* * *

Jingyeom had taken a nap earlier, so he couldn’t fall asleep and tossed and turned for a long time.

The sound of him moving kept Jinwoo from falling asleep as well.

Jinwoo was always on edge, worried that Jingyeom might fall ill during the night.

Every time Jingyeom shifted, Jinwoo’s concern only heightened.

When Jingyeom had surgery before, he’d often groan in pain in the middle of the night, curling up in discomfort.

The first time, Jinwoo had thought it was serious and pressed the emergency button right away.

Now, knowing it was just a side effect, he simply stayed by Jingyeom’s side in silence when he was in pain.

That was all Jinwoo could do.

Oblivious to Jinwoo’s concerns, Jingyeom lay on his side, staring absentmindedly out the window at the night sky.

‘Will things get better now?’

Though it had only been yesterday that they’d held each other and cried, the atmosphere between them still wasn’t quite the same as it used to be.

Yet, it wasn’t as awkward as before, and Jingyeom felt like their relationship would naturally heal in time.

This made him happy throughout the day.

Now that his issues with Jinwoo were mostly resolved, other thoughts began to fill his mind.

Before, he’d been too focused on his physical pain and on tiptoeing around Jinwoo to think deeply.

His relationship with Jinwoo had taken priority back then.

But now, his mind was flooded with all sorts of worries about what to do next.

‘How much debt is there left?’

The most urgent problem was the loan shark debt.

Jinwoo had been repaying it all this time, but now Jingyeom intended to take over the responsibility.

No, to be precise, he planned to push it all back onto the person who borrowed the money in the first place—Baek Myungjun.

Even though he couldn’t make up for all the suffering Jinwoo had endured, he wanted Myungjun to handle the debt himself.

‘I can’t compensate Jinwoo for all the time he wasted repaying that debt, but at the very least…’

However, Jingyeom knew that his plan wasn’t something he could accomplish alone.

He needed to figure out where the debt had originated from, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Jinwoo.

Even if he found out, convincing Jinwoo to transfer the debt would be difficult.

So, the person who borrowed the money—Baek Myungjun—would have to step in.

But, truth be told, there was no way Myungjun would willingly agree to pay off the debt.

‘If only I had some sort of special power… No, wait, this face is a power, isn’t it?’

Jingyeom slowly brushed his hand across his cheek.

His looks could definitely be an asset in certain situations.

Still, relying on his face alone wasn’t enough—he’d have to learn something useful.

‘Maybe I should start studying for some certifications again?’

If he worked for a few hours a day and studied as he’d planned, he might be able to get a better job.

In both his previous and current life, Jingyeom had spent so much time in hospitals that he hadn’t really experienced the world.

Deep down, he wanted to try different things.

But that could wait until the debt was fully paid off.

‘When is Soohyuk coming back? Should I at least ask for my phone?’

He needed to contact Baek Myungjun and Jeong Sanho to move forward, but his phone wasn’t in his possession at the moment.

When Jingyeom had asked Jinwoo about it, he’d been told that Soohyuk was holding onto it and would bring it next time he visited, so Jingyeom was patiently waiting.

Jingyeom looked down at his hand resting beside his pillow.

‘I wish I had a bit more health too.’

He regretted not writing “good health” on his wish paper.

Though the area of his pain had changed, he was still bound to spend a lifetime close to hospitals.

Still, as long as he managed this body well, it was a better situation than before.

‘What should I do now?’

Jingyeom lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

‘Should I ask Soohyuk to help?’

Asking Soohyuk or Wonbeom for help seemed like the best option, but he hesitated, unsure about taking advantage of someone who’d confessed their feelings for him.

Now that his memory had returned, the details of Gray were coming back to him as well.

He knew how both men had treated Jinwoo, and that left him feeling conflicted.

Although the reality didn’t completely align with what he had seen and experienced, the look in their eyes as they gazed at him had been undeniably genuine.

Jingyeom wanted to believe in that.

‘Still, Soohyuk seems like a better option than Wonbeom, right?’

No matter how hard he thought, Soohyuk was the best person to help him right now.

Although Soohyuk had confessed his feelings, he had never shown the possessiveness that typically came from “Gray.”

So, Jingyeom thought that if he asked Soohyuk to pay off his debt, he wouldn’t impose any major conditions.

Sure, Wonbeom would likely do the same, but Soohyuk felt easier to approach.

Besides, Jingyeom could pay Soohyuk back little by little.

That would be better than suffering under a loan shark.

Of course, this was all Jingyeom’s own thinking.

But if that happened, he would have to keep in contact with Soohyuk.

‘Hyung Hoonil seems to have a lot of money too… but it’d be awkward to ask him, right?’

Jinwoo was mentally dependent on his older brother Hoonil, but he worried that if he couldn’t repay the money properly, it might affect their relationship.

In his past life, he hadn’t worried about money, but here, money constantly became an obstacle whenever he tried to do anything.

It was such an ironic fate.

He would have to take medication for life, and regular check-ups would cost money as well.

Not everyone with heart disease had to deal with that, but Jingyeom’s body was naturally weak, so check-ups were a must.

‘Should I try starting YouTube?’

In the past, he thought he shouldn’t because it wasn’t his body.

But now that he had to live in this body, he started thinking more realistically.

He couldn’t do any physically demanding jobs, and though his face was good enough to become a celebrity, the irregular and unpredictable lifestyle wouldn’t be good for his health.

He wanted to help Jinwoo live for himself as soon as possible. And after that…

‘Once that’s done, I’ll have to find my own way too.’

Though he didn’t want to be separated from Jinwoo, lately, the thought that they couldn’t stay together forever had solidified even more.

Even if, by some chance, he developed feelings for Jinwoo, it could never work out.

They weren’t blood-related, but legally, they were still brothers.

‘I’m not the real Baek Jingyeom, so… it’s not an ethical issue, but it’s still wrong.’

Above all, Jingyeom didn’t have romantic feelings for Jinwoo, so the thought was pointless anyway.

Jingyeom was really curious about how he should act to do the right thing for everyone.

Would counseling help him make a decision?

‘Should I ask Hoonil Hyung… No, no. I should ask someone who doesn’t know us… Should I post it online?’

The internet, where he could ask anything and get a variety of opinions from many people, seemed like a good place to ask.

But he immediately gave up on the idea since he didn’t have a phone.

‘…I just want to forget everything.’

How nice would it be if he could just live by instinct, receiving love without knowing anything?

Jingyeom paced anxiously before collapsing face-down with a deep sigh.

After finishing his thoughts, Jingyeom let out a big yawn and lay down straight.

He decided to think more once the phone arrived and squeezed his eyes shut.

Not long after, the sound of tossing and turning stopped, and Jinwoo heard Jingyeom’s steady breathing.

Jinwoo quietly rose from his spot.

He carefully got off the bed, checked to make sure Jingyeom was asleep, and looked him over for any signs of pain.

There was no cold sweat, his face was peaceful, and his breathing was steady.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he was tossing and turning due to pain.

Jinwoo quietly pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his chin on his elbow as he watched Jingyeom sleep.

He still felt guilty and sorry for everything. But after crying in Jingyeom’s small embrace, he felt a little more at ease.

Even though he hadn’t been able to tell Jingyeom everything in his heart…

‘If I become greedy for you, I’ll just be selfish.’

Jingyeom had collapsed because of his actions.

Of course, it wasn’t just that—everything that had happened that day must have been stressful, which was the real reason.

But Jinwoo still felt like it was all his fault.

‘How did it come to this? Where did it all go wrong?’

He had thought it would be fine to live as family forever, and that was how he intended to live.

But after Wonbeom and Soohyuk started showing interest in Jingyeom, his heart began to stray from the path he had set for himself.

Since the day he saw Soohyuk and Jingyeom together in front of the house, he had completely gone off course.

‘Can I find my way back?’

If he wanted to stay by Jingyeom’s side, he would have to, but it wasn’t easy to suppress desires that had already surfaced.

‘…He didn’t abandon me. He didn’t completely reject me, did he?’

Now that he knew they weren’t really blood-related brothers…

‘Maybe I have a chance too?’

Jingyeom had lost his memory.

There was no sign of him recovering even the tiniest fragment.

If Jinwoo could win over his heart during this time, maybe he stood a chance.

He had prayed that once Jingyeom woke up, he wouldn’t reveal his desires again.

But every time Jingyeom smiled brightly at him, Jinwoo couldn’t bring himself to give up.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Jinwoo kept searching for even the smallest possibility.

With Soohyuk and Wonbeom both busy, this might be his last chance since he was always by Jingyeom’s side.

Once everything was settled, those two would visit more frequently, and Jingyeom might give his heart to one of them.

‘…That can’t happen.’

Jinwoo’s eyes darkened with desire as he gently stroked Jingyeom’s cheek with his thumb.

* * *