Midday Guest Chapter 54

Cha Seokjoo shook his head and walked away. He didn’t show even a hint of interest in the pizza and went straight into his private office.

Watching him, Oh Taesik nudged Yiwon’s shoulder and asked.

“Little boss, what are you supposed to say at a time like this?”

“You say hello, or good morning Director, or…. Actually, a greeting right now would be fine too. That is, if you could just relax your posture a little bit.”

“Wow.”

Oh Taesik’s eyes widened in surprise at Yiwon’s words.

“Whoa, that’s fascinating. You say the exact same thing as the Director.”

“Me?”

“The Director is always telling us to relax, to take the tension out of our shoulders.”

“…Ah.”

“If you look closely, you two are different, yet so similar.”

Without realizing it, they were soaking into each other like a fine drizzle.

☼

As the voting day for the selection of the construction company approached, Cha Seokjoo became busy. He was constantly on the move, appearing at briefing sessions held in the village and heading up to the main office to report on the progress.

“When are you coming back again?”

“I’m not sure. It might take a bit of time this turn.”

“I see….”

Before he knew it, his words trailed off, tinged with a hint of disappointment. Before turning away from Yiwon, Cha Seokjoo rubbed the corner of Yiwon’s eye with his finger and then moved off.

While lying on his side looking toward where Cha Seokjoo had been, the phone rang. The screen displayed the phone number of the hospital where his mother was admitted. Is it Mom? He answered the phone with a glad heart.

“Hello.”

— Hello, is this the family of Ms. Lee Aeran?

A woman on the other end of the line mentioned his mother’s name in an urgent voice. Why was a stranger talking about his mom? Thinking that, Yiwon’s voice became a bit stiff.

“That’s correct… but excuse me, who is this?”

— Ah, this is Korea University Hospital. Ms. Lee Aeran is in critical condition. Her state suddenly worsened and she collapsed.

“What?”

— We are calling because we need consent for surgery. Is it possible for you to visit the hospital?

“…Ah.”

— Just a moment, guardian. The patient has regained consciousness.

“C-Can I talk to her for a moment? Please put her on the phone.”

— Just a moment.

Hectic noises could be heard over the phone. After a second that felt like an eternity passed,

— …Yiwon….

“…Mom?”

— Yiwon, Mom is okay. So….

His mother’s voice came through, trying to calm Yiwon down. His vision turned white and his fingertips went cold.

“Mom, I’ll go there right now. Don’t worry and….”

— Patient, patient Lee Aeran, stay with us!

Beep, beep. Indistinguishable alarm sounds and the sound of someone shouting “emergency” could be heard faintly.

A long, helpless breath burst out uncontrollably. Yiwon stood up with unfocused eyes and moved with slow steps, but as he crossed the wooden porch, he started running into the room.

“H-Hello. Doctor? Where should I go?”

— You just need to come to the hospital and look for the patient. It’s best if you come as quickly as possible….

As quickly as possible. The moment he heard that, his mind went blank. It was a distance that would take a good three hours even with a generous estimate.

“I’ll go right now. Yes, yes. I understand.”

He grabbed his wallet from the desk drawer and rushed out of the room immediately. Just as he was about to jump off the porch, shove his feet into whatever shoes were there, and run off, Cha Seokjoo stopped Yiwon.

“What’s going on?”

“They say she needs surgery. My mom….”

“Surgery?”

“I’ll explain later. I think I have to go right now.”

He tried to run off but was caught by Cha Seokjoo again. Yiwon looked back at him. When their eyes met, Cha Seokjoo asked shortly.

“Where is it?”

“…….”

“Don’t cry, just tell me.”

“Korea University Hospital….”

The lips that barely managed to finish the words trembled violently. There was no way to stop the tears that burst out helplessly.

Cha Seokjoo took the wheel.

To enter the highway from Yonggung-ri, one had to pass through a small village and cross a mountain. It was clear they were going faster than when he was alone, but he kept feeling anxious. Yiwon clasped his hands together, looking out through the passenger window.

I hope nothing is wrong. Please, just this once, I hope nothing is wrong. I won’t complain about doing hard work, so I just want her to stay alive.

While he was suppressing the words pouring out inside his heart, a large hand covered Yiwon’s hands. Warm body heat seeped in. Cha Seokjoo slowly rubbed the back of Yiwon’s hand as he shuddered with anxiety.

The car, having passed through the village, entered the mountain path. It was a typical mountain pass with a cliff on the left and a “Caution: Falling Rocks” sign on the right.

“Once we get over this, it’s the highway. Then we’ll be there soon.”

“…Yes.”

Yiwon’s gaze moved to the navigation. Estimated time of arrival 6:37 PM. Unfortunately, it overlapped with the evening rush hour. He kept feeling uneasy. He wanted to go a little faster. Even though he knew it was difficult to go any faster, he felt like making a strange request. Tears continued to flow.

“Is your mother in the hospital?”

“…Yes.”

Assuming the purpose was to calm his mind, Yiwon took a deep breath and continued.

“She was recovering well after surgery…. They said her condition suddenly turned bad and she had to undergo surgery again.”

“What’s the name of the person in charge who contacted you?”

“That… I couldn’t ask because I was so out of it. I only remember that they told me to come to the hospital quickly….”

Korea University Hospital, surgery consent form, quickly. He couldn’t remember the conversation and only fragmentary words floated in his head. The winding mountain road continued dizzyingly.

“Do you have the hospital’s phone number?”

“I do, but why?”

“Send it to me. I’ll have a staff member find out what the situation is.”

“Ah, yes.”

Yiwon promptly sent the phone number to Cha Seokjoo. This was not the time to be polite or act stiff. Having received the phone number, Cha Seokjoo made a call somewhere. Since CarPlay was connected, the conversation could be heard clearly.

— Yes, Director. This is Kim Seungkwon.

“Call the number I just sent and find out the situation. The admitted patient, the name is….”

Cha Seokjoo gestured to Yiwon. Yiwon cut into the call.

“Lee Aeran.”

As soon as the answer “Understood” came through the speaker, the call ended.

The car shook briefly from the light piercing through the windshield. A group of cars with high beams on sped past from the opposite road. During a curve, a vroom, vroooom sound bothered his ears. The long line of vehicles only began to disappear after a long time.

“Thank you so much.”

Cha Seokjoo said nothing. After that, Yiwon also said nothing. He couldn’t even think of exchanging other words because he was busy hoping nothing had happened to his mom.

Rrrr—

Secretary Kim Seungkwon

Cha Seokjoo answered the phone immediately.

“Speak.”

— I found the record for the person you’re looking for, but she seems to be doing fine.

“What do you mean by that?”

— She is resting well in her hospital room. That is the answer I received from contacting Korea University Hospital.

“Are you sure?”

— Yes. Could there have been a mistake? This number, it was for outgoing calls only.

“…What?”

A moment of silence followed.

Cha Seokjoo glanced back at Yiwon while keeping the call active. It was confusing. He had definitely received a call saying it was Korea University Hospital.

He hurriedly tried to call the number. It wouldn’t connect.

“…I, I definitely got a call. I even spoke with my mom directly, and the record is still there….”

It was when Cha Seokjoo’s hands, which had gripped the steering wheel again, loosened. A car that popped out from the curve came driving toward them while straddling the center line. The car narrowly brushed past.

— Should I look into it further?

“No. More than that….”

Checking the rearview mirror, Cha Seokjoo stepped hard on the accelerator.

“Tell Oh Taesik and Ma Haeyoung to come here. Right now.”

— Yes? What do you mean so suddenly?

It was when Kim Seungkwon’s voice trailed off.

A car that came racing from behind with a roar slammed straight into the bumper. Thud! With a massive roar, their bodies jolted back and forth.

“…Ugh.”

Yiwon’s body swayed violently. The car, which had once lost its balance, was shaken after receiving a heavy blow from the subsequent aggressive driving. Screeeeech, a chilling sound and the smell of burning tires stung his nose. The car roughly scraped the guardrail lining the cliff and then bounced forward.

Cha Seokjoo reached out his arm to steady Yiwon’s body. His gaze was fixed on the rearview mirror.

— Director?

Just then, a huge van popped out from the opposite side. Crossing the center line and charging toward them, the opponent was reckless. At the same time the blinding light blurred, a massive impact struck.

— Director! Is something wrong?

Thud! At the same time the explosive sound erupted, the car spun around in place.

When he regained his senses and lifted his head, the right seat where Yiwon had been sitting had already gone past the edge of the cliff. The tilting, precarious balance was broken by a car that approached from a distance, scraped the side, and pulled away.

Suddenly, his body tilted abnormally. While flailing at the feeling of being plunged into a deep abyss, his eyes met Cha Seokjoo’s, whose face was heavily contorted.

Cha Seokjoo reached out his hand toward Yiwon. Yiwon also reached out his hand toward him. Even while sitting at a distance where they could almost touch, grabbing hands was not easy.