Luo An had never seen Chu Jin like this before.
The man lay on the hospital bed, several tubes inserted into his nose and mouth. Beside him stood cold medical equipment displaying Chu Jin’s various vital signs, emitting a soft hum as it operated. Under the yellowish light, Chu Jin appeared as lifeless and fragile as a brittle sheet of paper left out for too long.
“Chu Jin,” Luo An gently pushed open the door just like he had for the past few days. He pulled up a chair next to Chu Jin’s bed and sat down. “Are you feeling any better today?”
Of course, the comatose Chu Jin gave no response.
Luo An continued speaking, “Oh, I went to see Uncle Chu today.”
“It got colder a few days ago, and Uncle Chu caught a bit of a cold. But don’t worry, he’s in good health overall, so it’s nothing serious.”
Chu Jin was the only child in the Chu family, yet his parents had never stood in the way of his choices.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu weren’t without their doubts. After all, they were just ordinary parents, watching their son repeatedly put himself in danger. How could they not worry?
But Chu Jin had told them that Luo An was his beloved.
Chu Jin had said, “Dad, I love Luo An.”
“I can’t stand by and watch someone else take Luo An’s place. I remember him, so I have to find him.”
“I don’t know where Luo An is, but he’s always been talkative. He must be so lonely wandering the world alone.”
“Dad, Mom, I don’t want Luo An to be all alone. He’ll be sad.”
“I have to remember him. I have to find him.”
He would search through a thousand mountains and rivers, brave a thousand dangers to seek him out.
One obstacle after another, he’d overcome them all. If he couldn’t find him in one day, he’d search for ten. If he couldn’t find him in one year, he’d search for ten.
In four years, Chu Jin had visited countless haunted houses.
He wasn’t afraid of ghosts; he just wanted to ask for directions.
To ask where his An’an might be.
Over these four years, the Luo family had come to treat Mr. and Mrs. Chu as their own.
When Mr. Chu fell ill this time, all four Luo children had gone to look after him.
Mr. Chu knew of Chu Jin’s choice and his nearly fatal final gambit. The gray-haired old man held Luo An’s hand for a long time, as if he had a thousand things to say. In the end, it all boiled down to one sentence.
Mr. Chu said, “It’s good that you’re back.”
This was the young man his son had nearly given his life to bring back. How could he blame him?
After Mr. Chu fell asleep, Luo An returned to the Luo family home. Naturally, he went to the old residence. Since waking up in his own body, Luo An had been constantly by Chu Jin’s side.
Luo An had heard bits and pieces from Mrs. Luo about all that Chu Jin had done for him.
Luo An couldn’t fathom how someone as foolish as Chu Jin could exist in this world, repeatedly throwing himself like a moth to the flame into a task that seemed utterly hopeless.
Without concern for cost or consequence.
“Chu Jin.” Luo An softly called Chu Jin’s name, his warm palm touching Chu Jin’s cold hand.
Sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a square outline on the floor. Luo An stood at the boundary between light and shadow, reaching out to hold Chu Jin’s hand for the first time.
Luo An didn’t expect a response from Chu Jin. Over these past few days, Luo An had been thinking a lot.
From the smallest moments when he and Chu Jin had brushed past each other, to that near-falling out when they parted ways in college.
It was true that Chu Jin had intercepted the love letter Luo An had written to others. But that letter… Luo An had never actually intended to give it to anyone else.
Luo An didn’t know when he had started to like Chu Jin. Somehow… he had just fallen for him inexplicably. But Chu Jin probably didn’t like him back, right? Someone as outstanding as Chu Jin, while he himself only caused trouble.
But causing trouble was the only way he could talk to Chu Jin.
After entering university, Chu Jin became even more outstanding. Every few days, confessions to Chu Jin would appear on the confession wall. Luo An never said anything, but inside, he was terribly jealous.
Luo An could barely remember the name of the boy who had started hanging around him back then, but he did remember Chu Jin’s sour expression every time that boy was with him.
Could it be that Chu Jin… liked that boy? Luo An thought glumly.
Did Chu Jin prefer guys who couldn’t open bottle caps? Luo An felt even more bitter. He glanced at the thin layer of muscle he’d developed from practicing martial arts, then at the cola bottle he could easily twist open. His expression soured.
The crucial point was that Chu Jin had come to confront him. Was he trying to intimidate him?
Feeling uncomfortable, Luo An’s words came out sharp. “Why are you blocking my way?”
…
Back in the present, Luo An’s gaze were unfocused. So what exactly did Chu Jin mean? Did he like him? Or hate him?
Lost in thought, Luo An’s fingertips gently stroked the back of Chu Jin’s hand.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the cold machine let out a “beep”. Luo An’s movements abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed intently on the motionless figure on the bed.
“…Chu Jin?”
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
This time, Luo An received no answer. It seemed that earlier “beep” had just been his imagination.
But Luo An didn’t believe that.
“Doctor—Doctor—” Luo An rushed out into the hallway, colliding with the doctor who had come running at the sound of his voice.
“Doctor, just now the line on that machine showed movement!”
The doctor was specially hired by the Luo family. The lead doctor was experienced, but he had never seen a patient as strange as Chu Jin.
The doctor still remembered when he first saw Chu Jin; the man’s body was already at its limit. All of Chu Jin’s internal organs had suffered varying degrees of damage. Although he looked normal on the outside, his insides were beyond repair.
The doctor had never seen such symptoms before. After running every possible test on Chu Jin, they still came up empty-handed. It was as if all the organs in Chu Jin’s body had made a pact to suddenly start failing at a certain point in time. They had tried several of the most advanced treatments, but to no avail. Chu Jin’s condition continued to worsen day by day.
Then one day, out of the blue, Chu Jin said he didn’t want treatment anymore.
The doctor, of course, disagreed, but Chu Jin was adamant.
Chu Jin said he had something more urgent to do.
The doctor didn’t know what it was that Chu Jin needed to do. The next time he saw Chu Jin, he was in his current state.
But this time, the doctor also saw a young man. He heard that the young man was from the Luo family—Luo An.
Once, while treating Chu Jin, the doctor had accidentally caught a glimpse of Chu Jin’s phone when it rang. He only remembered that Chu Jin’s lock screen seemed to be a picture of this very young man before him.
Now.
Luo An waited anxiously as the doctor finished his examination.
“Doctor,” Luo An was uncharacteristically nervous, “How is Chu Jin… doing?”
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