The Wish He Lost

While Woo Jaeyoung and Doctor Jang talked outside the door, I gained a little time to look around more carefully.

The single-patient hospital room was excessively luxurious.

If not for the medical equipment surrounding the bed and the all-white interior, it could easily be mistaken for a suite in a high-end hotel.

‘Woo Jaeyoung, Jang Hanseon, and Gong Chanhyuk.’

I strained to pull out anything at all, tracing the faint remnants of the original story in my mind.

At least one thing was fortunate—

The story I remembered had been written from Woo Jaeyoung’s perspective.

It took the form of a monologue, describing his longing and regret for ‘Yoo Sowon,’ who had run away while carrying his child, as well as the enemies and allies surrounding him.

‘Doctor Jang’—Jang Hanseon—was someone sent by ‘Gong Chanhyuk.’

And ‘Gong Chanhyuk’ was Woo Jaeyoung’s enemy.

“Why don’t they get along…….”

They weren’t children, so it couldn’t just be some petty argument.

It had to be something more realistic.

And given Woo Jaeyoung’s line of work……

[Gong Chanhyuk uses people like parts, then throws them away.

In this world, a human life is less than a joke, but even beasts wouldn’t tear apart something they once took in, just because they felt like it.]

“Got it.”

Gong Chanhyuk was the villain.

And Doctor Jang was clearly someone that villain had sent to harm Woo Jaeyoung.

The problem was—Woo Jaeyoung kept him close.

My gaze lingered briefly on the faint reflection of two figures in the glass of the sliding door.

Judging by how carefully they were talking, he seemed to trust Doctor Jang quite a lot.

‘Well… he trusted him enough to make him my doctor.’

It seemed he hadn’t realized yet that Doctor Jang was a spy.

And Doctor Jang, in turn, was probably building trust to become one of his inner circle.

The fragments of memory I forced out began to break apart, stabbing into my brain piece by piece.

A nauseating dizziness throbbed through not just my head, but even behind my eyes.

Later.

Let’s think about it later.

I don’t have to solve everything right now.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a sharp, irritated voice rang out from beyond the door.

“What did you just say, you bastard?”

My shoulders jolted at the shout.

Something cracked violently, followed by the sound of something being thrown to the floor.

“D-did something happen?”

Startled, I quickly threw off the blanket.

Without even pausing to process the dull pain, I swung my legs off the bed and pushed myself up.

Or at least, I tried to.

My ankle gave out instantly, and my vision spun.

The moment I crashed down, several machines were dragged along with me, clattering loudly.

A red warning light blinked on the disconnected monitor.

Pain shot through me as the IV needle scratched against my arm and came loose, and something I had accidentally knocked over spilled out, hitting my shoulder and thigh as I collapsed on the floor.

Had something like this happened before?

Just as that thought flickered—

The sliding door burst open.

“Yoo Sowon!”

Woo Jaeyoung rushed in, practically flying, his face dark with anger as he grabbed my shoulders.

“What is it?

What happened?

Why did you get down?

Didn’t you hear me say not to move?”

His voice came down like a growl over my head.

Yet unlike his rough tone, his hands checking my arms and body were incredibly careful.

“Um……”

“What? Does something hurt?

Give me your arm—I need to stop the bleeding.

Did you hit anything?”

I quietly looked up at his furrowed face and answered carefully.

“You didn’t tell me not to move.”

It was true.

He hadn’t said not to move or get up.

He had simply stepped out when Doctor Jang arrived.

Woo Jaeyoung seemed to realize it too, hesitating briefly before frowning again.

“Then listen now.

Don’t move.

Unless you want your leg broken.”

……All I did was fall while getting out of bed—does that really mean my leg would break?

I almost asked, ‘Are you a gangster?’

But I kept my mouth shut.

Because he looked like he’d say, ‘Yeah, so what?’

When I didn’t nod immediately, he clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.

But before he could say more, Doctor Jang cut in.

“Your leg was previously fractured and healed improperly.

The surrounding ligaments are damaged as well.

You’re wearing a brace, so you’ll have difficulty moving for a while.”

Only then did I look at my leg—the source of this chaos.

Under the loose hospital pants, thick bandages and a brace were wrapped tightly around it.

I hadn’t noticed, probably because I didn’t feel any pain.

“…Ah, I see.”

It was a kind explanation, but considering it came from Doctor Jang, my response couldn’t help but sound stiff.

“I’m sorry.

I should’ve been more careful.

I’m still a bit out of it……”

As my voice softened, Woo Jaeyoung’s large hand gently gripped my shoulder and lifted me up.

Whether it was the difference in our size or just his strength, my limp body was lifted effortlessly.

“Forget it. Your hand.”

“…….”

“Good.”

The blood running down my arm was quickly wiped away, and a bandage was placed where the needle had been.

He rolled up my sleeve to check my elbow, held my chin to turn my head side to side—

His movements were rough, yet oddly attentive.

Behind him, through the wide-open sliding door, I could see the hospital corridor.

Where the two had been standing earlier, a plastic document tray lay shattered on the floor, papers crumpled and scattered messily.

‘That looks like the file Doctor Jang was holding earlier.’

So that loud noise—

Woo Jaeyoung must have thrown it.

What could have been inside to make him that angry?

After staring at me for a moment, Woo Jaeyoung let out a sigh and gestured to Doctor Jang.

“Give it to him. Have him do it.

I don’t trust just the test results.

I didn’t see it with my own eyes—who knows if it was tampered with.”

Do what?

Before I could ask, my question was answered.

He placed a long, white object into my bandaged hand.

Anyone with common sense would know what it was.

A pregnancy test.

‘He said there was a child.’

If he claimed to be the father, there was no way Yoo Sowon hadn’t known he was pregnant.

So why give me this now?

To confirm it again?

Confused, I still took it.

Maybe this was an opportunity.

The one who needed to understand this body best—was me.

If there really was a child, then the physical changes, and even… childbirth—

‘……This is insane.’

As if being thrown into someone else’s life wasn’t enough, now there was suddenly a child?

A surge of unfairness welled up inside me.

Sighing quietly, I was snapped out of it when Woo Jaeyoung tilted his head.

“Why are you hesitating? I’ll help you.”

Before I could react, he lifted me easily and carried me into the bathroom, setting me down on the edge of the bathtub.

After locking the door tightly, he casually began unbuttoning my shirt and hooked his fingers into my waistband—

“W-wait! Wait! Just a second!”

Can you just strip someone like this while they’re thinking?! Without even asking?!

“What? Are you being shy in front of me now, Sowon?”

“Of course I am! And more importantly, why are you taking off my clothes just for a test……?”

“I’m checking if you’ve got any bruises while I’m at it.

You’ve always been the type to fall apart every time you get hurt. It’s faster if I help.”

Do you even know how a pregnancy test works?!

I quickly hid the test behind my back, gripping it with both hands.

“Oh?”

“I—I’ll do it myself. Don’t take my clothes off.”

“You think I’m going to listen to a kid whose leg’s barely holding together?”

“My leg has nothing to do with it! And I’m not a kid!”

“How does it not?

If I see you fall one more time, I’m going to collapse from high blood pressure.

Twenty-three is still a kid. You’ve barely lost the smell of milk.”

No—still!

I don’t want help with a urine test!

After a back-and-forth argument, I finally won.

Standing there with my arms crossed firmly over my chest, refusing completely, I stared him down.

Woo Jaeyoung looked at me irritably before finally straightening up.

“Finish in five minutes. Don’t lock the door.”

“Okay.”

“And answer immediately if I call.”

“Got it.”

“If something hurts, don’t endure it. If you feel dizzy, call me right away.”

“…You’re not leaving?”

After he stepped out, I stared at the small lock on the doorknob.

Should I secretly lock it?

“Yoo Sowon.”

My body froze at the voice from outside.

“If you lock that door, you’re dead.”

“…Are you a ghost?”

“Stop messing around and take your hand off the lock.”

“…….”

“Tch.”

Seriously, he’s ridiculously sharp.

In the end, I finished the test without locking the door.

Thankfully, basic common sense was intact, so it wasn’t difficult.

The long strip blurred, and beneath the letter C, a pink line appeared.

That was it.

“Yoo Sowon.”

As the silence dragged on, Woo Jaeyoung called my name, checking on me.

I tried to respond, but my throat felt blocked.

I couldn’t even name what I was feeling.

Emptiness?

Relief?

Disappointment?

Anxiety?

Shock?

I rinsed the test under cold water.

But no second line appeared under the T.

Negative.

I wasn’t pregnant.

Which meant—

There was no child in my body.

“…….”

The unlocked door opened.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Not that it would change anything, or stop him from taking it—

But it felt like I had to.

Yet Woo Jaeyoung didn’t approach me.

He didn’t try to take it from me.

He didn’t call my name or force me to look at him.

He just stood there in silence for several minutes.

And in that silence, I realized—

He already knew the result.

He hadn’t given it to me because he didn’t know.

He just… wanted to check again.

Or maybe deny it.

“…….”

A rustling sound broke the silence.

I instinctively looked up slightly.

He held out something similar to what I had in my hand.

A pregnancy test sealed in a zip bag, its plastic crumpled from being handled too much.

Woo Jaeyoung’s test showed two lines.

Positive.

“This is what you left behind on the bed when you ran away from me.”

His rough fingers moved slightly, flipping it over.

The neatly written word burned into my vision.

‘Wish.’

“……You said it was your only wish. Your only piece of luck.”

His low, tangled voice sank into my ears.

It sounded like he was barely holding back pain—

And swallowing it whole at the same time.

“Now it’s gone. That wish.”

The protagonist of some story I didn’t even know—

For some reason…

He looked a little sad.