Chapter 10: A Fragile Connection

Suddenly, I recalled how much joy Choi Do Yoon felt in the novel when the heroine praised him, affirmed him, and showed him love. I could vaguely understand why he cherished Bae Ji An like a treasure.

But isn’t it unfair to put someone through so much pain just so they can earn that sweet reward years later? If Do Yoon had even one person to lean on, this gentle kid wouldn’t have grown into that cold, robotic “department head.”

I stared at the half-eaten sandwiches on the tray, my body tense, and said.

“I’m not like that anymore.”

Silence followed. The upbeat idol music blared in the shop. Then Do Yoon spoke.

“Eat this. You said it’s your favorite.”

He pushed the turkey ham sandwich toward me.

“Uh…?”

Was it bad? Did I mess up the menu choice too? Could I even get close to him? Feeling a bit dejected, I picked up the sandwich he offered. He took the steak and cheese one in front of me instead.

“It’s good,” he said.

Good thing he liked it. I forced a casual bite, tasting the fresh, rich veggies. It was the same flavor I’d munched on at dawn on set. Even in this novel, franchise food never changes. I smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah…”

But the more I chewed, the stranger it felt. This wasn’t supposed to be spicy…

Suddenly, my body felt hot, like I was burning up. My eyes itched; I pressed them, but my hands were red, like I’d been drinking.

“Huh…?”

Sensing something wrong, I unbuttoned my cuff and rolled up my sleeve. My arm was covered in red splotches that weren’t there before. Do Yoon noticed, startled.

“What’s wrong?”

As he spoke, my chest tightened, and I couldn’t breathe. My throat closed up, and I gasped, choking sounds escaping. The sandwich fell to the floor.

“I can’t… breathe…”

It felt like I was dying.

A thud, and my vision went black.

I don’t know what happened. Lifting heavy eyelids, I saw a familiar ceiling—Seonjeong Hospital’s VIP single room.

A doctor stood over me, frowning seriously.

“You have a severe cucumber allergy. Lucky the hospital was close, or this could’ve been bad. Do Yoon handled it well.”

“What…?”

I blinked, dazed. Cucumber allergy? What’s that, doc? Seeing my confusion, he continued.

“Rest with the IV, and I’ll prescribe a day’s medication.”

He sighed and left. I was still out of it. Cucumber allergy? Out of nowhere?

I racked my brain. I love cucumbers—raw, pickled, you name it. But it seems this body has an allergy. Then I remembered loading the turkey ham sandwich with every veggie.

Damn, Choi Seung Hyun is such a hassle. I’d lived 29 years as a sturdy Korean guy with zero allergies, and now I’m stuck with this inconvenient condition.

“Ha…”

A heavy sigh came from beside me. I noticed Do Yoon, standing like a statue, his face pale, fists clenched. He must’ve been freaked out watching me collapse mid-meal. I felt a pang of guilt.

“Sorry… scared you, huh?”

He glared at me, eyes red and bloodshot. He looked pissed.

“You said you ate that a lot in the States.”

“Uh… yeah, I guess.”

His anger made my heart sink. I scrambled for excuses.

“Maybe they left out the cucumbers there? Americans don’t eat many veggies… I didn’t know. I mean, I had a slight allergy, but not like this. I didn’t know it’d get this bad. Maybe my body changed in Korea.”

Do Yoon, who’d been glaring like he’d kill me, let out a deep, exasperated sigh and slumped into the chair by my bed. Up close, his uniform shirt was soaked with sweat. I hesitated, then asked quietly.

“Did you… carry me here?”

“How could I carry you? We took Driver Kim’s car. He was nearby, luckily.”

His voice was icy. The slight thaw from earlier was gone. I felt awkward. I just thought, with all that sweat… Anyway, he must’ve been terrified watching someone collapse in front of him.

It seems every moment with Do Yoon brings trouble beyond my control.

“How’d you think to call here?”

“I called Seung Hee noona, and she arranged it.”

“I see…”

An awkward silence fell. I turned my head toward him, but he wouldn’t look at me, his lips tightly shut. After a moment, he stared at the wall and said.

“I thought you were going to die.”

“Huh?”

“I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do—call 119 or Grandfather…”

I saw him bite his lip.

‘Oh.’

I know it’s wrong to feel this way, but hearing he was worried I might die sparked a flicker of hope. Maybe his heart was opening a bit? I clung to that thin thread.

But then he spoke again.

“My mom… couldn’t breathe like that at the end.”

Oh, no.

Even unconscious, I’d triggered his trauma. The heavens must be out to get me. Why do I keep hurting him? I shut my mouth.

Forcing myself to calm down, I noticed Do Yoon’s hands and legs trembling as he sat hunched, hands clasped tightly like in prayer.

“For someone to… in front of me, again…”

His voice shook. I sighed softly, moved my IV-tethered hand, and placed it over his trembling one. He looked at me, startled, his big eyes brimming with tears. Guilt stabbed me like a needle. I apologized sincerely.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on.”

A tear fell from his eyes.

Wow… if a camera caught that close-up, it’d win a directing award for a romance drama. Trying to lighten the mood, I smiled brightly.

“The IV will fix me up soon. No need to stay here.”

“…Okay.”

I kept my hand on his. This time, he didn’t pull away, so I left it there. Silence settled, and pulling away felt awkward, so I tried talking.

“Thanks. You saved me.”

“Whatever.”

Look at this guy, helping me out and acting all prickly. It reminded me of the novel, where he’d go all out for the heroine then play it cool. The tsundere vibes were there even young. Suppressing a grin, I said.

“Still, you don’t even like me.”

“You said even strangers would do that much.”

“…!”

Shockingly, he quoted me from days ago. That’s a good sign, right? Trying not to overreact, I replied calmly.

“I see.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t like me.”

“…”

He has a knack for leaving me speechless. Saying “I actually like you a lot” now would sound weird. When I didn’t respond, he looked down and muttered.

“When your memory comes back, you’ll regret everything with me.”

His profile screamed bad mood. I felt the urgent need to clear up this massive misunderstanding. I lightly smacked the back of his hand and said.

“Hey, I’m not trying to get along because I lost my memory. I remember all the crap I did to you.”

“…”

Saying it out loud made it sound like a boast, and the vibe got weird. I hid my hand under the blanket and added.

“I mean… it’s hard to believe, but sometimes people change overnight. Like, I want to live better.”

Do Yoon stared at me silently, then looked away. Guess it sounded like nonsense. As silence dragged on, I closed my eyes. The IV made me drowsy.