“How did this happen?” Yoo Hye-Sook asked.

“I was hit by a car when I left Mr. Seok’s house.”

Yoo Hye-Sook nodded.

“Who hit you?”

“One of the bas—people standing outside. They’re here to apologize,” Kang Chan explained.

“They look like they’re here to scare you instead. Let’s report them to the police when your father gets here.”

“No!”

Yoo Hye-Sook, who had been staring at the door, turned her attention to Kang Chan.

“They’ve sincerely apologized to me. They told me not to worry about the hospital bills and treatment fees and just focus on recovery. They stayed here until late in the night before leaving.”

Yoo Hye-Sook seemed to find it suspicious, but she didn’t say anything else. It seemed like she didn’t want to agitate Kang Chan anymore after remembering the strains that had been between them until recently.

“Have you had your breakfast? Should I buy you something? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“I’ve already eaten. Have you had your breakfast?”

Yoo Hye-Sook suddenly hit her chest.

“I got the call right after your father left for work. I was so shocked it felt like eating would upset my stomach even more.”

Kang Chan couldn’t describe what he was feeling—it was a little irksome, but it didn’t upset him. Not even being in the presence of a trusted comrade in the middle of combat couldn’t compare to this feeling of comfort.

“We should get you some medicine. We’re already in a hospital anyway,” Kang Chan suggested.

“I’m okay. Seeing you made me feel better.”

Yoo Hye-Sook looked into Kang Chan’s eyes and smiled timidly.

“Please give me your hand.”

“Huh?” Yoo Hye-Sook looked confused.

Kang Chan extended his left hand and pulled Yoo Hye-Sook’s hand toward him. He then firmly pressed the area between her thumb and index finger.[1]

“Ah!” Even though she let out a short scream and writhed in pain, Yoo Hye-Sook looked happy. “It hurts!”

She was making a fuss, but the look on her face suggested she was dying to tell Kim Seong-Hee, ‘My son massaged me here when I had an upset stomach!’

45 days.

He tried to instill good memories in her mind, but it felt like she had shown him a beautiful face instead and gifted him a sense of comfort and small moments of happiness in his everyday life, which he could cherish for a lifetime.

“How did you get hit that you’re hurt this badly anyway?”

Kang Chan wasn’t wearing a top since they had to bandage his chest, shoulder, and arm due to the wound on his left shoulder, left hand, and both forearms. He didn’t tell her that, though. There was also a bandage around his waist, so hardly any bare skin was exposed.

“I scraped myself against the road when I fell.”

Yoo Hye-Sook grimaced, appearing to be imagining the scene. She was examining his bandages with a look of doubt and relief.

The door opened, and the doctor and nurse entered the room. Yoo Hye-Sook got up to her feet right away.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor asked.

“I feel fine.”

The doctor smiled gently at Kang Chan first before glancing at Yoo Hye-Sook.

“Hello, I’m Kang Chan’s mother.”

“Ah! You must have been very worried about him.”

“Yes, I was, doctor. He’s badly hurt, isn’t he? Will any of his injuries cause any long-term effects? He was gravely injured just a month ago.”

The doctor responded to Yoo Hye-Sook’s question with a bright smile.

“You have nothing to worry about. I’ve already done all the necessary tests as soon as he was admitted, and I found no major abnormalities. He’ll be fine as long as he eats properly and gets sufficient rest.”

“I see.” Yoo Hye-Sook still looked worried.

“My son was hospitalized at Samjeong Hospital previously, doctor. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to admit him back to that hospital.”

The doctor glanced at Kang Chan.

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

“Okay.”

That’s not how this is supposed to go!

Kang Chan wasn’t exactly in the position to say anything, so he just looked at the doctor.

“The chief of surgery of that hospital is my friend. You received special care from Dr. Heo Ji-Hwan back then. If need be, I can give him a call.”

Yoo Hye-Sook and Kang Chan looked surprised.

“Patients that aren’t critically ill or need intensive care get sent here due to the limited number of hospital beds there,” The doctor warmly reassured her.

“The driver that caused the accident was willing to pay any amount of money to empty this room so your son can get the entire ward to himself. We complied, but we have patients that are waiting for a bed, so…”

Kang Chan thought the man seemed like a crafty fellow.

“Let me know what time works for you. I’ll give Dr. Heo a call.”

“It’s okay, doctor. That won’t be necessary… When his father comes, I’ll discuss it with him and let you know. Now that I think about it, there’s no need to switch hospitals.”

The doctor nodded.

“As you wish.”

“Will my son really be okay?”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

“I’m sorry?”

“After he arrived at the hospital, we notified general surgery, internal medicine, thoracic surgery, and neurology. After running some tests, they’ve concluded there wasn’t any issue with his health.”

“Ah, yes.”

Before she knew it, the doctor had already won over Yoo Hye-Sook with his words. What a scary person.

“Could you please step out for a moment?” The doctor asked Yoo Hye-Sook.

“What’s wrong?”

“We need to change his dressing and bandages. It’s better for you not to be here to see it. Normally, he would have to go to the treatment room, but we’ve been doing it here instead since he’s a VIP patient. That’s why we didn’t admit any other patients in this ward.”

“Ah, I see. I’ll be waiting outside,” Yoo Hye-Sook told Kang Chan, then left the room with pity in her eyes.

Looking benign, the doctor removed Kang Chan’s bandages with the nurse’s help. Kang Chan genuinely wondered what kind of person he was.

Rustle.

The doctor’s focus seemingly deepened as he cut the bandages in the middle with a pair of scissors and peeled them off.

‘Ugh!’

Kang Chan stopped himself from yelping.

“The blood that seeped through the bandages had hardened. I’ll apply as much ointment as possible, but it won’t have much of an effect on such wounds.”

Plop plop.

When the doctor tried to remove the bandages, they stuck to the skin, almost pulling it off the flesh, before they peeled off. After removing the bandages, the doctor tilted his head and looked at the blood-soaked bandages and Kang Chan’s shoulder a couple of times.

“Is there an issue?”

“Hmm.”

The doctor kept his head tilted, a quizzical look now on his face.

“The stitches came off. It normally takes around fifteen days…”

“Do you have to stitch up the wound again?”

“No. What I’m trying to say is that your wound healed quite fast.”

The doctor glanced at the nurse with a puzzled look, perhaps to ask her what she thought about it, but all she could do was stare with her eyes wide open.

“Could this be an idiosyncrasy? Dr. Heo said the same thing. You were previously hospitalized after falling off a five-story building, right?” The doctor asked.

“Yes,” Kang Chan answered.

The doctor nodded.

“They were shocked, too. You were supposed to be hemiplegic but your condition suddenly improved to the point where you could be discharged immediately. It bewildered Dr. Heo.”

Kang Chan was shocked as well.

“Let’s take a look at your other wounds,” The doctor said.

The doctor removed the other bandages with a serious look on his face. It wasn’t a matter of pain. Now concerned, Kang Chan checked his wounds as well.

“Hmm, there’s not much to say apart from the fact that this is an idiosyncrasy. You’ve recovered so much that you can already just receive outpatient treatment.”

“I’ve recovered to such an extent?”

“No.”

Kang Chan looked away from his wound and shifted his gaze to the doctor.

“Your physical condition’s way better than that.”

Coming from such a sly person?

Kang Chan smiled softly.

“Still, let’s change your dressing and get you bandaged up.”

The doctor cleaned his wounds with the disinfectant the nurse had prepared and applied some ointment before bandaging his wounds.

“Thank you for helping me with my mother.”

He was more grateful to him for reassuring Yoo Hye-Sook rather than the fact that he had convinced her not to relocate him to the other hospital.

“My younger brother seemed to have become a gangster when I was studying abroad. He had a hard time being compared to me, so he snapped and argued he was better than me when it comes to using weapons.”

The doctor kept turning his head while he bandaged Kang Chan up as if he were gossiping about someone else.

“He died in the emergency room. He was probably worried he would be reported to the police, so he stalled for time. That son of a bitch insisted he couldn’t go to a hospital even if he died,” The doctor continued as he secured the bandages with a tape.

“I despise gangsters. Still, I do what I do because I don’t want people to die hesitating to come to the hospital.” He continued.

The kind doctor didn’t avoid Kang Chan’s intense gaze.

“I have a favor,” He said.

“What is it?”

“I heard you’ll be the one dominating Gangnam from now on.”

It wasn’t like he was running a laundromat[2].

After Kang Chan smiled, the doctor added, “You can come anytime you want, and you can send anyone here, too, but don’t die or kill anyone. It’s overwhelming whenever that happens.”

“What are you going to do if it becomes an issue?” Kang Chan asked.

“I’ve earned enough money. If I lose my license, I’ll just move to America.”

The doctor appeared to be waiting for Kang Chan’s response.

“Okay, I don’t want to live as a killer either.”

The doctor smiled pleasantly.

“I’ll give you another phone number. So call me if it’s urgent.”

“You’re saying I should come back here again?”

“No, but won’t the gangsters going up against you be in danger?”

When Kang Chan chuckled softly, the doctor looked at him and smiled.

“Can I be discharged today?”

“That’ll be difficult. Well, it’s reported that around 0.1% of the people in the world have idiosyncrasies, but frankly, it’s my first time seeing it for myself, so I have to examine you further. If we let it fester, you might have to amputate your left arm.”

This doctor had a knack for saying bad news while looking at ease.

“But I can be discharged, right? I don’t mind staying here, but there are a lot of students at school who’ll be in trouble if I don’t go back.”

The doctor looked into Kang Chan’s eyes.

“Is it true that you got to where you are right now because you were standing up to school bullies?”

Kang Chan didn’t answer.

“I can discharge you if you receive outpatient treatment over the next five days. But you have to promise that if I say you need to be rehospitalized, you’ll listen to me no matter what.”

“Sure.”

The doctor was more understanding than Kang Chan had expected.

“Doctor.”

The doctor removed his rubber gloves and returned his gaze to Kang Chan.

“Thank you,” Kang Chan said.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Since you’re not claiming medical insurance, I’m being paid heftily.”

Kang Chan felt like if he were to beat up this crafty fellow, his fist would ricochet instead.

“If you show up at this hospital dead, I’ll remove your organs without your parents’ knowledge and sell them.”

The doctor made a horrifying remark, then left the room. His words would’ve prompted Yoo Hye-Sook to strangle him if she had heard him. Judging by how Yoo Hye-Sook didn’t enter immediately, it seemed like she was either talking to the doctor or had gone to his office together with him.

***

Kang Dae-Kyung created a commotion after he rushed to the hospital. However, when both Kang Dae-Kyung and Yoo Hye-Sook met with the doctor, his charms rendered them as powerless as birds constricted around by a snake. They went through with the discharge procedure.

Kang Chan couldn’t possibly ask for his school uniform, which was covered in blood and rips. While Yoo Hye-Sook and Kang Dae-Kyung were talking to the doctor, Kang Chan changed into a pair of elastic waist pants and a T-shirt.

Naturally, they had no choice but to accept the gangsters’ help. As promised, Oh Gwang-Taek paid for the hospital bills. However, one of the gangsters standing outside gave them an envelope, which became an issue.

“Please receive the outpatient treatment and use this to get some herbal medicine as well.”

“We’ll take care of that. We don’t want to accept the settlement money right now. What if he suffers from long-term effects later on?” Kang Chan’s parents rejected the money.

“You misunderstand. This is not the settlement money. We’ll put it in writing that we’ll take responsibility for everything if he were to suffer from any long-term effects. If you don’t accept this, my boss would severely reprimand me.”

He spoke rather politely, but he couldn’t mask his attitude and voice, which were unique to gangsters.

“I ask for your kind understanding.” The guy even did a 90-degree bow. Naturally, the men standing behind him did the same.

Yoo Hye-Sook looked at Kang Dae-Kyung. It was a very difficult situation.

“Please accept it. You may return it to the boss next time.” When Kang Chan interjected, Kang Dae-Kyung finally accepted it, albeit reluctantly.

“Thank you!”

This time around, the gangster did a normal bow of respect.

Kang Chan wanted to quickly get away from these guys.

The car was in the underground parking lot of the hospital. However, there were also about a dozen gangsters standing there looking at Kang Chan and bowing to him.

The ambiance was weird. There was something suspicious about it, but Yoo Hye-Sook and Kang Dae-Kyung couldn’t say anything.

Kang Dae-Kyung sped away, leaving the hospital, as though he was escaping them. The hospital was in Gangnam, so it wasn’t too far from their apartment. They felt more relieved after they got home. Kang Chan was thinking about going to school.

‘Should I buy a set of school uniforms?’

Even after washing his uniform, the sharp cuts from the knives still remained. It was an issue future Kang Chan would have to think about.

Yoo Hye-Sook’s startled voice reverberated from the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Kang Chan asked.

“Why are you wearing your uniform? You’re not going to school! You should just rest for today.”

“No, If I can go, I should go. Anyway, what’s wrong?”

Yoo Hye-Sook looked at the check on top of the envelope.

“I’m just shocked because of the amount written on the check. It’s a check for 50 million won[3].”

That crazy bastard! In any case, she had no intention of accepting that ill-gotten money.

“You’re returning it to him the next time you see him anyway,” Kang Chan said.

“Yeah, let’s do that. This is making me feel uncomfortable for some reason.”

After Kang Chan comforted Yoo Hye-Sook, she asked, “Your father is going to work. Do you want him to give you a lift?”

“Yes.”

Kang Dae-Kyung and Kang Chan went to the underground parking lot.

“Is there anything you still haven’t told me?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked when they got into the elevator. He had been looking worried for quite a while now, and it seemed like he was waiting for a moment alone with him to ask him about it.

Kang Dae-Kyung looked at Kang Chan and waited for a response.

Ding.

Without saying a word, they walked to the car upon arriving at the underground parking lot, got in it, and left.

It was frustrating. Kang Chan even thought he might as well come clean about everything he had done thus far.

They were already halfway to the school, which was ten minutes away from their apartment.

“Do you like pork cutlet?” Kang Chan asked.

Kang Dae-Kyung glanced at him while he was driving. He looked upset and angry.

“Do you want some?” Kang Dae-Kyung asked.

Nevertheless, he yielded to Kang Chan.

They parked the car at the snack bar in front of the school and ordered two plates of pork cutlets.

“I got into a fight,” Kang Chan broke the silence.

“Hmm.”

Kang Dae-Kyung exhaled and groaned.

“I was up against the gangsters that looked after the students I previously fought in school.”

They were served the pork cutlets after Kang Chan finished speaking.

“Nobody died, but the fight seemed to have been beneficial to the group of people affiliated with the hospital. I decided to call it quits on the condition that we no longer cross paths, which also meant they’d have to leave the school and its students alone.”

“Why did you lie about it?”

“I didn’t want mom to be worried.”

Kang Dae-Kyung appeared to have mixed feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Kang Chan apologized.

“Let’s talk while we eat. Eat up.”

Kang Dae-Kyung saw how Kang Chan cut up his pork cutlet into pieces and ate it with a pair of chopsticks. He then followed suit.

“Let’s come here again with your mom next time.”

Kang Dae-Kyung seemed relieved.

“You know your mom made sacrifices for me, right?” He continued.

Kang Chan didn’t know what he was talking about, but he had to pretend he did.

“She also sacrificed herself to give birth to you. The doctor tried to stop her, but she risked her life anyway.”

Seemingly thirsty, Kang Dae-Kyung took a sip of the soup.

“Your mom is endearing despite what she’s like. I do my best to understand her even when she’s making me do something troublesome or when she’s grumbling. After all, she risked her life to give me the best gift in the world—you.”

Kang Chan swallowed the remaining pork cutlet in his mouth.

“When we nearly lost you, I thought I was going to lose both you and your mom. She told me not to tell you about it, but she never left the ICU when you were bleeding nonstop.”

“I see.”

“Don’t make your mom cry. I don’t need you to go to college. If that upsets your mom, I’ll deal with it myself.”

Both of them smiled awkwardly.

“Thank you for being honest with me today.”

“I’m sorry,” Kang Chan apologized again.

He looked pitifully at Kang Dae-Kyung’s smile.