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Min Jiwoo, a nurse in the VIP ward at Hanseol Hospital, felt her heart pounding.
Min Jiwoo, who stepped foot into the tertiary industry, had been working part-time at fast-food franchises since high school, so she was no stranger to rude customers. After being selected as a hospitable nurse for three consecutive years in the bustling emergency room and being scouted to the VIP ward, she had now been trained against even elegantly rude customers. Today was the only day that Min Jiwoo felt so thirsty that she emptied a 500mL water bottle in one go before entering the patient’s room.
Yesterday, Lee Juwon was admitted to Hanseol Hospital.
Lee Juwon, what kind of being was he?
His actions and character were more famous than his title as CEO of December. The embodiment of power tripping, the epitome of a young boomer, trash and Scrooge that only had a pretty face…
Originally, Hanseol was not an affiliated hospital of December. December’s affiliate hospital was across the street, Seojung Hospital.
About five years ago, Lee Juwon was admitted to a single-person room at Seojung Hospital just once, and the evil he committed descended on the nursing community like a legend. Just like how the anecdote that the miser had called the pollack soup “water you use your hands to wash with after touching fish” was still passed down to this day…
It started with the first meal. As soon as the tray was put down, he scarily began to question how much the meal cost. The woman who came with the meal was having a hard time while being pestered by him, asking why a bowl of rice gruel was 2,500 won, if they used rice imported from Switzerland or what, and that he wanted to meet the hospital chef.
Starting with whether it was unfair that the meal price of white gruel and regular meals were the same and whether there was a difference with the rice gruel served in the multi-person rooms, the section manager who had been doing their rounds said they couldn’t say anything. Because they didn’t know… The internal medicine department’s section manager could only blink his eyes.
In fact, the hospital food itself was not different because the kitchen was the same. It was just that the only small point of difference was the food being served in chinaware instead of plastic bowls, the trays being slightly bigger and heavier, and the cutlery being wrapped in cloth.
Every time he got an IV, he would noisily question them about how much it cost and if there was anything cheaper, and every time they did an examination, he would tiresomely pester them, saying it was overtreatment. Therefore, he was also uncooperative with his recovery. If he thought it was expensive food, then he should at least eat properly, but instead he complained about malnutrition without even eating properly and claimed to be overworked while working all night with his laptop and phone.
From the beginning, it was strange that a young CEO, who was a civilian and not a hunter, was hospitalized for a week without a special diagnosis. When he was discharged from the hospital in a tired state that was no different from before hospitalization, he said, “This place can’t be used at all,” and cut off his affiliation with the hospital.
His series of anecdotes dominated the nursing community’s best boards for two months, even though December was still unknown to the general public at that time. Of course, there was no subject in the anonymous information, but everyone knew.
“Sigh…”
Min Jiwoo took a deep breath as she remembered the post she had read at that time. It was time to knock on the door of room 3301, tagged with the name <Lee **won>.
“…Huh?”
But strangely enough, “Hahaha,” she could hear the sound of laughter from the inside. It was even the noise of multiple people laughing.
“…What?”
Lee Juwon was still not allowed any visits. Even his guardian had to pass fingerprint recognition in front of the nurse’s station before he could pass.
Swallowing hard, knock, knock, Min Jiwoo knocked on the door. She heard a voice saying “yes” from the inside.
“Excuse me.”
Slide, the sliding door slid open soundlessly. Min Jiwoo slipped off her slippers at the entrance and stepped inside. The floor heating was warm, but perhaps due to nervousness, her body was stiff.
Amidst the quiet hum of the humidifier and air purifier, she could hear a pleasant voice.
“I can’t believe this is happening right now.”
After passing through the sitting room area, she went inside and found Lee Juwon sitting on the high and wide hospital bed.
“Hoho-ssi, don’t leave me. I don’t know where this is.”
Min Jiwoo was secretly relieved.
The laughter she heard outside was the sound effects of an entertainment program. The cable channel was playing an entertainment program that had been broadcast for a long time. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to her that Lee Juwon would be watching television.
To think he wasn’t watching the news or stocks, but something like that… Thinking it was a bit unexpected, Min Jiwoo spoke up, “Hello, CEO Lee.”
As part of the normal process of relaxing the patient and building rapport, Min Jiwoo continued, “It’s a warm day today. How are you feeling?”
Lee Juwon’s gaze landed on Min Jiwoo. He replied in a low voice, “Not bad.”
“T-that’s a relief…”
Min Jiwoo unknowingly stared at Lee Juwon, mesmerized.
It was different from what Min Jiwoo was used to, perhaps because he was wearing a patient uniform. It was well known that Lee Juwon was pretty, unlike his personality, but when she saw his picture in the news or articles, she wasn’t all that interested. Even the comments spoke more about his impression than his face.
Starting with things like saying they felt upset just by looking at his pale face that looked like a living dead, asking what the ghosts were doing not taking him away, to saying he looked cold, icy, like a bastard, skinny, volatile… Maybe it was because she had seen so many of those assessments, but he really did look like that…
Seeing him in person… he was much more beautiful than she had expected.
He looked like a beauty, drawn delicately and realistically with thin, soft lines. The atmosphere of his chroma was similar to the wallpaper of the pale hospital room.
His half-open eyes, dazed by painkillers, were barely visible through his thick lashes, but his pale-coloured eyes drew attention. Despite his face not being in good condition, with the reddened corners of his eyes from fatigue, his thin cheeks with scratches left on them, his straight nose bridge, his rough and cracked lips, and even his sharp jawline, he was still terribly beautiful.
“I’ll do your dressings…”
Realizing she had been staring too blatantly, Min Jiwoo quickly lowered her gaze. Checking the wound, Min Jiwoo frowned. The severity of the cut on his palm surpassed that of his broken ankle.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Hoho-ssi? I have 3,000 won…”
In front of the subway station, the national MC cried out,
“I have 3,000 won in my heart… Where do I go?”
Turning his attention to the television, Lee Juwon chuckled. It was a weak laugh, but his impression made a huge change because of that laugh.
Was it because he was injured and lacking energy? He looked like some visual idol member, not a company CEO… The cherry blossom petals fluttering behind him must’ve been an illusion, right…?
After finishing the dressing, Min Jiwoo shook her head slightly to regain her senses. Checking the capacity and speed of the IV pack, she said, “As expected, IC is fun to watch, right?”
Lee Juwon nodded slowly. Min Jiwoo continued, trying to shake off the awkwardness, “I also watch it every time it’s rebroadcasted.”
“…Is the title IC?”
“Gosh, is this perhaps your first time watching? It’s a long-running program that’s been around for over a decade, though.”
“I guess…”
“I see you’ve been too busy during that time… Your blood pressure and temperature are all good. Is there perhaps anything making you feel uncomfortable?”
“……”
Contrary to what she had feared, the easy-flowing conversation stopped. As silence passed, Min Jiwoo immediately became nervous again. He wasn’t going to scream, “I’ve had surgery in two places, and you think I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable?” was he?
Lee Juwon took his back off the bed and looked around. He kept his voice low, even though they were the only ones in the large hospital room.
“I want to make a phone call.”
It was a request that really adhered to common sense, considering the pause. Wondering if his phone was broken, Min Jiwoo said as kindly as she could, “The phone next to the bed only connects to internal lines, but the phone in the sitting room connects to the outside if you press nine. Shall I bring it to you?”
“Really? I’d appreciate it if you could get it for me.”
“It must be troublesome since the number isn’t saved.”
“It’s alright. Thank you.”
Min Jiwoo went to the drawing room and picked up the cordless telephone on the table. She dialled an outside number to check before bringing it over to Lee Juwon. However, there was no connection.
“…Huh? Is the cord missing?”
Checking the phone’s power cord, Min Jiwoo was flustered. The power wasn’t out, but the telephone wire had been completely cut.
“W-what?”
Tilting her head, Min Jiwoo pulled out her phone from her pocket. She was going to lend it to him first, and…
Just then, a large, black shadow fell over Min Jiwoo. A low voice spoke, “Hello.”
“Gasp…!”
Min Jiwoo thought her heart had dropped at the sight of the large figure standing in front of her without any signs of appearance. She didn’t know when the hell he had come in, but she knew who he was. He was a figure as famous as the national MC.
It was Kang Inheon. Min Jiwoo soon remembered that Kang Inheon was registered as Lee Juwon’s guardian.
“H-hello…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ah, yes. The telephone line was suddenly cut. Internal connections work, but… I’ll hurry and…”
“It’s okay.”
“Bring another new one here and…”
“Because I cut it.”
“…What?”
“Please charge me for the repairs separately.” Kang Inheon smiled politely and continued, “Is the treatment all done?”
“Y-yes…”
“Good work.”
Kang Inheon looked at the door. It was a silent order for her to leave. Min Jiwoo felt an unknown sense of pressure and had no choice but to back away.
Back at the nurse’s station, only then did Min Jiwoo realize that she had left her chart, cart, and everything else back in the hospital room. At that moment, she could only… think of getting out.
Just as Lee Juwon was different from the way he was portrayed in the media, Kang Inheon was different from the way he was depicted in the media as well. That morning, during her commute to work, she had come across a YouTube ad promoting a campaign to safeguard abandoned dogs with Kang Inheon depicted with a beaming smile next to a big, fluffy puppy, but… the Kang Inheon she saw in person was somehow…
“Gasp!”
Tak, a tap on the shoulder startled Min Jiwoo. She turned around to see her fellow nurse, Lee Jihyun, who had just arrived at work.
“What are you so surprised about?”
“Ms. Lee… what do I do?”
“What happened?”
“I left my cart in room 1…”
“What do you want me to say? Go back and get it.”
Lee Jihyun, who had been speaking nonchalantly, soon crossed her arms as if she understood.
“Ah, room 1? I knew it, it’s that mannerless bastard, right? What the hell happened?”
“It’s not that…”
“……?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Min Jiwoo lowered her voice and said, “I think it’s Kang Inheon, not Lee Juwon, who’s a little weird, right?”
“Gasp! I know, right?”
Lee Jihyun’s answer surprised Min Jiwoo even more. Even though she said that, she didn’t expect the other party to agree. She wasn’t even sure if what she saw was real.
Lee Jihyun covered her mouth and spoke in a low voice, “He doesn’t even show any signs of appearing… Isn’t it a little scary?”
“Right…!”
“I went in at dawn, thinking no one was there, and when I finished the treatment, I saw Kang Inheon sitting on the couch, and my heart almost dropped.”
Lee Jihyun thought back to the events of that early morning.
She wondered why a hunter of the company was looking for the CEO in the middle of the night in the hospital room, and she also wondered how the hell he got in. Surely there was no authorized guardian at the entrance? It was on the 33rd floor, so did he get in through the window? Was even that possible if you were an S-class hunter? She couldn’t ask for fear of waking the patient, so she could only repeatedly open and close her mouth.
There were even bigger questions. Kang Inheon was covering Lee Juwon’s eyes with his large palm. He was blocking the faint light from the electronic device that was seeping in. His gaze, looking blankly at Lee Juwon, who was in a deep slumber, was somehow…
The two spoke in unison, “Really weird.”
Lee Jihyun yelled “Jinx” and lightly pinched Min Jiwoo’s arm. Min Jiwoo shook off Lee Jihyun’s hand as if annoyed, and then stood up and said with determination, “I’ll be back.”
“Good luck!”
With a cheer from Lee Jihyun, Min Jiwoo headed back to room 3301. Knock, knock, she knocked on the door and opened the sliding door. “Excuse me.”
She took a step into the room and heard a soft voice.
“…No, how many times do I have to say it? I really wasn’t trying to contact the company…”
“……”
“I told you I was going to call you, Hunter Kang.”
“……”
“I was wondering when you were coming and…”
“……”
“I missed you?”
Lee Juwon chuckled softly at the end of his words, but Kang Inheon didn’t even listen. To Min Jiwoo, it sounded like he was saying just about anything as an excuse, but from the sound of their conversation, they seemed to be quite close, just as the rumours said they were friends.
So, even Lee Juwon would act cute and joke around with his friends… Wasn’t he really idol material? Secretly admiring him in her heart, Min Jiwoo quietly grabbed the cart.
But the look on Kang Inheon’s face as he watched Lee Juwon joke around was something to behold. More than just looking dissatisfied, he looked like he ate shit. He didn’t say anything back, but his eyes were telling. Did you get shot in the head?
Whether or not he did so, Lee Juwon said, “So, can’t I make a phone call?”
Kang Inheon didn’t answer and just plopped down on the guardian’s couch and fixed his gaze on the television. It was a pretty funny scene with the panellists chasing each other, but his expression didn’t even change.
She was pulling the cart out, but Lee Juwon raised his hand slightly and said goodbye to Min Jiwoo. Min Jiwoo gave him a nod. Whether or not she left, Kang Inheon didn’t even make eye contact with Min Jiwoo.
As she closed the sliding door and walked out of the hospital room, Min Jiwoo wondered even more. Looking back on it, it was even weirder. What was with that expression, that ignoring, and that personality? No, why did he cut the telephone line? Paying the price? Did he think that money could solve everything in the world?
There were many cases where the illnesses of VIP patients were only known by their doctor, so it wasn’t strange that she didn’t know where or why Lee Juwon was injured. But it was suspicious how Lee Juwon looked like he had just fallen off a cliff, how Kang Inheon cut off the telephone line, and how he watched him every night.
On the bus ride home from work, Min Jiwoo continued to think.
Kang Inheon, a light among lights, was obviously cool and handsome, but somehow he felt overbearing and scary. In comparison, Lee Juwon, who was said to have the character of a scumbag, was sparkling and pretty. Extremely so.
Min Jiwoo accessed Blind for the first time in a long time. As expected, posts about Lee Juwon were always taking up space, no matter when she entered.
>Blabla
(Delete later) LJ1 didn’t come today???
Anonymous*Iilillli
If he keeps on not coming..ㅋㅋ
This sh*tty company
KIH, I only need to see youㅜ
There were a number of comments cursing him that agreed with the simple criticism. Impulsively, Min Jiwoo clicked on the comment window, and tadak, tadak, she tapped her thumb on the keyboard.
Lee Juwon was cuter than I thought, but I was rather shocked by Kang Inheon, who caused damage to property as if it were nothing and acted like everything could be solved with money |
The cursor flashed. Min Jiwoo hit the back key and erased the part about property damage. Then she changed their real names to their initials, like everyone else did.
The bus rattled, and she gripped the handle. Staring out the window of the vehicle at the sunset, Min Jiwoo checked her phone again, thinking she had a call. However, the incessant vibrations weren’t coming from a call but from comment reply notifications.
[Comments]
┕calm down with the headcanons
┕cu.. cu.. what???
┕ju1-ah are you using paid accounts
┕┕that’s kinda;; you know he’s not the type of person to pay for comments;;
┕people who hate on inhunter always say ‘as if it was nothing’ㅋㅋthere’s never a reasonㅋㅋ
┕┕that’s.. because of their inferiority complex!
┕do you know who it’s thank to that you can live in korea comfortably
┕inheonie, like its nothing…? you’re like nothing in my soul..☆
“Ah…”
Her heart pounded at the flood of alerts. Min Jiwoo quickly deleted the comment.
The person sitting in front of her got up, leaving an empty seat. Sitting down, Min Jiwoo looked out the window again to calm her nerves.
Rather, the rattling and shaking of the bus calmed her irregular heartbeat. As she watched the ruddy sun set over the forest of buildings beyond the vehicle’s window, she suddenly logged onto her blog and wrote a short post.
Jiwoo Log
The Harmful Effects of Media
202x.12.27
Are we blinded to the truth by the prejudices promoted by the mass media? I should live my life judging for myself instead of being influenced by the images shown by the media or the opinions of others^^
#blogchallenge #enlightenment #staystrongtodaytoo #nursingdiary
orcinus comments:
who knows whats going through inheons head… (laughing in i know) and man jiwoos really pushing her idol agenda on juwon 😭😭
btw, the media comments in chapter 6 are set over a long period of time, and the side stories here are slowly going through that period of time, so basically we’re getting the story of how some of those posts were made (this one influencing the ‘juwon fell off a cliff’ rumour!)
Thank u for the chapter
Thanks for the chapter I just finished main story and I was about to start cried that I don’t have more chapters to read and you posted new 🥰🥰😍😍
Inheon: … … Who the fuck did I save????
🤣Inheon probably is wondering if someone switched the real Juwon with a fake. Considering his drastic personality change. Or maybe he is worried that he got crazy? 😅 I wonder if Juwon will eventually tell Inheon what happened in the dungeon and if Inheon will believe him.
Poor nurse
Thank you for the chapter !
The two didn’t swap personalities but rather, prolly slowly went back to their old ones 🤭
The title reminds me of some research paper…
I’m all for LJW being cute and KIH acting cold mehehe
I’m so glad we’re actually getting to see everything that happens after. I was a little scared a lot was just going to be skipped because of the chapter 6 comment section part