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Sitting in the hospital room, Haein recalled her argument with Soohyun last night.
‘Or are you actually hoping it ends quickly?’
Whenever Soohyun spoke like that, she saw Chairman Park in him. Perhaps, as Soohyun had said, he was indeed the grandson who resembled Chairman Park the most.
In the past, no matter how harsh the words Soohyun spewed, she had enough composure to realize that they weren’t his true feelings. She could read the subtle flow of emotions that permeated the end of his gaze or tone.
But now.
“Ugh.”
A sudden wave of nausea made Haein cover her mouth with her hand.
Perhaps it was due to the hormonal changes, but ever since she found out she was pregnant, her mood had been erratic and unpredictable.
The most direct causes were likely her younger sibling’s unstable condition and the severe morning sickness that prevented her from eating properly.
“Haa...”
Barely suppressing the churning in her stomach, Haein tilted her head back and let out a long sigh towards the ceiling.
Others received their husbands’ utmost care and attention when pregnant, but look at her now.
She was desperately hiding in the hospital every day to avoid her pregnancy from being discovered.
Still, it had been manageable so far. Her body was a bit tired, but she hadn’t suffered mentally since she was still keeping the secret well.
If, by any chance, Chairman Park found out about this, there was a high possibility that he would prevent her from even coming to the hospital. And if something went wrong while her sibling was sick like now...
‘...That alone cannot happen.’
The time she had promised her attending physician was flowing by relentlessly.
If she couldn’t come up with a viable alternative within 12 weeks of pregnancy, this matter would eventually be reported to Chairman Park.
In fact, when she had just found out about her pregnancy, the risk of miscarriage was very high. They had said the shape of the gestational sac was a bit distorted, and they needed to monitor the progress.
As each week passed, her sibling’s condition, conversely, worsened.
Perhaps she would have to reveal her pregnancy to everyone soon. With Im Seyoung possibly having noticed, it was only a matter of time before Chairman Park found out.
Her heart was anxious, but where could she confide her true feelings and rely on someone?
She was at least grateful for being able to freely come and go from the hospital and stay by her sibling’s side, even if only for a few days.
“Jungin-ah. You have to hold on, even if I can’t come often. Okay?”
Haein looked at her lying sibling with a despairing heart.
Almost every other day was an emergency. They would go into the intensive care unit and then back to a regular room, making every few days a living hell.
If you really leave us... what should I do then?
As she sighed deeply, the hospital room door opened.
“Haein-ah. How is Jungin?”
Her parents, with worried faces, entered the hospital room side by side.
The fresh air from outside wafted from her parents. Even that made her stomach queasy, and Haein couldn’t help but frown deeply as soon as she saw their faces.
“Haein-ah, what’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?”
Her mother approached and asked when Haein, who had been getting up from her seat, suddenly grimaced.
The familiar scent of her mother’s usual cosmetics, which Haein used to like, wafted from her embrace. Even though it was a scent she definitely used to like, her stomach immediately turned at the smell.
“Ah, I suddenly feel a bit unwell.”
“Oh dear. You must be overdoing it these days. Haein-ah, why don’t you go and rest for a bit?”
As her mother came closer, Haein unconsciously took a quick step back. If she stayed closer to her mother, she felt like she would violently vomit the nausea she was barely holding back.
Beep-
At that moment, the medical device Jungin was attached to behind the three of them started making a strange noise and loudly ringing.
Thump.
It didn’t take long for the nurse who was nearby to burst into the room, practically kicking the door open. The nurse, who had rushed in frantically, quickly checked Jungin’s condition and then called for the medical team.
Soon after, a doctor rushed in, and then several more nurses flocked in, entangling Jungin’s body with many machines. Amidst the sounds of people shouting and the loud noise of medical equipment, Haein held her parents’ hands tightly.
It was a sight she could never get used to, no matter how many times she saw it.
The medical team seemed to have succeeded in the emergency treatment, their tension easing slightly, but soon after, they wheeled Jungin’s bed out and moved it outside.
“We succeeded in the emergency treatment, but their condition is not good. Today could be critical. We will transfer them to the intensive care unit for now.”
Her sibling left the room, their appearance barely recognizable, covered layer upon layer with medical equipment.
“Haa.”
“Sob.”
Haein and her parents, left in the hospital room, were too exhausted by the repeated situation to quickly follow Jungin, and they held each other’s hands, shedding tears.
Haein looked with wet eyes at the empty space in the hospital room where Jungin’s bed had been.
‘Ah. This is the limit.’
Perhaps Soohyun was right.
Haein wondered if prolonging life like this was something Jungin wanted. And she once again felt a pang in her heart with the self-reproach that this thought might have come from her own selfishness, unable to let go of her sibling.
Perhaps only the shell of the emotion called sadness remained now.
Haein composed her parents and together they left the hospital room, taking weary steps towards the intensive care unit.
***
At the time Haein was heading to the intensive care unit, a few floors below, the obstetrics and gynecology ward was in a small commotion due to the sudden appearance of Chairman Park.
Chairman Park, who always made a reservation and confirmed it several times in advance before visiting the hospital, had appeared without a word, and that too in the obstetrics and gynecology examination room where he had no medical records, so it was understandable.
“Did you... have a reservation?”
The flustered nurse asked with a trembling voice, and the accompanying secretary stepped forward to speak on Chairman Park’s behalf.
“He has come to see Professor Jo Su-jin of the Obstetrics and Gynecology department directly.”
“Professor is currently having lunch...”
When the nurse replied softly with a troubled expression, Chairman Park, who had been listening nearby, suddenly shouted.
“Bring her here right now!”
The nurse, who had never actually dealt with Chairman Park before, was taken aback by his rudeness, but overwhelmed by his booming voice, she obediently made the call.
“...Yes, Professor. Chairman Park Yoon-hwa has come to see you.”
The nurse, holding the receiver and nodding a few times, hung up and said carefully,
“She’ll be up in a moment.”
“Where is the examination room?”
Ignoring the nurse’s polite reply, Chairman Park barked loudly at his accompanying secretary.
His imposing manner, as if he were there to collect a debt, left the nurses at the reception desk exchanging bewildered glances.
People nearby discreetly guided Chairman Park to Professor Jo Su-jin’s examination room, and within a few minutes, Professor Jo appeared in the obstetrics and gynecology examination room.
Professor Jo’s pale complexion made it clear that she had rushed over.
“Professor, Chairman Park is in your examination room...”
“Excuse me, are there no patients this afternoon?”
“No. There’s a scheduled patient from 3 o’clock.”
“Okay. Please make sure no one else comes near here.”
Professor Jo Su-jin straightened her clothes as she walked towards the examination room. Seeing the security guards standing in front of the room, she clearly realized who it was she would be meeting shortly.
It wasn’t a lie that could last long anyway.
Professor Jo Su-jin took a deep breath and opened the door to the examination room and stepped inside. Inside, an octogenarian with sharply upturned eyes sat with a very angry expression.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Jo Su-jin.”
“Hmm.”
Chairman Park waited until Professor Jo sat down opposite him before slowly opening his mouth.
“Professor Jo Su-jin.”
“Yes.”
“I believe you already know why I’ve come.”
“......”
Jo Su-jin was the obstetrics and gynecology professor who had been steadily examining Haein. She remained silent in front of Chairman Park, who said he knew everything and had come looking for her, neither confirming nor denying his statement.
What she had tried to do to protect Haein was like her last vestige of morality as a doctor.
She had no grand resolve to defy Taeseong and go against its will.
How many women had been sent by the person named Park Yoon-hwa, whom she had never even met?
The demands Taeseong had made so far were so insulting that they made her forget her conscience as a doctor and even her basic dignity.
The reason she couldn’t quit, even though she wanted to, was because she was a promising obstetrics and gynecology professor and at the same time in a position where she received implicit pressure from above.
A medical foundation was outwardly portrayed as something that should not pursue profit, but its inner workings inevitably contained the logic of capitalism.
And the person who held the strongest grip on the center of that Korean capitalism was Chairman Park Yoon-hwa, sitting right in front of her.
‘This is the end.’
She had tried her best to protect Haein, but it seemed her role ended here. Professor Jo Su-jin now racked her brain to find words that would medically protect herself as much as possible.
Park Yoon-hwa silently observed the change in Jo Su-jin’s expression before slowly opening his mouth.
“It took a lot for Taeseong to become such a large conglomerate.”
Jo Su-jin waited for Chairman Park’s words with great tension, but Chairman Park suddenly began to recount the history of Taeseong.
“You see, I’ve never had anything taken away from me in my life. That’s what made Taeseong what it is today. Taeseong, isn’t it amazing? An overwhelming conglomerate where even a second-in-command doesn’t dare to exist.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jo Su-jin diligently nodded her head in agreement with Chairman Park’s words, but Chairman Park suddenly stood up abruptly and shouted.
“And yet, you dare to hide my things and fabricate lies in front of me?”
Bang.
Chairman Park slammed the desk in the examination room hard with the cane he was holding. The sudden roar and the sound of the cane mixed together, creating a loud noise.
Jo Su-jin, not knowing what Chairman Park meant by “my things,” wore a bewildered expression for a moment.
“Is Yoon Haein pregnant or not?”
“...There was a high risk of miscarriage, so we’ve been monitoring the progress so far. Since she hasn’t entered a stable period yet, it’s difficult to give you a definite answer...”
Jo Su-jin mechanically recited the answer she had prepared. She had anticipated that a day like this might come, but it was more sudden and more rude than she had expected.
“I’ll ask again. Is she pregnant or not?”
Park Yoon-hwa, having finished his question, glared at Jo Su-jin again with wide eyes.
Only then did Jo Su-jin realize what Chairman Park meant by “my things.” Ironically, it referred to his great-grandchild carried by his granddaughter-in-law.
“......Y-yes, she is pregnant...”
“You’re telling me this now?”
Jo Su-jin replied in a trembling voice, but Chairman Park cut her off mid-sentence. Then he stood up abruptly, roughly opened the door to the examination room, and went outside.
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