ACTSV chapter 7

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With the bed now spacious, Jingyeom stretched his legs. While he rubbed his slightly protruding belly, Jinwoo, who had finished tidying up, sat next to the bed with a hospital envelope.

“Hyung.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah?”

“…I have something to tell you.”

Jingyeom looked at him expectantly. Jinwoo hesitated for a moment before placing the envelope on Jingyeom’s lap.

“You might not remember… but your body is quite weak. There are many things you need to be careful about. But don’t worry too much; it’s not that serious.”

Jinwoo spoke quickly, trying to reassure him. Yet, without proper care, any illness could become severe, especially for someone as frail as Baek Jingyeom.

“Oh… Maybe I should tell you about us first? That might be better.”

“Sounds good!”

Jingyeom looked at him with eager eyes, like a child anticipating a favorite story. The idea of hearing about their past excited him.

“As I mentioned earlier, we’re twins. Though we’re fraternal, so we have many differences. There’s quite a difference in our builds too… You’ve been weak since birth. You’re not in great shape now, but it’s improved a lot, so you can live normally.”

Jingyeom nodded, maintaining eye contact with Jinwoo.

“It’s just the two of us. We rely on each other. I work as a secretary, and the person you saw earlier supports your medical expenses… He’s a kind person.”

Despite his words, Jinwoo’s expression briefly twisted. Jingyeom pretended not to notice and smiled.

“Our birthday is December 3rd. We were born on a day when it was snowing heavily. As children, we were inseparable, which was quite challenging for our caretakers.”

Jinwoo shared many stories until night fell. Most of them were from their childhood, giving the impression of peering into a protagonist’s unknown past.

But he only spoke of the happy times. He didn’t mention the past that Jingyeom knew.

Jinwoo’s past was briefly mentioned in “Gray.”

He grew up receiving less attention from his parents, overshadowed by his sick older brother, and had to work part-time jobs to help pay off family debts even before becoming an adult.

Despite his hard work, life never gave Jinwoo any peace.

From others’ perspectives, he might seem unfortunate, but Jinwoo himself never thought so.

Jingyeom, knowing this, never asked about it even though he found it curious, enjoying the stories Jinwoo shared.

The smile gradually faded from Jinwoo’s face as he spoke. Jingyeom also slowly lowered his upturned lips.

“…Hyung got pneumonia when we were in elementary school. You got really sick back then…”

It was around the time the two became elementary school students that Baek Jingyeom first collapsed.

The diagnosis was congenital heart disease.

Until then, there had been no issues, but the sudden pain revealed the condition.

From that day, Baek Jingyeom’s life changed completely.

He had to go home right after school and couldn’t even think about playing outside. He was strictly isolated under his parents’ supervision.

Jinwoo was no exception. But compared to Baek Jingyeom, he was freer. Even when Baek Jingyeom asked him to play together, Jinwoo chose to play outside.

That was the moment when a distance began to grow between the two children.

During a flu outbreak, Jinwoo fell seriously ill. Baek Jingyeom, who was in the same house, also caught it, and due to his weak body, it developed into pneumonia.

Because his heart was weak, it led to a critical situation, and the heart surgery that had been postponed was brought forward to save him.

Recalling those memories, Jinwoo clenched his fists tightly.

“You… had surgery.”

Jinwoo couldn’t shake off the thought that if he hadn’t caught the flu, Baek Jingyeom wouldn’t have developed pneumonia. The voices of his parents blaming him back then still buzzed in his ears.

His throat felt tight, but he forced out his voice to say the most important thing.

“It was heart surgery.”

“Ah… heart surgery.”

“Yeah. So, you have to be careful. It’s not something that can be completely cured…”

Jingyeom pulled his knees close to his chest. He already knew this information, so it didn’t matter.

But seeing how difficult it was for Jinwoo to talk about it, he could tell how much Jinwoo cared for Baek Jingyeom.

It was a moment when Baek Jinwoo, who was never intimidated by anyone, seemed infinitely small.

Jingyeom slowly reached out and gently touched Jinwoo’s head with his fingertips. Jinwoo, who had been looking down, lifted his gaze.

“Your arms are short…”

Jingyeom laughed awkwardly and leaned forward to gently stroke the front of Jinwoo’s head.

“If you just take care of yourself and stay healthy, that’s enough, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Seeing Jingyeom’s clear eyes, Jinwoo’s lips trembled. Suddenly, he thought that once Jingyeom regained his memory, he would never see that smile again.

Baek Jingyeom often said that his weak body was Jinwoo’s fault.

That Jinwoo took all the nutrients while they were in the womb, making his body weak, and that he caught the flu, leading to pneumonia and bringing the heart surgery forward.

He said all his misfortunes were because of Jinwoo.

Fearing to hear those words again, Jinwoo couldn’t bring himself to tell the whole truth. No, he didn’t.

‘…Gyeom.’

A nickname he had called Baek Jingyeom thousands of times in his heart.

He wished he could call him that while looking into his eyes and smiling, just like before.

Jinwoo clenched his trembling hands tighter to hide his emotions and forced a smile.

“…Here, it lists the things you need to be careful about. I’ll be there to help you, but I thought it would be better if you read it, so I brought it.”

Jingyeom nodded lightly. The envelope was large, so he thought it contained a book, but it was just a few sheets of paper.

“…Aortic valve stenosis?” (TL: the narrowing of the exit of the left ventricle of the heart, such that problems result. From google)

It was a completely unfamiliar medical term.

Jingyeom knew he had heart disease and a weak body, but the original story never provided more details.

He thought all heart problems were just heart disease, but seeing the exact medical term on the guide made the seriousness sink in.

Pursing his lips, Jingyeom read through the precautions and put the papers down. Now that it was his body, he couldn’t help but be concerned about the pain.

It was a moment when his resolve to live well here slightly wavered. He felt tricked by his own pretty face, even though no one had deceived him.

“As long as I follow what’s written here, I’ll be fine, right?”

“It shouldn’t be difficult. You’ve been doing well so far…”

“This much is nothing.”

Dietary control was simply about avoiding the foods listed on the paper, and maintaining proper exercise was about walking for about 30 minutes a day. It seemed doable.

There were other things to be careful about, but it didn’t worry him. If he was cautious about a few things, he wouldn’t be different from a normal person.

He put the papers back in the envelope and patted the outside. When he looked up, Jinwoo still seemed to have something to say, his lips moving slightly.

“Why?”

“…Actually, the operation is not far off.”

“…What?”

Jingyeom couldn’t speak, only opening and closing his mouth. Seeing his confused face, Jinwoo’s eyes wavered slightly.

If it weren’t urgent, he would have wanted to tell Jingyeom gradually, allowing him to adjust, but he couldn’t do that.

Jinwoo spoke in a low, crawling voice.

“…It’s in a month.”

“…Ah.”

What point in the original story was this, that the surgery was only a month away?

Did Baek Jingyeom run away out of fear of the surgery, and that’s when he transmigrated into this body?

Jingyeom pursed his lips in frustration, unable to understand the situation.

Couldn’t he have been reborn in a healthy body? Like in those stories where the terminally ill person turns out not to be.

Even though he knew it wasn’t possible, he couldn’t help but imagine it. He had thought lightly of the situation, but now it felt serious.

Jingyeom clutched the envelope tightly.

“…I should take good care of this so it doesn’t get lost.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

When Jinwoo took the envelope, Jingyeom slowly turned his head to look out the window.

Unlike earlier, the outside was now shrouded in darkness. The brightness of the hospital room made the outside less visible and more of the room’s interior reflected.

He saw himself sitting on the bed and Jinwoo standing by the cabinet.

Despite the confusion, Jinwoo seemed remarkably calm, and Jingyeom admired him for that.

And himself, too.

Even just a moment ago, I felt uneasy because of the surgery, but now I feel indifferent again.

Maybe I’m accepting it as a dream or a fantasy.

Jingyeom shifted his gaze to Jinwoo, who was approaching.

“Are we staying here tonight?”

“Yeah. We’ll be discharged in the morning, so bear with it for now.”

Since he didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable, Jingyeom shook his head and replied that it was fine.

* * *

A delicate piano tune filled the quiet hospital room.

Awakened by the familiar sound, Jinwoo groped around to find his phone. Half-opened eyes barely able to focus, he silenced the loud alarm. He had forgotten to turn it off despite being on leave.

He sat up, his body stiff from yesterday’s tension. After some movement, he got out of bed and stared at the sleeping Jingyeom.

With his mouth slightly open and breathing noisily, Jingyeom looked just like his usual self.

The events of yesterday still felt like a dream. He wondered if everything would return to normal once he woke up.

He desperately wanted Jingyeom’s memory to return, but if he could never see that side of him again, it would feel somewhat… lonely.

The bright smile Jingyeom gave him and the way he reached out first were moments he would never forget.

Even though it was just a single day, that short time was incredibly precious and filled him with joy.

Enough to make him smile unknowingly.

He knew it was selfish, but just for a moment… couldn’t things stay like this?

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