* * *

I tried to loosen the grip of our intertwined hands, but no matter how much I tried, they wouldn’t come apart.

“Just pull it apart. Baek Jingyeom’s not going to wake up.”

Even at Soohyuk’s words, Wonbeom’s touch remained careful. He painstakingly loosened each finger to avoid waking either person.

Jinwoo wasn’t short, and though he was an adult male, he showed no sign of difficulty lifting him. Without making a sound, he moved Jinwoo to the bed.

Once he carefully laid him down to avoid waking him, Hoonil adjusted his position and covered him with a blanket.

“You guys should leave now.”

“I want to stay a bit longer. I always stay for at least ten minutes. Since I came, I should stay for that long.”

As Soohyuk pulled out a chair and sat down, Hoonil turned around. He shoved his hands into his gown’s pockets and stared intently.

“Why? If you have something to say, say it. Aren’t you busy?”

“No, it’s just funny.”

“What’s funny?”

“It’s funny that Sun Soohyuk comes to visit the hospital every single day without missing a day. Is that even possible?”

It’s not surprising at all.

Soohyuk found it too tiresome to respond and kept his mouth shut.

After a moment’s hesitation, he carefully extended his arm.

In fact, he had tried this before, but Jinwoo was always watching, so he had to make do with a brief touch.

His fingertips reached Jingyeom’s forehead.

As he moved gently along the smooth, round line, he felt the softness of his skin.

But once again, he couldn’t stay there long. Hoonil grabbed Soohyuk’s wrist and lifted it.

“Don’t touch with your dirty hands.”

“Dirty? I washed my hands and used disinfectant.”

“Even so, it’s dirty.”

It wasn’t that his hands were full of germs, but rather that he didn’t like touching Jingyeom.

Hoonil raised his arm high and then let it fall behind him. Soohyuk’s arm fell limply.

He could have pulled it out with effort, but he didn’t want to bother with a struggle.

“Hyung.”

“Even if you call, if it’s not going to work, it’s not going to work. Don’t think about touching Jingyeom.”

“Not that. I’m just curious about something.”

“What is it?”

Seeing Hoonil’s eyes, which looked like they were about to burn him if it was something strange, Soohyuk clicked his tongue.

Hoonil seemed to have become a bit strange lately. No, it’s more accurate to say that he was already a strange person, and now he seemed even stranger.

“Given how weak your body is, how will you live if you can’t work? It’s okay now because Secretary Baek is here, but what if you have to live alone later? Can you be independent?”

“It’s not just about physical work. There are jobs you can do at a more leisurely pace. Even though you’re sensitive to stress, you should try to minimize it…”

In fact, Hoonil didn’t know what kind of jobs would suit Jingyeom. All jobs come with stress, after all. Still, it was true that he needed to choose a profession that required less physical exertion.

Nowadays, being an influencer is considered a job, and that might be a good option.

However, Baek Jingyeom didn’t really like that kind of work.

When asked why, he said he didn’t like being recognized by people because he became famous or something like that.

It’s not something you can force someone to do if they don’t want to, but it certainly seems like one of the best career options.

“You won’t be able to do the café part-time job anymore.”

“Why? Didn’t you say you were taking time off because you’re sick?”

“I can’t just keep the part-time job open indefinitely without knowing when you’ll wake up. I told them to find someone new.”

Soohyuk spoke nonchalantly as he subtly reached out towards Jingyeom again. This time, he aimed for Jingyeom’s hand rather than his face.

He flipped over the pale hand, which was so white the veins showed through. He tapped the delicately folded fingers.

There was no reaction. When he spread the fingers and let them go, they slowly curled back.

Hoonil furrowed his brows. The topic of their recent conversation seemed more appropriate to discuss with Jinwoo than with Soohyuk.

“You told them to find someone new?”

“Hmm.”

“Why did you mention that in the café?”

“Who else would? Secretary Baek? Or the one lying down?”

While Jingyeom was lying down, Jinwoo wasn’t in his right mind. That’s why he might not have had the presence of mind to contact the café where he works part-time.

If that were the case, someone might have called Jingyeom’s phone, and then he could explain the situation.

It was a good thing, but I was curious as to why it was Soohyuk who did it.

Hoonil, with his arms crossed, observed silently while Soohyuk glanced at him with a slight frown.

“Why are you looking at me like that? If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t beat around the bush.”

“Are you really interested in Jingyeom? Not as a joke, but seriously?”

“How does it look to you? Does it seem that way?”

Soohyuk, who threw the question back, was already smiling.

From Soohyuk’s attitude so far, it was clear that he was interested. But Hoonil, who has known Soohyuk for a long time, found it hard to discern whether the interest was genuine or just temporary curiosity.

If he himself can’t distinguish it, there’s no way others could.

Soohyuk, seeing Hoonil not answering immediately, raised the corners of his mouth.

“Secretary Baek asked me the same thing. Whether it’s genuine.”

“And what did you answer?”

“Do you think that if it’s not genuine, I shouldn’t do anything with Baek Jingyeom?”

Soohyuk rested his chin on his hand and hooked his finger with Jingyeom’s finger. The size difference was clear.

Compared to Soohyuk’s thick fingers, Jingyeom’s were slender and long, and they were clean without any calluses.

“Why does it always have to be genuine? Isn’t it enough just to want to do it? Even if you say it’s genuine, what if it turns out to be a lie?”

“……”

“Well, that’s the way it is.”

“You’re really something. But I also don’t like the idea of you just messing with Jingyeom.”

Here and there, everyone adds their own words for Baek Jingyeom. It’s both amusing and funny.

If it were the old Baek Jingyeom, he wouldn’t have shown this kind of interest. That’s an undeniable truth.

Soohyuk, who had been fiddling with Jingyeom’s finger, looked up.

“Why is it that when it comes to Secretary Baek, you say nothing? Why is it different here?”

“Jinwoo is strong. I knew he wouldn’t be easily swayed, so I didn’t need to interfere.”

Baek Jinwoo is strong.

This is something Soohyuk also acknowledges. It’s rare to find someone who moves according to their own principles without being swayed.

Especially for someone who has nothing, it’s easy to be influenced by those around them, but Jinwoo isn’t like that.

If you want to sway him, you have to go through Baek Jingyeom. Then, Baek Jinwoo will kneel in an instant. A knee that no one could bend collapses at one word from Baek Jingyeom.

Hoonil, looking at Jinwoo who was asleep with his head tilted, continued speaking.

“He won’t expect me to worry about him. He’s such a kind-hearted kid that he hates causing trouble for others.”

“Yeah, right.”

Soohyuk muttered, implying that this wasn’t true based on what Jinwoo had done so far.

“… But Jingyeom is different. He’s like soft tofu. He’s fine as long as there’s a structure, but without it, he’ll crumble instantly.”

“You really have a way with metaphors…”

“That’s to say, he needs to be handled with care. If you press him recklessly, he’ll break.”

Hoonil, having heard about the multi-level marketing scheme, was a bit worried.

More than being deceived by the scheme, he was troubled by being deceived by a person.

The wounds inflicted by people are not easily forgotten.

“If you’re going to befriend Jingyeom, then befriend him, but if you’re just messing around for fun, then stop. If you’re going to continue knowing him, it’s up to you. It’s not like you’re someone who listens to my advice anyway.”

Soohyuk shrugged, and Hoonil clicked his tongue loudly. His dissatisfaction was evident.

After moving Jinwoo to the bed, Wonbeom, who had been quiet until now, approached Jingyeom’s bed.

Hoonil threw a remark at the back of Wonbeom’s head.

“What I’ve said until now applies to you too, Tak.”

“I’ll pass on the advice.”

“It’s not advice; it’s a request and a warning.”

If it’s a request, then it’s a request, and if it’s a warning, then it’s a warning.

Hoonil, who had mixed them together, sighed deeply and checked the time.

It was well past quitting time.

“I can’t understand why I should be stressed because of you all. Can’t you just manage on your own? Isn’t the company busy? You said you were swamped with the overseas branch issue.”

“How would you know? Did you plant a spy in the company?”

Despite being busy with no breaks working at the university hospital, he was surprisingly well-informed about the company.

It almost seemed like he had a secret information network.

“I know everything. I’m leaving now, so you all better head home too.”

“We’ll head out on our own. You go first. You’re making too much noise and might wake Baek Jingyeom.”

Hoonil, who had a sulky expression from Soohyuk’s rebuke, left the room.

Wonbeom, who was always standing in the hospital room, slowly bent down and sat in the chair where Jinwoo had been.

When Soohyuk looked surprised, Wonbeom blinked slowly as if asking what he was looking at.

“Heard it? He said not to touch it if it’s not genuine. I’m a bit genuine, but since you’re not, I guess I should lose interest.”

“Who says I’m not?”

“…Could it be that you’re also genuine towards Baek Jingyeom?”

When asked back as if it were absurd, Wonbeom’s large hand reached up to the bed and tapped Jingyeom’s arm.

“Soft.”

“…It is soft. It doesn’t have muscles, so how could it be hard? No, stop dodging. Are you really genuine? What about Secretary Baek?”

Wonbeom ignored Soohyuk’s words and examined Jingyeom’s face closely. It was the same face as before.

“So the memory loss was real.”

“More dodging. Huh… Did you just realize that? I thought you already knew.”

“I was doubtful. But when I heard about buying toothpaste, I was convinced.”

Soohyuk believed that Jingyeom had memory loss after collapsing due to a peach allergy, but Wonbeom didn’t. He had been waiting to see more.

You never know when things might change.

It was only after seeing Jingyeom fall for a pyramid scheme that he was convinced.

‘So he really has memory loss.’

* * *