* * *

Due to the sudden turn of events, Jingyeom’s shoulders tensed, and it was as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

His trembling eyes welled up with tears, which soon fell onto Jinwoo’s face.

Frozen in place as if his mind had stopped working, Jingyeom only snapped back to reality and jerked backward in surprise.

Now lying flat on the sofa, his eyes were wider than ever.

Jinwoo, still unsure if this situation was a dream, slowly leaned down, bracing himself by placing his arm beside Jingyeom’s face.

Jinwoo’s shadow loomed over Jingyeom’s face beneath him.

“Why are you running away?”

“……”

“You’re acting strange today.”

Jinwoo tilted his head to the side, blinking slowly.

“Hic!”

Too shocked for tears, a hiccup escaped instead.

The tears that had gathered on his trembling eyelids trailed down the corners of his eyes.

Jingyeom forcefully pushed against Jinwoo’s shoulders.

“Jingyeom.”

“…Sniff.”

The tears that had momentarily stopped came rushing back at the sound of Jinwoo’s voice.

Jingyeom’s face scrunched up as his lips quivered.

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes at the drastic difference in Jingyeom’s reaction from when he had kissed him.

‘It’s definitely a dream…’

The sensation of Jingyeom’s lips was so vivid, as was the strength of his push against Jinwoo’s shoulders.

Something was wrong.

Realizing this, Jinwoo’s eyes began to shake uncontrollably before growing wide.

‘…This isn’t a dream?’

The arm supporting Jinwoo’s body trembled.

He quickly moved away from Jingyeom and stood up, stumbling as he stepped back.

“What… what did I just do?”

Jinwoo pressed his hand against his forehead.

He thought it was just like one of his usual dreams.

But now, the things he had said and done tangled messily in his head.

“…Jingyeom.”

Jinwoo’s trembling voice seeped into Jingyeom’s ears.

As Jinwoo moved away, Jingyeom covered his mouth with his hand.

He couldn’t believe that Jinwoo—of all people—had kissed him.

Should he not have let Jinwoo drink?

This wasn’t something Jingyeom had anticipated.

His headache soon gave way to a spinning vision.

The faint sound of rain entered his ears, and somehow it felt like the sound mirrored his emotions.

Then, all of a sudden, his mind went blank.

As Jingyeom panted heavily, he sensed something was wrong.

His smartwatch began to beep, flashing red lights.

Panicked, Jinwoo quickly checked Jingyeom’s watch.

His heart rate had spiked to 120.

“Jingyeom!”

Jingyeom, recognizing the situation, took deep breaths to calm himself, and his heart rate slowly began to decrease.

Just when Jinwoo thought it was okay, the heart rate dropped too quickly.

For Jingyeom, heart rate meant life.

Whether it was too fast or too slow, any significant fluctuation was dangerous.

Jingyeom had always thought his heart pounding loudly was a problem, but now that it was slowing down, he felt anxious.

His heart rate had always risen, never fallen, so the shaking in his fingertips grew more intense.

He instinctively felt something was wrong.

“…Jinwoo, something’s wrong.”

“Oh, oh! I’ll call the doctor!”

Jinwoo stood up, ready to call for a doctor.

Jingyeom raised his wrist to check his watch again. His heart rate had fallen below the average.

This wasn’t normal.

‘Wait… this can’t be happening.’

Jingyeom, his mind growing hazier, felt like he was about to sink through the couch.

His arm, once lifted, dropped limply.

“Jingyeom!”

Jinwoo’s frantic voice rang out. Jingyeom knew he shouldn’t pass out here, but he couldn’t hold onto his fading consciousness.

Jinwoo, panicked, stopped just as he was about to leave the room and rushed to Jingyeom’s side.

But it was too late—Jingyeom had already passed out, and his heart rate continued to drop.

Jinwoo quickly scooped Jingyeom up and carried him out into the hallway.

The staff monitoring the CCTV immediately realized what was happening and rushed over.

Jinwoo shouted at them.

“Get a doctor! And prepare the car right now!”

This was the third time Jingyeom had collapsed here.

The entire mansion went into emergency mode, and the doctor quickly examined Jingyeom.

Thankfully, his heart rate stabilized at a low level, but if it dropped any further, Jingyeom’s life could be in danger.

The doctor decided this wasn’t something that could be handled here.

He wanted to call a helicopter, but the pilot warned it was too dangerous due to the rain, so they opted for the waiting car instead.

Even on the way, Jinwoo didn’t let go of Jingyeom. His body trembled in fear.

Thinking that Jingyeom collapsed because of his confession and kiss, Jinwoo felt terribly guilty.

It felt like everything was his fault.

If Jingyeom didn’t wake up, Jinwoo knew he could never forgive himself.

The doctor remained at Jingyeom’s side, constantly checking his heart rate.

They were all on edge, knowing that cardiac arrest could happen at any moment.

Jinwoo held Jingyeom tightly, making sure his body didn’t shake, and fought back the tears threatening to spill over.

‘Jingyeom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please… I promise I’ll never confess or kiss you again. Just please wake up safely…’

Throughout the ride, Jinwoo prayed desperately.

It was a gentle voice, but the urgency hidden within was barely concealed.

He seemed desperate, as if he couldn’t wait to take him away, like when he was a child.

“You should start living a normal life now. You need to go to school, right? I’ll pull some strings and make sure you’re in the same class as Seungwon. That way, it won’t be uncomfortable for you.”

The younger version of himself simply turned his head, ignoring his aunt’s words, not even bothering to respond.

“It seems like you need more time to think about it. But Jingyeom, you know that we’re the only family you have left now, don’t you? If your father had lived a bit longer, things might have been different… But it’s been a year since he passed. Don’t you think it’s time to accept it?”

Her tone, which started as gentle, like coaxing a child, quickly turned cold.

“You do know your hospital bills are being paid with your brother’s life insurance, right? Do you plan on wasting it like this?”

His bony hand gripped the blanket tightly, the bones on the back of her hand standing out even more as she applied pressure.

“…It’s mine now, so can’t I spend it?”

“Why is it yours? It’s your brother’s blood money.”

“That’s right. It’s Dad’s blood money. So it makes sense that I, his child, should have it. …And I never asked you to act as my guardian. I don’t want that, either.”

He lifted his head and stared at his aunt. She wore the same expression as when she first entered the room, feigning sadness.

“Aunt. If you want a share of Grandpa’s estate, stay out of my life.”

Though he intended his words to be bold, his voice trembled slightly.

At that, a small crack appeared in her previously unchanging expression.

However, all she did was lower her gaze and curl the corners of her lips slightly.

Nothing significant had changed.

“You really don’t hold back, do you?”

“…”

“See, this is why I said I should have raised you from a young age. You’ve grown so spoiled, and now you don’t see anyone above you.”

She scoffed, as if finding the situation ridiculous.

“If you’re planning to stay in the hospital longer, at least get a tutor. That way, you won’t embarrass yourself when you go to school with Seungwon.”

“Me? Or Seungwon?”

“Seungwon, of course. He’s one of the top students in his school. You know that, don’t you? What would people think if his cousin shows up and is at the bottom of the class?”

So, in the end, it was about avoiding embarrassment for Seungwon.

“…I don’t need a tutor. And I’m not planning on going to school. Oh, and… I think I can see more than an aunt who’s trying to fight her nephew over inheritance, don’t you?”

At the mention of an inheritance fight, his aunt’s lips slowly twisted into a grimace.

‘For me to say something like that… No wonder we didn’t get along… I must have been a real piece of work.’

* * *