Why the hell is he acting like this all of a sudden? This side of him is so unfamiliar, it’s almost unnerving. It definitely seemed like he was reacting to the emergency earlier.
Go Hoon felt a strange sense of irony.
Bae Jung-yoon, who hadn’t even blinked at the sight of someone bleeding profusely—someone who always seemed completely unshakable—was he really just another human who felt fear in the face of death, like everyone else?
“Bae Jung-yoon.”
Go Hoon called out to him again, this time with more force in his voice. He didn’t stop there—he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the back of Bae Jung-yoon’s hand, where the veins stood out taut.
Bae Jung-yoon flinched and looked up sharply. His jet-black eyes locked onto Go Hoon. Still breathing heavily, he held his gaze. Go Hoon could see the haziness in his eyes gradually clearing.
“You okay?”
Go Hoon asked with care. That seemed to ground him—Bae Jung-yoon slowly blinked, as if snapping back to himself.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Just like he said, the color returned to his face quickly. He even gave a small, relaxed smile, as if nothing had happened. But that only made Go Hoon more uneasy. He didn’t seem fine—he seemed like someone pretending to be.
After hesitating for a moment, Go Hoon let go of his hand and gave a small nod toward the exit.
“If you’re not feeling well, you can head out first.”
“No. Hoon, I really am okay.”
He answered just as casually this time. Watching him, Go Hoon’s brow furrowed slightly.
Liar. The doubt rose to his throat, but he kept his mouth shut. Saying anything else now would only bounce off Bae Jung-yoon’s stubbornness.
“Excuse me.”
Go Hoon glanced past the half-closed curtain and flagged down a nurse walking nearby.
“Could you speed up the IV drip a little?”
He figured it’d be best to get this over with and leave as soon as possible. The nurse adjusted the regulator without a word and moved on.
The increased flow made the vein in his hand throb a little, but Go Hoon endured it. The pain was tolerable if it meant spending less time waiting.
As he watched the IV fluid fall in steady, quick drops, Bae Jung-yoon spoke again in a gentle voice.
“How’d the accident happen?”
“It was just me being careless, really.”
Go Hoon tried to downplay it. But he could feel that steady gaze on him—intense and unwavering. He glanced over and found himself caught by Bae Jung-yoon’s probing stare.
“…I was riding my bike along the road when a kid suddenly ran out from between two parked cars. I lost my balance.”
He ended up explaining anyway. Bae Jung-yoon frowned and looked down again at the bandages wrapped around Go Hoon’s arm and leg.
“Don’t ride your bike anymore.”
“It was just a fluke.”
“And what guarantees it won’t happen again?”
Wasn’t that a bit much? Even parents would be called overprotective for acting like this.
Sure, telling someone to be careful was one thing. But banning them from riding altogether over a single mistake? That wasn’t exactly a reasonable way to handle it.
“The doctor already gave me an earful. I don’t need it from you too.”
Go Hoon shook his head in frustration and looked away. Bae Jung-yoon didn’t say anything after that, but the look in his eyes still bristled with disapproval.
When Go Hoon stubbornly avoided his gaze, Bae Jung-yoon finally backed off.
“Did you get in touch with the kid’s parents?”
The shift in topic caught Go Hoon off guard. He stared into space and shook his head.
“The kid disappeared, and I ended up in the hospital like this. When would I have had time to call anyone?”
“Want me to help?”
Go Hoon turned his head sharply and stared at him.
“You? How?”
After a moment of silence, Bae Jung-yoon finally spoke.
“I could ask my grandfather.”
His grandfather. This was the first time Bae Jung-yoon had ever mentioned family.
Now that he thought about it, Bae Jung-yoon had never brought up his parents before. Was it because Go Hoon had told him he was an orphan? Caught up in the thought, he watched as Bae Jung-yoon stood.
“I’ll go make a quick call.”
“Uh, hey—really, I’m fine…”
He didn’t say who he was calling, but there was a good chance it was his grandfather. Go Hoon reached out to stop him, but he was a second too late. That broad back slipped out past the curtain and vanished.
About twenty minutes passed.
The IV bag was nearly empty. Go Hoon stood up just as the final drop fell.
He pressed the call button mounted above the bed’s headboard, but the overcrowded ER was in full chaos—everyone seemed too busy to notice. Just as he awkwardly began to lift himself up, the curtain pulled aside and Bae Jung-yoon walked in.
Seeing Go Hoon sitting up with his feet dangling off the bed, Bae Jung-yoon immediately glanced over at the IV.
“You’re done?”
“Yeah. But no one’s coming, even though I hit the call button.”
“Hang tight. I’ll go grab a nurse.”
With a quick word of reassurance not to move, Bae Jung-yoon disappeared again. He returned shortly, this time with a nurse.
“Let me remove your IV.”
There was a dull, aching sting as the long silicone tube slid out from his hand. The nurse pressed down firmly with a cotton pad for a moment to stop the bleeding, then sealed it with a round bandage. As she worked, she gave him aftercare instructions for the sutures.
The gist of it: the wounds on his arms and legs were fairly deep, so he needed to minimize movement until they were fully healed.
“You can pay your bill at the administration desk, then you’re free to go home.”
As instructed, Go Hoon headed off to settle the bill. Before that, he’d sent Bae Jung-yoon out to check on his bike in the parking lot—more to get him out of the way than anything.
After finishing the card payment, Go Hoon let out a long sigh. The bill had come out to over 300,000 won.
“…What’s the point of working so hard at part-time jobs? My bank account always ends up bleeding dry like this.”
Muttering to himself, he slowly dragged his feet forward. His leg throbbed with each step, forcing him into a slow, awkward limp.
There was no way he could return to the factory like this. It’d be impossible to do anything in his condition. He’d have to take some time off, but how was he supposed to break that news to the Factory Manager? The thought made his stomach twist.
He passed through the lobby and exited through the door connected to the ground-level parking lot. The rain had stopped completely by now. The slick pavement glistened beneath his feet, the only sign that a downpour had swept through just hours earlier.
And right at the base of the short steps by the exit stood Bae Jung-yoon, guarding his bicycle like a sentry.
Go Hoon hurried over and immediately gave the bike a once-over. Thankfully, not a single scratch. He inspected it thoroughly, but everything looked perfectly intact.
Bae Jung-yoon watched him with a tilted gaze, as if something about this whole situation didn’t sit well with him. Just as Go Hoon opened his mouth to say thank you, Bae Jung-yoon beat him to it.
“Come stay at my place.”
Go Hoon froze, then scowled.
“What are you even talking about? No way. Why would I go to your house?”
“In your condition, living alone is not an option.”
That was true. But still… how could he possibly accept help from Bae Jung-yoon? He’d already been enough of a burden.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll manage on my own.”
“How are you going to change clothes? Take a shower? Eat?”
Even after being refused, Jung-yoon didn’t back off. He kept trying to reason with him.
“You need someone there to help you. Let me be that person. I’m offering—just let me help, Hoon.”
But no matter how much he thought about it, Go Hoon just couldn’t bring himself to accept. Even if he needed someone, it wasn’t going to be Bae Jung-yoon.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got someone else I can ask.”
“Who?”
“Would you even know who it is if I told you?”
He answered sharply, figuring the only way to get through to him was to cut him off bluntly. Bae Jung-yoon stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded.
“Fine. At least get in the car. I’ll drive you home.”
“No thanks. I need to bring my bike.”
“I’ll take care of that. Just give me your address.”
What does he even mean by “take care of it”?
Just the fact that Bae Jung-yoon had come this far already weighed on his conscience. He didn’t want to owe him anything more. But the guy didn’t seem to understand that at all.
And Go Hoon wasn’t heartless enough to snap at someone who was genuinely trying to help. He bit his tongue and just stared at him. Bae Jung-yoon scanned him from head to toe, then curled one side of his mouth into a crooked smirk.
“You’re not seriously planning to walk home like that, are you? You can’t even take a taxi with the bike. What, you gonna limp all the way?”
“Like that”, huh? Well, he did look like a wreck, sure—but hearing it so bluntly didn’t exactly feel great.
The irritation passed quickly. Go Hoon let his shoulders sag. Arguing about this was just going to waste more energy.
After spending hours in that chaotic ER, both his body and mind were completely drained. All he wanted now was to go home and rest.
“Fine. Let’s just go.”
Just going home. That’s it. He’d accept help only that far.
Once he made up his mind and moved without protest, Bae Jung-yoon didn’t say anything more. He walked ahead and opened the passenger side door for him. It felt a little excessive, but Go Hoon decided to take it as consideration for the injured.
Still… his soaked clothes were another issue. He glanced down at the mud-streaked outfit he’d gotten from rolling on the pavement. The last thing he wanted was to stain expensive leather seats, so he hesitated by the door.
That’s when a voice called out behind him.
“Get in, Hoon.”
At the same time, a large hand pushed down firmly on his shoulder, and Go Hoon was all but shoved into the passenger seat.
