* * *
Jingyeom almost let out a bitter laugh at his own thoughts.
‘This is ridiculous… Or is it?’
As he recalled the actions of the two people over time, he reached a conclusion that it might actually make sense.
However, there was only one reason he hadn’t thought of it this way until now.
In the original work, the obsessive feelings, disguised as love, were always directed at Baek Jinwoo.
Jingyeom’s eyes slowly rose, meeting the intense gaze that was still fixed on him.
‘So, what will happen to Jinwoo?’
He wished for Jinwoo’s story to end happily.
That’s why Jingyeom had initially tried desperately to keep Jinwoo from getting entangled with those two.
But his thoughts were gradually changing.
When he saw how well they treated Jinwoo, he began to think that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, no matter who Jinwoo ended up with.
He had been keeping an eye on them, ready to intervene if either of them made Jinwoo sad.
But the thought that it might be him instead…
He couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been doing all this time.
‘So, am I going to suffer what Jinwoo went through? This is giving me a headache.’
Wonbeom frowned as he noticed the color draining from Jingyeom’s face.
“You don’t look so good.”
Jingyeom, who had been curiously scanning his surroundings with bright eyes earlier, now looked pale.
It felt as if he had been abruptly dropped into a strange world where unimaginable things happened constantly.
The realization that everything he had believed was being denied made him feel nauseous.
He had known for a while that the original story had gone off course.
But he never imagined it would take this kind of turn.
‘Why? Where did it all go wrong?’
If he had been certain that he could live in this world forever, his worries would have been different.
‘What happens to Jinwoo if the real Baek Jingyeom comes back?’
What worried him the most was the possibility that Baek Jingyeom’s return might become a reality. Baek Jingyeom would never let this situation slip through his fingers.
With his memories restored, he could easily manipulate people’s now-gentler attitudes to torment Jinwoo again.
Jingyeom had been keeping a record of everything that had happened in a diary app, but the thought that it could be used as a weapon against Jinwoo made his fists clench.
‘That can’t happen.’
He had been recording everything in the diary app to ensure that he wouldn’t be caught off guard if Baek Jingyeom returned.
But if there was a chance that it could be misused, then this was something he needed to reconsider.
The realization of this unexpected possibility left Jingyeom feeling extremely unsettled.
Before, if the real Baek Jingyeom came back, he was ready to willingly give up this body.
Of course, the switch would happen before he even realized he was leaving.
“Was I even alive before?”
He still hadn’t figured out whose memories the dream he had in the hospital belonged to.
He felt like he would understand if he had the dream one more time…
Lately, he had been trying to recall that dream before going to sleep, but he still hadn’t dreamt it again.
When he told Hoonil about the dream, Hoonil had said that his hands had never been that frail.
This suggested that the memories might belong to his previous self.
But it was strange.
‘I was in a hospital gown… Does that mean I was hospitalized too? If I really died and came to this body, will I die when the real Baek Jingyeom shows up?’
Without any memories of his previous self, he couldn’t be sure of anything.
It might just be a dream, as Hoonil had suggested.
The questions and worries continued to spiral endlessly.
‘I like it here.’
As he had thought before, he wanted to be happy.
And he was happy here. He didn’t want to leave, not with so many people around him.
Jingyeom bit down on his lower lip, which he had been rolling in his mouth.
The metallic taste of blood made him quickly open his mouth.
“You’re bleeding!”
Wonbeom, who rarely raised his voice, suddenly hardened his expression and hurriedly grabbed Jingyeom’s chin.
He pulled out a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped the blood from Jingyeom’s lips.
It was a handkerchief he wouldn’t normally carry, but he had brought it just for Jingyeom.
“I didn’t think I’d end up using it like this.”
At Wolmido, Jinwoo had, at the movie theater, Soohyuk had—both had immediately pulled out handkerchiefs for Jingyeom.
Seeing that made Wonbeom decide to carry one just in case.
“Haven’t you heard that you shouldn’t let it bleed?”
“…”
“Sigh, why are you like this? If you’re not feeling well, you need to say so!”
Wonbeom grabbed Jingyeom’s thin wrist with his other hand, checking his watch.
The heart rate was above average but didn’t seem dangerously high. However, Jingyeom’s face was too pale to ignore.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
“I’m fine.”
“You look like you’re about to collapse, so saying you’re fine isn’t convincing.”
Wonbeom tried to lead him to the car, but Jingyeom resisted, bracing himself on his legs, causing Wonbeom’s frown to deepen.
“What are you trying to do?”
“There’s no need to go to the hospital. This kind of injury is fine.”
Although his voice was muffled by the handkerchief, his meaning was clear.
“Are you a doctor? How do you know that?”
“I haven’t been on warfarin for long, and it’s just a small cut.”
He couldn’t gauge the size of the wound without a mirror, but since blood wasn’t gushing out, he didn’t feel the need to make a fuss by going to the hospital.
If he did, Jinwoo would find out, and he didn’t want to add to Jinwoo’s worries when he was already anxious.
Jingyeom gently removed Wonbeom’s hand that was covering his mouth and carefully licked his lips.
It seemed the bleeding hadn’t stopped completely yet.
It didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.
“Damn it.”
Wonbeom closed his eyes tightly and turned his head slightly.
It was ridiculous how just seeing Jingyeom lick his lips was causing heat to pool down below.
He knew that Jingyeom was the same age as Jinwoo, that he was an adult, but thinking of him in that way made him feel like he was committing a sin.
After letting out a short sigh, he looked at Jingyeom again.
His face was still pale. It seemed better to take him home.
“Get in the car… Where are you going?”
Even though Wonbeom had told him to get in the car, Jingyeom started walking forward instead of turning around.
“We came to watch a movie, so we should watch it.”
“You want to watch a movie in this condition?”
“Yes. I told Jinwoo we were going to watch a movie, and if we go back too early, he might worry that something happened.”
Wonbeom couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly at Jingyeom’s reasoning.
He wasn’t insisting on watching the movie because he wanted to; he was worried that Jinwoo might get anxious if they returned too soon.
“If your condition worsens even a little, we’re going straight to the hospital. Especially that lip. If the bleeding doesn’t stop in 10 minutes, we’re going.”
“…Can’t we make it 20 minutes?”
Knowing better than anyone that his bleeding wouldn’t stop easily, Jingyeom hesitated before speaking up.
He knew it was a ridiculous request, but he couldn’t go back like this.
Jinwoo, who was exceptionally attentive to his matters, wouldn’t overlook the cut on his lip.
The best course of action was to delay returning as much as possible to give the wound time to heal.
At this point, he thought it might be best to wait until Jinwoo was asleep before sneaking in and covering himself with a blanket.
That way, Jinwoo wouldn’t find out until after work tomorrow.
Of course, Jinwoo might still be awake when he got back.
“Sigh…”
Wonbeom let out a deep sigh and reluctantly nodded.
The car parked in the center was an SUV.
Wonbeom sat in the driver’s seat, and Jingyeom in the passenger seat.
The car’s interior was already set up, and it was stocked with plenty of snacks.
Jingyeom pushed aside the worries that had been on his mind, focusing instead on a movie poster he had seen on the way there.
He had been eager to watch the film for a while, and now his heart was racing with excitement.
“Hyung, this is part of a series. Have you seen the earlier ones?”
“No.”
“It might be hard to understand without watching the earlier ones…”
The movie was part of a superhero series.
Jingyeom hadn’t seen the previous ones, so he didn’t know all the details.
However, he had watched reviews on YouTube, so he understood the overall storyline.
“Is there nothing else playing here?”
“Don’t you want to watch this?”
“I’m okay with it. I just hope you don’t find it boring.”
As Jingyeom spoke, a flood of thoughts crossed his mind. He was worried that they might leave if the movie turned out to be boring.
But since Wonbeom had brought him here, he figured it should be fine; Wonbeom must have known what was playing.
As Jingyeom fiddled with his fingers on top of the canvas bag on his lap, just like when they got into the car earlier, Wonbeom noticed and smiled faintly.
Jingyeom’s face, which had been as pale as if he needed to be rushed to the hospital, was slowly regaining its color.
Wonbeom had wondered if Jingyeom was just trying to kill time until Jinwoo stopped worrying, but it seemed that he genuinely wanted to watch the movie.
From the moment he saw the poster, Jingyeom had been unable to hide his excitement, and his light brown eyes, which had glanced at the screen, sparkled with anticipation.
After just a few words exchanged, the screen brightened, and the movie began.
Jingyeom, who had been looking at Wonbeom, quickly turned his attention to the screen, his eyes filled with eager anticipation.
As the movie progressed, Jingyeom’s worries faded, and the blood that had stained his lips gradually stopped.
He was so absorbed in the film that he seemed ready to leap into the screen.
Every time the hero fought the villain, and the loud noises echoed through the car speakers, Jingyeom’s body twitched in response.
Wonbeom couldn’t help but smile at how deeply Jingyeom was engrossed in the movie.
“If we hadn’t watched the movie, I wouldn’t have seen this expression.”
* * *
Careful Jingyeom
Ouh!
Jingyeom ☹️☹️
He is really clueless
Go go Wonbeom!!
Ohh he doesn’t have any memories about his past self? I wonder if he’s the real baek jigyeom…
I have a gut feelings that he is the real Jingyeom .
Cheering for Wonbeom!
Thanks
👍
A little werried