Bring It On! - Chapter 69

Chapter 69.

His face, when he turned back, was a mix of confusion, anger, and embarrassment. Without even glancing at my expression, Jay only tightened the grip on my arm. A sharp sting made me realize it was my turn to respond.

“…Mm. Yeah.”

“……”

Not that it was much of an answer. I knew too. That shameless, messy movement just moments ago had been nothing but a half-asleep mistake. I was just as flustered as Jay, but deep down, I couldn’t deny a faint, ridiculous hope had welled up.

Maybe, unlike his head, his body still remembered me… Maybe, contrary to his insistence that his memories would never return, it wasn’t entirely hopeless… Foolish expectations like that.

But I wasn’t dumb enough to actually say such thoughts out loud. Like Park Jong-hoo said, just look at those eyes. Nothing but trouble. 

If I started getting ahead of myself, I could already guess what reaction I’d get. He’d trample all over it, deny everything with that aggressive streak of his, and crush even the tiniest trace of hope.

Even though I obediently nodded, his grip on my arm didn’t loosen.

“If you’re done talking, can you let go of my arm now?”

When I tugged lightly, his brows furrowed as if he’d seen something unpleasant. It was an irritable reaction.

“What happened today doesn’t mean anything to me.”

His cold tone couldn’t completely hide the confusion bleeding through. It almost sounded like he was trying to explain himself… or maybe trying to convince himself.

“I haven’t slept in days, so I wasn’t in my right mind. I’ll compensate you however you want. Let’s just end it there. If you need further explanation…”

“I told you, I get it.”

“……”

He wasn’t usually one to explain himself, but here he was trying. I repeated myself, but even after I assured him I’d let it slide, Jay didn’t budge. His face, twisted in displeasure, stayed that way, and his grip remained firm.

Was he worried I’d use this as leverage to make some unreasonable demand? But he didn’t seem like the type to bow to blackmail. 

Or maybe his head was still pounding. Haah… At this rate, I’d be stuck here until sunrise. I’d already spent far too much time in Jay’s hospital room. I couldn’t stay like this forever.

“I’m in pain.”

When I glanced at my arm, his grip finally loosened. Before he could let go completely, I slipped my arm free. I rolled up the sleeve of my T-shirt to the shoulder. Sure enough, a vivid red handprint was left behind. Jay’s gaze lingered on it for a long while.

“I’ll tell Director Park. Get some ointment and apply it.”

“It’s nothing. Forget it.”

“Don’t come back later whining with a bruise, just—”

“I don’t need it. But instead…”

I slid my hand beneath his palm. I half-expected him to lash out again, but to my surprise, Jay only flinched, not pulling away. Our palms pressed together.

“If you want to hold me next time, grab my hand. Not my arm.”

His expression grew grave.

“What kind of hand…”

“Is this soft?”

He stared at me in disbelief. I smiled quietly. The man in front of me, at times so unfamiliar it felt like I was meeting him for the first time, would suddenly show glimpses of the Jay I knew. That was why I couldn’t give him up.

“Have I said something like this before?”

Still smiling, I nodded. He hastily yanked his hand back. A faint warmth lingered in my palm like an afterimage.

Just then, the quiet hallway grew restless. Footsteps, several of them, probably medical staff coming to check on Jay. I checked the time and quickly stood.

“I’ll go. Get some rest.”

The moment I opened the door, I nearly bumped into Park Jong-hoo.

“Ms. Woori, you were inside?” he asked, looking startled.

“I, uh… went to the bathroom and came back to grab my phone…” I trailed off.

“The CEO didn’t snap at you again, did he?”

“Well, no… He seemed pretty out of it, just woke up.”

“That’s a relief. Ah, thank you so much today. If you hadn’t helped him earlier—”

“Director Park!”

Jay’s voice cut through from inside the room. Park Jong-hoo hurriedly wrapped up his thanks and rushed back in. Before the door closed, I glimpsed medical staff gathering around Jay’s bed. 

I wanted to see his face one more time, but all I caught was the backs of their heads.

Shaking off lingering regrets, I pulled out my phone. Midnight already. Thinking of Suho waiting for me, I broke into a sprint, only to get scolded by a nurse.

***

3 a.m.

Tap. I checked the time and pressed the hold button on my phone. The dawn air was biting cold. Rubbing my forearm, I glared at the glass terrace door.

Since that day, it’s been a week and Jay still hasn’t shown up.

For the first two days, I understood. Sure, he’d been so unwell he’d collapsed, so he needed to rest. But once his absence stretched into three, four days, all kinds of thoughts started spinning in my head. 

Why did he suddenly vanish, when he used to chain-smoke like a ghost starved of cigarettes? He even forgot the promise he made with me. He said he’d answer my three questions a day.

Is he still sick? Or could it be… he’s deliberately avoiding me? …Because of what happened that day?

The thought suddenly surfaced, but within seconds I brushed it away. Thinking back on Jay’s behavior, he didn’t seem to be consciously avoiding me. At first, sure, he’d gotten flustered because of what he’d done half-asleep, so he talked longer than usual. 

But in the end, hadn’t he returned to his usual prickly self? I could still feel the sensation of him yanking his hand away. It was so vivid it felt like it had happened just yesterday.

Then what’s the reason? Did he change his mind about answering my questions?

Worried, I went near his room once. Park Jong-hoo, looking as gaunt as a dried anchovy, was standing blankly in the hallway. When I greeted him, his hollow eyes flickered.

“Ms. Woori.”

“Jay… he’s not still unwell, right? I haven’t seen him around at dawn these days, so…”

“I’m the one who should be hospitalized. That guy’s always been touchy, but lately he’s like a rabid dog …ahem, never mind. He’s fine.”

His face, however, was anything but fine. As though he’d suddenly lost his filter, he went on ranting about Jay without even breathing, then clamped his mouth shut in a hurry. 

He clearly wasn’t going to say more no matter how I asked, so all I could do was tell him, “Get some rest,” and leave.

From the sound of it, Jay was still ruling over everyone around him with an iron grip. So it’s not like he was completely bedridden. Then why hasn’t he appeared? Did he really change his mind? Is this the end? If only I could meet him face to face, I’d know for sure.

I cast a glance at the empty terrace, then with lingering regret, headed up to Suho’s room. Even after lying down in bed, my thoughts kept chasing one another in circles.

Should I brace myself for rejection and go knock on Jay’s door again? Or should I beg Park Jong-hoo to arrange a meeting somehow?

I fell asleep late, still mulling over ways to meet Jay. And then, the problem was solved in the most anticlimactic, unexpected way.

“Hello?”

—It’s Cha Yoon.

“……”

—I’ll give you a chance.

The voice was so familiar I thought I must be dreaming. I checked my phone screen. It was an unknown number starting with ‘010.’

—Sun Woori.

While I was busy checking the number, he impatiently called my name.

“Ah. Yeah, I’m listening. But… how did you get my number?”

—Let’s talk in person. Come to my room.

Click.

So a call can sound that rude, huh. He just dumped his words on me and hung up.

“Noona! Grade this quick!”

Still dazed, I stared at my phone until Suho tugged at my sleeve, shoving a notebook at me. On the white paper, crooked little words were written from number one to ten. Suho, desperate to score over 80 on dictation so he could go to the playroom, was impatient.

“Ah, okay. Let’s take a look.”

Even as I marked it, I was still rattled. It had been a whole week. And now he contacts me like this, completely on his own terms. But since I’d been yearning for it, I wanted to run straight to Jay’s room. 

Still, I couldn’t just abandon Suho here. I’d finish grading quickly and then go. He hadn’t said when to come anyway, so being a little late shouldn’t matter. I stuffed the phone in my pocket and started grading.

“Wrong, wrong. Too bad, 70 points.”

“No way!”

Suho clutched his head and wailed.

“Let me try again. Last chance! Please, noona… please!”

His whining seemed to grow sharper by the day. But since the condition had only been a pretext to make him study, and I’d intended to let him go to the playroom anyway, I gave in and slipped the ones he’d missed back into a new set of questions.

And that’s when it happened.

Clatter, bang!

With a rough noise, the hospital room door flew open. Both Suho and I turned our heads at once.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

The intruder was none other than Jay. His sharp gaze sliced through the air as he glared at me.

“Didn’t I tell you to come to my room?”

“Well, it’s not like you said when to come.”

“I meant right no—”

“Oh, it’s hyung…”

Thud. The pencil slipped from Suho’s hand.