SATURDAY 38

Mr. Taeseon opened his mouth calmly.

“The police investigation fizzled out. It was because the Jegang Group used their connections to pressure the Chief Prosecutor and the Commissioner of Police. That is why the investigation was blocked. Our company had never relied on such backings, so our response was late.”

The words coming from his mouth were somewhat abrupt. A police investigation? Was he talking about the detectives I met at the funeral hall in the beginning? Thinking back on my mother’s words that it was ‘well-resolved’ and what my uncle said, I could more or less understand this story from Mr. Taeseon.

Mr. Taeseon continued speaking.

“If only the investigation into that incident had been conducted properly, a situation like this never would have happened. Because they would have performed an autopsy on Yoon Inha’s body.”

At those words, my eyes widened. Mr. Taeseon remained expressionless, as if speaking of someone else’s business. He continued, wiping the rainwater flowing down his chin with the back of his hand—an action that seemed to be an unconscious habit.

“I tried to pull strings here and there, but… in the end, the only thing I could do was prepare a burial site with a good view of the sea. Because I knew all too well how your parents would treat you even after your death.”

My fingertips twitched. What Mr. Taeseon was saying had been strange for a while now. Even earlier, he had called me Inyoung…. What he was saying now was as if….

“You always liked playing in the water, Inyoung.”

“….”

I blinked slowly and looked at Mr. Taeseon. As expected, I could not immediately understand what he was saying. Was Mr. Taeseon continuously calling me ‘Inyoung’ right now?

Soaked from the rain, Mr. Taeseon approached slowly. He came close enough for water droplets to fall onto the bed. Then, he reached out his arm.

In that moment, I reflexively shrank back. The memory of his hands strangling my neck or grabbing my hair surfaced, and a small scream even escaped me by reflex.

Whether it was because of that, or because of the water droplets that fell “hudeudeuk” from his arm, he quickly stepped back.

I looked at Mr. Taeseon cautiously. His face was distorted to a miserable degree. He muttered in a low voice.

“…I won’t touch you. You don’t need to be that startled….”

It was a very low, sunken voice. I felt sorry for making such a fuss for no reason. The rainwater he left behind seeped into my body. Strangely, it didn’t feel cold at all.

After a long silence, Mr. Taeseon lifted his head and spoke.

“Let’s move hospital rooms first. There are too many people here.”

“…This is a, a private room, though.”

“….”

Mr. Taeseon, who had been looking at me blankly, smiled faintly. It was the smile he showed whenever I gave an eccentric answer.

What Mr. Taeseon meant was that since the room was small and many people were passing by outside, we should move to the ward I originally used. I hesitated for a long time, unable to give this answer or that.

First of all, I was cautious about even bringing up a refusal. Things that were easy before are difficult now. Still, I managed to speak.

“If we move rooms and word gets to the house… if my parents find out, they might come to the hospital.”

If they heard that Inha had suddenly been hospitalized, my parents would surely rush over in shock. There were countless times when I collapsed and was hospitalized that I wished they would come for me like that, but now, it felt like it would be rather troublesome.

“I’ll make sure they aren’t contacted. Don’t worry.”

I lifted my head. That way of speaking was also just like the old Mr. Taeseon. He calls me Inyoung. He treats me like he used to. Even while hesitating, I asked Mr. Taeseon timidly.

“Um… Mr. Taeseon. Why… have you been calling me Inyoung for a while now?”

“….”

Once again, darkness clouded Mr. Taeseon’s face. He wore a miserable expression. He looked full of regret, as if he had committed an irreversible wrong. As if a small animal had died before his eyes because of his own mistake.

“That’s because, you are….”

Distorting his face like a man in the depths of hellish agony, he barely forced out each syllable.

“Because you, are Yoon Inyoung.”

“….”

My heart dropped with a “deolkeong.” Because you are Yoon Inyoung. It was the one sentence I had wanted to hear so desperately. But now that I was actually hearing it, anxiety rushed in like a massive wave and swallowed me. I curled inward, gasping for breath.

“Inyoung!”

He tried to approach, but unable to do one thing or another because of his completely soaked body, he paced around a short distance away from me.

“What’s wrong, are you okay? Should I call a nurse?”

“I’m, I’m fine. The room… let’s move it now.”

I changed the subject. Mr. Taeseon nodded and went out of the room. Until he returned with the nurses, my mind was filled with confusion.

Why suddenly? Ah, did he meet the obstetrics professor?

Even if he did, he believes it just like that?

Rather, I couldn’t believe it. I even reached the point of thinking that Mr. Taeseon was doing this on purpose just to tease me.

But Mr. Taeseon is not the kind of person to do such a thing. That is to say, he wasn’t the kind of person who would use ‘my name’ to tease ‘Inha’.

Then… did he really come to believe that I am Yoon Inyoung? Because of the pheromone test, Mr. Taeseon would likely remember that the time we knotted matches up.

A moment later, the nurses entered with Mr. Taeseon.

I was able to walk, but due to Mr. Taeseon’s strong insistence, I moved rooms while lying on a hospital bed. Thanks to that, I had to receive help without taking a single step the whole time, and the touch of the male nurses moving me to the wider bed in the VIP suite made me feel strangely embarrassed.

After moving all the luggage and checking the IV one last time, the nurses looked back at Mr. Taeseon with worried eyes.

“By the way… are you alright, Director? Your clothes are very wet.”

“I’ve asked for new clothes to be brought. Thank you for your concern.”

“Not at all. Well then, I’ll bring you some towels at least.”

“…Please do.”

A little later, the nurses handed over some towels and left. Mr. Taeseon first dried his wet hair, took off his jacket and vest to hang them on a hanger, and then undid his watch and cuffs. The several towels they had brought were all soaked through.

“Mr. Taeseon… are you okay? Where did you get caught in the rain like this….”

“I’m fine.”

He only smiled quietly while saying so.

A while later, Chief Shin came to the hospital room. He wore an awkward face as he looked at me, then bowed his head deeply. He seemed to be at a loss somehow.

Mr. Taeseon only accepted the shopping bag containing the clothes and sent him away. Once the door closed, he let out a sigh and spoke.

“…I’ll go wash up first. I look like a mess.”

“Yes…. You’ll catch a cold.”

At my words, Mr. Taeseon looked at me with a complex expression that was hard to describe, then entered the bathroom like a ghost.

Quite some time passed after he entered the bathroom before the sound of water began to be heard. Then came the “cheolpeok, cheolpeok” sounds of clothes seemingly being removed. It seemed Mr. Taeseon was definitely a bit strange….

“….”

I recalled the voice of Mr. Taeseon calling me ‘Inyoung’ once again. Truly, what could have happened? It still doesn’t feel real. No, I couldn’t believe it. Was it really that he found out something because of the miscarriage? But after not believing it for so long, so easily?

It would be a lie to say I didn’t resent him, but more than that, I was pained by the small expectation blooming in my heart. The wave of anxiety was because I was afraid this expectation would be crushed. Does Mr. Taeseon really….

Just then, someone knocked on the door. At this hour? Outside the window, it was still raining, and the sky looked a deep purple because of the rain clouds and the light reflected from the ground.

The time was 3:00 AM. A visitor at this hour—I shrank back, wondering what was going on. The door opened slowly.

“…Ah.”

The one who entered was the obstetrics professor. I tried to quickly raise my upper body, but she stopped me.

“Ah, stay lying down. Your complexion is still not good. I heard you moved rooms, so I came by to see. I happened to be on duty today.”

“Yes…. You must be tired, I’ve troubled you for no reason….”

“Why would you say such a thing? Are you feeling a bit better?”

Moving hospital rooms at dawn was a very rare case. The related procedures probably hadn’t been processed at all, and the professor likely only received word.

“I’m fine. I’ve improved a lot.”

“Your face doesn’t look fine, though?”

I laughed a little at her words, which were half-joking and half-serious. The professor laughed along, then glanced toward the bathroom and saw the puddles of water all over the floor. The jacket dripping water from the hanger, the watch and cuffs placed on the table too.

Then, her gaze finally landed on me.