Vol 6 Ch 2

“When we looked at the CT and MRI, there were no particular abnormal findings.”

 

“How is it possible that he doesn’t remember anything if there are no abnormalities?”

 

Lee Wooyeon asked, his voice dry and strained.

 

“Although it’s not common, memory loss can occasionally occur in concussion patients. Simply put, the brain has been shocked, leading to functional issues. While the patient shows no signs of bleeding, the shock is real. The brain is more delicate than we often think. Given the retrograde amnesia, it’s best to monitor the situation.”

 

“Then when exactly….”

 

CEO Kim pulled on Wooyeon’s arm.

 

“Should he stay in the hospital for now?”

 

“It’s best to keep him hospitalized for a few days and observe his progress.”

 

“When will his memory return?”

 

Wooyeon shrugged off CEO Kim’s hand and asked.

 

“Well, temporary amnesia can resolve in as little as half a day. It’s best to monitor him for two to three weeks and ensure he remains as calm as possible.”

 

“…Can the memory loss be permanent?”

 

Wooyeon’s lips quivered as he asked, and CEO Kim’s heart sank. Lee Wooyeon’s obsession with Choi Inseop’s health bordered on madness.

 

“It’s rare, but not impossible….”

 

“F**k. What the hell….”

 

As Wooyeon cursed, CEO Kim jumped in to cut him off.

 

“Lee Wooyeon, I understand you’re very worried about your cousin. Yes, you’re worried. Let’s go outside and worry about him. Come on, let’s go.”

 

CEO Kim pulled Wooyeon out, bowing apologetically to the bewildered doctor.

 

“Are you out of your mind? Are you losing it? Why are you cursing at the doctor?”

 

CEO Kim glared at Lee Wooyeon as he dragged him out to the emergency staircase.

 

“We paid so much for the tests, and all they can say is to monitor him? They can’t give us a proper answer?”

 

“What else can we do? The CT and MRI results are clean. We just need to let him rest and keep an eye on him. There’s no other option.”

 

“F**k! Seriously.”

 

Lee Wooyeon kicked a vending machine in the corner. The loud bang made CEO Kim jump as he hurriedly tried to calm Wooyeon down.

 

“Wooyeon, Lee Wooyeon, please. Stop losing your temper. We need to focus on getting Inseop’s memory back.”

 

Wooyeon ran a hand through his hair in frustration. For a brief moment, CEO Kim couldn’t help but think, That bastard really is disgustingly handsome.

 

“What do we do if….”

 

Wooyeon’s voice was low and somber.

 

“If what?”

 

“If Inseop doesn’t get his memory back… what do we do?”

 

“It’ll come back. The doctor said it’s temporary. It’s just temporary, so….”

 

Wooyeon sighed deeply, covering his face with his large hand. An idea suddenly struck CEO Kim.

 

“Hey, Wooyeon.”

 

“…What.”

 

“Don’t get me wrong.”

 

Wooyeon’s sharp eyes peeked through his fingers. CEO Kim gulped.

 

“I’ve never heard anything good after someone starts with ‘don’t get me wrong.’”

 

“No, seriously. This is out of genuine concern for Inseop, so listen.”

 

CEO Kim quickly scanned the surroundings.

 

Three vending machines. Okay, even if he’s a beast, he can’t throw a vending machine at me.

 

After finishing his quick assessment, CEO Kim continued.

 

“Maybe it’s better not to tell Inseop about your relationship until he gets his memory back.”

 

“What?”

 

Wooyeon’s eyes darkened menacingly.

 

“What I mean is, right now, his memory is stuck at seventeen. He wakes up and ten years have passed, he’s in Korea instead of the US, and his boyfriend is a guy.”

 

…And it’s you, of all people.

 

CEO Kim swallowed the last part he desperately wanted to say.

 

“…It would be overwhelming.”

 

CEO Kim was right. Inseop’s memory was stuck at seventeen. He didn’t even remember seeing Philip in America. Essentially, he was a stranger to Lee Wooyeon.

 

Suddenly finding out that ten years had passed, he was in Korea, and was dating a man he had never met before would be too much to handle.

 

“Right. So, for now….”

 

At that moment, Wooyeon’s phone rang. It was Manager Cha. He was watching over Inseop, who had been sedated after his tests. The moment Wooyeon saw the name on the screen, he started running. CEO Kim’s voice calling for him to wait grew fainter behind him.

 

Wooyeon burst into the hospital room. Inseop, looking pale, was speaking incoherently.

 

[Please, call my parents. I’ll give you the address and phone number. Please, send me home. …Please, I beg you.]

 

“No, Inseop woke up and I was just bringing him some water, but then he suddenly started speaking in English….”

 

Manager Cha, visibly flustered, stammered as he tried to explain.

 

[If you contact my parents, I’ll give you money…. Please, send me home.]

 

Inseop’s large, frightened eyes were filled with tears that wouldn’t stop falling. He trembled like a captured, terrified young animal.

 

Lee Wooyeon took off his jacket. Striding forward, he gently wrapped it around Inseop’s face, as if shielding him.

 

[Don’t cry. I told you not to cry in front of others.]

 

Manager Cha noted Lee Wooyeon’s fluent English and thought, Ah, right, this bastard is practically a foreigner too.

 

[I am…. My name is….]

 

Inseop tried to push the jacket away, but Wooyeon’s grip remained firm.

 

[I know your name. Peter.]

 

Hearing his name from a stranger’s mouth, Inseop fell silent.

 

[…Who are you?]

 

Those innocent, pure eyes looked up at him. Wooyeon felt a rush of satisfaction.

 

A cruel desire to leave his mark on a pristine, untouched field of snow.

 

“Lee Wooyeon….”

 

CEO Kim gave him a warning glance. Wooyeon’s lips curled into a crooked smile.

 

“Wooyeon. You know, right?”

 

“I know.”

 

Wooyeon nodded. He slowly removed the jacket covering Inseop’s face and gently wiped away the tears staining his cheeks.

 

[Do you know me? …Are we acquainted?]

 

Inseop asked, looking at the man gently wiping away his tears.

 

CEO Kim stared at Lee Wooyeon with a nervous gaze.

 

If you have even the slightest bit of human decency, you won’t….

 

CEO Kim clenched his fist tightly. While he knew that their age difference wasn’t significant and both were adults, the idea of Wooyeon dating Inseop always felt wrong.

 

But now….

 

[Do you know me?]

 

Inseop, dressed in a hospital gown and unable to hold back his tears, looked incredibly young. He always had a youthful appearance, but this was different.

 

His speech, gestures, and gaze all belonged to a seventeen-year-old boy.

 

Putting Wooyeon in the picture felt like a crime.

 

[We’re not just acquaintances….]

 

Wooyeon’s smile was soft as he brushed Inseop’s hair aside. His gentle demeanor made CEO Kim sigh in relief.

 

Right. No matter how crazy and psychopathic that bastard is, he’s always been sincere with Choi Inseop.

 

[You’re my older brother.]

 

[What?]

 

“What?”

 

“What did you say?”

 

All three in the room exclaimed simultaneously.

 

[Peter, you’re my older brother. Your real brother.]

 

Wooyeon’s voice was gentle but firm.

 

CEO Kim realized he had been right. Lee Wooyeon was always sincere with Choi Inseop. It’s just that his sincerity wasn’t normal.

 

“Hey, why are you acting like this? Are you completely nuts?”

 

Manager Cha couldn’t contain his astonishment and anger. CEO Kim, puffing on his cigarette with a scowl, glared at Lee Wooyeon.

 

“Yeah, he’s definitely crazy.”

 

Wooyeon shamelessly retorted, “Yeah, I’m crazy. So what?”

 

“Are you insane? Why the hell are you saying you’re Choi Inseop’s real brother? And younger brother at that? You’re older than him, so how can you be his younger brother? Do you have any conscience?”

 

CEO Kim joined in the attack.

 

“Crazy people don’t have consciences.”

 

“Wow, really,” Manager Cha said, his mouth hanging open in amazement.

 

“First time seeing a good-looking nutjob? Why are you staring with your mouth wide open?”

 

“Yeah, you’re handsome. But why the hell would you say you’re real brothers?”

 

“You said not to say we’re dating.”

 

“So you lied about being brothers?”

 

“Then what should I say?”

 

Wooyeon exhaled a plume of smoke.

 

“Just tell the truth….”

 

“You want me to say we’ve been screwing each other?”

 

“Lee Wooyeon, you….”

 

CEO Kim looked around in horror.

 

“So what if someone hears? At this age, who cares if I’m screwing around?”

 

Wooyeon smiled and took another drag of his cigarette.

 

He’s really pissed off.

 

…Why is he so pissed off?

 

The same thought crossed both of their minds.

 

“What the hell are you going to do now?”

 

“What do you mean, what am I going to do? I’ll just play the younger brother until his memory comes back.”

 

“Why lie like that? You could’ve just said he was your manager.”

 

Manager Cha shot back.

 

“You saying you’re his real brother? Does that even make sense? Do you two look anything alike? Just because you both have two eyes and a nose, you think you can just make up stories?”

 

“I’ll just say I take after the maternal side.”

 

“But still, you should have some resemblance!”

 

“So what if we don’t look alike? My sister and I don’t look much alike either.”

 

“…You have a sister?”

 

CEO Kim asked, surprised. Manager Cha smacked CEO Kim’s arm.

 

“CEO, is that important right now? It’s not too late to just say it was a joke. Tell Inseop he was your manager helping you.”

 

Wooyeon chuckled, releasing another puff of smoke.

 

“In his current state, do you think he’d stay in Korea?”

 

“What?”

 

“That coward would run straight back to the States. If his memory never comes back, who does that benefit? F**k.”

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

The implication was clear: Lee Wooyeon was afraid Choi Inseop might flee.

 

“You don’t look like it, but you really have a pathetic way of dating….”

 

“So what if it’s pathetic? I’m dating someone as frustratingly beautiful as Choi Inseop. Who cares if it’s pathetic? I’d even die for him if he told me to.”

 

…Expressing such romantic feelings with such dirty language was a talent in its own right.

 

“Anyway, just know that until his memory comes back, I’ll be playing the role of his brother and taking care of him.”

 

“Hey, Lee Wooyeon.”

 

Manager Cha called out to Lee Wooyeon, taking a long drag of his cigarette.

 

“What?”

 

“This is just a personal question, but… why are you the younger brother?”

 

If he was going to lie about being brothers, it made more sense for Lee Wooyeon to say he was the older brother.

 

“He’s probably scared and wants to go back to the States right now. With Inseop’s kind personality, he’d find it harder to abandon someone younger than him, right?”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s meticulousness in considering even such details in his lie gave them goosebumps.

 

“And it’s hotter to f**k an older brother, isn’t it? Hahaha.”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s refreshing laughter made the two men’s faces turn black with disgust.

 

“Just kidding.”

 

‘…That’s not a joke.’

 

‘…Maybe we should tell Inseop to run while he still can. This might be his last chance.’

 

‘…That might be for the best.’

 

The two middle-aged men exchanged quick glances.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

 

Lee Wooyeon continued, flashing his characteristic elegant and beautiful smile.

 

“I already used up all my patience not snapping that idiot driver’s neck earlier.”

 

Lee Wooyeon stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into the trash.

 

“So, let’s all be polite to each other.”

 

With that, Lee Wooyeon gave a polite bow and disappeared. CEO Kim wordlessly pulled a new cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. Manager Cha lit it for him and then lit his own.

 

The two men stood there, smoking in silence for a long time before they finally left.