* * *

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine…”

The man didn’t look fine. Holding the wrist Jinwoo had grabbed, he glared, making it seem like the situation wouldn’t resolve easily.

Jingyeom tried to calm his startled and panicked mind when the man suddenly slammed the table, making him flinch and squeeze his eyes shut.

The shellfish restaurant tables were mostly round and made of metal. This place was no different.

There were also square wooden tables, but round ones were used to put charcoal inside.

So, the noise was inevitably loud.

Jingyeom had already been startled at the cafe today and had his heart racing from riding the Viking ship. Now, the recent incident had shocked him again.

“Ah…!”

Jingyeom clutched his shirt near his heart, the fabric crumpling in his grip. The pain was so intense he had to hunch over.

Jinwoo, alarmed, quickly held Jingyeom in his arms. Jingyeom gripped Jinwoo’s supporting arm tightly. His fingers soon turned white from the pressure.

“Hyung, what’s wrong? Are you in pain? Is it your heart?”

Jinwoo’s body trembled slightly as if catching Jingyeom’s shaking.

Jingyeom wanted to say he was okay and not to worry. But as soon as he relaxed his clenched teeth, a groan escaped, so he couldn’t open his mouth.

“What’s going on? I didn’t do anything! I just grabbed his arm!”

The man shouted in panic, asking his companions if they saw the same. They all nodded, claiming they did nothing wrong.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yang Secretary was the first to rush over.

Everyone had seen the men causing trouble. Seeing Jinwoo go right over, they had just watched, but the situation was clearly dire.

Jingyeom tried to endure it, knowing Jinwoo would worry.

“Ah…!”

Despite putting weight on his legs, he felt them buckle. If Jinwoo hadn’t been holding him, he would have collapsed.

The pain was far beyond what he had felt in the cafe restroom. Only those who’ve experienced it can understand this agony, making him acutely aware of where his heart was.

‘It hurts so much…!’

He had only heard that his heart and body were weak but had never experienced such pain, so he didn’t know how severe it could be.

Honestly, he had taken it lightly. Without experiencing pain, who would think they need to be careful?

Jingyeom found it increasingly hard to breathe. It wasn’t just dizziness; the pain was so severe that he couldn’t think clearly. It felt like every organ responsible for maintaining balance was paralyzed.

Everyone inside the restaurant was watching.

Yang Secretary, panicking, urgently said,

“Should we call 119?”

“Hey, Secretary Yang, your phone…”

Jinwoo, with a trembling voice, asked Yang Secretary to get his phone from the table, unable to leave Jingyeom’s side.

“I already called 119.”

Soohyuk approached, pulling his phone away from his ear.

Jingyeom was swaying uncontrollably, unaware of what was happening around him. Despite his state, he tried to focus on Jinwoo with half-open eyes.

His once clear vision blurred, and Jinwoo’s figure multiplied into two, then three. Voices around him started to echo.

‘…This is dangerous.’

He struggled to stay conscious, but it was in vain.

Without realizing it, his head fell back weakly, and had Jinwoo not quickly supported the back of his head, he might have injured his neck.

Jingyeom’s body went limp as he lost consciousness completely.

“Hyung!”

Jinwoo’s arms trembled uncontrollably as he held on tightly.

Not long after, the sound of an ambulance could be heard outside, and Secretary Yang helped lift Jingyeom.

“I’ll go with him. You handle things here and follow us.”

Soohyuk, who had suddenly appeared behind them, spoke to Wonbeom, then hurriedly dragged the panicked Jinwoo outside.

To the onlookers, the group of men seemed like villains who had caused someone to collapse.

Wonbeom let out a short sigh, his frown deepening. His already sharp features looked even more menacing.

Just his gaze made the men tremble. It wasn’t about his size.

“Was it this hand?”

Wonbeom’s eyes fixed on the arm that had grabbed Jingyeom.

Secretary Yang quickly got the president’s permission and ushered out all the guests who tried to film with their phones.

“Please wait!”

“…”

“Please wait!”

At Secretary Yang’s desperate shout, Wonbeom stared at the trembling men.

“Secretary Yang, move quickly.”

“Yes!”

All they had done was grab Jingyeom’s arm and slam the table, making a loud noise. But that was enough reason for Wonbeom to exact retribution.

“Don’t use this hand for a while.”

The shop echoed with agonized screams, with no CCTV or witnesses present.

---

Jingyeom was transported to a nearby hospital immediately after collapsing. Hoonil, who knew Jingyeom’s condition best, talked with the hospital doctor and transferred him to another hospital after some basic tests.

A week had already passed since the day he collapsed. During that time, Jinwoo had not left his side, not even for work.

It was considered an unauthorized absence, but it was all processed as a business trip, a decision made by Wonbeom and executed by Secretary Yang.

The three who had been present at the scene realized Jingyeom’s condition was worse than they had thought.

Wonbeom and Secretary Yang had seen Jingyeom’s medical records, but Soohyuk, who only knew about his weak heart, was quite shocked.

Soohyuk now stared down at Jingyeom, whose face was finally visible after removing the oxygen mask.

When he was first brought to the hospital, he was taken directly to the ICU.

They thought he would have to stay there for a long time, but his condition quickly improved, and he was moved to a general ward two days ago.

All that was left was for him to wake up, but he remained motionless.

“Aren’t you sleeping too long?”

“…”

“If you knew your brother hasn’t slept for days by your side, you should wake up by now.”

Despite Soohyuk’s chiding, Jingyeom showed no signs of waking up.

“Secretary Baek, take a break.”

“…”

“Hoonil hyung said you should eat. I don’t see why I have to take care of you, but I’m worried Jingyeom will pass out again when he sees your face like that.”

“…I’m eating.”

Jinwoo finally spoke with a parched voice, carefully holding Jingyeom’s hand. His voice was rough and dry.

He gently traced the soft palm with his fingers.

He should have heard Jingyeom telling him not to because it tickled, but it was silent.

Jingyeom had fainted a few times before, but it had been a long time since he hadn’t woken up for this long.

It felt like being thrown back into the past.

“…Why are you here again?”

“I’m not here to see you. I’m here to see Jingyeom.”

“…Why?”

Jinwoo’s eyes, which had been fixed on Jingyeom’s palm, now focused on Soohyuk standing opposite him.

Jinwoo, who hadn’t slept for days, had dark circles under his eyes, and his pupils lacked focus. His face was gaunt, and his lips were chapped and dry.

Soohyuk habitually lowered his raised lips.

“Do I need a reason to visit?”

“Yes. You do. …I’m curious.”

“Are you so curious about what feelings I have for Jingyeom?”

Jinwoo wanted to know why Soohyuk kept coming to the hospital room.

If it was just for fun, he wouldn’t have gone this far.

It wasn’t just Soohyuk; Wonbeom was the same.

He stopped by the hospital room every day after work. He hadn’t missed a single day in a week.

When Jingyeom was in the ICU, he couldn’t even visit, but he waited outside and then went home.

Jinwoo couldn’t understand why the interest once directed at him had suddenly shifted to Jingyeom.

He didn’t want to understand, but he was curious.

He just wanted to know the reason for this sudden interest.

“You didn’t care before… Why are you doing this now?”

“Do I have to explain it to you?”

“No. You don’t have to. …I was just curious.”

Jinwoo spoke honestly. He was really curious.

Why had their interest shifted to Jingyeom?

Was it simply because they were curious about someone with amnesia?

Or was it because of the drastic change in Jingyeom?

He just wanted to know the clear reason.

“Seeing you speak like that makes me feel like I have to answer.”

Soohyuk let out a short sigh and continued.

“His changed behavior is interesting. Watching him cling to Director Tak like a leech and then suddenly tremble in fear was amusing.”

“…”

“Secretary Baek, you knew this, so don’t make that face. You’re making me look like the bad guy.”

Soohyuk let out a small laugh, lifting one corner of his mouth, and pulled out a chair from under the bed with his foot.

The unpleasant scraping noise echoed in the room.

“From what I found out, amnesia doesn’t necessarily change a person. But Jingyeom has changed completely. You’d know that best, right?”

Soohyuk’s gaze was fixed on Jingyeom.

Even though Jingyeom had been moved to a general ward, Soohyuk didn’t stay long.

He would check if Jingyeom had woken up and then leave.

At most, he stayed for 10 minutes.

“Honestly, I find it fascinating. It’s been so long since I’ve been this interested in someone in such a short time.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Jinwoo frowned as he asked, and Soohyuk chuckled self-deprecatingly. Even he seemed surprised by his own words.

“You know I was interested in you, right?”

“…Yes, I know.”

“Why do you think that was?”

“How would I know? It’s your mind, so you should know.”

Jinwoo replied in an irritated voice. He didn’t want to know.

Soohyuk’s interest was just a nuisance. Even though he was interested, all he did was ask unnecessary questions or poke at him. Since Wonbeom was always nearby, he never crossed the line too much.

Soohyuk poked Jingyeom’s cheek with his finger and then got up without hesitation.

“Yeah. I don’t even understand my own mind. So, for now, I’ll just do what I want.”

“You’re saying you’ll keep coming, but you’re beating around the bush.”

“Did you catch on?”

Soohyuk smiled again.

“I’ll come again tomorrow.”

This was directed not at Jinwoo, but at Jingyeom.

* * *