# Chapter 141
“Yes. Make sure to call.”
This time, really. While barely hearing the added words, I discreetly nodded my head while maintaining eye contact with Moon Seoheon.
Only then did Yoo Wono move away from me and turn around with light footsteps, taking a step forward. As he was about to pass by Moon Seoheon, he suddenly stopped and reached out his arm.
Yoo Wono wrapped his arm around Moon Seoheon’s shoulder and pulled him close. This time, he put his lips to Moon Seoheon’s ear and whispered something. I perked up my ears to focus on the sight, but couldn’t hear anything.
As if the conversation was over, Yoo Wono twisted just his neck to look back, and when our eyes met, the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly. I reflexively frowned, but he just smiled, released Moon Seoheon’s shoulder, and walked forward.
Judging by his humming and bouncing body, he seemed to be in quite a good mood.
“Ah, I’ll bring you more juice if you need it.”
Knowing what kind of juice he meant, I looked at Moon Seoheon in horror, but realizing he was still staring at me with the same expressionless face, I averted my gaze. His face, more rigid than before, somehow made my chest feel cold.
“Well, I’ll go now.”
Yoo Wono, who seemed to be the only one satisfied with this situation, showed a refreshing attitude as he opened the door and went outside. The sound of the door closing that followed felt as chilling as receiving a death sentence.
Now in the quiet hospital room, only Moon Seoheon and I remained, awkwardly. We stayed in silent for a long time in the heavy silence, as if whoever spoke first would lose everything.
I fidgeted with my hands, then tightly closed and opened my eyes. As emotions that were now even embarrassing hit me, I looked straight at Moon Seoheon.
“Since you’re here, sit down before you go. Would you like something to drink?”
I deliberately acted as if I knew nothing to lighten the atmosphere. I moved my hips to slide over and opened the refrigerator to rummage inside.
He didn’t drink beverages well and couldn’t taste them much, but I wanted to give him something tasty rather than just water. Fortunately, I spotted one last sikhye and took it out. This should be okay for him to eat since it has something to chew on too.
I smiled as naturally as possible and handed him the sikhye, but Moon Seoheon still gave no answer and didn’t move a finger. He just looked at me quietly, then lowered his gaze and formed a small smile.
That appearance looked so elegant that I was inwardly cursing myself for being crazy when Moon Seoheon gently lifted his foot.
As I saw his back heading toward the door, I felt guilt and shame. If he had truly heard everything, my fingertips grew cold with an aching pain, as if something had pierced my chest.
I lowered my outstretched hand and bowed my head at Moon Seoheon’s leaving attitude. I couldn’t bear to watch him leave directly, but then I heard the click of the door closing. When I looked up with a puzzled face—
Moon Seoheon was turning the doorknob back and forth, making the door rattle with noise. My eyes widened at the behavior that was obviously checking if the door was locked. I was surprised for a moment that, contrary to my expectations, Moon Seoheon hadn’t left the room, but then I was stunned by the fact that the door was locked.
I had seen the lock attached to the door every time I passed by, but thought it was useless. Soon Moon Seoheon released the doorknob and turned around. As our gazes met, I stared at him with blurry eyes and gradually moved my hips backward.
Instinctively, I sensed a strange atmosphere. Moon Seoheon moved his legs without so much as blinking.
Quickly approaching me, he pushed down my awkwardly raised hand and then grabbed my chin with his other hand. At the sudden contact, I dropped the sikhye I was holding. My brows furrowed at the force applied to my firmly held chin.
Having done something wrong, I couldn’t glare at him with a displeased look, and when I met Moon Seoheon’s eyes full of resentment, his sharply raised eyes soon drooped.
“…Hey.”
Swallowing dryly, I called out to him softly, but I had nothing particular to say. I closed my mouth, which had opened to call his name, and shifted uncomfortably in my position. Yet Moon Seoheon seemed displeased with whatever I did and pressed down on my chin firmly, making it impossible to move even slightly.
My lips trembled from the excessive pain. Moon Seoheon, who was staring down at me intently, tilted his head slightly.
“I told you that you could go back if you wanted to.”
At his heavy voice, the words that were about to burst from my mouth went right back in. My vision blurred with tears from the pain. I straightened my furrowed eyebrows and opened my eyes wide to see clearly. Soon, with the scene becoming clear, even the curses I was about to pour out were blocked.
Moon Seoheon was looking at me as if something terrible would happen if I uttered even a single word. His light brown eyes glistened like glass beads, no less than Yoo Wono’s.
Did he know how to make such an expression? Even though the windows and doors were tightly closed, I felt an illusion of cold wind brushing against my cheeks. I raised my hand to my rough face and cupped my cheek. Moon Seoheon’s hand holding my chin overlapped with mine.
I tried to remove his hand as his grip loosened momentarily, but he was quicker in pushing my body away.
I tried to resist by tensing my waist, but that effort was nullified, and soon my upper body, unable to withstand the force, fell backward. No, my upper body, which almost fell, was raised by the arm around my waist before it could touch the bed. My waist, which was encircled to prevent escape, suddenly bent and caused pain.
“Ugh! What are you… Stop it already!”
Finally, I shouted with a grimace, and Moon Seoheon opened his mouth.
“You should stop it! I told you not to die. Did that sound like a joke to you?”
His angry shouted words pierced my lungs. Though it felt like my chest had been pierced through, leaving me only suffocated, I finally revealed my true feelings.
“Then what should I do? Live as Yoon Taeho forever? In this state where I might change without warning?”
“……”
“Let’s say others don’t know. But you know everything, don’t you really not understand why I’m doing this?”
I thought I had acted desperately, but maybe it wasn’t conveyed well. Then I realized I had been acting indecisively and steeled my resolve. I should have been more ruthless. It was all for me and him, but I showed immature behavior because of mere attachment.
At my outpouring, his sharply raised eyes curved gently. Though it was a subtle change, noticing his eased demeanor, I met his gaze without blinking.
“It’s not just you who’s frustrated. I’ve been lying in the hospital for days, and no one’s giving me details about what’s happened. How can I be at ease in such an uncertain environment?”
They all say it’s for my own good and tell me to stay calm, but in reality, they were keeping me confined. Is this a prison or a hospital? If things turned out as Yoo Wono said, my future would be bleak.
Just thinking about it gave me a headache, and all my latent complaints burst forth.
“Do you think I’m doing this just because I want to give the body back to Yoon Taeho? Everyone thinks I have a dual personality… If I end up in a mental hospital, I’m really in trouble.”
At my words, Moon Seoheon’s brow furrowed. I could see the muscles at the tip of his tightly clenched jaw twitching. Then, as if trying to suppress his rising emotions, he took deep breaths and murmured in a muffled voice.
“I told you not to die.”
“I’m not trying to die. I’m worried about my body and trying to return to where I originally belonged. What did Yoo Wono say to you anyway?”
My forehead narrowed at his repetitive words. I swallowed a sigh and spoke, and after a pause, Moon Seoheon said:
“…I’m telling you not to go.”
It wasn’t an answer to my question, but it was effective in silencing me.
“…It will cool off soon. We’ve only spent a few months together. After a longer time passes, it will seem like nothing…”
Moon Seoheon, who had released his hand at some point, waited quietly until his breathing calmed down, and I deliberately spoke cheerfully. I even patted his stiffly tensed shoulders, comforting him that everything would be okay. Though I was saying it to Moon Seoheon, I was also saying it to myself.
Moon Seoheon, who was receiving the patting motionlessly, soon let out a low laugh. Making a sound like air escaping, as if he couldn’t believe it, he looked at me almost glaring.
“You should have just said you didn’t like me. Reject my confession or cut me off like before. Are you giving me hope now or what?”
A sigh escaped at his sharp accusatory tone. I recalled the words I had just uttered and had nothing to say. As I reluctantly chose silence, the arm around my waist moved up and touched my hair.
“Sunbae knows your name. Nam Bowon… I thought only I knew it.”
Did Yoo Wono tell him everything he knew? Not knowing how much he had said, I tried to gauge it, but he slightly grabbed my hair and tilted it back as if telling me to look at him. The strength of the arm holding my waist also became firmer.
“Bowon hyung.”
My eyes widened at the word that pierced through my thoughts. It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have told him my name. I never expected hearing my name from him would be so shocking. Maybe it was because of the title attached to the end of my name.
Moon Seoheon, noticing my stiffened body, stroked my side as if telling me to relax. But it had the opposite effect, as his lips, now touching my ear, uttered words that sank in before I could block them.
“I like you.”
With those words, my barely-holding sanity left me. Moon Seoheon, who had moved his body back, intensely examined my dazed face. I blinked and spoke in a confused rush.
“It’s… a misunderstanding. You told Teacher Jaewon the same thing, didn’t you? That you didn’t know who you liked. Do you want to do this to me in Yoon Taeho’s body? We were friends anyway.”
“Now I’m sure. I want to hug you every time I see you, I want to kiss you when our eyes meet, I want to hold you madly every time I touch you—isn’t that liking someone? I can handle it.”
Despite his calm tone, his violent words tore through my heart. When I made a gesture as if to escape, Moon Seoheon grabbed my chin again.
“If I do it directly, you’ll feel it too, hyung.”
He twisted his head and came closer, soon consuming my lips. At the moment when the soft, moist sensation met, his tongue broke the boundary and invaded wildly.
A sound as if I was about to lose my breath was soon muffled, and my increasingly staggering body collapsed backward with a thud. My chest tightened under the solid body overlapping mine, making me gasp and part my lips. Because of this, I had no choice but to accept Moon Seoheon, who was penetrating deeper.
