Projection Novel (Completed) - Chapter 40

Sejin’s summer vacation was peaceful. As the college entrance exam drew nearer, his focus sharpened daily, and his accuracy in guessing the correct answers to unknown problems increased. Cheon Sejoo and Sejin set aside time every weekend to take mock exams, and on days when their scores were good, they sometimes even scored all 6th grades (out of 9, with 1 being the best).

Sejin was hopeless at memorization, but his comprehension was surprisingly high, and thanks to that, his Korean language scores were improving faster than other subjects. His math scores were so bad they’d make you swear, and English, which required a lot of memorization, was still at a beginner’s level, but it wasn’t too bad. Cheon Sejoo wanted to give Sejin high marks for his sheer diligence.

Sejin also seemed to feel a sense of accomplishment not from the visible grades, but from his increasing knowledge. Sometimes, while grading, he would glance at Seju with proud eyes, and each time, Cheon Sejoo struggled to suppress the urge to hug him.

The two spent the summer that way. Every day, they sat opposite each other under the air conditioner, studying, eating meals together, and on weekends, they briefly rested, watched movies, or went for walks. Due to both their stubborn natures, arguments were frequent, but they no longer harbored ill feelings towards each other. Cheon Sejoo felt a deep sense of comfort when he was with Kwon Sejin. It was the first time since that day that he had felt life was peaceful.

However, misfortune arrived from an unexpected place, and their tranquil daily lives could not last beyond the summer.

It was mid-August, Tuesday afternoon, when Cheon Sejoo received a call from Han Jiwon. It was an hour after he had met Kim Hyunkyung in July, and Sejin was diligently making side dishes at home, preparing to meet her again the next day, a month later. Cheon Sejoo, who was sparring with Moon Seonhyuk in his studio building far away from Sejin, heard his phone vibrate and made Seonhyuk stop.

“Just a moment.” 

“Yes.”

Gasping for breath, Cheon Sejoo stepped off the mat and picked up his vibrating phone from the table. Upon checking the name, his brows subtly furrowed. Tuesday afternoon at 3 PM was not a good time to receive a call from Han Jiwon. The last time they had spoken around a similar time, he had received news that Kim Hyunkyung had collapsed.

A creeping sense of unease rose from deep within him. Cheon Sejoo uncapped the water bottle on the table and moistened his throat. It was an instinctive act, born from a desire to receive unwelcome news even a little later. Only after clearing his throat did Cheon Sejoo answer the phone.

“Yes, Manager-nim. What’s the matter—” 

“Director!”

A desperate voice seemed to rip through the speaker. Cheon Sejoo’s face hardened, and he closed his mouth.

“Hyunkyung-ssi collapsed and couldn’t get up. She was moaning in pain, then fainted, and she hasn’t regained consciousness. So we’re putting her in the car and heading to the hospital now, and Sejin should probably come over here too. Hyunkyung-ssi said not to tell Sejin while she was disoriented, but still, I think…”

He couldn’t know why she had collapsed, but her incoherent speech, unlike her usual self, told him that something serious had happened. Cheon Sejoo gestured to Seonhyuk to get his clothes and then replied to her.

“Please text me the hospital name. I’ll bring him over right away. And please tell them to do all examinations immediately, regardless of the cost.” 

“Yes, yes. I’ll send the message. Please come quickly.”

As soon as he hung up with Han Jiwon, a message containing the hospital’s location arrived from her. He checked it and tried calling Sejin, but there was no answer. Cheon Sejoo left him another missed call and changed his clothes. He stripped down to his underwear right there and buttoned his shirt when Seonhyuk approached him with a hardened expression. Cheon Sejoo’s uncharacteristic urgency was evident.

“What’s the matter?” 

“Sejin’s mother seems to have collapsed. I need to go.”

At the unfamiliar expression, Moon Seonhyuk’s eyes widened in incomprehension. Then, realizing it referred to Sejin’s mother, he subtly frowned. They were supposed to have dinner together as a team that evening. It was rare for Cheon Sejoo to join them, and he couldn’t understand him leaving without a word about dinner.

“Then dinner…” 

“Ah.”

As Seonhyuk began to speak, Cheon Sejoo, who was quickly putting on his jacket, closed and opened his eyes as if just remembering. A look of distress crossed his face. But there was no other choice. Cheon Sejoo immediately told Moon Seonhyuk,

“I’ll pass this time. You guys go eat something delicious. You know where my card is, right?” 

“…Yes.”

Seonhyuk bowed his head, his face expressionless and rigid. However, Cheon Sejoo, not noticing the change, patted his shoulder and left quickly. Seonhyuk raised his voice to his receding back.

“Call me if there’s anything you need.” 

“Okay. Good work.”

Cheon Sejoo waved to him, opened the door, and went down the stairs. He gave a rough wave to Haeung, who was going to the fourth floor for a nap, and came down to the first floor. He then noticed a call coming in belatedly from Sejin and headed for his car.

“Kwon Sejin.” 

“- Yeah. You called?”

His voice was calm, unlike Han Jiwon’s. Cheon Sejoo frowned and forced himself to ask casually,

“Yeah… What are you doing?”

He couldn’t just blurt out that his mother had collapsed. Given Kwon Sejin’s personality, he would undoubtedly panic and worry upon hearing that, so it seemed better to tell him right before they arrived at the hospital, if possible. At his seemingly languid voice, Sejin was briefly flustered, then whispered in a small voice a moment later,

“- I’m making side dishes for my lunchbox… Are you coming home? Do you want to eat?” 

“Yeah. Are you almost done? I’m on my way home now, so get ready and come down. I have somewhere to go and want you to come with me.” 

“- I think I’ll be done in 10 minutes… Why all of a sudden? Where are we going?” 

“Where are we going, you ask?”

He couldn’t think of an immediate excuse. Cheon Sejoo nervously drummed on the steering wheel, pondering, and finally came up with a suitable lie.

“Someone I know is renting out an officetel and asked if I knew anyone. I asked if they’d lower the rent if I introduced someone, and they said yes, so I thought you might want to go take a look if you’re interested.” 

“- Why go now? I’m going to the military right after I turn twenty, and then I’ll look for a place. What’s the point of looking now? It’s more than two years away until I move in.”

Wrong. It was not suitable at all. Cheon Sejoo clicked his tongue inwardly and opened his mouth. It was obvious that Sejin would find it strange if he made up another excuse now, so he had no choice but to use forced logic to pull Sejin out.

“That’s precisely why you should look now. When you come out of the military, it’ll be about two years, and it’ll be bothersome to look for a place then. This person also looks for tenants every two years, so if you like it now, I can just tell them to vacate the room in two years, right? They’d probably welcome you moving in and living there happily ever after with your mom. You don’t like it?” 

“…”

Perhaps the added words sounded plausible, as Sejin seemed to be contemplating. Cheon Sejoo stepped on the accelerator roughly, heading home, and said,

“The landlord is a close friend of mine. They’re just investing, so they don’t mind getting a little less rent, so I’ll introduce you. It’s on a high floor and gets a lot of sunlight. It should be quiet.” 

“…Okay. When will you arrive? Should I go down now?” 

“No, come out to the plaza in front of the building in 10 minutes.” 

“Okay. See you later.”

“Yeah.”

Fortunately, Sejin didn’t suspect him. He was bothered by the fact that he had used “home” as an excuse to pull him out, but it was better than immediately delivering the news that Kim Hyunkyung had collapsed. Cheon Sejoo let out a deep sigh, hung up the phone, and checked Han Jiwon’s message. It seemed to be the largest hospital near Ihwagak, but it was a place he had never heard of before.

He set the hospital as his destination on the navigation and drove towards home. He arrived 10 minutes earlier than usual and met Sejin below the apartment complex.

Sejin, dressed lightly in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, had now put on some weight. With a physique similar in height to Cheon Sejoo but seemingly larger, Sejin sat in the passenger seat and increased the air conditioner’s fan speed, asking,

“But do we have to go this urgently? Is today the only time available?” 

“…Yeah. The current resident is busy, so this is the only time they have. Buckle up.”

His tone came out a little stiff due to the lie. At Cheon Sejoo’s reply, Sejin glanced at him and nodded.

“Okay…”

As soon as he buckled his seatbelt, Cheon Sejoo immediately pressed the accelerator. However, since the hospital was near Ihwagak, they had no choice but to take the same route Sejin knew, and Sejin, who was good at finding directions, quickly noticed this. He had been cooling his flushed cheeks in the cool breeze when he turned to Cheon Sejoo and asked,

“Is the officetel not in Seoul?” 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“……”

At his ambiguous reply, Sejin narrowed his eyes. He checked the navigation’s destination, which was set to a similar distance as Ihwagak, and tilted his head. Then, Sejin reached out and zoomed out the map to see where they were headed.

“Is it a building near the hospital? It’s close to Ihwagak.” 

“……” 

“But this place is too remote. There aren’t many suitable places to work here either.”

Sejin grumbled in a sulky voice. He should have responded to the conversation, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer normally. Cheon Sejoo, feeling uncomfortable, vaguely mumbled, “Is that so?” and it was only natural for Sejin to notice the strangeness of his behavior.

“Why is your answer like that?” 

“…What?” 

“……”

Kwon Sejin was very interested in Cheon Sejoo. Sejin knew more about him than he thought.

At Cheon Sejoo’s uncharacteristically blunt and quiet demeanor, Sejin felt uneasy and looked at him. His cat-like eyes scrutinized Cheon Sejoo from head to toe. When Sejin noticed small beads of sweat forming on his nape, he closed his mouth.

His keen gaze returned to the navigation map. Sejin idly mulled over the hospital’s location, then asked in a subdued voice,

“Is Mom sick?” 

“Ha…”

He couldn’t hide it. He wasn’t usually bad at maintaining a poker face, but the thought that it was Sejin’s only family member who was sick made it impossible for him to remain silent. He took one hand off the steering wheel and ran it over his face. Taking advantage of the red light, he looked at Sejin.

Sejin, reflected in his sunken eyes, looked like a complete man, unlike when they first met. He had grown over 10 centimeters taller, his shoulders were broader than his own, and his small hands were now large enough to completely cover his.

Yet, in Cheon Sejoo’s eyes, Sejin still looked like a child. He looked like the little kid who had pleaded and cried because he missed his mother.

His chest churned. He thought it wouldn’t be anything serious, that it might just be heatstroke since the day was hot, but the casually passing thoughts now brought a wave of “what if” doubts. Cheon Sejoo swallowed a faint sigh and opened his mouth, explaining to him in a quiet voice,

“Listen without getting startled. I received a call saying your mom collapsed. She hasn’t regained consciousness, so they took her to the hospital, and we’re on our way there now.” 

“……”

Sejin held his breath and stared at Cheon Sejoo. His clear eyes were faintly trembling.

“Why… Why did she collapse?”

His repeated question came out weakly. Cheon Sejoo pulled the car over to the side of the road and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Then, with a voice he tried hard to make sound normal, he explained to him,

“I don’t know the reason either. But they said she was in pain, moaning, and then fainted after collapsing. Your mom told them not to contact you, but I thought you should know, so I called you. I thought it was right for us to go together.” 

“……”

Sejin blinked blankly, then instantly closed his mouth and let out a deep breath. Silence filled the car. Sejin closed his eyes for a moment as if organizing his thoughts, then opened them and looked at Cheon Sejoo, giving a faint smile.

“You really scared me. Mom often collapses in the summer. She has orthostatic hypotension, so she gets dizzy and faints while working standing up. I’ve seen it a few times. It must be that again this time. She probably hurt herself when she fell. I know her.” 

“…Yeah.” 

“Don’t lower your voice. It just makes it sound serious for no reason.”

Sejin chided him in a sulky voice. His stomach churned. Cheon Sejoo tried to swallow his words, frowned, and then smiled. “Sorry,” he apologized, reached out to pat his head, and then started the car again.

The road wasn’t congested, as it was a little earlier than usual. The two soon arrived at Gyeonggi Sarang Hospital near Ihwagak. He had a premonition when he saw the name, but the hospital they arrived at wasn’t very large. Since Ihwagak was located in the mountains of Gyeonggi Province, the nearby towns didn’t have a very large population, which inevitably meant the hospital had to be small.

Cheon Sejoo parked the car and took Sejin to the emergency room. On the way, he called Han Jiwon, and hearing that she would come out, he waited in front of the emergency room.

“Sejin-ah, Director.”

Han Jiwon appeared from inside the emergency room, her face pale, and greeted them. Han Jiwon was dressed in a light T-shirt and shorts, and considering her usual perfect attire, it was clear how quickly she had come out. Sejin greeted her and immediately asked about Kim Hyunkyung’s whereabouts.

“Hello. Where’s Mom?” 

“Ah, Hyunkyung-ssi is in bed number 2 over there. She’s currently getting an IV and sleeping. Do you want to go in, Sejin?” 

“…Yes.”

Sejin bowed politely, passed Han Jiwon, and entered the emergency room. Unlike just a moment ago when he laughed about worrying for nothing, his steps were urgent. Cheon Sejoo realized that Sejin had been suppressing his anxiety. As he watched Sejin’s retreating back, Han Jiwon’s voice came from in front of him.

“You came early.” 

“Yes, the traffic wasn’t bad…”

As Cheon Sejoo replied, he suddenly sensed something amiss and turned his gaze. Her eyes, standing next to him, were moist. As Sejin disappeared, she seemed to relax, and even the deep sigh she let out seemed to tremble faintly. His turbulent chest chilled. The words she then uttered in a choked voice completely turned Cheon Sejoo’s stomach.

“The painkiller didn’t work… So we administered morphine.”

It was rare to use morphine for ordinary pain. No insane doctor would recklessly administer narcotic painkillers to a patient whose symptoms were not properly understood. The fact that morphine was administered meant that Kim Hyunkyung’s condition was bad enough to warrant it. It meant she was in so much pain that ordinary painkillers couldn’t alleviate it.

As Cheon Sejoo stood speechless in shock, Han Jiwon wiped her eyes and mumbled,

“The hospital said they can’t do tests today. So we couldn’t even do an ultrasound, and they just gave her painkillers to make her sleep. But Director Chun, my father passed away from cancer.”

Her voice became increasingly mixed with sobs. It seemed difficult for her to hold back tears, and in the end, Han Jiwon roughly wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks and continued,

“He had annual health check-ups, but they couldn’t find it, and we only found out when it was already stage 4. But chemotherapy was useless, and he eventually died from cancer… Hyunkyung-ssi’s pain looks exactly like he did back then…” 

“It won’t be.”

Cheon Sejoo spoke with difficulty. “That can’t be.”

At his firm voice, Han Jiwon’s eyes widened, and she looked up at him. She couldn’t describe how shocked she was when Kim Hyunkyung collapsed, reminding her of the past. When morphine was finally administered, her father’s image came to mind, and she couldn’t calm down easily.

In that situation, Cheon Sejoo’s assertion brought her indescribable stability. Seeing his resolute expression, which seemed as if it would never waver, made her realize she had worried excessively. Han Jiwon placed a hand on her chest and let out a quiet sigh.

Then, as if she had said something unnecessary, she wiped her face and nodded vigorously.

“You’re right, it won’t be. It can’t be. I said something unnecessary.”

Han Jiwon smiled awkwardly and continued to speak. “It must just be heatstroke. Today was unusually hot, wasn’t it?” As she kept making excuses, Cheon Sejoo silently nodded to her.

After a long while, when Han Jiwon calmed down, she excused herself to call Ihwagak. Only then did Cheon Sejoo go to find the doctor to hear about her exact condition.

It was not very common for an emergency room patient to be seen by an emergency medicine professor. It was easier to assume that those who handled numerous patients were mostly interns or residents who had just graduated from college. The doctor who examined Kim Hyunkyung was no different. The young-faced doctor looked to be in her mid-twenties at most.

“I’m the guardian of patient Kim Hyunkyung, bed number 2. I’d like to hear about the patient’s condition.”

When Cheon Sejoo appeared, the doctor, who had been looking at her pager with a tired face, looked up in surprise. Her eyes widened as if she had suddenly woken up, staring at Cheon Sejoo, then belatedly understood what he had said and rummaged through the chart.

“Ah, yes. Just a moment. Number 2. Ah… The one who received morphine earlier.” 

“Yes. I heard tests haven’t been done yet. When will they be possible? She seems to be experiencing abdominal pain. Have you palpated her?” 

“Huh? Yes. I, I did, but…”

At the somewhat unusual question, she stammered with a flustered expression. Then, she cleared her throat and explained,

“She was in such severe pain that communication was impossible, and palpation didn’t reveal anything. You’ll need an ultrasound, but our hospital doesn’t do tests every day…” 

“Are you saying an ultrasound isn’t possible today? Or CT and MRI?” 

“Yes…”

“Ha,” a short sigh escaped him. It seemed the hospital was small and didn’t operate its testing rooms daily. Should he consider himself lucky that they even had an emergency room? Cheon Sejoo nodded with a feeling of futility and turned around. His gaze fell on bed number 2, where Kim Hyunkyung lay. The moment he imagined Kim Hyunkyung sleeping inside, the curtain was pulled back, and Sejin walked out.

His expression didn’t seem too bad. This was probably possible because he arrived after she had fallen asleep and hadn’t seen how much Kim Hyunkyung was suffering. Cheon Sejoo considered explaining the morphine to Sejin, then closed his mouth. He didn’t want to bring him anxiety with his own words.

“What did the doctor say?” 

“…We should try another hospital. The hospital is old, so proper examinations are difficult.”

At Cheon Sejoo’s words, Sejin frowned. He looked around, confirmed the condition of the building, which looked at least 40 years old, then nodded discontentedly.

“How should we go…? Should we wait for Mom to wake up and take the car together?”

For Kim Hyunkyung, it would probably be better to administer more painkillers before she woke up. It was better for Sejin not to see his mother in such pain that she couldn’t regain consciousness. And somehow, thinking that Kim Hyunkyung would also wish for that, Cheon Sejoo placed a hand on Sejin’s shoulder and explained,

“No, it’d be better to call an ambulance and move her while she’s asleep. I’ll look into it, so you go sit down. Call the nurse immediately if your mom wakes up.” 

“…Okay.”

Sejin replied softly and looked back at Cheon Sejoo before returning to Kim Hyunkyung’s bed. He stared intently at Cheon Sejoo, who stood there with his usual nonchalant expression, then smiled with relief and belatedly went towards her.

After that, Cheon Sejoo first sought out Han Jiwon. She was waiting for a car to pick her up in the emergency room lobby, as she had work to do back at Ihwagak.

“Manager-nim, I’m thinking of moving Kim Hyunkyung-ssi to another hospital. Can we take her right away?” 

“Ah…”

Han Jiwon, who had by now regained her composure, looked troubled. She was only in charge of managing those who came to Ihwagak to work; she didn’t have the authority to make decisions about them. There was a separate person who managed those who came to Ihwagak due to debt.

“According to the rules, she should get examined and then go back right away. I told them tests would be possible tomorrow, so I arranged for her to stay in the hospital until then, but if we want to move her to another hospital, we need to get permission from Director Baek…”

Baek Seonghwan, Shin Gyoyeon’s other subordinate, came to Cheon Sejoo’s mind, and he faintly frowned. His relationship with Baek Seonghwan wasn’t very good. They had clashed significantly when he first came out after receiving training from Seok Yunhyung and was put in charge of the handling team, and since then, they hadn’t seen each other, so there was no time to resolve their animosity.

“Shall I call him? I’m sorry, if I had known this, I wouldn’t have contacted Director Baek at all.” 

“No, you just did what you had to do. Just a moment… I need to think.”

Cheon Sejoo stopped Han Jiwon from picking up her phone, left his seat, and stepped out of the emergency room.

Calling Baek Seonghwan wouldn’t get him any good news. If he talked about moving Kim Hyunkyung to another hospital, Han Jiwon would surely have to mention his name, and if she did, he might be harassed by the creditors for unnecessary interference.

…In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just make sure there was no need to get his permission at all? The reason Baek Seonghwan had the authority to decide Kim Hyunkyung’s whereabouts was because of her husband’s debt to Sinsa Capital. That meant that if the debt was gone, the shackles that bound her would also disappear. Cheon Sejoo quickly concluded and immediately called Kim Donggil. Before the signal even went through, a smooth voice answered.

“- Oh, Hyung-nim. What brings you to call?” 

“You’re at the office, right?”

Kim Donggil would never stop talking if he was given a chance. Ignoring his greeting, Cheon Sejoo immediately got to the point.

“- Yes, is there something you need me to do?” 

“How much debt is left on Kim Hyunkyung’s name, the one transferred to Ihwagak at the end of September last year?” 

“- Huh? Oh, just a moment. September, Ihwagak, Kim Hyunkyung-ssi… Please wait a moment.”

“Eung-cha,” Kim Donggil grunted as he got up, and the sound of a drawer opening could be heard. “Deu-reureuk, deu-reureuk,” he opened the metal drawer and rummaged through something for a long time before finally finding Kim Hyunkyung’s documents.

“- We’ve been dutifully garnishing her salary from Ihwagak, and including the principal and interest… it’s now 57.24 million won remaining. Why are you asking?”

Fifty-seven million won. It wasn’t that big of a sum. Cheon Sejoo assessed the money remaining in his account and opened his mouth.

“Give me the account number. Where should I transfer the repayment?” 

“- Huh?” 

“I said give me the account number, you bastard.” 

“- Uh…”

Kim Donggil seemed flustered and silent for a moment. Then, as if understanding what he was saying, he explained in a difficult voice,

“- Hyung-nim, by principle, members of the organization are not allowed to interfere with debtors… If I get caught doing this, I’m screwed.”

A shitty loan shark company had too many shitty principles. But Cheon Sejoo already knew that Kim Donggil wasn’t adhering to those principles. Han Jonghyun had taken quite a few kids away under the pretense of paying off their debts.

“Is Han Jonghyun above the law? Stop bullshitting and give me the account number.” 

“- Ah, Hyung-nim!”

When Han Jonghyun’s name was explicitly mentioned, Kim Donggil shouted in embarrassment. He knew that if Baek Seonghwan or Chae Beomjun found out about this, Kim Donggil would be severely scolded first, but Cheon Sejoo didn’t care. Above all, what made him act was the certainty that the executives wouldn’t care about the plight of a mere debtor. Therefore, Cheon Sejoo urged him.

“I’m telling you for the fourth time. Give me the repayment account number. If you make me say it one more time, you’re dead.”

At his murderous words, Kim Donggil finally desperately backed down.

“- Ah, Hyung-nim. Just a moment! If you pay it all at once like this, there’s a repayment fee. Let me calculate that first…”

It wasn’t even a bank, yet they were pulling this bullshit about repayment fees. Cheon Sejoo swallowed his irritation and waited. After about a minute, Kim Donggil, who had been tapping on a calculator, said,

“- Including the fee… seventy-two million, eight hundred thirteen thousand, five hundred…” 

“Fuck, you goddamn scamming bastard.”

A fee of fifteen million won. What kind of messed-up system was this? As Cheon Sejoo cursed, Kim Donggil chuckled.

“- It’s not like I want to charge it… Please understand.”

Of course. At the very top of this messed-up system was Shin Gyoyeon. Thinking of the ill-tempered psychopath, Cheon Sejoo roughly ran a hand through his hair. Only after he told Donggil for the fifth time, in a chillingly calm voice, that he knew and to send the account number, did Donggil text him.

Sinsa Kim Donggil Korea Bank, Sinsa Capital Co., Ltd., 551-2938109-121, 72,813,500 won haha 4:32 PM

Cheon Sejoo checked the message and immediately transferred all the money to the account Kim Donggil had given him. Then he called him again.

“When is the report going to Director Baek?” “- The report that the debt’s all paid off? Next week. Why are you asking?” “Still, Kim Hyunkyung doesn’t have to work from now on, right?” “- Hmm, that’s right? Since the debt is all paid off?”

The expected answer came to his confirming question. Baek Seonghwan clearly wouldn’t care much about the fact that one of the many debtors had gained freedom unusually quickly. Now, Kim Hyunkyung could be moved to another hospital.

He had almost used up all the cash he had due to a somewhat impulsive decision, but he had no regrets. In fact, he even felt relieved. The thought of Sejin being happy that Kim Hyunkyung no longer had to work hard brought him peace of mind.

However, on the other hand, it pained him that Sejin had been living separated from his mother due to something that could be resolved with just one phone call. He also felt disgusted with himself for having ignored their misfortune until now, only to belatedly play the role of a savior.

Cheon Sejoo tried hard to calm his churning stomach and lit a cigarette. Then he pulled out his phone again and made a call. This time, it was Ha Yeoreum.

“- Yeah, what’s up?”

Yeoreum answered the phone in a sleepy voice, as if she had been dozing.

“What are you doing? Are you busy?”

“- No, just chilling. Why, is something wrong?”

Cheon Sejoo explained the situation to her, who asked what was wrong. A close person was sick. She needed tests at the hospital, but there was no place available for immediate testing. Could she help? In his words, Yeoreum was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke in a worried voice.

“- Joowon senior is in radiology at the main hospital. There are tons of our classmates there, so if I just call, she can probably get tests right away. But are you sure? Most of the guys went to the military, but Lee Jeongoh is still there.”

No matter which hospital they went to, there would likely be no place where they could get an MRI or CT scan immediately. It was a bitter reality, but connections were important in hospitals. It was a world where having a doctor you knew determined whether you got an appointment the same day or three months later.

If Kim Hyunkyung took an ambulance in her current state, she would arrive at another hospital and have to wait for several days. But with Yeoreum’s help, if he called a senior she had lost contact with, Kim Hyunkyung could get an MRI as early as tonight. However, to do so, Cheon Sejoo would have to go with her to Korea University Hospital. He would have to step into a place that had become one he could never return to, the moment his hands were stained with blood.

When he was arrested and detained by the police, many colleagues who knew his situation submitted petitions for him. However, not everyone understood Cheon Sejoo’s circumstances.

‘I will respect human life from its conception. I will not use my knowledge for inhumane purposes, no matter what threats there may be.’

Cheon Sejoo was the person who, as a representative, read the Declaration of Geneva, also known as the Hippocratic Oath, in front of hundreds of medical school graduates.

The fact that such a Cheon Sejoo had abandoned his honor as a doctor and tried to harm someone sparked widespread backlash. Some criticized him for tarnishing the honor of Korea University doctors, while others argued that he should never be allowed to practice medicine again, demanding the revocation of his medical license. Among those who attacked him was his classmate, Lee Jeongoh, who even visited him in the detention center and hurled insults.

Korea University Hospital was a place where those who supported him and those who condemned him gathered. Stepping foot in that place was no different from Cheon Sejoo having to confront the past he had ignored for five years.

“I’m fine.”

But Cheon Sejoo was ready to endure all of it. Cheon Sejoo was also one of those who condemned him. When he himself couldn’t be on his own side and loathed himself, a few more words from others wouldn’t make it any harder.

“So, will you help me?”

He felt bad for Yeoreum, but she was the only one he could ask right now. At his words, Yeoreum was silent for a while, then finally replied, “Okay.”

“- I’ll call a senior and get back to you later.” 

“Okay. Thanks.” 

“- You know it.”

After hanging up, a headache surged. Cheon Sejoo gripped his throbbing forehead and took deep breaths for a long time. When his head cleared a little, he left the spot. As he headed towards the bed where Kim Hyunkyung lay, he saw Sejin sitting blankly in the guardian’s seat. Sejin was holding her thin hand, silently keeping watch.

Only after belatedly seeing the sleeping Kim Hyunkyung did Cheon Sejoo realize how serious her condition was. Kim Hyunkyung, whom he had seen after a month, had lost much more weight than in July. Her emaciated hands had blue veins bulging, and the shape of her ribs was clearly visible through her unbuttoned staff shirt. Her made-up face looked fine, which was probably why others hadn’t noticed such significant physical changes.

Cheon Sejoo naturally recalled his last conversation with Kim Hyunkyung. When he had gone to Ihwagak alone and asked her if she was sick anywhere, Kim Hyunkyung had looked troubled and told him she was on a diet. Her explanations had sounded plausible at the time, so he hadn’t paid much attention to her condition, but what if it was a lie? What if she had known about her condition all along and deliberately hidden it?

It was hard to breathe from the miserable conjecture. Cheon Sejoo’s clenched fist twitched as he stood there, then, unable to bear it any longer, he left the emergency room. Sitting on a chair in the hallway, he pressed his hands to his forehead. Along with the persistent headache, a strong urge to smash his head surged. He felt like he was dying.