PHUW 8

As expected, the first thing that went to Haeri’s hand was the meat on top of the rice bowl. The top-grade Korean beef, grilled with a clean charcoal scent, melted in his mouth. He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s really… really delicious.”

When Haeri gave a thumbs-up, not only Jeong Mok but also the staff who was grilling meat smiled brightly.

“Eat as much as you want. Let me know if you want more.”

Jeong Mok moved another piece of meat from the platter to Haeri’s plate.

Haeri’s appetite had returned. Once he cleared the plate, Jeong Mok filled it again. He said eating just meat would get tiring and wrapped pickled leaves to set next to it. He also filleted a piece of hairtail (a fish) and placed it on Haeri’s rice.

Haeri’s head was injured, but his hands worked fine. He could feed himself. He wasn’t a kid. And a fully grown man had no reason to be served by someone he barely knew. Being looked after actually made him a little self-conscious.

“You don’t have to do all this… I can do it…”

“I just like seeing you eat well. Don’t overthink it, just eat.”

For some reason, the food tasted better when someone else gave it to him. Maybe it was because of the emptiness and anxiety he’d felt staying alone in a hospital room, with no name, no family, not even his age. It meant a lot that someone was taking care of him. Once his parents were found, he’d tell them that Jeong Mok had been kind to him and suggest a clean settlement.

“Drink some water.”

Jeong Mok handed him tea. It felt like how a dad might take care of his kid.

Ah. Maybe that was it. A family man.

Good-looking men were rare. One who was rich, well-built, and also kind? That was the kind of man who disappeared from the dating pool in a flash.

‘No wonder he’s so natural at this. He must be a dad.’

And if he was a dad who knew how to take care of others this well, he was probably responsible too, maybe he was trying to handle the accident he caused, even if it meant disturbing the peace at home.

Maybe that’s why he paid the hospital bill up front, brought a nice car, fed Haeri expensive beef in a nice restaurant. He was probably trying to settle things cleanly and quickly. Causing a stir would only stress his wife and kid.

As Haeri sketched out the situation, the small bit of concern he’d been holding onto disappeared.

The hospital bills were already covered, so when it came to the settlement, Haeri decided he’d just ask for help covering basic living expenses and meals for now. Jeong Mok seemed like the type who’d agree to that much. Once his memory came back, his parents would probably send proper thanks.

Since it came to mind, Haeri brought it up right away.

“Sorry, but from now on I…”

Vrrrr.

A phone vibrated. Haeri didn’t have one. So it was Jeong Mok’s.

“Hold on.”

Jeong Mok picked it up. The courage Haeri had worked up deflated a little.

All Jeong Mok said was “Yes,” in different tones. Judging by how he spoke, it definitely wasn’t his kid or wife.

“Ahn Haeri?”

Jeong Mok looked at Haeri with a questioning tone.

Even if he asked, Haeri wouldn’t know. Was that a dialect? It sounded like a rural town name too.

“Yes. Yes. I understand. Thank you.”

Jeong Mok hung up and spoke.

“That was the detective on your case.”

Haeri immediately put his chopsticks down. The second the word “detective” came out of Jeong Mok’s mouth, his heart started to race. It had to be the officer in charge of the accident. Otherwise Jeong Mok wouldn’t call him that.

“They’ve identified you.”

Haeri’s heart was beating fast and skipped a beat. He took in air wrong and started coughing.

As he coughed, his chest heaving, Jeong Mok handed him a glass of water. Haeri drained it in one go and let out a long breath.

“Hah.”

“They’re just sending a picture of your name and age for now. You’ll need to go to the station for the rest.”

Haeri had been waiting so anxiously for the police to contact him ever since they told him his fingerprints had been sent to the police during surgery.

Vrrrr.

A message notification popped up on the phone. Jeong Mok checked it first. He frowned a little and repeated the name “Ahn Haeri?” What was Ahn Haeri?

“Can I take a look?”

Even though it was his own identity, Haeri asked politely. Jeong Mok handed over the phone.

It hadn’t looked that big in Jeong Mok’s hand, but now that Haeri held it, it was huge. Not the newest model, but definitely oversized. He took it with both hands and scanned the screen.

The top said ‘ID Search Result’ and the attached file showed just a name ‘Ahn Haeri’

The unfamiliar letters stared at him. His vision blurred. The surname had Chinese characters, but ‘Haeri’ was just in Hangul. A pure Korean name? Or foreign?

The name was confusing. But what really shocked him was the handwritten note in marker:

[Age 24 / No listed address / Orphan]

No address, fine. But… orphan?

…Orphan?

Haeri dropped the phone. The heavy phone fell onto his side plate. Meat flew everywhere.

“Oh!”

He stood up reflexively.

“I’ll do it. Sit down.”

Jeong Mok stood up first and sat Haeri down by pressing on his shoulder.

He pulled the phone out of the overturned plate, hit the call bell, and a server came over quickly. She saw the mess and brought towels and wipes to clean it up. While she worked, Jeong Mok wiped the phone and set it down beside him.

An Haeri, age 24. An orphan. No address.

It was so absurd he laughed. The laughter sounded more like a cough. His head dropped like a wild plant bent in the wind.

His stomach, full of expensive beef, felt strangely empty. His ears burned, and the stitches on his scalp throbbed like someone was hitting them with a rubber mallet. His face felt hot. The meat on the plate blurred.

Plop.

A drop of salty water fell into the plate. He hadn’t cried even when he woke up in the hospital with his head split open. Now, one tear dropped. Then another.

“Could I get a tissue?”

At Jeong Mok’s request, the staff brought some over.

Haeri couldn’t say anything because his throat was too tight. He nodded and received them gratefully. The tears soaked into the tissue.

Was this what despair felt like?

He’d spent the past few days in the hospital labeled as “unnamed male.” Whenever he felt anxious, nurses and doctors told him he’d remember soon. They said memory loss didn’t last. Even the professor had promised to take responsibility if it didn’t come back. So he was relieved.

He worried more about the people who must be looking for him. His parents, his friends.

He thought about middle-aged parents quitting work to search for their lost son, calling every hospital. He imagined old friends rushing to visit, cursing and nagging him about what kind of nonsense they were talking about and how could he lose his memories after getting hit on the head.

The hope that had sustained him throughout the hospitalization disappeared in the worst way. He’d never expected it. He’d been so sure.

Because he was young. Because he was a man with good limbs. His family would come soon. He’d held back tears, telling himself to be patient. But now, they poured out like a leaking roof in the rainy season.

Let’s say it again. He was an orphan. No parents. Maybe he had friends. But if they weren’t registered anywhere, only he would know them. And he didn’t remember. In that case, it might’ve been better to stay unidentified. At least then, he could hope.

There was no way he could eat after that. A staff member, seeing the young man silently crying with a red nose, brought a wet towel. She said tissues wouldn’t be enough.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but cheer up.”

The older woman’s voice and gentle pat felt like a mom or an aunt. Haeri forced himself to hold back the urge to cry.

While he cried, the meat cooled and the fat congealed. Haeri had at least eaten a bit, thanks to Jeong Mok. But Jeong Mok, aside from the first few bites he ate as a demonstration, had barely touched his food, too busy taking care of him.

“Shall we go to the station first and eat later?”

Once Haeri stopped crying, Jeong Mok asked. Haeri couldn’t answer because his nose and throat were blocked, so he just nodded.

They left the restaurant under the staff’s gaze and got in the car. Again, Jeong Mok checked his seatbelt.

The station was about 25 minutes away by car. On the way, Jeong Mok called the detective to ask where to go once they got there. He handled the bill, the driving, and the phone call.

The station was in a quiet area, just like the hospital. Around it, villas were being built, construction banners fluttering in the wind.

They met Detective Park Seokgi on the second floor, part of the violent crimes division. The sturdy middle-aged officer looked straight at Haeri as he greeted them, probably because his eyes were still red. Embarrassed, Haeri bowed his head and sat on the folding chair.

“You’re Ahn Haeri, right?”

“I guess so… I mean, I haven’t seen a photo, so…”

“It is you.”

The person asking the question was the one to answer it.

Detective Park handed him the full report. The first page was the ID scan he’d seen earlier. The second was the fingerprint match. Park pointed out each fingerprint match, confirming they all lined up.

“You’re registered at an orphanage, according to your ID.”