This time, Lee Han raised his eyebrows as if he was even more surprised. I was about to tell him to quit early if he was thinking of running away to scouting or anything else, but for a moment I thought I had already said that. However, to confirm the problem, Hae-joon’s shiny eyes are already unusual.
“Are you okay?”
“ah… … no. “I don’t think it’s okay.”
Even the way he shakes his head is so unusual that I can’t put my hand on it. In the awkward silence with the second hand ticking like an auditory hallucination, her cell phone suddenly rang. Hae-joon let out a tired sigh as the endless ringing of the bell announced her early departure for work.
“… … “I think I should go up first.”
“I guess so.”
Lee Han moved out of the way at the sound of her quiet voice. Hae-joon, who hurriedly opened the door but still felt like something was missing, quickly turned to look at him before getting out.
“But I’m not really avoiding you this time! I really have to prepare, and there are two surgery patients that I have to check on myself. “We also have to look around the wards.”
“It doesn’t matter. “You’ll see it soon.”
“… … .”
Hae-joon hesitated as he looked at me like a gentleman like no other in the world, wondering who was the one who was acting like he was going to kill someone who set him up at any moment.
Is this really the end?
I wondered what would happen if I caught myself, but there was no room to say a word to my clean-cut attitude that showed no regrets. As her hesitation disappeared, leaving behind only her regret, her strength was released from the corner of Lee Han’s mouth.
“Whoa.”
Lee Han lowered his head and pulled down his tie with one hand. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I reached the end of my patience and the back of my neck became stiff. I want to run right now and catch him again, but as long as I know what the patient means to Hae-jun Yoon, I can’t stop him from going to work.
So why are you going to complain again? Lee Han, whose dedication to her work was no less than her own, pulled up her tie, capturing the sea breeze.
Well, it’s only for a little while.
He regained some composure, as if he had some reason to believe it. If it is time for Yoon Hae-jun to return to being a doctor, it is time for him to return to being the chairman of the board. Lee Han, who was about to pick up the coat left on the passenger seat and leave, stopped for a moment.
“hmm.”
His eyebrows first reacted to something under the coat he reached for, a small notebook. The color and size did not suit my car, so there was no need to go out and find the owner. The hand that picked up her notebook was careful, as if it was holding her hand.
“Here, you can sign.”
He swallowed a hollow laugh while holding the notebook that was still warm. He is a man who has never once hesitated when it comes to giving money as much as when he has to receive it. But I have never felt more comfortable than signing this old notebook.
“Here you go. No, next to the date.”
Is it because of the two pretty hands that carefully turned the notebook out, or because she slightly lifted her heel as if she was watching, or because the corners of her mouth turned up as she hugged the notebook as if she was holding something precious?
“anyway.”
Lee Han frowned, twisting the corners of his mouth as he absentmindedly skimmed through his notebook with his thumb. She was not looking for something, but following her body odor and traces felt in each and every page. As the thin piece of paper followed the hand gesture and created a refreshing breeze, even the reality that this was an underground parking lot became distant.
He looked wistfully at the last page that was stuck in his fingers, and before closing the notebook, he narrowed his eyes at the protruding piece of paper.
“ah. This… … no. “It’s just mine.”
He kept it as if it were a treasure, but his smile was shy. To the point where I can feel jealous over just a piece of paper, in fact, it’s not something that brings up very good feelings for me. Nevertheless, Lee Han’s large hand pulled it out, as if being drawn by something.
“… … .”
The very card that has been in my memory for much longer than I remember.
◇ ◆ ◇
“It doesn’t matter. “You’ll see it soon.”
See you soon, by what means.
Since leaving the operating room, Hae-joon has not lifted his head up once. As it was, he had no motivation, as if he had decided to just look at the ground and walk. I barely nodded to those who greeted me, and a black shadow fell over my head as I walked aimlessly.
“iced coffee! … … Ahhh.”
“… … What. “What is the process of showing disappointment in someone’s face?”
Jun-ho, who was preparing to surprise Hae-joon from above, opened his mouth in confusion. In fact, he didn’t even sneak up on me. Even though he approached me openly as if to show me off, he didn’t notice as if he was lost. As soon as he saw me, Hae-joon’s face became even more depressed, and Jun-ho wrinkled the bridge of his nose.
“I really thought this was my first love. “I’m glad I forgot about it early.”
“Forgotten?”
“… … what?”
“Is that something you forget and give up on so quickly?”
It was a sudden remark as much as a sudden expression, but her eyes looking up at him were so earnest that they were heartbreaking. Well, if you’re not serious about anything, you’re not Yoon Hae-jun. Her Junho opened his eyes and glanced at her.
“I’m sorry, but I’m late. “Even if you do this, my brother’s departed heart will not return.”
“… … .”
“Yoon Hae-jun. “You swore just now, right?”
Junho, who was staring at Hae-joon’s bloodless lips, wrinkled his nose. However, wondering where 10 years of friendship would go, he quickly giggled and pushed Hae-joon’s back.
“That’s it. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
“… … I have no appetite. “I’ll just eat alone today.”
Hae-joon took Jun-ho’s hand away and turned around bitterly. Now, no matter what I ate, my mouth was sore, and I couldn’t seem to get through even a sip of water. All that remains is Lee Han’s words that he will see you soon, and all he can do is look around the hallway.
“What are you looking for? “Why are you looking around like that?”
“Oh, no. just.”
When Junho followed me and looked around, Haejun said it was nothing and locked lips. It’s not an easy thing to encounter in this large hospital. Although he is a man who appears out of nowhere in my life, it hasn’t even been a few hours since we parted ways in the underground parking lot.
‘soon’.
She swallowed a bitter smile, tired of me attaching too much meaning to one short word.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going. It’s because I really have no appetite. therefore,”
“I heard it’s pork cutlet today?”
“… … .”
Junho shrugged, putting his hand over his mouth as if it were some big secret. With her innocent face, she stuck out her thumb towards the girl who was once her first love and who was now beyond friendship and not even the slightest bit interested in whether or not she had an appetite.
“call?”
◇ ◆ ◇
“Hey, eat slowly. “It’s a good thing I don’t have an appetite. If I come back by mistake, the cafeteria will be ruined.”
Junho, who was glancing at her, quickly placed his chin on Haejun’s solemn face and giggled as he chewed the food.
“Tonkatsu was served every other day, but now pork cutlet is the default. “It feels like it sounds like breadcrumbs every time I breathe.”
“why. “I like it.”
“… … okay. It’s okay for you too. “They said something different was coming out today as well, but they suddenly ran out of ingredients and it changed in the morning.”
Junho seemed to be tired and shook his head without even thinking about eating. The pork cutlet that appears more and more frequently is also called pork cutlet, but its size is also noticeably increasing.
“Is there any money left in the hospital these days? Well, I heard from my kids that they also put truffles and things like that in here.”
“… … “I guess 0.00001% is added to the bread crumbs.”
“no. Not long ago, while waiting for an ambulance, he saw ingredients coming in through the side door. “Is it real?”
Junho quickly poured out his words, pointing to the inside of the restaurant as if it was unfair. From the rumors surrounding the cafeteria lady’s scouting, the story of the pork cutlet growing in size by two times a day is no different from an urban legend. Nevertheless, as befits our 10-year friendship, I never took my eyes off her plate and did not forget the sense of quickly relieving me of my share.
“This is truly true love. The man gave all his money, even the pork cutlet. Hae-jun Yoon. “Now that I think about it, I guess I just couldn’t forget you.”
“… … Junho Kim. Is love that easy for you?”
“Then is it easy to give away everything you have?”
“no. I won’t give you all my money. “They won’t even give you food like this.”
Swish, swish, the quality of Hae-joon’s knife became as solemn as his eyes. I guess I just have nothing to give. I held my fork so tightly as if I couldn’t even hear Junho’s timid muttering telling me to first look at the balance in my bank account.
“No matter how much you think about it, love to me doesn’t mean you just give away everything you have.”
“Yoon Hae-jun.”
“Who would you like?”
“… … .”
“You have to persevere. “You say it’s love, how can you give it up?”
Hae-joon narrowed his eyes as if he really didn’t understand and grabbed the knife tightly. The sudden flash of snow was so solemn that it became difficult to stop it.
“I’ve lived like that until now. The more I have, the more I eat, the more I gain strength, and the more I become a better person. So, shouldn’t I just use my ability to feed everyone? “So that I can stay by your side for a long time without giving up!”
“… … Yes. “Finish your meal.”
If you want to eat it, just ask for it.
