IPSTDS Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Kim Daon didn’t see the message from Yoon Noah until late at night—after coming home from work alone.

Normally, he would’ve met up with Seo Dowoong somewhere near the office so they could leave together.

Ever since he’d joined Hansan Group and exchanged a few conversations with Dowoong, the man had always waited for him there.

Even though it wasn’t on his way, he always left a message: “I’ll take you home—it’s on my way.”
But today, after their tense argument and Dowoong’s flushed face, no message came.

Still, on a slim hope, Daon went to their usual spot. Of course, Seo Dowoong wasn’t there.

‘Was it really so wrong of me to feel sorry for Yoon Noah?’

No matter how he tried, Daon just couldn’t understand Seo Dowoong.

‘Is it really wrong to worry about someone who collapsed right in front of me?’

He returned home with those tangled thoughts in his chest—and that was when he saw Yoon Noah’s message.

–Handsome Daon, I’m okay. Thanks for worrying about me. Even though I gave you a hard time, you’re still so kind, and beautiful, and handsome… I truly mean it when I say I support your love… Anyway, whatever happened before, I’m on your side now. Got it? ♥

It was rambling, uncharacteristically long, and just… weird.

“…A heart?”

He reread it over and over, stunned by the heart at the end.

It could’ve been a typo—or maybe, somehow, it fit the message a little too well.

After thinking it through for a while, Daon came to a conclusion:

‘Noah-sunbae… has lost his mind.’

There’s a saying that people change when they’re close to death.

‘How much pain would someone have to be in to change this much?’

And yet, Seo Dowoong still did nothing but scold someone this sick.

With a quiet sigh, Daon collapsed onto his couch.

“What do I even do about pissed-off Dowoong… haah.”

It wasn’t like he and Seo Dowoong had never fought before.

After joining the same company, they started running into each other unusually often, then began texting personally.
They never explicitly confessed, but they were practically acting like lovers.

Even if they hadn’t said “I like you,” they both knew there was something more between them.

Two men liking each other? The difference in their social status—one a chaebol heir, the other an ordinary guy with nothing to inherit?

Honestly, neither of them cared.

They knew how rare and miraculous it was to truly love someone and have that love be returned.

And if Seo Dowoong had been the type to hesitate over gender or status, Daon wouldn’t have given him a second glance in the first place.

Daon liked people who were honest about their feelings.

Come to think of it, Dowoong had once said something like this:

‘I never thought I’d fall for someone.’

That night, Dowoong had been a little drunk. But he looked at Daon like he was that “someone.”

With eyes full of longing, he whispered like he was confessing, and Daon’s heart had pounded.

At the time, he thought: If I time it right, and confess properly, I might really end up dating Seo Dowoong.

He wasn’t expecting forever, but… he wanted to stay by Dowoong’s side for a while.

“…I never imagined things would turn out like this because of Yoon Noah.”

Maybe it started at Raedena? That was when things between them began to shift, even if subtly.

Or maybe it had started earlier—when Yoon Noah began treating Seo Dowoong differently. That’s when their relationship started changing, too.

With a deep frown, Daon suddenly started flipping through his call history.

He hadn’t saved the number, but he was looking for a man he’d spoken to not long ago.

It didn’t take long to find it. A number he didn’t recognize.

Without hesitation, Daon pressed the call button.

After exactly three rings, a low voice answered.

–Yeah.

‘Huh? Did he just say “Yeah”?’

Anyone would’ve thought they talked all the time. But this was only the second time they’d ever spoken on the phone.

Not just phone calls—they’d barely even talked face-to-face.

With a voice tinged with annoyance, Kim Daon addressed the man on the other end.

“Lee Kangil-ssi, is Noah-sunbae really sick?”

He’d overheard bits and pieces at Raedena—about Yoon Noah’s illness and Lee Kangil’s experimental drug. Their strange little wager.

After learning what was going on, Daon had thought Kangil was a real piece of work.
Even with someone’s life on the line, he’d played games and tried to control Noah.

Noah had offered to pay for the drug, yet Kangil had insisted on bizarre tasks—like making Seo Dowoong angry before midnight.

Daon had quickly decided: he’d never get involved with someone like that.

To him, Kangil was like a dark, venomous snake. The complete opposite of someone like ‘him’, who believed honesty was a basic human virtue.

Whether he knew what Daon thought or not, Kangil replied easily, as if he had nothing to hide.

–What kind of question is that? Sure, he doesn’t need to be hospitalized constantly, but yeah, he’s sick. Sick and struggling. But really, is there any illness that’s not painful?

True. No such thing as a painless illness. Even a paper cut stings for days.

Daon found himself feeling sorry for Yoon Noah again.

And with that, he decided to be honest about why he’d called someone he didn’t even like.

“Does the illness affect your brain too?”

Noah-sunbae… has been acting very weird.

Daon remembered the rambling message. All the clingy words, ending with that bizarre heart emoji.

–…His brain? Well. I have wondered if the virus spread that far.

So Kangil had noticed Noah acting strangely, too.

Daon nodded slightly.

‘So it’s not just me he’s acting weird around.’

“Yeah. I think that’s exactly what happened.”

–…Huh?

“The virus reached his brain. That’s why Noah-sunbae’s been acting strange.”

–So what? What does that have to do with you? It’s not like you care about that wildcat.

“Why wouldn’t I care? I know him, don’t I?”

–You two were friends or something?

“Well, we do have each other’s phone numbers.”

–If exchanging numbers means you’re friends, then I’ve got like ten million friends.

“And we went on a drive. Shared a can of beer by the Han River. Now that I say it out loud… we do kind of sound like friends.”

Granted, all of that happened while he was being kidnapped.

Still, chatting casually with Yoon Noah, driving along a sunlit road, cracking open a can of beer by the busy river… that didn’t sound normal. It never had.

Until recently.

But after that weird message—the one where Noah said he supported Daon’s love, brain glitches and all—Daon kind of felt like… it’d be okay to do weird things like that with him.

He could see himself having a normal conversation with Noah—one that wasn’t about Seo Dowoong.

–Why are you two so close? Does Seo Dowoong know?

“I dunno. Can’t speak for what Dowoong thinks.”

Daon sighed out of habit.

“Lee Kangil-ssi. I didn’t call to joke around. I just want to know… is Noah-sunbae really okay? Physically and mentally?”

–And why should I tell you?

“…What?”

–I’ll handle Noah’s illness. I’m the one who made the drug, after all.

‘What a jerk…’

The insult nearly escaped his lips, but Daon held it in.

Instead, he replied as calmly as he could.

“Then let me ask differently.”

–…

“You’re not going to let Noah-sunbae die, are you?”

Maybe it was attachment, maybe pity. Daon hadn’t meant to go this far in defending him.

But the thought of that fiery, stubborn man dying before he even had a chance to bloom—without ever truly experiencing love—felt overwhelmingly sad.

Maybe he pitied Noah because he reminded him of his parents.

Three years ago, his parents had died suddenly in a plane crash during a trip. They hadn’t been wealthy, but they were happy.

Their funeral had been painfully quiet. Only Daon and his siblings had stood by.

That day, all Daon had felt was emptiness.

Being left alone in the world. Having no one to lean on. Losing someone who was yours.
It was a feeling he never wanted to go through again.

Maybe that’s why he reacted so strongly whenever anyone around him got hurt.

Whether they were close or not, whether he barely knew them—it didn’t matter.
He never wanted to see someone he once knew disappear again.

Because for Kim Daon, the death of others had become a trauma.

And he didn’t want to watch Yoon Noah die.

Even if Noah had done worse things to him, it would’ve been the same.

Clutching his phone tightly, Daon’s face was clouded with worry.

Kangil’s reply came a beat late.

–…Yeah. I won’t let him die.

It was a short answer—but full of sincerity.

Kangil wouldn’t let Noah die.

Hearing that, Daon finally let out a breath of relief.

“…Thanks for answering. Then… good night.”

–Hey, what am I, your dad? ‘Good night’? Seriously?

But Daon ended the call before hearing the rest.

He’d already gotten the answer he needed. There was no reason to drag it out with meaningless banter.

He was tired of indulging Kangil’s weird comments.

Lying sprawled out on the couch, Daon sighed deeply.

‘Noah-sunbae… at least that mad scientist guy wants to save you. That’s something.’

Daon didn’t like Lee Kangil.

But separate from his personality, he could acknowledge the man’s genius.

Kangil was a globally recognized prodigy. Articles constantly reported how people had extended their lives thanks to his experimental drugs.

Maybe… Yoon Noah would become one of those people, too.

After hanging up, Daon even sent him another message:

–Sunbae. When are you free?

It was impulsive, but he didn’t regret it.

He wanted to talk to this slightly strange version of Yoon Noah—just the two of them.