“Ah…”
“Let me see.”
Ganghyuk, who didn’t miss the sound, pulled Ian slightly away from his embrace and examined his arm. Blood had not only stained the bandage but flowed around it.
“You’ve almost finished the IV, so I’ll ask them to remove it.”
Ganghyuk, who wiped the blood with his bare hand, pressed the call bell. The nurse who came in response removed the IV needle from Ian’s arm and rubbed it with a disinfectant cotton swab.
At the stinging feeling, Ian hunched his shoulders, so Ganghyuk stroked his head with his large hand. Ian’s cheeks reddened at the feeling of becoming a child.
Since someone else had come in, he should get down from Ganghyuk’s thigh, but he didn’t want to. Though he knew he was safe now, he was anxious.
It seemed the anxiety would worsen if he was apart from Ganghyuk. It was a premonition close to certainty.
“Press firmly with the alcohol swab until the bleeding stops.”
At the nurse’s words, Ganghyuk did as told. Afterward, he received a bandage from the nurse and stuck it on the inside of the elbow. Already a bluish bruise had formed around where the needle mark was.
Once the cumbersome IV line also disappeared, Ian moved a bit closer to Ganghyuk. Like before, he wrapped his arms around his back and buried his cheek in the broad chest.
Unlike himself wearing hospital clothes, Ganghyuk only had bandages wrapped around his wounds, so his chest was bare. Each time Ganghyuk breathed, Ian could clearly feel the chest muscles swelling and settling.
He probably would have continued like that if a knock hadn’t been heard at the hospital room door. Startled by the sudden sound, Ian’s body trembled, so Ganghyuk patted his back as if to say it was okay.
“Executive Director, it’s me, Jaehyun.”
“Come in.”
The door opened as soon as Ganghyuk answered. Jaehyun, whose complexion looked much better than when he first arrived at the hospital, entered the hospital room and discovered Ian had regained consciousness.
As soon as their eyes met, Ian lowered his gaze. He’s Ganghyuk’s person. Though he knew he would absolutely not harm him, his body reacted on its own.
When Ian buried his head in Ganghyuk’s shoulder and began trembling, Jaehyun hesitated. He felt sorry for unintentionally startling Ian.
“Is it urgent?”
“…Yes.”
Hmm, Ganghyuk who let out a contemplative sound pulled over a thin blanket and covered Ian’s crown with it. When Ian poked his head out slightly, Ganghyuk made eye contact and smiled.
“It’s okay.”
Since he also released pheromones, color returned to Ian’s complexion that had turned pale. When Ian regained stability in the cave Ganghyuk created, Jaehyun, who’d been watching for an opening, approached closer.
He held out his phone to Ganghyuk. It was because the matter was too sensitive to say aloud with Ian listening.
It was a post-incident report about disposing of Hongdo and his son, as well as the dead, and a report on how Hongdo’s remaining forces were currently moving and what Minjae and Nayeon were doing.
Ganghyuk who scrolled down pressed the keypad with one hand and wrote down instructions. When he returned the phone, Jaehyun bowed his head and left the hospital room.
Only after they were alone again did Ian stick his face out from under the blanket. In the brief moment, cold sweat had formed all over his round forehead.
“I’m not preventing you from working, am I?”
Ian bit his lip at the words that jumped out on their own when he didn’t want to act spoiled. Though it felt like a really long time subjectively, a lot had happened in a not-so-long period.
Ganghyuk was in a position leading countless people, so he must have an enormous amount of work to do. While feeling sorry that he seemed to be tied here because of him, his eyebrows drooped at the thought that Ganghyuk might leave like this.
“I have many capable guys under me. Jaehyun too, and Sucheol too.”
As if telling him not to worry, Ganghyuk wiped Ian’s forehead with the back of his hand. When he also tidied his disheveled hair, Ian slowly moved his body and sprawled in Ganghyuk’s arms.
“…Then can I sleep a bit more? I’m sleepy.”
Though he’d clearly just woken up, drowsiness came over him again. Since being kidnapped by Hongdo, he’d never slept comfortably.
All he’d done was tremble in tension, then fall asleep as if fainting. When he woke up after sleeping like that, fatigue accumulated even more in his body.
At the end, he’d fainted in the fear that he might die, so he was still sleepy. Couldn’t he postpone acting mature a little longer? Because the embrace holding him now was so warm.
“Yeah. Sleep well. Don’t have nightmares this time.”
It doesn’t work just because you want it to, but strangely, hearing Ganghyuk’s words, it seemed nightmares would run away even if they tried to come. Ian, who smiled faintly, closed his eyes.
Ganghyuk’s pheromone warmly embraced Ian’s body. Ganghyuk, who’d been patting the thin back for quite a while, carefully laid Ian down on the bed.
When he stroked his cheek, the furrowed forehead relaxed softly. The face sleeping with lips slightly parted was as clear as a child’s.
When he held his hand, even while asleep, Ian firmly grasped one finger. Resting his chin on the back of the hand and listening carefully to the breathing sounds, he thought about what to do going forward.
He didn’t want to steal the kid’s freedom, but this incident made him realize. To protect Ian, he needed to put safety measures in place to an excessive degree.
He never wanted to experience losing Ian again. If that happened, he couldn’t guarantee what would become of himself.
The demolition process of Hyoseong-dong would proceed soon. When that happened, the building with the soup restaurant would also be torn down. It was a bit regrettable that the old soup restaurant would disappear, but it was already scheduled.
Though it was admirable to see him work from dawn to night saying he’d repay the debt owed to him, he couldn’t let him continue living like that.
Since he seemed to like cooking, he could find a path in that direction, and if he’d taken an interest in business, he could give him another store. Or he could go to university as kids that age commonly do.
The best thing would be to do nothing and stay in his arms, but since birds with clipped wings languish, he’d have to bury that selfish desire deep in his heart.
“Mmm…”
Then Ian, who’d turned on his side, hugged Ganghyuk’s arm as if it were a doll. Though he was in an uncomfortable position, Ganghyuk’s expression was affectionate enough to make even observers flutter.
Ian’s increased clinginess was both pitiful and cute. Before, he’d tried to appear mature, but the kidnapping experience had changed the kid.
“…I’m sorry.”
Ganghyuk whispered softly while pressing his lips to Ian’s forehead. No matter how much he apologized, he only felt it was insufficient. It was probably an emotion he’d have to carry for life.
If he truly cared for Ian, it might be better to let him go at this point. If he stayed by his side, danger would always follow like a shadow.
But he couldn’t do that. The apology he’d just made was also an apology for what was to come. Ganghyuk could absolutely never let Ian go now.
Even if Ian regretted it later.
“Even if you cry, cry by my side.”
The voice speaking while carefully caressing the bruised skin was terribly low. Like that, Ganghyuk watched over the quiet hospital room until Ian opened his eyes again and smiled while looking at him.
ლ
“Oh my, Ian-ah. What on earth happened?”
“Ian-ah, are you okay? Your face is half gone.”
At Okjeong and Soyeon’s worried expressions, Ian fidgeted with both hands. Three days had passed since being hospitalized. In the meantime, the bruises on Ian’s face and body had faded considerably in color. Still, just in case, he borrowed foundation from a nurse and applied it to cover the bruise marks.
The wound on his tongue was also healing well, so now he didn’t have to furrow his brow every time he ate. Though he’d gained a bit of weight, he still looked haggard.
During that time, Ganghyuk had continued to watch over Ian’s side. Even when he needed to handle work, Jaehyun would enter the hospital room for brief reports and meetings at the table before returning.
Each time he woke from sleep and faced Ganghyuk, Ian rapidly regained stability. Though he still had nightmares and couldn’t stand darkness, compared to the beginning, he’d improved enough to manage daily life.
Ganghyuk, who couldn’t stay by Ian’s side forever, contacted Okjeong and Soyeon. The two came running in one breath.
Since Ian had closed the store without a word and they couldn’t contact him, the two had lost sleep at night thinking something had happened to Ian again.
“I was a bit sick. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
