SMW 74

I don’t even know what state of mind I was in when I got out of bed. The moment my feet, stepped forward out of sheer willpower, touched the cold floor, dizziness clouded my vision. My body, refusing to obey me, swayed and was caught by a pair of firm arms.

“My, you shouldn’t be overexerting yourself yet.”

The low, smooth voice was familiar. Barely managing to steady my still-shaking vision, I looked up to see a man looking down at me with the same elegant smile he wore when he first visited my house.

“Baek Han… Vice Chairman?”

“Fortunately, you’ve regained consciousness.”

Why is this man here…?

No, that wasn’t the issue right now.

Desperately gripping the firm arms that were trying to push visit our siteme back Read on Read BL Novelstoward the bed, I repeated visit our sitethe words I had told Noona.

“Choi Seol is hurt. A car suddenly rushed in and hit him, and then Choi Seol… me…”

“I am aware.”

The man’s voice was calm.

“He had to get a few stitches, but fortunately, there is no major abnormality in the brain. No bones were broken, just a few cracks, so he’ll be fine after a few weeks of deep rest.”

“Then, right now…”

“Right now, all possible measures have been taken, and he has been moved to a patient room.”

He’s safe. For a moment, the tension left my shoulders. But the relief was short-lived, and urgency seized me again.

“Then, which room is Choi Seol in? Can I see him right now?”

“Seol is in Seoul.”

For a moment, I doubted my own ears.

“Seoul?”

“He was taken to a hospital operated by our Yuseon Group. Everyone in the Baek family has a primary physician there. It is the same for Seol.”

“Even so, so suddenly…”

“Seol wanted it.”

The man’s answer was simple and clear. Once again, unable to understand those words, I asked back like a fool.

“Choi Seol… wanted it?”

“When Han Yeo-reum and Seol arrived at the emergency room, we sent someone from our side. He said he wanted to go up immediately after receiving emergency treatment.”

I couldn’t believe it. Choi Seol didn’t want to Read on Read BL Novelsgo Read on Read BL Novelsback. But [Read on Read BL Novels]he wanted it himself? Could it be, his memories…

No. Yesterday, he said most of his memories had returned. Even so, he remained cynical specifically about that family. He had been so happy when I told him it was okay to come back here. So even if he had fully regained his memories, there was almost no chance he would change his mind on this subject.

Unless there was another reason. But I didn’t want to think about that yet.

“Did you perhaps force him?”

“Me?”

At my question, the man frowned as if bewildered.

“My, it seems my first impression on Han Yeo-reum was quite poor. I believe I treated you politely in my own way.”

“No matter how polite you are, someone who suddenly shows up and starts making threats can’t look good.”

That man had definitely told Choi Seol to keep his ‘promise.’ That would have meant coming back. Who knows if he threatened him while I was unconscious? He was the kind of person capable of doing that.

“Threats, well… I unauthorized copydid do that. But Yeo-reum, do [unauthorized copy]you actually know what I used to threaten Seol?”

“That’s…”

“And yet, you have the courage to say such things in front of me?”

The look in the man’s eyes as he looked down at me suddenly turned sharp. A sudden surge of fear washed over me. I reflexively tried to pull my body back, but this time the man held onto me. Under a grip stronger than before, my body—which hadn’t eaten a thing for a full day—collapsed pathetically. The distance between me and the man supporting me grew closer.

“Han Yeo-reum, you need to be more careful. With such a lack of vigilance, you’d be an easy target for deception. For example, by a mere classmate of one year.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Han Yeo-reum. I am a very busy man. So why have I been commuting to this backwater for two days?”

I wondered what this had to do with what he just said. However, I think I understood his intention.

“Are you saying you came to warn me that Choi Seol is deceiving me and that I shouldn’t meet him, or something like that?”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something; [unauthorized copy]I don’t particularly Read on Read BL Novelscare even if the [unauthorized copy]two of you engage in a passionate affair.”

My face flushed hot at the blatant word choice.

“You’re the one who’s misunderstanding something…”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, it doesn’t matter. As long as Seol keeps his promise to me.”

“Choi Seol losing his memory was an accident.”

“An accident…”

The man rolled the word in his mouth and chuckled. As I stared at him, not knowing the meaning of that laugh, an unexpected question was thrown.

“Han Yeo-reum, do you really think that was an accident?”

Is this man mocking me? If nothing else, he seemed desperate to drive a wedge between me and Choi Seol.

“Do you perhaps think the accident Choi Seol suffered stolen contentwas staged? I [unauthorized copy]saw it with my own two eyes. It was stolen contentan accident. A cat…”

“No. I’m not talking about the stupidity of crashing a car into a trash can to avoid a cat. I’m talking about this.”

The man tapped his head with his finger. I could immediately tell what that meant.

“Could it be… are you doubting that he lost his memories?”

“Well, for now, I am trying to believe Seol. That’s why I decided to overlook it once.”

“But…”

“But looking at you makes me feel a bit uneasy.”

The man leaned down and met my eyes.

“Do you know? Until recently, Seol knew everything about where you were and what you were doing.”

“…What?”

“I was the one who first brought him news of your whereabouts. If you put it that way, Seol has been watching you for nearly ten years.”

I didn’t know what any of this meant.

“Why would Choi Seol…”

“Do you ask because you don’t know?”

I like you, Han Yeo-reum.

But that applied to the seventeen-year-old Choi Seol. Of course, the current him might also miss me out of regret for feelings he couldn’t finish. I had felt that way too. But could that be a reason to watch me for ten years?

“So… are you saying that meeting me by chance this time, and even getting amnesia, were all intended by Choi Seol?”

“The possibility isn’t zero.”

“Then why…”

“Why else? Because he likes you.”

Wrong. The words ‘likes you’ flowing from that man’s mouth didn’t touch my heart at all. The ‘I like you’ Choi Seol told me was clearly fluttering and affectionate, but this just gave me goosebumps. It sounded like a word filled with thick obsession, where only the desire for possession remained.

Or, is the ‘liking’ of seventeen-year-old Choi Seol and twenty-seven-year-old Choi Seol this different?

“Please let me contact Choi Seol.”

I didn’t want to leave everything to the man’s words. I had to meet him and hear it myself. If I couldn’t see his face right now, I at least wanted to hear his voice. However, the response that came back was utterly cold.

“Han Yeo-reum, I believe I told you clearly. I find you uneasy.”

The man continued coldly.

“Of course, it may be true that Seol lost his memory. But regardless of the reason, his promise to me must take priority over everything. So, if there is something in the way during that process, wouldn’t I want to clear it away, whatever it may be?”

“And that ‘something in the way’ is me.”

“To be precise, it’s the Baek Seol-ha who is preoccupied with Han Yeo-reum.”

Baek Seol-ha. It was still an unfamiliar name to me.

Perhaps that was why. The name the man called felt like a sentence declaring that the Choi Seol I knew no longer existed in this world.

“Well, even if I don’t act as a bridge, if Seol wants to, he will contact you, Yeo-reum. Honestly, he’s not the type to blink just because I threaten him. Provided, of course, that Baek Seol-ha still wants you. Who knows? People are often desperate when they can’t have something, but once they hold it in their hands, their interest often cools quickly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, I was pushed back onto the bed. As if I were no longer useful, the hand that had been holding me dropped away without regret.

“I heard that Han Yeo-reum fortunately suffered only light bruises. Still, aftereffects of a traffic accident can appear late, so it would be good to stay hospitalized for a few days to monitor the situation. Coincidentally, a hospital in partnership with our company is nearby, so I brought you here. Of course, the hospital fees and all the support necessary for your recovery will be provided without hesitation, so please stay comfortably. Oh, just in case, there’s no need to feel burdened. You’ve looked after the heir to a corporation until now, so it’s only natural that we pay the compensation.”

“No, I don’t need that…”

“Just take it and forget about it. Setting Baek Seol-ha aside, to you, he’s just a classmate of one year—nothing more, nothing less. Or did you develop deep feelings while being together?”

He draws a line. The gaze of the man who threw compensation at me [unauthorized copy]was utterly indifferent, as if I were a nuisance. In truth, such [unauthorized copy]things unauthorized copydidn’t matter. It just hurt that the man’s words hit the nail on the head.

A mere classmate of one year. Those were the words I had used to deny Choi Seol. Yet, far from denying him, it was true that I had fallen deeply for him without realizing it, just as the man said. I had been arrogant in thinking I would no longer be shaken; I was truly foolish.

“Your complexion is pale. I hope you get some deep rest.”

I couldn’t do anything until the man left, leaving a word that he would send someone soon.

“Han Yeo-reum!”

I don’t know how much time had passed. When a hand shook me, I finally looked up to see Noona standing before me. She showed no sign of having brought the doctor with her.

“Why is your face so pale? Lie down quickly. The doctor is on the way, so just lie down for now…”

“Noona, did you know Choi Seol went up to Seoul?”

As I asked blankly, Noona paused, and for the first time, a hesitant expression appeared on her face. I spoke in a somewhat urgent tone.

“Did you meet Choi Seol?”

“Yes. The flower boy was the one who contacted me.”

At Noona’s confession, my eyes widened.