Vol 6 Ch 1

“Haah, haah….”

 

The man’s face was drenched in sweat. His hair, soaked, clung to his face, making it clear he’d been running for a while. Despite his disheveled appearance, the women watching him gazed at him with heated admiration.

 

The man spotted the hospital’s information desk and ran over without hesitation.

 

“Where… is patient Choi Inseop… right now….”

 

The usually composed man asked, breathless.

 

“Yes? Oh my.”

 

The receptionist recognized the man and widened her eyes in surprise.

 

“Please check where patient Choi Inseop is.”

 

The man quickly blurted out, trying to catch his breath.

 

“Are you Lee Wooyeon?”

 

The receptionist greeted him warmly. The man’s face twisted in frustration.

 

“Where is Choi Inseop? F**k, how many times do I have to—”

 

Someone behind him urgently grabbed his arm.

 

“Lee Wooyeon! Over here, quickly!”

 

“CEO.”

 

CEO Kim Hakseong hurriedly pulled Lee Wooyeon to the side.

 

“Are you crazy, swearing in front of people like that?”

 

“F**k, I don’t care. Right now, Choi Inseop….”

 

“Inseop is fine. He’s not hurt. He’s sleeping.”

 

At CEO Kim’s words, Lee Wooyeon let out a heavy sigh of relief, his face buried in his hands. He couldn’t even remember how he got to the hospital after receiving the call. Traffic was bad, so he got out and ran a long way. All he could think about was Choi Inseop.

 

They had a minor argument yesterday, triggered by a call from the U.S.

 

‘Really? Nathan and Logan too? They’re all coming?’

 

Choi Inseop’s big eyes widened as he answered the phone. Lee Wooyeon glanced at him.

 

‘How did you all manage to find time? Wow, this is great. How long has it been?’

 

How long, my a*s. You met them just six months ago.

 

Lee Wooyeon smirked coldly as he turned the pages of his book.

 

‘I’ll pick you up at the airport. So, when are you coming? What? Next Friday?’

 

Choi Inseop’s wide eyes turned to Lee Wooyeon, who pretended to read.

 

‘Well, our schedule should be… fine, I guess?’

 

Inseop kept looking at Lee Wooyeon for confirmation, but he never got a response.

 

‘Okay. I’ll check and call you back. Yes. I love you too.’

 

His voice was always so sweet it made Lee Wooyeon’s throat burn. Silently cursing, he kept re-reading the same page.

 

After the call, Choi Inseop cautiously approached Lee Wooyeon.

 

‘Um, Wooyeon?’

 

‘Yes.’

 

Even though he clearly heard the phone conversation, Lee Wooyeon pretended to be engrossed in his book.

 

‘Do we have any plans next Friday?’

 

‘Yes, we do.’

 

His reply, slightly chiding, suggested it was obvious.

 

‘What plans?’

 

Inseop asked, worried he had forgotten something important.

 

‘We planned to have s*x from Friday night. For two nights and three days straight.’

 

‘What?’

 

‘…’

 

As always, he expected a joke in response, but Lee Wooyeon didn’t add anything else.

 

‘Wooyeon, I also want that, and I think it’s an important promise, but…’

 

Inseop nervously clutched and released the hem of his clothes as he spoke.

 

‘My siblings said they’re coming next Friday, so… if it’s alright, could we reschedule…?’

 

Lee Wooyeon turned a page in his book, cutting Inseop off.

 

‘Reschedule and just have s*x from now until next week?’

 

‘No, that’s not it, if you don’t like it, I won’t meet them.’

 

Inseop lowered his head dejectedly. Lee Wooyeon cursed inwardly. He knew how much Choi Inseop cherished his family and what it meant for him to choose to live in Korea instead of with them.

 

It was only a few days a year, and yet he couldn’t bear to let it go. He gave a bitter smile at his own pettiness.

 

‘No, it’s fine. Of course, you should meet them if they’re coming.’

 

Inseop finally lifted his head when Lee Wooyeon responded with a gentle smile.

 

‘Then…’

 

‘Instead, have them stay at our place.’

 

‘What?’

 

Inseop’s eyes widened again. F**k, the blood rushed straight down again.

 

‘There are plenty of spare rooms. Have them sleep here.’

 

‘Ah, um, that is….’

 

Inseop stammered even more, clearly more flustered than before. It was no wonder—once, when Inseop’s siblings had come to Korea, Lee Wooyeon had generously let them stay at their home. Coincidentally, he had filming late into the night and only arrived home much later. Inseop’s drunk siblings had fallen asleep piled together in one room, with Inseop among them.

 

Lee Wooyeon had expressionlessly squeezed into that room and pulled Inseop out from among the dark-haired men. Then he took Inseop to the next room and stripped him. Holding a half-asleep Inseop, he kissed him hastily before penetrating him. Inseop, realizing his siblings were asleep in the next room, panicked and flailed, but Lee Wooyeon didn’t stop. Hugging and soothing the sobbing Inseop, who was too scared to make a noise, he kissed him all over and pounded into him all night. The memory of that night, with Inseop tightening around him even while crying, remained vividly with him.

 

Since then, Inseop never brought his siblings to their home again.

 

‘…It seems a bit much to keep imposing on you with my siblings every time.’

 

‘Why? They’re your siblings, they can impose on me a bit. Am I that difficult and uncomfortable?’

 

‘No, not at all. It’s not that, it’s just that…’

 

Inseop struggled to find an excuse.

 

Poor thing, so cute.

 

Lee Wooyeon barely held back a smile as he waited for Inseop to speak.

 

‘It’s been a while since we last saw each other, and you might feel uncomfortable. The kids are still immature and noisy. Also…’

 

‘Alright.’

 

Lee Wooyeon closed his book and stood up. Inseop looked up at him, blinking.

 

‘It’s a family gathering, I was being inconsiderate.’

 

‘No, Wooyeon, that’s not it…’

 

‘I’ll arrange a place for them to stay. I can do that much, right? Even if I’m not family.’

 

‘Wooyeon…’

 

‘I’ll head in first. I’m a bit tired today.’

 

Lee Wooyeon left just like that. Throughout that day, Lee Wooyeon didn’t even make eye contact, knowing that Inseop felt sorry and didn’t know what to do.

 

Despite knowing that these feelings were petty, childish, and useless, Lee Wooyeon genuinely loathed Choi Inseop’s constant talk about his family. He hated that a significant part of Inseop’s kind and gentle nature was for his family. He hated how they clung to each other as if it were the most natural thing, and how, even as adults, they casually expressed their love for one another. He just hated it all, to a damnable degree. If he could, he wanted to tear all those precious things away from Choi Inseop’s life. Often, within the fence of “family,” Lee Wooyeon felt pushed outside.

 

In truth, he knew. He knew where Inseop felt most comfortable and at ease. And because of that, he couldn’t contain the dark emotions that kept surfacing.

 

If only I were actually family with Choi Inseop, bound by blood.

 

His excessive feelings for Inseop often led to fantasies he never even had as a child. It wasn’t that he doubted Inseop’s feelings for him. He just wanted to belong to Choi Inseop a little more, just a little more….

 

Lee Wooyeon left early in the morning without saying goodbye to Inseop. He feared he might say something hurtful to Inseop due to his twisted temperament.

 

I woke up late this morning and couldn’t say goodbye. I’m sorry. Have a great day!

 

Lee Wooyeon stared blankly at the message from Inseop. He knew Inseop had woken up earlier than him. He had heard movements in the room. Or maybe, with his kind nature, Inseop hadn’t been able to sleep at all. He probably spent the whole night worrying about the hurt he believed he had caused.

 

Why are you so beautiful and lovable, Inseop….

 

Would it have been better if I had loved you moderately? Then maybe I wouldn’t have such abnormal obsessions. If I could love you like a normal person, then maybe you too….

 

Lee Wooyeon swallowed a bitter smile. It was never possible from the start. There were limits to pretending to have a normal love. He just wished that his broken and lacking nature could cause Inseop a little less pain.

 

I should apologize. …Even though I’m not sorry at all.

 

Lee Wooyeon sighed and opened the message app. At that moment, he received a call from the hospital.

 

“…What on earth… happened?”

 

Even though he had been told that Inseop was safe, his voice trembled. His hands, clutching his gaunt face, were shaking uncontrollably. Watching this, CEO Kim let out a sigh and answered.

 

“He was standing on the road, and a car making a right turn suddenly hit him. The driver was inexperienced. They panicked and confused the accelerator with the brake.”

 

“F**k, why do they even drive if they can’t tell the difference?”

 

“Wooyeon, Wooyeon. Please… lower your voice.”

 

CEO Kim gestured with his hand, conscious of their surroundings, and continued.

 

“Inseop is fine. The car didn’t hit him directly; there was a little kid beside him. He fell while protecting the kid.”

 

“What were the parents doing when their kid was about to get hit by a car?”

 

Wooyeon’s eyes grew increasingly savage as he demanded answers. If this continued, he seemed likely to track down the kid’s parents and throttle them.

 

“Let’s not do this here. Let’s go up to the hospital room. It’s on the 7th floor. The elevator is over there….”

 

Before he could finish speaking, Wooyeon dashed up the stairs.

 

“This crazy guy. His eyes are completely turned…”

 

CEO Kim let out a deep sigh. No matter how many times he saw Lee Wooyeon lose his cool and act out when it came to Choi Inseop, he could never get used to it.

 

In this line of work, he had seen countless romantic entanglements. This place, filled with beautiful, talented, and charismatic people, naturally sparked many flares of passion. Someone once described it as a bunch of highly flammable people wandering around with lighters in both hands. Intense love affairs were as common as stones on the street. Passionate romances often fizzled out just as quickly. He himself had been married and divorced three times, so he wasn’t in a position to judge others.

 

But Lee Wooyeon…

 

‘…What on earth… happened?’

 

His face was pale as a sheet, and his uncontrollably trembling hands made him look pitiful enough that anyone might think it was he who needed to be hospitalized, not Choi Inseop. He had hoped that over time, this madness would subside, but it seemed to be getting worse.

 

The thought that a fool of the highest order had finally met his match crossed his mind, but occasionally, just occasionally, he felt a twinge of pity. He could no longer laugh off Lee Wooyeon’s frequent jokes that he would die without Choi Inseop.

 

“Can someone really love that much….”

 

CEO Kim mumbled to himself as he got into the elevator. As he walked towards the hospital room after getting off on the 7th floor, he suddenly remembered that Lee Wooyeon had been in the middle of a live broadcast.

 

“This crazy bastard….”

 

CEO Kim quickened his pace. The moment he flung open the door to Inseop’s private room, he started pointing and gesturing at the large figure standing in front of him.

 

“Are you out of your mind? How could you run out in the middle of a live broadcast? Did you just ignore my message saying Inseop was fine? Huh?”

 

Only then did CEO Kim notice Inseop sitting on the bed, his eyes wide open.

 

“Inseop, you’re awake? Are you feeling okay?”

 

[Who are you?]

 

“What? Why is he suddenly speaking English? I’m your… Manager Cha, how do I introduce myself in English?”

 

CEO Kim turned to Manager Cha for help. Manager Cha, with a grim expression, desperately signaled him to be quiet.

 

“Why? You always boast about being better at English than me. Haha. I’m handsome and rich boss. Is that right? Lee Wooyeon, you….”

 

CEO Kim trailed off as he glanced at Lee Wooyeon. Wooyeon’s face had turned even paler than before. No, it was now ashen.

 

[Who are you? …Where am I? …Where is my family?]

 

A terrified Choi Inseop—no, Peter—looked at Lee Wooyeon and asked.