Formless Chapter 36

Heewoon sat in front of the kind doctor and listened to the gentle explanation. His mother nodded in an accustomed manner, as if she already knew everything. He started to think that perhaps the reason his mother was out when he called her a few days ago was because she was looking for a hospital. Most likely, his mother had searched extensively to find a hospital where the surgery costs would be a little cheaper.

“The surgery will proceed laparoscopically. In the patient’s case, the surgery time will take about 2 hours, and….”

Heewoon stared intently at the doctor’s mouth shape, fiddling with his pocket. The cellphone he had placed in his pocket was recording. It was so he could listen to it again later.

“Depending on the biopsy results, subsequently….”

Heewoon had searched for information on his cellphone under the covers early that morning.

It said that it was extremely rare for the biopsy results to confirm cancer. The probability was less than 1 percent.

However, Heewoon had thought blankly. What was the probability of getting liver cancer? The probability of his father committing suicide? The probability of having 1 billion won in debt remaining even after selling the house to pay it back? And what was the probability of witnessing someone’s murder?

At this point, it would be stranger if he hadn’t won the lottery. Ah, wait. He had never bought a lottery ticket.

Heewoon looked at the doctor, closing and opening his eyes deeply. Since he had slept poorly, his thoughts kept flowing in strange directions.

The surgery date was set for Thursday, two days later. It seemed that Seo Gangwoo had used his influence, as it should have been impossible to quickly schedule a surgery date at such a large hospital.

“Is he a very close junior?”

“Uh… just.”

He had no words other than to mumble vaguely.

After seating his mother on a chair, Heewoon paid for the tests they received today. The test fees alone amounted to several hundred thousand won. Heewoon’s gaze lingered on the card for a long time as he was about to put it back into his wallet.

If…

What would things be like right now if Seo Gangwoo hadn’t been there?

Would he be angrier at his mother? Or would he have been unable to express anger?

What was certain was that he wouldn’t have been able to tell his aunt to return the money.

And… he wouldn’t have been able to focus purely on worrying about his mother.

All for just a few hundred thousand won, a few million won. That is how it would have been.

🧸

The next evening, his mother was admitted to the hospital. The room was a single room. The multi-person rooms were full, and they were informed they would be given a single room for the same price. It was an unbelievable thing.

Heewoon barely managed to maintain a smiling face as he watched his mother, who was happy that he had a good junior. Heewoon said he had postponed his tutoring sessions and spent the night in the hospital room.

Early the next morning, his aunt arrived.

Either his mother had called her, or his aunt offered to come because she was worried about the relationship between his mother and Heewoon. The former seemed more probable.

His mother, who had an IV drip inserted in preparation for surgery, kept telling Heewoon to go to school.

“You can miss the morning class.”

“Isn’t attendance important?”

“No, now….”

Heewoon stopped speaking. Did she mean that now, since he received 5 million won from Seo Gangwoo, he didn’t have to cling desperately to the scholarship?

“I did well on my exams, so missing one day is okay.”

“Really?”

“Oh, hey. If Heewoon goes like this, he’ll be so uncomfortable that he won’t be able to properly listen in class anyway.”

As his aunt chimed in, his mother reluctantly nodded. His mother looked at Heewoon briefly, then patted her sister’s arm.

“Unnie. Did I tell you? Our Heewoon always gets scholarships. You know the students at that school are incredibly smart, right?”

“You’ve told me countless times!”

His aunt said, sounding dumbfounded.

“Where is it easy to get a scholarship at the next best school after Seoul National University in our country?”

“That must be nice, having such a good son.”

Heewoon pretended to look out the window as he watched his mother and aunt bicker.

As his mother said, it wasn’t easy, so he couldn’t receive a scholarship last semester. Moreover, as the next best school after Seoul National University, the tuition fees were prohibitively expensive.

Applying for a student loan without his mother’s knowledge, Heewoon had thought his 20-year-old self, who was so happy he felt like he was flying after receiving his college acceptance letter, was a fool.

The surgery ended well, making Heewoon’s tension seem unnecessary.

Heewoon and his aunt listened to the doctor’s explanation. The doctor said that while healthy people are discharged within a day, it would be better for his mother to take more time before leaving the hospital. Heewoon agreed.

“Heewoon. I heard your mother told you to return the money….”

His aunt brought up a topic she hadn’t mentioned when his mother was present.

“Yes, Aunt. Thank you so much, but I have money saved up, so it’s fine. Also, my… junior knows people well, so I’m receiving a lot of help.”

“Is that so? Still, if the hospitalization is long, the hospital fees might be high. Oh, wait. They said they would charge you the price of a five-person room.”

His aunt nodded and looked at the door of the hospital room.

“Phew, I wish I could stay in a single room like this for a few days, too.”

Heewoon laughed awkwardly, listening to his aunt’s joking remark.

And suddenly, he looked at his aunt’s face.

His aunt was a truly strong person. When loan sharks barged into their house and wreaked havoc, even close relatives and acquaintances pretended not to know them for fear of getting involved.

It was only temporarily quiet because they sold the apartment and gave them half the amount. If the older brother who fled with the remaining half were to return, who knows what would happen….

No. They said nothing would happen if they paid it back steadily every month. The intimidating face that uncharacteristically encouraged him, saying that since he was a prestigious university student, he would be able to pay off the debt quickly, came to mind.

In any case, it was truly bad for his aunt to keep meeting his mother and lending them money in this situation. They were uncannily good at finding sources of money.

“Aunt. Thank you so much.”

At the heavily spoken words, his aunt looked intently at Heewoon. Her eyes blinked slowly. As if she understood everything.

After a short conversation with his mother, who was recovering from the anesthesia, Heewoon went to school. His aunt returned to Cheonan late that night, and Heewoon slept on the auxiliary bed.

Heewoon had planned to keep sleeping in the hospital room if possible, but his mother practically chased him out starting the next day.

“Didn’t you hear your aunt? This is Mom’s vacation.”

His mother’s recovery was slow, but she seemed generally fine. Heewoon had no choice but to leave the hospital around 8 PM.

Leaving the hospital, Heewoon trudged toward the bus stop. Although he had eaten dinner at the baekban (Korean set meal) restaurant in front of the hospital, he was a little hungry. Just then, he saw a vendor selling hoddeok (sweet filled pancake) near the bus stop. The smell was so good. The fact that he was thinking about eating a hoddeok seemed to indicate that his tension had finally eased significantly.

“Hello. Can I have one hoddeok, please.”

Heewoon paused as he was about to take out his card from his wallet. There was no way they would accept card payments. Heewoon took out cash for the first time in a long time. This was also money Seo Gangwoo had given him for taxi fare at that time.

While blankly watching the hoddeok frying with a sizzling sound, he checked his cellphone briefly and saw a message from Seo Gangwoo.

[Are you sleeping at the hospital?]

While Heewoon was preoccupied with his mother’s business for several days, Seo Gangwoo had not particularly bothered him. Meaning, he hadn’t called him out.

[No.]

Heewoon sent a reply. Immediately after he sent the reply, a phone call came in.

—Did you eat dinner?

A soft voice was heard.

“Yes. I ate.”

Seo Gangwoo asked trivial details: what he ate, and if it tasted good, etc. Heewoon answered that he ate baekban and the taste was just so-so.

The purpose of the call only came out a while later.

—Come straight home right now. Since it’s the weekend anyway, it’s okay if you stay the night, right?

“Yes.”

—Take a taxi and come.

“Yes.”

As he nodded, the Mister offered him the hoddeok. Heewoon handed over the thousand won bill he was holding and received the hoddeok.

“Sounds like you’re talking to your boyfriend.”

The Mister laughed loudly. It seemed he made the comment after hearing Heewoon report his trivial daily routine. Heewoon frowned.

A boyfriend. They were in a relationship based on threat and being threatened.

Heewoon bowed and went to the roadside. He held the hoddeok in one hand and the cellphone in the other.

—Who are you with?

“Huh? No.”

—I heard a voice.

The soft voice became slightly gravelly.

“Ah… I bought a hoddeok. The Mister said something.”

—Is that so?

Heewoon somehow thought Seo Gangwoo would check with his monitor. So, he hesitated a little and then said,

“And I used cash because the card didn’t work.”

—Huh?

“When I bought the hoddeok, the card didn’t work, so… I used cash.”

Gangwoo was silent for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

—Good job.

Perhaps this was something he didn’t need to mention. Heewoon’s face felt hot, so he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand. Then the hoddeok touched his cheek, and he was surprised, yelling, “Ouch, hot.”

—What is it?

“The hoddeok is hot….”

Ah… Woo Heewoon. Gangwoo muttered as if sighing, then abruptly asked,

—Did you get in a taxi?

“Not yet. I’m getting in now.”

—Tell him to drive as fast as possible.

“Got it.”

—Tell him you’ll give him double.

He hesitated a little because he had never said such a thing. And it was a waste of money. Though it didn’t matter since it was Seo Gangwoo’s money.

—No answer?

“Ah. Yes, yes.”

Hanging up the phone, Heewoon, for the first time, asked the taxi Mister to drive as fast as possible, promising to pay double. Heewoon was quite surprised because the Mister truly drove fast.

Standing in front of the main gate, he pressed the doorbell, and the heavy gate opened slightly. Heewoon wiped the grease off his lips with the back of his hand as he stepped inside. He had gotten out of the taxi without throwing away the paper cup the hoddeok was in and was still holding it.

Before Heewoon could stand properly in front of the front door, the door opened, and a hand abruptly reached out. Heewoon was pulled inside just like that. And he collided with and was held in a firm embrace.

Gangwoo squeezed Heewoon tightly, close to suffocating him, then released him. His gaze landed on the paper cup Heewoon was holding.

“Was it delicious?”

When Heewoon nodded, Gangwoo stared at him, then lowered his head and kissed him. It was when Heewoon’s legs gave way during the sticky kiss that Gangwoo grabbed his hand and pulled him along. As Heewoon swayed slightly, Gangwoo chuckled and kissed the side of Heewoon’s head.