My Bloody Valentine - 65

Two thick, long fingers that had been scratching his tongue moved over to the mucous membrane inside his mouth. Then, they gently explored the injured mucous membrane and carefully prodded the swollen cheek.

Changing direction, as if exploring the structure of the palate, they lightly grazed it, also skimming around the saliva-laden area beneath the dry tongue.

As his mouth failed to moisten enough and saliva dribbled down to his lips, the fingers that had been inspecting Han’s mouth withdrew as if disappointed.

“Your peace has kept me so moist and warm.”

Taeshin stuck out his red tongue as if expressing frustration and ran it over his dry lips. Han, who had been staring at him blankly, turned his head while pulling the leg held by Taeshin.

“This… should be enough….”

Taeshin stroked Han’s ankle for a moment, then released it with regret. A red handprint remained on the pale ankle.

“I want to visit Yujung.”

“Okay. I’ll get someone to accompany you.”

“…Yeah.”

He knew it wasn’t the right time to be proud and self-conscious.

Therefore, it was okay to confine him here, and it would be easier that way. So it was a situation where he should accept that they would obediently send him away.

After entering the room and finishing the preparations, Taeshin was already gone. A man whose name was unknown to Han, but whose face was familiar, was waiting for Han.

“Let’s go.”

Arriving at the hospital, Han had to clear his surprised mind once. There was no Yujung in the intensive care unit, as they had arrived according to the morning visiting hours.

Yujung was moved to a general ward. Guided by a nurse, it was a spacious and pleasant private room, too.

With a large window, the room was filled with light, and near the bed, a humidifier sprayed a fine mist like a cloud.

When the steam seemed too close to Yujung’s face, there was someone who adjusted the direction of the humidifier’s nozzle as if they understood that mind.

She seemed not to be a nurse, judging by the lack of a uniform. When he saw a woman in her fifties, he briefly wondered if she might be Yujung’s mother.

But Yujung’s mother had divorced her father when she was in elementary school and remarried soon after.

In the process, she said she had hidden Yujung’s existence, causing a rift with her grandmother, and now they didn’t see each other, so the only real meaning of parents was her grandmother.

After adjusting the humidifier and organizing the tangled IV line, the woman who was about to sit on the guardian’s bed felt the presence and turned around. Then she saw Han standing in front of the open door.

“Oh? Are you a friend of Yujung’s family?”

“She’s a friend… who are you?”

It turned out that she was a caregiver and was hired separately by Jang Taeshin.

Han had spent many hours at the hospital in the past, so he knew that anyone could not use a private room, let alone a special room. Plus, the cost of hiring a caregiver.

Perhaps Taeshin had paid attention. He was sure to keep his contract with Han.

Of course, he was a person who was crazy about money, so he would try to get it all from Han in any way possible.

But it didn’t matter. If Yujung could get the best care possible, he felt he could endure all the aftermath he would experience.

Han asked the caregiver who had been with Yujung since she moved her room about her condition. Except for not regaining consciousness, all of Yujung’s vital signs were normal. The progress of the organs she had operated on was good, and her young age meant her recovery was fast.

Han sat down where the caregiver vacated, held Yujung’s hand, and spoke to her.

“Well… you’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”

Recently, for some reason, Yujung had been working almost full-time, shuttling back and forth between tables. He didn’t have proper sleep, often entering the convenience store in the morning with a tired face.

“Still, take a break. Just a little more rest… Wake up quickly… You understand, right?”

Han had been talking with the sleeping Yujung for a long time before leaving a message with the caregiver to take care of her well, then stood up.

As he stepped outside with the man following him, a sedan with emergency lights on was waiting in front of the hospital entrance. The man hurried ahead and opened the door for Han, who got into the back seat.

People gathered near the entrance, smoking cigarettes, curiously glanced at him as he got into the car.

What would those people think of me? He briefly entertained the thought, then brushed it off. He had no energy to care how others viewed him, given how messy his life was.

Accompanied by Myungseop, who followed him like a shadow, Han entered the hotel’s main entrance. Behind Han standing at the elevator, he heard the heavy footsteps approaching.

Without thinking, he turned around and was startled to see Junho.

“Oh, hello.”

“Yeah. Are you on your way somewhere?”

Every time Junho looked at him over the glasses as if he were a mirror reflecting his image, Han felt keenly aware of being Taeshin’s possession and prey.

The polite speech he carefully used seemed to hide hatred and contempt. When he thought like that, he felt his existence diminished like an ant.

“Yeah….”

“Are you feeling okay?”

His voice always sounded somewhat irritated. Considering how he had worried so many times, it seemed that his original voice was like that.

“Yeah. Th-thankfully….”

As they spoke, the elevator arrived on the first floor. Junho quickly stepped inside, while Han still huddled in place. It seemed better to wait and take the next elevator.

“Aren’t you getting in?”

“I-I’ll go first.”

With a faltering step, Han’s voice trembled like a goat.

“Damn.”

Junho looked down at Han with sharp eyes over the silver glasses frame.

“I’m also going to the 15th floor, so just get in.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll take the next one…”

Before finishing his sentence, Junho reached out and grabbed Han’s forearm, pulling him into the elevator.

“Ah!”

Han flailed his arms in the air as if being dragged away by a predatory monster.

Junho stared at Han, who was clinging to the elevator door with a bewildered look, then gestured towards Myungseop, standing outside as if he could now leave.

The elevator doors closed and slowly began to move.

“I’m not that scary of a person.”

“Yes, yes…”

Han’s voice still trembled like a goat’s.

Junho sighed deeply toward Han and turned around, taking a step closer to him. Han’s eyes widened in fear, as if encountering a grim reaper holding a sickle.

Junho quickly made a decision. Taeshin’s obsession with Han didn’t seem likely to end in a day or two. Probably, in a long time, he would see enough of it. So, as long as he had to be scared, he thought it was not necessary to keep him scared.

“It looks like we should get to know each other a little better.”

“We need to get to know each other… why? Why… Ah, because I’m a complete jerk…”

The words came out disjointedly and incoherently. Junho, who had been tilting his head as if to ask what on earth he was talking about, suddenly sighed, as if a memory had just surfaced.

“Ah…”

“Whew… Looks like I scared you too much back then. I’m sorry.”

He apologized without any excuse.

“I’m in a position where I have to protect Director Jang. But at that time, Han wasn’t exactly a reliable person.”

“Yes…”

“And Director Jang seemed too willing to let him close. I had to be cautious too.”

It seemed like he really followed Taeshin a lot. Where did that loyalty come from? Even if they paid him a hefty salary, could that explain it? Curiosity crawled through Han’s defenses.

“A lot…”

“A lot?”

“Well, it seems like you’re very loyal…”

“Of course, he’s the savior of my life. Well, he doesn’t remember it himself, though.”

Junho’s expression turned bitter. From his words about not remembering, Han sensed a slight discomfort.

He, too, was included in the area where Taeshin couldn’t remember.

“Why can’t he remember?”

“He had a head injury. Right here.”

Junho pretended to draw a line from the top of his left ear to the middle of the back of his head with his index finger. It was where Taeshin had a scratch on his head.

Han looked completely surprised by this revelation, and Junho chuckled softly.

“You’d notice if you looked closely. Well, I thought it looked cool, you know? It’s a scar from surgery.”

“A surgery scar…?”

“He can’t remember anything before the surgery.”

“…!”

Speaking in a strange tone, Junho returned to his original position.

Even though the elevator was perfectly still, Han’s whole body swayed. Instinctively, his outstretched hand gripped the bar installed on the elevator wall.

“Well, it seems like we’ll be seeing each other for a long time now. Let’s try to get along from now on, okay?”

With no response, he turned to look beside him and saw Han standing pale. Was he still scared after all this? Junho shook his head slightly, thinking that Han still feared him.

Finally, the elevator arrived at the 15th floor, but Han stood there with a blank face, not even thinking of getting off. Junho held onto the elevator to keep the doors from closing and asked.

“Aren’t you getting off?”

“Is Director Im… Is he there right now?”

“He parked with me, so he should be at the counter.”

“…I’ll go see Director Im for a moment.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Han pressed the button for B1 again, and the elevator began to descend without hesitation.

Nam Junho, Im Jina, and Jang Taeshin.

These three had been close since childhood, and it seemed true in reality as well. Maybe Jina knew everything about them too. Perhaps she knew more than Junho did.

With steps that seemed possessed, Han walked aimlessly towards Tacenda.