# Chapter 41
I looked at Seo Irun, wondering how things had come to this.
Then Seo Irun smiled and said, “After you left, this guy gathered us all, got on his knees, and cried. He said he couldn’t live without you, Hyung. He knew how you’d been meeting with us all this time, but he still couldn’t hate you or forget you. Then he declared he had to have you for himself. I asked if he was crazy. But I guess he thought the conversation ended there.”
At Seo Irun’s words, I looked at Han Sijin, who turned his head away and avoided my gaze.
“Do you know how intensely he brainwashed us about you? Whenever we were alone, he’d ramble on about his memories with you. Something about your souls being connected. How you appeared and saved him when he was about to give up on life. It all seemed like lies, but after hearing it so many times, I think we got brainwashed.”
Cha Yeonwoo said, shaking his head repeatedly.
“Even so, if Hyung had given any indication, I would have tried to make it work. But your heart seemed to be elsewhere, and you didn’t seem to like me, so there was nothing I could do.”
At Lee Dagyeong’s words, Cha Yeonwoo and Seo Irun nodded in agreement.
As if they didn’t want to admit it but had no choice.
“Hyung, should we contact the company first? I don’t think it’s possible to go to work like this.”
Cha Yeonwoo wrapped things up, and I tried to contact the company.
But Noona was faster.
She seemed to think I’d be out late partying with Crop Five, so her message said not to come in today and that she’d see me at the office on Monday.
“Oh, what? Today is Friday? So I can just go in on Monday?”
The members erupted in cheers at this.
“Really? That’s amazing!”
Although they weren’t exactly in a position to keep hanging out with me, they still seemed happy enough.
“Hyung, I think you should apply the medicine first.”
When Han Sijin brought that up again, I remembered the pain I had forgotten about.
Ah, right. I was in pain.
But if I let Han Sijin help me, I’d likely end up in the emergency room rather than being treated.
I didn’t trust Seo Irun, Lee Dagyeong, or Cha Yeonwoo either, so thinking Jeong Chan was my only option, I looked at him, and he grinned.
“Let’s do that. If you trust me, I should naturally repay that trust.”
“Good. I’m glad there’s at least one normal guy here.”
I was about to suggest we eat first and then slowly apply the medicine, but when I tried to sit on the chair, I jumped up as if burned.
Jeong Chan shook his head.
“Hyung, you seem to be in a lot of pain. Let’s go apply the medicine first.”
“But am I bothering you too much? What’s your schedule? What time do you need to leave?”
“I just need to leave after lunch, in the afternoon.”
The members had finished their meals hastily.
“Do you always eat like this?”
“No. We usually eat properly, but today we told everyone else not to come. Team Leader Hyun hasn’t arrived yet either, right? Usually, the team leader comes early to wake us up, but today we told him we’d go by ourselves and meet him there. I think he knew we wanted to hang out with you and was okay with it.”
Cha Yeonwoo said with a face full of smiles.
“But why are you all smiling so much? When I occasionally see you on broadcasts, you try to act serious and keep expressionless faces.”
“That’s right. With you here, Hyung, we can’t stop smiling. I guess we really need you around.”
Lee Dagyeong seized the moment to respond, and no one denied his words.
“Everyone, clean up after yourselves, and Hyung, come to my room. But what kind of medicine should I apply? Will ointment work? That should be fine, right?”
“Look it up. Don’t just assume.”
When Cha Yeonwoo responded to Jeong Chan’s words, Jeong Chan burst into laughter.
“What should I look up? Should I post a question online asking what to apply after having sex if it hurts?”
“Ha…”
Who thought Jeong Chan was on my side?
I covered his mouth and gave him a gentle knock on the forehead.
“Hey, you! Let’s just die together today!!”
“Whoa, whoa! Why are you doing this to me, Hyung? You might have no regrets if you die today, but I’m not like that. There are still many things I haven’t done. That’s unfair. I can’t die!”
Why did I take these guys in?
What kind of wealth and glory was I hoping for when I gathered them and debuted them?
When I closed my mouth, all the members burst into laughter.
Even Han Sijin laughed.
You’re laughing? Is this the time for you to laugh?
I was barely containing my anger when Lee Dagyeong brought a first aid kit to Jeong Chan.
In the room, Jeong Chan couldn’t stop laughing about something he found extremely amusing.
“Chan, can you please stop laughing? Before I smack you in the face?”
“Whoa!! Hyung, you’re too violent. You’ll scare me.”
The audacity with which he said that…
“Fine. It must be funny. It must be really funny. How funny it must be. Why wouldn’t it be funny? Go ahead and laugh. Laugh all you want. It’s all my fault anyway.”
“…”
My resignation seemed to work; he quieted down.
“Hyung, are you angry? I didn’t mean to mock you. I’m just so happy to be with you again like this… We used to joke around like this, right? I didn’t know you’d be angry. I’m sorry. I overstepped.”
“No, it’s not your fault. It’s all my fault. So you don’t need to feel bad.”
Jeong Chan chuckled again.
“But being with you like this again feels really good, Hyung. Can’t you come back? As our manager? We can pay you a lot of money. The company will pay you, and we’ll collect money separately. You could be the highest-paid manager in Korea!”
“No thanks.”
But Jeong Chan didn’t give up trying to persuade me.
While doing so, he was also diligently applying the medicine.
“Hyung, I hope you wouldn’t give up on love just because you dislike this process. It’s an incredible thing, meeting someone your soul is drawn to.”
“My soul wasn’t drawn to anything. I was just drunk, excited, and somehow ended up like this.”
Jeong Chan roared with laughter.
“Wow… Hyung. Your butt is like, wow. Like baby skin. How is it so fair and soft? It’s like a sponge cake. Can I bite it just once?”
“Ahhh!”
This guy is crazy.
If you ask, you should wait for an answer.
Why ask and then just bite right away?
No, there’s no way I would have given permission for such a request.
Ah… I guess he just asked because he knew I wouldn’t allow it.
That makes sense.
“Just apply the medicine, you little shit!”
Although he was snickering, he hadn’t forgotten his duty and diligently applied the medicine.
But something seemed off, as he made a “hmm” sound as if dissatisfied.
“Can’t you even apply medicine properly?”
I shouted in irritation, and Jeong Chan grinned slyly again.
“Hyung, I know you want Sijin to do this, are you angry that I came instead? But I’m going to do it anyway.”
Wow. This four-dimensional bastard.
He didn’t used to be like this, so why is he suddenly acting this way?
“The medicine is just sticking to the gloves and not your body. These useless hygiene gloves!”
Then he threw off the gloves and squeezed the ointment onto his fingers.
Wait a second.
That’s a bit…
That seems very embarrassing.
But before I could say anything, his finger touched the affected area.
“Urgh!!”
It was a sound of pain.
Definitely.
Truly.
I swear!!
I made sure to clarify so Jeong Chan wouldn’t get any strange ideas.
“Because it hurts.”
“Yes.”
“Really. It’s because it hurts.”
“Yes. I understand. I’ll try to do it gently.”
From that point on, he really concentrated and applied the medicine with all his heart.
At first, I thought it would only take a few seconds, so I knelt on the floor, resting on my elbows, and waited.
Then I thought it was taking too long.
I was about to turn my head to ask how much longer when I caught our reflection in the mirror.
There I was, with my butt sticking out, and Jeong Chan, looking like he was embroidering with the dedication of a master craftsman—the scene captured in the mirror like a painting.
He might even break a sweat at this rate.
“Does it feel like it’s getting better?”
“…Yeah.”
After all his hard work applying the medicine, I had to say something positive.
It looked like I’d have to endure this ordeal for a few more days.
“Your walking is strange too. This is serious, Hyung. You really should come back as our manager. Working at Seyoung Electronics like this is too much.”
Thinking the conversation was taking a strange turn, I patted Jeong Chan’s shoulder.
“Thank you so much. You did a big favor.”
On the way back after a tumultuous time.
Han Sijin drove beside me.
He said he had bought a car in the meantime, and it was nice.
I realized a lot had happened while I was gone.
I tried not to care, but my head naturally turned, and my gaze went towards him.
He seemed to have become more handsome in just a few hours.
“You.”
“Yes?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Instead of asking what I meant, he just smiled.
And then he quietly held my hand.
I could have asked why or pulled away, but I didn’t.
