ACTSV chapter 8

As Jinwoo stared, Jingyeom’s eyes slowly opened.

“…Good morning.”

Despite just waking up and still dazed, he greeted with a smile.

Jinwoo’s chest tightened, causing him to frown and lower his eyebrows involuntarily. As his trembling eyes narrowed, he looked as if he might cry.

“…Why are you crying?”

“…I’m not crying.”

“But you are….”

Still half-asleep, Jingyeom reached out to Jinwoo. When Jinwoo took his hand, he pulled him closer, making Jinwoo bend over suddenly.

Satisfied with the distance, Jingyeom moved his hand to Jinwoo’s cheek.

“…Don’t cry.”

“…Okay, I won’t.”

Jingyeom’s eyelids gradually drooped until they were tightly shut.

Jinwoo wanted to close his eyes to stop the tears, but he couldn’t look away from Jingyeom’s relaxed face, which he hadn’t seen in so long.

He held Jingyeom’s small, thin hand against his cheek, not wanting to let go for a long time.

***

Jingyeom woke up when the hospital breakfast arrived. Jinwoo, who had planned to let him sleep longer, had to wake him up.

Half-asleep, Jingyeom put down his spoon.

“Am I eating alone?”

“Hospital meals are only provided for the patient.”

“Then what does the guardian eat?”

“They either buy food outside or bring a lunchbox.”

Jingyeom stared at his food for a while before transferring a portion to the lid of his rice bowl with his chopsticks. Then he got out of bed.

“Why? Do you need something?”

“No, just going to the bathroom.”

Holding his chopsticks, he headed to the bathroom.

He carefully washed the chopsticks at the sink, inspecting them closely for any residue. Satisfied with their cleanliness, he nodded.

Sitting on the bed, Jinwoo watched Jingyeom emerge from the bathroom, looking puzzled. Jingyeom smiled brightly and handed Jinwoo the chopsticks.

Jinwoo blinked at the wet chopsticks.

“Let’s eat together.”

“…What?”

Baek Jingyeom disliked eating alone so much that he always wanted someone in his line of sight while he ate, even if they didn’t eat with him.

Today, Jinwoo had been watching out of habit, not expecting the invitation to eat together.

As Jinwoo stared at the chopsticks, Jingyeom picked up his spoon and said,

“They say I don’t eat much, and I thought the amount might not be enough for you… but it’s better than wasting food!”

He lowered his voice, glancing toward the door.

“But this food tastes bad….”

Hospital meals were lightly seasoned, so they probably didn’t suit Jingyeom’s taste.

He often complained about the taste and asked for outside food, leaving Jinwoo to eat and return the leftover hospital meals.

Despite disliking leftovers, Jingyeom rarely invited someone to eat with him. Jinwoo found his change both welcome and unnerving.

Who knew when his memory might return and change things again?

Seeing Jingyeom’s effort to clean the chopsticks for him, Jinwoo gave a faint smile.

Jingyeom, noticing Jinwoo’s hesitation, spoke cautiously.

“…Do you dislike leftovers?”

“Huh? No, I don’t mind.”

“Since I probably won’t finish it all, let’s eat together. Wasting food isn’t good.”

Jinwoo gripped the chopsticks tightly, then slowly nodded. Jingyeom, having lost his memory, was different in every way.

Even his comment about not wasting food. The old Jingyeom would have said, ‘Who cares if I waste food I paid for?’

While uncertain about when his memory might return, Jinwoo found this temporary arrangement pleasant.

Despite worrying about the day Jingyeom’s memory would return, Jinwoo didn’t want to overthink it, enjoying Jingyeom’s kindness.

Jinwoo adjusted his posture and properly held the chopsticks.

“I’ll put some side dishes on your spoon.”

“Huh? No, I can do it myself. Look.”

Jingyeom balanced a side dish on his spoon and quickly ate it, smiling as he chewed, making Jinwoo laugh as they began their meal. The portion was smaller than usual, but their hearts felt full.

Not long after they finished eating, Jinwoo’s phone rang. It was from Secretary Yang.

Jinwoo hesitated but answered just before it stopped ringing.

“Hello?”

― Secretary Baek! Help me, please!

Secretary Yang’s loud voice burst through the speaker as soon as the call connected. His urgent plea made Jingyeom’s eyes widen in surprise.

Jinwoo smiled reassuringly and turned away.

“What’s going on?”

― Mr. Tak is refusing to attend the meeting without you. It’s a crucial executive meeting today….”

“…You know I’m on leave today, right?”

― …Of course, I know.

Secretary Yang’s voice was filled with frustration towards Mr. Tak, mingled with a sense of guilt.

Knowing it wasn’t Secretary Yang’s fault but Mr. Tak’s unreasonable demand, Jinwoo couldn’t blame him further.

It didn’t matter whether Mr. Tak attended the meeting or not. Missing one meeting wouldn’t jeopardize his position.

The issue was that if the reason for absence was ‘because there was no secretary,’ it meant that the secretaries had to handle the aftermath.

Jinwoo checked the time and asked, “The meeting was at 2, right?”

“Yes, 2 o’clock!”

“I’ll be there by 1:30. Please prepare.”

“Are you serious? I’ll really tell them Secretary Baek is coming?”

“…Yes.”

Even though it wasn’t on speakerphone, the quiet hospital room made everything audible. Jinwoo sighed deeply, and Jingyeom, with a resolute expression, tapped Jinwoo’s arm.

“Should we report this to the Ministry of Employment and Labor?”

“What?”

“This is workplace bullying! You need proper rest day!”

“Oh…”

As Jinwoo just stared with his mouth open, Jingyeom searched for the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s phone number, saying he needed to contact them immediately.

The reason Jinwoo had taken leave was for Baek Jingyeom’s hospital visit. Since he accumulated leave, he’d never once taken it for personal rest, always using it for Jingyeom.

Yesterday’s reaction was the same, but today’s reaction from Jingyeom was unexpectedly fresh. It felt as if he was a different person wearing Baek Jingyeom’s skin.

Yet… he didn’t dislike it.

A large hand covered the phone number he had just found.

“It’s okay. It’s not the first or second time…”

Jinwoo, trying to express his gratitude, stopped at the sulky look on Jingyeom’s face. He hurriedly removed his hand, thinking it was because he blocked the phone screen.

“Sorry.”

“For what?”

“For covering the phone…”

Seeing Jinwoo genuinely apologizing, Jingyeom’s expression became even sulkier. Jinwoo fidgeted nervously, his fingers trembling.

Jingyeom looked at Jinwoo strangely. Despite having lived under Baek Jingyeom’s tyranny, Jinwoo’s reaction was excessive, clearly showing submission.

If he kept behaving like that, Baek Jingyeom might naturally accept treating him with disdain.

That didn’t justify Baek Jingyeom’s actions. Even if the other person shows submission, looking down on them isn’t right.

To prevent Jinwoo from metaphorically digging himself a hole, Jingyeom continued.

“It’s not because you covered the screen. I’m upset about the ‘not the first or second time’ part. Even a secretary deserves to rest on their day off! In today’s world, you can’t just overwork employees!”

Jingyeom, getting emotional as he spoke, pounded the blanket with a clenched fist. The blanket crumpled under his weak force. After a few more hits, feeling embarrassed, he quietly withdrew his hand.

Feeling awkward, he cleared his throat and glanced at Jinwoo, whose left lip twitched.

“…What?”

“…I’m happy.”

Jinwoo’s face, with a faint smile, looked unusually content. He wasn’t smiling broadly, but his subtle smile made him seem genuinely happy.

Seeing Jinwoo smile, Jingyeom also smiled widely, reminding him to report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor if things got too tough.

There wouldn’t be any need to report, but Jinwoo nodded.

Since unlocking the phone yesterday, Jingyeom had been busy investigating various things. The fingerprint lock wasn’t difficult to bypass.

He checked the installed apps and the messages exchanged with others. Jingyeom was busy.

Jinwoo watched him with a warm gaze, as warm as spring sunshine.

The words Jinwoo had said in his sleep, telling him not to cry, still lingered in his mind. Even if his memory returned and he became the old Baek Jingyeom again, he would never forget today.

Realizing that Jingyeom wasn’t angry at him but was upset on his behalf made his heart swell with warmth, as if receiving a gift.

Despite Baek Jingyeom’s harshness, his occasional kindness was like a refreshing rain, and Jinwoo lived for those moments.

* * *

After finishing the morning rounds, Hoonil visited the hospital room. He examined Jingyeom once more and said he could be discharged.

Jingyeom insisted on being discharged, saying he could still see him if he stayed in the hospital, so Hoonil reluctantly agreed.

Jingyeom headed to the bathroom to change clothes. Even though they were both men, he felt embarrassed, perhaps because it wasn’t his own body.

Entering the bathroom, Jingyeom stopped moving as he noticed a scar while removing his hospital gown. A long scar was visible when he lowered his head.

Looking into the mirror above the sink, he saw a thin body.

Most notably, there was a long red mark in the center of his chest.

“…Surgery scar.”

He remembered Jinwoo mentioning the surgery. At the time, he didn’t think much of it, but seeing the scar in person felt strange.

The only red mark on his otherwise pale body. An now, there would be another surgery.

Jingyeom’s eyebrows drooped.

“It must have hurt…”