TWELVE 85

“Fortunately, there’s no issue with the surgical site. However, you’ll need to come in consistently for physical therapy.”

“Yes, thank you… Ugh.”

I tried to stand up after thanking the doctor, but my body lurched for a second. If Seoin hadn’t caught me, I would have definitely taken a pathetic tumble.

I gave the doctor one more nod and turned away. Seoin had an expression on his face like I’d just been given a terminal diagnosis.

Watching that expression, I kept my mouth shut until we left the parking lot. Only then did I give him a little nudge.

“Fix your face. I told you I’m fine. I just need to make sure I don’t skip the physical therapy sessions.”

Seoin hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I feel like it’s because of me…”

“It’s because I got beaten up by thugs and rolled around on a mountain path. Why is it because of you?”

I said that to comfort him, but I knew that some of the pain that had kept me from moving this morning was actually his fault.

But it’s not like he did it to hurt me…

‘Look at my face every time it hurts.’

‘…Usually, doesn’t one say they’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt in times like this?’

‘Because I’m not confident about that.’

We both did it for pleasure, so who could have known it would turn out like this? If my body had been perfectly fine, it wouldn’t have been serious enough to come to the hospital. Actually, no—I would have had to come anyway because of the injuries from those thugs. So, Seoin wasn’t even a tiny bit to blame.

“Seoin-ahhh.”

I turned Seoin around and stroked his cheek.

“It’s not because of you, man. So don’t be all gloomy. Okay?”

“…”

Any other time, he would have reacted slyly, asking, ‘It’s really not my fault?’ But this time, Seoin just stayed silent, seemingly consumed by guilt.

He remained as quiet as a criminal until we got into the car, and then he finally spoke.

“I should have held back more.”

“And were you even capable of holding back?”

At my words, he shot me a glance and bit his lower lip. Then, he muttered to himself like a soliloquy.

“Was my self-control always this bad? I’ve held back well until now. Even after Woo Seungkyung’s surgery…”

“The fact that you held back that much until now means your self-control is great.”

I patted his shoulders, which were slumped in a way that didn’t suit him at all.

“You only held back because you’re the great Gi Seoin. Good job, good job!”

I wondered if this was really something to be this depressed about or something that required this much comforting.

He really does have a timid side to him sometimes.

In moments like this, what can I do to brighten his mood instantly? Even though I’ve known Seoin for a long time, he shows me a new side every single time, so it feels like I’m dealing with a stranger.

Ah, right…

With a “if it works, it works” mindset, I kissed Seoin exactly as the thought popped into my head. Once on the cheek, and once more on the lips when he turned to look at me.

It was just a kiss, but Seoin made an expression as if asking, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ so I added sheepishly:

“A kiss to make our Seoin feel better.”

Was the method no good?

Just as I was starting to feel anxious, Seoin pointed to his lips with his index finger and spoke.

“Do it again.”

“Again? Oh, uh—okay! I’ll do it.”

It’s not like my lips wear down; I could give him a thousand or ten thousand kisses. I showered Seoin’s lips, both cheeks, and forehead with a barrage of kisses.

“How is it? Do you feel better?”

“Yeah.”

Seoin nodded. Then, he grabbed the steering wheel and looked straight ahead. His reddened ear tips caught my eye. Wow, cute.

I stared intently at him as he started the engine and asked, “Are you blushing, by any chance?”

“No.”

“But your ears are red.”

“It’s because I like it.”

“You’re so cute, I guess I’ll have to kiss you every day so you always feel good.”

Even though my whole body creaked and throbbed at the slightest movement, my mood had reached an all-time high.

“Seriously, why is Gi Seoin so cute? I’m scared someone else might find out.”

“…Don’t worry, nobody knows.”

“They better not. If anyone finds out, they’ll kidnap our Seoin.”

“That’s a paranoid delusion.”

With his ears still red, Seoin shot me a blank look and then let a corner of his mouth quirk up. That’s exactly why I call him cute.

Ah, Seoin was so lovely and wonderful that I wanted to stay touching him. I linked my arm with his and leaned my head on his shoulder.

He moved the hand on the side I was clinging to and interlaced his fingers with mine. I wondered if it was okay to do this while he was driving, but I figured it would be fine since he usually drives with one hand anyway.

Some people say that once you go all the way with physical intimacy, the affection for the other person cools down, but I felt even closer to Seoin. It felt like we had truly become each other’s “only one.” I was suddenly worried that I might be getting too excited on my own, but even that anxiety was completely covered by excitement.

Stopping the car at a red light, Seoin spoke.

“Should we grab dinner before going in?”

“Sure. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Not particularly.”

That meant he was handing the decision over to me. I deliberated between the foods Seoin and I each preferred. We were different in every single way from one to ten, and our food tastes were no exception.

“How about steak?”

In the end, I suggested a menu item he liked. Since I happily eat anything anyway, it was better to cater to him.

“You know that place you like. Their desserts are good too.”

“But you prefer galbi, Seungkyung.”

“I want to cut some steak today. Since it’s an anniversary.”

“An anniversary?”

He asked, his eyes widening. He had a look on his face like it was strange for him to have forgotten an anniversary. I gave him a deliberate grin, paused for effect, and then spoke.

“The day you and I did… everything.”

Truthfully, I said it to tease him. But Seoin nodded as if he accepted it.

“It is a day worth commemorating.”

“How is that a day worth commemorating?”

I laughed in disbelief and nudged him with my shoulder.

“I was joking. It’s to celebrate the day of my safe return. We couldn’t eat anything good that day because things were so hectic. So let’s eat today.”

“Ah.”

This time too, Seoin just gave a blunt nod.

“Right. We should celebrate. Woo Seungkyung’s safe return, and the day we had sex.”

“…Wow. You’re really taking it a step further.”

As I gasped in shock, Seoin beamed as if he found it amusing.

“Between the guy whose ears turn red because he likes being kissed and the guy who nonchalantly wants to celebrate the day we had sex—which one is the real Gi Seoin?”

“Both.”

“Those two can’t coexist. One of them must be a fake.”

“They can coexist. That’s what you call a ‘twist charm.’”

“If a drama wrote a twist like that, it would get trashed.”

When I grumbled half-heartedly, he actually laughed out loud this time and said:

“Since Woo Seungkyung said it’s cute, I don’t care if I get trashed.”

“Well, you are cute…”

I had nothing to say to that. The fact that Seoin is cute is a truth certified by me, the person who has watched him from the sidelines the longest.

“Oh, right. Seoin. Can we stop by the bank before we eat?”

“The bank?”

“I need to pay off a loan, but I don’t have my phone…”

“Didn’t you set up an automatic transfer?”

I’m sorry, but I nodded with a lie. Otherwise, I had no excuse to stop by the bank.

In truth, I wanted to run to the bank even before the hospital today.

‘That money, your friend already paid it all off.’

‘…What?’

‘Gi Seoin paid it all.’

Those words wouldn’t leave me alone; they kept rummaging through my head. I had considered the possibility that it was a lie from Jeon Juseok, but a guy like him would sooner claim there were more debts rather than lie about Seoin already paying them off.

‘I placed the call, so save the number. Jeon Juseok. And how should I save yours…’

‘It’s Gi Seoin.’

It was likely after Seoin and Jeon Juseok exchanged contact information. Even when he didn’t know Jeon Juseok, Seoin had offered to pay off my debts several times. I had kept refusing.

So he probably saw it as an opportunity the moment he met Jeon Juseok. I thought it was strange that he gave out his phone number so easily.

Since it already happened and I know how Seoin feels, I didn’t intend to interrogate or scold him. However, I couldn’t just let the money slide.

Even without Jeon Juseok, there was still the loan for my grandmother’s hospital bills. But I was currently in a state where I couldn’t work, and the money I’d earned at Benwood had already run dry.

For starters, I intended to see if I could get a new loan. If possible, I planned to take out a loan to pay Seoin back and use the remaining money to cover the overdue loan payments until I started working again.

Since I’m currently unemployed, there’s a high probability the loan won’t go through, but since it’s the only way for now, I decided to at least ask. I’d heard somewhere before that loans are easier to get if you aren’t an existing customer, so I planned to try a bank where I’d never opened an account.

Seoin took me to the bank in no time. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I said to him tentatively:

“Do you want to wait here?”

As expected, he shook his head.

“I’m coming with you.”

If I kept telling him to wait in the car even though he said he’d come, it would obviously look suspicious, so I ended up entering the bank with him.

I took a number and sat side-by-side with him in a chair, glancing at him. As always, his expressionless face looked like he didn’t have much on his mind. I was the only one on pins and needles.

What if he follows me all the way to the counter…

Ding-dong—

While I was worrying, my turn finally came up on the electronic display showing the waiting numbers. I looked back at him before getting up.

“It’s my turn. I’ll be right back.”

Please just say okay…!

“Go ahead. I’ll be watching from here.”

Good boy. I gave Seoin a short “Yeah” and hurried to the counter.

“Hello.”

“How can I help you?”

“Um…”

I shot a glance behind me. Seoin was sitting quietly in the chair, watching me. It didn’t seem like my voice would reach that far.

“I was wondering if I could… get a loan.”

“Do you use our bank?”

“No.”

“Could I see your ID?”

One stroke of immense luck was that I had left my resident registration card at home when I went to meet Jeon Juseok. Because my tattered wallet could barely fit two cards, I had taken everything out except my credit and debit cards.

When I handed my ID to the employee, she looked at it and tapped on her keyboard. Then, she looked at me with a professional smile.

“You have an account with our bank, sir.”

“What? That can’t be right.”

It really couldn’t be. I had used only one bank my entire life. I had been using the same single bank account I was told to open at school back in elementary school. Therefore, I had never even set foot in this bank.

“Could you check one more time? I’ve really never used this place.”

“It’s definitely Mr. Woo Seungkyung’s account.”

Is it a shell account or something? A chill ran down my spine.

“Could I check the address that was written when the account was opened?”

The employee was happy to help with the check. As a result, shockingly, the account really was mine. An account I had no memory of. And even more…

“Do you really not remember? You also withdrew the entire balance in the year XXXX.”

“The balance?”

“Would you like me to print a transaction statement?”

“Please do that.”

Soon after, I looked at the transaction statement she handed me and couldn’t believe my eyes.

In this account of mine that even I didn’t know existed, there had been nearly 100 million won. That large sum of money had been withdrawn in its entirety in the year XXXX, just as the employee said.

The year XXXX was… the year my great-aunt passed away.