Midday Guest Chapter 27

However, the moment he saw the meat pancakes and meat soup laid out neatly on the small dining table, all those feelings vanished. The meat pancakes, coated in egg wash and topped with red chili garnishes, were savory and delicious enough to make his eyes widen.

“Did you do all of this yourself?”

“Is it edible?”

“Very much so.”

“Good. Eat a lot and put on some weight.”

“I’m not in such a state that I need to hear that.”

“No, you are exactly in that state.”

It seemed his standards had become warped because Cha Seokjoo himself, as well as the employees he traveled with, were all men built like doors.

Yiwon shook his head side to side and took a spoonful of the meat soup. Perhaps he had cast some spell, because the broth had a deep flavor. Even though the corners of his torn mouth were stinging, the meal went down smoothly.

“What happened to that person?”

“Which person.”

“The representative of Sunwoo Finance, Kim Sunwoo.”

“Why bring him up and ruin the appetite?”

He had only asked because he heard they came to catch Kim Sunwoo, so he figured they might leave soon if the goal was achieved. He could tell the man truly hated the subject, seeing how his brow furrowed.

“What, are you worried about what happened to that bastard?”

He asked because he was curious, not because he was worried. Yiwon was not so dim-witted as to worry about the well-being of someone who had lunged at him to slice off his wrist.

“It’s not that. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Forget it. No need to be sorry. Just know that the bastard won’t be able to show his face here ever again.”

“…What does that mean.”

“I settled it, Kim Sunwoo.”

“… .”

Yiwon suddenly realized he was about to say “Thank you” and clamped his mouth shut. Having seen a man’s arms pulled until they dangled, it didn’t seem like something to express gratitude for.

Still, it was true that he felt relieved. He couldn’t even count how much furniture Kim Sunwoo had broken over the years. He had never imagined that Cha Seokjoo would truly handle the man whom no one would deal with, even after reports to the police.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

Even if there was, there shouldn’t be. The reason Yiwon had survived this long, even by a thread, was thanks to the fact that he never looked back or stayed curious about things that didn’t seem right.

“No.”

“If not, then eat. It’s getting cold.”

Yiwon said “Yes” and mixed his rice into the soup. It was delicious enough that he could have eaten another bowl.

After finishing the meal, they sat side-by-side at the outdoor water tap and did the dishes, just as they had on the first morning.

If there was a difference from that day, it was that the sun had already risen so high that the top of his head felt prickly.

After hurrying to finish tidying up, he went into the bathroom. Recalling the insult about getting the sleep crust out of his eyes, he brushed his teeth vigorously and came out after showering thoroughly.

As he crossed the wooden porch, he looked into his room. The floor and furniture, which had been a shambles, were tidied up to some extent, and the broken furniture and fan were stood neatly next to the main gate.

He wondered if it was the work of Mister Oh Taesik. Thinking he should start with a thank you the next time they met, he sat on the edge of the porch.

He propped his arms behind his back and leaned back, and a summer breeze blew softly. While he was repeatedly sticking his toes into the sunlight and pulling them back into the shade, he locked eyes with Cha Seokjoo, who was coming out after washing up.

“Did you wash?”

“Yes.”

“Change your clothes and come out.”

Having said that, Cha Seokjoo disappeared into the spare room.

Yiwon quietly lowered his head and looked down at his outfit. A white round-neck tee and bermuda shorts. He had just taken these out to wear. As he sat and waited, Cha Seokjoo walked out wearing suit trousers with his shirt sleeves rolled up.

“Why are you still the same?”

“Because these are clothes I just changed into a moment ago.”

“You call those clothes.”

Cha Seokjoo furrowed his brow deeply and scanned Yiwon from head to toe.

“The way those pants look is exactly like what our old man wears. Are you going fishing or something?”

“A lot of people dress like this these days.”

“Who.”

“I don’t know. I bought them after seeing the ranking of the most sold clothes at a shopping mall.”

“This is a disaster.”

Cha Seokjoo flicked his finger while heading toward the gate. Following him without much thought, he found himself in front of Cha Seokjoo’s pitch-black sedan.

The man got into the driver’s seat without saying much else. When Yiwon stood blankly in the sweltering heat, Cha Seokjoo honked the horn briefly. He seemed to be telling him to get in quickly.

Yiwon also got into the passenger seat. Since it was summer and the car was hot, they left the windows wide open as they descended the Haeundang hillside. By the time he glanced outside for a moment, they were already in the city.

It was just as Cha Seokjoo, who had his arm folded on the driver’s side window frame, turned a corner. Oh Taesik, who was smoking under a telephone pole, recognized Cha Seokjoo and let out a loud shout, “Oh! Director!”

Cha Seokjoo stopped the car by the roadside.

“Where are you going?”

“Hospital.”

“The hospital?”

Oh Taesik’s large voice boomed loudly. Ma Haeyoung, who was clicking a lighter nearby, also widened his eyes and looked at Cha Seokjoo. To be precise, he looked at the driver’s seat where Cha Seokjoo would be. The tint was so dark that nothing would have been visible from that side.

The tint was dark, so nothing was visible. The two men pressed their large bodies together and approached the driver’s side window, sticking their faces in.

Ma Haeyoung asked.

“Director, are you hurt?”

“Whoa, hwaaa! Director, your mug!”

The combination of “Director” and “mug,” two words that didn’t go together, gave off a strange feeling. Oh Taesik, not even realizing what was wrong, raised his voice while glaring at Cha Seokjoo’s mouth.

“Those motherfuckers, I’ll go and pay them back ten thousand times over, so please just wait a moment. May I take a few of the boys and go?”

“Should I do the driving to the hospital?”

Cha Seokjoo, receiving the barrage of questions, frowned as he pushed their foreheads away one by one.

“Not me.”

“Pardon?”

“Because of him.”

Hearing Cha Seokjoo’s answer, Yiwon asked.

“Am I going to the hospital?”

Oh Taesik leaned down and looked toward the passenger seat. Then, he nodded with an “Ah.” He stood up, tilted his head back, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hey guys, the Director is going to the hospital!”

Throughout the drive to the hospital in the next village, Yiwon kept glancing at the side mirror. Ma Haeyoung’s car was in front, and the employees’ cars were in the back, escorting Cha Seokjoo.

They parked in front of the hospital and got out. The employees who accompanied them also poured out and stood in a line in front of the hospital.

The parking attendant and the staff at the desk all had flustered faces, but for the most part, they hid their surprise and pretended to be natural. Because Kim Sunwoo had frequently caused riots in most of the nearby neighborhoods, they were fed up with similar situations.

However, as if surprised that it was a new face and not Kim Sunwoo, the desk clerk glanced back and forth between Yiwon and Cha Seokjoo. It wasn’t difficult to distinguish who had come for treatment.

“Hello.”

The desk clerk briefly looked at Yiwon’s face and neck. However, she soon retracted her expression and asked in a calm voice.

“Is this your first visit?”

“Yes.”

“Are there any specific areas bothering you?”

“Just simple trauma.”

The desk clerk requested Yiwon’s personal information. Yiwon rested his arm on the table and held a pen.

After parting with Oh Taesik and Ma Haeyoung, the car had headed straight to the hospital. Yiwon had been moving his lips while looking at Cha Seokjoo. It was because he felt Cha Seokjoo had misunderstood his physical condition.

‘I’m thankful for the sentiment, but I don’t think it’s to the point of going to a hospital.’

However, Cha Seokjoo didn’t even pretend to listen. No matter how many times he tried to talk, the man’s reaction was the same. After a phone call came in for him, Yiwon couldn’t say anything more. And that led to now.

“If you wait in the waiting room, we will call your name.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After finishing the registration, he returned and sat side-by-side with Cha Seokjoo on the waiting room chairs. Yiwon’s name appeared and blinked on the waiting list screen mounted in front. He was third in line.

Though he had been led to the hospital by Cha Seokjoo’s hand… honestly, the hospital fees felt like such a waste. Usually, a person would just apply medicine at home and wait it out until they were all healed. He couldn’t shake that thought.

Cha Seokjoo spent the time receiving intermittent phone calls or checking emails on his phone. Seeing how the ringtone didn’t rest for even a moment, he seemed busy, so it was a mystery why he was wasting time here.

“Patient Jung Yiwon, would you come this way?”

He thought he would just get a prescription for medicine and come out of the examination room. Instead, Yiwon was guided by a nurse to change into a gown and was dragged around to all sorts of testing rooms. They drew blood and even took X-rays.

When he said he thought there had been a misunderstanding and that he only needed a simple check-up, the nurse merely replied that there was a special request from the person accompanying him.

He could have at least told me.

…Then I would have said I wasn’t doing it.

His head began to ache at the hospital bill that had snowballed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to becoming aware of reality, he flatly refused the additional tests or nutritional supplements that were suggested.

After finishing the rounds, Yiwon approached Cha Seokjoo, who was still sitting in the same spot.

“What did they say?”

“They said they’d let me know soon. But I don’t think there will be any big problems.”

“I see.”

He felt resentful of the nonchalant reply. Cha Seokjoo leaned back loosely against the uncomfortable chair of the hospital waiting room. He tilted his head back and looked up at Yiwon.

“What.”

“… .”

“I’m asking why you’re standing like that.”

“… .”

“Say something.”

Yiwon stepped closer to Cha Seokjoo. He wondered if this was right, but at the moment, no other method came to mind.