* * *
“Can she really be transferred to the Dain Genetic Center? And the medical expenses…?”
“Of course. All expenses will be fully covered. You won’t have to worry about anything—caretakers, additional medical services, nothing at all, Yoo Junhee.”
Hong Yeonggyeong was thorough, like someone who had prepared for this moment long in advance.
Even if the place she was leading him to turned out to be a raging inferno, Junhee knew he had no way out.
Perhaps she was right.
No matter which path he took, he would still end up in the same place.
If life was destined to be nothing but misery, then at the very least, he could shoulder his mother’s share of it.
He could survive even if his suffering deepened—but if she had to bear it all, she would disappear from this world entirely.
“Is there anything else you want?”
Junhee blinked his dry eyes.
As he did, Hong Yeonggyeong’s hand slid across the table toward him.
Beneath her palm, adorned with a ring, was a flat sheet of paper.
“Go on. Open it.”
She waited patiently as Junhee moved his stiff arms to grasp the paper.
His blurred vision gradually cleared, allowing the words to come into focus.
Engagement.
And an invitation.
It was an invitation to an engagement ceremony, set to take place at a hotel soon.
Hong Yeonggyeong studied Junhee’s expression intently, as if searching for a reaction.
His face remained unreadable.
She intertwined her fingers, her hands so smooth and unlined that they could have belonged to someone much younger.
So utterly devoid of hardship, it seemed that no trace of misfortune could ever cling to them.
“Now, it’s my turn, isn’t it?”
Misfortune had once again prepared itself to cling to Junhee alone.
On the day Seo Junghee’s transfer to the Dain Genetic Medical Center was confirmed, Kim Daeheon appeared at the hospital, looking slightly surprised.
Since his mother had just fallen asleep, the two of them stepped out to the lounge to talk.
“Junhee, I had no idea you had such powerful connections.”
“…Not at all. It’s all thanks to you, Dr. Kim. If not for you, I wouldn’t have even thought to look into it.”
It was only recently that Junhee learned that Daeheon’s hospital, being a specialized surgical center, normally wouldn’t allow non-surgical patients to stay for such a long period.
“You saved my life once. This is nothing in comparison.”
Daeheon tried to play it off lightly, but truthfully, it felt like Junhee was the one in debt.
More than anything, what he was grateful for was that Daeheon never asked questions.
Not about his relationship with Seo Junghee.
Not about how he managed to secure a transfer to the Dain Center.
That alone made Junhee feel like he was being shown kindness.
He wanted to repay Daeheon with something bigger, but nothing came to mind.
“Dr. Kim, it’s not much, but please accept this.”
It was a small gesture, but it was the least he could do.
“Huh? What is this…? Junhee, you don’t have to. I can’t accept money or gifts, you know.”
Daeheon flinched back, as if Junhee was handing him a live bomb.
“…It’s not money.”
“Ah, my mistake. A letter?”
Looking sheepish, Daeheon finally took the envelope.
“It’s a meal voucher for a nearby restaurant. I thought you and Yoonjae might enjoy a nice meal together when you have time.”
“Oh….”
Since Daeheon always turned into a lovesick fool whenever Yoonjae was mentioned, Junhee had expected him to be delighted.
But his reaction was unexpectedly muted.
Fiddling with the envelope, Daeheon’s expression darkened.
Was it just fatigue, or was there another reason?
Junhee had a hunch it was the latter.
Cautiously, he asked, “Is something wrong between you and Cha Yoonjae?”
“Haah….”
The heavy sigh that followed confirmed his suspicions.
Daeheon looked so dejected, his entire posture slumped, that he almost resembled a wilted piece of cabbage in his white coat.
“I haven’t had anyone to talk to about this, but now I realize—I have a relationship expert right beside me.”
“…Relationship expert?”
“Who else has seen as many complicated couples as you? My fellow doctors are all nerds who’ve only ever studied, and as for Taeryu… Ah, never mind.”
The moment that familiar name left Daeheon’s lips, Junhee’s shoulders tensed involuntarily.
Realizing his slip, Daeheon quickly backtracked, then looked at Junhee with the eager eyes of a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
“So, you’ll really listen to my problem?”
Junhee had no issue listening.
But those desperate, expectant eyes… were a little overwhelming.
‘If I tell him I’ve never even been in a relationship myself…’
What could possibly be lower than a loser?
That thought crossed Junhee’s mind as he averted his gaze from the man’s eyes and stared at the vending machine instead.
“Actually, Yoonjae has gotten angry with me a few times before, but he’s never stayed mad this long. It’s making me really anxious. I can’t focus at work, and all I can think about is him all day…”
Dahae sighed intermittently as he poured out his concerns.
Junhee listened, nodding ever so slightly.
Having witnessed firsthand how the two had been bickering from the moment they first met, he naturally assumed it was just another one of their usual fights.
“What was it about this time?”
“I… I was the one who got mad. At Yoonjae.”
That was unexpected. Kim Dahae, angry at Cha Yoonjae?
“You got mad at him, Mr. Kim?”
“…Yes. I don’t mind a lot of things, but I absolutely hate being lied to. And Yoonjae… lied to me.”
Junhee hesitated for a moment, debating whether to ask what the lie was, but in the end, he kept his lips sealed.
Something told him this had to do with the matchmaking agency. And sure enough—
“Yoonjae secretly signed up for a marriage agency behind my back.”
“Ah…”
Just as he suspected.
But Junhee had already spoken to Yoonjae about this topic before.
“We agreed to take some time to think things over, but that doesn’t mean we broke up. I have no intention of breaking up.”
Recalling how resolute Yoonjae had been when he said that, Junhee felt something was a little off.
And at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Dahae.
“I’m sorry. I actually knew about it beforehand…”
“No, it’s fine. That’s not even the issue. Yoonjae actually came to me and told me himself. He said his mother pressured him into it, and he had no choice.”
He had told Junhee the exact same thing.
Then why was Dahae so upset?
“So, Yoonjae…”
Dahae hesitated, lips parting slightly before ultimately exhaling in frustration.
“Hah… It’s just too personal to go into detail…”
“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to say anything.”
“…To put it simply, Yoonjae used to have some… bad company. After a certain incident, he promised me he wouldn’t see them again. But then I found out it wasn’t his mother who convinced him to sign up—it was one of those friends. That’s what made me angry.”
Even as Dahae explained, Junhee couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
Hadn’t Yoonjae said he was lonely after moving back to the city because he had no friends?
It felt like something wasn’t adding up.
“After getting mad at him, I started wondering if I was overstepping. I’m not his parent, after all. And I’ve been so busy at the hospital that I haven’t been paying enough attention to him… Maybe he was just lonely, and I made things worse. So now I just feel guilty. But… he hasn’t answered any of my calls since.”
Dahae pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and clutched it tightly in both hands.
“Maybe he just needs time. Why don’t you wait a little longer?”
“Of course, I waited at first.”
“For how long?”
Dahae raised two fingers at Junhee.
Index finger. Middle finger.
“Two days?”
“……”
“Oh… Two hours?”
“……”
“It’s not two minutes, is it?”
The look in Dahae’s slightly teary eyes gave him the answer.
“…You only waited two hours before contacting him?”
They say love makes people fools. And Kim Dahae was proving that theory right.
Junhee felt bad for thinking it, but honestly, Dahae seemed even more pathetic than anyone he had encountered while working as a matchmaking consultant.
“Mr. Kim, two hours doesn’t count as waiting.”
“We had a fight, then parted ways. And that night, I texted him. It felt like two hours were twenty.”
Listening to his excuse, Junhee was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even find the words to respond.
“And after that?”
“It’s been a week since, and he still won’t respond to my messages or pick up my calls. I was even thinking of going to his place, but he hasn’t had a day off yet…”
“Don’t go.”
“…What?”
“He’ll only resent you more if you do. Whatever you do, do not go.”
Dahae looked completely blindsided, as if Junhee had just struck him with lightning.
“W-Why not…?”
“The more you chase after someone, the more they run. Trust me. Just wait. Wait with the respect he deserves. That’s what’s best for both him and for you.”
“But what if waiting leads to us really breaking up? I… I can’t go a single day without Yoonjae…!”
“You lived just fine without him for decades.”
“…You’re ruthless, Yoo Junhee.”
Junhee found it both pitiful and enviable, how some people could make love seem like the only thing that mattered in the world.
But one thing was clear—love was never one-sided.
“You need two hands to clap. Just wait until he turns toward you again.”
“But…”
“Mr. Kim, haven’t you heard this saying? The more you chase after a dog, the further it runs.”
“…Are you saying Yoonjae is a dog?”
Dahae’s eyes widened as he gripped his phone.
Then, as if the fight had suddenly drained out of him, his brows furrowed and his shoulders slumped.
“No… I must be losing my mind. I know that’s not what you meant. I’m sorry, Yoo Junhee. I’ve been so fixated on this, I think I’m starting to lose my grip on reality.”
* * *
