PHUW 6

The hospital’s signature sliding door for patient transport look like a regular one next to his large body. He stood out even more thanks to the worn-out white T-shirt with a loose collar he wore. The faded camo cargo pants and heavy leather work shoes made him look like a rough laborer.

But in contrast, the mask under his unstyled, messy short hair looked sleek. His tanned skin was clear like actor’s, his thick eyebrows stayed neat to the ends, and his sharp nose didn’t have a trace of shine. His lips were neat, and his clean-shaven jawline gave off an air of elegance.

Ahn Haeri recognized him at a glance. It was the man he’d seen in the emergency room.

“You’re getting discharged, right? The hospital called.”

His low voice echoed.

“Ah… yes.”

“I brought a change of clothes.”

He set the paper bag he was carrying on the chair next to the bed.

“How is it?”

“Sorry?”

Haeri blinked, not knowing what he was asking.

“I mean, how are you feeling.”

“Oh, there’s no sensation unless I touch it. I get a little dizzy, but as long as I sit, it’s fine.”

“Think you can ride in a car?”

He spoke casually without hesitation.

“I’m not sure.”

“I’ll ask them on your way out. I brought a car with no vibrations, just in case.”

He sounded like he was going to be part of the discharge process. If he went out of his way to bring a vibration-free car, then he meant to drive Haeri, right?

He had to ask at this point.

“Excuse me.”

The man looked this way.

Seeing him face-to-face only made it more confusing. No matter how Ahn Haeri looked at him, he didn’t match the face he remembered.

It had only been a day since he was moved to a private room when they removed the catheter. Once he could move on his own, the first thing Haeri did was check his face. He leaned on the support and went to the bathroom to stare into the mirror for a while.

Whether it was bleached or naturally bright, his curly hair and pale face–saying it himself felt silly–but it was kind of cute. He was slightly above average height. Everything else looked intact. The conclusion he came to, after seeing a face that felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, was that he hadn’t hit the jackpot, but he’d won something like a five-year pension lottery.

Recalling that face he memorized over the hospital stay, he looked back at the man in front of him. There wasn’t a single feature in common. Some families look nothing alike, sure, but if that guy were related to him, the hospital wouldn’t have labeled him as “unamed male” on his wristband all this time.

“So… who exactly are you?”

Haeri left off the polite “sir” and added a puzzled expression for good measure.

“My name’s Jeong Mok. Jeong’s the family name. Just Mok for the given name. Thirty-two years old. Freelancer.”

“Ah… okay.”

His clear self-introduction made Ahn Haeri nod without realizing it. At the same time, he wondered if he should give his name, age, and job, but he knew none of those, so Haeri stayed quiet. It took a beat and a half before he came to his senses. Name, age, and job were important, sure, but something else mattered more.

“So what’s your relation to me?”

At the direct question, the man who called himself Jeongmok frowned. His handsome face suddenly turned harsh, and Haeri unconsciously flinched.

Maybe he’d asked the wrong thing. But is it really wrong for someone with amnesia to wonder what kind of connection they have with the person in their hospital room? He didn’t think so.

“Perpetrator and victim.”

“…Sorry?”

“I’m the one who hit you on the head.”

Ah. It was wrong.

Haeri opened my eyes wide and scanned him up and down. His first impression had been intense, but now the menace felt even stronger. With his memory wiped, his brain had plenty of processing power left for wild imagination.

Freelancer, maybe the kind that ‘freelances’ by taking people out and burying them? Freelance outside the law? His look only pushed his thoughts deeper into horror-thriller territory.

What if he didn’t finish the job and came back to clean it up? In broad daylight? In a country crawling with CCTV? He seemed way too calm. Maybe he’s a skilled assassin. Or a psycho killer who doesn’t care about cameras at all.

Apparently, the panic showed on Ahn Haeri’s face. Jeong Mok quickly shook his head and waved his hand.

“It wasn’t on purpose. It was an accident.”

He couldn’t hide his embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck.

But I didn’t have any memory. How would I know if it was an accident or not? Either way, why was the perpetrator in the victim’s room like it was nothing?

“Hello. You’re being discharged today, right?”

A nurse appeared at the open door. She disconnected the IV and told Haeri to pick up his meds at the station later. Talking about hospital fees in front of a stranger felt awkward, so he scrambled after her as she left.

It was only when they reached the station that the nurse noticed him and asked if he needed anything.

“Uh, I haven’t been able to prepare the payment yet…”

“For the unidentified male patient, right? The payment’s already been made.”

Another nurse at the desk answered. She said the prescription would arrive soon and handed Haeri a note with the outpatient appointment already scheduled. Everyone seemed calm except him, the only one flustered. “Unnamed male” still felt like a stranger’s name.

“Who paid the hospital bill?”

Ahn Haeri asked, holding the slip with the professor’s name and the date and time for the follow-up.

“Your guardian, I assume?”

“I have a guardian? Me?”

This time, the nurses looked at each other and asked if the Unnamed male patient’s memory hadn’t returned yet. If it had, his name wouldn’t still be “Unnamed male,” would it?

“The person who was just in your room, isn’t he your guardian?”

The nurse checked the monitor and smiled.

“But he said he was the one who hit me.”

“He did?”

The nurses looked surprised as if they hadn’t known. They exchanged glances.

“Room 1407’s unnamed male patient is being discharged today, right? Patient Kim Cheolwon will come in later.”

The head nurse, who had just made her rounds, flipped through the chart. The discharge was already set, and the hospital, busy as ever, had already assigned the next patient to the room. A nursing assistant rolled out a cart to change the bed. The nurses returned to their tasks as if on cue.

“Is your memory still gone?”

The head nurse asked. Haeri nodded, and she gave him a kind smile.

“Some people take longer. It’ll come back if you rest well.”

No one really cared about the awkward situation of a healthy dischargee. The only one paying attention was the so-called perpetrator, who kept urging him to change and leave.

Haeri changed clothes in the bathroom. The paper bag held an enormous tracksuit. Even the new underwear still had a tag on it, but it was way too big. If he didn’t tie the waistband tight, the pants would slide down after a few steps. Wearing the old hospital slippers, he came out to see Jeong Mok holding the medicine bag.

“Let’s go.”

He motioned for Haeri to lead the way.

There were more than a dozen elevators, but with so many people using them, it took a while to reach the underground parking lot. As soon as we stepped out, a wave of heat and humidity hit Haeri. Jeong Mok told him to wait there while he went to get the car.

Ahn Haeri fell into an inner conflict while he watched him walk away with those long strides.

Jeong Mok looked nothing like him. It’s not that they don’t just look alike, but like they weren’t even from the same species. And he was the one who hurt him. Accident or not. Isn’t “it was an accident” the classic excuse violent offenders use? His job was vague, too. Freelancer? That could mean anything. Haeri could claim to be a freelancer too, a self-employed amnesiac on medical leave.

He did pay the hospital bills. Haeri was grateful, but maybe he just wanted to avoid paying a settlement. It could’ve been his way of handling it quickly and cleanly.

Haeri had another problem. He’d just been discharged, but he had nowhere to go. No money. Even if there was a company out there willing to hire someone fresh out of the hospital with a head injury, how would he get a job without an ID?

‘It’s scary to go with him.’

But if he didn’t, he’d have to starve tonight. And Jeong Mok had the medicine.

Haeri’s brain started churning and immediately throbbed. The trapped oil and rubber smell in the underground lot only made the headache worse. He pressed his temples with his fingertips. A black luxury sedan pulled up in front of him. It was a very expensive foreign car.

Jeong Mok got out from the driver’s seat, came around, and opened the back door.

“Get in.”

When Haeri hesitated, he asked, “Do you want to sit in front?” thinking he was reluctant for another reason. The back seat felt safer.

Ahn Haeri quietly settled into the soft leather seat. As Jeongmok leaned in to pull the seatbelt across, the air in the car got heavier. His huge frame overwhelmed the space, and Haeri instinctively leaned back, half sinking into the seat.

He couldn’t find the buckle right away, so he leaned in farther and placed one hand on Haeri’s thigh to steady himself. His heart dropped to his stomach.

“I-I’ll do it.”

Haeri hurried to grab the black belt. Jeong Mok frowned, unable to find the buckle, then looked at him. He was handsome, but also sharp-looking. Haeri shrank back a little. Jeong Mok’s large hand lifted off his thigh.

“Alright.”

His looming presence slowly pulled away. As if someone had removed a bed from a tiny room, Haeri let out a long breath into the empty space he left. He fastened the seatbelt with trembling hands.

Click.

The back door shut. Jeong Mok got into the driver’s seat and soon started the car. As they circled to find the exit, sunlight poured down onto the car.