Could it be, he was waiting for me? I stared at him with a fed-up expression.
Facing him directly, unlike the first time, now it gave me chills. Did my reaction perhaps provoke his interest? Is this one of those methods of harassing hotel employees I’ve only heard about?
A human who picks a fight first, finds fault, then continues to express dissatisfaction. I recalled the experiences my coworker employees had told me. I judged that perhaps this too might be one type of unreasonable customer.
Anyway, it’s not working hours now, so there’s no need to deal with him.
I walked past the man standing in front of me as if to settle things.
“Hey, where are you going?”
But as if he wasn’t an ordinary problem customer, he grabbed me again this time too. According to what I heard from other employees, there had never been a case where someone was this persistent and rude.
Could it be because I didn’t make a fuss and praise him like the others? Looking back, all the hotel employees I met were busy rattling off flattering praise to athlete Kwon Yujin. He might want that kind of adulation.
“I watched the competition footage well. They say winning a gold medal is difficult—congratulations.”
I rattled off insincere praise as if telling him to eat and leave.
Is that enough now?
“Fuck, what bullshit are you talking. Where are you going, Hyun Taeyoung?”
“…Haah.”
I guess this isn’t it either.
I felt pressured as I sensed surrounding gazes gradually gathering toward us. But it would be difficult for me to carelessly shake off the hand gripping my shoulder. I hadn’t tried properly resisting, but somehow I had that conviction.
In the end, it seemed I needed to have a proper conversation. About why he’s acting like this too.
“Where am I going, you ask. I’m going to the hospital.”
“Hospital? Why?”
“To get a medical certificate.”
“So what kind of medical certificate. Where does it hurt?”
I looked up at athlete Kwon Yujin as if asking whether he was really curious about that. But surprisingly, he seemed to genuinely want to know.
What a varied person.
“I got into a fight with a passerby, and since the other party pressed charges, I also need to submit a medical certificate to the police station.”
“Got into a fight?”
“Yes.”
I answered while swallowing a sigh.
“With who?”
“I told you. A passerby.”
“So, are you hurt badly? Are you protesting to me now saying it hurts because of that?”
“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please let go now.”
“You, it’s not an act… you really don’t remember me?”
“I remember.”
At my words, athlete Kwon Yujin raised one eyebrow. Expectant eyes.
“You’re a famous swimmer.”
“Fuck, I’m going crazy.”
He muttered with a dismayed expression.
It was the same on this end. Why was such a perfectly fine person so desperate to keep acknowledging me?
He dry-washed his face while muttering curses. I just watched that sight quietly.
“Come with me.”
Athlete Kwon Yujin, who seemed to be pondering something, soon proposed as if he’d made a decision. It was practically close to an order.
“To the hospital?”
“Yeah. You said you need to get a medical certificate. Let’s go together, to the hospital.”
“Excuse me, athlete Kwon Yujin. What on earth…”
“If you let me come with you, I won’t bother you anymore.”
He showed me a smile as if pretending to be harmless. It was a fake smile.
“Really.”
***
“Memory loss… you say.”
I repeated the diagnosis the doctor had made.
So, according to the explanations from the doctor and Kwon Yujin, I was originally acquainted with Kwon Yujin.
But after fighting on the street yesterday, I received a major shock to my head, and as an aftereffect, I forgot only memories related to Kwon Yujin—that was their claim.
“The MRI scan results show micro-damage observed in the hippocampus and temporal lobe areas. This can cause a pattern of post-traumatic memory loss where memories of specific individuals are selectively lost. Like what you’re currently experiencing.”
“……”
After arriving at the hospital and being led by Kwon Yujin to complete various tests, the conclusion the doctor presented was this. Memory loss.
I observed Kwon Yujin in the examination room once again. He seemed somewhat familiar, but that’s because I heard he’s famous—he’s definitely not a person in my memory.
But I also couldn’t say that Kwon Yujin and the doctor were lying to me. The text messages we exchanged were clearly remaining on my phone. I didn’t know because I didn’t have the leisure to check my phone today at all, but when I looked after hearing Kwon Yujin’s words, his number really was saved. If I didn’t know Kwon Yujin, this name wouldn’t be in my contacts.
So the statement that I forgot all memories related to Kwon Yujin due to memory loss seemed to be true.
“Unlike cases where all memories disappear, post-traumatic memory loss can appear limited to specific periods or subjects. As time passes, some memories may naturally return, or there’s also a possibility they won’t.”
“……”
“Rather than surgery, observation and stability are priorities. It’s important to get sufficient rest so as not to place additional burden on the brain, and afterward, you’ll undergo neuropsychological tests or rehabilitation treatment in parallel as needed.”
The doctor talked about my current condition and what kind of treatment I should receive.
“How about specifically explaining what happened before? Would it be effective in recovering memories?”
Kwon Yujin, who had been quietly listening to the doctor’s explanation behind me, asked. The doctor shook his head.
“Attempts to artificially implant memories are not recommended. Confusion can arise in the process of the patient accepting them, and depending on the case, memory distortion may appear. For now, naturally waiting for recovery in a stable environment is safer.”
“Then you’re saying we have to wait indefinitely without knowing when he’ll recover his memories?”
“It must be frustrating, but as I just said, attempts to artificially draw out memories can cause confusion, and depending on the case, there’s also a possibility of false memories forming.”
“……”
“The brain is a very sensitive organ. Even if uncertain, waiting for recovery is the principle.”
The longer the conversation between Kwon Yujin and the doctor went on, I felt a strong sense of rejection for some reason. Additional tests I could receive and methods that would help in recovering memories didn’t particularly resonate with me either.
First of all, I couldn’t understand why I absolutely had to recover memories of this person called Kwon Yujin. Because I didn’t feel any void or necessity regarding him at all.
Moreover, although we were acquaintances, looking at the text content and number of calls, it was hard to see us as close. Although I had made calls from my side, the contact frequency was low, and there were no private texts either.
It just seemed to be merely the extent of occasionally contacting or meeting after happening to get acquainted while working.
More than anything, I wasn’t hurting anywhere right now. It meant there was nothing inconvenient about not remembering him.
In this situation, should I go through treatment by spending time and money?
I already felt like I’d just wasted money doing various additional tests because Kwon Yujin followed along. Even after learning the truth, I felt like I’d just thrown away money for nothing.
After a long examination, I came out of the examination room with Kwon Yujin.
“See. I was right, wasn’t I?”
He said to me as if telling me to admit it now. That we’re acquainted.
I nodded. There were still bewildering and suspicious parts, but the test results and traces remaining on my phone were telling the truth.
So, I was an acquaintance of a very famous swimmer.
“So what was our relationship?”
I asked him back without emotion. But even after several seconds passed, no answer came back from Kwon Yujin.
“It doesn’t seem like we were friends. Did we meet while working?”
“That’s not it.”
“Were we close?”
“…It’s ambiguous to say we were distant.”
Perhaps because of what the doctor said earlier about not forcibly implanting memories, Kwon Yujin gave an ambiguous answer.
“Then there are a few things I want to ask. Do you know what my favorite beverage is?”
“What?”
“What cigarettes do I smoke most often?”
“How the hell would I know that shit?”
Of course he wouldn’t know. I rarely drank any beverage other than water and was a non-smoker. But Kwon Yujin seemed to have no idea about this fact at all. In other words, that was proof we weren’t in a close relationship.
I came to a conclusion.
“I acknowledge that we were acquaintances as you claim, Kwon Yujin-ssi. I also confirmed that we occasionally exchanged contact. But we weren’t close, so I don’t particularly want to recover the memories.”
