Chapter 91 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

Something ​was ​wrong ​with ​his ​body.

“…No, seriously.”

Unless something was ​actually ​wrong, there was ​no way this ​could ​be ​happening.

Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​sat ​on the edge ​of ​his ​bed, his expression ​grave. Since returning home, ​he had ​been dwelling ​on the ​strange sensations ​his ​body ​had been exhibiting. ​It was ​certain that his heart ​had beaten faster than ​usual when Jeong Si-jun ​started talking ​nonsense ​on the walking trail.

He didn’t want ​to admit it, but ​he ​couldn’t ​deny ​it. ​If he hadn’t ​felt it, ​he ​wouldn’t be agonizing ​over ​it like this now.

Jeong Si-jun:

Hyung, ​I’m already ​bored ​since you left ​ㅠㅠ

Even ​when ​he ​tried ​to stop ​thinking ​about it, ​the messages arriving frequently made it difficult. ​How could the ​guy be whining ​already when it hadn’t ​even been ​that long since ​he ​returned home from ​the hospital?

While clicking ​his tongue ​inwardly, ​his fingers ​were ​typing a ​reply. ​And quite ​diligently, ​at ​that.

Me:

I’ve only been ​home ​for two ​hours.

Jeong ​Si-jun:

It’s ​not ​’only’ two hours, it’s ‘already’ two hours, Hyung.

“Ha, what a ridiculous bastard. He certainly has a way with words.”

He scoffed, and suddenly Jeong Si-jun came to mind. He could see it clearly—the [stolen content]posture stolen contentstyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]the man was likely in while sending the messages. He was probably sprawled out on the bed, fiddling with his phone.

With a face so healthy that one would wonder if he was actually a patient recovering from major surgery.

‘No matter how I look at it, the patient gown seems to be the problem.’

Still, it wasn’t easy to coldly push away a guy who was whimpering about being in pain. Moreover, in a situation where guilt remained for having contributed to his injuries, there was no way he could make a rational judgment.

He had to make up his mind within the timeframe he had given Jeong Si-jun. Even so, it was either proceeding as originally planned or modifying it. It was one of the two.

Jeong Si-jun:

But Hyung.

You’re coming tomorrow too, right?

I’m not forcing you.

I just wanted to check.

Laughter burst out at the consecutive messages. Anyone could see they were brimming with subtle urging, yet the way he played innocent and pretended otherwise was utterly brazen.

“Honestly…”

The moment he thought about what a funny guy he was.

‘Wait. Was I just smiling?’

The moment he questioned it, his face went blank, so he couldn’t be sure. But it felt like he had been smiling.

“…”

Yoon Ki-hyun touched his cheek aimlessly and checked the additional [[stolen content]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read on Read BL Novels]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[unauthorized copy]messages that had arrived in the meantime.

Jeong Si-jun:

I hope Hyung comes tomorrow too.

It was a message so simple it was practically childish. However, it was a tone perfectly suited for a spoiled brat who had been pampered his whole life like Jeong Si-jun.

What was so great about exchanging messages with a guy who claimed to be reflecting and changing, yet constantly said things that pissed people off, that he would be smirking like this?

Me:

I’ll go, so go to sleep already.

Knowing the guy would even call if he didn’t reply, Yoon Ki-hyun sent the message. A reply came back immediately. It was a reaction speed that couldn’t be explained unless the person was staring solely at the message window.

Jeong Si-jun:

Yes, you too Hyung.

It felt as if a voice message had arrived, as if he could hear the man’s voice in his head.

Yoon Ki-hyun slowly reviewed the messages he had exchanged with Jeong Si-jun. The frequency of the replies was nothing short of diligent.

After all, Jeong Si-jun was a man of many words, and that was evident even in his messages.

‘Ah, I don’t know. What do I actually want to do?’

Sometimes, he felt like pulling his own brain out and handing it over to a professional for a detailed analysis. To put it another way, when it was hard to judge for himself, he wanted a definitive answer on what state he was in.

He was consistently attending psychiatric counseling, but it was still ambiguous whether it was helping. The content of the sessions was always similar.

(Grey) ‘I’m going to die anyway, so living is just a bit tedious.’

When Yoon Ki-hyun said that, the doctor would tap on the keyboard with a serious face. Then, the doctor would offer words that didn’t really resonate.

After asking a few simple questions and hearing Yoon Ki-hyun’s answers, the doctor would issue a soft, mechanical dismissal, suggesting they try adjusting the dosage.

‘Should I change psychiatrists? No, I still don’t know how things will turn out…’

Now, he was confused about whether he wanted to die or live.

Seeing as he took his medicine every day, it seemed like he wanted to live, but whenever the day came to check his bank balance and pay the rent for his gosiwon, seeing as he didn’t want to do anything, it felt like he wanted to die.

Just as Jeong Si-jun had appealed, he wanted to fully take advantage of a guy who had nothing but money, yet he also felt that he shouldn’t use the man’s heart in that way.

Even if he accepted Jeong Si-jun’s feelings and they started dating, the aftermath was the problem.

Even if Jeong Si-jun, who wanted to be a pushover for his stolen [visit our site]visit our site -->contentlover, solved the financial problems Yoon Ki-hyun faced…

What then?

He wasn’t in a healthy body, and he wondered if there was anything more to it than nursing a patient whose medical bills were terrifying. A sweet romance might last for a while, but when faced with realistic problems, love is the first thing to cool down.

While he might feel pity for a guy who frequently had nosebleeds and acted frail, it seemed unlikely that a heart-fluttering love could continue to take root.

“…Sigh.”

He put down the phone, which had grown warm from being held, and opened the window.

Standing before the window, reflecting on the fact that he had made the right choice in getting a room with a window despite the extra cost, the loud exhaust of a motorcycle crossing the quiet neighborhood echoed.

The humid night air brushed against his cheeks, but even breathing in the outside air, his head didn’t clear easily.

“I don’t know. Let’s just sleep.”

Yoon Ki-hyun closed the window and crawled into bed. A good night’s sleep was essential if he wanted to see Jeong Si-jun again tomorrow.

Jeong Si-jun lay on his side in bed and let out a sigh.

‘This is so fucking boring, seriously.’

Not only had the surgical scar where his abdomen had been sliced disappear cleanly, but various test results that had occasionally shown abnormal values were now clear; he was essentially fully recovered.

Normally, he should have been discharged by now, but he was lingering for a few more days under the pretext of closely monitoring his progress. It was an extension of his schemes to change Yoon Ki-hyun’s mind.

Esper Director:

Team Leader Jeong. You haven’t forgotten that the Vice Minister and the Center Director are visiting the hospital tomorrow, right? They’re coming to encourage you, so don’t try to run away.

Jeong Si-jun checked the message sent by the Esper Director a moment ago.

Unluckily, a visit from the high-ups, including the Director of the Awakened Management Center and the Esper Director, was scheduled.

Of course, he planned to tell Yoon Ki-hyun not to come to the hospital. It was obvious that nothing good would happen if Yoon Ki-hyun encountered those old fossils.

‘What the hell is with these people, coming for a first and second visit. Encouragement, my ass. Do I look like such a moron that I don’t know what this is?’

He could argue that they might have visited out of genuine concern the first time, but honestly, tomorrow’s visit was more of an inspection.

They had noticed that it was strange for someone who would have been discharged long ago to still be relying on the hospital. Thus, they were personally coming for a second visit to probe if he had some ulterior motive.

Missing a day with Yoon Ki-hyun tomorrow was painful, but it wasn’t a bad idea to give Yoon Ki-hyun some time to think.

In the past, such a thought would have been unimaginable. That was how much Yoon Ki-hyun’s attitude had changed.

‘It doesn’t seem like he has absolutely no feelings for me like before. But I’m [visit [stolen content]our site]not certain he’ll date me. Ah, is something still missing…?’

It felt like he had returned to that soft period before he made the slip of the tongue after the outbreak, when Yoon Ki-hyun had gradually let him in. If anything, it felt even softer now than back then.

Sometimes, upon waking up in the morning, Jeong Si-jun would look back at the message window from the previous day, fearing that the kindness Yoon Ki-hyun had shown was all a dream.

Perhaps that was why his confidence kept growing. The hope grew that if he clung to him, Yoon Ki-hyun would accept him while pretending he couldn’t help it.

“Ah, I might as well just quit while I’m at it. This is too shitty to keep doing.”

Regardless of what choice Yoon Ki-hyun made, he had decided he had to quit the wretched Awakened Management Center. His mother, who used to be relieved as long as he had a decent job, was no longer by his side, and if things worked out with Yoon Ki-hyun…

‘My Hyung hurts when he does guiding, so that’s absolutely out of the question.’

He had to live with him until they died of old age, so he couldn’t let him do guiding that harmed his health.

He was also sick and tired of gates. No matter [unauthorized copy]how used visit our siteto it he became, it wasn’t as if he didn’t feel pain at all.

Furthermore, he was aware that his mind was gradually wearing down from going in and out of gates.

He no longer wanted to be disappointed in himself for the way his swearing was becoming coarser and for the way he kept having thoughts that deviated from common sense.

‘I should live properly now. It’s not like I don’t have money. I have enough to spend until I die of old age, so wouldn’t it be better to spend it diligently starting now to give back to society?’

Just as he was smirking and nodding slightly, finding his own thoughts quite admirable.

“…I’m here.”

The hospital room door opened, and the face of the person he had been waiting for appeared.

“Ah, Hyung. Why are you so late? I thought my neck was going to stretch out from waiting.”

“Seriously, the moment I arrive.”

Yoon Ki-hyun glared at the man who started acting spoiled as soon as he arrived and handed over the beverage gift set in his hand.

“Why did you buy this again?”

“Just take it when I give it to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jeong Si-jun smiled, hugging the beverage gift set as if it were precious. Inwardly, he dwelled on the thought that he had indeed made the right choice in delaying his discharge.