IPSTDS Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The smile lasted only a fleeting second—then, as if Nahyuk had imagined it, Seo Dowoong’s face hardened like stone.

With a chilling expression, Seo Dowoong spoke.

“Do it again.”

“…What?”

He had braced himself for anger after that nauseating display of cuteness—and now he was asking him to do it again?

Nahyuk instinctively furrowed his brows.
‘What the hell is going on?’

In the meantime, Seo Dowoong kept pressing.

“Do it like you normally do.”

There was something off about Seo Dowoong’s eyes. His gaze had lost focus.

And in that moment, Nahyuk felt it.

‘Something’s wrong.’

He tried to subtly lift himself off Dowoong’s thigh, where he was currently seated—but even that small movement didn’t escape Dowoong’s notice.

“Don’t move.”

That low, growling voice pinned him in place.

It was… pressure.
‘Yeah, this must be what pressure feels like.’

Nahyuk looked to Lee Kangil for help, his eyes silently pleading.

But Kangil was just leaning against the doorframe, observing like it was all theater. Like he wouldn’t step in until he got a scene worth watching.

Desperate now, Nahyuk turned to Kim Daon.

He was with the man who would soon be his lover—surely he’d step in to stop this?

But shockingly, even Daon had his arms crossed, watching passively from the side.

‘You too…?’

‘What the hell do I do now? It’s almost midnight.’

He never expected things to turn out like this when he agreed so confidently to the plan.

He had prepared himself to be thrown to the ground in humiliation—not to be told to repeat the cutesy act again.

Of course, if he had to pretend to be the real Yoon Noah again… he could force himself to do it with his eyes squeezed shut.

But the problem was, even if he did, Seo Dowoong didn’t seem like he’d get angry.

‘Should I act out and take it out on Kim Daon instead—like the real Yoon Noah would?’

That would probably set Dowoong off.

But that idea had its own problem.

‘Kim Daon is my favorite character!’

Nahyuk had rooted for Kim Daon’s happiness the whole time he read Flowers Bloom Even in the Ruins.

Sometimes he even imagined what it would be like to be him, trying to feel things the character felt.

‘How could I hurt my favorite? I can’t. I won’t.’

As he spiraled in thought, scrambling for another way out, it happened.

A sharp pain pierced his chest—like something had stabbed him in the heart.

The ache hit first, and then came the full wave of searing agony.

The pain was so intense, he couldn’t even scream.

It felt like thousands of sharp objects were tearing his heart to pieces. Unable to bear it, his hands instinctively clutched at his chest.

“H-Haa…”

Shallow, ragged breaths slipped through his teeth. Thick beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

It hurt more than the day he got beaten senseless by his boxing champion father after coming out.

He hadn’t felt much pain since arriving here, so he hadn’t taken the “terminal illness” part of Yoon Noah’s story all that seriously.
He might’ve believed Dr. Kim too easily when he said there wouldn’t be anything severe.

But now—with this very real pain—he realized this wasn’t a joke or some light subplot.

Yoon Noah’s heart was dying.

If he didn’t get the experimental drug, both this body and the soul inside it—his soul—would vanish.

That truth hit Nahyuk like a fist to the gut.

His body, weakened by the pain, staggered—then tipped as if it would collapse to the floor.

At that moment, Nahyuk felt multiple hands catch him, holding him up.

“…Wildcat!”

Even Lee Kangil, who had been watching from the sidelines this whole time, seemed to shout—his voice faint and far away.

Nahyuk let his eyes fall shut. The pain was unbearable—he felt like he was on the verge of passing out.

And honestly, if this pain was going to keep going, maybe it was better to just lose consciousness for a while.
‘Though… I won’t just slip into a coma and never wake up, right?’

Like someone standing at death’s edge, flashes of his past began to flicker through his mind.

He first realized he liked men in high school.

His first love had been the most popular guy in class. A chaebol heir, cool and untouchable—he had that same cold, distant air that Seo Dowoong did.

That sharp-tongued boy never let anyone get too close.
Nahyuk had admired him from afar, enchanted by that dreamlike, unreachable image.

For two full years, they’d been in the same class. They knew each other’s names, sure—but never grew close.

To this day, Nahyuk regretted not asking him for a picture together on graduation day.

In college, he buried himself in studies and eventually landed a job at a well-known company.

There, he got along with a male colleague—just an average-looking guy you’d walk past on the street.

That colleague sometimes held his hand, slung an arm over his shoulder, looked at him with gentle eyes, often patted his hair… and once said, “I really like you,” in a tone that sent Nahyuk spiraling.

It made him believe—mistakenly—that their feelings were mutual. That maybe they both liked each other that way.

So he confessed.

And got rejected, brutally.

Soon after, his parents found out he was gay. Everything crumbled.

‘What a hard life.’

Not even one properly reciprocated love to call his own. Just disappointment.

All those memories flashed by in an instant. The world faded to black.
People called this moment life flashing before your eyes.

‘I really don’t want to die like this. Not like this… so empty.’

At the very least…

“I love you… I wanted to see you again…”

That was the end of his consciousness.

Nahyuk’s head dropped forward, limp.
From his tightly shut eyes, a single, cold tear slipped down his cheek.

---

He really thought he might’ve died. But—fortunately, or perhaps just barely—he came back to his senses.

Nahyuk slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. The white ceiling and the IV in his arm told him he was in a hospital.

He sat up halfway. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but from the pitch-dark surroundings, it seemed to be night.

As he looked around, he noticed someone asleep, head resting against the bed’s headboard.

It was Lee Kangil, still wearing the white lab coat he only ever wore in the lab.

Nahyuk had only glanced at him for a moment, as if stealing a look, but Kangil’s eyes suddenly opened.

“Noah…?”

He stared at him like he’d seen a ghost.

“Haa… Finally awake. I mean, yeah. No way that damn wildcat would die that easily.”

‘The soul of that damn wildcat is long gone, though.’
Nahyuk gave a bitter smile.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I think so. But… I am alive, right?”

“What, you think you’re dead? You think this is heaven? And I’m what—an angel?”

“Hearing you say weird stuff like that… I guess this isn’t a dream.”

“…”

“And Lee Kangil-ssi, you’re a lot closer to a demon than an angel, honestly. If you were an angel, you’d have spared me without making it a whole thing.”

“Still running your mouth, huh? You’re fine.”

Kangil let out a dry laugh.

Seeing that made Nahyuk exhale with relief.
‘Looks like I really am still alive.’

He reached up, feeling around his chest. The heart that had felt like it was being shredded just hours ago was now quiet, as if it had never hurt him at all.

Back then, he really thought he was going to die.

“Am I… really okay?”

“Well, for now.”

“What about the drug?”

“I gave it to you. Myself.”

“…Huh? Seriously?”

He’d fainted before finishing the challenge. He thought he’d lost any shot at the new drug.

He was even planning to suggest another bet—this time seducing Kangil again, instead of involving Seo Dowoong.

But… Kangil had already given him the drug?

‘Was Kangil always this kind of sympathetic, compassionate character?’

“You were out cold, so you didn’t notice, but… you actually won the bet.”

“…Wait, so Dowoong actually got angry?”

“And that drug—don’t get cocky. It’s not a miracle cure. It passed clinical trials, sure, but you still need to be monitored. So don’t go thinking you’re invincible.”

“Well… thank you for the drug. But are you seriously not going to tell me if Dowoong really got mad?”

“Seeing as you’re fully functional, I’m leaving. Ugh, I’m dead tired.”

Clearly uninterested in answering, Kangil stretched with a wide yawn and got up. Nahyuk quickly grabbed the hem of his white coat.

“At least answer me before you go.”

“Unlike you, wildcat, I’m employed. Busy.”

“But…”

“If you want me to stay, eat with me.”

“Fine. Let’s eat together.”

Only then did Kangil plop back down onto the chair beside the bed.

Before the food arrived, Dr. Kim and a nurse came in, having heard Nahyuk was awake. They thoroughly checked his condition.

“Should we inform your mother?”

To that, Nahyuk shook his head.

“It’s fine. She probably doesn’t care much anyway.”

Sure, Yoon Noah’s parents might be saddened by news of his illness.

But it would probably end at momentary sadness.

They might even use his death to gain more of the grandfather’s inheritance—maybe secure more shares in the company.

“…Understood, young master.”

Dr. Kim left the room with a strange expression, clearly still not used to this newly “kind” Yoon Noah.

Not long after, food arrived. The only thing on the tray was a bland rice porridge. He wasn’t particularly hungry, so he didn’t plan to complain.

“I know you’ve got picky tastes, but just eat it. Even if you’re up and talking, no heavy seasoning for now.”

‘Oh, right. Yoon Noah was ridiculously picky about food.’

Kangil, who’d just nagged him, barely touched his own bowl of porridge.

“You really do seem like a researcher now. You sound smart.”

“‘Seem like’—what the hell? I am a researcher. A damn brilliant one.”

“…Right.”

“Okay, that tone? Not cute. I was being nice since you were sick, but you think I’m a pushover now?”

“Yes.”

“…Tch. That’s it. Back to strict mode. Start by crawling between my legs again.”

‘Honestly, fine with me.’

Not just crawling—if Kangil asked for a kiss too, he’d do it right away.
Nahyuk didn’t answer—he just gave a quiet laugh.

Even though he’d only known Kangil for a few days, he was starting to feel… kind of familiar.

When they’d done those things, his heart had raced like crazy—but now that they were just chatting, it almost felt like talking to a friend.

…Of course, the fact that Kangil had willingly given him the drug had nothing to do with how he felt about him.
Definitely not.

As Nahyuk half-heartedly spooned the flavorless porridge into his mouth, his phone buzzed softly on the bed beside him.

He turned the screen on—and saw a notification he couldn’t believe.

[“Flowers Bloom Even in the Ruins – Chapter 72 now uploaded!”]

“Chapter 72…?”

The last one Nahyuk had read was Chapter 71.

And yet—even though he had entered the novel and possessed Yoon Noah—the story was still updating?

‘How is that even possible?’

With a trembling hand, Nahyuk picked up his phone.