Again, the scenes passed by swiftly with the middle process omitted.
Then at some point, a sharp syringe needle was placed in front of me. As if it would stab my eye at any moment.
“My, this kid’s got incredible strength. He won’t die, he won’t die.”
I shook my head, and President Choi waved that syringe containing a purple-violet liquid in front of me. Repeating that he wouldn’t die.
Kwon Yujin who had fallen asleep as if fainting from exhaustion, the sharp needle, President Choi’s grip strength, and Dad behind him holding bundles of money while smoking a cigarette and avoiding my gaze. With that scene, my consciousness was completely cut off.
***
My eyes snapped open. The intense fluorescent light stabbed my retina.
What dream did I just have? Was it just a dream, or was it a real memory?
“Hyun Taeyoung-ssi? Are you conscious?”
Not long after, a nurse who discovered I had my eyes open hurried over.
As soon as I heard that question, a tingling pain spread from the back of my head. I rolled my eyes to look around—it was a hospital.
“Why am I here?”
“You were transferred to the hospital after losing consciousness from assault. Do you remember the situation at that time?”
“……”
I belatedly remembered that I’d gotten into a fight with a passerby while drinking. I nodded. But my vision was dizzy.
“I remember.”
“That’s fortunate. Can you look at me? Can you move your arms and head?”
The nurse asked questions in succession. I tried to move as she said, but my body was much duller than usual.
More than anything, I felt dizzy every time I tried to hold my head up. It seemed there were aftereffects from being hit on the head yesterday.
I followed the nurse’s instructions while still being dazed.
What? When exactly was I brought to the hospital? What happened to the person I hit?
“After the examination, you’ll have a consultation with the doctor. Then when the police visit, you can give your first statement about the incident. A report came in from the other party.”
The nurse said she needed to do an examination and brought a syringe needle to my arm. As soon as I saw that sharp thing, I grimaced, feeling a headache as if being stabbed with an awl.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Put it away. It’s not necessary.”
Before the nurse could say anything, I got down from the bed. I staggered for a moment when my feet touched the ground, but my sense of balance soon returned to normal as usual before long.
“The doctor diagnosed that you have severe concussion symptoms. After being hospitalized and monitoring your progress, it would be better to discharge…”
“It’s fine. When are the police coming?”
When I stubbornly refused treatment, the nurse made a troubled expression. After thinking about what to say for a moment, the nurse soon put down the syringe she was holding.
“Do you have a guardian you can call? This isn’t something to be stubborn about…”
“I’m an orphan, so I have no family. No one to call either.”
“Ah.”
“How much is the hospital bill?”
Leaving the flustered nurse, I put on my shoes and then raised my arms to rotate my shoulders. They were slightly stiff, but there was no problem with function. I would recover after resting for a few days.
“I’ll pay. I’ll receive the police investigation before I go, so don’t worry.”
“Payment is over there… Ah. Before that, these are belongings that were found at the scene. Would you like to check them?”
The nurse held out a shopping bag with the hospital logo drawn on it. When I checked inside, my belongings were there. The chocolate box too.
I stared down at it with its corners crumpled. Why exactly was I so angry? Looking back, it’s puzzling.
The moment I saw the box was crumpled, it seemed anger surged unbearably. But it was something I got for free from the hotel anyway, so what if it got a little crumpled?
Did my emotions become intense without me knowing because I was drunk?
“Are these your belongings?”
“Yes, they’re all mine.”
After collecting my things, I completed payment as the nurse guided. Then I waited for the police to come. I had to be investigated regarding the assault.
My head was complicated. I didn’t feel good. First of all, drinking alcohol itself was a mistake.
I sat in a chair and retraced past memories. Why did I drink that day?
It was difficult to restrain myself that day in particular. But why? I couldn’t recall the decisive reason at all.
I just finished my part-time job at the hotel and left work. Since it was an expensive hotel wedding, I think some celebrities came. It was quite busy, but it wasn’t hard enough to seek out alcohol that I usually avoided.
Anyway, I hit someone while drunk. I had to meet the police, and because I was brought to the emergency room, I had to pay a large, unplanned hospital bill.
“Haah.”
Looking at the receipt, a sigh came out. As I was counting the numbers written on the thin paper, I dry-washed my face.
“…Ah.”
But I felt smooth skin with nothing catching on my hand.
Only then did I realize I wasn’t wearing a mask. How could I forget this?
I hurriedly went to the desk where I’d paid and asked the employee.
“Excuse me, could you give me a mask?”
“Here.”
“Thank you. How much is it?”
“We give them to hospital patients for free.”
I hastily put on the mask and sat down again. I was quietly waiting for the police when the nurse I’d seen earlier approached.
“Have you finished the discharge procedures?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any discomfort related to pheromones by any chance?”
“It’s fine.”
I answered as if cutting off the words, worried she might tell me to get examined again.
“Your levels were slightly unstable, so we administered a stabilizer. You’ll be fine for now, but if you become uncomfortable later, don’t let it pass and definitely get medical treatment at a hospital.”
“Yes.”
The nurse who had been glancing at me with a distrustful expression left, and soon the police arrived.
The investigation process wasn’t that long. Since the other party had filed charges, they said they were checking the CCTV from the street where the fight occurred and witness statements. I calmly explained what I’d experienced. I was sitting and drinking, and the other party picked a fight first. The other party hit first too. So I fought back.
“From the initial circumstances, it’s confirmed that the other party hit first, but since there was mutual assault afterward, it could be processed as bilateral. You can assume the exact judgment will come after checking statements and footage.”
“Yes.”
“For now, recover well. Let’s meet again later.”
After the simple statement ended, the police asked if I would file a counter-complaint. I answered that I would think about it. Finally, after hearing the explanation that the next investigation schedule would require me to appear at the police station on a date set with the police, I was able to leave the hospital.
My feelings boarding the bus home were indescribably miserable.
I’d tried so hard not to become like Dad, but in the end, I too lost my reason, assaulted someone, and ended up having to go to the police station. All my efforts had become useless.
I sat on the bus and stared endlessly at the scenery outside.
***
The next day. My physical condition wasn’t bad. I was scheduled to continue working at the hotel this week, so I prepared to go to work.
Injuries remained on my mouth, head, hands, and shoulders, but they were all areas I could cover. The bruise on my jaw and the torn skin wounds were particularly vivid, but there was no problem if I wore a mask.
“Taeyoung-ssi, you’re working as a kitchen assistant at the 21st floor buffet today.”
“Yes.”
“There are so many dishes there, so be careful not to break them.”
“Yes.”
Today was a day without weddings, so I was assigned to the buffet kitchen. It wasn’t complicated work. I just had to collect plates from the hall, put the plates rinsed once with water into the dishwasher, and carry the clean plates or fill them with food.
Everyone complained that there was a lot of work to do, but I didn’t find it that difficult. It was manageable except for my vision occasionally getting dizzy once in a while. It seemed to be aftereffects from injuring my head yesterday.
“Hyeri-ssi. Did you hear? Kwon Yujin came again.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Amazing, I didn’t see him yesterday.”
While working for a while, I heard the sound of employees gathering and talking.
They were clustered right behind me, so even without trying to concentrate, voices flowed sporadically into my ears.
“Who did he come with?”
“I think he came alone.”
“What? Did he stay at our hotel?”
“Ah, it’s not my assigned area, so that’s a shame…”
Who’s Kwon Yujin? It’s a familiar name like I’ve heard it before, but I can’t recall it at all. It seemed to be a celebrity.
