Vol 6 Ch 9

“How are you going to handle this?” CEO Kim asked, lighting a cigarette.

 

“What do you mean?” Lee Wooyeon replied, lighting his own cigarette.

 

“…Are you planning to keep deceiving him?”

 

“You’re the one who suggested I lie in the first place. Isn’t it a bit rich to be questioning it now?”

 

“Yeah, it’s all my fault. What did the doctors say?” CEO Kim asked, exhaling smoke.

 

“What else? Same old shit. Useless bastards.” Lee Wooyeon muttered curses under his breath, inhaling deeply from his cigarette.

 

“Watch your mouth when talking about the doctors.”

 

“They spend less than five minutes with us, saying the same things every time, and still charge a fortune. They might as well get cursed at for the money they make.”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s tirade of expletives mixed with the cigarette smoke escaping his lips. It was like a scene from a movie if you muted the audio.

 

CEO Kim tasted bitterness at the back of his mouth but pressed on, “What if his memory doesn’t come back? Are you going to keep pretending to be his brother?”

 

Honestly, it was surprising Inseop still believed Lee Wooyeon’s ridiculous lie. Anyone with eyes and a brain could see there were no similarities between them—height, build, hair color, skin tone, facial features, even their auras were completely different. Their appearances belonged to different ‘genres,’ so to speak.

 

“Inseop keeps saying he wants to go back to the US whenever he gets the chance.”

 

“…….”

 

“He only stays because he thinks I’m his brother and that I’m here alone in Korea.”

 

“What about just letting him go back to the US….”

 

CEO Kim stopped mid-sentence, seeing the fierce glint in Lee Wooyeon’s eyes.

 

“He left for the US once after getting hurt and came back. If he goes again, he won’t return to Korea.”

 

“Then why don’t you go to the US too, oh, forget I said anything.”

 

CEO Kim quickly waved his hands, realizing he couldn’t afford to lose the company’s golden goose.

 

“It’s not like I haven’t thought about it. I considered moving to the US to be with him. But….”

 

Lee Wooyeon sighed, smoke trailing from his lips. His hair, unkempt from neglecting the salon, grew unevenly. His face looked more gaunt, the lines sharper than usual. It was an unfamiliar sight—just an ordinary man in love, unsure of what to do.

 

“I still can’t believe Choi Inseop likes me. If you knew the real me, could you still like someone like me, CEO?”

 

“No.”

 

Damn. He answered too quickly. Should’ve hesitated for at least a second. CEO Kim regretted it, but it was too late.

 

“Of course not. Even if I was out of my mind, I’d hate it.”

 

Lee Wooyeon gave a wry smile and continued,

 

“As I’ve said before, I need Choi Inseop. I’ll never find anyone like him, even if I die and come back. So, I won’t let him go… no, I can’t let him go.”

 

Seventeen-year-old Choi Inseop, or Peter, had no memory of him. He didn’t even know if Jenny was dead, and the most significant part of his life was in the US. If he returned to the US, forgetting him and resuming his normal life… would he still like him then?

 

Inseop coming into his life was a miracle. The timid, fearful man had invested years in him, turning his life upside down.

 

A stroke of luck born from the suicide of a friend, a hard-won fortune.

 

“Then why not just tell him you were dating?”

 

“And would he like me then?”

 

Lee Wooyeon asked, cigarette between his lips.

 

…Yeah, if you’d just shut up.

 

Ceo Kim swallowed his honest thoughts. Lee Wooyeon’s personality was too dirty, ruthless, and volatile to ask someone to love him blindly. The only solace was that Lee Wooyeon, despite everything, was exhibiting unexpected patience, caring for Inseop without crossing any major lines.

 

Lee Wooyeon exhaled a sigh along with the smoke, his gaunt face looking even more desolate.

 

Yeah, he’s stuck in this situation too, unable to do anything but cling to a lie to keep Inseop close.

 

“Still, it seems you’ve become somewhat of a decent person, Lee Wooyeon. I honestly thought by now you’d….”

 

“Decent? F**k, I’m going insane wanting to have s*x with him. Dozens, no, thousands of times a day, I fantasize about spreading Choi Inseop’s legs and fucking him. It’s been days of jerking off to his sleeping face. F**k.”

 

“…….”

 

…Not quite decent yet.

 

“Is it illegal for brothers to have s*x in Korea?”

 

CEO Kim felt a strong urge to drive back to Seoul immediately in response to Lee Wooyeon’s crude question.

 

“…It’s illegal to force someone, regardless of who they are.”

 

“So, consensual incest is fine?”

 

“…You risk making Inseop hate you.”

 

“F**k. That’s why I’m holding back, jerking off with my hands at my age.”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s words were filled with a barely contained rage as he angrily sucked on his cigarette filter.

 

“For now, I’ll follow the shitty doctor’s orders.”

 

“Good, and after a while, maybe you could….”

 

CEO Kim was about to suggest Lee Wooyeon return to work in Seoul when a splashing sound interrupted them.

 

“What’s that? That sound….”

 

Lee Wooyeon sprinted towards the lake. CEO Kim hurried after him.

 

“Choi Inseop!”

 

Lee Wooyeon called out, but Inseop was nowhere to be seen where he had been sitting. Out of breath, Manager Cha also appeared, asking what had happened.

 

“What’s going on? Did something happen to Inseop?”

 

“Choi Inseop! F**k, Choi Inseop!”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s urgent cries echoed as they spotted the blanket Inseop had been using floating on the water. Lee Wooyeon dashed into the lake.

 

“Are you crazy? You can’t swim in this freezing water!”

 

“Let go!”

 

Lee Wooyeon shook off CEO Kim’s grip.

 

“I’ll go. Just wait….”

 

As Manager Cha began removing his shoes, Lee Wooyeon plunged into the water. The cold lake quickly rose from his knees to his chest within a few steps.

 

“Choi Inseop! Inseop! Inseop!”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s voice broke as he repeatedly called Inseop’s name. He heard splashing further inside. Without hesitation, Lee Wooyeon dove into the icy water, the cold engulfing him. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness but had to find Inseop, no matter what.

 

Feeling around desperately, Lee Wooyeon finally found a slender body struggling in the water and pulled him close.

 

“Hah… inside… a person….”

 

Inseop was incoherent, shivering and babbling even after surfacing.

 

“Stay still!”

 

Lee Wooyeon commanded, holding onto Inseop tightly.

 

Lee Wooyeon grabbed the struggling Inseop from behind, subduing him as he dragged him out of the water. As soon as they reached the shore, CEO Kim and Manager Cha quickly covered Inseop’s shivering, pale body with their own clothes. Inseop coughed up water, trembling violently.

 

“Hah… ugh… ugh.”

 

“Inseop, look at me. F**k, breathe….”

 

Lee Wooyeon, half-lying on the ground, was rubbing Inseop’s arm as he spoke. The one who needed to breathe was Lee Wooyeon, whose face was now a shade of blue from fear and anxiety.

 

“Someone inside… we have to save…”

 

Inseop’s lips quivered as he tried to stand. His vacant eyes remained fixed on the lake.

 

“There’s no one there. There’s no one to save. Look at me, please.”

 

Lee Wooyeon pleaded, holding Inseop’s face in his hands.

 

“We have to save them, someone fell in the water…”

 

Lee Wooyeon slapped Inseop’s cheek, the sound sharp and loud. Inseop’s eyes finally focused on Lee Wooyeon, bewildered.

 

“Get a grip, f**k, you saved someone already. You risked your life back then, and now you can’t even remember it… what more do you want to save…”

 

Lee Wooyeon’s voice shook, sounding more like a scared child than anything else.

 

“Let’s get inside…”

 

CEO Kim helped Inseop to his feet. Lee Wooyeon picked him up and sprinted towards the cabin, with Manager Cha and CEO Kim quickly following.

 

Inside the bathroom, Lee Wooyeon turned on the hot water, letting it fill the sink and bathtub. He wrapped Inseop in towels, piling them on his shivering body.

 

“What are you doing? Get a blanket or something to cover him.”

 

Lee Wooyeon shouted at Manager Cha, who stood at the bathroom door.

 

“You don’t have to…”

 

“Stay still.”

 

“Here, take this.”

 

Manager Cha handed over a blanket, which Lee Wooyeon immediately wrapped around Inseop. He then placed Inseop into the filling bathtub.

 

“This will get wet, I… I’m fine…”

 

“Shut up and stay still!”

 

Lee Wooyeon snapped. Inseop, frightened, swallowed his words, his face paling further. Lee Wooyeon kept massaging Inseop’s frozen limbs.

 

“Call the hospital. Get an ambulance.”

 

Lee Wooyeon instructed CEO Kim.

 

“Got it.”

 

“No, no, it’s not necessary. I don’t need to go to the hospital…”

 

“Inseop.”

 

Manager Cha shook his head, silencing Inseop. Inseop finally noticed Lee Wooyeon’s face, pale with fear, his trembling hands massaging Inseop’s limbs, looking as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

 

“…It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine…”

 

Inseop’s words were unclear, perhaps meant for himself, a form of self-hypnosis.

 

“They’ll be here in ten minutes.”

 

CEO Kim said, putting down his phone.

 

“I’ll get you a change of clothes. CEO, come with me.”

 

Manager Cha pulled CEO Kim out of the bathroom. Lee Wooyeon continued to rub Inseop’s arms and legs without pause.

 

“…Wooyeona.”

 

Inseop called his brother’s name softly. Their eyes met. An inexplicable emotion filled his throat, making it hard to breathe. This happened every time—his heart raced painfully, his limbs trembled.

 

Water dripped from Lee Wooyeon’s wet hair. Inseop reached out and pushed the strands away from Lee Wooyeon’s forehead.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Despite knowing he should apologize, Inseop spoke these words instead. It felt necessary. The man, who was taller than him by a head, seemed so young and pitiful that Inseop wanted to hold and comfort him like a child if he could.

 

“I’m okay. So…”

 

Lee Wooyeon collapsed into Inseop’s arms. Despite the pressure making it hard to breathe, Inseop gently patted Lee Wooyeon’s head. Lee Wooyeon’s warm breath brushed against Inseop’s cheek, the sensation spreading as feeling returned to his skin.