By Zephyria 
“Ah…! Hello, I’m the guardian, Lee Yeon-rok.”
When Yeon-rok gave a polite bow, the doctor gave a friendly smile. Saying it had been a while in a casual tone, the doctor looked through the chart and muttered with a look of curiosity.
“It really is a gastric ulcer…?”
There wasn’t a hint of concern in his voice. For an acquaintance, the relationship seemed oddly desolate, but Yeon-rok, knowing Moon Gyeon-woo’s personality well, simply brushed it off. Soon, the two began conversing using professional terminology that was difficult for the others to understand.
“Then please take care of it within ten minutes.”
Following Moon Gyeon-woo’s request, the doctor acquaintance soon left. A bewildered Yeon-rok asked.
“What did you ask for?”
“I asked him to give me a stronger painkiller. It does hurt quite a bit.”
As he spoke, he seemed unusually calmer than usual. He struggled to rummage through his pocket and pulled out a packet of caramels.
“You’re a bit hungry, right? Want some?”
“Caramels? Where did these come from?”
Come to think of it, he had rushed out in the middle of dinner. Now that he was conscious of it, hunger washed over him, and Yeon-rok unwrapped a caramel and popped it into his mouth. Judging by the scent, it had coffee in it, giving it a slightly bitter yet delicious homemade taste. Since Moon Gyeon-woo often provided various snacks, Yeon-rok ate them without thinking, and several disappeared in an instant. Moon Gyeon-woo watched Yeon-rok intently.
“Haaam….”
Suddenly overcome by drowsiness, Yeon-rok, who had been nodding off, yawned and rubbed his eyes. Even though he tried to force his eyes open, it was impossibly difficult to stay awake. Was it because it was already past 3 AM?
“I’m so sleepy.”
“I think it’s because the tension broke after you were so surprised. Here, do you want to lean over and sleep for a bit?”
Moon Gyeon-woo’s words sounded plausible. Yawning repeatedly, Yeon-rok leaned obliquely against the patient’s bed. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to sleep right in front of a patient. However, as Moon Gyeon-woo gently stroked his back, Yeon-rok felt his body gradually sinking deeper.
“Yeon-rok-ah, shall I show you something interesting?”
Moon Gyeon-woo spoke in a tender voice to Yeon-rok, who was already half-asleep. Yeon-rok barely managed to lift his heavy eyelids. Meeting the eyes of the leaning Yeon-rok, Moon Gyeon-woo slowly opened his mouth. Inside the cave-like mouth, a clean pink tongue was revealed.
Yeon-rok blinked. Why was this Hyung suddenly showing him his tongue? And in the next moment, he realized. There was no name on the tongue. He doubted his own eyes.
“Hyung, why is the name…?”
His tongue was sluggish from the sleepiness, and he couldn’t finish the sentence. An unnaturally heavy sleep was weighing him down. But clearly, the characteristic warmth and feeling upon contact had remained the same…. With Moon Gyeon-woo’s smiling face as he tucked his tongue back in, Yeon-rok’s consciousness drifted far away.
In an empty restaurant, a text from Yeon-rok arrived for Choi Hwan, who had been shaking his leg while resting his chin on his hand in distress. Checking it quickly, the content was as follows:
[Hyung has a severe gastric ulcer. So for now, they say he has to stay in the ER to monitor his condition]
He was someone he particularly disliked and hated lately, but that didn’t mean he was pleased to hear the man was vomiting blood. It was a relief that his life wasn’t in danger, but he didn’t like the fact that Yeon-rok had to stay by that guy’s side all night.
“Ugh, whatever. I’m just going to sleep.”
Just thinking about Moon Gyeon-woo staying in constant contact with Yeon-rok under the excuse of being unwell made his own stomach churn. Due to the nature of being an actor—dieting and irregular meals—Choi Hwan’s stomach wasn’t in the healthiest state either. He was incredibly envious of Moon Gyeon-woo, who was likely being nursed by Yeon-rok.
[When can you come home??]
He sent the text after showering and lying in bed, but Yeon-rok didn’t reply. He figured Yeon-rok was too preoccupied in the ER to check. With a sigh that nearly sank the bed, Choi Hwan tried to sleep. He was awakened from his sweet slumber by the urgent touch of his manager, Jo Jun-ho.
“Choi Hwan! Hwan-ah, wake up!”
“Ugh, why…. I want to sleep more….”
As Choi Hwan pulled the blanket over his head, a voice jolted him wide awake.
“You’re in a scandal! A dating rumor!”
“What! What on earth are you talking about? A dating rumor!”
Choi Hwan bolted upright. Jo Jun-ho silently showed Choi Hwan the phone screen. Rubbing his eyelids, which were still sticky with sleep, Choi Hwan read down the article with a pounding heart.
Famous Actor Choi Hwan, Dating Rumors… Allegations of an Affair?
An affair? The headline alone was maddening. Reading with wide eyes, he saw a familiar photo. It was the exact photo sent by Moon Gyeon-woo’s stalker. However, Yeon-rok had been cropped out, and Moon Gyeon-woo had been mosaicked. In short, Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan were the ones in the scandal.
“Aaaagh! I hate this!”
He screamed in disgust. Of all people, a scandal with Moon Gyeon-woo! Choi Hwan rubbed his arms as goosebumps broke out. At least that was a relief. Thinking that an explanation was possible, Choi Hwan read through the article, only to doubt his eyes.
Choi Hwan’s hidden lover, Mr. A, expressed a heartbreaking sentiment during an interview, stating, ‘I know they have a name partner, but that doesn’t mean one cannot experience true love’…
Has that bastard Moon Gyeon-woo gone crazy? True love? What the hell is he talking about? He did an interview? To screw me over like this! Enraged, Choi Hwan let out a scream, then suddenly remembered something and whipped his head toward Jo Jun-ho.
“There’s a separate original version of this photo. Lee Yeon-rok was in it too!”
“Where is it? We just need to upload the original!”
Jo Jun-ho looked delighted at the news that there was a photo featuring all three, including Lee Yeon-rok.
Choi Hwan carefully retraced his memory. Hadn’t Moon Gyeon-woo collected all the photos and taken them back then? He rushed to Moon Gyeon-woo’s room immediately. Naturally, it was locked, so he couldn’t enter. He called countless times, but he only heard the automated message saying the call was being forwarded to voicemail. Tearing at his hair, he barely remembered that Yeon-rok had also picked one photo to take with him.
Lee Yeon-rok’s room was not locked. Even so, he didn’t dare search through it without the owner’s permission. Lee Yeon-rok was the type to be quite scary when angry, so Choi Hwan just paced in front of the door. He called to get permission to look for the photo, but no matter how many times he called, this side didn’t answer either.
“That’s strange….”
Lee Yeon-rok might occasionally ignore texts, but he was someone who always answered the phone. Is he too distracted in the ER to pick up? He called Kim Jeong-seong. This side also didn’t answer immediately, only picking up after two or three attempts. It was indeed strange.
“Why did you take so long to answer?”
Choi Hwan asked, not out of an intention to argue, but out of pure curiosity. Secretary Kim Jeong-seong was also someone who usually answered promptly. The other party replied in a strangely hurried voice.
— Ah, I apologize, Mr. Choi Hwan. Something urgent happened at the company. What is the matter?
“What is Yeon-rok doing right now? Is Moon Gyeon-woo still in the ER?”
Choi Hwan glanced at the time. It was nearly 6 AM.
— He should still be in the ER. After one last test, he is scheduled to be transferred to Hwamyeong Hospital at 7. Ah, and regarding the dating rumor that just broke…
“I called because of that! Moon Gyeon-woo has the original photo, but he’s not answering! I’m telling you, this bastard is definitely doing this to screw me over! Did you see that he even did an interview?”
— Oh dear, I apologize. I will look into it and call you back.
When the fuming Choi Hwan lost his temper, Kim Jeong-seong politely apologized on his behalf and hung up. Since he had received a lot of help from Yeom Cheon-ho during the previous scandal and when suing his family, Jo Jun-ho looked much more relieved.
“Since you’re up, shall we eat breakfast and do some exercise? Have you measured your BMI?”
“Do I really have to measure that every single day….”
Choi Hwan grumbled, feeling guilty. However, under the manager’s urging, he quickly weighed himself, took body-check photos, and finished a harsh breakfast consisting only of salad, chicken breast, and nuts. Even then, there was no word from Kim Jeong-seong. Jo Jun-ho, who was checking internet news while putting Choi Hwan on the treadmill, let out a sigh.
“Hwan-ah…. President Yeom must be in a panic right now.”
“Huh, why? Because of what? Huh….”
While the manager was distracted, Choi Hwan stealthily lowered the speed and asked.
“That HM Capital, it’s President Yeom’s company, right? It seems they suddenly became a target for a tax audit today. It popped up in the stock market rumors.”