* * *
Lately, Jingyeom had been diligently going out for walks and doing indoor exercises he found on YouTube to build up his stamina.
He knew it wouldn’t dramatically increase his muscle mass, but he thought he’d at least gotten a little healthier.
So it felt ridiculous and unfair that he caught a cold from just a brief moment in the rain.
He couldn’t understand how his body could be so weak.
And it wasn’t just a mild cold—it got so severe that his fever spiked above 39 degrees, reaching 40 degrees at its worst.
Despite taking medicine and sleeping, he ended up groaning in pain through the night, and an ambulance had to be called to take him to the emergency room.
Jingyeom was already delirious, barely conscious, while Jinwoo was left scrambling in the early hours of the morning.
“…Phew.”
Jingyeom woke up briefly at times but would quickly fall back asleep.
Every cough felt like his lungs and throat were being torn apart, and the pain in his ribs was so intense that tears welled up in his eyes.
Jinwoo, who was wiping away those tears with a handkerchief, wished he could be the one suffering instead as he stayed by Jingyeom’s side.
He worried that the cold might turn into pneumonia again, but thankfully, the fever subsided quickly.
This was a moment when all of Jingyeom’s efforts to exercise had paid off.
But that didn’t mean the cold was gone.
His immune system had taken a huge hit from the high fever, so it was decided that he would be admitted to the hospital.
Although they had gone to the nearest hospital in a rush during the night, he would be transferred to the hospital where Hoonil worked for the actual admission.
Thankfully, the hospitals were connected, so the transfer was easy.
The admission process was quick, too, as they had arranged it in advance, allowing them to move to a room without waiting.
Hoonil clicked his tongue softly when he saw how pale Jinwoo had become overnight.
“I’ll drop by from time to time. You should get some rest and head to work. Jingyeom’s fever is down, and he’ll undergo tests as soon as he wakes up. There’s nothing more you can do by staying here.”
“…I should at least make sure he has water.”
“Jingyeom’s not in any immediate danger. If you keep skipping work like this, it’ll become a habit.”
Even though Wonbeom was being accommodating, there was no guarantee how long that would last.
Besides, every time Jinwoo missed work, Secretary Yang had to pick up the slack.
Thinking of Secretary Yang, who had always been considerate of him, Jinwoo reluctantly got up from his seat.
He didn’t have any more leave days left either.
“I’ll call you when he wakes up, so try not to worry too much and take it easy at work. If you’re too tired after work, let me know. You should get an IV drip too.”
“…Thanks, hyung.”
“Of course.”
Hoonil deliberately messed up Jinwoo’s hair roughly.
Only then did a faint smile appear on Jinwoo’s face.
Though it faded quickly, it was clear that he had calmed down a bit.
Having someone by your side really did bring a sense of relief.
After using a half-day off in the morning and arriving at work, Jinwoo felt a pang of guilt when he saw Secretary Yang’s haggard face.
On the way in, Jinwoo had bought an iced Americano from a café as a peace offering, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough to lift the shadow from Secretary Yang’s face.
“…Rough night?”
“…Yeah.”
Even though there was no subject in Jinwoo’s question, Secretary Yang understood immediately, rubbing his face with both hands.
When Jinwoo had contacted him earlier that morning to inform him that he would be taking a half-day because of Jingyeom’s trip to the emergency room, Secretary Yang had been in quite a bind.
He knew he had to inform Wonbeom, but he also knew that if he did, Wonbeom would likely postpone or skip the morning meeting to go to the hospital.
But he also couldn’t not tell him about Jinwoo’s absence, so he had waited until the meeting was over before informing him.
As expected, he had to face Wonbeom’s piercing gaze, making him feel like prey in front of a predator.
“Did he go to the hospital?”
Secretary Yang nodded slightly when he saw Jinwoo clench his fists tightly.
He had always thought their brotherhood was unusual, but by chance, he came across documents revealing that the two weren’t actually blood-related.
Only then did he understand Jinwoo’s particularly persistent behavior towards Jingyeom and his overly protective feelings.
“How is Jingyeom?”
“…I haven’t received any updates that he’s woken up yet.”
Hearing the sorrowful voice drained of energy, Secretary Yang scratched his head.
He wanted to offer some words of comfort, but nothing other than the usual “He’ll wake up soon” or “It’ll be alright” came to mind.
He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn’t reach Jinwoo in his current state.
“Jingyeom is tough. When I heard his voice the other day, he sounded much healthier. It was good to hear.”
“…..”
“I understand that you want to leave right away, but there’s a lot of work to do.”
He patted Jinwoo’s back and gestured with his chin toward the pile of documents stacked like a mountain.
With a new project underway, reports and approval papers from various departments had piled up.
Plus, the materials from today’s meetings still needed to be organized, leaving no time for rest.
“Better to immerse yourself in work. It’ll make the time pass faster.”
Jinwoo’s face showed a slight sense of relief at Secretary Yang’s unique way of comforting him.
Though Jinwoo was worried about Jingyeom in the hospital, he knew that Hoonil would contact him as soon as Jingyeom woke up.
For now, he was at the company, so it was best to focus on work.
Even though it was difficult, Jinwoo tried his best to push thoughts of Wonbeom out of his mind.
On his way to the hospital, Wonbeom contacted Hoonil to ask which room Jingyeom was in.
Surprised to receive a call from Wonbeom for the first time, Hoonil rambled on about other things for a while before finally giving him the information.
Thanks to that, Wonbeom was able to find Jingyeom’s hospital room as soon as he arrived.
The room Jingyeom was in was a special room, probably because Wonbeom had always insisted on securing the best rooms for him whenever he was hospitalized.
Though it wasn’t as high-end as the room he’d stayed in before, it was still a good one.
Wonbeom stood by the bed, silently observing the steady rise and fall of Jingyeom’s chest as he breathed.
When Cheongoh was busy, other subordinates usually kept an eye on Jingyeom.
Just yesterday, Cheongoh had seen Jingyeom lying on a bench and, thinking that he wouldn’t go out because of the rain, had left to take care of other matters.
But during the early morning, while the subordinate thought there wouldn’t be any issues because of the heavy rain, an ambulance arrived.
As a result, the report didn’t reach Wonbeom quickly.
While Wonbeom stood quietly looking at Jingyeom, another person who had heard the news came into the room.
The door opened abruptly, making a loud noise, and Wonbeom turned his head to the side at the sound.
“If you were going to come, you should’ve come with me.”
Soohyuk’s appearance was disheveled, as if he had rushed over.
He strode over to stand beside Jingyeom, loosening his tie and unbuttoning a couple of buttons on his shirt as he frowned from the heat.
Having attended the same morning meeting and a separate team meeting, the news had reached Soohyuk later.
“How could someone who seemed perfectly fine yesterday look so pale all of a sudden? Damn.”
Soohyuk let out a frustrated sigh.
How many times had he seen Jingyeom hospitalized like this?
It made him think that maybe he needed to lock him up for good just to avoid the constant worry.
Seeing Jingyeom lying there, the sense of ease that had been present yesterday vanished in an instant.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Soohyuk slumped into a chair.
Jingyeom had seemed fine the last time they spoke, even though Soohyuk had heard that he was lying on the bench during the day.
“Whatever you compare him to, he’s more fragile than anything.”
To Soohyuk, who had thought Jingyeom had just caught a cold from brief exposure to the cold wind, Jingyeom now seemed as delicate as a molly fish.
“Sleeping just anywhere without a care…”
Soohyuk placed his hand on Jingyeom’s round, smooth forehead. His hand was cooler, making Jingyeom’s body temperature feel even higher.
Meanwhile, Wonbeom, who was standing on the opposite side, looked down at Jingyeom with a blank expression.
This was already the fifth time he had seen him lying like this.
Excluding the times when he was hospitalized for surgery, Jingyeom had collapsed four times in a short period.
Soohyuk smoothed down Jingyeom’s already neat hair.
“Director Tak, don’t you have a meeting this afternoon?”
“…….”
“You know that President Kim is using all his connections to take you down, right? What are you going to do if you’re not there when he makes his move?”
“I’m here to check.”
“Check what? How much you’re willing to do for Baek Jingyeom?”
There was a hint of sarcasm in Soohyuk’s voice, which made Wonbeom’s eyebrow twitch.
Just a few days ago, he had been speaking so confidently, but now that Jingyeom was ill, it seemed he was getting anxious.
Wonbeom felt the same.
He had planned to quickly check on Jingyeom’s condition and then return to work, but seeing Jingyeom made him realize that wouldn’t be possible.
Wonbeom’s face noticeably hardened.
Jingyeom seemed to mean more to him now than he had anticipated.
* * *
Get well soon Jingyeom
Get well soon gyeom
I’m really curious who’s the endgame
Finally using the points that I had a hard time saving 😌 omoo bby gyeomi is sick gws 🥺
Gyeom-ah 😭
Sleep in outsides is bad, lesson learning, rigth Jingyeom? 🤨