I came out of the basement with Kim Woo-jin, who had fainted, in my arms. The smell of the blood dripping all over my palms and the fishy smell of blood brushing the tip of my nose made my heart ache.
Biting my lip, I ran across the hallway, where the cult members were lying down. I was in a hurry, but I couldn’t run because I was afraid that Kim Woo-jin, who was in my arms, would be hurt more.
We came up with Kim Woo-jin from the third basement floor where he was locked up and escaped through the passage at the end of the second basement floor. Returning to the room on the 23rd floor, we immediately took Kim Woo-jin to the Requiem ward.
“This is an emergency patient!”
“The doctor is currently on standby. He can go right into the operating room.”
“Guardian, please fill out this form.”
The ward employee, who had been waiting for Kim Woo-jin at Cheon Sa-yeon’s order, rushed to us at once. Kim Woo-jin, who was taken from my arms and lay on the medical bed, didn’t wake up until then.
As Kim Woo-jin’s guardian, I filled out the documents and handed it over, staring at Kim Woo-jin as I entered the operating room.
“Master, the doctor is ready, but… he is seriously injured and needs a healer.”
“What are the remaining healer ranks?”
“One B-rank and two C-rank.”
Cheon Sa-yeon frowned upon hearing the employee’s answer.
“Now, supporting healer from Roheon Guild…”
“I will do it.”
Before Cheon Sa-yeon could finish his words, a familiar voice came from behind. After barely coming to my senses, I hurriedly looked back.
Min Ah-rin, who I thought she was sleeping in the hospital room, was standing and looking at me. Min Ah-rin, smiling with her pale face, approached slowly.
“Min Ah-rin-ssi, why are you here…”
“I’ve been waiting. Until Woo-jin-ssi comes back.”
It had only been a few hours since she collapsed, vomiting blood from exhausting her energy. Even if the other healers had given her some energy, her body and heart would still not be in good shape.
“You don’t have to push yourself too much, Healer Min Ah-rin.”
“I’m not overdoing it.”
Min Ah-rin didn’t give up her opinion despite Cheon Sa-yeon’s dissuasion, who easily noticed her condition, just like me.
“Even if I lack energy, I have to heal Woo-jin-ssi as I have stronger healing ability than other healers.”
Contrary to her tired look, Min Ah-rin’s eyes shone brighter than ever as she said that Kim Woo-jin needed to be healed.
“I don’t want to entrust Woo-jin-ssi to anyone else. I will go in.”
In the end, Cheon Sa-yeon also gave permission to Min Ah-rin, who was rarely determined. But I couldn’t comfortably let Min Ah-rin go.
What should I do if Min Ah-rin was overdoing it and fell down again this time? The scene where Min Ah-rin vomited her blood in my head was still vivid.
“Yi-gyeol-ssi.”
When I hesitated because I didn’t know what to say, Min Ah-rin smiled and held my hand.
“Don’t worry. Both me and Woo-jin-ssi will be fine.”
“……”
A warm feeling surged at the comfort. Having tightly closed my eyes and barely holding back the tears, I raised my gaze and asked Cheon Sa-yeon for permission.
Even without explanation, Cheon Sa-yeon, who already knew what I was thinking, quietly nodded his head.
“…Min Ah-rin-ssi.”
I untied the bracelet, which I had never taken off except when leaving to China since receiving it from Cheon Sa-yeon, and put it on Min Ah-rin’s wrist.
A-class energy recovery item. A silver bracelet shone over Min Ah-rin’s wrist, which was whiter and thinner than mine.
“Please I beg you.”
I wanted to show an unwavering, calm attitude, but I couldn’t hide the wretched feeling that was expressed on my face.
Min Ah-rin also gave a bittersweet reply with a similar expression to mine.
“I’m going.”
* * *
Kim Woo-jin’s condition was far worse than expected. Healer alone wasn’t enough, so someone with regenerator ability had to go into the operating room.
Traces of torture were evident all over his body, including the forcible plucking of both his fingernails and toenails. The direct impact on his body caused problems with his eyes, eardrums, and lungs, with burn marks everywhere.
Min Ah-rin cried a lot while treating Kim Woo-jin. It was hard to even imagine how much Min Ah-rin’s heart ached as I looked at Kim Woo-jin’s condition.
Even with the healer and the regenerator ability person, the operation time went over five hours. About six hours later, the operation was over and Kim Woo-jin was transferred to the ward.
Cheon Sa-yeon, Woo Seo-hyuk, and Park Geon-ho went to take care of the guild, while Ha Tae-heon was called back to Roheon. Min Ah-rin collapsed again immediately after the surgery and Kwon Jeong-han still hadn’t woken up.
I went to Kim Woo-jin’s ward alone.
Kim Woo-jin was lying on the bed in the darkened ward. The lamp of the nightstand placed on the bedside table was the only thing that shone.
Sitting next to the bed, I grabbed Kim Woo-jin’s hand, which was placed on the bed, and pulled it to me. His hands, which had been stained with blood because his fingernails had been forcibly pulled out, was restored to its original clean appearance through treatment.
“……”
Even if the wound was healed, the memory couldn’t be erased.
Kim Woo-jin would remember this incident for a long time and suffer. It would be nice if I could even erase his memories.
Kim Woo-jin’s hand, which was always warm, is now surprisingly cold. That was the time when I didn’t like that, so I rubbed Kim Woo-jin’s hand to make it even a little warmer. Kim Woo-jin’s fingertips trembled and the tightly closed eyelids rose slowly.
“Kim Woo-jin?”
Kim Woo-jin, who had blinked his eyelids several times with hazy eyes, answered quietly.
“Ung.”
Could he wake up already? I got up quickly and looked at his face. Fortunately, although his complexion was a little pale, there seemed to be no more pain.
“This is the Requiem ward. Do you remember the last time you met me? Min Ah-rin-ssi also gave you treatment.”
“Uung… I remember.”
Kim Woo-jin’s gaze turned to his hand that I was holding. He grabbed my hand and lifted his upper up.
“Wait, don’t get up. You’ve been treated less than an hour now.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
On the outside, he was treated and he was fine, but on the inside, it wasn’t like that. Despite my advice, he raised his upper body and sat with his back on the head of the bed.
“Han Yi-gyeol, you? Are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m fine. Everyone else is fine.”
“You came to rescue me without a break.”
“…I couldn’t go right away. Even if we pay the price, it will take some time to find out where you are.”
While explaining, the inside of my mouth was bitter. I knew it was unavoidable, but I wasn’t sure if it was really the best thing to do.
It would have been nice if I had gone a little faster. I felt so sorry for Kim Woo-jin, who endured torture alone.
Kim Woo-jin, who was listening to me with a faint smile, opened his mouth.
“It didn’t matter if I was hurt because I believed you would come and pick me up. What I was afraid of…”
“……”
“What I can’t stand it is… Han Yi-gyeol, I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you again… That was scary.”
Complicated emotions flooded me like waves.
I immediately understood the meaning of what Kim Woo-jin was trying to say. I didn’t know what answer to give.
“You already know, but…”
“Kim Woo-jin.”
“Han Yi-gyeol, I like you.”
No, Kim Woo-jin. Words I couldn’t get out of my mouth were lingering through my mouth.
I really care and cherish Kim Woo-jin, but this was a different matter. No, it was rather precious and I couldn’t accept his feelings in vain. That would be a bigger wound.
“Kim Woo-jin, I…”
“I know. That you’ve never seen me as a lover. That’s not the case now.”
My heart was so heavy. When I looked down, I saw my hand held by Kim Woo-jin.
Before Kim Woo-jin woke up, I was definitely holding it first, but now my hand is in Kim Woo-jin’s big hand. It was just like me and Kim Woo-jin.
“I’m not asking you to accept my feelings. I have no intention of forcing you.”
Suddenly, Kim Woo-jin’s ears turned red. His voice seemed more tense than before.
“I just… I want to stay by your side. Without forcing myself to hide my feelings.”
Kim Woo-jin’s sincere heart, which I had barely heard, made my head complicated. I also thought a lot about Kim Woo-jin’s feelings and mine in the space created by Abel.
I wanted to be Kim Woo-jin’s close friend and hyung. I hoped that I could be someone he could lean on for Kim Woo-jin, who had lived with no one to rely on.
But it wasn’t for Kim Woo-jin. The future he wanted and the future I wanted were very different. They were just different that… I couldn’t force Kim Woo-jin to give up because that feeling was wrong.
“Is that okay?”
“Uh?”
“Is that enough?”
Most importantly, I realized how important Kim Woo-jin is to me through this incident. So, as long as Kim Woo-jin stayed by my side, I’m ready to pay the price.
Kim Woo-jin, who heard the question, was greatly embarrassed as he didn’t know that I would accept it.
“I, I don’t know… whether… it’s enoug…”
I didn’t have the confidence to return the feelings that Kim Woo-jin gave me. Kim Woo-jin, too, no matter how much he liked me, it must have been a difficult decision to remain with someone who wouldn’t be reciprocated.
So, I planed to listen to everything Kim Woo-jin wanted so that he didn’t leave hurt.
“Tell me properly. If I can do it, I will do it.”
“……”
Kim Woo-jin, who hesitated with a sign of lack of confidence, closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth after a while.
“S, skinship…”
“What?”
“Kiss… If you can…”
He wanted a kiss? At the very least, I expected that he would say to stay by his side until he was discharged from the hospital, or that he would go on a date with me, but I was also puzzled.
‘If it’s a kiss…’
The one I did… with Cheon Sa-yeon last time? I wasn’t good at it either, but it was a big deal. It was very difficult for me to kiss the pale blue young boy.
When I scratched my forehead and showed a sour reaction, Kim Woo-jin looked like he was about to cry and shook his head.
“I, I’m sorry. It was just something I said. You don’t have to…”
“Well…”
It was hard to politely decline. If I thought of it differently, if I could keep Kim Woo-jin by my side by kissing him, it wasn’t bad for me either.
“Okay, I see.”
“Uung?”
I leaned over Kim Woo-jin on the bed and lowered my upper body. Squeak, the mattress made a small noise and went in softly.
When I faced Kim Woo-jin from a distance so close that I could feel his breath, his cheeks burned bright red in an instant. He looked much better now than when he was pale.
“……”
“……”
“…close your eyes.”
Kim Woo-jin, who had his long eyelashes trembling at my words, quickly closed his eyes. The light from the stand softly illuminated Kim Woo-jin’s side face.
A dot embedded under the eyebrow came into view. Looking at it, I carefully lowered my head.
Kim Woo-jin’s slightly rough lips was touched. As our lips met, Kim Woo-jin, who was sitting stiffly, trembled. I took it off for a moment without hesitation and then bumped into it again.
It was the first time I kissed, so it was quite awkward. I put my tongue inside Kim Woo-jin’s lips, just like Cheon Sa-yeon did to me.
“……”
As I wiped the roof of Kim Woo-jin’s mouth with my tongue, he clenched the blanket and moaned. A small muffled sound rang out.
I opened my mouth to say that this was enough. When I lifted my bowed head, Kim Woo-jin’s face and neck, which were red as if they were about to explode, stood out.
“Kim Woo-jin.”
“……”
“Kim Woo-jin, wake up.”
As I waved my hand in front of the crazy Kim Woo-jin, he was startled and covered his mouth with his hand.
Um… was the stimulation of the hospitalized child too severe?
‘I should have done it later.’
I sighed at Kim Woo-jin, who was unable to calm down.
Comments