ACTSV chapter 1

In the quiet hospital room, the midday sun streamed in unfiltered, casting a warm glow through the window.

On the bed lay a slightly raised blanket, with light brown hair peeking out from its edge.

Jingyeom, who had been wriggling under the blanket for a while, finally woke up, his sleepy eyes barely open.

His moist eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Instead of a ceiling full of glow-in-the-dark stars, he saw a strange square pattern with spots, making him blink repeatedly.

Despite rubbing his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, the view remained unchanged.

“Hmm…”

He exhaled deeply through his nose and sat up.

Still groggy, he couldn’t grasp what was happening. One thing was certain: this wasn’t his room.

As he turned his head, he saw an IV drip. The line connected directly to his wrist.

Only then did he realize where he was.

A Korean hospital.

He wasn’t wearing pajamas but hospital clothes adorned with the Korean hospital logo.

He remembered lying on his bed last night, reading a web novel on his phone before falling asleep.

But a hospital?

Unable to comprehend the situation, he sat there blankly until he heard the door slide open.

He turned his gaze toward the sound and couldn’t help but gasp.

“…Wow.”

A strikingly handsome man with exceptionally black hair entered the room.

Even in a simple black short-sleeve T-shirt and jeans, he looked like a famous fashion model. His appearance was captivating.

Despite the distance, Jingyeom could see he was tall and muscular, with a well-proportioned face featuring perfectly harmonized features.

Never having seen such a handsome man before, Jingyeom watched him with his lips pursed.

Jinwoo, noticing the stare, hesitated before closing the door.

“What’s with you?”

When Jingyeom didn’t respond, Jinwoo approached the bed.

“Still not feeling well? The tests showed nothing wrong…”

Jinwoo’s eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Knowing Jingyeom’s dislike for being touched, Jinwoo inspected him with his eyes only.

No cold sweat, no frown lines. He didn’t seem sick, but that was just on the surface.

“If you’re in pain, call a nurse. Should I call one now?”

“Who are you?”

Jingyeom’s darting eyes and hand reaching for the call button froze.

Jinwoo’s head turned mechanically to meet Jingyeom’s gaze.

His light brown eyes, tinged with gold, showed no sign of wavering. It was as if he genuinely didn’t recognize him.

Jinwoo’s lips trembled as he spoke in a shaky voice.

“Is it because I came late?”

“Um… I think you have the wrong room.”

Their gazes crossed briefly.

Jinwoo, noticing Jingyeom’s unyielding stare, sighed. It seemed he wasn’t in pain, just in a bad mood.

Pettishness was a regular part of Baek Jingyeom’s life. But today, it felt real, even if only for a moment.

His acting skills were improving day by day.

Feeling relieved, Jinwoo raised the bag in his hand slightly.

“I brought fried rice. Are you going to be like this?”

He skillfully set up the table attached to the bed and placed the food on it.

Jingyeom still couldn’t take his eyes off Jinwoo.

Who was this person, taking care of his meals?

Could it be someone he didn’t remember?

As the savory smell filled the room, Jingyeom’s gaze followed Jinwoo’s hands unwrapping the food.

Seeing this, Jinwoo smiled slightly. Although eating out wasn’t good, he had no choice since Jingyeom refused hospital food.

“Looks good, right?”

Instead of answering, Jingyeom nodded and glanced sideways.

Seeing Jinwoo’s amused smile, he asked,

“Why?”

“You’re really handsome.”

“What do you want this time?”

“I don’t need anything…”

Jingyeom’s eyes shifted to the food.

“Is this for me?”

“Are you going to keep talking like that?”

Jinwoo’s playful tone made Jingyeom feel uneasy.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I was late. There were a lot of people.”

They were conversing, but the conversation didn’t flow.

Jinwoo didn’t mind if Jingyeom got annoyed or complained. But pretending not to know him was hard to ignore.

Baek Jingyeom knew this and never played such a prank. But today, he kept treating him like a stranger, which made Jinwoo uneasy.

Unaware of Jinwoo’s feelings, Jingyeom leaned in to look at the food and spoke with a regretful expression.

“So this food belongs to someone else. I thought it was for me! Take it away before I want it even more!”

He wasn’t hungry, but the food looked delicious. His mouth watered, but he resisted and closed the lid. The smell still lingered in the room, tempting him.

As he put the food back in the bag, Jinwoo stopped him.

“You didn’t eat earlier either. Don’t you want this? Should I get something else?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“You’re not eating well lately, so you have no energy. I don’t know why you’re mad at me, but… let’s eat this, okay?”

Jingyeom’s eyes rolled at Jinwoo’s almost desperate tone.

Was this man mistaking him for someone else?

It was strange how friendly he was being.

Determined to clarify the situation, Jingyeom spoke up.

“I’m Baek Jingyeom. Baek Jingyeom.”

“……”

“Maybe you should check if you went to the wrong room…”

“Hyung…”

Jinwoo’s eyes wavered greatly.

Seeing Jingyeom’s innocent expression, his heart ached deeply.

“The person who seems to be your hyung must really look like me.”

Jingyeom pulled his hand away and tied the envelope string once.

“But what if you still can’t recognize your brother? Here, take it.”

As Jingyeom checked that the knot was secure, Jinwoo watched, covering his eyes with his hand and then brushing his face.

Whenever he acted like this, trying to push him away, it made Jinwoo’s heart sink.

Continuing to do this even though he knew Jinwoo disliked it meant something was bothering him.

Whatever it was, Jinwoo felt he couldn’t just let it go.

Jinwoo sat lightly on the bed and met Jingyeom’s gaze.

“You don’t have to tell me why you’re upset… but let’s eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

He tried to speak as calmly as possible, but his voice trembled.

Jingyeom tilted his head.

Despite saying no, Jinwoo kept talking, making Jingyeom wonder if there was something wrong with his mind.

“Is your hyung also hospitalized?”

“Hyung?”

“Hey, I said I’m not your hyung.”

Finally realizing something was off, Jinwoo’s brow furrowed.

Normally, he would have complained by now, asking for new shoes or clothes. Even though he grumbled, if he got what he wanted, things would have been resolved smoothly.

Moreover, the bright smile he was showing was not a look he typically directed at Jinwoo. Jinwoo was always met with an expression of displeasure.

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes and stared at Jingyeom.

“Baek Jingyeom.”

“Huh? Is your brother’s name also Baek Jingyeom?”

Jinwoo slowly nodded.

From the moment Jingyeom had entered the hospital room and started talking, the sense of unease had quickly spread throughout Jinwoo’s body.

Jingyeom’s eyes widened in amazement at the coincidence of the same name.

“Wow… if you have the same name and look alike, I can see how you might get confused.”

Still, he pushed the envelope toward Jinwoo, telling him to take it to its original owner.

“…”

Realizing it was no joke, Jinwoo pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Hoonil from his recent call list. He tried to act composed, but his fingers trembled slightly.

“Doctor, Jingyeom is acting strange… he doesn’t recognize me.”

Jingyeom also began to feel uneasy due to Jinwoo’s behavior. It seemed too suspicious to dismiss as a simple mistake. He started to wonder if he had gotten involved with a dangerous person.

“Excuse me…”

“Yeah, come quickly.”

Jingyeom glanced around the hospital room nervously while keeping an eye on Jinwoo.

His large eyes darted around before he carefully stepped off the bed.

“…I need to use the bathroom.”

When Jingyeom got off the bed, Jinwoo also stood up.

Seeing Jingyeom’s frightened face, Jinwoo sighed shortly and grabbed the IV pole.

Since the IV was attached, moving without it could cause injury.

“I’ll help you move it.”

“I’ll take it!”

Jingyeom tightly grasped the pole with both hands and quickly walked toward the door Jinwoo had entered through.

“The bathroom is next to that.”

Jingyeom, who was about to open the door, laughed awkwardly at the sound from behind and opened the bathroom door next to it.

He hurried inside and closed the door with a bang.

Feeling the door against his back, he exhaled a sigh of relief.

‘He won’t follow me in here, will he?’

He had come in to escape but actually needed to use the bathroom.

After finishing his business, he stood at the sink to wash his hands.

“…Huh?”