By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won felt his ears perk up as he eavesdropped on Kim Jae-sik’s phone call. He felt uneasy, as it seemed his condition had been discovered too quickly. He worried that he wouldn’t even get a chance to escape and would end up going home with Kwon Tae-hee. As he frowned with concern, Kim Jae-sik, having finished his call, explained as if sharing the content they had both heard.
“Executive Director said he’ll wrap up his urgent schedule and come to the hospital right away, so don’t worry.”
“Yes. But he said he was busy today. I’m worried he won’t be able to do his work properly because of me…”
“Don’t think like that. He’s especially affectionate towards Seo Jeong-won, isn’t he?”
At the comforting words, Seo Jeong-won trailed off, saying, “Is he?” They arrived at the hospital sooner than he had anticipated. Seo Jeong-won roused his listless body.
“…Seo Jeong-won?”
“Ah, my stomach doesn’t hurt as much now. It felt like it was cramping up a lot earlier, but it’s better now.”
“Haa… That’s really a relief. A relief. Still, I think you should get checked out before we leave, so get out carefully, carefully. No, I’ll open the door for you, so wait a moment.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Supported by Kim Jae-sik, Seo Jeong-won slowly entered the emergency room. Even at this early hour, the emergency room was bustling with patients.
“How can I help you?”
A nurse, holding a chart and walking busily, glanced at Seo Jeong-won’s stomach and asked. As Seo Jeong-won opened his mouth to answer, Kim Jae-sik’s voice burst out a beat faster.
“Ah, he came because of stomach cramps. He said it hurt so much at home that he couldn’t even walk.”
“Are you feeling better now? Then… just a moment. The guardian should go to the desk to register first, and the patient should follow me.”
Kim Jae-sik’s eyes wavered with anxiety. To his worried question of whether he could go alone, Seo Jeong-won replied that he was fine, even grabbing his hand tightly and then letting go.
“Go ahead. I’ll go with the nurse.”
“I’ll be right back. Lie down.”
“Yes.”
Seo Jeong-won watched Kim Jae-sik barely manage to tear himself away before turning around. He quietly followed the nurse before asking if he could go to the restroom.
“Yes, if you go out this way, it’s on the right.”
“Thank you.”
He bowed his head at the kind guidance. The nurse told him to wait in the bed when he returned from the restroom and then walked away. Seo Jeong-won walked slowly, but soon his pace quickened. Pretending to head to the restroom, he paused briefly in front of the hospital map to check his location, then slipped out the back door of the hospital.
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Kim Jae-sik’s face was pale as he stood in front of the nurse’s desk. He anxiously wrung his hands as he repeatedly asked about the whereabouts of the pregnant man who had come with him. The nurse explained that he had gone to the restroom, but he had already checked the restroom.
“Uh, that’s strange. He definitely said he was going to the restroom.”
Kim Jae-sik was frantic, worried that something might have happened to Seo Jeong-won. The thought that something might have happened after he had brought him out here on his own made his vision go black.
“Head of department Kim.”
It was then. A familiar voice rang out from behind him. He slowly turned around, looking as if he was about to collapse.
“General manager Jung.”
“Has the admission procedure not been completed yet?”
“That’s not it, well… I mean, I don’t know what’s going on.”
Unable to watch Kim Jae-sik ramble any longer, the nurse interjected.
“The patient said he was going to the restroom and hasn’t returned. The guardian seems to have searched everywhere but couldn’t find him. Has anyone received separate contact?”
“…”
“But this is the emergency room. I’m sorry, but please have your conversation outside. Find the patient, check whether he needs to be admitted, and come back if you need help.”
The nurse’s eviction order was issued. Kim Jae-sik, with a bewildered expression, followed Chief Jung, his face pale. It felt as if Seo Jeong-won’s disappearance was his fault. It was as if this had happened because of him.
“General manager.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I mean, I clearly brought him out here because he said he was in pain. He was clearly in pain, his face was pale and he kept holding his stomach… He said his stomach was cramping, and what if something happened to the baby—”
Kim Jae-sik, as if the thought was still making him dizzy, raised his trembling hand and covered his mouth. Chief Jung didn’t know what had happened either, but he thought that Kim Jae-sik’s explanation was probably correct. He couldn’t definitively say that Seo Jeong-won had run away, but circumstantially, there was no other word to explain his absence. Assuming that was the case, Kim Jae-sik was not someone who would help him escape. Rather, he was the person who would have told Kwon Tae-hee first if he had known what was being planned.
“First… I’ll report to Executive Director, and then you can explain the whole story again.”
Of all days, today was the construction company presentation. Of all days. Because of that, everyone in the conference room had turned off their phones or put their ringtones on silent. He was no exception, so he checked Kim Jae-sik’s messages late. If you’re unlucky, you’ll fall backward and break your nose, and that’s exactly the situation now.
“There’s an important presentation today… Ha, this has become a headache.”
Chief Jung muttered, then touched his forehead. The company was in a festive mood after being finally selected as the construction company, but the situation he was currently facing was terrible enough to erase all of that. He was so confused about how to convey this story that his eyes felt hot.
“I made a big mistake, didn’t I?”
“…No, no. I probably would have done the same thing.”
Chief Jung shook his head, looking at the man who had visibly aged in a few hours. It wasn’t a matter of assigning blame. No one would just stand by and watch a pregnant man in pain. So it was definitely not his fault. But would Kwon Tae-hee really let it go without holding him responsible?
“For now… tell me the facts as they are, without embellishment… Executive Director is coming to the hospital now, so… ha, this is driving me crazy.”
Kim Jae-sik suppressed his anxiety as much as possible. He bowed his head to Chief Jung and answered as if vowing to do so. Kim Jae-sik, glancing at Chief Jung’s face darkening every moment as he left the emergency room, also couldn’t calm down and repeatedly sighed.
“I’m sorry for making things bigger because of me when you’re busy. I’ll explain it as clearly as possible when I see Executive Director. I… I brought him out here, so I’ll explain, explain in detail…”
The atmosphere between the two was similar to a funeral home. Only the wailing was missing. While waiting for Kwon Tae-hee, Chief Jung secured CCTV footage with the cooperation of the hospital. It was one of the hospitals that Taehwa Construction donated to, so he was able to check it quickly. That was fortunate, at least.
Chief Jung, returning from the control room, stopped beside Kim Jae-sik with a stiff expression. He sighed even though he didn’t want to. He had sent someone to his house just in case, but he wanted to sink into the ground at the report that no one had returned. He wished the whole situation was a dream. He was sure that Kim Jae-sik, standing next to him with a gloomy face, felt much the same way.
“Haa…”
Kim Jae-sik trembled as if startled by Chief Jung’s sigh, then denied reality, saying he didn’t know why this was happening to him. Then he ran his hand through his hair as if he was going crazy.
“I’m sorry.”
“…No, it’s not Head of department Kim’s fault. The security… the security was inadequate.”
As Seo Jeong-won entered the mid-term of his pregnancy, for some reason, Kwon Tae-hee had removed all the security personnel guarding the gate. Even though he hadn’t asked the reason first, he explained in a soft and warm voice he had never heard before. He said that the baby would be born soon and they would get married, so he wanted to stop monitoring people like this.
“Ah, I think he’s here.”
It was then. A black sedan stopped urgently in front of the two. Kim Jae-sik’s face looked as if it would burst if you poked it. He wished that the car door would break and not open at this moment, but that didn’t happen. The man he had seen off in the morning appeared, his face as white as a sheet.
“Seo Jeong-won. Is he okay? Did you move him to the ward? Why are you both standing here like this?”
“There’s something we need to report to Executive Director.”
“Let’s move first. What’s the ward number?”
“That’s… there’s a problem.”
At the word “problem,” Kwon Tae-hee felt his heart sink for a moment. Had something happened to Seo Jeong-won? Was something wrong with Danpung? He gave Chief Jung a frustrated look for hesitating, and Kim Jae-sik, who was standing next to him, jumped forward.
“I’ll, I’ll tell you.”