I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
This scene—it was like sothing straight out of a web novel I read recently.
In those stories, people woke up in a hospital and then debuted as idols.
…Wait, isn’t that literally my story?
I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. My last mory was a woman screaming at the sight of covered in blood.
For so reason, I also rembered the incident at the Hanpyeong Industry. Must’ve been a dream.
But… what should I do now?
Should I call a nurse? I didn’t feel sick enough to call anyone.
Thanks to the system, I felt no pain. Rather, it was comfortable lying down and doing nothing for the first ti in a while.
I used to be such a simple person who loved my bed. How did my life end up so twisted?
I looked around, getting a grasp of the situation.
Judging by the IV in my wrist and the fall precaution sign on my head, whatever surgery or treatnt I had undergone seed to be over. If it had been a real ergency, everyone would have been gathered around my bedside.
‘Never thought I’d live to see myself hospitalized.’
Strange. The Hanpyeong Industry was worse in many ways, but UA was where I actually felt my life was most at risk.
But there was a problem.
This… seed to be a private room.
How much did a private room cost? This was my first ti being hospitalized, so I was a bit flustered. I’d only heard it was incredibly expensive, so a cold sweat ran down my back.
Would the company cover it? I hadn’t even gotten insurance in this life yet. Did an injury-related hospitalization fall under work benefits?
‘That crazy b*tch… I’m charging him for all the dical expenses.’
I gritted my teeth, thinking of Yoo Hansoo. There was no way I’d settle for anything less than an astronomical sum. I would sue him in every way possible and ruin his life.
While I was fuming, I heard the door open. Soone approached.
“Manager?”
“Iwol! You’re awake? Nurse, the patient is awake!”
Suddenly, the surroundings beca noisy. All I did was answer to a presence, but I felt drained.
After a brief explanation, my room beca peaceful again.
“The surgery went well. You almost got yourself into serious trouble, you know.”
“Really?”
“Of course! Do you know how bad the injury was? …No, I shouldn’t say such things to soone who just woke up. Sorry.”
Apparently, the injury had been worse because it was on my head. That trash of a human.
“Does it really not hurt? You had a lot of stitches.”
“Maybe it’s the painkillers. I feel fine for now.”
Despite my words, the manager didn’t seem reassured.
But I couldn’t pretend to be in pain. There was nothing to gain from it.
I forced a smile to show I was fine, and the manager sighed in relief.
“Ah, did the mbers go back okay?”
I had told them to wait in the practice room, thinking the company would send them ho when the police and ambulance arrived.
“The mbers? They’re sitting outside right now.”
“Huh?”
Surprisingly, they’re here?
“Did I sleep that long? Did a few days pass or sothing?”
“No, no! The kids were worried about you.”
Even so, with all the commotion, they should have sent the kids back to the dorm.
“Do you want to rest so more? If you’re okay with it, I can let them co in for a bit.”
“Sure, sure.”
I agreed readily, thinking it was better to let them in than leave them in the hallway.
As soon as the manager left, I heard their footsteps, as if they’d been waiting.
Their faces as they rushed to my side were…
“Hyung!”
“Hyung, are you okay?”
…Half of them were a ss.
“Did you cry?”
“Hyung, sniff, what did the doctor say? Are you okay now?”
Lee Cheonghyeon was bawling.
He didn’t even cry this much when we read the rolling papers we wrote for our 5th anniversary on our self-produced content.
“The surgery went well, why are you crying? I’m fine.”
At my words, Cheonghyeon wiped his tears with trembling hands.
“Do you think surgery fixes everything…?”
His voice trembled.
“Seeing how your mouth is working, you seem fine.”
Choi Jeho looked down at with a disapproving gaze.
Yeah, damn it, I’m fine thanks to the system doping. So what?
“Why… why are you so angry?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
“Enough, hyung.”
Choi Jeho frowned. Kang Kiyeon tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Do you even know how you ended up here? Your head cracked open, and you’re acting all nonchalant?”
“How was I supposed to know this would happen?”
“You almost died, and that’s all you have to say?”
“But I didn’t die, so it’s fine.”
And I was far from nonchalant. If I had died from sothing like this, I would’ve gone to grab the system by the collar first.
“Anyway, I’m fine, so everyone go back to the dorm. Don’t go out without the manager for a while.”
“Yeah, good for you, you bastard.”
Glaring at , Choi Jeho stord out of the room.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Uh…”
Kang Kiyeon followed Choi Jeho out.
“Why is he like that? Was he acting like that outside too?”
I’d done all sorts of things to prevent the personality controversy. I hope he didn’t cause a scene while I was unconscious.
“Should I be honest?”
“…”
Jeong Seongbin’s words left speechless. I felt like I was facing Pandora’s Box.
“Jeho hyung, until 30 minutes ago, he was shouting in the car that he’d kill Yoo Hansoo, sob.”
Lee Cheonghyeon said between sobs.
That b*tch. I told him not to lose his temper in front of the kids.
Wait. So Kang Kiyeon went to calm him down?
“Choi Jeho, that guy really…”
“Hyung! Don’t get up!”
“You can’t get up, hyung!”
I almost jumped out of bed. Cheonghyeon and Seongbin frantically held back.
Even though the pain should be subsiding, the back of my head throbbed. I held the back of my neck and lay back down.
“Why does he only do things that piss off? I’m going to die of stress, not the injury.”
“Don’t say that.”
Park Joowoo’s voice ca from behind Lee Cheonghyeon and Jeong Seongbin.
I hadn’t noticed because they were blocking him, but Park Joowoo also looked terrible. Tear tracks stained his cheeks.
“I thought you were really, going to die…”
Park Joowoo spoke haltingly, his voice heavy with emotion.
Tears like glass beads rolled down his face.
“…Sorry.”
I apologized briefly. But Park Joowoo’s tears didn’t stop.
After silently crying for a while, he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry for asking you to get that drink…”
His tears dripped onto the blanket.
It was such a trivial thing, and it wasn’t even his fault things turned out this way.
My heart sank. I felt uncomfortable.
“It’s not your fault, why are you apologizing for that?”
At my words, he roughly wiped his tears with his sleeve.
‘…He must have been really shocked.’
Even I had frozen up when the attack first happened, unable to think of anything but grabbing the weapon.
For kids who hadn’t even turned twenty yet, it must have been terrifying.
I patted his shoulder a few tis as he sniffled.
“Are you really okay? They said it could hurt a lot when the anesthesia wears off.”
Jeong Seongbin asked with a worried expression.
“I’m really okay. Maybe the anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet.”
I wanted to go after Choi Jeho, but comforting these kids was the priority.
Just look at Cheonghyeon’s face. If he’d cried any more than this, he’d be a ‘Weeping Statue – 20XX’. Now he looked completely puffy.
Looking closely, Jeong Seongbin’s eyes were also red. Since everyone was crying, Kang Kiyeon must be with Choi Jeho. I felt bad for burdening the maknae with this.
“Seongbin, can you bring Choi Jeho and Kiyeon back? I’m worried about Kiyeon having to handle him.”
“…Okay.”
I decided to call back Kang Kiyeon, who must be struggling alone.
Then I spoke to Park Joowoo and Lee Cheonghyeon, who were the only ones left.
“When you get back to the dorm, everyone should take a cheongsimhwan[1]Cheongsimhwan = a traditional Korean pill made from herbs and other dicinal ingredients. . I bought the liquid kind last ti. You know where the first-aid kit is, right?”
“Isn’t hyung the one who needs cheongsimhwan the most right now?”
“Don’t make repeat myself when I’m already tired.”
There was more I wanted to say.
Looking at their tear-stained faces, I smiled awkwardly.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“…”
Since I wasn’t in pain at the mont, I had dismissed their concerns as overprotection. For them, who had co all this way for my sake, it was thoughtless of .
I sincerely apologized for that.
“I’m not lying when I say I’m fine. Trust . Just look at talking—it feels like my usual self, doesn’t it?”
“That’s because you can’t see your own face, hyung…”
Park Joowoo retorted.
But I seriously wasn’t hurting at all. Honestly, I felt guilty for making them worry. Though I couldn’t explain why.
“And I’m sorry for asking if you were shocked earlier. You must’ve been shaken up enough already. It was insensitive of .”
“What are you even saying? No matter how shaken we are, could it compare to how you feel, hyung?”
Grumbling, Lee Cheonghyeon gradually stopped crying.
“Apologize to the hyungs and Kang Kiyeon too for being insensitive. And don’t provoke Jeho hyung. Telling soone who’s worried about you, ‘I’m not dead, so it’s fine’—what kind of response is that?”
“I need to have a private talk with Choi Jeho. How dare he get angry in front of the younger mbers…”
“Jeho hyung hasn’t been like that lately. He’s just worried about you.”
“Cheonghyeon, whose side are you on?”
“Today, I’m on Jeho hyung’s side, you idiot.”
Lee Cheonghyeon’s fierce criticism poured down on . Park Joowoo didn’t seem to want to stop him either.
Once I managed to close their emotional floodgates, Jeong Seongbin returned with the moody duo.
To the three of them, I repeated the sa apology. Jeong Seongbin received it with a slightly relieved expression, while Kang Kiyeon looked dissatisfied but accepted it reluctantly.
As for Choi Jeho…
“…”
“…”
“I’m sorry for being insensitive, but you shouldn’t curse or get angry in front of the younger mbers either.”
“Jeong Seongbin, can I go back to the dorm first?”
…It wasn’t smooth, but we sohow made up.
I was able to hear about the perpetrator, Yoo Hansoo, after that.
1. Cheongsimhwan = a traditional Korean pill made from herbs and other dicinal ingredients.
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