Boundless Love

17.

There were a few people waiting, so Haseo couldn’t go straight into the emergency room. As he sat and waited his turn, his mind wandered. He thought about Jaewoo and why Yu Hyunjin hated Choi Mujin so much. He found himself increasingly curious.

Haseo glanced at his injured leg and stole glances at Choi Mujin. His face, usually hard to read, seemed different now. It was as if his mask had slipped, revealing raw emotions. Haseo wondered if now was the time to ask questions.

“Ahem.”

Haseo cleared his throat nervously, and Choi Mujin turned to look at him.

“You look like you have something to ask.”

He was perceptive.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, it’s not a big deal.”

Choi Mujin leaned back in his chair and looked straight ahead.

“There was a person named Jaewoo. I liked him. At first, I just teased him for fun, but every time, he reacted differently.”

Haseo had wanted to know the story, but listening to it made him feel strange. Something inside him sank deep into his chest. He recognized the feeling.

‘I’m feeling sad.’

But why was he sad hearing about someone else’s love story? Was it because it was an unrequited love? Haseo pinched the back of his hand, almost crying out in pain. He realized his palms and the back of his hands were also a mess. He had scraped them while trying to stop his fall.

“Most people run away when they see someone dangerous, right? But he tried to call 119 when he saw me.”

Haseo forced himself to speak.

“So, you went to the hospital?”

“No, I didn’t. I smashed his phone.”

“Was it a free phone?”

Haseo’s question sounded ridiculous even to himself. Choi Mujin laughed and replied,

“No, it was the latest model.”

Haseo almost forgot his emotions and was about to scold Choi Mujin. The latest model phone would cost at least a million won. How could he just smash it?

“After that, instead of calling 119, he took me to his house and treated me.”

Jaewoo must have been incredibly generous to help Choi Mujin like that. Haseo wondered if he would do the same in that situation.

‘Probably, yes.’

His grandmother had always taught him that human life was precious. Even if he was angry, he would have helped Choi Mujin. But it wasn’t him in that situation; it was Jaewoo. And that made all the difference.

“Why didn’t you end up together?”

“Because he loved someone else.”

“Who?”

“Yu Hyunjin.”

The handsome man Haseo had seen in the alley was Jaewoo’s boyfriend. That’s why he hated Choi Mujin so much. He saw him as a rival in love.

“I didn’t think you were the type to give up easily.”

“Who?”

“You, Choi Mujin.”

“I told you to call me ‘hyung’.”

“I don’t want to right now.”

Haseo replied sullenly.

“Why? Are you embarrassed?”

“That’s not the point. Why did you give up?”

“I have my pride. I did a lot of bad things, and it made him unhappy. At some point, I couldn’t bear it anymore.”

At that moment, Choi Mujin was being completely honest with Haseo. He was sharing things he had never told anyone else. But Haseo didn’t know that. He just felt a tightness in his chest.

“If that’s the case, you should have—”

Just as Haseo was about to say something, a nurse called his name.

“Haseo Lee!”

“Yes, yes!”

Haseo hurried into the emergency room before Choi Mujin could offer to help him. He moved so quickly that Choi Mujin didn’t even have time to stand up. Inside the emergency room, Haseo met the doctor, who examined his injured leg.

“How did you get hurt like this?”

“I fell down a hill.”

“Let’s see. You’re lucky it’s not too serious. Let me check your ankle too.”

“Okay.”

Haseo obediently presented his ankle to the doctor. After examining it, the doctor nodded.

“Luckily, there’s no bone damage, but if it hurts later, come back to the hospital. Today, we’ll treat the wound and give you some medication. You’ll also need a shot.”

“Thank you.”

“Sit over there, and we’ll take care of you. Can you walk by yourself?”

“Of course.”

Haseo sat on the bed the doctor pointed to. If the nurse hadn’t called him, what would he have said to Choi Mujin?

‘What about me?’

He had wanted to ask that, but he held back. His face was as red as a tomato, and he hung his head, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Are you in a lot of pain? Your face is very red.”

The nurse approached him, looking concerned.

“No, no. It’s not because of the pain.”

“Are you sure?”

Haseo assured her, but the nurse didn’t seem convinced. She checked his blood pressure and did a few more tests before finally looking relieved.

“We’ll clean the wound first. It might sting a bit, so let me know if it’s too painful.”

“Okay.”

The treatment wasn’t as painful as Haseo expected. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to focus on the pain. After the treatment, he stood by the door and saw Choi Mujin through the glass. His heart raced again.

Only then did Haseo realize his feelings.

‘This isn’t good.’

Choi Mujin was objectively not a good person. Haseo knew he wasn’t a good person either, but there were degrees of bad.

Ever since Haseo found out that Choi Mujin was a director at Isaac Finance, he had been researching the company. On the surface, it seemed like a legitimate financial firm, but digging deeper revealed a darker side. It was founded by a former gangster, and Choi Mujin, as a director, was likely involved in shady dealings.

The bad things Choi Mujin had done to Jaewoo were probably on a different level from anything Haseo could imagine.

‘I’m getting ahead of myself.’

Choi Mujin didn’t even like him. Haseo felt his face heating up again and tried to calm himself down. He had accidentally peeled off some of the gauze and bandages on his hand.

“Be careful, be careful.”

If Choi Mujin was a wolf, Haseo was a lamb. He couldn’t show any weakness. He took a deep breath and composed himself before walking back to Choi Mujin.

“I’m done with the treatment!”

Choi Mujin looked him up and down.

“You look terrible.”

Haseo’s pants had been cut to treat his wounds, and he was covered in gauze and bandages.

“Can’t be helped.”

Haseo shrugged and smiled.

“True.”

Choi Mujin nodded and stood up. He offered his hand, but Haseo politely declined.

“I can walk.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if I carried you?”

“I’d rather be a little uncomfortable than embarrassed.”

Haseo walked ahead, and Choi Mujin followed him out of the waiting room. Outside, the night sky was dark, with no stars visible.

“Over here!”

Park Dongsu waved from a distance, and Haseo waved back.

“You’re quite energetic.”

Choi Mujin commented, and Haseo replied,

“I always am.”

Haseo got into the back seat of the car without Choi Mujin’s help. The car drove smoothly back to the house. It was late, almost dawn, but Haseo wasn’t sleepy. He had too much on his mind.

He leaned his head against the window and watched the city lights pass by.

‘Grandma.’

She was the only person who mattered now, and he couldn’t forget that.

* * *

Back at the house, Haseo was shown to the guest room. It was much nicer and more comfortable than his old room. He sat on the bed and looked at the worn cardboard box in the corner. He needed to shower and change, but he was too tired. Still, he forced himself to get up and went to the kitchen to wrap his wounds in plastic. The plastic was too small, so he taped several pieces together.

He wrapped his leg and hand in the plastic and went into the guest bathroom. It had a toilet, sink, and shower—more than enough for him. He was used to showering with cold water from a hose attached to a faucet, so this was a luxury.