Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 57

Mun-hyuk stared quietly at Irang’s smiling face for a few seconds before saying,

“I feel like I’ve made you cry too much.”

That one sentence alone dragged up a flood of memories, enough to fill her head to the brim. Had she only cried? No, she had begged, pleaded, and sobbed, sometimes because the pleasure he gave her was just too overwhelming to handle.

She shot him a heated glare, her cheeks burning, but that only seemed to amuse him more.

“But you look prettier when you cry.”

“…What?”

“When you smile, you’re ugly.”

At the word ugly, she bristled and flicked her braided hair at him like a whip. He suddenly burst into laughter, wide enough that his eyes disappeared completely.

And right then, she understood why he’d once told her to smile. Oh… so just seeing someone else smile could make you feel happy.

She felt like she could live the rest of her life trapped in this moment and be perfectly fine with it.

I’m happy.

Happiness wasn’t complicated at all. All it took was for this man to smile.For them to smile together, like this.

“What’s wrong?”

She was sure she was smiling, but he reached over and wiped her cheek.

“…Huh?”

Why were her eyes wet?

“Is it because I called you ugly?”

“…No. It’s because I’m happy.”

“Happy about what?”

Because you’re smiling.

But saying that out loud felt like he’d just smirk and never smile at her again. So instead, she came up with something else.

“The weather.”

“…What?”

“The weather’s nice. The sunlight’s so pretty…”

It was a ridiculous excuse but he just accepted it. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms as she burrowed against him. She pressed her face into his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

Everything was perfect. So perfect it was almost frightening.

This was the kind of moment she’d always dreamed of, but saying I’m happy out loud felt like it would make someone steal it away from her. So she just bit down on the words, keeping them in her mouth.

“Hey.”

She was so grateful to him for giving her this moment. Grateful enough to want to give him anything, everything she had, even though it wasn’t much.

But if she said something like that, she worried he’d get upset like last time, so she thought of something else.

“I’m going to remember this.”

“I’ll remember it for a very, very long time.”

He didn’t say anything, just patted her back. The steady thump of his heartbeat sounded like his own silent promise.

In his warm embrace, she drifted off like a child. Half-asleep, she thought she heard him humming a tune.

***

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!”

Kim Deok-gyu’s furious voice rang down the hospital corridor. In front of him, a doctor in a white coat hung his head like a criminal.

“You’re the one who told me, just last month, that the tests showed nothing wrong!”

“I’m sorry, Chief Prosecutor Kim. This… this condition can develop very suddenly—”

“And that’s exactly why we’ve been doing regular check-ups and bl00d tests! How could you not catch it until it got this bad? And you still call yourself a doctor? Is this even a hospital?!”

Kim Deok-gyu was not the kind of man who usually raised his voice where people could hear.

But right now, his mind was blank with shock, he had no room for anything else.

“There’s nothing more I can say except… it was bad luck, sir…”

“You—!”

He had come running the moment he heard his son had collapsed. And just moments ago, the doctor had told him the diagnosis, acute liver failure.

Emergency treatment had been given, but the doctor’s tone made it clear. It wouldn’t be enough.

Covering his face with both hands, Kim Deok-gyu was the picture of despair. The doctor could only look at him with pity.

His son had been weak since birth.

Born with a rare condition, every month and every year had been a battle for survival. Just when they’d miraculously cured one illness, another would appear. What might be a trivial cold for another child was a life-or-death crisis for his son. It was only natural for a parent’s heart to be in shreds.

And now, the doctor had to deliver yet another piece of terrible news. After a long moment, Kim Deok-gyu forced himself to collect his thoughts and turned.

“Professor Kim… forget what I just said. I’m sorry. I… I’m not in my right mind right now…”

“No, sir. I understand.”

“I’ll tell my wife myself.”

His wife, Moon Heesook, had already fainted once when she heard the initial news. She was resting in another room now. If she learned the rest, he feared she might collapse again.

“What’s the best option?” he asked gravely. “The one sure way to cure this.”

“We’re giving him medication, but his prognosis isn’t good. A transplant is the best option.”

“A transplant?”

“Yes. The liver is one organ that can’t regenerate once it’s damaged. The best method is to cut away the damaged part and replace it with healthy liver tissue. It can still be done as a partial transplant. We should test family members for compatibility first.”

The doctor tried to sound as hopeful as possible.

But from the moment the word transplant was mentioned, Kim Deok-gyu had stopped listening.

“…I see. I’ll discuss it with my wife.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the doctor left, Kim Deok-gyu stood alone, lost in thought.

His wife called several times, but he didn’t answer. He was too deep in his own mind. Finally, after making his decision, he pulled out his phone.

Instead of calling his wife back, he dialed another number.

“It’s me, Deputy Chief Hyun… We’ll have to drop it.”

His first words landed with a heavy thud, but once they were out, the rest flowed easily.

“The evidence is compromised. No, listen to me. Don’t argue. I’ve already decided, so follow through. I’m sure. I won’t change my mind.”

The other person protested, but right now, no one felt the sting of this decision more than him.

“I’m sorry. You’ve worked hard, but… I can’t help it. Please.”

Before rushing to the hospital, he had been dead set on bringing down Samun Group.

Even though they’d failed to extract Illy or destroy certain evidence, he’d had another plan.

They’d secured proof that Choi Hyun had kidnapped and imprisoned an unidentified woman. He was going to use that to tie Choi Hyun and Samun together.

Once Illy was officially recognized as a victim, he could give her a new identity under the guise of protection. Later, when Choi’s father tried to expose anything, he could dismiss it as a desperate lie to cover his son’s crimes.

It was a chain reaction plan to rip open the filthy underbelly of Samun Group.

Everything had been in motion… until now.

But his son had collapsed. And now, the only way to save him was a transplant. Was Choi Jung-do blessed by heaven? Or was his own son simply cursed?

Either way, the timing was too cruel.

“…Damn it.”

But no matter how many times he turned it over in his head, the answer was the same. Nothing was more important than saving his son.

If his son lived, his wife would live. And with them both alive, his life could go on.

Sacrificing them just to take down Choi Jung-do? Impossible.

He convinced himself, steeling his resolve enough to shut the whole operation down.

Still… it took him longer to make the next call. Because the thought of making a deal with a criminal made him sick to his stomach.

“…This is Kim Deok-gyu.”

Pride burned, self-loathing gnawed, but he straightened his back and spoke like a man giving orders.

“I’ll agree to the deal.”

It was the bare minimum of dignity he could keep.

“The ledger will be sent the moment you return the girl. Let me be clear, she comes first.”

He ended the call abruptly, raising the phone as if to throw it, then shutting his eyes tight before lowering his arm.

“…Haa.”

After several deep breaths, his expression settled back to normal. When he could even manage his usual gentle smile, he finally turned toward his wife’s room.

He would tell her. That he’d fix everything. That there would be no more problems.

As always, Kim Deok-gyu would save his son and protect his family. With the home at peace, he could go back to saving the world. And there were still plenty of rotten chaebols left to root out.

Someday, without fail, it would be Samun Group’s Choi Jung-do’s turn. And then, he’d rip him out by the roots.

Justice always had its day.