Episode 234
“This is my first time seeing the manager in plain clothes.”
It all started with Kwon Yeon-hee’s admiration.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but the manager is really a bit of a bitch.”
“What is Pappy?”
“Fashion people….”
“Don’t use strange words.”
In response to Lee Jae-heon’s scolding, Kwon Yeon-hee hid behind Noh Yeon-seok with a shameless face. The smallest one among us was hiding behind the tallest one, so we couldn’t see him clearly, but he slowly put his head down and continued talking.
“It was a compliment, but why are you saying that?… Manager, I said you dress well.”
“You can say that after seeing my appearance.”
It was spread like slime on the bed. When I heard from the security office that “a guest has arrived,” I hurried out, so I didn’t have time to put on my clothes properly. I went out wearing only moderately long pants that covered my entire legs, gloves and a thick cardigan over a white polar T-shirt.
Despite Lee Jae-heon’s words, Kwon Yeon-hee did not lose.
“Manager, you live very young. “Mainly fashion.”
“Are you accusing me of being old now?”
“Do you exercise?”
“Do you want to do it? “You’re so busy going to work, why exercise?”
Oh no.
“…Well, in the other world… I tend to exercise.”
“That’s… right.”
During my first visit to the other side of the world, the chicks who had to run from the beginning nodded with a strange look. It was true, but his face said he didn’t want to admit it. Or that you can’t do that through exercise.
Lee Jae-heon looked at everyone and asked with a sigh.
“Dinner.”
“I didn’t eat it.”
“Can you have it delivered?”
“Is there any food in the refrigerator?”
“…It’s in the pantry.”
“Can I use the kitchen?”
“wait for a sec.”
Lee Jae-heon, frowning, held out his hand to Jeong In-ho and asked for time.
“Cook?”
“Yeonseok’s workmanship is so good.”
“I’m good at cooking!”
“Why are you smiling?”
Lee Jae-heon, who was frowning arrogantly, looked at Jeong In-ho and Noh Yeon-seok alternately with his eyes narrowed.
“No… really… do you want to come to the manager’s house and cook at this hour? “Am I the only one who knows that this is a truly absurd and absurd situation…?”
“So you said it was a visit to the hospital.”
Jeong In-ho smiled.
“They said originally, porridge was to be fed to sick people.”
“Who said that?”
“People of the world.”
“I hate porridge.”
“Then let me cook you something.”
“I don’t like food either.”
“Do you want me to boil noodles for you?”
“….”
Jaeheon Lee once again lost the will to speak.
“Still, you don’t refute the fact that it hurts.”
“…Gross bastard….”
“I’m a little better. Yeonseok, let’s eat.”
At that point, Lee Jae-heon had no choice but to give up.
“Since there is spinach, try mixing it with soybean paste. There aren’t a lot of ingredients, so if you need them, buy them from outside. “I’ll give you a card.”
“Even when you say you don’t like it, you quite naturally indulge it.”
“If you’re going to bother me, just quit. I was just planning on sleeping anyway. You guys either have it delivered, eat it, sleep or not.”
Kang Min-ah interjected with those words in a subdued voice.
“…Can I go to sleep?”
“…It’s past 8 o’clock now, so are you going to go out at dawn?”
Lee Jae-heon scratched his head and trudged over to check the guest room. It was cold because I didn’t use it much, but that can be done by turning on the boiler. The person who cleaned the room every time had already cleaned up this unused room, so it was perfect for putting the chicks in.
Lee Jae-heon came out of the closet with some comfortable clothes and gave clothes to the chicks one by one.
“I bought some pajamas in advance, so please wear these. I think the ladies will have some waist space… Mina Kang and Yeonhee Kwon, please wear sweatpants.”
“Ugh, I was just trying to sleep. thank you.”
“You really speak out loud. “My home is not a hotel where you can come and sleep as you please.”
Then he turned his attention to Noh Yeon-seok.
“Yeonseok….”
“Yes!”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon said with a sour expression.
“The length will be short, you idiot. “When you grow up to be so big.”
“Thank you for the compliment!”
“Thank you so much for taking it as a compliment.”
Lee Jae-heon was by no means short in size or height, but Noh Yeon-seok was at a level that was difficult to approach. I guess it’s because I’m someone who learns many sports as a hobby and I’m naturally tall, but seeing the difference like this hurt my pride.
‘In my previous life, I was upset because I couldn’t gain muscle, but this body can’t gain weight either…’ I
suddenly felt unfair, but I quickly blew it away with a sigh. Normally I don’t have these random thoughts, but maybe because I wasn’t feeling well, I was thinking about all sorts of things. It’s good if the chicks are healthy.
“But… I brought the bigger one. I ordered the wrong size and didn’t want to return it, so I kept it. “I don’t think it will be a concern even if the length is a little short.”
“Oh… that’s roughly correct, thank you.”
“If you know, you can cook delicious food.”
“I’m good at that!”
If it’s that bright, it’s hard to criticize it. Lee Jae-heon, completely discouraged, walked quickly and sat down on the sofa. My head was pounding because the house, which had never had guests before, had become noisy.
Jeong In-ho, who quietly approached Lee Jae-heon, said with a smile.
“Boss.”
“…Wait a minute, I feel a bit ominous right now.”
“President Garam Yoon and Seongyoon Ha are also downstairs.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon raised his drooping head and made eye contact with Jeong In-ho, but the other person was just smiling. It couldn’t have been a true fox-like cub.
“…Did you call me?”
“I called.”
“What are you feeling?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Jeong In-ho’s eyebrows were furrowed as he smiled.
“Why aren’t you answering the phone?”
“Didn’t I say I didn’t like that? Are we dating? “Let me tell you in advance, I like women.”
“Looking at you talking nonsense, it looks like you’re really hurt. “If we’re in pain, wouldn’t it be right to signal that we’re in pain?”
“So, aren’t you reporting survival every morning?”
“It’s literally a survival report. “What would you do if you were still alive?”
“You will live well, then….”
“People who live well don’t get sick that much, Manager. “It was just the size of the nosebleed you had today.”
“Why are you nagging even my mother?”
“This is what community is.”
“Huh…”
Lee Jae-heon, leaning his head against the armrest of the sofa, waved his hand.
“Bring him up and don’t bother the guards again.”
“I don’t know if it’s because you’re sick, but you’re quite obedient.”
“If possible, I’ll stop bothering you, you disgusting bastard…”
“Of course.”
Jeong In-ho rolled his eyes and smiled.
“I won’t bother you.”
“…Oh shit. Ha Seong-yoon.”
“Even though you’re sick, you still look the same.”
“Damn it….”
Lee Jae-heon got up from the sofa sobbing and trudged to the bedroom. While rummaging through the drawers of the nightstand next to the bed, he handed two cards to Jeong In-ho, who was looking at me intently.
“The white one is the door lock key and the other one is….”
“It’s a credit card. He is like an uncle giving his nephew pocket money. Or does it feel like a friendly guy next door?”
“What kind of man… ha. Go out and buy what you want to eat. “Don’t bother me.”
“I’ll call you when the food is ready.”
“I guess I don’t have to call you…”
Feeling heat rising in his eyeballs, Lee Jae-heon covered his eyes with his hands and then brushed them off again. I didn’t want to show that I was sick in front of chicks who didn’t know anything. It seemed like it was already too late, but if I continued like this, I might summon a monster or say crazy things like I did in the bathroom yesterday.
I didn’t want to show it that far.
“…I’m going to sleep.”
“rest.”
“….”
But that’s what I thought.
It’s been a long time since anyone took care of me when I was sick.
* * *
As Lee Jae-heon entered the room, Noh Yeon-seok quietly moved his body.
“Can I check the refrigerator then?”
“…Probably a pantry, not a refrigerator. Oh, I guess it’s over there. “Check to see if there’s anything to eat.”
“I wonder what rich people eat for a living.”
“I see you live on spinach.”
“You should eat some good spinach. “There are different grades of the same food.”
“That’s right.”
Jeong In-ho turned his gaze to Kang Min-ah.
“Minah, you said you know how to cook, right?”
“Yes, I have made it often since I was young. “From what you were saying earlier, I thought you were interested in vegetable side dishes… I’ll do that.”
As she said that, Kang Min-ah smiled lightly.
“When you’re sick, it’s best to eat whatever you want.”
That was correct. When Jeong In-ho was young, when he was sick, his uncle would always ask him what he wanted to eat. Considering the children’s health, it would have been natural to bring porridge, but instead, uncle brought the food that Jeong In-ho wanted to eat. Other than that, I had trouble getting food down my throat.
“Because herbs are good for your body.”
“The meeting place is always the same, and the manager seems to like Korean food. “He doesn’t say much, but he secretly enjoys local food.”
“It looks like he’s holding a fork and a knife to cut a steak…”
“Well, he always goes around wearing a suit… That’s the vibe. “You seem to be dressing a little more lightly these days.”
Jeong In-ho was suspicious of that.
‘It felt like the purpose was to cover the whole body, rather than simply wearing it lightly.’
There were times when it was chilly until March, but now it is April. If you wanted to wear something light, there is no reason to wear a coat and thick neck-shirt to work. I got the feeling that they wanted to somehow maintain the usual formal feel and increase the length of the clothes.
Besides, wearing gloves even inside the house is a bit…
“Jung In-ho?”
“…Anyway, I will collect you two from below.”
“Ah yes. Bye.”
Jeong In-ho, who returned the same way Lee Jae-heon took them, met Ha Seong-yoon and Yoon Gar-ram in the lobby and went straight to the convenience store inside the building. In his hand was a card given by Lee Jae-heon.
“Should I buy some snacks? We can hang out and chat at night.”
“I have work tomorrow… so I’ll just pick one drink to take it easy.”
“Can I buy beef jerky? Cheese stuffed….”
“What would a person with a lot of money say about that?”
In the end, after buying a lot of food, they returned to Lee Jae-heon’s house. Kang Min-ah, who was putting seasoned vegetables on a plate in the kitchen, was surprised to see them. Since it took a while, I thought they were robbing a convenience store, but there was more baggage than I imagined.
“Are you here? “You bought a lot… What should I do if the manager gets angry?”
“I don’t think you’ll be upset about this, but I bought some of it with my own money. “You don’t have to worry.”
“Uh, uh… I guess it doesn’t matter if you get annoyed just like that.”
Just as Kang Min-ah was convinced, Kwon Yeon-hee, who was putting side dishes on the table, approached her.
“omg! This is really delicious. “Who chose this beef jerky?”
“Oh, I chose it. “I didn’t buy it with my own money, but would you like to eat it together?”
“So good!”
As they carried their luggage toward the kitchen, they were greeted by Noh Yeon-seok, who was waving a wok flashily.
“You’re here! “I’m making egg fried rice right now. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“Well, ramen?”
“You know what? There is no ramen at the manager’s house. “It’s a strange house.”
“…that… is really strange.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who had a slightly surprised expression, was impressed by Noh Yeon-seok’s skillful cooking skills. Stir-frying it with a ladle and placing it on a plate was not something I had done once or twice.
“I heard you were good at cooking, and it was true. “I thought the chef was here.”
“Hey, I’m really good at cooking. “When I go camping with my friends, I’m always the one in charge of cooking.”
“That’s amazing. “You have so many talents… I think you will make a good husband in the future.”
“…is it so?”
Noh Yeon-seok slowly turned his gaze to look at Kang Min-ah, but Kang Min-ah did not notice his gaze because she was talking with Yoon Garam and Kwon Yeon-hee. Noh Yeon-seok, who became sullen, placed a ladle in an empty wok and muttered.
“If you want something to eat, I will make it for you….”
“…Thank you.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who smiled awkwardly, and Noh Yeon-seok, who was dejected, went into the pantry once again to check the ingredients, then took orders again and made food with less fat.
After moving the bowl containing the finished food to the table, they changed into comfortable clothes and immediately looked at the same place as if they had made a promise.
“….”
“…I will wake you up and come back.”
“Fighting, Assistant Manager.”
Fortunately, when I knocked on the bedroom door twice, Lee Jae-heon came out from inside. Judging from his disheveled appearance, it looked like he had actually slept.
He passed the people with blank eyes and checked the table, then burst into laughter.
“…It’s really strange.”
Jeong In-ho, who was staring at Lee Jae-heon’s face whose smile had suddenly disappeared, answered.
“I thought it was strange when I saw the people who came to visit me.”
“Do you have spinach?”
“…Kang Min-ah mixed it up.”
Very tired, a little happy and a little sad.
It was that kind of expression.
* * *
I was very grateful that the chicks came to my house and cooked for me, but there was no way my appetite, which I had never had before, would come back when my subordinates came. Should I say that it feels like eating right after getting carsick and throwing up?
As Lee Jae-heon was just crunching on the spinach, Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho laughed softly.
“It’s okay to scold me for being a picky eater because I’m eating spinach…”
“Isn’t that also a picky eater?”
“But isn’t it good food for your health? “It’s ambiguous.”
“…I can hear those two disgusting men over there.”
When I glared at him, Ha Seong-yoon put down the dishes. Ha Seong-yoon, with a puzzled expression on his face, said without erasing the smile on his face.
“Why are you doing that?”
“…No….”
“…It looks like you were really hurt, because the manager responded so gently.”
“….”
“I can’t believe you didn’t even refute the world.”
I just didn’t have the energy to refute it, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. There was no way I wouldn’t see a doctor when the doctor came to my house, so I had no choice but to go back to my room and sleep before checking on my condition.
“If you don’t feel very well, you don’t have to eat the whole meal. “I have to digest the food before going to bed, and the manager looks like he’s not in a good mood.”
“Then stop now…”
“Then let’s take a look at your hands.”
“….”
When Lee Jae-heon got up and pretended not to hear, Ha Seong-yoon called Jeong In-ho.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
“yes.”
“Bring them back alive.”
In the end, Lee Jae-heon was caught alive.
“No, really, I’m being treated like this in my own home…”
“I’m not a 5-year-old child who doesn’t want to go to the dentist. Why are you doing this?”
“My hands are cold, so I brought gloves…”
“You wore gloves even at the dinner table, and now you’re going to pretend you didn’t notice?”
“Why are there so many people who don’t know that I’m over 40?”
“You need to act like an adult over 40, sir.”
“Oh really…”
“There is no rule that says adults are not patients. You keep trying to pretend it’s nothing, but that’s a really bad habit. “Fix it.”
“….”
I really tried to crush it as much as I could.
‘You guys are going to nag me.’
But it really wasn’t a situation that could be overlooked without showing it. This was because the space of the house itself was limited, and the chicks who did not know that Lee Jae-heon was injured noticed through the current war of words. Well, it was too much to bundle up in April, wasn’t it?
Lee Jae-heon, who had ‘Extremely Dislike’ written on his face, sighed and said.
“…Don’t nag me too much then.”
“How on earth did this person come to our hospital? “When I think about it now, it’s truly amazing.”
“Oh, we didn’t know each other back then. Did I know that Dr. Ha Seong-yoon was so sincere toward his patients? I just went because they said I was good at it. “If I had known it would be like this, I would have found another teacher.”
“Should I take this as an insult or a compliment? If a doctor is not sincere towards his patients, he is not qualified to be a doctor. “Often, such garbage does exist.”
“So you’re saying that all the doctors I know are trash?”
“…wait for a sec.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was serious about his title as a doctor, looked at Lee Jae-heon with a straight face.
“I don’t think I’m talking about a doctor who treated something as simple as a cold. Have you ever suffered a stabbing like that before? “Have all the doctors I’ve met so far ignored that?”
“….”
“Teacher?”
“…No….”
It was a story from a past life.
‘Because there was no need to seriously worry about the injury of a person with regenerative abilities.’
Ah, there was a present life too. However, shouldn’t we make an exception for doctors who have been injured in this life to the point of bleeding? In the first place, he was hired on the condition that he did not seriously think about the injuries suffered by the old manager and did not get involved.
“…look at your hands.”
“Why can’t you answer me? “Why are you avoiding my gaze?”
“No, well… aren’t the doctors busy?”
“You said you were sick and then you said such nonsense?”
Ha Seong-yoon’s face was distorted like Lee Jae-heon’s just now, and it was a face of extreme disgust. The target is probably the most trashy doctors he can imagine. Jaeheon Lee decided to keep his mouth shut for the honor of the doctors I remember.
“Anyway… Anyway, you shouldn’t wear gloves if you have an injury on your hand. I don’t even know why you bothered to wear gloves when you must have been in pain from the first time you wore them. No matter how much you don’t want to show it, you shouldn’t. If you go this far, you must have been seriously injured…”
“….”
“….”
The expression disappeared from Ha Seong-yoon’s face as he took off his gloves.
“…Are you kidding me?”
“Aren’t you thinking of treating the patient more kindly?…”
Ha Seong-yoon strongly grabbed the hand that was trying to slip away out of strange embarrassment. At least I relaxed when I saw my scabbed palms from being swept across the floor and getting stuck in small pieces of stone and glass. Lee Jae-heon completely avoided eye contact.
In the strange silence, it was Jeong In-ho who spoke first.
“…Why don’t you have fingernails? Does the other hand look like this too?”
“…I was fishing and the hook got caught in my fingernail…”
“All ten fingers? So what are the scars left on the inside of the nail? “It’s not just my fingernails that were torn off.”
“It was torn by a needle…”
“I’m assuming you trust me, but why is my palm like this? “It’s not like I just fell and got swept on the street.”
“I fell…?”
“Assuming you believe that too. What are the bruises left on my wrist here? “When I looked closely, I saw that my skin was peeled.”
“….”
“I think you had nothing more to say.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was looking at Jeong In-ho with a distorted face and Lee Jae-heon with his mouth shut, soon sighed and covered his eyes with the other hand that was not holding Lee Jae-heon’s hand.
“In my life… really… I’ve met all these patients…” ”
… If I leave it alone, it’ll get better…”
“Well, it’s not like a finger was blown off, so of course you’ll recover. Since I didn’t lose an arm, can I at least praise you, sir? “Did you do well?”
“…No….”
“It’s good that you’re calm because it hurts. My life as a doctor, who should be happy about things like this, is also very rough. These are scars that are hard to see even in conflict zones, but you have to see them in the middle of a normal city. How far are you planning to expand my patient spectrum? Would you really stop if I wrote a paper for you? If you keep them locked up in a laboratory or something, they won’t get injured. “He wasn’t a child left on the beach, and if you took your eyes off him, he would be injured. If you took your eyes off him, he would bleed… He didn’t even tell me where he was hurt.”
“….”
“…I’m not scolding you, so don’t make that face. No, it’s okay to scold me. Oh, I really am. Really… this… I….”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was silent for a long time, took his hand away from his eyes.
“Who is it?”
“….”
“Usually, when you can’t say something like this, it’s like you’re a stranger, right?”
“Well…”
I wanted to refute it properly, but I couldn’t get the words out because it was true.
“It’s not that… I really…”
“….”
“…Uh…”
Please, I really hate this kind of atmosphere.
If my brain had worked properly, I would have somehow managed to shake it off and run away, but as I couldn’t and stumbled around, the faces of the people around me became even more tense. Since I was currently sitting in the living room, I couldn’t clearly see the faces of the chicks in the kitchen, but I could also hear them whimpering. Honestly, I felt a little crazy.
‘You’d rather kill me.’
After kissing his lips a few more times, Lee Jae-heon realized.
“…sorry.”
The more I talk here, the more shit it will become.
And if I can maintain this mood, I will be able to crush not only the bruises on my neck but also the wounds on my stomach and legs. Let’s sacrifice the wound on the hand and hide the other wounds. Lee Jae-heon, who made that judgment, reflexively showed an expression that said, ‘I am aware of my sins and I am truly reflecting on them.’ It’s something I used often in my past life, and I remember it being quite effective.
Then Ha Seong-yoon’s sigh was heard once again.
“…There’s nothing to be sorry about, really.”
“….”
“It looks like another doctor treated you, so I won’t say anything more. Don’t wear gloves in the future. No, I have to go to work, so I can’t say anything about that, but… I’ll disinfect it again and put a bandage on it, so don’t take it off. Do you understand?”
“…yes.”
“Ha really…”
Ha Seong-yoon’s voice sounded as if he was chewing out curses.
“…A bastard worse than any animal dares to imitate a doctor…”
Well, I guess I should shut up.
Suddenly, I thought of the gentle doctor in Busan who had treated me so hard, almost crying, but Lee Jae-heon kept his mouth shut. The current atmosphere was too harsh to defend the soft, withdrawn doctor.
“Although the scabs have formed, there are parts that have been torn when putting on and taking off the gloves. “Be careful not to get water into the affected area and get as much rest as possible.”
“…All right.”
“It must be inconvenient to use your hands because you don’t have fingernails… You should hire In-ho Jeong at work. “Whenever you drink water, ask for it to be held instead of a cup.”
“Uhm….”
“Do you understand? Don’t put pressure on your hands, okay?”
That’s how Jaeheon Lee was able to hide the wounds on his stomach and legs.
It was a very fortunate thing.
