Chapter 74 – ​The ​Price ​of ​Misjudgment

All ​the ​way ​home, ​his ​phone screen rarely dimmed. ​Messages ​arrived incessantly, and ​calls kept coming. ​It ​was ​all ​the ​doing ​of one person.

[Jeong ​Si-jun]

Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​stared silently at ​the name floating on ​the screen.

‘….’

Until ​just a ​moment ago, ​he felt ​as ​if ​he were being ​swept away ​by a whirlwind of ​thoughts, on the verge ​of doing something crazy…

But ​now, his ​mind ​was surprisingly quiet. It was as ​if a machine had ​been ​powered ​off.

“We’ve ​arrived.”

Only ​after the taxi ​driver announced ​their ​arrival did Yoon ​Ki-hyun ​slowly lift his head. The ​scenery outside ​the ​taxi was the ​front ​of ​the ​goshiwon ​building, a ​sight ​that had ​become familiar to him.

After paying the fare ​and coming to ​a stop in ​the alley, Yoon Ki-hyun ​slowly looked ​up at the ​sky. ​It was a ​night where not ​a [Read on Read BL Novels[stolen content]osition:absolute;left:-9999px;">]single ​star ​was visible ​in ​the pitch-black ​sky.

‘Let’s ​just wash ​up ​and ​sleep.’

His body felt ​heavy, ​as if ​lead ​weights ​were ​tied to his limbs. Moving his aching muscles, he returned to his room and slowly undressed.

The moment the hickeys scattered across his collarbones, chest, and thighs caught his eye, a laugh escaped him.

‘It must have been pretty funny to say those things looking like this.’

It occurred to him that Jeong Si-jun’s sarcasm might actually have been quite persuasive.

‘It was just a sort of happening that occurred during guiding. It’s exhausting to assign meaning to every little thing.’

In truth, Yoon Ki-hyun had hesitated until the moment he spoke those words. He had simply rejected Jeong Si-jun’s confession using the inappropriateness of the situation as an excuse.

Everyone has their own thoughts, and he didn’t expect his claims to resonate with everyone.

That didn’t mean the fact that the other person was hurt vanished, but…

‘It’s not like I didn’t know Jeong Si-jun’s personality.’

Jeong Si-jun’s way of speaking had always been cheap and vulgar. Moreover, even if he was trying to cut back, he was a guy who habitually spat out curses.

Therefore, he should have fully expected that kind of verbal abuse directed at him. He was the type of person who could say such things at any time.

He was the one who had been naive. Thus, there was no need to be angry with Jeong Si-jun. Regardless, objectively, he still needed the salary the man provided, and the fact that he had to work as his personal Guide remained unchanged.

“…My neck hurts.”

After finishing his shower, Yoon Ki-hyun sank into his bed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to continue the thoughts that made his head ache. Right now, he just wanted to sleep without thinking about anything.

When he opened his eyes, it was time to go to work.

‘….’

Yoon Ki-hyun rubbed his face with his palm. His body, still bearing the aftereffects of the intense sexual encounter, hadn’t fully recovered with just one night’s sleep.

He didn’t want to take a single step away from the bed, but there was no other way. He let out a small sigh and began preparing for work.

As he moved his stiff body out of the [visit [stolen content]our site]goshiwon, a familiar face was standing in front of the building.

“Hyung. Let’s talk.”

It was Jeong Si-jun, still insisting on calling him ‘hyung.’

“…….”

“…….”

Yoon Ki-hyun cast a brief glance at him and chose his words. Setting aside why he had come all this way so early in the morning, he didn’t want to argue with Jeong Si-jun over something trivial. He felt he had neither the energy nor the desire.

“What do you want to talk about?”

The expression on Yoon Ki-hyun’s face as he asked the nonchalant question was one Jeong Si-jun knew well. It was the usual Yoon Ki-hyun, reacting dryly to everything as if he were sick and tired of the nonsense the other spat out.

That made him even more afraid. It seemed as though he had never heard the slip of the tongue from yesterday. Perhaps he considered it not even worth discussing.

In the brief silence that followed, Jeong Si-jun recalled the expressionless face of Yoon Ki-hyun from yesterday.

‘No. You don’t have to apologize. I don’t need Team Leader [stolen content]aria-label="Read on Read BL Novels">Read on Read BL NovelsJeong’s apologies anymore.’

Even the low tone of Yoon Ki-hyun’s voice as he spoke.

Jeong Si-jun admitted it was his own mistake, one for which there was no excuse.

At the time, he felt resentful that the other wouldn’t accept his feelings. Despite sharing the same experience and time, while it had been a catalyst for his own affection to deepen, for Yoon Ki-hyun, it was merely a happening that could occur.

He wanted to deny the simple truth that the weight of their feelings for each other was entirely different.

And so, unable to suppress a momentary impulse, he let his tongue run wild, knowing full well he was hurting the person he liked. Just as he had always done.

He had lived a life where speaking his mind without filter didn’t cause major problems. Thus, he thought he could easily fix things even if he spoke that way to Yoon Ki-hyun, who had entered his life at some point. Even at this very moment.

“I misspoke yesterday. I don’t actually think that, I was just worked up… You know. My personality is fucking shitty….”

The excuses he mumbled while gauging Yoon Ki-hyun’s reaction sounded pathetic even to his own ears. Though his words were full of excuses, there was nothing he could say other than that he was sorry.

“I’m sorry. Hyung.”

“Did you come all this way just to say that?”

“You didn’t answer my calls or check my messages.”

“I was a bit tired yesterday.”

Jeong Si-jun clenched his fists, unwilling to accept the sense of detachment felt within the short conversation.

“…Why are you using formal language again? Didn’t we agree to speak comfortably starting yesterday?”

“I’ll keep speaking informally if you want.”

Yoon Ki-hyun checked his phone with an indifferent face.

“I have to go to work now. Is there anything else?”

Yoon Ki-hyun glanced at Jeong Si-jun’s face. There was no intimacy or goodwill in his gaze. It was strange, but it was a face that could only be described as such.

As if the bond they had clumsily built over several months had completely vanished…

In that moment, Jeong Si-jun suddenly realized what Yoon Ki-hyun had meant when he left his house yesterday. The meaning of saying stolen contenthe didn’t need an apology was exactly this.

“You have no intention of accepting my apology.”

Jeong Si-jun muttered to himself, almost like a lament, as he looked into Yoon Ki-hyun’s face. The beauty, who still didn’t avoid his eyes, looked indifferent. He seemed slightly annoyed, but that was all.

What could it possibly mean to not get angry or irritated while dwelling on yesterday’s verbal abuse? The answer came quickly, but he couldn’t accept it.

“What did you mean by what you said yesterday?”

The only reason to ask a question when one already understands the meaning is one: a desire to deny reality. He didn’t want to admit that such a situation had arisen from a single reckless word spoken carelessly.

“I mean, what did you mean by saying you don’t need my apology anymore?”

The feeling of asking so pathetically was terrible. But considering how Yoon Ki-hyun must have felt yesterday, he felt like sewing his own mouth shut for creating such a situation.

“Exactly what I said. I wasn’t in the mood to receive an apology.”

Yoon Ki-hyun recalled the words he had snapped at Jeong Si-jun yesterday. He had certainly spoken childishly, saying an apology wasn’t necessary.

‘No. You don’t have stolen contentcontent">stolen unauthorized copycontentto apologize. I don’t need Team Leader Jeong’s apologies anymore.’

Honestly, it had been an overly emotional nuance. To the point where it wouldn’t have been awkward if it were a retort made in a fit of emotion after a huge fight while dating Jeong Si-jun.

What was clear was that it wasn’t a nuance that would come out of an argument between people linked by a business relationship.

‘I guess I did grow fond of him without realizing it.’

But isn’t affection a vague emotion that is as easy to lose as it is to gain?

Starting from yesterday, Yoon Ki-hyun was able to clearly organize the complex and subtle emotions he felt whenever he saw Jeong Si-jun. No matter how he thought about it, he was a guy with whom there was nothing good about being privately involved.

“I didn’t mean what I said yesterday. You might think, ‘how could he say that,’ but… I just said it in the heat of the moment….”

As he said, Yoon Ki-hyun knew that such words could easily be uttered in the heat of the moment. Perhaps that was why, although this situation of repeating the same words was a bit tedious, he didn’t feel angry or disappointed.

“I get it. Anything else?”

At Yoon Ki-hyun’s question, Jeong Si-jun only bit his lip uselessly.

He had no idea what to do. What more could he possibly spout to that face, Read stolen contenton Read BL Novelswhich looked as if his apology wasn’t even worth accepting…

Thrown defenselessly into a situation that didn’t go his way, he flickered his lips, which refused to move.

“Today….”

“…….”

“I don’t think you need to come into work.”

The words he managed to squeeze out were nothing more than that.

Apologies that didn’t seem to work would lose sincerity the more they were repeated, and after filtering out things that might be valuable to Yoon Ki-hyun, only that remained.

“…Until this week, my only schedule is the wavelength test.”

It was only early yesterday morning that he had left the underground isolation room after signs of an outbreak were observed. Although he had brought Yoon Ki-hyun from the isolation room to his house, he had to undergo a detailed wavelength test and a full physical examination again.

At this stage, all tests were conducted without guiding. This was because the tests were to confirm that his physical condition did not require emergency guiding.

“…I sent it via message, but I don’t think you read it.”

Only then did Yoon Ki-hyun recall the messages from Jeong Si-jun that he had postponed checking.

“Understood. Then when should I return to work?”

“That… I’ll let you know as soon as the tests are finished.”

“Alright, then.”

Yoon Ki-hyun nodded obediently. Since his body still felt a bit uncomfortable to move, he decided to think of it as a good thing.

He told the still-hesitant Jeong Si-jun that he would be heading inside and turned around. Until he entered his room, Jeong Si-jun did not try to stop him or hold him back.

Even though it was what he wanted, Yoon Ki-hyun felt somewhat hollow for some reason. He felt he should subtly tell his doctor to increase his dosage during his next psychiatric visit.

After returning to the Center and completing the tedious tests, Jeong Si-jun sat across from a Center doctor.

The doctor began to speak in a cautious tone, pointing out various test values displayed on the monitor.

“It seems there is a problem, Team Leader Jeong.”

His physical condition was perfectly fine, except for the fact that he felt like shit. What problem all of a sudden?

It was as Jeong Si-jun stared at the doctor, waiting for an answer. The doctor muttered while looking back at him.

“There aren’t many cases in the country, so I can’t be certain, but….”

Jeong Si-jun frowned at the unsettling opening.

“It looks like you’ve imprinted on someone. And unilaterally at that.”