The hospital room boiling with anger was instantly filled with a chilling atmosphere.

Both Seungjoo and Sunjin were startled and looked at Jaewon. The expression on Heewon’s face disappeared.

“…But this bastard-.”

It was Sunjin who quickly stepped in front of Heewon, who approached with the force to hit him.

“Team leader, stop it.”

“Move aside.”

“Jaewon is under my jurisdiction. He’s my responsibility.”

Sunjin had been in charge of training, so she insisted that she would talk to him about this issue.

“You want me to just leave that bastard alone after he ignored the team leader’s order?”

“You’re not angry as a team leader right now.”

“……”

“If you’re angry as Jaewon’s elder brother, do that later. I’ll warn him about today.”

Since when did this guy see through me?

Heewon froze for a moment as if his weakness had been exposed, then glared fiercely at his younger brother behind Sunjin, and turned his foot with a sigh.

As if he had no intention of hiding his anger, he left the hospital room with rough steps, and there was an awkward silence for a while in the space where only three people remained.

Sunjin drooped her shoulders as if she was relieved, and Seungjoo ruffled his bangs with a complicated face.

“I’m sorry.”

In the serious atmosphere of the hospital room, Jaewon, who had been bowing his head for a long time, suddenly spoke.

Seungjoo clicked his tongue at the sight of the guy who showed such a docile attitude now, when he had done that in front of his brother earlier.

I thought he was gentle, but he’s quite stubborn.

I thought he was endlessly afraid of Heewon, but he was a guy who would say what he wanted to say even if he died right away.

Seungjoo, who thought that they were brothers for a reason, shrugged his shoulders and signaled to Sunjin that he would leave now.

As she had said earlier, Sunjin was in charge of Jaewon’s education, and he thought it would not be good to add words to the guy who would already be dejected.

Seungjoo left the hospital room with fluttering steps, and soon Jaewon was at a loss when he was left alone with Sunjin.

Sunjin entered his wandering gaze, not knowing what to say.

She sat on the edge of the bed where Jaewon was lying with his upper body raised.

Jaewon’s cheeks turned a little red at the suddenly close distance, but the one who sat down didn’t notice.

Leaning on the bed with her arms stretched out like pillars behind her, Sunjin looked up at the void and spoke.

“Be grateful to me. If I hadn’t stopped our team leader earlier, you would have had to lie in that bed for 3 more weeks.”

Although he hated to admit it, both Seungjoo and Sunjin were no match for Heewon in a fight.

Seeing that even Sunjin, who had a special ability, lost, talent was really important in fighting.

Jaewon, who quickly acknowledged Sunjin’s words, meekly nodded and replied.

“…Thank you. If it weren’t for you senior, I would have really been killed by my brother.”

Actually, I thought I was going to die of fear earlier.

His whimpering attitude is definitely that of a child now.

Sunjin laughed, wondering if he was the same person who had stood his head high and answered Heewon earlier.

“If you’re so scared, why did you talk back?”

“…I really didn’t want to play hero.”

Jaewon hesitated for a moment as if protesting his injustice, and then opened his mouth.

I, I just…

“I thought that if someone had to die there, it should be me.”

“……”

“I was the closest to that person. So my body just moved first……”

Jaewon, who stopped talking and closed his mouth, bowed his head deeply like a dejected child.

Sunjin closed her eyes after hearing Jaewon’s story.

…Was this how Naeun felt when she looked at us?

Sunjin, who belatedly felt her friend’s position indirectly, couldn’t erase the bitter feeling.

And she understood Seo Heewon, who was angrier than before, more, although she hated it.

If she or Seungjoo had done something similar, he wouldn’t have been this angry.

No matter how much of a psychopath, no matter how cold-blooded, in the end, he was an elder brother with a younger sibling.

“Was I wrong?”

To that question, asked because he really didn’t know and wanted to know the answer, Sunjin was about to say that she didn’t know yet either, but closed her mouth.

Suddenly, she imagined what her friend Naeun would have said at a moment like this.

“…You weren’t wrong.”

She first acknowledged Jaewon’s choice.

His action of trying to sacrifice himself and save others earlier was clearly noble.

As a hero, maybe Jaewon would be more suitable than Seo Heewon. But she continued.

“But Jaewon.”

At the voice calling his name kindly, Jaewon raised his head.

Sunjin’s white face, which was warmly embracing and slowly patting his shoulder, came into full view.

“Sacrificing yourself to save others is not something anyone can do. Some will praise it as a great thing. It is great. But……”

She said with a slightly sad face.

“Apologize to Seo Heewon.”

“……”

“And to me too.”

To Seungjoo too, and to Naeun.

At least to those who cherish you, say you’re a little sorry.

“If we don’t become comrades, protect yourself a little at least for your parents’ sake.”

“……”

“You’re as precious to someone as the one you saved today.”

Jaewon’s eyes widened when he heard Sunjin’s words.

He was agitated as if he had heard something he never thought of, and then bit his lip.

How long had he been like that? After a long time, like a child who realized his mistake, Jaewon confessed while sobbing.

“I was wrong.”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

“…Say that when the team leader comes later.”

Sorry for making you worry.

When Sunjin spoke soothingly, Jaewon quickly nodded his head obediently.

He wiped the moisture in his eyes with the back of his hand, not knowing what to do, feeling sorry for the harsh words he had said to his brother earlier.

No matter what, I shouldn’t have brought up Naeun noona…

Sunjin, who was looking down at Jaewon regretting alone, turned her gaze.

She recalled the chilling light in Heewon’s eyes, who was unable to answer his brother’s question earlier and was just angry.

Her heart became more and more complicated.

Naeun, relieved by Jaewon’s polite contact, drooped her shoulders and hands holding her cell phone.

She only sent a messenger instead of calling because she thought he would be busy, but seeing the reply that came back faster than expected, she was relieved that he really seemed to be okay.

While moving her fingers to reply, Naeun flinched at the messenger that followed from Jaewon.

It was two days after the day of the terrorist incident.

Jaewon, who roughly knew the story of how his brother came to be in charge of her personal security, seemed to have doubts about Naeun’s text full of worries as if she didn’t know his condition at all.

He was with you all the time, but he didn’t tell you about me? Even though he knew you would be worried if I was hurt? It was Jaewon’s innocent thought that he believed his brother had no reason to do that to Naeun, no matter how angry he was at him, his younger brother.

Meanwhile, Naeun, who became a little disturbed after receiving the text, sent a reply with a vague content and put her cell phone in her bag.

The outside window she looked up at indicated that it had already become late at night.

These days, Naeun’s schedule was simpler than ever.

Although she had a lot of free time due to the vacation, she, who never wasted time, didn’t make any other schedules except for tutoring and personal study.

She thought about going to the academy she had planned to build her specs, but decided to postpone it.

Because she didn’t want to give more work to someone who would be busy because of her anyway.

The more complicated her daily schedule or movements became, the more the one protecting her had to move around as well.

Naeun didn’t want to cause more trouble.

Let’s do the rest of the studying at home.

Naeun, who checked the clock and saw that it was close to 10 p.m., packed her things obediently.

The study cafe she was sitting in was a place that operated until very late, but Naeun chose to go home early.

Laptop, tablet, books, workbooks, writing tools.

After putting everything that had been piled up on the table into her bag and checking even the hair tie in the pencil case, Naeun put on her bag.

Naeun, who opened the door of the cafe and came out, looked around out of habit.

She had brought her car, but just in case.

However, as expected, on the street with no one, she made a newly awkward expression again.

The way home that she had been naturally together with since some time.

Heewon, who naturally stood in front of her when she finished work and came out, was no longer there.

That doesn’t mean he gave up on guarding. He was still protecting her.

It’s just that it went back to the past where he guarded her from a place out of sight.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t completely a thing of the past.

Seo Heewon was not originally a person who openly stayed by her side to guard.

When Naeun walked alone on a dark street at night, he would hide his presence around and not show himself unless something happened.

Sometimes when she acted up and looked for him, he would appear with a sigh and tell her, “Don’t mind whether I’m here or not.”

Looking back, it had returned to Heewon’s original way of guarding, and rather, there was nothing strange about this situation.

However, Naeun, who thought she had somehow become close to Heewon and relied on him a lot emotionally, became a little dejected.

She was somewhat disappointed by Heewon’s attitude of trying to distance himself from her like this since that day.

Is he angry with me? Even if a situation arose where they had to meet and talk inevitably, Heewon treated her with a much stiffer attitude than before.

He didn’t open his mouth except for important matters, and he didn’t even play the absurd jokes like before.

At a glance, he really looked like a professional bodyguard.

One who has no personal relationship with the client.

Naeun, who walked to the parking lot with a slightly tired step, thought as she got into the driver’s seat of the car.

Is it because we did that once? No matter how much she thought about it, Heewon’s attitude that had changed since that day made her think that way.

‘…Does he regret it?’