Episode 2

 

Inside the hospital room, there was a distinct smell of disinfectant. Kim Dong-sik, sitting in the quiet space, intentionally approached his father with longer strides. Placing a bulky shopping bag beside the hospital bed, Dong-sik spoke up.

 

“Here you go. These are the things father asked for.”

 

“Oh my, they must have been heavy.”

 

“But why now? I’ve never seen you look at manhwa ^[1] Manhwa books mean korean comic books. books like these before.”

 

“Well, these aren’t for me. They’re for the person in the next bed…”

 

At his father’s words, Dong-sik glanced at the neighboring bed. The room was a two-person ward with only two beds, and it was quite spacious. If the person in the neighboring bed was in good health, his father’s hospital stay wouldn’t be so bad.

 

Upon closer inspection, his eyes fell on the nameplate hanging next to the bed. Unable to resist his curiosity, he stole a glance.

 

<Park Haeun> ^[2] Park Haeun is a very feminine name.

 

“Huh?”

 

Startled, Dong-sik turned to his father in disbelief.

 

“Father, is this a mixed-gender ward? There wasn’t any talk about it. Shouldn’t we change hospitals?”

 

“What?”

 

The response didn’t come from Dong-sik’s father. The voice came from near the entrance of the room. Dong-sik turned his head, now even more startled than before. He wasn’t sure if he hadn’t closed the door properly or if the person had silently opened it and appeared, but either way, someone was standing by the door.

 

With dyed yellow hair and ears filled with what looked like rebellious piercings, the man wearing hospital clothes and holding crutches looked like a troublemaker. Despite already having a fierce gaze, he twisted his expression even more and looked over at them, making Dong-sik feel uncomfortable involuntarily.

 

“What did you just say? You were talking about me, right?”

 

Approaching a stranger like that without hesitation wasn’t a sign of good social skills. As Dong-sik struggled to respond, the man quickly approached even while holding his crutches. The slippers on one foot made a squeaking sound as he moved. The atmosphere in the quiet hospital room changed instantly.

 

Looking at Dong-sik sitting awkwardly on the makeshift chair next to the bed, the man said, “Move over, you punk.”

 

Dong-sik reluctantly raised his bottom and made some space. There was already enough room for him to enter without Dong-sik moving, but it seemed like he just wanted to assert dominance. As he moved toward the adjacent bed, he gave Dong-sik a dirty look filled with distrust, suspicion, and dissatisfaction. Dong-sik’s father lightly tapped Dong-sik’s back and scolded him.

 

“Brat, don’t judge someone just by their name.”

 

Seeing him sitting on the adjacent bed, Dong-sik couldn’t help but wonder if this man was indeed sharing the room with his father. His face, named Park Haeun… Could there have been some misunderstanding? He knew he needed to reflect on his own biases, but facing his carefree gaze made him want to deny reality. 

 

“What’s this? Is he ahjussi’s ^[3] Ahjussi means uncle or older man. Btw, check out “Dangerous Convenience store” manhwa if you haven’t. The Ajussi there is very sexy. son?” Park Haeun scanned Dong-sik from head to toe and asked in a somewhat softer voice.

 

“Yeah. I made him run some errands for me.”

 

Dong-sik didn’t know where to start feeling uneasy. The attitude of the yellow-haired troublemaker referring to him as ‘this’? The troublemaker who used polite language that didn’t sound polite at all, and his father’s friendly response?

 

“He doesn’t look anything like you… Anyway, why didn’t you speak up earlier? What’s your name?”

 

Before Dong-sik could come to a conclusion, the man threw a question at him. His attitude had become much friendlier compared to before, allowing Dong-sik to finally get a good look at his face.

 

Honestly, although he looked like a troublemaker, his appearance itself wasn’t threatening. He seemed tall with long limbs, maybe around 180cm, but his slender physique didn’t give off a rough or intimidating vibe. Aren’t there idols these days who exude that kind of casual vibe? When you think about it, he gave off a similar feeling…

 

But why did he keep bowing his head…? 

 

“I am Ha…..Han Dong-sik.”

 

He stuttered out his response. A wave of self-disgust washed over him, but the moment he met Park Haeun’s eyes, he naturally lowered his head again. His eyes weren’t small, but the slightly smaller irises that showed enough white made Dong-sik feel oddly intimidated as they bore into him.

 

“What’s your full name? Is your mother’s last name Ha?”

 

This guy… Was he awake, teasing, or just plain stupid? 

 

Dong-sik shook his head and clarified that his name was just Han Dong-sik, and his mother’s last name was Oh. Thankfully, Park Haeun easily accepted and moved on. It seemed he had become quite friendly with Dong-sik’s father during their time in the hospital together. Considering how he overlooked the mistake of mentioning the wrong last name, probably because Dong-sik was his son.

 

…Wait, why was he correcting him, when he had called my name incorrectly?

 

Dong-sik, who had been nervously peeling an apple, stopped absurdly. When he discreetly glanced back, he saw Park Haeun reading the comic book Dong-sik had brought with a serious expression. Finishing what he was doing, Dong-sik took a closer look. 

 

The manhwa Park Haeun was holding was not the first volume but the fourth volume. One volume was in his father’s hands. His father, who had been looking into the manhwa from a distance, made a mild comment.

 

“This is surprisingly interesting.”

 

“Right? It’s really interesting. The fourth volume is fucking touching.”

 

Park Haeun probably recommended his favorite comic book to his father. It’s fortunate that his father didn’t seem bored, but it’s a bit worrying to see him getting along with such a young and delinquent guy. While keeping an eye on things, Park Haeun casually put down Volume 4 of “<Legend of the Unconquerable Eastern Gods>. Then he shamelessly picked up the apple that Dong-sik had cut.

 

“Is this a rabbit apple? But why is it so sqaushed?”

 

“Um… I made a little mistake while cutting it….”

 

“Hmm….”

 

Park Haeun looked between the squished apple and Dong-sik’s face. 

 

What is he doing? Is he saying that the squashed rabbit apple looks like me?

 

“It’s okay. Just do better next time.”

 

Despite the encouragement, Dong-sik didn’t feel particularly good. Unlike the uneasy Dong-sik, his father was chuckling and watching Park Haeun. Park Haeun quickly finished eating the apple while stumbling over Dong-sik was sitting next to him, and this time, he turned on the TV. After flipping through channels, he stopped at a movie channel and started watching. Then, as if hesitating, he turned to Dong-sik’s father and asked,

 

“Have you seen ‘The Third Illegal Earth?”

 

“I think I’ve heard of it.”

 

“Oh, this is a really masterpiece.”

 

Unable to stay silent, Dong-sik joined the conversation. He had also enjoyed watching that movie a lot.

 

“Yeah, it’s interesting. I watched it at the theater.”

 

“Oh, you did?”

 

For the first time, Park Haeun’s expression brightened and he responded. Dong-sik felt oddly pleased and joined in.

 

“Yes, exactly. Geonjoo’s acting skills are really impressive, aren’t they?”

 

“Isn’t Geonjoo so cool? At first, I thought, ‘Is this guy really playing a tough guy in a noir film?’ But as I watched, his presence was no joke. I’ve watched that movie five times.”

 

In Dong-sik’s mind, the actor playing Geonjoo was a male ginseng ^[4] Male ginseng is an insult to a guy who looks too feminine and pretty. who couldn’t be called a tough guy, and he remembered thinking that Park Haeun, who looked like a male ginseng, was more like a tough guy. However, he thought that if he let out this fact, Park Haeun would say, “What punk?” so he kept his mouth shut.

 

Then Park Haeun went on a long rant about how great “The Third Illegal Earth” was as a movie, how impressive Geonjoo’s character was, and how dignified the boss of Geonjoo’s gang was.

 

“What was the name of the actor who played Geon-joo?”

 

“Oh, well. I’m not sure. I think it was Kim or Lee… It was something like that, but I can’t remember exactly…”

 

Park Ha-eun, who was agonizing for a while, closed his mouth because he was either tired or had tired himself out. Dong-sik, who was also pondering the name of the actor in the role of Geonjoo, subtly turned his body towards his father.

 

Observing him, Park Haeun seemed to be the type who could be a bit scatterbrained when spoken of negatively but was also capable of enjoying herself alone when spoken of positively. 

 

After briefly glancing at the movie playing on TV, he picked up and put down the manhwa book, fidgeted restlessly for a while, and then comfortably lay down with his phone in hand. He didn’t seem to have any intention of using earphones, as the sound from his phone continued to play out loud.

 

For a while, the noisy sounds of a Neotuber ^[5] It’s Youtube but Neotube to avoid copyrights. ’s gaming broadcast filled the room. While Dong-sik was visibly uncomfortable, his father had an expression of unparalleled tranquility. Park Haeun, lying comfortably as if he were in his own living room, was no different. Just as Dong-sik’s ears were starting to feel awkward in this unfamiliar situation, a welcome sound reached him. The hospital room door opened again.

 

“Ah…!”

 

Was it a nurse or a doctor who had come? Was he mistaken to have felt glad? Dong-sik, who was about to get up, froze in a halfway-upright position with his butt off the bed, resembling a transparent chair. At a glance, it was clear that five men who looked somewhat like delinquents had rushed into the room.

 

“Park Ha!”

 

“Is your leg still not attached?”

 

“Is it completely shattered? Does that mean you can’t walk now?”

 

“Poor Park Ha… Should I carry you around, bro?”

 

They bombarded him with questions without even a greeting. Dong-sik was the only one taken aback, while Park Haeun and even his father maintained calm expressions. Park Haeun, still holding his phone between her fingers, responded coolly to their questions.

 

“Keep it down in the hospital, you idiots.”

 

Dong-sik was startled and observed the men cautiously. They seemed to be Park Haeun’s friends, but unlike Park Haeun, who appeared somewhat carefree, these men gave off a genuine delinquent vibe. Even at a glance, they had a sturdy build, and their fists seemed hefty enough that they could easily knock down someone like Park Haeun, who was lying in the hospital bed. Was it okay for them to be like this?

 

However, to Dong-sik’s surprise, they complied with Park Haeun’s words without any argument. Instead of rebutting, they even laughed and said things like, “You’re right,” and “We lacked common sense,” as they accepted it without any pretense. Was Park Haeun in a position where he had influence within this group more than he had initially thought?

• 1. Manhwa books mean korean comic books.
• 2. Park Haeun is a very feminine name.
• 3. Ahjussi means uncle or older man. Btw, check out “Dangerous Convenience store” manhwa if you haven’t. The Ajussi there is very sexy.
• 4. Male ginseng is an insult to a guy who looks too feminine and pretty.
• 5. It’s Youtube but Neotube to avoid copyrights.