ACTSV chapter 14

Yesterday, something happened while Jinwoo stepped away for a moment. Today was the same. An incident occurred while he was away taking a call.

If he had stayed by his side, it might not have happened. If he had noticed the dessert was peach sherbet on the menu, he could have stopped Jingyeom before he ate it.

He couldn’t shake the thought that everything that happened yesterday and today was his fault.

Jinwoo slowly reached out and gently stroked Jingyeom’s reddened wrist, where Wonbeom had grabbed him.

Usually, he would have snapped at Wonbeom, but this time, knowing that he had grabbed him to stop the scratching, he just endured the pain in his heart.

Jingyeom’s skin was so sensitive that even a light scratch would leave red lines and swell. Although it would quickly subside, it easily left marks.

“I’m on duty today. Let me know as soon as Jingyeom wakes up.”

“……Okay. Thanks, Hyung.”

“If you’re grateful, take better care of him. My heart rate hits a new high every time he gets rushed to the hospital.”

Hoonil tapped his chest dramatically, making Jinwoo smile bitterly. Then he roughly shook Jinwoo’s head as if dusting off his hair.

“It’ll take some time for him to wake up. If you don’t want to leave his side, at least get some rest in that state.”

When Jinwoo nodded, Hoonil withdrew his hand and turned away.

The air felt different with the two burly men sitting on the sofa. The back seemed like a poignant family drama, while the front was noir.

“You guys worked hard too. But why were you together?”

“We were having dinner.”

“Oh… so that’s why he ate the peach?”

Soohyuk nodded lightly as he replied. Although the hospital room was kept at a comfortable temperature by the air conditioner, he felt hot.

He loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt a bit. It felt slightly cooler.

“Why were you having dinner?”

“Can’t we eat together?”

“Yes.”

At the immediate answer, Soohyuk tilted his head.

“Don’t go near those two brothers. You evil bunch.”

“……Are you watching a lot of movies these days?”

“No. Fantasy novels. The one I’m reading now is about exorcism, and the demons in it are just like you guys. So despicable.”

“Don’t project weird stuff onto us.”

Hoonil crossed his index fingers to make a cross, and Soohyuk frowned.

Had he gone mad from using his smart brain too much?

Well, Kim Hoonil had always been like that.

There was something quirky about him. He seemed to pretend to be normal in front of those brothers, but Soohyuk, who had known him for a long time, could see through his act.

“I’m leaving. If you guys are staying, look after Jinwoo. I’m worried he might stay like that all day.”

Soohyuk waved his hand, and Hoonil, looking dissatisfied, left the room.

***

Jingyeom opened his eyes a long time later. His eyes were swollen from the allergy, making it hard to open them.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he stared blankly at the familiar ceiling without focus.

When he slightly moved his finger to signal he was awake, Jinwoo’s head shot up quickly.

“Hyung?”

“……”

“Are you conscious? Can you see me?”

Jinwoo got up and brought his face close to Jingyeom’s, looking into his eyes.

Jingyeom blinked with difficulty and moved his lips slightly. He seemed to want to speak, but no sound came out.

“Don’t force yourself to talk. Your throat is swollen and it will hurt.”

Jingyeom answered with a single blink of his eyes. Looking at Jinwoo’s expression, he felt he should reassure him.

Jinwoo’s moist eyes reflected his troubled heart. However, no words came out. His throat hurt, and he wasn’t okay at all.

Earlier, he really thought he was going to die. He had never experienced such pain before.

He realized that even severe itchiness could be fatal. Moreover, his throat started swelling, making it hard to breathe, and his hands were restrained, making him feel utterly helpless.

At that moment, everything seemed negative.

‘…It hurts.’

It still hurt. His throat, his hands, his entire body was screaming in pain.

‘Peaches are dangerous.’

Peach allergy is often regarded as a common condition.

Many people have it, and among them, there must be those who suffer severely, but he never thought he would be one of them.

There was no information about Baek Jingyeom having a peach allergy. Maybe it was because he was just a minor villain…

While Jingyeom was trying to regain his senses, Jinwoo called for Hoonil. Hoonil rushed in to check on Jingyeom’s condition.

Though his eyes were open, he didn’t seem fully conscious. But at least he could blink to communicate, so there was no issue with understanding each other.

Feeling a bit relieved, Hoonil gestured to Jinwoo to step outside.

He had something to say about Jingyeom’s condition. It could be said in front of him, but what Jingyeom needed most now was rest.

“…Hyung, wait a moment.”

Jinwoo gently brushed Jingyeom’s hair and went outside with Hoonil.

Jinwoo moved slowly, constantly looking back, fearing something might happen while he was away.

Wonbeom, who had been silent since arriving at the hospital, got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

Soohyuk asked, and Wonbeom pointed at the door with his chin.

“I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

There wasn’t a real need for someone to stay in the room, but Soohyuk spoke loudly as if for Jingyeom to hear.

When Wonbeom also went out, the hospital room became quiet again.

Jingyeom, lacking strength, tried to move around but soon gave up and lay limp.

Soohyuk, who had been sitting on the sofa’s backrest, looking at Jingyeom’s bed, got up and approached him. As he looked down at Jingyeom, their eyes met.

“You look like a frog.”

“…”

“Should I take a picture?”

“…”

“Just a moment.”

Without being asked, he pointed the camera at Jingyeom’s face and took a photo. Then he showed Jingyeom the screen.

On the screen, Jingyeom’s eyes were half-open and slightly swollen. Still, his pretty face didn’t look too humiliating.

Soohyuk chuckled at the phone screen. Jingyeom wanted to tell him to delete the photo, but he couldn’t speak, so he glared at him with dissatisfaction.

Soohyuk, putting the phone in his pocket, wiped the smile from his face and asked,

“You were eating it so deliciously. Didn’t you really know you were allergic to peaches?”

Would he have eaten it if he had known?

Jingyeom wanted to say that if he could speak. He felt wronged and upset even though he knew Soohyuk’s question was just to probe.

He understood that Soohyuk didn’t believe he had amnesia, but who would risk their life for something like this?

Of course, Soohyuk might think Baek Jingyeom would do something like that. But he wasn’t the real Baek Jingyeom.

Jingyeom’s swollen eyes couldn’t even frown properly. When his eyebrows twitched, Soohyuk smiled again as if he hadn’t just been serious.

“Ah…”

“Don’t force yourself to talk. You might hurt your throat.”

Jingyeom wrinkled his nose. He was told not to speak by the same person who started the conversation.

He turned his head to the side, expressing he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Soohyuk sat down on the chair beside the bed. The chair was warm from where Jinwoo had been sitting for a long time.

From this angle, Jingyeom’s face looked very thin. His cheeks were hollow as if he hadn’t been eating properly.

He was certainly thin. When Soohyuk had carried him, he felt more like a child than an adult man. Though it was just a comparison, he still had some weight.

He had never carried anyone on his back before. Today was the first time. Especially someone he usually didn’t care about.

“Aren’t you going to say thank you?”

Soohyuk poked Jingyeom’s cheek with his index finger. Jingyeom turned his head quickly and glared at him. But it wasn’t noticeable with his swollen eyes.

“…Th-thank.”

“Ah, forget it. Don’t say it.”

When Soohyuk said this with a grin, Jingyeom gaped in astonishment. He wanted him to say thanks but then told him not to when he tried.

Which beat should he follow? What the…!

Still, after some time, his voice started to come out a little.

When Jingyeom tried to sit up, Soohyuk pressed his shoulder down.

“Stay lying down. Your muscles will hurt like you have muscle soreness because of the spasms you had earlier.”

Jingyeom gave up trying to sit up and lay back comfortably. No wonder his whole body felt like it had been beaten up.

Soohyuk leaned against the bed and rested his chin on his hand, observing Jingyeom’s face closely.

He had met many people in his life, but Baek Jingyeom was undoubtedly on the prettier side. It wasn’t necessarily a compliment for a man to be called pretty, but it suited Baek Jingyeom.

He thought idly that if he used him as a muse, he could create many designs.

Judging by the way he treated Jinwoo before, he seemed to have some sharp edges, but his appearance probably covered for his personality.

If he utilized his looks well, he could become a celebrity or make things easier in other fields. He suddenly wondered why he lived like this.

Soohyuk didn’t let his curiosity pass.

“Why do you live like this?”

“…Wh-what?”

His voice was rough and cracked. Jingyeom widened his eyes in surprise at his hoarse voice.

“I was just curious. Why do you live like this?”

He had roughly believed Jingyeom lost his memory from the first day when he saw his softened eyes. But he wasn’t entirely sure until now.

This incident confirmed it. Baek Jingyeom definitely lost his memory.

He didn’t think he was unobservant, but he couldn’t read the thoughts of this amnesiac Jingyeom.

He seemed to have something hidden yet appeared innocent with his silly smiles.