Chapter 44 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

Until ​now, ​Jeong ​Si-jun ​hadn’t ​particularly wondered about the ​name ​of Yoon Ki-hyun’s ​illness. After all, ​he ​only ​needed ​his ​guiding.

Even ​when he heard ​that ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun suffered from ​a disease with expensive ​medication, he ​didn’t worry ​about his ​health; instead, ​he ​thought ​of using it ​as a ​way to keep him ​by his side.

But now ​that he had grown ​fond of ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun, it was different. He wanted ​to know at least ​the ​name ​of ​the ​disease that was ​making him ​suffer.

At ​Jeong Si-jun’s question, ​Yoon ​Ki-hyun recalled the name of ​his condition.

Other ​Restrictive ​Awakened Body Dysplasia. ​Would ​it ​be ​okay ​to tell ​Jeong ​Si-jun about ​a disease with a five-year survival rate ​of less than ​20%?

‘What if he ​decides he doesn’t want ​to entrust ​his guiding to ​someone ​who could die ​at any moment?’

He ​managed to ​hide ​the name ​of ​the illness, ​but ​once memory ​issues ​began ​and pain started ​cropping ​up here ​and ​there, ​it ​would become harder to conceal.

“The guiding is fine. There haven’t been any problems with my guiding so far. You know that better than anyone, Team Leader Jeong….”

He pretended to be composed, but his voice trembled miserably. He had barely found a path to survival and had only just taken his first step. He didn’t want to give Jeong Si-jun any reason to terminate their contract.

“…….”

“…….”

Jeong Si-jun stared at Yoon Ki-hyun’s pale profile for a moment and then nodded. He stopped prying because the other man looked far too ghostly.

“Alright. I understand what you’re saying, so make sure to consult a doctor. As for the memory… I’ll keep an eye on that too.”

He was relieved that Si-jun didn’t push further. It would have been troublesome if he had kept asking for the name of the disease.

“……Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m practically going crazy with guilt for acting like a lunatic and demanding guiding from someone who’s sick.”

“It’s not like that. I was happy because you agreed to match my salary.”

He felt that if he spoke any more, it would sound pathetic. Yoon Ki-hyun pressed his lips tight and swallowed the words that had risen to the top of his throat.

Thank you for helping me… Why on earth did he want to say that? It made receiving a salary in exchange for guiding feel like receiving charity.

‘This is probably all just because of the depression.’

Yoon Ki-hyun suppressed the jagged edges of his heart and turned his head away.

On his days off, Jeong Si-jun generally doesn’t stay at home. He usually spends his time shopping or at the hospital where his mother is admitted.

In the hospital room, where visiting hours fluctuated due to her unstable visit our sitestyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[Read [visit our site]on Read BL Novels]health, a few family members had gathered for the first time in a while.

“My puppy is here.”

A woman, who had lost more weight since they last met, beamed as she welcomed her youngest son. It was one of the few times she smiled, looking like a withered old tree in her fight against illness.

“Mom, how are you feeling?”

“I don’t feel any pain at all now that I see my youngest’s face.”

The woman, who spoke in a soft and elegant manner, patted the cheek of her son, who sat huddled beside the bed. Though he had grown as large as a bear, he was still the precious youngest son whose behavior hadn’t changed much since childhood.

“Your lying skills are getting better, Mrs. Kang.”

Jeong Si-jun pouted. His actions were far more exaggerated than those he showed to Yoon Ki-hyun, clearly a calculated move.

He knew that the only joy in his mother’s long battle with illness was none other than the immature aegyo of her youngest.

Separate from the fact that the family loved the youngest beyond measure, this was one of the reasons they rarely corrected him even when he acted recklessly. The fact that they came from a lineage of gangsters, meaning his standards were quite skewed compared to others, also played a part.

“Jun, you didn’t quit the Center in a fit of rage, did you?”

“Of course not. I handled my assignments perfectly this morning. Your youngest S-class Esper is so busy, yet he made time to come here. Mom, you’re the only one who doesn’t realize how great a son’s love is.”

“Haha. When did my youngest grow up so much?”

Every time a small hand, consisting of nothing but bone, brushed against his cheek, Jeong Si-jun realized that his mother didn’t have much time left. Although he had poured money into prolonging her life for several years, the progress of the treatment was not hopeful.

“Our Team Leader Jeong.”

“Yes, Mrs. Kang.”

“Since you’re young, there are surely people who look down on you. But if you do well, those words will disappear, so don’t let it get to you. My son is secretly soft-hearted, and that’s what worries me.”

It was kind advice, but Jeong Si-jun had repeated this conversation many times. During the last visit, and the visit before that, his mother always brought this up. It meant her memory was no longer intact.

But for now, it was okay. At least she hadn’t reached the point where she couldn’t recognize who he was or who was by her side.

“Of course. Your son isn’t the type to be intimidated anywhere. I’m the best at the Center. Whose son do you think I am?”

Jeong Si-jun calmly repeated the vow he had told her numerous times as if it were the first. And once these words ended, the woman, who seemed to shrink every time he saw her, would smile radiantly.

“My son.”

Just like right now.

“By the way, where are Si-ho and Si-taek?”

His mother, who was kind and benevolent to [unauthorized copy]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen Read on Read BL Novelscontent]everyone, also carefully asked about her other two sons. Jeong Si-jun answered, recalling the current state of his two siblings, with whom he had grown distant.

“Brother Si-ho couldn’t come because he’s on a business trip, and Brother Si-taek is on his way.”

“Did Si-ho go far for his trip?”

“I think it was Canada.”

“I see. By the way, how far did your father go to buy drinks?”

His mother brushed back her hair and glanced toward the hospital room door. He had heard that she fell in love with his father at first sight.

Despite the objections of the family elders, she said she couldn’t help but give her heart to a man who became clumsy and awkward only around her. Si-jun’s father was also utterly devoted to his wife.

“Should I call him?”

“He’ll be back soon. Let me look at my son’s face more closely.”

“Here.”

Jeong Si-jun obediently placed his face in his mother’s hands so she could examine him comfortably. She would probably forget by the next visit, but for her happiness, he could offer his face a thousand times.

“You’re so handsome, I wonder who you take after. Are you seeing anyone?”

“No. I’m too busy working to date.”

“Then is there no one you like?”

It was a conversation that repeated every time, but this time, Jeong Si-jun hesitated. Someone he liked. At his mother’s question, a certain face suddenly stirred in his mind.

“……No. No one like that.”

“You rascal, it looks to me like there is someone.”

Though she was losing her memory, it seemed her intuition hadn’t vanished. Jeong Si-jun’s mother pointed out the subtle hesitation of her youngest son.

“No. Really, there isn’t.”

“Really? Or is that just what you want to believe?”

“I said no.”

“If my youngest says so, then it must be so.”

A hint of playfulness still lingered on his mother’s face. Despite being over sixty, she still had a girlish side to her.

“Still, if you find someone you like, be good to them. Just like your father is to me.”

“Like giving them his heart and soul?”

“Listen to you. I mean love them, respect them, and cherish them with all your heart.”

“I got it. Love and respect.”

“And cherish.”

“Yes, cherish.”

Jeong Si-jun, who had been repeating his mother’s words like a parrot, scratched his cheek. As the conversation between mother and son wound down, Jeong Si-jun’s father returned to the room carrying takeout cups.

“Honey, I’m back. The plum smoothie was sold out at the nearby cafe, so I’m a bit late.”

“I can only take a few sips anyway, why did you go so far?”

“You said you wanted to drink it.”

“Honestly, you’re unbelievable.”

Despite her words, his mother looked extremely pleased as she looked at the drink in his father’s hand. Her cheeks had been flushed from the moment she spotted her spouse’s face.

Now it was time for the couple to catch up. The conversation between his father and mother would also repeat, just as it had with Jeong Si-jun. From the mother asking about the children’s well-being and current status, to the father delivering different updates every time.

“I’ll go outside and see if my brother is coming.”

Using the same excuse every time, Jeong Si-jun was the first to stand up. He nodded at the request to return quickly and ran into his brother while walking down the hospital corridor.

He was dressed like a lunatic, wearing a coat over a jacket and a vest, as if he had come straight from work.

Wearing something like that in weather perfect for freezing to death. He wasn’t even an awakened Esper, so he had no idea why he lived like that.

“How’s Mom?”

Asking the main point before greeting was a bad habit he had learned entirely from Jung Si-taek. He had more interaction with the second eldest, Jung Si-taek, than with the firstborn, Jung Si-ho, who was much older.

“Well… the same. She’s talking with Dad.”

“Did she want a plum smoothie again?”

“Yep. Dad was late because he was crying, but he used the ‘sold out’ excuse again.”

“That excuse is getting stale.”

Jung Si-taek laughed softly, pointing out their father’s clumsy excuse. He was laughing, but he likely didn’t believe it either. Even if the relationship between the brothers had grown distant, their feelings toward their mother were still similar.

“Are you leaving?”

“I have to. Visiting hours are almost over anyway.”

“Show up to family gatherings more often, you brat. Dad feels lonely.”

“I’m too busy beating the hell out of monsters to find the time.”

Giving an excuse that was only half-true, Jeong Si-jun left the hospital without looking back. His chest felt tight whenever he was in the hospital.

There was no improvement in his mother’s health. It had already been two years since the doctor told them to prepare themselves.

As he started the car, Jeong Si-jun thought of Yoon Ki-hyun the entire way home.

Because that was the reason why, for the first time, he had hesitated at his mother’s question about whether there was someone he liked.