Chapter 145
Fucked.
I lowered my gaze involuntarily, only to see my hands shaking uncontrollably as they clung to the sink.
He said he was out, but when the hell did he come back in?
Even in such moments, my brain habitually started assessing the situation.
Did Kang Ichae see the blood?
Yes, he did.
Do I have any excuses that could get me through?
No, hes not one to be fooled.
What if I honestly said it was because of a system penalty?
Id just end up visiting more wards in the hospital.
What about hitting him on the head to cause amnesia?
Death might come quicker.
Whatever I do, Im going to look crazy
My nape tingled.
With the thought that I should say something to clear the air, I turned off the faucet and opened my mouth.
Ichae, first.
At that moment, Kang Ichae stepped out of the doorway and entered the bathroom.
The sound of slippers hitting the wet floor unnecessarily made my ears perk up.
Regardless of whether I stopped talking or kept staring, Kang Ichae approached the toilet, checked its contents, and then firmly pressed the lever with his finger.
Swoooosh
As the sound of the water flushing ended, silence hovered.
It was blatantly obvious he had intentionally cut off my words.
There are a few things I want to check before calling an ambulance.
Kang Ichaes gaze moved from the toilet to the sink, and then to me.
What do I do now?
Gone was the laughter, and though he tried to appear calm, his eyes were blazing.
The members might make a fuss seeing someone sick, but I didnt think it warranted this level of anger.
Did I touch a nerve?
Usually, half of what he said was jokes and pranks, and I had never seen him with a downturned mouth, so honestly, I felt a bit cautious.
Do you have some incurable disease?
No.
Then, trauma related to hospitals?
No, nothing like that.
Then why?
Kang Ichaes eyes narrowed as he met my gaze.
Why are you holed up here?
A red alert went off in my head.
I quickly tried to add more words to prevent Kang Ichae from continuing his thought.
Kang Ichae, wait, wait. Cough. Ahem.
Just then, a cough erupted, and the blood I was holding in my mouth spewed out.
The atmosphere in the bathroom grew even colder.
Its not what you think.
After blinking hard once, I finished organizing my thoughts.
There was no suitable excuse to make in my exposed state, and dragging the time a little longer was going to end it anyway.
Given the circumstances, spilling everything to buy some time and somehow downplaying the issue seemed like the best course of action.
Im sorry for startling you. Actually, I have some stomach issues. When Im tired or my condition worsens, it happens occasionally. Ive been visiting hospitals in Korea too.
I have my own medication, but what if getting a new prescription backfires? Besides, going to the hospital for something trivial like this will only bring up unnecessary stories.
Going to the hospital would ruin me.
Even if I could somehow stop news from spreading in Korea, the real problem was having symptoms but being perfectly healthy.
It could easily turn into a rumor about an idol stricken with an unknown incurable disease, like some drama protagonist.
I decided to act as if I was fine, putting strength into my hands.
You understand, right, Kang Ichae?
However, Kang Ichae just stared at me silently.
Are you done talking?
!
Then, Ill call now.
Fuck, was he really thinking of calling an ambulance?
I grabbed Kang Ichaes hand hurriedly as he calmly reached for his phone.
None of my lengthy excuses worked.
Hey, wait.
What?
Damn.
On one hand, I was relieved it was Kang Ichae.
Compared to the stubborn Kim Seonghyeon, Seong Jiwon who would dismiss my words with a smile and drag me to the hospital, or the maknae, Jeong Dajun, whom I didnt even want to show this state to, Kang Ichae seemed like he would be easier to deal with.
But seeing him now, it didnt seem right.
Hes pissed.
Kang Ichaes eyebrow was quirkily raised, exuding a fierce aura.
The blood from the cough I had earlier left a mark on Kang Ichaes wrist.
Knowing it was a shallow move but still, I bowed my head.
To escape this situation
Hey, Kang Ichae.
I thought of appealing to his emotions.
Isnt it disappointing? Cant you trust me? It might seem shocking since its your first time seeing this, but its more common than you think. If it was serious, I would have run to the hospital first Cough! Cough!
Would have run there first Urgh.
Cough, urk
Yet, Kang Ichae remained expressionless.
Even as my vision blurred and my head spun, I gathered all my willpower to muster my words.
Im fine.
Trying to appear undaunted, I even forced down the blood swirling in my mouth, but Kang Ichae simply tilted his head and asked,
Is this fun?
Fuck.
Turning my head, I spat the remaining blood into the sink.
Damn brat Cant you just let it slide since Im your hyung?
I wondered how to get out of this situationmaybe by pretending to faint againbut I immediately scrapped the idea, fearing it might actually land me in the hospital, a more dangerous prospect.
I wished for the help of the system window, but as usual, there was no sign of it when I needed it most.
Kang Ichae let out a small sigh and released my wrist.
I dont get it
The reason I havent dragged you to the hospital immediately after seeing you like this is out of respect for you. I thought there must be a reason a smart person like you is acting so recklessly.
Seeing Seo Hoyun, who meticulously took care of his health with three meals a day and constantly had a red ginseng stick in his mouth, refusing to go to the hospital even in this state made him wonder if it was a disease that couldnt be cured by a hospital.
But since that wasnt the case, there was no reason for Kang Ichae to just watch me suffer in pain in a hotel room.
But the excuse youre giving now is pretty lousy, isnt it?
Kang Ichae rubbed the blood off his wrist and looked up at me.
Hey.
I took a deep breath.
Bearing the splitting headache, I reached out for a towel hanging next to Kang Ichae and grabbed it.
Im not going.
And I roughly wiped the blood from the corners of my mouth.
Honestly, I couldnt understand why he was so pissed
No.
Thats not what was important right now.
I get where youre coming from. Honestly, its a pretty lame excuse, but just leave me be for half a day, and Ill get better.
Half a day?
Kang Ichae murmured in a low voice.
The system window, that son of a bitch, promised improvement, yet the pain kept coming.
I couldnt think straight anymore, and I decided to reveal just the minimum truth to somehow calm down this crazed guy.
Yeah. See, my complexion has already improved, hasnt it?
Of course, the mirror still reflected nothing but a pale, sickly person.
At my shameless words, Kang Ichae swept his hair back and gave me a look of disbelief.
In front of him, I spoke even more brazenly.
If you really want me to go to the hospital, just wait for half a dayno, just three hours.
You know me. I dont do foolish things. So, trust me this once, okay?
Kang Ichae briefly stroked the corner of his mouth.
Whatever
He glanced at the blood scattered around the bathroom and looked at me with a shaky gaze.
Until just a moment ago, he had seemed unyielding, but now he appeared slightly softened by one of the reckless things I had just blurted out.
His eyes filled with suppressed emotions, slightly closed, and a hollow laugh escaped his lips.
Thats when I knew.
Somehow, Kang Ichae would listen to me.
Thanks.
Thinking Id managed to smooth things over, I quickly turned to leave the bathroom, but Kang Ichaes eyebrows twitched, and then
Bam!!
!
he kicked the bathroom door shut with his foot.
One hour.
The wind that brushed past me made my skin crawl.
The guy who had forcefully shut the bathroom door tilted his head to the right.
Already looking like a thug, this gesture made him seem even fiercer than anyone.
Make it one hour.
If it doesnt get better within that time, youll listen to me.
Could I get better in one hour?
Ding!
[Theres a 17% chance in one hour.]
Without me having to say anything, the system window seemed to have immediately picked up on my curiosity and added the information.
Is this insane?
No matter how I thought about it, one hour was way too short.
But the atmosphere wasnt right to ask Kang Ichae for more time, so I just rubbed my neck and grumbled.
Say it with words, you bastard.
I pushed past Kang Ichae and reopened the bathroom door.
After wiping my hands with the towel I was holding, I lay down on the bed.
Damn it
I pulled the blanket over me and briefly went over the recent events in my mind.
Kang Ichae gets really fierce when hes angry.
At this moment, I was just thankful Kang Ichae hadnt strangled me.
Kang Ichae followed, then dragged a chair next to mine, and flopped down with his arms crossed.
A heavy silence seemed to press down on us in the room.
Ring.
Just as I was suppressing a mix of coughs and blood, my phone rang at the perfect moment.
[CEO]
As I fumbled to pick it up, Kang Ichae snatched it away and threw it to a corner of the bed.
Hey.
What?
That was an important call
Rolling my eyes toward where my phone had landed, I saw weariness and cynicism etched on Kang Ichaes cold face, which didnt fit his 22 years.
Leak? Or a shake-up?
Do you really have to do this now?
It was clear he was aware of everything, including the smoking incident and the leak.
For a moment, speechless, I wiped sweat off my forehead while fixing my gaze on the ceiling.
Ichae.
Why are you so pissed?
I genuinely couldnt understand that part.
Because I didnt tell you guys? Because Im suffering alone? Or because I lied earlier? I just didnt want to worry you.
I added a hint of feigned weakness for good measure, which was partly true.
Its not like I have a terminal illness, cough, and the person in question is fine. Youre worrying over nothing right now.
What?
Can you say that again?
I threw the towel I had used to cover my mouth while coughing onto the floor and drove the last point home.
Youre overreacting a bit.
Kang Ichae just stared at me silently.
Overreacting?
Then he said it.
My mom, like my older brother, passed away acting like that.
!
I couldnt help but know about the hyperventilation. It was hard to hide, after all. But not the rest. I never knew because she always smiled when she saw me.
Shit.
By the time I found out, it was already too late.
I had misspoken.
His voice continued calmly, making the words sting even more.
Now do you understand why Im overreacting?
I was in the wrong.
I covered my face with my hands and rubbed it.
Sorry.
I couldnt bring myself to look at Kang Ichae.
After a long silence, Kang Ichae sighed.
Then, a soft touch landed on my hand. Kang Ichae had given me a fresh towel and said in a slightly softer tone,
Its okay, I was just venting a bit.
Im throwing a fit now because I couldnt do this with my hyung back then. Just let it slide.
But cough Its not really serious, you know?
While coughing?
I tried to offer some excuses, but of course, it didnt work on Kang Ichae.
Would you say the same if Dajun was in this situation?
The person who would have made a huge fuss if Dajun acted like my hyung now acts like its nothing when its about him.
Every word was sharply insightful.
I had no strength to argue, so I just kept my mouth shut.
Still, Ill try to understand. I respect whatever you do behind my back, as long as you live healthily and happily.
People should live like that.
Right?
If you have money, its possible.
Kang Ichae lowered his eyes and smiled slightly at my words, which were 100% sincere.
Yeah, if thats your happiness. I really like our current life, including Dajun and the others. I want to keep it going.
So lets stay healthy and together for a long, long time. Dont get sick where I cant see.
Kang Ichae leaned back in the chair, appearing much more relaxed than before.
Ichae.
I couldnt miss this timing.
As I was suppressing a chill and cautiously about to suggest stretching it to three hours
Ah.
Kang Ichae said in a soft voice,
46 minutes left.
Guess I should get ready to call a taxi.
This fucking asshole
I sincerely regretted not having hit Kang Ichae on the head from the start to make him lose his memory.
For additional chapters, swing by our Patreon and join the club!
Love the series? Share your thoughts on Novel Updates by rating and reviewing it now!
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only