ACTSV chapter 9

It was true that Baek Jingyeom was the villain, but he didn’t deserve to suffer.

The surgery was done when he was young.

Even adults feel pain; how scared must a child have been?

It was mentioned that he avoided wearing clothes with low necklines to hide the scar. That’s why most of his clothes covered his neck, to the point of discomfort.

The clothes he was about to change into were the same. A round-neck t-shirt clung to his neck, along with a thin vest.

He carefully stroked the scar. The bumpy texture felt unfamiliar. Jingyeom’s eyes in the mirror were moist.

Looking at the phone, filled with random chat apps, and the numerous messages exchanged, he realized something.

He must have been lonely.

Seeing Jinwoo, so healthy and different from himself, he might have felt intense jealousy and inferiority, which led him to torment Jinwoo even more.

Despite being his only remaining family, and despite Jinwoo covering all his medical and living expenses.

Maybe he thought it was justified… even though it shouldn’t have been.

Thinking about how he could have shone brightly, Jingyeom felt melancholic.

Afraid he might sink into a swamp of emotions if he kept looking in the mirror, he hurriedly changed clothes.

***

While Jingyeom was changing, Hoonil pulled Jinwoo into the corridor.

“What did you decide to do?”

“What?”

“About the psychotherapy! Haven’t you talked about it?”

“We did. Jingyeom said he doesn’t want to.”

Refusing treatment is never a good sign, but Jinwoo said it with a smile, which made Hoonil frown.

It seemed like a strange thought, but… Jinwoo looked unusually happy.

That didn’t make sense. Hoonil quickly dismissed the thought and asked again.

“What’s the plan?”

“First, we’ll watch and see.”

“…If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll schedule a consultation. And… try to persuade him if you can.”

“I’m not going to force Jingyeom if he doesn’t want it. If he agrees, then we’ll do it.”

Hoonil, despite feeling uneasy, didn’t push further since Jingyeom had already refused.

It’s only been a day. Jinwoo tapped Jingyeom’s shoulder lightly, thinking he could handle it on his own, and left.

Jinwoo let out a short sigh in front of the door.

If Jingyeom had wanted treatment, he would have done everything to ensure he got it. But Jingyeom refused, and Jinwoo wasn’t the one pushing.

The resolute look in Jinwoo’s eyes lingered briefly before fading away.

When he opened the hospital room door, Jingyeom, who had changed clothes, was sitting on the bed.

“Hyung, let’s go home,” Jinwoo said with a smile.

* * *

During the taxi ride, Jingyeom couldn’t take his eyes off the window. Despite transmigrating, nothing had changed. Everything looked the same as before.

Jinwoo smiled slightly at Jingyeom, who was glued to the window.

There had never been such lightheartedness between them before. It had only been a day, but it felt like he had laughed for a month.

Even after they got out at their destination, Jingyeom was still engrossed in sightseeing.

It was a place lined with multi-family houses and new office buildings. The houses were so close together that you could make eye contact with the person living across the street through an open window.

“Hyung.”

Jingyeom turned at the sound of his name.

“This way.”

Jinwoo opened the gate, beckoning him.

The half-rusted gate creaked eerily. The paint was peeling off at the slightest touch, giving it a somewhat eerie feel.

They arrived at the rooftop of a multi-family house, where a small rooftop room awaited them. This was the home of Baek Jinwoo and Baek Jingyeom.

“Wow…”

Even though he thought the uphill road was steep while taking the taxi, it was definitely higher. The surrounding houses were at similar heights, but the neighborhood below was clearly visible.

As Jingyeom kept being amazed, Jinwoo’s expression subtly changed.

Jingyeom, who always complained if this could even be called a house, was now the only one who liked the wide-open view. Even though he had lost his memory, it was clear that he was the same person.

Feeling good, Jingyeom stood next to Jinwoo, smiling brightly.

“Why aren’t you opening the door?”

“I was just watching you explore.”

“Don’t you have to go to work?”

“…Ah.”

A long sigh escaped Jinwoo’s lips.

Sharing breakfast at the hospital that morning had been a happy time. And since he had taken the day off, he had planned to spend the entire day with Jingyeom.

That would have been the case if it weren’t for the phone call that came in the morning.

Forcing a smile despite his dampened mood, Jinwoo took out the keys from his pocket. Jingyeom noticed the old keychain.

It was an acrylic keychain with a four-leaf clover inside, which had been popular a long time ago, now cracked and scratched enough to consider replacing.

Jinwoo stepped aside to let Jingyeom in. It was evident how shabby the house was just by looking at the exterior, but it was still the only home for the brothers.

Jinwoo entered the house after Jingyeom.

The entrance was so small that it would be full if six pairs of shoes were placed neatly. There was an old shoe rack, but it was also packed, with shoes and boxes scattered around it.

In this small house, where only two people lived, the sheer number of shoes was surprising. Except for a few pairs, most of them were small, clearly belonging to one person.

Baek Jingyeom.

Only Jinwoo’s worn-out sneakers and two pairs of dress shoes seemed to belong to him.

As Jingyeom stared at the pile of shoes, Jinwoo asked with a curious look.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“…Are all these mine?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“…I only see a few pairs of yours. Do I sell shoes or something?”

Jinwoo laughed, showing his teeth at the unexpected question. Jinwoo, who usually only smiled, laughed loudly, making Jingyeom look up at him with wide eyes.

What was so funny?

Jinwoo quickly composed himself and replied.

“No. It’s just a hobby.”

“A hobby? Quite the luxurious one.”

If they had a lot of money, maybe. But knowing their financial situation, living like this seemed utterly irresponsible.

Jingyeom clicked his tongue briefly and took off his shoes. With no place to put them, he left them on top of the pile, deciding to organize them later.

The house was tidy. Being a rooftop room, he expected some mold, but there was none. Even the area around the sink was clean.

It was clear that someone had put a lot of effort into maintaining it.

“Where’s my room?”

“That room over there is yours.”

“…My room?”

The house seemed to be divided into a living room and a room by a sliding glass door. The room visible through the slightly open door was messy, making him think it was a storage room.

As he slid the slightly creaking door to the side, a space full of stuff with a clean bed on top emerged.

“…This is the room. I guess I hated cleaning.”

“It’s because there’s a lot of stuff. It’s actually well organized.”

Jinwoo hurriedly explained, but Jingyeom thought otherwise.

What part of this is well-organized?

Jingyeom pouted, looking around the room, and then noticed something odd.

“Do we sleep together here?”

No matter how he looked, the only place to sleep was the bed.

Even in the novel, there were mentions of Jinwoo going home, but no detailed descriptions. Most of the events took place at the company, involving clashes with Tak Won-Bum, with occasional appearances by Sun-Soo Hyuk and Baek Jingyeom.

So, he didn’t know how Jinwoo lived. He might have read about him living in a rooftop room, but it didn’t stick in his memory.

Jinwoo replied casually.

“I sleep here.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

Right where he was standing. The tiny living room/kitchen was also Jinwoo’s room.

There was a folded table and bedding, and books and notes stacked without a bookshelf. An old wooden pencil holder sat on top of the book pile.

Such a small house. Jinwoo must have really done everything for Jingyeom. Now that it was his body, Jingyeom vowed not to tolerate such unfairness anymore.

In this household, Jinwoo is undeniably the head of the family. This space is meant to be his sanctuary, yet Jinwoo could never find peace either at home or outside.

Jingyeom checked the time.

12:20 PM.

Though there was no immediate need to leave, he wanted to send Jinwoo off quickly and make the space more comfortable for him.

With a determined expression, Jingyeom looked up at Jinwoo.

“Are you going to work?”

“…What?”

Jingyeom went into the room and examined the double-layered hanger. Among the flashy clothes, there was no suit to be seen. Moreover, all the clothes clearly belonged to Baek Jingyeom.

“Jinwoo, where are your clothes?”

“You’re changing clothes? All those are yours.”

“No, not mine. You need a suit for work.”

With a determined resolve, Jingyeom quickly searched through the clothes.

Jinwoo, who had been standing blankly, glanced at a plastic folding wardrobe in one corner of the living room.

He debated whether to tell him or not, but before he could decide, Jingyeom poked his head out from the room, unable to find anything inside.

“Is it in there?”

“…Yeah.”

Upon opening it, he found Jinwoo’s clothes. Compared to Baek Jingyeom’s wardrobe, it was significantly sparse.

The room’s hanger was overflowing to the point of collapsing, with many clothes left unhung.

In contrast, the plastic wardrobe in the living room was almost empty. Jinwoo could easily be called a one-suit man.

Jingyeom narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Watching from behind, Jinwoo clenched and unclenched his fists. He could read the dissatisfaction on Jingyeom’s face as he examined the house. Countless thoughts flashed through Jinwoo’s mind.

What if Jingyeom says he doesn’t want to live here? Should I book a hotel?

As Jinwoo grew more anxious, Jingyeom, having finished his inspection, asked,

“Are all those in there Baek Jingyeom’s?”

“…Yeah, they’re yours.”