The Impact of the Author’s Intervention on a Blank Page - Chapter 44

And it was… his brother. Ja-hyun carefully turned his head to look at his brother’s face. It really was him. His brother was sleeping beside him, even holding his waist over the blanket. Once he realized it, it hit him strongly. He probably hadn’t noticed until now because he was half-asleep.

Brother? Why? Could his memories have returned already? Don’t the media often show situations where lost memories return after experiencing shock? Though he wasn’t sure if that could happen in reality, his brother’s penalty wasn’t a normal case either.

That would be nice.

Still lying down, Ja-hyun moved only his eyes to survey his surroundings. He had felt something unfamiliar – this wasn’t his room where he had been staying since coming here. Where was this? Could it be his brother’s room? Rolling his eyes around, he saw a spacious, austere room. In the dimness, perhaps deliberately lowered, Ja-hyun looked at his brother’s face before closing his eyes again.

And he just killed time like that. Though he wasn’t sure of the situation, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t bad listening to his brother’s deep sleeping breaths and feeling his faint warmth while lying together. Ridiculously, he even thought he wanted to stay like this for days.

After some time passed, he heard his brother stirring awake beside him. His brother withdrew his arm and left the bed with casual movements.

His brother moved with quiet, static noises. He heard the curtains being drawn. He felt sunlight pouring in beyond his closed eyes. The distinctive sound of foam cushions compressing as someone sat on the sofa.

After maintaining silence for a moment, he heard his brother calling his name.

“Raijin.”

The temporary name, that is. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed. Ja-hyun quietly opened his eyes and searched for his brother. As expected, his brother was sitting on a single-person sofa near the window, looking this way obliquely.

Their eyes met, and his brother’s eyes narrowed, half-hidden. His brother’s face wasn’t as bad as he had expected. He had thought there would be fatigue mixed with suppressed anger, but there wasn’t. Though cool, not much fatigue showed through.

…Was he alright?

“Brother.”

Though his voice was hoarse, it came out without much difficulty. Considering how completely wretched his state had been when he fainted, well, this condition was relatively fine.

“……”

The silence was heavy. Ah, this was maddening…. Setting aside his brother sleeping while holding him, he felt tense thinking about the severe scolding that was surely coming.

His brother sighed and raised his hand to brush his forehead. Clear bite marks bruised the edge of his hand, which had been hidden until now. Seeing those marks, he recalled his brother forcing his hand between his clenched teeth.

Ja-hyun decided to apologize first. Better to take the beating early, they say. It would be better to apologize quickly.

“I’m sorry.”

But nothing particularly came to mind except words of apology.

“I just wanted to look around the area and went into an empty room… I think I inhaled some dust and coughed too much.”

He spoke as if it had been just a temporary problem to calm his brother’s anger. The lie came out without even trying to make it convincing.

After speaking, he belatedly worried about the prince. That bastard should be fine, right?

While speaking, Ja-hyun carefully rolled his eyes to examine his brother’s face. It was frustrating that he couldn’t see his brother’s face well in the darkness. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly inside his ribcage.

‘I’m so nervous I could die….’

His brother, who had been quiet all along, took a long breath and finally spoke.

“I told you to stay quietly in your room.”

“……”

“And you disobeyed twice….”

From his brother’s words, it seemed he hadn’t caught on about the prince.

“You even sent away the attendant as you pleased.”

Ah, he had caught that.

“I wonder what my brother lacks that makes him not listen. Are you unhappy that I’m keeping you from going out because you’re sick?”

“No…. That’s not it.”

He looked at his brother while saying this. His brother’s complexion looked quite good, so he didn’t seem angry. But that aspect was even more frightening. At least it meant he wasn’t acting rashly out of anger.

“If you had complaints, you could have told me.”

Ha, what should he do about this? Even if his brother decided to confine him somewhere deeper than his previous room, he had no way to stop it.

“From now on….”

From now on? Ja-hyun waited for the rest of his brother’s words, extremely tense.

“You’ll be staying with me in my room. Since leaving you alone resulted in you dragging that body around as you pleased, I’ll have to keep you where I can see you.”

…Huh?

“Pardon?”

Ja-hyun looked at his brother, doubting if he had heard correctly, but his brother’s words weren’t taken back.

Staying together with his brother in his brother’s room? They would sleep together too? Like earlier? He would be by his side even when his brother worked? Eat together too? Sometimes his brother would hold him while sleeping like earlier?

It’s g-good, but. It’s good… It’s good, but… He became a little afraid.