A case of Transmigrating as a Sick Villain chapter 116

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“Don’t get so close. He just woke up, and seeing your face might make him faint again.”

“Seeing my face would give him strength, not make him faint!”

Secretary Yang said this with a beaming smile at Jingyeom, and a smile naturally spread across Jingyeom’s face as well.

It had been a while since he had seen the ever-energetic Secretary Yang, and he was glad to see him.

“It’s been a while. Ahem!”

Jingyeom’s voice was still rough and hoarse, and his swollen throat hadn’t fully recovered, making it itchy and painful whenever he spoke.

As he held his throat and coughed a few times, Secretary Yang looked at him with concern.

“Oh dear, I shouldn’t have started talking so much without noticing.”

Jingyeom shook his head, signaling that he was fine.

Jinwoo, who was standing by the bed, leaned down and pressed his forehead against Jingyeom’s.

Although he had heard that the fever had subsided, he wanted to confirm it himself.

“The fever’s gone now.”

“Oh……”

Secretary Yang softly exclaimed, pursing his lips.

Perhaps because he knew they weren’t real brothers, the atmosphere felt somewhat delicate.

“……I’m fine now. Ahem!”

“If your throat hurts, don’t talk. Should I get you some warm water?”

Jingyeom shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a cough.

Then, as a thought crossed his mind, he subtly pulled his face away and gently pushed Jinwoo’s chest with his other hand.

Jinwoo hesitated for a moment, then slowly straightened up.

His expression slightly tensed as he stood upright.

Jingyeom, who had lost his memory, had never pushed him away before.

But now, the hand that was pushing him had strength behind it. It was a clear sign to back off.

Did he do something wrong?

Did he upset Jingyeom?

Or did something happen to Jingyeom while he wasn’t around?

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Jinwoo’s mind in an instant.

Soohyuk had been with Jingyeom all day today.

Perhaps Soohyuk knew something?

Jinwoo glanced at Soohyuk, only to see him smirking, his expression fully visible.

‘What’s going on?’

Soohyuk’s smile seemed suspicious, but Jinwoo couldn’t just ask him outright.

Nor could he ask Jingyeom if something had happened, not with Soohyuk and Secretary Yang in the room.

But letting it slide also left him uneasy.

He decided that after everyone left, he would talk to Jingyeom again.

Though it was shocking to be pushed away, he was somewhat relieved that Jingyeom seemed to be regaining his energy.

Jinwoo thought that Soohyuk’s smile must have a reason behind it, but in truth, it wasn’t anything significant.

Soohyuk was simply amused by the sight of Jingyeom pushing Jinwoo away.

The way Jinwoo had naturally pressed his forehead against Jingyeom’s made Soohyuk want to separate them immediately.

But when he saw Jingyeom’s reaction, he couldn’t help but smile.

Soohyuk was surprised as well.

He had never seen Jingyeom reject Jinwoo before, so he was very curious about the reason behind it.

Normally, Jingyeom would have smiled and praised Jinwoo for his hard work, but now his gaze was directed downward.

‘Did something happen between them?’

Soohyuk’s eyes narrowed as he alternated his gaze between Jingyeom and Jinwoo.

‘Was it that day?’

The day he confessed to Jingyeom, Jinwoo’s eyes had not looked normal.

Soohyuk had anticipated that his confession might awaken something in Jinwoo.

But he hadn’t expected such an immediate reaction.

Furthermore, Jingyeom’s behavior, albeit unintentional, delighted Soohyuk.

Although he knew it wasn’t true, Soohyuk indulged in the fantasy that Jingyeom’s rejection of Jinwoo’s touch was proof that he was opening his heart to him.

As the atmosphere around the bed became tense, Secretary Yang glanced around, then frowned as he looked at Soohyuk’s face.

“What are you thinking about, smiling like that? You’re creeping me out.”

“Do you want me to really scare you?”

“No, thanks. You know I hate scary stuff, I don’t even watch horror movies.”

“How would I know that? I don’t care about your preferences. Just back away from the bed.”

“How petty! I brought something you like, and this is how you treat me?”

Secretary Yang raised his voice, extending his finger to point at the items on the table.

He had taken it upon himself to choose, order, and pick up everything, fearing that Jinwoo, who had been distracted all day, might bring back something odd.

After all the effort of lugging those heavy bags here, Secretary Yang was annoyed by Soohyuk’s words.

But Soohyuk didn’t care whether Secretary Yang was upset or not. He just waved his hand, telling him to back off.

“Quiet down and move away.”

Feeling insignificant, Secretary Yang grumbled to himself. He was already used to this kind of treatment, though.

“Alright, alright. I’ll back off.”

Secretary Yang muttered as he headed toward the table.

Jingyeom, who had been watching Soohyuk and Secretary Yang talk, shifted his gaze.

Jinwoo’s expression didn’t look good.

Jingyeom leaned into Jinwoo’s line of sight, trying to read his face.

Jinwoo, still reeling from the earlier shock, forced a smile before it quickly faded.

Worried that Jinwoo might catch his cold, Jingyeom covered his mouth with his hand and spoke softly, barely opening his mouth.

“…Aren’t you tired?”

His rough voice was full of concern.

Jingyeom felt guilty that Jinwoo had been unable to sleep and had to go to work because of him.

He wished Jinwoo could rest now, but with others in the room, it didn’t seem possible.

Moreover, he suddenly remembered that colds could be contagious, and it made him feel uneasy.

He thought it might be best if everyone left now.

“Go home and get some rest.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not tired. I can sleep later.”

“So just go home and rest.”

“How can I leave when you’re here?”

Jinwoo bit his lower lip slightly and pulled a chair next to the bed, feeling a bit hurt by Jingyeom’s attempt to send him away.

He sat down and made eye contact with Jingyeom.

Jingyeom’s light brown eyes, still moist as if the heat of the early morning hadn’t fully dissipated, gazed back at him.

But something seemed off—he hadn’t taken his hand away from his mouth for a while now.

“Why are you acting so weird?”

Jinwoo tried to lower Jingyeom’s hand from his mouth, but Jingyeom turned his head away again, avoiding Jinwoo’s touch.

“…….”

“……Don’t touch me. Stay away, Jinwoo.”

Though spoken softly, everyone in the hospital room heard it clearly.

Once again, Jingyeom was pushing Jinwoo away, just like before.

Soohyuk and Secretary Yang, too, were stunned, freezing in their tracks.

Jingyeom had never acted like this, so they wondered if something was really wrong.

Jinwoo clenched his fists tightly to hide his trembling hands, digging his nails into his palms with force.

His breathing quickened, and his heart began pounding.

He thought he had become numb to Jingyeom’s behavior, but having experienced Jingyeom’s kindness and gentleness for a while now, being pushed away like this hurt deeply.

He couldn’t even ask why.

He was terrified that negative words directed at him might come out of Jingyeom’s mouth.

‘Could his memory have returned?’

Jinwoo had once searched for how memories return in people with amnesia.

They could come back gradually over time, from a shock, through revisiting memories, or even after a serious illness.

Having kept all possibilities in mind, Jinwoo was suddenly filled with fear.

Seeing Jinwoo’s stiffened face, Soohyuk merely observed with interest, saying nothing.

The atmosphere turned awkward, prompting Secretary Yang to quickly stand up and approach the bed.

“Maybe Jingyeom’s worried about passing his cold to Secretary Baek.”

Knowing how Jinwoo had worked all day at the office, Secretary Yang felt uneasy watching him get hurt in real time and decided to chime in.

When Secretary Yang looked at Jingyeom as if to confirm, Jingyeom silently nodded.

“See? Jingyeom’s only thinking of Secretary Baek!”

Finally realizing why Jingyeom had pushed him away, Jinwoo loosened his tightly clenched fists.

Though his palms bore red marks from his nails, they didn’t hurt.

The headache that had gripped him out of fear that Jingyeom’s memory had returned also faded in an instant.

His heart, which had been pounding irregularly, slowly returned to its normal rhythm.

Though it still beat fast, the pain that had felt like it was squeezing his heart was gone.

Jinwoo let out a small sigh of relief.

“I thought you were upset with me… You scared me.”

“Did I? I’m sorry… I didn’t want to pass it on to you.”

Finally, a smile appeared on Jinwoo’s face. Although the memory of being pushed away still lingered, he felt better knowing it was for his own sake.

Jinwoo gently took Jingyeom’s small hand, which was still covering his mouth, and lowered it.

He traced the lines of Jingyeom’s palm with his fingertips.

When Jingyeom, ticklish, curled his fingers, Jinwoo’s fingers were caught in his grasp.

“…But don’t push me away.”

Jingyeom, who had been laughing from the tickling, suddenly paused.

He hadn’t realized that trying to avoid giving Jinwoo his cold would hurt him.

“Did it upset you?”

“Yeah… a lot.”

Jinwoo’s voice, filled with sadness, was reminiscent of the tone Jingyeom had heard a few days earlier, which made Jingyeom fall silent.

“I’m healthy. I don’t catch colds easily. So don’t worry about me, just focus on getting better, okay?”

Jinwoo’s heartfelt words resonated deeply with Jingyeom, who silently nodded in response.

The atmosphere shifted once again, causing Secretary Yang to scratch his back.

He hated being itchy but couldn’t resist because of the tense atmosphere.

Plus, Soohyuk’s expression wasn’t good, so Secretary Yang discreetly turned away.

If he got involved, he felt like he’d end up as collateral damage.

Sure enough, unlike the now-relieved Jinwoo, Soohyuk’s face showed clear dissatisfaction.

For a moment, he had thought he was special to Jingyeom, but now he was realizing it was just a misunderstanding.

‘He’s the only one who wouldn’t notice such an obvious look of affection.’

Soohyuk clicked his tongue as he looked at Jinwoo, whose eyes were brimming with love.

Previously, it had felt like they were in a family drama, but now it seemed like the genre had shifted to romance.

The only saving grace was that, to Jingyeom, it was still a family movie.

‘Who would’ve thought his lack of awareness would be a relief.’

They had lived as twins all their lives, and even after losing his memory, Jingyeom still thought of them that way, so it made sense he wouldn’t see Jinwoo as a man.

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