Correction Chapter 129 - Side Story 5

Then and now, he has always been a warm person. At times, that aspect of him felt frustrating. But that was entirely from his own perspective. Shin Jungmin was someone who was comfortable living that way, and if so, it was right for him to adapt to him. And it was also his job to make sure such a person wasn’t hurt by the world. In a way, it was protection, but it was something a little different from that… yes, it was walking together as a partner.

Though he wasn’t sure if he would agree.

“Mister.”

A single word lodged itself in Kim Joohwan’s ear as he was smiling faintly while thinking of Jungmin. When he lowered his head to where the word had come from, a very small and fragile-looking, skinny child was looking up at Kim Joohwan as if he were a curiosity. Where on earth did this child come from?

“Mister.”

Should I answer? It wasn’t that he didn’t know the language here, but if he just pretended not to understand, the child would probably give up and leave. With that thought, Kim Joohwan ignored the child.

“Are you Doctor Shin’s friend?”

The child was clever. For he had uttered a word Kim Joohwan could never ignore. The words ‘Doctor Shin,’ heard so clearly, moved Kim Joohwan with ease. He bent his body to meet the child’s eye level and put on an uncharacteristic smile.

“By Doctor Shin, are you talking about the handsome Doctor Shin who works at the clinic over there?”

“Yes. The handsome doctor. But you’re handsome too, Mister.”

“Thank you. But why do you ask about Doctor Shin?”

Kim Joohwan wasn’t curious about the compliment to himself; he was curious why this little kid was asking about Jungmin.

“Are you really Doctor Shin’s friend, Mister?”

“Why do you think that?”

“My mom said she saw you and Doctor Shin going home together yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve seen the doctor take someone home. He even tells me not to come, saying his house is small.”

The child pouted as if displeased. Jungmin surely hadn’t invited the child over not because it was small, but because he thought it was too shabby for a child to visit.

“That’s not Doctor Shin’s house.”

“Then?”

“That person’s house is in Korea.”

He thought it was a bit childish, but wasn’t it the truth? Even if it was only for a short while, that place could never be Shin Jungmin’s home. And he wouldn’t let it be.

“Uh… the doctor said that too….”

At those words, Kim Joohwan, who had straightened up, bent down again.

“He did?”

“Yes… the doctor said he has a house in Korea. Have you been to the doctor’s house, Mister?”

“I have.”

“Th-then! Have you seen the doctor’s wife?”

“Wife?”

“When I said I wanted to marry the doctor, he said I couldn’t. He said he already has a wife waiting at home.”

Ah, this.

Kim Joohwan fought hard to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. It was because the child’s face was genuinely sad. If he said that he was that wife right here, the child looked like he would burst into tears immediately.

“You saw her too, Mister?”

“I did.”

“Is she pretty?”

“Not pretty, but handsome.”

“I see.”

“Why do you like Doctor Shin?”

Kim Joohwan asked the child out of pure(?) curiosity. He was also curious about how Shin Jungmin had lived here and how he treated people. It would be nice if he could know his day-to-day life, but since he couldn’t, he had no choice but to hear about it like this.

The child followed Kim Joohwan around, recounting Jungmin’s good deeds. In between, the child fervently expressed how much he liked Jungmin, but each time, Kim Joohwan, while knowing it was childish, couldn’t help but show the余裕 of a victor. However, since he was just a child, as a minimum courtesy, he never revealed that he was the wife until the very end.

After finishing his work, he returned to Jungmin’s lodging around 1 PM. He had thought he wouldn’t be awake yet and opened the door carefully, but contrary to his expectations, Jungmin was nowhere in the house. Could he have gone to the clinic? But he hadn’t seen him on the way. Worried that something might have happened, he was about to make a call when he heard a presence from behind the rundown house and went to check. Sure enough, Shin Jungmin was fixing the electrical wiring.

“What are you doing? That’s dangerous.”

“Ah, you’re back? The electricity suddenly went out.”

“I’ll take a look. Move aside. It’s dangerous.”

“I’m better at this than you. It happens at least once a day.”

As if to prove it, as he fiddled a little more, the light bulb inside the house could be seen turning on.

“There.”

Seeing Jungmin’s proud face, he thought he was cute. On the other hand, he thought that if Jungmin’s family saw this, they would surely shed tears. How anxious and worried they must be for their son, whom they raised so preciously, to throw himself onto a rough path.

“Where have you been?”

“Yes, I went to check on the site. I think we can finish the first floor today.”

“What? Is that even possible?”

“I told you. It’s all been pre-made, so we just need to assemble it.”

“Aah… it’s really amazing sometimes.”

“What is?”

“Just everything in the world.”

Jungmin said with a smile.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“I am. I’m in a good mood.”

Before they knew it, the two were walking through the dry forest. Naturally, and side by side.

“I think I did a good thing, becoming a doctor.”

He had chosen the path of a doctor because of Yoo Shinwoo. It was a path he had chosen without thinking things through because he wanted to be with Yoo Shinwoo, but it suited his aptitude surprisingly well, and he felt a sense of fulfillment. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the time he had to quit due to the side effects of his medication was the hardest period of his life. A sense of emptiness and powerlessness, as if his reason for existence had disappeared, had washed over him. That’s how well the work of a doctor suited him.

“So, to be honest, I was scared of returning to it. That’s why I came here… but I think it was the right choice. It would be a lie to say it wasn’t hard, but I’ve learned so much here that it overcomes the hardship.”

“Well, of course you have to. You left a handsome tiger wife behind in Korea.”

At Kim Joohwan’s words, Jungmin stopped dead in his tracks. Jungmin blinked his eyes, and then his face flushed red as if it would explode. Seeing this, Kim Joohwan couldn’t help but be startled. It was the first time he had seen such an expression on Jungmin’s face.

“Where did you hear that?”

“My little future rival told me so. He asked if sunbae had a wife in Korea.”

“Ah… that, that’s.”

Jungmin covered his face, flustered. Ah, this is driving me crazy. I want to pin Shin Jungmin down right here and have sex with him. No. I don’t want to let this person out into the world. I want to take him back to Korea right now and lock him up.

But that’s not what you want. If so, then I don’t want it either. Kim Joohwan pulled Jungmin in and kissed him. Jungmin readily opened his mouth and accepted him. Leaning against a tree, they kissed and touched each other for a long time. With the regret of not being able to go further, they simply held their lips together, suppressing their excitement, and just looked into each other’s eyes.

“As you know, sunbae, my life was set from the moment I was born.”

Kim Joohwan didn’t talk much about himself. He always acted as if what was visible was all there was. So, for him to talk about his life story(?) like this was truly surprising, and Jungmin found it fascinating. And he hoped he would tell him more. Because he thought he too should get to know Kim Joohwan now.

“From the moment I opened my eyes and became aware of the world, I had to show perfection as the heir to Kal Pront, without ever lying. I have no siblings, but there were overflowing numbers of people who were constantly watching for a chance to pull me down. Even my parents didn’t protect me. They threw me into a tiger’s den and, rather than protecting me, showed me harshness, saying, ‘Wouldn’t you have to survive this to become the heir of Kal Pront?’ Well… I didn’t hate it. Fortunately, or perhaps I was just born with a gambler’s nature, I rather enjoyed the whole situation and, as if completing quests, I broke through the difficult paths my parents gave me one by one. But there was a downside. The truth is, I don’t have much affection for my work or my family. I just do it because I have to, and I do it because I find it manageable, and there’s nothing else I want to do. Um… to put it simply, my life was like a black-and-white movie. It was you, sunbae, who sprinkled color into that life of mine.”

Kim Joohwan said, intertwining his fingers with Jungmin’s. The smooth bastard… how could he say such embarrassing things so casually?

“After meeting you, sunbae… I started to think that I was glad to have been born as the heir of this family. I felt that even more strongly while preparing everything this time.”

I was born and am here all for Shin Jungmin’s sake. That’s what he had thought. But he didn’t tell Jungmin this much. Jungmin’s face already looked like it would erupt like a volcano, and he felt that if he said any more, he might run away.