HWAMB — Chapter 69

Maybe now I understood why he had always been strangely kind to me. My brother clearly hated him, but it was impossible to read his true intentions.

Well, adults must have their own reasons.

“S-sorry for interrupting… Hyun-woo and I will just step out for a while, so you two can finish your—”

I wasn’t that oblivious. Seeing my eyes dart nervously, my brother grabbed my hand in panic.

“No, no, no. There’s nothing left to finish with this bastard. Right?”

He forced an awkward smile as he glared at Hyun-seo standing behind him. The look in his eyes screamed for him to leave.

Hyun-seo only gave a sly smile, shrugged innocently, and then, as my brother shoved him toward the door yelling, “Get out! Now!” he chuckled softly.

“In that case, maybe I will,” he said—and then suddenly pulled my brother into another kiss.

A loud, sloppy sound echoed in the hospital room.

My brother’s and my eyes both went wide in shock. Next to me, Hyun-woo quickly covered my eyes with his hand.

“You crazy bastard… are you out of your mind?!” my brother shouted.

“Then who told you to get yourself hurt?” Hyun-seo shot back.

I could still hear their voices as I nudged Hyun-woo’s hand away from my eyes. Hyun-seo was smiling, but his gaze was cold.

Then he leaned in and whispered something into my brother’s ear. I couldn’t make out the words, but whatever it was made my brother’s back stiffen.

As the two of them sank into their own little world, Hyun-woo tugged at my arm.

“Let’s go eat. He’ll probably leave soon anyway—work will call him away.”

Before I could say anything, Hyun-woo pulled me out of the hospital room. My brother’s angry voice faded behind us.

* * *

I ate with Hyun-woo near the hospital.

Maybe it was because of the shocking scene I had just witnessed, but I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or up my nose.

Yeah, it was exactly like that time.

That time Hyun-woo confessed to me while we were out eating pork cutlets. It was just as shocking as that.

As I chewed on a piece of pickled radish, I fell into thought and muttered absentmindedly.

“When did it even start?”

“What did?”

“My brother and your brother. Even during this trip, they didn’t seem to get along at all…”

Hyun-woo sliced into his large pork cutlet with a knife, looking as if he didn’t find the situation all that surprising.

Pork cutlet—this was the problem.

Every time I came to eat it, I always seemed to see or hear something that left me unsettled.

Hyun-woo answered casually.

“Then maybe they hit it off during this trip.”

“I doubt it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I mean, I’m not saying I’m sure, but… still, it didn’t feel like that at all.”

“Hm.”

“You didn’t notice anything? Like if Hyun-seo hyung was acting different than usual…”

“Who knows. I’ve never paid attention to what he does in the first place.”

Hyun-woo frowned as though even imagining it was unpleasant. Well, they didn’t even live together anymore.

Hyun-seo hyung had been living on his own for a long time, so there weren’t many chances for him and Hyun-woo to cross paths.

“Honestly, does it even matter?”

“It matters to me…”

“For me, even focusing only on you, it feels like there isn’t enough time.”

Hyun-woo finished cutting the steaming pork cutlet into neat bite-sized pieces and placed the plate in front of me. He took my untouched plate back for himself.

Of course, Hyun-woo was right—it wasn’t something I needed to meddle in. It wasn’t like I disliked Hyun-seo hyung.

But still, how should I put it…

It was just shocking.

‘Was this how hyung felt when I told him I was dating Hyun-woo?’

I sighed and picked up one of the pieces Hyun-woo had cut for me.

And ironically enough, it was really delicious.

After finishing the meal, we returned to the hospital room, and as Hyun-woo had said, Hyun-seo was gone.

My brother was staring at his phone screen with a serious expression, and when he noticed me, he quickly turned it off.

Was it Hyun-seo hyung?

I didn’t press for details. There was something more important I had to say.

My brother said he’d be discharged in three days.

I jumped to my feet at those words.

“Shouldn’t you rest longer?”

“I’ll be fine. You know I’m strong.”

“Still…”

“The doctor said it’s fine, so it’s fine.”

Just as he said, the hospital confirmed that his body was fortunately strong and there was no major issue.

But they warned not to ignore possible aftereffects, and to be careful even with small symptoms.

“Sorry for worrying you. I really am okay.”

My brother smiled gently and patted my head. The IV drip and patient gown he wore looked far too strange on him, not at all suited.

Before I realized it, my eyes had filled with tears. I lowered my head, sniffling, and Hyun-woo quietly stepped aside to give us space.

“How was your school trip?” my brother asked.

“It was fine…”

“And that kid didn’t upset you?”

“Hyun-woo doesn’t do things like that…”

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

“I thought you wouldn’t wake up… I thought you’d just leave me behind…”

My voice cracked, nasal and thick with sobs. Startled, my brother wiped my tears, telling me not to cry, and pulled tissues from the box for me.

If he had left me, like in that accident…

If I had been left all alone again…

Just imagining it was terrifying.

I blew my nose with the tissue he gave me, then with a trembling voice, I spoke.

“…Hyung, the truth is…”

It’s okay, it’s okay.

I took deep breaths over and over. I worried that saying it now would only shock him more while he was still recovering, but if I didn’t, I knew I’d just keep putting it off.

So I began telling him the long story I had been hiding from him all this time.

It was scary, but I had to face reality now.

* * *

“You look relieved.”

“Do I?”

As we left the hospital late at night, Hyun-woo said that to me. He was right—after finally saying everything, I did feel lighter.

“Did you tell him everything?”

“Yeah…”

“Good job.”

Hyun-woo gently patted my back. I had wanted to stay in the hospital room with my brother, but he had insisted against it.

I tried to argue to the end, but he said that if I stayed, he’d only be distracted and wouldn’t be able to sleep properly. In the end, I had to give in.

It seemed my brother wanted me to be with the adults. The uncles who had gone on the trip would be back tomorrow.

“I’m sleeping at your place tonight.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“…”

“Pick whichever room you like.”

Hyun-woo was the one to break the silence first. Sometimes, moments like this gave me a strange feeling.

Hyun-woo’s house without his parents… we had been alone together plenty of times before, but it was the first time the uncles weren’t around for the entire day, and it left me with a weird, restless feeling.

Suggestive thoughts kept creeping into my head, and I had to force them out, startled.

I stole a glance at Hyun-woo walking beside me. From his expression alone, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

The fact that my brother had so casually told me to just stay at Hyun-woo’s house made me wonder if he sometimes forgot that I was actually dating him.

Familiarity really was a frightening thing.

The night sky was as black as ink spilled into clear water. The streetlights flickering on one by one looked like stars scattered along the road.

Amid the heavy silence, my phone alarm suddenly went off.

I checked the screen out of habit, and Hyun-woo glanced at me suspiciously.

“Who is it at this hour?”

“…”

I didn’t answer, just stared blankly at the screen.

I even stopped walking, frozen in place on the street. Hyun-woo, puzzled by my reaction, leaned in to peek at my phone.

At first he frowned at the unfamiliar number, but then, just like me, he stood staring at the screen in silence.