SMW 2

I didn’t need to spend much time wondering where I had seen him. He was a memory I had brought back to life just last night. No, in truth, I had never forgotten him once in over ten years, so remembering the man was not the least bit difficult for me.

However, the emotions were different. It was a feeling I had buried immediately after that year ended. It was a sensation that had remained blurred even when reminiscing. Yet, with a hollow ease, my body summoned everything back.

Han Yeo-reum. Come here.

My heart tightened to the point of pain.

How on earth are you here?

The sound of my heartbeat, which had been silent until now, thundered in my ears. As the resonance grew louder, the memory summoned yet another forgotten sensation. My breath hitched. I felt as though my breathing would simply stop if I didn’t let something out.

“Choi Seol?”

In the end, I had no choice unauthorized copybut to let those words out. In the [unauthorized copy]distance, the sound of an ambulance was approaching.

“There are no external injuries other than light bruising, but we will only know the details after a thorough examination once the patient regains consciousness.”

Whether he had stayed up all night, the doctor’s voice was steeped in fatigue. At his glance, asking if I had any other questions, I silently shook my head. As long as his life wasn’t in danger, that was enough. It would have been strange for me to pester the doctor with questions when I wasn’t even the legal guardian.

However, others didn’t seem to think so.

“Guardian, please fill out the patient’s personal information here.”

Taking the paper and pen instinctively, I looked at the nurse in bewilderment. It was a face I hadn’t seen before, not the nurse who had accompanied the doctor when we arrived at the emergency room.

“Um, the nurse who was here earlier…”

“She finished her night shift and went home. Please just write down the name and resident registration number first.”

After a brief explanation, the nurse hurried away to another patient. Having missed the timing to correct her, I stared blankly at her retreating back before dropping my gaze. Suddenly, the name field on the top line of the paper caught my eye.

The name that should be written there came to mind automatically, but I suppressed the urge to adjust my grip on the pen. Instead, I looked elsewhere. The man occupying the emergency room bed right in front of me lay with his eyes closed, his face haggard and a bandage on his forehead. stolen contentDespite his pale complexion, he radiated a certain light. I wasn’t just talking about his dazzlingly handsome looks or a physique so perfect that even a man would fall for it. It included a presence that could instantly make a rich young master look like a country bumpkin and unauthorized copyturn a fluorescent green school gym suit into a luxury brand. I dared say such a man would be hard to find in all of South Korea. That was why I couldn’t help but feel even more unsettled.

Even if it were possible for more than one such man to exist in Korea, could they really look this similar? Perhaps twins? I harbored the suspicion and peeked closely at the man’s face, but it only served to confirm my intuition. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed correct.

“Guardian, are you finished writing?”

The nurse, who had returned before I knew it, looked down at the paper in my hand. Naturally, nothing was written there.

“Not yet.”

“That is, I mean, I…”

“Aren’t you the patient’s family?”

Before I could answer properly, the nurse’s question made me shut my mouth. Taking that as an answer, the nurse let out a sigh.

“Then, is it possible to contact the patient’s family?”

“We are looking into that on our end, so please wait a moment.”

Just as I was racking my brain on how to explain this, a savior appeared. Gladly, I quickly turned around. A police officer in her mid-thirties, wearing a crisp, wrinkle-free uniform, looked at the nurse with a friendly gaze.

“I’m Inspector Park Hae-sook from the station, responding to the accident report. For your information, this person here is a witness who was near the scene when the accident happened—this flower boy, I mean, this patient.”

“A witness?”

The nurse turned her eyes toward me as if to verify the truth. It seemed there was no longer any need to agonize.

“I am a stranger.”

Choi Seol.

I knew his name. I knew his date of birth. I hadn’t asked him directly, but I remembered it vividly after accidentally seeing it in a student record while running an errand for a teacher.

I couldn’t say I knew everything, but at the very least, I remembered in detail what grade, class, and number he was in during the first year of high school, how popular he was at school, who his friends were, what sports he was good at, what rank he maintained in the entire school, and even how dazzling his rare smiles were.

It was only natural.

Because it was my first love. And because it was a one-sided love.

But that man didn’t know. He had to not know.

“I thought you were the guardian because you stayed by his side. Usually, witnesses leave quickly once they’ve handed things over to the hospital.”

The nurse, finally grasping the situation, wore an apologetic expression. In truth, my role as a witness had already ended. Yet, not only had I refused to leave his side, but I had also been staring intently at the man, so it was a natural misunderstanding.

Feeling embarrassed that I might have stared too much, my cheeks flushed for no reason. As I unconsciously brought my hand to my cheek, the nurse asked the officer in a troubled voice.

“Then, is there any material to prove his identity? We need to register him first.”

“My colleague currently at the scene is conducting a vehicle inquiry. It should be confirmed soon, so please wait a bit.”

“A vehicle inquiry?”

“Because no belongings, such as a wallet or phone, that could prove his identity were found.”

The officer gave an ambiguous smile, as if agreeing with the nurse’s expression, which suggested she was hearing the strangest thing. He wasn’t out for a neighborhood stroll; he was clearly an outsider, yet he had been driving down a country road without a phone or a wallet. At this point, there would be no excuse if he were called suspicious.

“Oh dear, perhaps he lost his bag somewhere. He wasn’t pickpocketed, was he?”

However, there was no trace of suspicion toward the man on the nurse’s face. Rather, her gaze lingered on him with a look of pity. The police officer was no exception.

“Exactly. My heart aches just thinking that such a lovely flower boy had to go through such hardship.”

Apparently, those looks provided powerful trust. I felt pathetic for being so anxious internally. The words of the girls in my class, who said that a face is the ultimate plot device, seemed to hold true then and now.

If it had been me, I would have been branded a suspicious person long ago. It’s not that I’m someone who is called ugly wherever I go, but a magic spell unfolds where I become a squid whenever I’m next to that face. It was the same back then. The boys in our class had to seriously question their own looks simply because they were in the same class as Choi Seol.

Anyway, people have always been generous toward that guy, then and now.

I let out a small chuckle unconsciously, then immediately straightened my expression and shook my head. At some point, I had begun to completely equate that person with that guy.

That person is not the Choi Seol I know. He is not my first love.

So, let’s run away.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Wait a moment, Mr. Witness. You still need to finish talking with me.”

“Ack!”

The moment I tried to step away from the bed, the officer snatched the back of my neck.

“Nu-Noona? Please let go…”

“Noona?”

“Before he was a witness, he’s the kid from across the street from my house. We happened to meet like this today. The countryside is really small, isn’t it?”

The officer, asking for the understanding of the nurse—who seemed to have had a lot of surprises today—dragged me toward the hallway. To anyone watching, being dragged Read on Read BL Novelsby someone in a police uniform looked exactly like being taken [visit our site]into custody. I could feel glances coming from all directions.

I really should have left sooner. I felt a deep sense of regret, wondering what lingering attachment had kept me rooted to the spot by the bed.

“Where do you think you’re going, trying to slip away without even greeting your Noona?”

As soon as I was finally released, I was greeted with a barrage of flicks to the forehead. That Noona was truly consistent, both when I was young and now. It would be hard to mistake her for anyone else.

“I already did.”

As I replied indifferently while rubbing my forehead, which must have turned red, her hand rose again. When I flinched and leaned back in defense, she sighed and lowered her hand, as if she had only been gesturing.

“Honestly, men in the boonies don’t know how to be grateful. Because of you and my father, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest for the first time in ten years of police work.”

The officer who had responded to the accident report and come to the hospital was none other than an acquaintance. She was the village head’s youngest daughter and the Noona from across the street who used to play with me when I was left at my Maternal Grandmother’s house as a child. Because of the village head’s request and the fact that the accident occurred in her jurisdiction, she was put in charge of the case; she said she initially thought I was the one who caused the accident.

“I’m sorry.”

“Forget it. What can I do if my father didn’t explain it properly? To be blunt, [Read on Read BL Novels]as long as you haven’t committed a visit our sitecrime, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry to me for. Of course, if you actually did commit one, that won’t matter.”

Cool. Noona’s attitude was so cool that my heart felt a sudden prick of heat and a chill. Did I actually commit a crime? Why is my conscience stinging like this? I think I know why, but I deliberately ignored it and placed a hand on my chest, only for an arm to suddenly wrap around my shoulder.

“So, I’m telling you in advance. You know I became a police officer to realize justice in the world, right? So, things like personal connections won’t work, not even on our house dog, Nureong-i.”

I looked at her, wondering what on earth she meant by something that even Nureong-i wouldn’t understand, and Noona added concisely:

“I’m saying now is the chance to be honest.”

“Chance? What do you mean…”

“You know, the fact that you’re lying to me.”

Gulp. I swallowed hard without realizing it. Fearing she might have heard, I hurriedly spoke.

“I-I’m not doing any such thing?”

Idiot. It was an awkward voice, the stolen contentonly [visit our site]way I could express myself. Noona must have felt it too, as her narrowed eyes gleamed [visit our site]sharply, as if searching for a real criminal.

“It’s you, right? Not a cat.”

“What?”

“I’m asking if the person that flower boy was trying to avoid was actually you.”

Only then did I realize where that random suspicion had come from. My heart, which had been pounding for fear of being caught, returned to peace.