”

Soohyuk immediately hung up when he couldn’t achieve his goal of getting the address.

There were plenty of ways to find out, but he’d asked out of courtesy since it was Hoonil’s place.

Jinwoo, not in the mood for a long conversation, pocketed his phone and picked up his pace.

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