* * *

Just as Jingyeom was about to ask Jinwoo when Soohyuk would bring the phone, unable to wait any longer, Soohyuk and Wonbeom arrived at the hospital without a word.

Jinwoo frowned, displeased by their visit.

He had just begun to get back to how things were with Jingyeom, and these uninvited guests were not welcome.

Soohyuk raised a bag with a shopping bag in it, announcing his presence with enthusiasm.

“Jingyeom, I’m here!”

He hadn’t been such a lively person before, but something had changed, and now Soohyuk’s behavior was strange to Jingyeom.

Living here, he had gotten to know Soohyuk personally, but once his memory returned and he recalled Soohyuk’s character from the novel, his current behavior felt odd.

It wasn’t just Soohyuk.

Wonbeom, who used to give off an intimidating aura as if he wouldn’t let anyone near, had softened.

It was proof that they had grown closer, but seeing them after so long felt a bit unfamiliar.

When Jingyeom showed no reaction, not even the usual signs of welcoming them, Soohyuk lowered his raised arm and approached the bed.

“Why aren’t you reacting? Are you feeling sick?”

“…No. It’s just that it feels like I saw you yesterday.”

“Really? You must have been thinking about me a lot.”

“I wasn’t.”

Despite Jingyeom’s prickly words, Soohyuk’s face lit up with a big smile.

“At least you can talk properly now.”

“I’ve been able to for a while now…”

As Jingyeom continued to answer curtly, Soohyuk’s lips curled into a playful smile.

“Did you miss me? You didn’t come, and I was a little disappointed.”

“…Not really.”

“Oh, so you were a bit disappointed?”

Soohyuk’s eyes widened momentarily before narrowing playfully.

The fact that Jingyeom didn’t flatly deny it meant that perhaps he had missed him a little.

“I guess it was worth it, holding back from seeing you.”

Feeling good, Soohyuk opened his arms wide to hug Jingyeom tightly, but Wonbeom, who was standing behind him, grabbed his shoulder, and Jinwoo, who was beside the bed, reached out to block him.

Soohyuk’s eyebrows twitched in his awkward position.

“If it was just one guard, I could’ve tried something, but two is too much.”

“Don’t try to hug him so casually.”

At Jinwoo’s wary words, Soohyuk shrugged and lowered his arms, then handed over a shopping bag.

“Here.”

“What is it?”

“Take a look.”

Jingyeom took the shopping bag and peered inside, only to find a familiar phone.

“I should’ve given this to you sooner, but I got busy and forgot. But I charged it before coming. Pretty thoughtful, right?”

However, when Jingyeom pulled out the phone, his brow furrowed.

“What happened to the screen?”

“Oh, I accidentally dropped it. So, I brought a new one too. They say you could cut your hand on a cracked screen.”

Checking the shopping bag again, Jingyeom saw a box with a brand-new phone, the model currently being heavily advertised on TV.

“Just use the new phone.”

Knowing how expensive the phone was, Jingyeom hesitated to accept it, so Soohyuk added a reason why he should take it.

“It’s my fault for breaking it, right? This isn’t just a gift—it’s an apology and the appropriate compensation for my mistake.”

Though it felt like a bit of an excuse to give him a new phone, Jingyeom reluctantly nodded, knowing he couldn’t risk getting cut by the broken screen.

Setting aside the phone and the shopping bag, Jingyeom turned to Wonbeom, who was standing behind Soohyuk.

“I heard the news! They say you’re not just an executive anymore but the President… Should I start calling you President instead of hyung?”

Now that he was the President, Wonbeom somehow felt more distant.

Jingyeom wasn’t intentionally trying to create distance, but considering Wonbeom’s new status, he thought calling him hyung might not be appropriate in public.

Wonbeom’s eyes narrowed slightly at Jingyeom’s words.

After not seeing him for so long, the first thing Jingyeom mentioned was a title change.

Still, it seemed like Jingyeom was healthier than before, which relieved him a bit.

Wonbeom had originally wanted to visit alone, but he had been tied up dealing with a prosecutor’s investigation related to President Kim’s side, handling paper companies and slush funds.

Plus, with people watching him closely, it took longer than expected.

As it happened, Soohyuk had also finished his own matters at the same time, so they ended up coming together.

‘It’s too crowded.’

Wonbeom wanted nothing more than to chase away Soohyuk and Jinwoo and spend time alone with Jingyeom, like when they used to live together at the estate.

Jingyeom, waiting for an answer, lowered his gaze slightly, his neck feeling stiff from looking up for so long. He lifted his eyes, looking at Wonbeom intently.

Wonbeom’s narrowed eyes softened at the sight.

“Just call me hyung. President sounds too formal.”

“Then how about calling you President when we’re outside? Your face is pretty well known now…”

Whenever the economy news was on, President Kim’s face would still be featured due to the ongoing investigation, and Wonbeom, now the newly appointed president, was often mentioned as someone expected to lead Daejeong to new heights.

Not only was Wonbeom’s rapid ascent to president impressive for his young age, but his objectively and subjectively good looks made him a media favorite.

Although the company tried to manage photos and articles featuring him internally, the internet made it nearly impossible to control everything.

As a result, pictures of him had spread even faster than when he was just an executive.

“Don’t worry about all that. Just call me what you want. Personally, I’d like it if you called me hyung… but if that’s uncomfortable for you, call me something else.”

Previously, Wonbeom would have insisted on being called hyung or President without room for debate, but this time, he gave Jingyeom the choice.

This shift showed how much he had softened toward Jingyeom, but Jingyeom didn’t pick up on that, simply nodding in agreement.

While the two of them talked, Soohyuk kept a close eye on Jingyeom.

After a moment, he casually sat down on the edge of the bed, drawing Jingyeom’s gaze to him.

“Jingyeom.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance…?”

Soohyuk let the end of his sentence trail off, causing both Jinwoo and Wonbeom to look at him.

“Have you regained any of your memories?”

“My memories?”

“Yeah. By now, you’d think some fragments of your memory would’ve returned, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve remembered anything.”

Caught off guard by the question, Jingyeom’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out.

His light brown eyes wavered for a moment before lowering, and he cautiously glanced toward Jinwoo.

For both Jingyeom and Jinwoo, memories were a sensitive topic.

Jinwoo hoped the memories would never return, while Jingyeom felt guilty for not being able to remember.

He wished that the memories he had now weren’t his own but rather those of Baek Jingyeom.

However, none of Jingyeom’s memories had returned.

Although he should have immediately responded that no memories had returned, he hesitated, glancing at Jinwoo, before finally shaking his head slowly.

“No.”

Yet as he answered, something felt strange.

‘Why does Soohyuk keep asking about my memories?’

It made sense for Jinwoo, as family, to ask.

That wasn’t strange at all.

But Soohyuk’s curiosity about his memories was puzzling.

‘Wonbeom hyung has never asked…’

Come to think of it, Soohyuk was always the one asking about his memories, while Wonbeom never showed any interest.

He didn’t even hint at being curious.

Even when Soohyuk had confessed by the beach, he had said that if Jingyeom wanted to find his memories, he would help.

Suddenly suspicious, Jingyeom’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you so interested in my memories, hyung?”

As Jingyeom tried to figure out Soohyuk’s intentions, Soohyuk smiled as usual. But then, his expression shifted.

“Of course I’m interested.”

“Why? Do you want me to regain my memories?”

“As I’ve said before, I don’t really care whether you remember or not.”

Soohyuk’s eyes, now fixed on Jingyeom, seemed oddly dangerous.

Jingyeom couldn’t hold his gaze any longer and quickly looked away.

Those weren’t the warm eyes that always looked at him before.

‘What is this feeling…?’

It felt just like when they first met in the hospital.

Wondering if he was seeing things, Jingyeom looked back, only to meet Soohyuk’s now carefully composed, gentle eyes.

“Aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know who you used to be?”

“Not really.”

“Really? That’s too bad. If you change your mind, let me know. I can book you an appointment with a psychiatrist. Talking to a doctor might bring back some memories.”

Though they hadn’t exchanged many words, Soohyuk’s tone carried a certain pressure that made both Wonbeom and Jinwoo uneasy.

Especially Jinwoo, who didn’t want the memories to return, found Soohyuk’s words troubling.

Now that the relationship with Jingyeom is being repaired, it would be a disaster if his memory came back in this situation.

That’s the last thing I want.

Wonbeom also found Soohyuk’s repeated questions about whether the memories had returned strange.

Then, a thought occurred to him about the potential upside of Jingyeom regaining his memory.

‘No matter what, Baek Jingyeom was interested in me.’

That means if he gets his memory back, those feelings might return as well.

Of course, he doesn’t believe that Baek Jingyeom purely liked him. It was probably all about his wealth.

But now, Wonbeom needed to use everything he had to regain Jingyeom’s attention.

‘If his memory returns, it could actually work in my favor.’

If that really happens, maybe it would be better for him if Jingyeom recovered his memory.

Wonbeom briefly considered including psychological counseling in Jingyeom’s treatment plan but then recalled what Baek Jingyeom’s personality was like back then.

‘If his memory returns, will he go back to being the old Baek Jingyeom? …I don’t like that.’

That foul personality is hard to tolerate.

‘…Still, Baek Jingyeom is Baek Jingyeom.’

No matter what his personality is like, that fact doesn’t change.

After a moment of hesitation, Wonbeom finally spoke up.

“I don’t think it’s so bad to help him recover his memory.”

“Oh, we’re on the same page.”

Soohyuk extended his fist, suggesting a fist bump, but Wonbeom ignored him without even a glance, as if used to it.

“What do you think, Secretary Baek? He’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to get counseling now?”

“….”

“Don’t worry about the cost. I can bring in a renowned doctor for this.”

Suddenly, Jinwoo found himself under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, his eyelids twitching nervously.

‘…I don’t want to.’

The words he couldn’t bring himself to say lingered on the tip of his tongue.

* * *