Chapter 99: I woke up but didn’t find anyone

Chapter 99: I woke up but didn’t find anyone My face went red in embarrassment. What sort of timing was that? And why was the growl so loud? Jin-Yeok laughed and said, "It seems you are hungry after all." He said and began to get out of the bed. "You might try to deny it, but your stomach tells the truth." I pouted in embarrassment. It was only because I had cried so much. Don’t you know crying takes a lot of energy? And I cried a lot too, so it would be natural that I ended up hungry afterward. "Come, Jo-Pil," he offered me his hand as I lifted my body. He had taken off both gloves. He was serious. I know I told him to do it, but I didn’t expect him to do it right away. It looked so strange seeing him without his gloves. Well, we had such a heartfelt conversation, and I even cried my heart out. We shared a moment for him to know I genuinely care for him. He was definitely going to treat me right from now on. So, who’s next? I wondered as I took his soft and warm hand and he aided me to my feet. Who did I need to check next? I needed everyone on my side, after all. "It should be dinner time right now," Jin-Yeok said as we headed for the door, but I was deep in thought. I’ve confirmed that Jin-Yeok would do absolutely anything and everything for me, so I should confirm with someone else as well. Just as Jin-Yeok opened the door, we found Ki-hoon who was standing at the door. Ah, maybe Ki-hoon will be next. I thought, and then Ki-hoon embraced me. I could feel the desperation in his hug. He really missed me. "Jo-Pil," he called. "You... You’re awake. I’m so glad." Yeah, be glad, but try not to squash me in your arms. Stop already. You’ll break my bones at this point. "I was so worried." He said with a soft and gentle tone that I couldn’t get mad at him. I raised my own hands and hugged him back. "Sorry for making you worry about me, Hyung." I said, patting his back, and he felt assured that this was not a dream. He finally let go of me and took a good look at my face. His eyes fell on my eyes that seemed puffy, and he frowned. "Did you cry?" He asked, and I paused. Right. If this guy knew I had been crying, then he would probably get mad at Jin-Yeok, who was the cause of my state. "Well, yes," I answered. "I woke up but didn’t find anyone. It was scary." Jin-Yeok, I was going to lie for your sake this one time. "I don’t know why, but I cried a lot till the door opened and Jin-Yeok walked in. He..." I glanced at him. "...comforted me." Jin-Yeok was taken aback. He probably didn’t know I would cover for him. He was already feeling guilty, and the other two already blamed him for my condition, so he knew how they would react if they knew I cried because of him. But I covered up for him. I just woke up, so let’s avoid unnecessary drama between the others. My lie seemed to cause Ki-hoon to worry more, and he hugged me. "I’m sorry I wasn’t next to you when you woke up," he said. "It’s alright." I said. "I feel much better after Jin-Yeok comforted me." Ki-hoon glanced at Jin-Yeok and then noticed his hands without his gloves. His eyebrows furrowed, and that handsome forehead of his creased in suspicion. "What happened to your gloves?" He asked, and I nearly palmed my face. Right, I almost forgot Ki-hoon knew about Jin-Yeok’s ’other’ life and why he wore the gloves. I had to cover for Jin-Yeok. "He lent them to me to blow my nose," I said, and Ki-hoon turned to me. Okay, that was a far-fetched lie, but I couldn’t come up with anything. "That aside, I’m hungry, Hyung." I grabbed his hand and Jin-Yeok’s hand as well. "I cried so much that my stomach began to grumble." I said and laughed. "So, let’s go have dinner already before I collapse from hunger." Holding their hands seemed to do the trick because Ki-hoon ended up with a little blush on his cheek as he stared at my hand holding his. And Jin-Yeok smiled, impressed by my strategy. I thought the drama would end there, but it only continued when we got to the dining table and Min-Cheol found us approaching with me holding both their hands. "Hyung," he called, surprised as he stood to his feet right away and rushed towards me. He threw his body at me, hugging me, and I swear I felt my back snap. He was so enthusiastic. Or so I thought. Min-Cheol had actually done this so I could let go of Jin-Yeok and Ki-hoon’s hands. "I was so worried," he said with a genuine tone to the point I thought he was going to cry. "I waited for you to wake up for so long. Why are you just waking up?" "I don’t know either." I said, gently pushing his body off so he wouldn’t end up snapping me in half. "I didn’t know I had slept for so long.. Or should I use the word unconscious instead?" "Hyung," he brushed my hair back. "You look so thin right now. You’ve lost so much weight." I couldn’t argue with that. I felt like a paper leaf that could be swept away by the wind at any time. It was a miracle I didn’t get swept off my feet while I was on the balcony. Maybe the wind just wasn’t strong enough because I couldn’t even feel my weight while walking on the floor. "This won’t do." Min-Cheol suddenly lifted me off my feet, and the other two gasped in shock. "What are you doing?" I asked, placing my hands on his shoulders and gripping tightly as I feared I might fall. "I’m taking you to the dining table. This is faster," he said, sneered at the other two, and began to walk forward. "You just woke up, so you must not have enough strength. Yet those two old men allowed you to walk on your feet." I glanced at Min-Cheol and Jin-Yeok, who looked regretful that they didn’t think of this idea first. They would’ve swept me off my feet using the excuse Min-Cheol gave and carried me to the dining table. Were they kids? They looked so gullible. I ended up laughing lightly, and Min-Cheol saw this, feeling warm about it. His expression read, ’As expected, Hyung looks better with a smile on his lips.’ Wait... were we still doing the smiling system? I needed to know if I would get paid. Money is important, you know.