Margaret paused when her gaze locked with Gomsuk's eyes.
Something collapsed soundlessly there—a gaze that flickered out.
It was no longer the look she had seen when her body was still in the middle of the street that afternoon, her knee throbbing painfully, and Gomsuk stared at her as if the world could shatter if she fell slightly harder.
It was no longer the gaze of someone who seemed to know her much longer than the timeline should have allowed.
And it was no longer the gaze from before, vague yet feeling close, containing a subtle urge as if he wanted to pull her into an embrace that was never truly spoken.
Gomsuk's gaze had now transformed into the surface of a lake during winter—silent, dense, flat, as if any color faded the moment it touched it.
When he lowered his head and greeted her earlier, his voice flowed without waves, like a murmur that had lost its ripple. Flat, too flat, to the point that Margaret briefly asked herself whether the man was truly speaking, or just repeating something in his mind.
Margaret slowly diverted her gaze, lowering her face after returning the greetings of Gomsuk, Namsek, Sehan, Oduun, and Bunhang with a small, polite nod.
Her inner self immediately whispered:
"Actually… was what I saw this afternoon truly his worry?"
"Or was it my eyes trying to create hallucinations after the collision?"
"If he was worried, that's normal. But his gaze… it was as if he has known me for a long time."
"And his desire to embrace me—was that just my feeling?"
"Or am I starting to get caught in my own assumptions… a delusion that is slowly making me believe?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head slowly like someone trying to shake off dream fragments from her shoulders. She knew her mind was running toward a direction she shouldn't take—a path too far from reality.
"No way…"
"Margaret, stop it. Don't think too far—you will only make yourself stumble over a hope that isn't yours."
She clenched both her hands tightly—so tight that her knuckles appeared strained. Her fingers locked together, as if she was trying to keep something from breaking from within herself.
Concurrently, her lips were pressed tightly shut, so tight that they looked like a thin line created only because she forced it, not because she truly wanted to be silent.
A silence crept into the hallway like fog suddenly descending without warning—stretching, enveloping every step, then holding every breath as if the air itself was waiting for someone to break the quiet.
Gazes crossed, but no one chose a word.
Frankenstein caught that strange pause.
He took a slow breath and adjusted his glasses—a small movement yet full of precision, like someone organizing his thoughts first before opening a new conversation.
"You all… must be the members who successfully debuted from the NEXT STAR: CATCH YOUR FIVE idol survival program, correct?"
His questioning tone flowed softly, like an opening music deliberately played to ease the stage tension. His smile also appeared—light, polite, and distant.
Gomsuk was still staring at Margaret's face, or more precisely, the side of her face—because the girl was looking away.
His gaze slowly descended, following Margaret's body line until it stopped at her right leg wrapped in thick bandage. He noticed the subtle tremor emerging there, so small yet clear enough to make his chest tighten. It must still hurt, he thought.
He even almost took a step, moving closer or simply asking if she was okay—though he himself wasn't sure if Margaret would answer him.
But Frankenstein's voice suddenly broke the silence.
Gomsuk flinched slightly, as if he just remembered that Margaret wasn't the only person in the hallway.
"Hello."
His body bowed slightly, giving a simple yet meaningful salute. The others followed.
"That is correct, Sir…"
His sentence hung in the air, cut off just like that.
His lips opened again but closed immediately, because he realized—he had never known the name of the neatly dressed man standing before them.
Frankenstein chuckled.
The laughter that escaped was not meant to mock, but rather a sign that he caught Gomsuk's confusion in a warm manner, like someone who found a small innocence on another's face and was amused by it.
He stepped forward, then stopped at a distance that gave them room to breathe. His gaze traced each face before him, as if he was observing a constellation he had just discovered in the night sky.
His smile—thin, friendly, warming—hung at the corner of his lips, as if it had become his other way of speaking, a method used to relieve tension without having to say anything at all.
"We ran into each other at the hospital earlier, didn't we? When I was running in a panic… our eyes met for a moment, before I finally rushed into Margaret's room."
He delivered the sentence softly, as if touching water and creating a small wave to bring that memory back to the surface of their recollection.
Frankenstein tilted his head slightly, a movement that made his hair follow the direction of his body. Both his hands slipped into his trousers pockets, yet the smile remained—as if refusing to move from its place.
"I should have greeted you first, or at least given a brief nod."
"But… when it concerns a patient, a doctor working professionally wouldn't do that, would they? Especially if that patient is someone he has cherished since childhood."
His gaze touched Margaret behind his back, only for a moment, before returning to look at them.
"I truly apologize for that."
His exhale was audible, light like a small burden placed momentarily on a table before it was lifted again.
"I genuinely sympathize with what happened to you all."
"But you don't need to worry too much. Victor Hyung won't let you sink and be forgotten just because of an issue like this."
"He isn't the type of person who easily lets go of someone with potential as great as yours. He always holds onto principles that make people believe he is an ideal leader for anyone working with him. And I am certain… he wants you to be part of those people."
Every word that came from his lips sounded gentle, almost calming, as if trying to suppress their anxiety. His voice carried a sincerity that couldn't be faked—a voice that seemed to come from the core of his heart, not just mere words.
"You all must be confused too, right?"
He raised his hand, pulling it out of his pocket, then directed it straight towards Gomsuk.
"Frankenstein Van Marriote. CEO of Bohanesa IV Jakarta Hospital. Junior and friend to Victor Visclonew of ASpire Entertainment. I am a doctor, an older brother, and Margaret's beloved fiancé."
The tone was slightly more playful, flowing jocularly yet still polite.
His smile widened, forming a sweet curve that made his eyes narrow, resembling a calm and peaceful crescent moon line.