LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Lee Young-min entered the room just as On Raon clawed and pushed away Seo Ju-won, who displayed abnormal strength while grabbing his arm.
In terms of timing, Lee Young-min should have appeared like a savior to On Raon. However, due to his striking visual, On Raon momentarily thought that he was the Grim Reaper coming to take him away, causing him to almost lose his mind completely.
Immediately after, On Raon realized that Lee Young-min, who exhibited behavior beyond the understanding of a normal person, was, in some ways, worse than the Grim Reaper.
From the moment he entered the room, Lee Young-min seemed to have already noticed that someone was on the brink of being strangled to death. Despite discovering the two, he didn’t appear urgent or surprised.
The tall man even took out his phone from his pocket and snapped a few photos.
‘This bastard?’
On Raon, frowning at the flash that went off in short intervals, felt a surge of anger even though he had somewhat figured out Lee Young-min’s identity.
At that moment, the strange white light that had surrounded Seo Ju-won’s pupils faded slightly.
Simultaneously, the grip on his neck loosened a bit.
Taking the chance, On Raon barely managed to inhale some air but was too weakened to completely push Seo Ju-won away.
In the end, On Raon lost consciousness just as Seo Moon-gyeol, feeling an inexplicable sense of foreboding, arrived at the dormitory. The two events happened almost simultaneously.
“How…….”
Seo Moon-gyeol, seeing only Lee Young-min’s back in front of the door, tried to ask how he had arrived at the dormitory on the 20th floor faster than him who took the elevator while Lee Young-min had taken the stairs. But he was a beat late in grasping the situation inside the room, causing him to be utterly shocked.
“Ah…!”
By then, Seo Ju-won’s eye color had returned to normal, and he was easily subdued by Seo Moon-gyeol.
Click.
After putting his phone away, Lee Young-min, who had been observing the two, turned on the light by pressing the switch.
Only then did Seo Moon-gyeol realize that the person choking his member was his own brother.
“What on earth is going on…….”
“B-Bro, it wasn’t me. I don’t know anything. Really!”
Seo Ju-won, shaking his head desperately as if he couldn’t believe what he had done, looked quite a mess due to On Raon’s strong resistance.
“Ju-won, just for a moment, quiet….”
Seo Moon-gyeol, almost in a daze from listening to Seo Ju-won’s self-defense in this unbelievable situation, grimaced as if his head hurt and struggled to speak.
Seo Ju-won, seeing his brother’s clearly sharp face, quieted down.
In the midst of the chaotic situation, Lee Young-min, who was checking On Raon’s condition, spoke to Seo Moon-gyeol.
“Raon-ssi will wake up soon.”
“And the hospital…….”
“Even if we visit the hospital later, it’s not severe enough to risk bad publicity by going to the emergency room right now. I will contact the company first, so Mr. Moon-gyeol, please keep an eye on the two of them for a moment.”
After separating the two and confirming that On Raon was breathing safely, Seo Moon-gyeol, feeling his mouth getting dry, asked Lee Young-min, who was about to go outside with his phone.
“You arrived first, so why did you stay still?”
Due to his hollow tone, it sounded more like an interrogation than a question, causing Lee Young-min to stop in his tracks.
“I was too shocked… I apologize.”
Seo Moon-gyeol, who could only see Lee Young-min’s back, accepted the flimsy excuse that would have made On Raon grab him by the collar if he had heard it.
He had enough problems in front of him to worry about.
* * *
“Raon…! Are you alright?”
As I slowly opened my eyes, I realized I was alive because my throat hurt as if several needles were pricking the inside.
“Can you speak? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Although I had often felt like fainting from exhaustion, this was the first time I had actually fainted, and, obviously, I never wanted to experience it again.
‘That bastard…….’
Since my voice wouldn’t come out and I had no strength in my body, I only rolled my eyes instead of trying to sit up.
In the room where I had been fighting for my life just moments ago, there was now only Seo Moon-gyeol, whose complexion had turned pale compared to the last time I saw him.
Seeing my expression as I struggled to sit up, Seo Moon-gyeol seemed to think I was wondering about Seo Ju-won’s whereabouts.
“Ju-won is in the next room with Young-min hyung. I contacted the company a little while ago, so Sang-hyun hyung and the members who were at the practice room will be here soon.”
Judging by the fact that there were still only Seo Ju-won, Lee Young-min, and Seo Moon-gyeol in the dormitory, it seemed I hadn’t been unconscious for long.
My throat, which had been gripped, was in such a severe state that I couldn’t speak properly, and now that the tension had eased, I felt bruises all over my body. I wanted to heal myself immediately with my grace, but I had to endure it since it would look strange to others if I appeared completely fine.
Well, since the pain wasn’t unbearable, it seemed like I could manage.
Anyway, I could heal these minor injuries whenever I wanted, so it was okay for me.
‘How should I handle this…….’
I glanced at Seo Moon-gyeol.
### Chapter 207
#### Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer – Chapter 207
From the outside, my condition seemed quite serious, or perhaps Seo Moon-gyeol was in shock from his brother’s actions; either way, he appeared half-dazed.
‘The fact that Seo Moon-gyeol is here means he saw what Seo Ju-won was doing to me.’
Worried about Seo Moon-gyeol’s mental state, which had never been a concern before, I opened my mouth to comfort him.
“I’m alright.”
The purpose of speaking with some effort was to calm Seo Moon-gyeol by letting him know I was safe.
Was my hoarse voice, which made me worry about whether I could host Music Pang Pang next week, the problem?
“Huh….”
Before I could finish speaking, Seo Moon-gyeol’s face, which had been frozen with seriousness, crumbled like someone whose heart had just been shattered.
“I’m sorry. You must have been so scared. I’m really sorry.”
Watching Seo Moon-gyeol hold back his sorrow as if crying in front of me was another sin, with tears streaming down his cheeks and falling to the floor, I could only stand in awe.
Why was Seo Moon-gyeol apologizing instead of Seo Ju-won?
Strictly speaking, shouldn’t I be the one apologizing for this incident?
It was almost certain that Zero, with his exceptional talent for manipulating people, had caused Seo Ju-won to act this way.
However, I couldn’t give the absurd explanation that Seo Ju-won tried to kill me because he was caught up in the schemes of a supernatural being that wanted to harm me.
“I’m sorry.”
So I also apologized to Seo Moon-gyeol, who was more hurt by this incident than anyone else.
“Why are you sorry?”
It seemed Seo Moon-gyeol couldn’t accept my apology while he was making unnecessary apologies himself. He immediately protested.
Expecting this reaction, I sighed and retorted.
“Then, you shouldn’t apologize either. You’re not someone who needs to apologize. Instead, you’re someone I should thank. Thank you for saving me. Really.”
“Still……”
Seeing Seo Moon-gyeol open his mouth as if he had more to say, I pointed to my neck, which had red marks from Seo Ju-won’s hands and would probably be bruised tomorrow, and said shamelessly as if I had never apologized.
“My throat hurts.”
My intention to stop him from talking by mentioning my throat pain, implying it was unnecessary to argue further, thankfully came across, and Seo Moon-gyeol stopped talking.
Noticing my knee, which had been cut and was bleeding from hitting the furniture during the struggle, he went to find a first aid kit.
Given how much blood there was, it was a fairly noticeable injury that should have been discovered earlier, indicating how distracted Seo Moon-gyeol had been.
Not long after my knee was treated, Kwak Sang-hyun and the others arrived, and they were horrified to see our state.
“Oh my god, did Moon-gyeol cry? What happened? You must have been so scared.”
“This guy was really shocked, so get him some warm water quickly.”
“On Raon, in your condition, who are you taking care of?”
“But I’m fine, it’s just my voice that’s like this……”
“You’re not fine. Stop talking.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t even respond.”
“……”
After treating my visible wounds, I sat down with Director Joo Yeol-eum, who had come to the dorm with Kwak Sang-hyun.
“First of all, it’s a relief that you’re safe. Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow. I know a good place.”
“I’m really fine…….”
Personally, I don’t like hospitals much.
Come to think of it, who in the world likes hospitals anyway?
“It’s not something to stubbornly insist on being fine about. If you just let it go now, you could develop serious aftereffects later. Then it would be too late.”
Most things can be solved with grace unless it’s an instant death.
From a normal person’s perspective, it was a perfectly reasonable statement, so I reluctantly nodded.
“And I heard you decided not to press charges…….”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“From the company’s standpoint, that’s much better, but are you really sure? Since he choked you, it’s clearly attempted murder. If you want to take legal action, we can step in.”
I nodded readily.
“It’s fine. I need to talk to Seo Ju-won separately later, but for now, he’s Moon-gyeol hyung’s family. We haven’t resolved Seong-ha’s issue yet, and if this incident gets out to the media, it will damage the group’s image, no matter how much it’s not our fault.”
Joo Yeol-eum seemed to admire me for setting aside personal grievances and considering the company’s position, but I felt a bit embarrassed saying this.
Firstly, the reason Seo Ju-won did such a thing was almost certainly due to Zero, an enemy of mine from another world.
Secondly, I was planning something that completely contradicted what I had just said.
‘I’m sorry in advance…….’
Unaware of anything, Joo Yeol-eum looked at the various wounds not easily covered by summer clothes and furrowed his brows.
“You must be tired, sorry for calling you. Get some good rest today, and I’ll tell Sang-hyun to make sure you go to the hospital tomorrow.”
“No, thank you for coming all the way here despite being busy.”
Joo Yeol-eum finished by saying Seo Ju-won would be taken to the company to talk with his parents and then left.
After Joo Yeol-eum left, I called out to Lee Young-min, who was in the living room.
“Young-min hyung, can we talk?”