ACTSV chapter 153

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In previous memories, his aunt had been the type to say without hesitation that she would use bribes to save her nephew, even saying she would raise him herself.

Back then, he thought it was just his younger self building walls.

But to think there was such a backstory. His sharp tone of voice, though, was definitely unfamiliar.

‘She called it Dad’s life insurance… so he must’ve passed away.’

Since he had no memories of his mother, she must have either passed away when he was young, abandoned him, or there was some other reason he didn’t remember.

When his younger self didn’t back down, his aunt raised her chin and smirked, as if mocking him, like a child incapable of doing anything.

“Rebellion is only cute in moderation. Now that your father’s gone, don’t forget that I’m your legal guardian.”

She winked at him as she spoke and then shifted her gaze elsewhere.

“Make sure Jingyeom doesn’t do anything stupid. Though, I doubt he could.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Her sneering face filled his vision.

‘This family’s a mess, no matter where you look.’

After his aunt left, his younger self hung his head low.

Slowly, he turned and opened his arms to the caregiver who had been by his side.

The caregiver, who had been looking at him with a pained expression, hugged him tightly, as if waiting for that moment.

The memories played quickly once again.

Even after that, his aunt visited from time to time. Sometimes alone, sometimes with other family members.

Seungwon, the boy who came with her, had grown so much that he could now easily be mistaken for an adult.

Since they were supposed to be in the same grade, they must have been the same age, but the size difference was noticeable.

Seungwon often came alone. He didn’t stay long, just enough to exchange a few words.

His younger self didn’t particularly enjoy Seungwon’s visits.

At first, he responded to him as coldly as he did to his aunt.

But as time passed, he gradually opened up, to the point where he’d now run out to greet Seungwon whenever he came.

Seungwon, who always wore his school uniform, showed up in more casual clothes today.

“Aren’t you done yet? I swear, at this rate, I’ll die before you from all the nagging I get from Mom.”

“Death doesn’t follow any particular order.”

Unlike when he spoke to others, his tone became slightly higher and more cheerful when talking to Seungwon.

“Still, I’m healthier than you, so I should live longer.”

“Why? Do you want me to die early?”

“If you keep acting like this, yeah, it’d make things easier for me.”

“Too bad for you, then. I don’t want to die.”

Despite Seungwon’s harsh words, his younger self only smiled and answered, showing neither anger nor frustration. His voice was filled with pure curiosity, not malice.

Letting out a short sigh, Seungwon scratched his head.

“I won’t be able to visit anymore.”

“Why?”

“I’m going abroad. Don’t want to, but they’re making me, so I guess I have to.”

“…Where? Is it far? How long will you be gone?”

“Pretty far. By the time I’m back after graduating college, several years will have passed.”

“…”

“Look at you, all disappointed…”

Seungwon reached out and roughly ruffled his younger self’s hair.

“Wouldn’t things have been better if you’d just come home when Mom asked? What’s so hard about bowing your head a little? It’s not like you’re going to spend that money your whole life.”

“That’s different from you.”

“I know. That’s why it’s so frustrating.”

As Seungwon continued visiting the hospital, the two of them became closer, all thanks to Seungwon’s efforts.

But now, the time had finally come for that chapter to close.

“I’ve got to head to my cram school. Take care… See you.”

“Yeah… Thanks for visiting me all this time. Take care.”

Seungwon smiled bitterly, his eyes filled with lingering regret.

Even his steps as he left the hospital were slower than usual.

Once Seungwon left and the door closed, his younger self pulled the blanket over his head and curled into a ball.

‘…That’s right. I cried a lot back then.’

Before, it felt like watching a movie in first-person, but as his memories returned, so did the emotions from that time.

But before he could be fully submerged in that emotional storm, his memories played on faster.

‘Huh?’

Among the passing memories, he saw himself reading web novels.

He had gone through all sorts of genres.

Maybe it was because he spent all day lying in the hospital bed, but he practically lived on his phone.

Fantasy, martial arts, romance fantasy, romance, and even BL—he read them all, with no particular preference.

But it didn’t seem like he was reading them carefully. His thumbs moved quickly, and the scroll bar flew down the page.

‘Gray!’

Baek Jinwoo finally discovered the web novel Gray, where he was the protagonist.

Once again, the scroll went down without hesitation.

He soon found a character named Baek Jingyeom and began to read slowly.

“My name is the same… Ugh, how mean.”

As Jingyeom read Gray again through his memories, the emotions he had felt while reading it at the time started to resurface.

‘…That’s right. It was frustrating because not only was the name the same, but the pain was similar too.’

But that wasn’t all.

It was especially annoying to see Baek Jinwoo, his only family, being tormented in the story.

If he had such a devoted family member, he would have given them everything.

‘Just like my grandfather did for me.’

He now remembered why, when he first woke up in Baek Jingyeom’s body and thought about family, a harmonious home and a brown puppy came to mind.

‘Why did I forget everything?’

It was the lingering memories of living with his dad, grandfather, and the puppy before they passed away in an accident.

‘I was rich, wasn’t I?’

His father’s life insurance had been substantial, and his grandfather had left him all his wealth.

His grandfather, a real estate mogul, had a considerable fortune.

Though there was a share left for his aunt, it was quite small.

That’s why she was so obsessed with him.

As Jingyeom reminisced, Gray was still displayed on the phone screen.

“Wow, Baek Jingyeom is really mean. He’s just like my aunt. So cruel.”

He dropped the phone, staring at the ceiling for a while before turning onto his side.

After glancing at the text-filled screen, he picked the phone up again.

“…Since I’ve started, I might as well read until the end.”

The character Baek Jingyeom didn’t appear much.

This was, after all, the story of Baek Jinwoo, the protagonist who was loved dangerously yet sweetly and blindly by two men.

“…Will I ever receive this kind of love too?”

Though he had undergone a transplant, the disease had returned.

He had to wait for another transplant, but having already had surgery, the risks were too great.

As time passed, his condition worsened until he was lying there, dependent on an oxygen mask.

‘I had already given up on life by then.’

His returning memories brought back all the emotions from that time as well.

The last novel he had read was Gray, and the final chapter he’d seen ended with Baek Jingyeom being dragged away by Tak Wonbeom’s underlings, disappearing without a trace.

‘In both reality and the novel, Baek Jingyeom died.’

Both the real Baek Jingyeom and the one in Gray met their end like that.

Jingyeom went into cardiac arrest upon arrival at the nearby hospital.

Whether it was due to the prompt action or Jinwoo’s desperate prayers, his heart began to beat again, but he did not regain consciousness.

Since then, he had been in a coma.

Upon hearing the news, Soohyuk and Wonbeom rushed to the hospital.

Cardiac arrest.

That alone was enough reason to drop everything and come running.

Moreover, it was obvious that as soon as they left the mansion and entered the hospital, their location would be exposed to President Kim’s side, leaving no reason to hesitate.

Secretary Yang and Lee Cheongo, who had been with them, also came to the hospital, filling the hallway with men clad in dark suits.

They had done everything they could for Jingyeom.

Now, all they could do was hope he would wake up.

Soohyuk couldn’t stand still, pacing the hallway before yanking off his tie and unbuttoning the top button.

It felt as if something was choking him.

Wonbeom stood against the wall, arms crossed, staring at the ICU where Jingyeom lay, his expression unreadable.

Secretary Yang ensured no information about this situation leaked, silencing those involved, while Lee Cheongoh kept an eye on the surroundings to ensure no reporters or anyone from President Yang’s side approached.

And Jinwoo, who had been by Jingyeom’s side the whole time, sat hunched over on a chair, his body still trembling.

Soohyuk, pacing the hallway, suddenly stopped, turned around, and shouted at Jinwoo with a restrained voice.

“Tell me now. What happened? He was fine, so why did he suddenly collapse? Why did his heart stop?!”

“If you’re not going to spread rumors, lower your voice.”

Despite Wonbeom’s low voice, Soohyuk’s suppressed rage still burned, and he roughly ran his hand through his hair.

His heart, which hadn’t calmed down for a while, seemed to have no limits to its wild pounding.

“We’ve been waiting. Isn’t it time to talk now?”

Soohyuk looked like he was barely holding back the urge to grab Jinwoo by the collar and shout.

But Jinwoo, hunched over, couldn’t hear anything. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Jingyeom.

It was too painful, feeling like everything that had happened was his fault.

Finally, Soohyuk couldn’t hold back anymore.

He grabbed Jinwoo by both shoulders and shoved him hard. Jinwoo, bumping into the chair, had tears streaming down his face. H