ACTSV chapter 3

Jingyeom blinked in disbelief at the reality and then looked at the man in front of him again.

If this really was inside “Gray”…

The man who looked like he could kill with just his gaze must be Tak Wonbeom, the emotionless main character who drives Baek Jinwoo to the brink and eventually keeps him by his side.

‘He’s really handsome… but so scary!’

Feeling that staring any longer would be dangerous, Jingyeom quickly shifted his gaze.

‘Then this person must be…’

Hoonil’s mention of the name made it clear who he was.

Sun Soohyuk.

He was Tak Wonbeom’s only friend, who approached Baek Jinwoo while hiding his true intentions, only to end up in tragic unrequited love.

In the story, Sun Soohyuk’s appearance wasn’t described in detail. He was just said to have a friendly demeanor. Meeting him in person, he had quite a good impression, with kind eyes that smiled.

Unconsciously captivated, Jingyeom stared until Soohyuk smiled again, making his eyes narrow in amusement. Realizing he had stared too long, Jingyeom shivered and looked away.

‘Ah… that scared me.’

Jingyeom exhaled a short breath and placed a hand on his chest. Then he looked at Jinwoo, who was inside the hospital room.

Baek Jingyeom’s fraternal twin brother and the main character Baek Jinwoo in “Gray.”

Though he had met Tak Wonbeom, the journey to their union was extremely harsh. Moreover, even in the latest chapters, it wasn’t revealed why he lived only for Baek Jingyeom.

He sacrificed everything for Baek Jingyeom, living a devoted life that made others who knew both of them question why he did it.

Baek Jinwoo, who showed endless generosity to Baek Jingyeom, would turn aggressive if bad people approached him.

To Baek Jinwoo, Baek Jingyeom was someone he had to protect.

That relentless devotion ended in betrayal…

Moreover, it was unclear whether his ending would be happy.

And the body Jingyeom was now in, the weak and sick villain Baek Jingyeom, born with congenital heart disease.

‘…Why me?’

He never expected to end up in someone else’s body without any preparation.

He realized it wasn’t a dream after various experiments in the bathroom.

Moreover, “Gray” was a tragic story, and Baek Jingyeom was destined to be killed by Tak Wonbeom, making this transmigration already a lost cause.

Above all, Wonbeom’s gaze was so cold it gave Jingyeom the chills. He found himself hunching his shoulders and shrinking away unconsciously.

Jinwoo, watching Jingyeom’s indecisiveness in front of the bathroom, narrowed his eyes.

Seeing Jingyeom’s unusual fear of Wonbeom today, he didn’t like it.

It wasn’t appealing to see him act so small in front of Tak Wonbeom.

Jinwoo approached and stood slightly blocking Wonbeom’s view of Jingyeom.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see a patient I sponsor.”

Jinwoo’s eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed.

It was true that Jingyeom could stay in this luxurious private room thanks to Wonbeom’s support.

He was also covering the hospital bills.

As Jinwoo was about to speak, he felt a tug from behind.

Glancing back, he saw Jingyeom’s small hand clutching his coat and moving slightly to hide behind him.

Seeing this, Jinwoo felt a strange sensation. It wasn’t common for Jingyeom to reach out first.

A moment ago, he had acted like a stranger, but now he seemed to rely on Jinwoo. Jinwoo’s shoulders straightened unconsciously.

“If you’ve seen enough… please leave now.”

Jinwoo held the IV pole and gently pushed Jingyeom toward the bed.

As Jingyeom sat on the bed, he cautiously lifted his eyes.

All four people in the room were looking at him, making his face tingle.

Feeling both embarrassed and frightened, I turned my gaze to Hoonil.

He was the only person in this room whose identity I hadn’t figured out yet.

Based on the conversation with Jinwoo earlier, I had guessed he was a doctor, and the white coat confirmed it.

However, the novel didn’t provide any details about the doctor.

Even if there were any, Jingyeom didn’t remember them.

Still, I thought it would be better than facing completely unfamiliar people since he was a doctor.

Hoonil, who had approached without me noticing, reached out to Jingyeom.

“…Jingyeom?”

Jingyeom, avoiding Hoonil’s hand, climbed onto the bed and stared at him warily.

Despite thinking it would be okay because he was a doctor, the sudden reaching out was suspicious.

“It’s just a simple check-up.”

“…Why?”

“Um… because it’s a hospital?”

“…Oh?”

It was as if having an examination in a hospital was a given.

At that, Jingyeom blinked a few times and then straightened up, thinking, ‘Is that so?’

Seeing this, Jinwoo and Hoonil exchanged glances.

It was certainly strange. If he were just playing a prank, he should have stopped by now.

In front of others, Jingyeom always presented himself as a kind and sickly person.

Hoonil examined Jingyeom’s now calm body.

His heart was beating fast, probably from the surprise, but it wasn’t a serious issue. The IV was also removed as the drip finished.

In the meantime, Wonbeom and Soohyuk approached the bed.

“I thought it was serious since you took a day off…”

Wonbeom’s gaze landed on Jingyeom.

“You seem fine.”

Jingyeom’s gaze shifted to a corner at the cold voice.

Wonbeom hadn’t done anything in particular, but why was he so scary? It must be because of the scene of Baek Jingyeom’s death from yesterday.

Jingyeom, feeling a sharp sting in his side, carefully reached out and grabbed Jinwoo’s sleeve. It was an instinctive action, thinking Jinwoo was the only trustworthy person here.

As Jinwoo stepped closer, Wonbeom was blocked from view. Knowing it wouldn’t completely hide him, Jingyeom still felt a bit more at ease.

Jinwoo’s heart raced as Jingyeom kept leaning on him from earlier.

If Jingyeom’s previous act of pretending not to know was a performance, this would be too. But his expressions and gestures didn’t seem like acting.

He began to think that Jingyeom really might have memory issues.

Otherwise, these actions were unexplainable. It was an indescribable feeling.

Jinwoo collected his confused thoughts and looked at Wonbeom.

“What about the company?”

“There’s no secretary. What can I do alone?”

“What about Secretary Yang?”

“I need you. You look fine, so you’ll come to work tomorrow, right?”

Jinwoo’s lips twitched. The amount of paperwork he organized yesterday was considerable, meaning there would be a lot to approve too.

Moreover, an executive’s position is never idle.

Director Tak must have come all the way to the hospital just to say that during work hours. And even though he said he came as a driver, Director Seon must have followed because it seemed interesting.

Jinwoo sighed involuntarily. Even so, he had no intention of going to work.

“I’m taking another day off tomorrow. You signed for it.”

There was clearly Wonbeom’s signature on the leave application.

Wonbeom had signed it thinking it was just a day off. Now, even if he claimed it was a mistake, Jinwoo would assert that a signed document was final.

Realizing that asking Jinwoo to come to work tomorrow was unreasonable, Wonbeom searched for a good excuse but then saw Jingyeom behind Jinwoo.

Jingyeom’s wrists and ankles, exposed outside his clothes, were too thin. He definitely looked different from Jinwoo.

Among the burly men, he seemed exceptionally small, and wearing patient clothes made him look even more frail.

Yet, it wasn’t that his appearance caught his eye.

Jingyeom had always fluttered around, trying to seduce him blatantly. He always wanted to push him away. It was better to keep a distance like now. It even felt refreshing to be free of such nuisance.

No longer needing to pay attention to Jingyeom, Wonbeom’s gaze shifted back to Jinwoo. Lacking a valid reason to demand his attendance tomorrow, he stated the truth.

“Come to work. It’s boring without you.”

“…The company isn’t a playground.”

“I never played. It’s just boring without you.”

Listening to their conversation, Jingyeom’s eyes sparkled. Though Wonbeom’s gaze was terrifying, the conversation between the protagonists was fascinating.

It was a novel he had enjoyed, and seeing all the main characters gathered here piqued his curiosity.

Yet, openly observing might lead to making eye contact with Wonbeom, which was scary.

Hoonil, noticing Jingyeom’s behavior, met his eyes.

“Jingyeom, does anything hurt?”

“…No.”

“Can you recognize me?”

It was a sudden but crucial question. With this, the three turned their gaze to Jingyeom again.

Jingyeom, despite being wary, shook his head.

“…No.”

Hoonil took a deep breath.

While talking with Jinwoo in the hospital room, he thought the situation was more serious than expected, but he hadn’t anticipated real memory problems.

He hurriedly pointed at Jinwoo.

“Do you remember Jinwoo? Don’t you recognize him?”

Jingyeom’s eyes followed Hoonil’s finger. Jinwoo’s worried face was reflected in his light brown eyes.

Unlike before, Jinwoo’s face was twisted as if he might cry at any moment. However, since he was indeed a stranger, Jingyeom silently nodded again.

“…Sigh.”

Hoonil exhaled deeply. It felt like a major crisis in his medical career. He calmly pointed at Wonbeom and Soohyuk.

“…Them too?”

“Yes.”

The answer was given without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing.

“…This is tough.”

Hoonil let out an empty laugh repeatedly. It was incomprehensible that sudden memory problems occurred without any particular accident.

“Then, what do you remember? Even trivial things are fine.”

Jingyeom slowly rolled his eyes at the focused gazes.

Even if he said he wasn’t the real Baek Jingyeom and he was a transmigrator, they wouldn’t believe it.

They’d be relieved if they didn’t send him to a mental hospital.

Moreover, he felt sorry for Jinwoo, who had only seen Baek Jingyeom. He didn’t know why he felt this way, but he felt pity. Perhaps he was too immersed in the novel.

Most importantly, he worried that Tak Wonbeom might use this chaotic situation to eliminate him. Even now, his gaze was too sharp.

Baek Jingyeom’s death was in yesterday’s serialized part, and “Gray” was in the middle to late stage.

Not knowing the exact point in the novel’s timeline, he didn’t want to draw attention with strange actions.

In such cases, the best move was to use a cliché that worked regardless of context.

“I only remember my name. Baek Jingyeom.”

It was a very cheerful answer.