By Zephyria 
Jang-jung looked troubled, yet he hurried after Seo Yi-kyung. Holding his phone in his hand, he hesitated over whether or not to call a colleague who had gone to the restroom. With a cast on his hand, Seo Yi-kyung was walking toward the end of the hospital corridor with incredibly slow steps.
Jang-jung looked back. Several days had passed since he had stood guard at the entrance of the patient room. Thus, it was more than understandable that Seo Yi-kyung felt suffocated staying inside.
However, he soon regretted it with a pale face. This was because he encountered Han Seung-jae stepping off the elevator. The attending physician beside him spoke as if startled.
“Why, why are you out here?”
Before Seo Yi-kyung could say a word, Han Seung-jae flicked his fingers. Secretary Park led the physician and Jang-jung away.
Seo Yi-kyung listened to the receding sound of their footsteps. Han Seung-jae asked,
“What are you doing here?”
The implication of “here” referred to the area in front of the elevator. Coincidentally, the place where Seo Yi-kyung had encountered him was right in front of the elevator. It wouldn’t have been strange if it looked like he was trying to use it to escape. However, Seo Yi-kyung raised his hand and pointed to a window further down.
“I just wanted to walk over there and back.”
If he said he came out because he felt suffocated in the room, Han Seung-jae would tell him to go home. Therefore, Seo Yi-kyung omitted that part and murmured. Han Seung-jae followed the tip of Seo Yi-kyung’s finger and looked toward the end of the hospital corridor. There was nothing there.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“If you can’t believe it, then there’s nothing I can do.”
Seo Yi-kyung continued walking. He could feel a gaze following his back. Since it was Han Seung-jae and no one else, it was impossible not to notice. It felt as if he were being scanned from head to toe. However, seeing as he heard no footsteps, it seemed Han Seung-jae was still standing in the same spot.
After walking slowly to the end of the hospital corridor, Seo Yi-kyung turned around. He didn’t stop his legs as he looked at Han Seung-jae, who remained in the same place.
Eventually, as Seo Yi-kyung brushed past Han Seung-jae, Han Seung-jae turned in the same direction and began to walk.
Seo Yi-kyung passed the door held open by the physician and entered the patient room. In the meantime, Jang-jung, who had returned from his absence, bowed his waist with a stiff expression toward Han Seung-jae.
Seo Yi-kyung understood why they were bewildered. There was still time left before Han Seung-jae was supposed to arrive. Seo Yi-kyung fiddled with the pocket watch in his patient gown pocket.
Lately, Han Seung-jae had been visiting the room at the exact same time. As if they had an appointment. But today, he was earlier than usual.
Seo Yi-kyung tucked himself in with the disheveled blanket. Watching this, Han Seung-jae walked over and sat in the chair.
“Have you been wandering around like this every day?”
Seo Yi-kyung’s hand, which had been needlessly smoothing the blanket, paused for a moment. But he soon pulled the blanket up to his waist.
“I was just being stubbornly insistent.”
Seo Yi-kyung judged that, given Han Seung-jae’s temperament, he wouldn’t have left the people outside alone. With that, he quickly added,
“Seon-yu said he couldn’t come. Does that also have something to do with you, Seung-jae?”
For some time, Seo Yi-kyung had been exchanging messages with Jin Seon-yu. Jin Seon-yu, who would normally have visited every day, had been saying he couldn’t come to the hospital. Although he said it was because of his eldest brother, Seo Yi-kyung wondered if the person preventing Jin Seon-yu from coming was Han Seung-jae. It was entirely plausible for him to do so, and the possibility was high in many ways.
Han Seung-jae seemed to stare blankly at Seo Yi-kyung for a moment before rising from his seat. His eyes narrowed deeply. He looked down at Seo Yi-kyung and spoke.
“Actually, I stopped by on my way to meet Executive Director Jin. I’ll ask him the reason when I see him. Does that answer your question?”
To Seo Yi-kyung, Han Seung-jae’s words sounded as if he were saying, ‘Does that answer your suspicion?’
With that, Han Seung-jae left the room.
As soon as the sound of the door closing echoed, Seo Yi-kyung let out a long breath, releasing the tension from his body that had been trying so hard to appear composed. He then slowly turned his head to stare at the privacy screen.
‘When he was going to leave this quickly.’
He couldn’t understand why he had come.
Han Seung-jae had been coming to the hospital mostly every morning and evening. While Seo Yi-kyung didn’t understand it, he also found himself harboring a sense of anticipation. Then again, there were days when only Secretary Park came in his stead. He would simply hand over food prepared by a chef to the physician and leave. Every time Seo Yi-kyung watched the physician enter with shopping bags in both hands, he felt his pointless expectations crumble miserably.
If that were the case, it would be better if he didn’t let him have any expectations at all…
* * *
Ivory Pavilion.
As the sedan stopped, Secretary Park stepped out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door.
“You’ve arrived. Director Han, the two of them have arrived first and are waiting.”
The manager, who had been in charge of guiding them from the entrance, opened the door. Han Seung-jae entered through the open door. Just as the manager had said, Executive Director Jin Tae-won was lifting a glass to drink. Beside him sat Jin Seok-young.
Han Seung-jae walked over and sat opposite them. Han Seung-jae had postponed his appointment with Jin Seok-young several times. That was likely why Jin Seok-young’s expression was so grim.
Executive Director Jin Tae-won picked up a white liquor bottle. While filling Han Seung-jae’s glass, he looked at Jin Seok-young. At that, Jin Seok-young lifted the glass in front of him, downed the liquor in one gulp, stood up, opened the door, and walked out.
Han Seung-jae lifted the glass in front of him and drank. Jin Tae-won lit a cigarette. A strange current flowed between the two men.
They had met under the pretext of having a drink, but neither of them was unaware that this was not truly a gathering just for drinking.
Jin Tae-won blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke.
“Since Director Han seemed busy, I took care of the Vice President’s side.”
Jin Tae-won had been preoccupied with cleaning up the Vice President’s mess. He had even found and handed over the person who had stabbed Seo Dong-hu in the side. He was someone who had met Seo Dong-hu at a gambling den and held a deep grudge against him. He had claimed that blood was already flowing from Seo Dong-hu’s face when they met, but no one believed him.
“It seems there were more people holding grudges than expected. Given that temperament, it’s understandable. Director Han knows from experience, right?”
After uttering those strange words, Jin Tae-won, with the cigarette between his fingers, emptied the glass in front of him in one go. Only someone like Jin Tae-won would have understood the comment about blood already flowing from Seo Dong-hu’s face. However, there was only circumstantial evidence, no definitive physical proof.
That circumstantial evidence was simply that Director Han had been quieter than anyone else during this time. If it were the Director Han Jin Tae-won knew, he would have found Seo Dong-hu before Jin Seok-young and paid him back in kind, yet he had been too quiet. Thus, it was bound to be suspicious. But how could that serve as evidence?
Jin Tae-won didn’t want to be entangled with Director Han regarding this matter any further. Han Seung-jae’s mood was likely already twisted because the wounds on Seo Yi-kyung’s body wouldn’t disappear, and he didn’t want to intentionally reignite a dying conflict.
“I’ll make sure it’s wrapped up cleanly so that no articles are published.”
This implied that he would ensure no further harm came to Seo Yi-kyung. And as he watched Han Seung-jae drink strong liquor consecutively, Jin Tae-won crushed his cigarette.
Coming to the Ivory Pavilion, he recalled the conversation he had with Jin Seok-young in the car.
—Is this really what Mr. Seo Yi-kyung wants?
Jin Tae-won had shaken the envelope Jin Seok-young had handed him. Originally, Jin Tae-won had intended to send a painting as a gift for the child. However, Jin Seok-young, who had come after hearing from Jin Seon-yu, had presented this thin envelope.
—Seon-yu says there’s a painting by some French artist or something hanging in Mr. Seo Yi-kyung’s painting studio.
The artist’s name couldn’t be ‘something.’ Nor was it likely that Seon-yu hadn’t spoken clearly. When Jin Tae-won looked at him with pathetic eyes, Jin Seok-young poured out words rapidly.
—The name was incredibly long. And Mr. Seo Yi-kyung is someone who liked paintings to begin with. Director Han probably bought and gave him some, so how great could the painting be? Seon-yu said he saw the painting himself. He said it would be meaningless to bring something mediocre. And he persuaded me by saying it wouldn’t be good if it overlapped with items sent by other people.
Having finished his reminiscence, Jin Tae-won picked up the document envelope placed on one side of the table. The logo of Chae-eon Foods was stamped on the cover.
“And this is a congratulatory gift.”
As if changing the subject to something less depressing, Jin Tae-won pushed the envelope toward Han Seung-jae.
“Give this to Mr. Seo Yi-kyung.”
Han Seung-jae’s cold gaze shifted as he lifted his glass. He slowly brought the glass to his lips, drank, and then picked up the envelope with the Chae-eon Foods logo.
Inside the envelope were a few thin sheets of paper. Han Seung-jae scanned the words written at the top and murmured.
“Whose work is this?”
Jin Tae-won spoke while lighting a cigarette. Someone told me.
“That Mr. Seo Yi-kyung wants that.”
Han Seung-jae’s brow furrowed instantly. That ‘someone’ was likely a person Han Seung-jae already knew. It would be the same person Seo Yi-kyung had mentioned at the hospital.
Han Seung-jae slammed the envelope down on the table. A car contract slid out. It seemed Jin Seon-yu truly intended to help Seo Yi-kyung escape.