PAHO 26

“…Do you still have something to say to me?”

Nam Gyeonhwa retorted coldly without even lifting his head, his voice sounding quite mournful. After all the commotion they had been through at Daejong from the previous night until dawn, what more could he possibly want? Na Taebeom, who had been staring down at the top of his head, pulled a crumpled plastic card from his clothes and threw it on the floor.

“It came from the dead guy’s body.”

With his hands in his pockets, he gestured with his chin. Nam Gyeonhwa casually turned his eyes to check the card. Judging by the ID photo printed inside the plastic, which was shriveled and bubbled from being scorched by fire, it looked like an employee ID card.

“They said that seeing as there’s a micro black box inserted in the top surface, they must have deliberately let that moron go and watched from nearby. In other words, that guy you felt so sorry for was also bait.”

“……”

“Thanks to that, it’s been confirmed that this is a matter of high interest to Samwon, so it’s a big win for me right now, but the problem is, our little puppy’s future is going to be a bit… tiring.”

Na Taebeom, tapping his sneaker-clad foot, shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s no way those high-and-mighty big-shot sirs from the conglomerate can’t solve a little DDoS attack like this. Besides, they’re a proper security team, so why the, fuck, would they send a notification by text without even double-spelling? It’s not like they’re trying to show off that they have something to hide.”

“So?”

“What do you mean, ‘so’?”

At the nonchalant reply, Na Taebeom, who had been grinning, asked back as if he was dumbfounded.

“Daejong Station. Samwon sent people there to capture you. If you had followed them then, meddling unnecessarily, you wouldn’t be sitting here so calmly like this. You get it?”

“So, what.”

“Are you still not getting it even after hearing what I just said? Samwon has put out a warrant for you right now, and you want to act so disagreeably when you should be sucking up to me?”

At the voice spitting out in annoyance, Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been sitting hunched over, got up and looked at him. In his weary brown eyes, Na Taebeom’s reflection shimmered roundly. After a short silence, the lips that had been heavily sealed parted.

“So, should I thank you for letting me grasp at straws? But what to do. I’m not thankful at all.”

“What?”

“I don’t care what kind of feud you have with Samwon, or if it’s some corporate secret or whatever fucking thing it is, and I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Fuck, hey.”

“I have nothing more to say. So just… go.”

Na Taebeom’s gaze suddenly shifted past Nam Gyeonhwa’s back toward the hospital room. Inside the dark room, Nam Haejin lay quietly, surrounded by various medical devices. After quietly taking in the sight, Na Taebeom extended the hand he had in his pocket.

“Doctor Yeo said to give this to you.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to go around showing off that I’ve been beating you up, you’d better take it.”

Click. With a light clattering noise, a small box was placed on the armrest of the folding chair. Na Taebeom stared at Nam Gyeonhwa for a while, as if waiting for a reaction, then soon retreated quietly.

“I’m leaving.”

Long after the squeaking footsteps of wet sneaker soles against the floor had faded into the distance, Nam Gyeonhwa stood there motionlessly, like a wooden statue. Unable to support his trembling legs, he finally sat down in the chair and unconsciously picked up the medicine box that had landed in his hand. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been meaninglessly staring at the surface where “Compound Antibiotics” was written, let out a heavy sigh from between his clenched teeth.

“Here, this is the last one.”

Haejin, who was fiddling with a toy dinosaur, pouted as soon as he saw the number of pills in his palm.

“I already took medicine earlier.”

“Those were supplements, this is your lunch medicine.”

At those words, Haejin turned his body as if he had no choice, popped the pills into his mouth, and immediately covered his mouth as soon as he swallowed. Worried that he might spit out the medicine, Nam Gyeonhwa hurriedly took out a lollipop from the drawer.

“Hyung-ah, this medicine is so bitter.”

Even with the candy in his mouth, the bitter taste didn’t seem to go away, and Haejin couldn’t smooth out his frown. Nam Gyeonhwa, patting his back to make sure the medicine went down properly, suddenly looked up at the digital calendar hanging on the wall. It had already been about a fortnight since they had stayed in the underground special district.

If he had his way, he wanted to return to Mangmae even a day sooner. It would be nice if he could at least give word to the auto repair shop owner, Mr. Jo Yongsik, that he was safe, but for now, he had to take care of Haejin first.

“It’s Doctor Eunjae!”

Haejin, recognizing the sound of slippers from the hallway, said cheerfully. Soon after, Yeo Eunjae, parting the curtain, entered with a bright smile.

“Let’s see. Patient Nam Haejin. Have you taken all your medicine without skipping any?”

“Yes! I took it all. Two of them. Right, hyung-ah?”

Haejin, holding up two small fingers, quickly sought agreement from Nam Gyeonhwa. Nam Gyeonhwa smiled faintly and nodded toward Yeo Eunjae.

“He took his lunch medicine just a little while ago.”

“After taking it, were there any particularly noticeable symptoms?”

“There were none this time either.”

Yeo Eunjae, checking the chart in her hand, took out the stethoscope hanging around her neck. After checking the complexion of Haejin, who actively received the examination as if he were used to it, Yeo Eunjae spoke in a bright voice.

“You’re taking your medicine well and getting your check-ups well, you’re so, so admirable. The doctor will have to give you a present later.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Has the doctor ever lied to Haejin? Instead, you have to eat your meals well and take your medicine well every day, just like now.”

“Okay!”

Yeo Eunjae, who was watching Haejin nod his head vigorously as if it wasn’t difficult at all, then subtly gestured to Nam Gyeonhwa with her eyes. Nam Gyeonhwa, who confirmed the signal to step outside for a moment, grabbed a tumbler as soon as Yeo Eunjae left.

Instead of the water purifier he usually used, he went to one located farther away, emptied the remaining water inside, and refilled it. As he turned his head at the sound of a person’s presence, Yeo Eunjae was approaching as if she had been waiting.

“How do you think it is.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, closing the lid of the tumbler, got to the point. Instead of answering right away, Yeo Eunjae let out a deep breath. Just from her complicated expression, he could get a sense of what she was going to say.

“To be honest, I don’t think I can give you very good news. Right now, Haejin’s physical condition is like a ticking time bomb.”

“……”

“It’s really lucky that he’s passed the critical stage for now, but if the active cell metastasis accelerates any further from here, there’s a high possibility it won’t just end with simple multiple respiratory distress. Especially in growing children like Haejin, this kind of abnormal cell proliferation is bound to be much faster.”

Swallowing a sigh, Nam Gyeonhwa bit his lip. He had been prepared for it to some extent, but hearing the situation directly from Yeo Eunjae’s mouth made his throat churn.

Haejin, who had regained consciousness about two days after collapsing from a sudden seizure, was not in a good situation. After nearly seven long years of treatment, it had seemed like he was finally entering a recovery phase, but in just two days, the function of his respiratory organs had decreased by half, and his lungs were at a similar level. If left like this, there was a high probability that even maintaining the current state would be difficult.

“Inpatient treatment is inevitable, and more than anything, increasing the frequency of the new drug’s administration is the best option for now. The very best thing would be to register him as a dispositional patient at the National Medical Center and have him receive special management. Even if it’s criticized for discriminatory special treatment, we can’t deny that the National Medical Center is top, both domestically and internationally, when it comes to rare disposition research. It would be even better since he would be able to decide himself whether to participate in clinical trials for new drugs.”

Even with the continuing explanation, Nam Gyeonhwa silently fiddled with the tumbler handle. He couldn’t just be vaguely happy at the news that there was a glimmer of hope if he registered at the National Medical Center. Registering at the National Medical Center, which was notorious for being selective about its patients to the point of being criticized as a so-called “aristocrat hospital,” also meant that Nam Haejin’s background had to be perfectly in order. They would likely scrutinize things like where he lived, the existence of his parents, and even his upbringing environment. It was truly one obstacle after another.

“…If necessary, I can write a medical opinion stating he is a critical dispositional patient anytime. No, I’ll just apply on Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa’s behalf as his attending physician. It’ll be more effective if a pediatrician makes a strong appeal rather than an individual applying.”

“Would you really do that for me?”

“Even if it’s temporary, he’s my patient for now. This is why I pay expensive fees to the academic society every year, I should make some use of my membership fees.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll be sure to repay your kindness later.”

“Rather than that, the guardian needs to take care of his own body first. Yesterday, Haejin was worrying about his hyung. He said you can’t even sleep because of him. You don’t have anywhere that hurts, do you?”

At the subtle question, Nam Gyeonhwa shook his head.

“I’m not the type to sleep for long anyway.”

“Even if you can’t sleep, it’s better to get some rest. That’s how you recover well. When you first came here, Mr. Nam Gyeonhwa, I was so worried because your inflammation levels weren’t going down quickly. Looking at you now, the scars next to your lips and on your neck haven’t healed. It’s easy for them to get infected since it’s summer.”

Yeo Eunjae, who had been rambling on and on, finally waved her hands dismissively. With a look that suggested she was embarrassed for unintentionally nagging, Nam Gyeonhwa also glossed it over with a small smile. Scratching the side of his head, he changed the subject.

“Ah, right. This isn’t about Haejin, but something I wanted to ask Mr. Gyeonhwa.”

“Me?”

“Yes, uh, that is, did anything happen with Director Na this time?”

“Director Na?”

At the unexpected question, Nam Gyeonhwa blinked. If one were to consider only the question of what had happened with Na Taebeom last time, it was undeniable that a lot had indeed happened. But he couldn’t possibly talk about the chaotic mess they had made in the car, nor was it something Yeo Eunjae would be curious about.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Is, that so?”

Even after hearing the concise answer, her expression was rather quizzical.

“Did Director Na say anything?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it. I was just curious because he’s been a bit… down in the dumps lately. Then again, it’s not like it’s the first or second time that guy’s been moody, I asked something unnecessary. Don’t worry about it.”