Uncle and I
Chapter 04 –
Although Sejin had regained consciousness, his body hadn’t fully recovered yet.
After spending almost six months in the ICU—unconscious and hovering between life and death—he had lost a lot of weight, and his body had grown weak.
The hospital said that while there were no major issues found in his tests, Sejin should stay a while longer for rehabilitation. Hajin agreed without hesitation.
And so, his top priority became helping Sejin regain his strength and weight.
“Alright! Here comes the airplane—whoosh! Open wide for the yummy meat!”
Like feeding a toddler, Hajin playfully lifted a spoonful of rice with some beef and held it in front of Sejin’s mouth.
“I can eat by mythelf!”
Even if Sejin’s body had become small again, it was hard to accept being treated like a baby by his uncle.
“Oh? Really? But using chopsticks might still be too hard for you.”
“No! I can do it!”
Sejin clenched his tiny fists in determination.
Hajin couldn’t help but laugh at how cute his nephew looked—puffed cheeks, serious eyes, and his tiny fists raised in front of his chest.
“Haha! Alright, let’s see how well our Sejin can do!”
Giving in to Sejin’s stubbornness, Hajin handed him a spoon and a pair of chopsticks.
Sejin quickly grabbed the spoon and tried to scoop up some rice, but his hands trembled. His fingers were too short and weak, so he could only grip the spoon by curling his whole hand around it. The chopsticks slipped from his grasp the moment he picked them up.
“Huh? Why isn’t this working?”
Seeing his nephew’s struggle, Hajin burst into laughter again and gently took the spoon and chopsticks back.
“See? It’s too hard for now. Let Uncle feed you instead, okay?”
“No… I can do it…”
Patting Sejin’s drooping head, Hajin spoke softly.
“Yes, I know you can. But your body isn’t strong enough yet. Don’t be sad. Once you eat well and get healthy again, you’ll be able to do it on your own. So, until then, let Uncle feed you. Okay? You must be hungry. Let’s eat.”
Realizing he couldn’t win this argument, Sejin reluctantly opened his mouth.
Despite feeling gloomy, the moment the sweet grilled beef touched his tongue, his eyes widened.
It was delicious.
Soon, hunger won over pride, and Sejin obediently ate every bite Hajin fed him—mouth open like a little baby bird.
“All done! Now stay here for a bit, okay? Uncle’s just going to return these dishes.”
“Okay.”
The nurse who usually helped had gone for lunch, and Cheolhwan was already back at work.
Left alone, Sejin rubbed his full belly and stared blankly into space.
‘Ah… it’s been so long since I felt this relaxed. This child’s body feels awkward, but… having family around feels so warm and comforting. I’ve never felt something like this before.’
While Hajin was away, basking in the afterglow of simple happiness—
Click.
The door opened.
Thinking his uncle had returned, Sejin looked toward the entrance with a bright face.
“Uncle!”
But instead of Hajin, a man in his mid-thirties wearing a janitor’s uniform stood there.
“Ah!”
Sejin froze in shock.
The man looked ordinary—except for the thin snake coiled around his right arm.
Seeing that, Sejin’s eyes widened, and he held his breath.
The man grinned slyly as he stepped closer.
“Hey, kid. You’re Seo Hajin’s nephew, right? I heard you were in a big accident, but you look fine. Do you remember the car crash? You were in the car with your parents, weren’t you? You know they’re dead, right?”
Sejin didn’t answer. He just pulled the blanket up to his chest and curled into a ball.
The man ignored his fear, pulled a small camera from his pocket, and began snapping pictures.
Startled, Sejin hid completely under the blanket.
“Hey! Come on, show your face! I’ll make sure it looks nice.”
The man grabbed the edge of the blanket, trying to pull it down.
“No! Go away!”
“Quiet, kid! Do you know how hard it was to sneak in here? It’s just a picture, what’s the big deal? Stop acting up and look this way!”
Sejin realized from the man’s words that he was a reporter.
‘Seriously? A tabloid reporter harassing a little kid like this? And saying such awful things about his dead parents? He’s crazy! Good thing it’s me inside this body—if it were really Sejin, this would be a nightmare.’
The shock from the snake had left him frozen, but his mind was quickly clearing.
‘I can’t let him take my picture. If he does, it’ll cause more chaos for Uncle Hajin. I need to do something—fast.’
Realizing he couldn’t physically fight the man with this small body, Sejin made up his mind.
‘Alright. Then I’ll deal with this like a child would.’
He suddenly threw off the blanket, opened his mouth wide, and began to wail at the top of his lungs.
“Waaahhh!!! Nooo!! Uncle, I’m scared!!!”
The loud crying echoed through the VIP ward.
“Shut up! Be quiet!”
Panicked, the reporter tried to cover Sejin’s mouth, but Sejin struggled wildly.
“Ugh! I hate snakes! Don’t come near me!”
Seeing the snake so close to his face made Sejin scream even louder.
Footsteps came rushing down the hall.
Bang!
The door burst open, and Hajin ran in with a doctor and some nurses.
“Sejin!”
Hajin’s eyes widened at the sight of his crying nephew and the strange man.
“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!”
“Doctor Kim! Call security!”
“Yes, sir!”
While the nurse ran off, Hajin and the doctor moved toward the man.
The reporter raised his hands quickly.
“W-wait! I’m not some criminal! I’m Han Pil-yong from True Magazine! I came for an interview with Mr. Seo Hajin, but the kid must have gotten scared seeing a stranger, haha.”
“An interview?” Hajin’s voice rose in fury. “If you wanted an interview, you should’ve gone through my agency! And you—dressed up as a janitor to sneak into a hospital room? You call that journalism?!”
“Come on, you never agree to interviews! I’m just trying to serve the public’s right to know!”
His nonsense only made everyone angrier.
“Are you kidding me?!” the doctor shouted. “This is a restricted area! The child’s a patient—you scared him half to death!”
“Where’s security?!” someone yelled.
Hajin rushed to Sejin, pulling the boy tightly into his arms.
“It’s okay now, Sejin. I’m so sorry I left you alone. You must’ve been terrified. I’m really, really sorry.”
He held back tears as he hugged the trembling child. The thought of Sejin being scared by a stranger—and that it happened because of his own fame—hurt deeply.
Sensing his uncle’s guilt, Sejin wrapped his little arms around Hajin’s neck and patted his back.
“It’s okay, Uncle. Don’t cry.”
Hajin hugged him even tighter.
A few minutes later, security officers rushed in.
“We’re from Security. Is this the intruder?”
“Yes! He disguised himself as a janitor and snuck in. Please take him and report this to the police.”
“Yes, sir.”
The guards grabbed the reporter by both arms.
“Hey! Let me go! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
Sejin whispered to Hajin, “Uncle, that man took my picture.”
“What?!”
Hajin set Sejin down gently and turned to the guards.
“Please check his camera. My nephew said he took photos without permission.”
The guards confiscated the camera as the man struggled.
“Hey! That’s mine! Give it back!”
Ignoring him, they handed it to Hajin.
Hajin flipped through the photos—and his expression darkened.
The camera held pictures of him walking around the hospital, his manager Cheolhwan, his bandmates visiting with masks on—and at the end, Sejin’s terrified face.
Silently, Hajin removed the memory card and slipped it into his pocket.
“Hey! That’s mine!” the reporter shouted. “Give it back! That’s theft!”
Hajin gave a cold laugh.
“Then call the police. I’ll be filing my own report too.”
“You’ll regret this! You think you can keep working in entertainment after harassing a journalist?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Hajin said coolly. “You should start thinking about hiring a lawyer.”
The guards dragged the man out as he continued to yell.
The doctor bowed deeply. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Seo. We’ll investigate how he got in and make sure this never happens again.”
Hajin sighed. “Please do. I just want to rest now. My agency will handle the rest.”
“Of course. Let’s just check on Sejin before we go.”
The doctor and nurse quickly examined Sejin and confirmed that he was only shaken, not physically hurt. Then they left the room.
Once it was quiet again, Hajin climbed onto the bed and held Sejin close.
Both of them were trembling—one from fear, the other from anger and guilt.
Sejin stayed still, resting his head on Hajin’s chest.
Before long, the exhausted boy fell asleep in his uncle’s arms.
Hajin gently laid him down, tucked in the blanket, and turned on the dim nightlight.
Then he stepped into the small sitting area, running a hand through his hair.
So much had happened in just one afternoon. He felt drained—but there was no time to rest yet.
Taking a deep breath, Hajin picked up his phone.
It was time to make some calls.
