* * *

That’s when it clicked—he recognized the number because he’d stared at it so many times while debating whether to call or not over the past few days.

—Yeah, it’s me. You’re still in the hospital, right?

“Yes, well…”

—Heard you’ve got yourself a nice room. Guess you came into some money, huh?

Before Jingyeom could even be startled by the sudden call, his father’s audacity to immediately bring up money left him speechless, though oddly calm.

“I don’t have any money.”

—…

“It’s true…”

Jingyeom wasn’t lying. Wonbeom had covered the hospital bill, and the little money he had left had gone towards buying Jinwoo ginseng supplements.

His bank account was practically empty.

When the voice on the other end of the line fell silent, Jingyeom glanced at the screen to check if the call had dropped. But no, they were still connected.

“Hello?”

—They say your personality changed after your accident, huh? Guess it’s true.

“Is that what Sanho told you?”

—Yeah, he did. Anyway, forget that. Jingyeom, can you give your dad some money?

The sheer nerve of asking his memory-lost son for money made Jingyeom’s lips twitch soundlessly before he finally spoke.

“I really don’t have any money. But I do have a question.”

—How can you have no money? If you’re out, why don’t you ask one of your fancy boyfriends? I don’t need much. I’m out of living expenses this month.

“Did you talk to Jinwoo?”

—Can’t you manage 100? If not, 50 will do.

“What did Jinwoo say?”

—Is even 50 too much? Maybe it’s because you lost your memory, but anyone in your contacts would give you money if you just asked.

“Or what did you say to Jinwoo?”

—Why do you keep bringing up Jinwoo?!

Annoyed by Jingyeom’s persistent questioning, Baek Myungjun suddenly raised his voice, his loud outburst causing Jingyeom to pull the phone away from his ear slightly.

Even at a distance, his father’s shouting was still clear.

—I did talk to him! So what?

“…”

—Did Jinwoo tell you not to give me money?

When Jingyeom didn’t respond, Myungjun’s tone softened, as if calming down from his earlier outburst.

—Jingyeom, your dad really needs help. Please?

“…”

—Jingyeom?

“What did you say to Jinwoo?”

—I didn’t say anything. He’s the one who yelled at me first! He told me to stop contacting you or else he’d make me regret it! Can you believe that? As if it’s wrong for a father to contact his own son!

“Contacting me isn’t the problem.”

Jingyeom was about to point out that it was asking for money that was the issue, but Myungjun’s rapid-fire response forced him to swallow his words.

—That’s what I’m saying! Suddenly, I can’t get a hold of you, and then Jinwoo calls just to threaten me! Don’t even get me started on Sanho! He told me that while you were recovering from your head injury, Jinwoo had completely gotten you wrapped around his finger.

“Sanho must’ve told you wrong.”

Jingyeom smiled, even though his father couldn’t see it.

“How could someone wrap me around their finger?”

—…

“Cruelly.”

—…You must’ve hit your head harder than I thought.

As expected, Jingyeom plopped back down onto the sofa.

“Probably. I think I’ve finally come to my senses.”

—Sigh… Jingyeom, I answered your question, didn’t I? So we’re good now, right? I’ll send you my account details. Just transfer the money, okay?

“No. I’m not sending you any money. I don’t have any.”

Even if he did, Jingyeom had no desire to give Myungjun any.

His father’s attitude had made that decision clear.

There was a long silence from Myungjun, likely shocked by Jingyeom’s firm refusal.

But Jingyeom waited calmly for him to speak again.

—If you don’t help me, I guess I’ll have to contact Jinwoo.

“Dad!”

—Yeah, that’s right. I’m your dad. Your only family. So are you really going to let me starve in the cold, out on the streets?

The shameless demand caused Jingyeom’s eye to twitch with frustration.

—I’ll take that as a yes. Talk to you later.

Click.

Jingyeom let out a hollow laugh at the one-sided end to the call.

Just minutes earlier, he had been agonizing over what to do, but now, everything had become crystal clear.

‘I’ll tell Jinwoo.’

Not only that, but he realized he had to take action to sever ties with this man once and for all.

No matter how much someone is family, it’s better to cut off toxic relationships as quickly as possible.

While Baek Jingyeom had failed to do so, the person in control of his body now wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake.

‘…Once I find out what Jinwoo’s been preparing, I’ll cut ties with Sanho, too.’

Jung Sanho and Baek Myungjun.

After dealing with both of them, I began to think that it would be better to cut off all people who have a negative influence on me.

There’s nothing more foolish than maintaining bad relationships.

---

Jingyeom hadn’t smiled so brightly in a long time.

It was because Jinwoo had said he could spend Sunday with him, and he kept his word.

Jingyeom had spent a lot of time alone in the hospital, so he had felt quite lonely.

Soohyuk, who used to visit daily, had gotten busier with work, and his visits gradually became less frequent.

Although they still kept in touch, even that was happening less often than before.

He couldn’t exactly drag the busy Hoonil into long conversations, and Sanho had also stopped contacting him as much, probably because he, too, had gotten caught up in something.

Though he was still confined to the hospital room, just having Jinwoo by his side made Jingyeom feel light, like a dandelion fluff drifting in the air.

They sat together on the sofa, watched a movie, and caught up on all the conversations they hadn’t had time for.

Even though it was mostly Jingyeom doing the talking, it was enjoyable.

He shared all the trivial news, like how a celebrity was apparently admitted to the hospital, and maybe that’s why there were suddenly so many people in the lobby who looked like bodyguards.

At that moment, Jingyeom, who had been chattering away, abruptly stopped.

He felt today was the day he needed to bring up Baek Myungjun.

Jinwoo, noticing that Jingyeom had suddenly fallen silent and was now rolling his eyes around, looked at him curiously.

“Why? Did you remember who that celebrity is?”

“No, they’ve been so secretive about it that even the nurses don’t know. I asked, but they wouldn’t tell me.”

Jingyeom wrinkled his nose slightly as he got up and pulled out a photo from deep inside his bag.

He rubbed the photo with his fingers, then extended his arm towards Jinwoo, who had been staring at him.

“What’s this?”

“…Just take a look.”

As soon as Jinwoo saw the photo, his expression darkened.

“…”

“Do you recognize him?”

“…Of course. It’s Dad.”

Jinwoo wanted to turn away, but it was clear that Jingyeom already knew everything, so there was no point pretending otherwise.

“How… how did you get this photo?”

“Sanho gave it to me.”

“…Sanho came to the hospital? Jeong Sanho?”

Jinwoo, staring at the photo, raised his head.

His brows furrowed automatically as tension filled his gaze.

It was bad enough that Sanho had come to the hospital, but to think he even left a photo behind.

Jingyeom, noticing how Jinwoo always became sensitive at the mention of Sanho, narrowed his eyes slightly before responding.

“He came by the other day, but you were so busy that I didn’t get a chance to tell you. …That’s when he gave me the photo. He said it was Dad, but I didn’t recognize him at first since I don’t remember much.”

Jingyeom, sneaking glances at Jinwoo’s reaction, fidgeted with his fingers.

‘Does he… really hate Dad?’

Jingyeom hoped Jinwoo would say something, but his brother’s lips remained tightly sealed.

All Jingyeom could see was the slight twitching of Jinwoo’s jaw muscles, as if he were gritting his teeth.

“…Before I lost my memory, apparently… back then…”

Jingyeom hesitated, wondering if he should continue, but since it was something Jinwoo likely already knew, he decided to speak quickly.

“I asked Sanho to find Dad. I don’t know exactly when, but I asked him to find him, and he really did.”

‘…Sanho found Dad because Jingyeom asked him to?’

Jinwoo lowered his gaze.

He had thought their father had contacted Jingyeom first, but apparently that wasn’t the case. It felt like a punch to the back of his head.

“Seems like they’ve been in touch ever since. It’s been a while… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“…”

Jingyeom squinted, watching Jinwoo closely. His brother seemed shocked, yet there was something else—an underlying complexity.

“…Did you know?”

Jinwoo slowly nodded.

“Then… did you also know I’ve been giving him money?”

“I found out recently. That you’ve been in touch with him… and giving him money.”

Jingyeom felt an unnecessary sense of guilt, even though it wasn’t his fault.

The thought that Jinwoo’s hard-earned money had been going to Baek Myungjun, who would only waste it on gambling, made Jingyeom hang his head.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…”

“It was your money, earned through hard work, and I spent it so recklessly. Right?”

“…Hah…”

Jinwoo let out a long sigh and then stood up, walking over to Jingyeom’s side.

Gently, he placed a hand on his younger brother’s visibly slumped shoulder.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m okay.”

“…Sanho told me. He said you’ve been in contact with Dad.”

“He even said that? Jeong Sanho really knows a lot, huh.”

Jinwoo let out a hollow laugh, licking his lower lip slowly.

‘Jung Sanho.’

Since Baek Jingyeom and Jeong Sanho were close, Jinwoo had somewhat expected that Sanho might know about their family situation.

But he never imagined that Sanho had actually helped find their father.

Moreover, that Sanho knew Jinwoo had been in touch with him.

‘So Sanho and Dad have been in contact all this time.’

It had been four years since Jinwoo first reconnected with Baek Myungjun, the man who had abandoned them.

Their father had reappeared out of nowhere, shamelessly demanding money.

At first, Jinwoo had scraped together whatever little he had to help his father, who claimed he couldn’t make ends meet.

But it didn’t take long before their father came back again and again, always asking for more.

Jinwoo later learned that his father had gambled away the money he had given him, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn away from the man who would return looking gaunt and haggard.

And so, the cycle continued, like a never-ending loop.

* * *