Chapter 108
In front of the operating room.
The surgery, which had been going on for more than five hours, showed no sign of ending. Exhausted, Geon-hee sat in his chair without moving. Dr. Seo subtly glanced at Secretary Kwon.
Reluctantly, Secretary Kwon rose and approached Geon-hee.
“Go in and get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on things.”
But Geon-hee shook his head silently.
“Seon-i is in there… how can I rest comfortably?”
His voice was hoarse, probably from speaking for the first time in hours.
“…Secretary Kwon.”
At that moment, a voice called out from behind him. Turning around, Geon-hee saw Eun-young approaching with a tense expression, walking quickly.
“How’s Seon-i? She’s safe, right?”
“Well…”
“Just tell me straight. She’s safe, right?”
“She’s in surgery right now.”
“Surgery? Is she badly hurt?”
Secretary Kwon just closed his eyes, unable to answer.
Eun-young stepped closer and spoke again.
“Please, just tell me! She’s safe, right?”
“She’s hurt… quite badly.”
“What did you say?”
In disbelief, Eun-young approached the silently sitting Geon-hee.
“What happened?”
“…”
“I asked, what happened!”
Eun-young grabbed his collar and shook him. Geon-hee, wearing a heavy expression, remained silent and let it happen.
“Eun-young, calm down. Please, please…”
Secretary Kwon, almost in tears, tried to stop her.
“How could this happen…”
Eun-young collapsed to the floor and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“Who… who did this to our Seon-i? Who is the bastard! Who?!”
She screamed at an unknown enemy. Seeing her struggle, Secretary Kwon felt a wave of guilt.
That woman’s pain… Geon-hee feels it too.
He realized that all this must have been caused by a single careless word he had spoken.
“…I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I revealed a secret…”
Secretary Kwon couldn’t continue.
He hadn’t imagined that the main culprits of this horrific crime were Sarah and her new boyfriend. But what was harder to bear was the realization that he was the reason this all happened.
“What happened?”
Eun-woo and Chae-kyung approached Secretary Kwon and Eun-young.
Eun-young continued sobbing silently, while Secretary Kwon held her and cried alongside her.
Geon-hee leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
No one had explained anything, but from the scene, Eun-woo could tell how serious Seon-i’s condition was.
At that moment, the operating room door opened, and the doctor came out. Seeing him, Geon-hee and Secretary Kwon immediately stood up.
“So… how is she?”
“Was the surgery successful? She’ll survive, right?”
Geon-hee asked urgently.
“Yes. The surgery went well. However, the wound was deeper than expected…”
“Deeper? What do you mean?”
“There may be aftereffects.”
“Aftereffects? What kind of…”
Geon-hee asked anxiously.
“In mild cases, just numbness in the right hand. In severe cases, the entire right side could be paralyzed.”
“W-what did you say?”
Geon-hee suddenly grabbed the doctor by the collar.
“How can that be? The surgery went well, and now paralysis?!”
“G-Geon-hee, let go!”
“Director Woo, calm down!”
Secretary Kwon and Dr. Seo, standing nearby, managed to pull him away.
“This is impossible… impossible…”
Geon-hee sank to the floor, speechless.
A week later – Blue Rose Hospital.
Eun-woo hurriedly prepared to go out while on the phone.
“Yes, I’m about to leave now.”
“Ah, I think I’ll only be able to come this afternoon because of moving the office.”
It was Eun-young on the other end of the line.
“That’s fine. I’ll be here. Okay, see you later.”
After hanging up, Eun-woo quickly put on his jacket.
As he grabbed the car keys and turned around, he saw Rabong sitting like a statue by the door. Since the day Seon-i was injured, Rabong hadn’t moved from that spot.
“Rabong…”
Eun-woo gently patted Rabong’s head.
“Seon-i’s not abandoning you. She’s just hurt, that’s all.”
“Woof! Woof!”
As if understanding, Rabong looked up at him and barked.
“I’ll visit her quickly. Just wait a little.”
Eun-woo spoke softly while stroking Rabong’s head.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Rabong kept barking as if he had more to say. Eun-woo looked at him for a moment and then spoke calmly.
“…It’s okay. Seon-i’s strong. She’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
With a determined expression, Eun-woo slowly stood and left the hospital.
Left alone in the hall, Rabong sat quietly, watching Eun-woo disappear.
Outside the hospital room.
Through the small window, Seon-i lay unconscious, and Geon-hee was holding her hand tightly.
Some nurses peeked inside and whispered. Curious, one approached and asked the group.
“What’s going on?”
“You know Conscenio? She’s his girlfriend, apparently. But she’s been like that for a week.”
“A week?”
One nurse nodded.
“She just changes her clothes but stays there constantly. Even at dawn, she’s like that.”
“But that patient… she’s seriously injured, right? A victim of that incident?”
“Yeah. What good is having a handsome, rich boyfriend if your body’s in that state? Ugh, no thanks.”
The nurses shook their heads in horror.
“Shh.”
One nurse noticed someone approaching. Not far away, Secretary Kwon in a suit was walking toward them.
Seeing him, the nurses quickly returned to their positions.
With a stiff expression, Secretary Kwon watched them scatter. He couldn’t hear what they whispered, but he knew.
Knock, knock.
After knocking, Secretary Kwon entered the room.
“I’m here.”
He spoke, but Geon-hee didn’t respond, still holding Seon-i’s hand.
“How is Seon-i?”
Again, Geon-hee didn’t answer.
“I’m going to the board meeting.”
“…Okay.”
“It might be hard.”
“Tell me the result. I need to pack my things.”
Secretary Kwon nodded solemnly.
Click.
As the door closed, Geon-hee silently looked at her.
“Please… just open your eyes. Please…”
His weak voice fell to the hospital floor.
Board meeting.
“With that, the proposal to dismiss CEO Woo Geon-hee has been passed.”
As expected, neither shareholders nor directors reacted much.
After confirming the result, they silently bowed to Mrs. Seo and left the room.
“Haah.”
Although the desired result was achieved, Mrs. Seo’s expression was not bright. She frowned as she looked at Geon-hee’s empty seat. Secretary Kwon gathered the documents on his behalf.
“He’s been there a week?”
Mrs. Seo asked her secretary, referring to the hospital where Seon-i was admitted.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The secretary replied quickly.
“And now?”
“He’s heading back to the office to pack his things.”
After a brief pause, Mrs. Seo spoke.
“Bring him immediately. If he doesn’t listen, drag him here.”
“Yes.”
The secretary bowed sharply, gathered a few bodyguards, and left the meeting room.
Mrs. Seo glanced at Secretary Kwon, who was organizing documents across the room. Their eyes met, and he greeted her stiffly. She spoke.
“Let’s have a brief talk.”
Vice President Seo’s Office.
A large TV on the wall showed news about the kidnapping of a third-generation chaebol.
“The suspect responsible for last week’s kidnapping of a conglomerate CEO has been arrested.”
The screen showed Woo Chang and Sarah, handcuffed, stepping out of a van.
Even with a hat and mask, Secretary Kwon immediately recognized their faces.
Mrs. Seo turned off the TV and looked at Secretary Kwon.
“Do you think I placed you next to Geon-hee for this?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Frozen, Secretary Kwon bowed without a word of excuse.
“I’m tired of hearing that now.”
Her cold words shook Secretary Kwon’s gaze.
“Come in.”
A young man in a suit entered.
“Say hello.”
He reluctantly bowed and exchanged greetings, confused by the lack of explanation.
“This is the new secretary who will assist the new CEO from today.”
She smiled, but Secretary Kwon’s expression darkened.
“It’s not like I’ve removed your position completely. Go on out.”
“…Yes.”
Reluctantly, Secretary Kwon left the vice president’s office.
Having been dismissed, Geon-hee’s demotion made everything feel hopeless. But Secretary Kwon slapped his own cheeks to regain composure.
I can’t falter now. Geon-hee has it worse.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to walk confidently.
Outside the hospital room.
“Yes, I understand. You’ve worked hard.”
Speaking on the phone, Geon-hee responded as expected.
The DNBM merger had failed, and being entangled in the kidnapping along with Seon-i, the result was almost inevitable.
Mrs. Seo wouldn’t leave Geon-hee in this state.
“I’ll organize things soon.”
After hanging up, Geon-hee let out a shallow sigh and leaned against the wall.
At that moment, Eun-woo stepped out of the elevator, walking straight toward him.
“What’s going on?”
“I want to see Seon-i. How is she?”
Geon-hee shook his head instead of answering.
“Please give her this.”
Eun-woo handed Geon-hee a small stone.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a secret only Seon-i and I know.”
“A secret…”
Geon-hee gave a bitter smile, remembering that his secret had caused Seon-i pain.
“Are you just going to leave?”
Eun-woo nodded slowly.
“She won’t want anyone else to see her like this. Oh, and please tell Rabong that he’s doing fine too.”
After speaking, Eun-woo left.
Geon-hee silently looked at the stone in his hand.
“…Go. You can.”
With a stern expression, he finally entered the room.
Seon-i, still unconscious, had the stone placed in her hand.
“The hospital director said Rabong is doing well too.”
She didn’t respond.
Her pale face seemed almost like that of someone else. Geon-hee gently touched her face with trembling hands.
“Everything’s fine. So please… wake up now. Please…”
He buried his face in the bed and sobbed.
At that moment, the hand holding the stone trembled slightly.
