#97

At Uncle’s reproach filled with sorrow, I awkwardly laughed. Why should I be scolded for something I didn’t even do? I felt a bit resentful, but I decided it was probably because I was using in-game Goo Won’s body. Even though it wasn’t something I wanted.

“Even though your health was so bad, you managed to hide it so thoroughly. The secretary, who works closest to you, didn’t even know about your condition. It’s really impressive. Oh, and you know this was the first time Sung Yoojun saw you collapse, right? He seemed really shocked earlier. Should I bring him some medicine or something……?”

“Secretary Sung?”

“Oh, you didn’t see him because you were getting checked up. But he looked like this earlier……”

Uncle made a hand trumpet like he was about to reveal some huge secret, and leaned toward me. Just as he did, the door to the hospital room suddenly opened with a loud noise. Through the gap in the door came Sung Yoojun, wearing an unusually stiff expression.

“Sir, it’s time for you to leave.”

“Ah, I see. You’re here to stop me from talking about something embarrassing, huh?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Even though it was clear that Secretary Sung Yoojun was trying to stop Uncle from talking, he acted oblivious with a shameless look on his face. Seeing Sung Yoojun’s reaction, Uncle burst out laughing and nearly fell off his chair.

Uncle quickly pressed me back into bed when I startled and tried to sit up, as if getting ready to leave.

“Alright, the old man will leave now. You just rest up, and you, don’t go messing around. Make sure to take good care of the chairman.”

With that, Uncle patted Sung Yoojun on the shoulder and went out of the room. The sound of him patting Sung Yoojun’s shoulder was so loud that it almost echoed.

“……Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt much.”

When I asked, looking at Sung Yoojun’s shoulder with concern, he responded with a nonchalant expression. His reaction seemed so indifferent that I suddenly voiced a thought I had been having since yesterday.

“You two seem quite close.”

Hearing that, Sung Yoojun’s face twisted. He looked at me as if I had said something he definitely shouldn’t have heard.

“Absolutely not.”

It was the first time I had seen Sung Yoojun react with such aversion. Watching him with curious eyes, he shook his head and added more words.

“It’s just that there are some not-so-good connections, that’s all. Close? Please don’t say such scary things.”

At Sung Yoojun’s earnest yet firm request, I inadvertently nodded. Only then did he relax his tense expression and take off his jacket. I watched him hang the jacket on the back of the chair and asked.

“Are you going to stay here the whole time?”

“Yes. I’ll stay until you’re discharged.”

“But it must be uncomfortable to sleep here in the hospital. You don’t have any clothes to change into either.”

“It’s fine. I just spoke with Manager Ahn, and he said he’ll bring me some clothes later. And this place is more luxurious than my own house, so don’t worry about me being uncomfortable.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Sung Yoojun’s playful words. The hospital room was definitely luxurious enough for him to say that. As I laughed, Sung Yoojun also smiled subtly.

“Ah, by the way, the members asked if they could come visit. What should I tell them?”

“Visit?”

I blinked in surprise at the mention of Tartarus wanting to visit. I wasn’t going to stay in the hospital long, so why would they come?

“Since I’ll be discharged soon, it’s not necessary for them to come all the way here. Just tell them to rest comfortably at home.”

“Understood. I’ll let them know.”

Secretary Sung Yoojun nodded and pulled out his smartphone from the jacket he had removed. His fingers tapped the screen quickly, probably sending a message to Tartarus with my reply. Once he finished typing, he placed his phone on the bedside table and turned his gaze back to me.

“Are you tired?”

I had been watching Sung Yoojun’s actions absentmindedly when the sudden question made me blink slowly. If I had to decide whether I was tired or not, I’d say I was. A lot had happened today. Plus, I still had the remnants of a cold, which probably made it feel worse.

“I guess I am a little tired.”

“Then you should sleep early. I’ll turn off the lights for you.”

After my honest response, Sung Yoojun turned off all the lights in the room, leaving only the dim bedside lamp on. The soft orange light filled the room, casting a faint glow as I looked around. Then, curiosity got the better of me, and I asked Sung Yoojun.

“What about you, Secretary Sung?”

“Huh?”

“Are you going to sleep as well?”

“No. I plan to stay awake until Manager Ahn arrives.”

It seemed like he’d be alone in the dark hospital room, which could be boring. Maybe I should stay awake too and chat with Secretary Sung Yoojun until Manager Ahn Siwon comes? I was thinking this when Sung Yoojun, almost as if he knew what I was thinking, spoke in a teasing tone.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me and just sleep.”

“But……”

“If you weren’t tired, I’d understand, but I don’t have a hobby of talking to a tired patient.”

With Sung Yoojun’s firm words, I stared at his eyes for a moment before slowly closing mine. Honestly, I was too tired to insist on staying awake. As soon as I closed my eyes, Sung Yoojun neatly adjusted the blankets and gently patted my head.

The sensation of his firm fingers weaving through my hair felt pleasant. Feeling his kind touch, I quickly drifted off to sleep, though it wasn’t a deep sleep due to the change in environment.

I kept drifting between reality and sleep, waking up and dozing off repeatedly, when I was suddenly jolted awake by a faint noise as Sung Yoojun left the room.

Did Manager Ahn arrive……? Although I had woken up, I didn’t want to open my eyes. I kept them shut, trying to guess why Sung Yoojun had left, but then the hospital door opened, and someone entered.

The footsteps were lighter, and the stride was different from Sung Yoojun’s. Was it a doctor or a nurse coming to check on me? As I hesitated to open my eyes, I heard the footsteps drawing closer to my bed. The sound stopped when it reached my side. I could feel a gaze looking down at me.

……What is this? Why is this person just staring at me like that? I felt a strange, unsettling sensation as I slowly opened my eyes to confirm the face of the person standing beside my bed. I was shocked to see someone I thought I would never meet again.

“……Seo Duseok?”

“Hello, honored guest. Did you sleep well?”

It was Seo Duseok, the owner of the errand service, who had handed me Goo Won’s letter not long ago, standing at the side of my bed, looking down at me.

I furrowed my brows in displeasure at the unexpected visitor and sat up in bed. Seo Duseok raised both of his hands to chest height, making a gesture as if to show he meant no harm.

“Calm down, honored guest. You shouldn’t move so suddenly when you’re not feeling well.”

“If you’re that worried, you shouldn’t have created a situation where I had to move suddenly.”

“I didn’t create anything. All I did was enter the hospital room.”

“The fact that you entered here is already the problem. Security should be tight, so how did you get in?”

The room I was staying in was a VIP-exclusive ward, with strict access control. No one could enter without proper authorization. I had seen bodyguards stationed at every entrance, so how on earth did this person manage to get in?

“Hmm~ Well, I guess I used my discretion?”

“……Forget it. I was a fool to ask. You must have bribed someone or sneaked in through some backdoor.”

At my sharp remark, Seo Duseok feigned hurt and mumbled in response.

“Really, you’re being too much. I heard that our honored guest was hospitalized, so I dropped everything and came running.”

“Stop with the nonsense and get to the point.”

“My point? Obviously, I came to visit you.”

“Don’t lie. I know very well that someone like you wouldn’t come just to visit me. So enough with the jokes and get to the real point.”

Seo Duseok looked intrigued by my request. He briefly scanned me as I sat on the bed before slowly speaking up.

“Don’t you know me too well? Our honored guest, according to your memory, we’ve only met once.”

“I know people like you all too well. Your thought process is easy to figure out.”

“You really know me well. Should I be excited about that?”

Seo Duseok said this in a lively tone, placing his right hand over his left chest. Of course, I responded only with a cold gaze, silently pressuring him to get to the point.

Seo Duseok, clearly feeling the unspoken tension, gave a reluctant expression and searched through the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Alright, alright. I’ll get to it. The point is……”