PHUW 77

The call rang but Jeong Mok did not answer. Instead, a buzzing vibration came from under the jacket on the sofa. When the call was cut off the vibration stopped. When called again the vibration started again. Now that he thought about it, Jeong Mok had two phones. At the hospital he had used the working one to talk with the company. He must have taken that one with him and left the phone Haeri knew about here.

Haeri considered calling the animal hospital but gave up. If Gom-i was really in a critical state, his call would only be a big disturbance.

Even though he made up his mind to wait, the unease and nervousness did not fade and instead grew worse. In contrast, his body, battered by violence and shock, got heavier with every passing moment.

It was too quiet everywhere. Thanks to the painkillers, the pain had eased, and his mind loosened along with it. His eyes kept closing. He needed to wait for Jeong Mok and ask about Gom-i’s condition.

While worrying, Haeri ended up falling asleep.

How long had he slept?

Someone touched his half-asleep body. While he babbled without even opening his eyes, his body lifted and then landed again. Several people, whether doctors or nurses he could not tell, lingered around, talking about surgery and anesthesia, while Haeri sank back into deep sleep.

When he regained consciousness again, his whole body felt heavy enough that he wondered if dying would feel like this. His throat burned and his eyes stuck together so much he could not properly open them.

“Are you awake?”

A familiar voice whispered softly.

“Uhh…”

“They said the surgery went well.”

It was Jeong Mok. Earlier, when his body had shifted, he must have been moved to the operating room. After surgery, his foot, filled with metal pins, hung fixed in a brace.

“…Go… Gom-i…”

“Gom-i’s treatment went well too. He’s resting now in the animal hospital ward. Don’t worry and just get some good rest.”

A big warm hand touched his sweat-soaked forehead. Comforted by the gentle touch, Haeri sank again into a long, long sleep.

He fully came to his senses only late at night, more than half a day after the surgery had ended. When he turned his head he expected someone to speak to him. But the dark hospital room was strangely quiet.

He slowly turned his stiff neck toward the sofa. No one was there. There was no sign that anyone had stayed there. He turned his head the other way. The same.

‘What? Where did he go? He said he would always stay by me.’

As soon as he realized he was alone, he thought about calling someone. Even if someone came, there was nothing he especially wanted to ask for. He just did not want to be alone. If it were not the hospital, Gom-i would be with him. But there was not even the regular sight of a nurse checking in.

He groped around for the nurse call remote. It had to be somewhere. But at least within reach of his hand, it was not.

Realizing he had no way to call anyone, he suddenly grew frightened. He did not know why. He simply did not want to be alone.

He tried to force his dull body upright. His whole body, limp like soaked cotton, ignored his will. Trapped in the isolated space, he could do nothing.

The moment he realized that, he panicked.

The darkness lurking in the hospital room rippled and formed a black shape. Crouched in the corner, it looked like a wild boar, or else a beast risen from hell.

That damn sleep paralysis bastard. Why come again, damn it.

Annoyance aside, the fear was still so great he could wet himself. Maybe because it was right after surgery and his body could not move even more than usual, it was so vivid it frightened him worse than before.

Thud!

A loud sound, like a watermelon smashing after falling from the air, exploded. Red blood pooled beneath the black shape. The hideous beast’s eyes fixed on Haeri. His lungs collapsed at once. He could not breathe.

Run! Run! Get away from here!

As always, the voice inside him shouted. But his body, which had even forgotten how to breathe, did not move.

“Uhh… uhh…”

His dry throat jammed shut so he could not even scream. The beast’s mouth tore open and somewhere the pounding footsteps of boots crashing down concrete stairs roared like thunder. The enraged beast charged at Haeri.

The charging beast was none other than death. Its jaws bit into Haeri’s neck and its knife-like claws stabbed his stomach. Unspeakable terror seized his whole body and Haeri convulsed as if struck by electricity.

His eyes rolled back and foam bubbled from his mouth. From his ears, as if water had entered, a piercing ringing burst like a knife stabbing his stomach.

Someone… someone… someone please…

Hot tears began to well in his upturned eyes.

Go… Gom-i… Gom-i… Gran… Grandma… Grandma…

Neither Gom-i nor Grandma were by his side. And Jeong Mok was not there either.

Please someone… someone save me… I am so scared…

Tears streamed down his temples.

So… so scared… please… someone… help me.

Bang!

The hospital room door flung open and light poured in. Someone as big as the beast rushed in and pulled Haeri into a tight embrace.

“Ahn Haeri!”

The arms that pulled him in were strong, yet so gentle that Haeri thought he could die like this without regret. At the movement of the other’s body, the knife that had been stabbing and tearing his stomach slid away.

“Over here! Nurse! Nurse!”

The shout of the one holding Haeri was as loud as Gom-i barking toward a mountain. Startled by it, the beast’s jaws released Haeri’s neck.

“Haeri-ya, stay with me.”

The hand stroking his damp forehead and cheek carried such tenderness. That kind and gentle touch completely drove off the beast that had been mauling him.

The thing that had brought death soon disappeared. The ringing that had been gouging into his brain stopped, and his eyes, which had rolled back, slowly returned.

The world, blurred with tears, was hazy. But it was not so blurred that he could not recognize the worried face of the one holding him tight.

It was, as expected, Jeong Mok.

The one who looked at him with eyes trembling as if tears would spill any moment, the one who held him tight as if never to let go, then reluctantly stepped back only when the doctor and nurses rushed in, the one who was as brave as Gom-i and as gentle as Grandma, was none other than Jeong Mok.

As the on-duty doctor and nurses rushed in, attaching medical devices and fussing over him, Jeong Mok stood a step back, watching. Even while the doctor checked his pupils with a penlight and the nurse put on an oxygen mask, he stayed by with an anxious expression.

The doctor injected something into the IV. Perhaps a sedative, because the sensations of his sweat-soaked body dulled and his consciousness wavered. Until he completely blacked out, Haeri kept looking at Jeong Mok. He had something to say but his mouth would not move. When he raised his hand, the nurse pushed it back under the sheet. All Haeri could do was blink his eyelids and move his lips. His tears fell and soaked the pillow.

Don’t go anywhere. Stay here.

On Jeong Mok’s serious face, a sudden change flickered. Pushing between the busy nurse and doctor, he came back to Haeri’s side.

“Yeah. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay right here.”

“……”

His shadow fell over Haeri. It was warmer than any blanket. Like a broken wiper, his eyelids slowly went down and up again. When his tears were brushed away, Jeong Mok came into clearer view.

“So don’t worry and sleep.”

Instead of answering, Haeri closed and opened his eyes once more. Then closed them again.

The other’s warm hand lightly held his cold one. His other hand smoothed over his forehead. At that gentle touch, Haeri sank into sleep.

While Ahn Haeri slept, Jeong Mok kept his promise and stayed by his side.

“Excuse me.”

The one who called out to Jeong Mok at the hospital room door was Detective Park Seokgi. He had come to the hospital after receiving a report about the case. The report had been made by Attorney Shin Chaehee, after finishing urgent discussions with her client. She had been waiting nearby even before Park Seokgi arrived.

“Later.”

Shin Chaehee blocked the detective as he tried to enter the room. If she had known Ahn Haeri would have a seizure, she would have delayed reporting longer.

“How can you say later when the victim is barely hanging on between life and death.”

“Mr. Ahn Haeri is the victim. And if you want to talk with my client, don’t do this, go get a warrant first.”

“Even if I do, like with Kim Jeongwook, the arrest warrant will be denied saying there’s no flight risk, and only a lawyer will be sent. He’ll just spend money and slip right out.”

“That case ended with no charges.”

Shin Chaehee retorted flatly.

“Well, yeah, it ended quickly with a settlement. But it was an assault case.”

“As I recall, testimony came out that Kim Jeongwook had been abusing and molesting residents of the facility, which is why he rushed into a settlement.”

Park Seokgi only chuckled. He already knew who Jeong Mok was and wanted to blow this case up big. If it went well, it could even earn him a special promotion. But at the same time, touching someone that powerful could easily give him a pretext to get stripped of his badge. So he kept poking around the case and hovering nearby, but he could not push too hard.

As the commotion grew in front of the room, patients and guardians in the hall glanced this way from earlier. They whispered to each other that the hospital was unusually dramatic today.

When the detective kept pressing, Shin Chaehee called in a bodyguard from the secretarial office who had been waiting at a distance. She wanted to avoid a physical clash, but perhaps the detective thought the same, because he backed down quietly.

But even if he yielded for now, there was a high chance Park Seokgi would keep being a nuisance. Just like with the Kim Jeongwook case, her client would expect Shin Chaehee to handle this one completely. It was only natural, since that was why she was hired.

“I’ll be in touch later.”

Shin Chaehee bowed slightly toward Jeong Mok’s back and withdrew. That was not the end.

As things quieted down, as if waiting for it, Manager Ahn appeared.

“It seems today’s incident has already reached the Chaiwoman’s ears.”