ACTSV chapter 145

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The words Baek Myeongjun had said before he came here flashed through Jinwoo’s mind again.

The only thing connecting Jinwoo and Jingyeom was a piece of paper bound by law.

If that document were gone, there would be nothing left.

They would become complete strangers.

Jinwoo’s face hardened, and Jingyeom, who had been chattering happily, gently took his hand.

“Did I ask something difficult? …I’m sorry if I did. I didn’t mean to make you look like that.”

“…No, that’s not it. I was just thinking about something else for a moment.”

Jinwoo tried to brush it off, but his expression wouldn’t smooth out.

Even when he tried to smile, it only turned into a crooked expression.

Seeing Jinwoo’s forced smile, Jingyeom’s gaze narrowed slightly.

The concern he had pushed aside resurfaced.

‘Did Jinwoo really just come down here casually?’

As Jinwoo’s condition seemed off, Jingyeom squeezed his hand tighter.

“You must be tired from the trip. Go rest upstairs. There’s still so much I want to talk about… but that can wait. I can hold off for now.”

Jingyeom urged Jinwoo to rest, pushing him gently in the back.

He even reached out with both hands to carry Jinwoo’s suitcase.

It was heavy, but not impossible to lift.

But as he hesitated at the foot of the stairs, Jinwoo stepped behind him and wrapped his hand around his softly.

“Don’t strain yourself.”

“I’m not straining myself!”

The suitcase naturally shifted to Jinwoo’s hand.

When Jingyeom tried to take it back, Jinwoo asked as they started climbing the stairs.

“What are you going to do while I rest?”

Jingyeom, giving up on the suitcase, answered.

“There’s a lot to do. I could play games, read books, or take a walk around the greenhouse.”

He would usually stroll leisurely around the garden, but recently, since it’s gotten colder outside, he’s spent more time in the greenhouse.

Knowing that, Jinwoo turned his head slightly.

“Let’s go to the greenhouse.”

“We can go later. Just rest in the room!”

“I can rest in the greenhouse. There’s a bench there, right? Isn’t it warmer in the greenhouse than here?”

That was true.

Since the greenhouse had to maintain a constant temperature, the air was warmer than in the mansion.

“Let’s just leave the suitcase in the room first.”

Though Jingyeom wanted Jinwoo to rest, there was no reason to stop him from going, so he nodded.

As soon as Jinwoo arrived, Jingyeom seemed to find some sense of stability. Yet, he hardly ever wanted to be alone.

That had been the case when Wonbeom stayed here as well.

Back then, though, Jingyeom used to sleep in his own room, even if they spent the daytime together.

But as soon as Jinwoo showed up, he immediately claimed the spot next to him and wouldn’t leave his side.

Because of that, Jinwoo struggled to get any proper sleep from the very first night.

Before, there was at least a physical distance between the bed and the floor, but now, they were lying in the same bed under the same blanket, making it impossible not to notice Jingyeom beside him with even the slightest movement.

Jinwoo had to endure this every single night.

After several days, Jinwoo’s eyes were dark with fatigue.

Seeing him like that, Jingyeom forced him onto the bed, insisting he rest, and sat beside him playing games.

Jinwoo failed to nap, still unable to shake off Jingyeom’s constant presence, but at least, since it was daytime, he didn’t have to deal with the discomfort of certain nighttime reactions.

Then one day, as peaceful days continued, a sudden downpour began.

Jingyeom sat by the large window, absentmindedly watching the rain pour down.

“I wanted to try swimming there just once…”

“Swimming?”

“Yeah. I was planning to do it last time, but I couldn’t.”

He had suggested swimming with Wonbeom, but after seeing the scars on his body, he completely forgot about it.

Then, the weather got too cold, and he lost any desire to swim.

“There’s a pool in the basement, you know. We can fill it with warm water. Let’s do it next time.”

“Oh, right? Warm water! Let’s definitely go once the rain stops.”

Just the thought of finally being able to swim seemed to lift Jingyeom’s mood a little.

“Wow… But it’s really pouring out there.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve had this much rain in winter.”

“Yeah, but the sound of rain is really nice, isn’t it?”

“You’re right. Are you just going to sit there? Isn’t the floor cold? Should I bring you a blanket? At least put something down to sit on.”

Jinwoo, whom Jingyeom hadn’t seen for a while, was still the same — always looking after him.

Jingyeom gazed at Jinwoo blankly.

The sky outside was covered in dark clouds, making it dim, and the rain fell violently.

Even though all the lights inside were turned on, the atmosphere felt eerie.

Then, the lights started flickering, and Jingyeom widened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling lights.

“…Did they just flicker?”

Jinwoo also glanced at the lights, but they didn’t flicker again, as if it had been a one-time thing.

“Yeah, I guess it was just for a moment. I’ll get a blanket.”

Jinwoo returned with a couple of blankets, spread one on the floor for Jingyeom to sit on, and wrapped the other tightly around his body.

Jingyeom, who had been watching the rain through the large window, lay down.

Seeing him do so, Jinwoo lay down beside him, slipping his arm under Jingyeom’s neck.

“Are you giving me a pillow?”

“Yeah. Lying flat on the ground like that will hurt your neck.”

“You don’t have a pillow either.”

“I’m fine.”

Jinwoo, who had sidled up behind Jingyeom, gently rested his hand on his slender waist.

He wanted to embrace him fully, but he held back, only indulging in his desire in small ways.

They stayed like that for a while, until Jinwoo, who had been sleep-deprived for days, finally fell asleep.

Jingyeom, too, felt his eyelids growing heavy and was about to drift off when the lights flickered again, jolting his eyes open.

Slowly, he sat up and looked around.

No one was coming to the living room since they both were here, so it was quiet.

The lights continued flickering, the outside was dark, and the rain showed no sign of stopping.

Moreover, being alone in the spacious living room with just the two of them reminded him of a horror movie they’d watched a few days ago.

Feeling an odd chill, Jingyeom glanced around, shivering.

If he were alone right now, he would’ve surely run to Mrs. Jeong or some other staff member.

Jingyeom lay back down, intending to cling to Jinwoo, but at that moment, a flash of lightning made him flinch.

The previously darkened outdoors lit up brilliantly from the lightning.

“…Wow.”

If there had been a loud sound, he might have been scared.

But since there was only the flashing light without the noise, it felt strangely surreal.

Mesmerized, he approached the large window on his knees.

As he stared out for a while, the lights started flickering again and then went out altogether.

Startled, Jingyeom looked around frantically.

He was about to wake Jinwoo when he felt a vibration from his phone in his pocket.

Jingyeom, who had been carrying the phone around in case he could catch a signal while outside with Jinwoo, shuddered at the sensation.

If it had buzzed just once, he would’ve dismissed it as a mistake, but as it continued, as if waiting for him, he instinctively reached for the phone even though waking Jinwoo seemed more urgent.

“…”

The phone was filled with unread notifications. Jingyeom, as if bewitched, began reading the messages.

The three people he used to frequently contact—Jinwoo, Soohyuk, and Wonbeom—knew he was here and hadn’t messaged him.

All the piled-up notifications were from Jeong Sangho and Baek Myeongjun.

“…Ah.”

Jingyeom let out a small groan after reading Jeong Sangho’s message.

Jeong Sangho: You and Baek Jinwoo are not real siblings.
You’re being deceived right now!!

‘…What is he talking about?’

He thought he must’ve misread it and tried to review the previous messages, but just then, Mrs. Jeong and the other staff members entered the room, aware of the power outage.

Startled, Jingyeom quickly hid his phone under his thigh.

As the front door opened, the sound of the rain became even louder.

Alarmed by the sudden noise, Jingyeom turned to Jinwoo. He hadn’t woken up, probably exhausted.

“The rain’s so heavy that the power—”

Mrs. Jeong began explaining the situation, but Jingyeom put a finger to his lips and shook his head.

He then pointed at Jinwoo with his fingertip, signaling that he was sleeping, so they should be quiet.

Understanding his gesture, Mrs. Jeong took the staff members out.

The house became silent again, and Jingyeom took a deep breath.

‘I must’ve been too tired and saw it wrong.’

That’s what he wanted to believe.

He read through Jeong Sangho’s messages carefully.

After saying that he would try contacting him later due to the lack of signal, it had been quiet for two days.

But since then, messages started coming in daily, mostly asking where he was.

Jingyeom closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.

If it had been only Jeong Sangho who sent the messages, he would’ve dismissed it as nonsense.

But even his father, Baek Myeongjun, had sent messages implying that Jinwoo was not his real sibling.

His hands shook violently, and his vision blurred.

The completely unexpected news made his head sway from side to side, unable to steady himself.

He barely managed to open his trembling eyelids and exhale his shaky breath.

He wanted to wake Jinwoo up right away and ask if this was true. But he didn’t.

Instead, he unwrapped the blanket from his body and covered Jinwoo with it, gripping his phone tightly as he stepped outside into the garden.

With the heavy rain pouring down, no one was outside.

After checking that Jinwoo was still sleeping peacefully, Jingyeom’s trembling fingers found Jeong Sangho’s name and pressed the call button.

Not long after the dial tone began, Jeong Sangho’s voice rang out.

― Baek Jingyeom! Where are you?

“…I read your messages.”

― Oh, I saw that you read them. Where are you? I’ll come get you.

“Why would you come?”

― Didn’t you read all of my messages? You’re being deceived by Baek Jinwoo. He’s not your real sibling!

“Why would that mean I’m being deceived?”

His voice and body still trembled, but Jingyeom tried his best to speak calmly.

Jeong Sangho and Baek Myeongjun hadn’t said anything until now, yet suddenly sent these messages when he became unreachable.

He couldn’t be sure, but they were definitely plotting something.

― …Did you already know?

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