ACTSV chapter 22

Jinwoo draped his suit jacket over his arm and picked up all the shopping bags he had piled up in the corner before going to bed. They were given to him by Director Sun.

The night before, Jinwoo had suggested to Jingyeom that they return them.

They were obviously expensive items, and he had suggested it just in case anything happened later on.

After thinking for a moment, Jingyeom nodded briefly. He said he would return them himself, but Jinwoo insisted on taking them to the office the next day.

Jingyeom didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic. Of course, it was for a different reason than what Jinwoo thought.

Jinwoo assumed it was because Jingyeom was reluctant to part with the items, but Jingyeom was actually worried that he might clash with Soohyuk again.

So, that morning, Jinwoo went to work carrying the shopping bags, drawing all sorts of attention.

On the bus and subway, the bags got squished among the crowd, but fortunately, they didn’t tear.

“What’s all that?”

Jinwoo turned his head at the sound from behind. It was Director Tak.

Wonbeom’s gaze was fixed on the shopping bags in Jinwoo’s hands, filled with luxury brand logos.

Jinwoo bowed slightly, clutching the crumpled bags tightly.

“Hello, Director Tak.”

“What are those? I don’t remember giving you anything like that.”

They were too expensive to claim that Jinwoo had bought them himself.

It was also unlikely that his secretary would run errands for someone else. So, that meant…

“Are they Baek Jingyeom’s?”

Wonbeom spoke with a menacing chill. If not, there was no reason for Jinwoo to be carrying such bags.

He didn’t like the way Jinwoo still clung to Baek Jingyeom, despite having been pushed around by him all his life.

Even though he had shown some changes since losing his memory, there was no telling when he might revert to his old ways.

The tone was enough to make anyone else flinch or step back, but Jinwoo responded calmly.

“No, they’re from Director Sun.”

“…….”

“…….”

“Did I mishear? Why is Director Sun’s name coming out of your mouth?”

His large frame cast a shadow over Jinwoo.

This wasn’t the kind of conversation or behavior that should take place in front of the bustling lobby during rush hour.

Especially not between a director and his personal secretary.

The other employees tried hard to pretend they didn’t notice. Sensing the stares, Jinwoo didn’t want to argue unnecessarily.

“I’ll explain upstairs. I need to leave these first.”

Jinwoo got into the elevator and held the open button, signaling for Tak to get in.

The employees didn’t want to ride the same elevator as Director Tak, so they waited at a distance for them to go up first.

Since Director Tak’s and Director Sun’s offices were on different floors, Jinwoo got off first.

“I’ll see you later.”

Though Wonbeom still looked displeased, he swallowed his words for now.

In the office that had not yet welcomed its owner, the secretary was present.

Though Jinwoo was also a secretary, he was personally hired by Director Tak, so he wasn’t close to the company-employed secretaries.

On the contrary, they looked down on Jinwoo as a parachute hire and didn’t like him.

The secretary placed the items Jinwoo had brought directly into the director’s office.

Everything was fine until Soohyuk, who had just arrived, raised his eyebrows at the sight of them. But then a problem arose.

Soohyuk took all the bags and headed to Wonbeom’s office.

“Director!”

Secretary Yang tried to stop Director Sun, who barged into the office without even notifying anyone. But he was too quick.

Secretary Yang, who missed him by a hair, looked around the room in embarrassment.

Wonbeom put down the pen he was holding and signaled Secretary Yang to leave with his eyes. Jinwoo stood beside him.

Soohyuk dropped the numerous shopping bags onto the table as if throwing them.

“Returning them like this makes me feel a bit disappointed.”

“…….”

“They aren’t for Secretary Baek, they were for Baek Jingyeom. Secretary Baek didn’t need to bring them.”

Although he was smiling, it was a clear warning.

He didn’t like that Jinwoo was interfering in his affairs.

Jinwoo, under his cold stare, answered without losing his composure.

“My brother told me to bring them. I always listen to my brother.”

“I know. Baek Jinwoo listens to Baek Jingyeom like a loyal puppy. If Jingyeom told you to bring them, I can’t help it.”

“…….”

Soohyuk picked up the bags he had thrown.

As he was about to leave, Jinwoo asked him.

“……Are you interested in my brother?”

“Yes, a lot. He’s quite entertaining these days.”

“My brother isn’t a toy.”

Jinwoo had spent a year beside Director Tak. During that time, he had also observed Soohyuk.

He was not the type to be genuinely interested in someone like his brother.

He had dated both men and women, but Jinwoo had never seen him in a serious, long-term relationship.

People were eager to possess Soohyuk because he was elusive and hard to catch, despite his promiscuous behavior.

Since everything he did was driven by interest, he initially showed interest in Jinwoo too.

But that interest quickly faded, possibly due to the person beside him now.

The same happened with Baek Jingyeom. Initially curious, he soon lost interest.

But now he claimed to be interested and amused? How should Jinwoo take that?

It was indeed strange.

Despite hanging out with Wonbeom, he had never visited their house or the hospital.

But that day, he went to the hospital with them.

What had happened that day?

A sudden thought occurred to Jinwoo that something might have happened that he didn’t know about.

His brother must have done something to catch this man’s interest.

Of course, he had no idea what the criteria were.

‘How do I get rid of him?’

Jingyeom had lost his memory.

In the past, he would have erected a solid barrier or only gotten close enough to take advantage, but now Jinwoo couldn’t predict his reactions.

Even yesterday, they went to the department store together, had a meal, and received so many items, but Jingyeom nodded without hesitation when Jinwoo suggested returning them.

Jingyeom had indeed changed. This was undeniable.

Was that what caught Soohyuk’s interest?

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Soohyuk. Then Soohyuk, who had been looking away, slightly turned his head to show his side profile.

“Right. He’s not a toy. That’s what makes it more interesting. You never know what he’ll do next.”

* * *

As soon as Jinwoo got home from work, he made Jingyeom sit down and showed him all kinds of videos. Most were about self-defense.

The words “self-defense” were even typed into the search bar. It was the best he could find on his way home.

[How to escape if someone grabs you from behind!]
[Real-life effective techniques!]
[Encountered a robber? This will increase your survival chances by 200%!]
[Grabbed by the collar? Here’s how to escape in 5 seconds]

The titles were straightforward and serious, no matter how you looked at them.

Jingyeom’s face looked sullen as he watched videos detailing how to handle encounters with perverts.

Eating grilled pork belly while watching this was full of complaints.

Without a bench on the rooftop, they spread a mat outside, put a frying pan on a gas burner, and grilled the meat.

The sizzling sound of the pork belly should have been appetizing, but it was overshadowed by the noise from the phone, making it feel like just oil splattering.

Jingyeom, who had planned to set the table and grill the pork belly himself when Jinwoo came home, ended up doing nothing but watching the small screen.

Even though Jingyeom muttered complaints, Jinwoo kept grilling the meat and insisted he watch until the end, playing the next video. Jingyeom reluctantly watched while eating the meat wraps that Jinwoo fed him.

“In the future, if anyone approaches you… no, any person, kick their shins first.”

“What if I become a criminal?”

“I’ll go to prison with you.”

Jingyeom was taken aback by the immediate response and widened his eyes as he looked at Jinwoo.

No, we need to make sure you don’t become a criminal. The idea of going together is… He’s not usually this reckless…

Jingyeom’s cheeks were puffed up with a piece of food in his mouth. Jinwoo chuckled and quickly flipped the meat.

Then, he reached out and grabbed Jingyeom’s thigh. His large hand covered Jingyeom’s thigh almost completely.

“Don’t think about that stuff. Just do what you see in the video. If you can’t use your arms, use your legs. If you can’t use your legs, make a fist and aim for under the chin. Got it?”

“…Why are you saying that?”

Jinwoo’s gaze, fixed on Jingyeom, was filled with a determined seriousness.

“It’s because the world is too harsh.”

Jinwoo ground his teeth. The actions of Director Sun at the company today made him even more anxious.

If he hadn’t been a boss, Jinwoo would have thrown a shopping bag at his face.

Fortunately, since they were from the same company, he’d only brought it over to this office.

He absolutely could not tolerate the fact that Director Sun was approaching him just out of interest or curiosity.

When Jingyeom answered that he went to the department store with Director Sun because he had “no friends,” and that he ate together because he “bought meat,” Jinwoo felt like slapping his own forehead.

Of course, his own forehead, not Jingyeom’s.

Hearing that made him certain he could no longer view Jingyeom as just Jingyeom.

Jinwoo ground his teeth again, thinking about yesterday’s events.

It seemed he had even forgotten his wariness of people along with the memory.

Despite this, he carefully grilled the meat so it wouldn’t burn and made a wrap with rice, ssamjang, and various vegetables, feeding Jingyeom.

Jingyeom chewed the large wrap, which made his cheeks puff out, using both sides of his teeth.

“How long do I have to watch this?”

“Watch it until you go to bed tonight. If you keep watching, it’ll stick with you even unconsciously…”

Jingyeom grumbled as if he didn’t want to watch, but Jinwoo was firm.

Only after Jinwoo had made sure Jingyeom watched the selected self-defense videos did he finally look away from his phone. By then, the pork belly was gone.

Jinwoo did the dishes. Jingyeom offered to do them, but was told to keep watching the video instead.

Even while eating the fruit Jinwoo had bought as dessert, Jingyeom had to keep watching.

Fortunately, Jinwoo’s concern about a visit from Soo-hyeok didn’t come to pass for a while.