Chapter 101.
Woojin looked out the window vacantly. It seemed like spring was finally coming. All of the snow had melted, and the pale green leaves were beginning to appear on the trees. It was a beautiful sunny morning.
Woojin could still feel the warm hands that gently stroked his forehead until just a moment ago. Before he left for work, Shin held Woojin’s neck lightly and kissed his cheek. Time still felt like it was going too slow, and the doctor explained that it was because of the drug that was still in his body. Shin was there when they talked to the doctor.
Woojin still hallucinated a little, his past overlapping with the present from time to time. The doctor recommended him to take a month off from major activities, and Woojin nodded. He was okay because Shin Kim was there with him.
Click.
The door opened and Jihoon appeared.
“Did you sleep well, Woojin?”
Jihoon received the same tests, and it turned out he was perfectly fine. He was never drugged and there was not a scratch on him. Jihoon was dismissed from the hospital immediately.
Siwoo insisted Jihoon should get more thorough tests done, but Jihoon shook his head.
It was a week ago when Jihoon found Joowan and Woojin and they returned together.
Woojin replied, “Yeah.”
“Hmm… You look like you have gained a little weight. Bedrest must be working for you.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you look good. It’s nice to see you eat and sleep well.”
Hesitantly, Jihoon pushed back Woojin’s hair gently away from his forehead. Jihoon looked relaxed and after looking up at him for a while, Woojin opened his mouth. His voice was still gritty from recent dehydration, but Woojin didn’t care. Woojin now knew it was important to express his feelings. Keeping things to himself was what caused so many misunderstandings in the past.
“Jihoon, when we were young, I thought we resembled each other.”
“…What?”
“I was so happy when you invited me to your birthday party every year. I didn’t go because I was afraid of your mother.”
Woojin always thought Jihoon looked lonely, but in a very different way than Woojin did. Jihoon acted outgoing to hide his weakness while Woojin kept to himself and rejected anyone from getting close to him. To everyone’s surprise, Shin Kim was able to break Woojin’s barrier. He was like a ray of sunshine that warmed Woojin’s life.
If Jihoon was the one who accomplished this, the final result would have been very painful.
Jihoon replied, “Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter now.”
“I didn’t even get to have birthday parties at all.”
“… My mother… she is returning to Korea tomorrow.”
“Congratulations.”
What was Woojin congratulating him for?
Although the misunderstandings were being corrected, there was no way to go back in time and undo anything. Recently, there was a small news concerning the contract killing incident that took place a few months ago. Woojin’s grandfather’s company remained quiet, as if they had nothing to do with the incident.
Woojin’s grandfather sent him a flower basket. Myunghoon Bae resigned from the company. He was to be arrested, but it was likely that he would be released on the lack of evidence. Woojin and Jihoon would never have to see Eejun again at the office. Like Hana Pharmaceuticals, Eejun and his family were excellent at not leaving any pieces of evidence or traces of themselves.
“Apparently, Eejun Bae got a huge cut on his forehead and needed four stiches.”
Woojin looked at Jihoon as he talked about Eejun. It was true that Jihoon looked similar to Woojin, especially when he had his lips firmly closed. It was no wonder, since they were related. They were family.
Woojin remembered Eejun wanting to be a part of them too when he was young. Studying Jihoon’s profile, Woojin said to him, “I think… Eejun liked you.”
“…What?”
Jihoon frowned in shock as he sat down on the bed. Jihoon was a very attractive man. He was kind, warm, and sensitive. His mental health was questionable, but Jihoon deserved to be loved. Just because his mother didn’t love him didn’t mean he should give up on love.
Woojin added with a bitter smile, “I bet he hated me for many reasons.”
Eejun was always kind and friendly. He often was generous to both Woojin and Jihoon and made sure to create occasions for them to get together. But even then… There was something that prevented them from getting closer to Eejun. Woojin remembered feeling uncomfortable around Eejun, even though he always acted nicely. Woojin wondered if it was because Eejun secretly was jealous of him. It had to be also partly because of Myunghoon Bae.
Jihoon said to Woojin, “Everything will be decided by Grandfather. I won’t be apart of it.”
“I don’t think Aunt had anything to do with it.”
“It’s encouraging to see my mother returning. She also stopped taking her pills.”
“…”
“I am… unhappy that Uncle won’t be returning like my mother.”
Jihoon’s eyes trembled a little. Woojin quietly replied, “I am more unhappy about hating Aunt for the past 20 years.”
“… Yeah, I feel bad about my mother too.”
Because of one outsider, their entire family became victims. It was a horrible and regrettable thing that ruined their family. But what was more upsetting was the fact that their grandfather still remained quiet. It seemed that he was ignoring the situation, as if nothing bad had happened.
Woojin and Jihoon decided not to think about it.
Woojin asked, “How is Siwoo?”
“Crazy as ever.”
“… and Joowan Kim?”
“Are you seriously asking me about that guy?”
It was Woojin’s decision not to tell Siwoo about what happened to Joowan. Jihoon disagreed with Woojin’s decision. Woojin asked, “You still want to tell Siwoo about Joowan’s situation?”
“Yes. I feel guilty keeping things from Siwoo.”
“Then tell him when Joowan wakes up.”
“He didn’t even get shot, so why isn’t he waking up? What is wrong with him?”
Joowan was stabbed. The gunshot Woojin heard was Jihoon, who shot as a warning. Thankfully, no one was shot. Joowan lost a lot of blood from being stabbed and went into shock. It had been a week since he arrived at the hospital, and he still hadn’t woken up from his coma.
“Good thing we got GPS chips in our bodies.”
“Thanks to Joowan, I guess. It was him who suggested it.”
“Yeah, if we didn’t have them…”
Taking Joowan’s advice, Woojin and Jihoon got GPS chips inserted in their bodies. Jihoon luckily found Woojin, but it was impossible for Jihoon to escape with him. It was a huge coincidence that Joowan met Jihoon in the building. Joowan instructed Jihoon to shoot a couple of warning shots outside the building as a distraction while he found Woojin. Joowan was able to escape with Woojin, but he was stabbed along the way.
Shin was able to drive them away from the building and Minji was the one who performed the necessary emergency treatments. If it wasn’t for her, Joowan might be dead by now.
“Joowan will wake up. I am certain.”
“If he doesn’t, I will slap him until he does.”
Jihoon looked out the window. It was a beautiful day, and he was thankful that he and Woojin got second chances at life. Jihoon touched his left chest and murmured, “I think spring might really be here.”
It was true. Spring was just around the corner.