* * *

Jingyeom quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“This isn’t the important thing right now. Jinwoo, how about… we be the only family we need?”

“Huh?”

“On paper, Dad will still be there… but let’s just live, the two of us. Without him.”

“…Can we really do that?”

Jinwoo asked again, wondering if that was truly possible.

Baek Jingyeom had always been the one who wanted to maintain a relationship with their father, so Jinwoo worried he might regret it later.

As for Jinwoo himself, he had long since given up any hope for their father.

But the message he’d secretly checked last time made him realize that Jingyeom hadn’t, so he was even more cautious now.

Despite Jinwoo’s concerns, Jingyeom responded firmly.

“Yeah. I can do it, as long as you’re okay with it.”

“…I’m fine with it. Just the two of us sounds good.”

Jinwoo’s words about living together, just the two of them, echoed in Jingyeom’s mind.

With his face buried in Jingyeom’s neck, Jinwoo took a deep breath.

It didn’t smell like usual.

The scent of hospital shampoo mixed with Jingyeom’s natural scent felt different.

“So, I can call your name now, right?”

“Do you want to?”

“Yeah.”

“…Alright, go ahead.”

Jingyeom’s shoulders twitched as Jinwoo’s nose and lips brushed against the back of his neck, tickling him.

“…One more thing.”

“What now?”

Jinwoo hugged Jingyeom tighter, not asking for permission but declaring his decision firmly.

“Let’s get you discharged.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. All the test results came back fine, so you can be discharged now.”

“I can really leave the hospital?”

Excited at the thought of being discharged, Jingyeom shuffled his feet, and Jinwoo could feel his excitement.

Even though Jinwoo wanted to stay with Jingyeom a little longer, he needed to figure out how much Jeong Sanho knew.

The first thing he had to do was make sure Jingyeom was in a safe place and cut off any further contact between the two.

It was at this moment that Jinwoo’s resolve, though torn by the thought of being apart from Jingyeom, became firm.

---

Jingyeom’s discharge was processed quickly.

By Monday morning, the paperwork was done.

Even though work at the company was hectic, Jinwoo took a day off to personally take Jingyeom to a safe place.

As much as he wanted to stay longer, he knew that if he also disappeared for a long time while Jingyeom was missing, President Kim’s side would get suspicious and start searching, so he couldn’t afford that.

“Finally, I’m getting out of here!”

Jingyeom quickly changed out of his hospital gown.

After putting on the clothes Jinwoo had brought for him, he looked around the hospital room one last time.

“Are we going straight home?”

“No, we’re going somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else? Where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Jingyeom was curious about where they were headed, but his excitement about being discharged overpowered any need to ask more questions.

Besides, he trusted that Jinwoo would take him somewhere nice, so he wasn’t worried.

As he eagerly packed his things for discharge, the door to the hospital room opened.

“Huh?”

Jingyeom’s mouth dropped open as he saw Hoonil enter.

Jinwoo smiled and greeted him.

“You’re here.”

“I came early, but it looks like you’re all packed already. Need any help?”

Hoonil walked further inside, but Jingyeom’s expression didn’t change.

“What’s this? Didn’t you say you were on vacation for a while?”

“Yep. I decided to spend my precious time off with you guys.”

“Wow! Wait… is that why you’re dressed like that?”

“Yeah, I usually dress pretty well, but I don’t get to show off because I’m always in a white doctor’s coat. Do I look good?”

“You look amazing! Are we going somewhere to celebrate my discharge?

Is that what this is about?”

Seeing Hoonil in casual clothes seemed to lift Jingyeom’s spirits even more, and his voice got higher.

Hoonil couldn’t help but smile at Jingyeom’s excitement.

Having been briefed by Soohyuk, Hoonil had deliberately kept Jingyeom from going outside and extended his hospital stay by arranging unnecessary tests—all for his safety.

Though it was for his well-being, it hadn’t felt right to keep someone like Jingyeom, who loved being outdoors, confined.

Jinwoo nodded slightly after packing the last of their belongings.

“All packed. Let’s go.”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Jinwoo slowly released the grip he had on Jingyeom’s arm.

As Jingyeom returned to his seat and fastened his seatbelt again, Jinwoo spoke up.

“Once we’re there, we probably won’t get any signal, so your phone won’t work.”

“Places like that still exist these days?”

“Seems like it. But I heard the scenery’s great, and the air is nice since it’s up in the mountains.”

“Wow… If there’s no signal, that means no internet, right? Feels like one of those places you’d see in a documentary, doesn’t it?”

When Jinwoo nodded, Jingyeom, now even more excited, smiled broadly.

Despite hearing that there wouldn’t be any cell phone service, he didn’t seem particularly bothered.

It would be a nightmare for most modern people who are so used to 5G speeds that even LTE feels slow.

“This sounds fun! So, are we going to cook rice in a cauldron too?”

All Jinwoo had mentioned was the lack of cell signal, but for some reason, Jingyeom had conjured up vivid images of those survivalists from YouTube.

It was amusing, and Jinwoo shook his head before the misunderstanding grew any deeper.

“That’s a shame. I always wanted to try rice cooked in one of those cauldrons. And I’d like to see one of those old-fashioned stoves too!”

“We can go somewhere like that another time. There are still plenty of places that have those.”

Jingyeom laughed and nodded.

“But if there’s no signal, does that mean we can’t make phone calls either?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Hmm… People might worry if they can’t reach me. I’d better let Soohyuk know.”

Since Soohyuk contacted him daily without fail, Jingyeom didn’t want to make him worry unnecessarily.

He pulled out his phone, intending to send a message to Soohyuk, but paused and looked up.

“When are we heading back tomorrow?”

“We’ll be staying there for a while.”

“…What?”

Jingyeom blinked rapidly.

He’d thought it was just a day trip, so the idea of staying there for some time took him by surprise.

“Why? What about home?”

“I didn’t want to worry you, but… there’s a leak at home. We’ll only be staying there until it gets fixed.”

“Are you staying too?”

“No, I’ll be coming back early tomorrow morning.”

“So, you’re leaving me there all by myself?”

“Hyung Hoonil will stay with you for a few days.”

Jingyeom’s delicate brow furrowed as he realized he’d be separated from Jinwoo unexpectedly.

Even if they had to leave home due to a leak, couldn’t they have found a place closer?

Why send him off alone to a remote area, especially where there’s barely any cell service?

Seeing the dissatisfaction on Jingyeom’s face, Jinwoo laughed softly.

‘Good thing he’s upset. If he’d been all cheerful about going alone, I probably would’ve felt a bit hurt.’

Truthfully, Jinwoo was worried too.

Since Jingyeom lost his memory, they hadn’t been apart for an extended period, and the fact that they wouldn’t be able to contact each other only made it worse.

They were heading to a place with selective signal blocking to avoid being tracked.

The house was equipped with a signal jammer, preventing cell phone use.

It might seem extreme, but it was the safest option for security.

However, landline phones and wired internet were still available, so there were no major communication issues.

“I’m just worried that work’s been so busy, I won’t be able to look after you properly.”

“Can’t we just stay at a motel together? I don’t want to be somewhere else alone…”

For a moment, Jinwoo’s resolve wavered, seeing Jingyeom so downcast.

But he quickly reminded himself of the danger posed by Wonbeom’s situation and steeled his resolve.

“If I go to work, you’ll still be alone at the motel. Plus, it’s safer this way.”

Jinwoo’s voice was gentle and soothing, trying to calm Jingyeom.

He explained that he wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone and that Soohyuk had offered his cabin for them to stay at.

It was a perfect place to rest with fresh air and no disturbances.

Jingyeom still didn’t seem thrilled with the idea, but knowing it wasn’t for long and that Hoonil would be staying with him for a few days, he reluctantly nodded in agreement.

* * *