By Zephyria “…Tha-thank you. How can I ever repay this… No, we just know each other by face……”
Ryu Jeong opened his hazy eyes at the voice that pierced through his gradually clearing consciousness. All he could see was a white ceiling, and all he could hear were chaotic mechanical sounds. He closed his eyes tightly, reopened them, and turned his head slightly, only to be blinded by the fluorescent light. And then, a woman suddenly came into view.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
The moment he heard her first words, Ryu Jeong realized that she was the same person whose voice he had been hearing while his eyes were closed. Who is she? She didn’t seem bothered by him just staring at her. Rather, with a smile on her face, she helped Ryu Jeong, who was trying to sit up, and checked his condition here and there.
“Are you dizzy or do you have a headache? Luckily, you didn’t hit your head when you fell, but just in case.”
“Ah… Are you a… doctor?”
“Yes, well, not in the emergency room, though.”
“Ah… I don’t think anything hurts.”
She wasn’t wearing a white coat, but the way she skillfully asked about his condition and examined him made him cautiously ask if she was a doctor, and she readily nodded. Ryu Jeong, who nodded a beat late to her question, swallowed hard and looked around.
Why am I in the hospital……. As he was lost in bewilderment, the woman, who had been staring down at him, cleared her throat and asked.
“Do you remember almost getting hit by a car?”
“…Me?”
“Yes. You almost got hit by a car I was driving. You were standing in the middle of the road when the light wasn’t even green… I saw you late because the car in front of me suddenly changed lanes. Both you and I were almost in big trouble.”
Shaking her head, the woman said that it still made her blood run cold just thinking about it. Listening to her, it seemed like he had been walking around in a daze and almost caused such a mess. Ryu Jeong repeatedly bowed his head in apology and carefully opened his mouth with a question that suddenly came to mind.
“Um, but… how do you know my name……”
“Oh my, you don’t remember. We’ve met before, you know.”
Where did we meet? As he looked at her in bewilderment, the woman smiled, pulling up the corners of her mouth as if to ask if he still didn’t recognize her. The way her lips curved was very familiar. Ryu Jeong, who had been thinking hard, exclaimed, “Oh?” and the woman nodded.
“Maybe at the cafe……”
“That’s right. You were working part-time then, right? Actually, I was too flustered to notice, and I found out when I saw your ID in your wallet.”
“Ah… Hello.”
At his docile response, the woman burst into a hearty laugh. Her mouth, which opened wide when she laughed out loud, also resembled Lee Do-hyeon’s. Ryu Jeong, who had been blankly staring at her lips, suddenly came to his senses. The process of being taken to the emergency room aside, he wondered if Lee Do-hyeon had been contacted.
“Um… did you contact President Lee, by any chance……”
“President?”
At the sudden question, the woman, Lee Do-hee, tilted her head. She couldn’t understand why he was suddenly looking for a president, so she blinked her big eyes. Then, she thought of the face of one of the presidents she knew and frowned, thinking, ‘Could it be.’
“Are you talking about my Hyung? Lee Do-hyeon?”
“Yes……”
“Why Lee Do-hyeon… Oh……”
Lee Do-hee, who was rolling her eyes, trying to understand the incomprehensible situation, gasped and covered her mouth. Her voice suddenly grew louder as if she had something to say, but then she drew the curtains, conscious of the people around her, and whispered quietly.
“Could it be… is Lee Do-hyeon the Baby’s father?”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, that’s. I did some blood tests. There’s something in the blood test that indicates pregnancy… Anyway, it came back high. And I happen to be an obstetrician.”
Lee Do-hee, who was rambling and at a loss, took a deep breath as if trying to regain her composure.
“Anyway, I signed as your guardian for now. Um, should I contact Lee Do-hyeon now?”
“Ah, no. I… I think I should just go home right away……”
“Why home?”
She was perplexed that he was saying he had to go home when he had been looking for Lee Do-hyeon. She thought that Lee Do-hyeon should be called in this situation, but Ryu Jeong’s expression was so unusual that she couldn’t say anything more. After hesitating for a moment, Lee Do-hee carefully grabbed Ryu Jeong’s shoulder.
“Then, lie down for now. I’ll take you home when it gets light.”
“No… I’ll go now. I can go alone.”
“It’s dawn now. There are no buses, and there probably aren’t any taxis either.”
“I can… go.”
“……”
Even though she kept trying to dissuade him, Ryu Jeong stubbornly insisted. Lee Do-hee was at a loss for words at his eagerness to get out of the hospital.
“…Okay. Let’s go now.”
Finally, Lee Do-hee nodded. She didn’t know what the circumstances were between them, but it was a problem they had to solve themselves.
The place they went in the car driven by Lee Do-hee, who was Lee Do-hyeon’s younger sister, was Wolhyeon-dong. She had assumed that they were going to Lee Do-hyeon’s house, so Lee Do-hee tilted her head in bewilderment, but thankfully didn’t say anything else. Ryu Jeong only bowed his head in thanks and got out of the car as if fleeing.
The headlights, which illuminated the alley for a moment, then drove away. Ryu Jeong hid and watched the whole process, and only headed home after the surroundings had darkened.
The house he hadn’t been to in a long time was chilly. It felt much colder now that it was spring than it had during the winter. Shivering, Ryu Jeong went into the room, unfolded the neatly folded blanket, and lay down on it in a huddled position. He wondered if he had gotten used to the warm house and bed he had been living in with Lee Do-hyeon, because the house he had lived in for over 10 years felt more unfamiliar.
“……”
What should I do now. Ryu Jeong sighed as he looked around the dark room. He had made a bold resolution, but the place he had run away to was Wolhyeon-dong. If he stayed here, Lee Do-hyeon would find him soon, and then he would surely become a stumbling block for him.
Himself… and this Baby. Ryu Jeong wriggled and placed his hand on his lower abdomen. Still flat and still without movement, Ryu Jeong pouted as he stroked his belly.
“Heu…….”
Tears welled up in his eyes. Tears streamed down his face without him being able to hold them back due to the despair he felt. His eyes, which had become accustomed to the darkness, scanned the few pieces of furniture in the small room. He remembered lying in this cramped room, tightly embracing each other. Nothing had changed from then to now, except for one thing: Lee Do-hyeon was gone.
By now, he would have realized that he wasn’t home. Would he think he had run away? It wouldn’t be difficult for Lee Do-hyeon to find out that he had a Baby in his belly. Maybe he would think it was a good thing. If he found him to the end, he might be trying to remove any possible obstacles. If that happened, would he be able to protect himself, this Baby?
He didn’t know. Ryu Jeong sobbed for a long time, then buried his face in the blanket and burst into tears.
And until the sun rose, Ryu Jeong repeatedly fell asleep and woke up. When he woke up, rubbing his swollen eyes, the sky was already turning dim. Ryu Jeong awkwardly got up, staring blankly at the dawn light seeping in through the small window. The place he headed to was the kitchen.
He was hungry in the midst of all this. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten anything all day. He had thrown up everything he had eaten in the morning, so he was even hungrier. He had felt like he was going to throw up just smelling food, but now he was desperate to eat something. Is there anything to eat? He groped around the darkened kitchen, looking for something to eat, when he heard someone outside.
“……”
Startled, Ryu Jeong stopped in his tracks, frozen in the position of rummaging through the empty cupboard. It was rare for someone to come to his house at dawn, before the sun had even risen.
Is it a loan shark? Or Lee Do-hyeon? Swallowing hard, Ryu Jeong carefully lowered his hand and moved, suppressing his presence. When he peeked his head out the door, he saw someone roughly shaking the locked gate.
“Who… is it?”
The sky was slowly brightening, but it was still dawn, closer to night. He couldn’t see who it was because of the gate, so he frowned and carefully opened his mouth. The person who had been grabbing and shaking the gate stopped abruptly.
“Who…….”
“It’s, it’s me.”
While glancing at the poker that was placed in a corner of the yard in case something happened, a familiar voice echoed loudly. At that moment, Ryu Jeong’s pupils shook greatly.
“…Noh Hee-cheol?”
The figure beyond the gate jumped up and down in place. His brightly dyed hair fluttered. Noh Hee-cheol jumped up and down several times, showing his face as if to confirm that it was him.
“What are you doing here……?”
Even though he had taken his eyes off the poker, Ryu Jeong couldn’t bring himself to approach the gate. He was sure it was someone he knew, but he had a feeling that he shouldn’t open the door.
“Well, I heard that Hyung moved, but it didn’t seem like you filed a change of address. Then the house would be empty, right? I was worried that someone might steal something while Hyung wasn’t here, and, well, Dad told me to.”
“…CEO Noh?”
“Ah, yes! CEO Noh, my dad. Anyway, what’s up, Hyung? Long time no see, right.”
Noh Hee-cheol smiled brightly, sticking his face through the gate. The faintly visible face in the dim light was somehow unpleasant. Ryu Jeong couldn’t bring himself to smile back, so he awkwardly bit his lip.
“We… saw each other at the conference.”
“…Ah! That’s right. It’s the first time I’m seeing you since then. Did you leave something behind? I thought you moved all your stuff. Where did you move to, Hyung?”
“Why are you so curious……?”
“We’ve known each other for so long. Well, Dad wants to send you some daily necessities. You know our convenience store is closing soon, right? Or do you not know? Ah, Hyung. Don’t just stand there, open the door. Let’s talk while sitting down.”
Noh Hee-cheol, who had been pressing his face against the gate, grumbled discontentedly. Ryu Jeong, who had reflexively tried to put his hand on the latch, hesitated. It was suspicious that this guy, who usually didn’t talk to him unless he had to, and who only talked about alcohol or women even when they did talk, was being so friendly.
“Have you… come here a few times when I wasn’t here?”
“Ah, I haven’t come that many times. I just patrolled a bit… about three times? I’m the only young person in this neighborhood, so I have to do it, who else would?”
As if trying to gauge Noh Hee-cheol’s height, Ryu Jeong’s eyes rolled around. He wasn’t as tall as Lee Do-hyeon, but he seemed to be around the average height of men he often encountered on the street. And the gate and fence were low enough that you could easily look in and out if you wanted to. If Noh Hee-cheol had come while he wasn’t here, he could have easily entered the house…….
“…Fucking hell. You’re rolling your eyes, Hyung.”
As his hesitation grew longer, Noh Hee-cheol seemed to sense that something was wrong. He subtly changed his tone, which had been trying to coax Ryu Jeong, and straightened his body. As Ryu Jeong flinched and stepped back, Noh Hee-cheol, who had been begging him to open the door, grabbed the gate and began to shake it violently.
“Do you think I can’t open this measly door? I’m telling you to open it so we can talk face to face! Why, are you worried I’m going to fuck you? That old man who sticks it up your ass is interested in you, but I’m not.”
“Wh-what are you……”
Noh Hee-cheol screamed at the top of his lungs. It felt like his ears were getting dirty. In the midst of all this, Ryu Jeong’s eyes widened at the words that seemed to refer to Lee Do-hyeon. He didn’t even say how he knew, but words were spewing out of Noh Hee-cheol’s mouth, who was completely agitated.
“I saw you getting into that old man’s car after the conference before? I was wondering who this nobody was, but you’re getting sponsored by that president, right? I knew something was up when you, who always wore clothes that looked like they were picked up from a used clothing bin, started wearing designer brands. Ha, fuck. If I knew where you were hiding, I would have searched you before you said you were moving. Aren’t you wearing that bag today? Huh?”
The gate was shaking so violently that it felt like the door would fall off at any moment. Ryu Jeong’s face quickly turned pale as he staggered back. The thought of running away flashed through his mind, but there was no other exit besides the gate that Noh Hee-cheol was blocking.
“Then at least take off some of the clothes you’re wearing and give them to me. I’ll sell those at least. Fuck, that compensation money isn’t coming out right away. It wasn’t even that much, you should go to that old man and put in a good word for me. Ah, maybe he’s tired of you now? Is that why you came back here? Fuck! If you were going to get sponsored, you should have squeezed him properly… Ack!”