Chapter 8
At Junyoung’s reply, Director Kang smiled in satisfaction.
“Just the two of us as family, yet even having a meal together feels this difficult. You really should have someone new at home so things can settle down.”
Director Kang cautiously brought up the topic while observing Junyoung’s expression.
As the course meal arrived, Director Kang noticeably pushed the dishes toward him, taking care of him.
“Do you have something you want to say?”
Sensing the hint, Junyoung decided to address what was on the director’s mind.
“Is there a woman in your life?”
Pausing mid-bite, Junyoung looked at him, puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Apparently, the whole hospital knows about it except for me—your own father.”
Without any change in expression, Junyoung continued eating.
“Did you meet Professor Lim?”
Professor Lim, Junyoung’s academic advisor and now the head of surgery, was also a longtime friend of his father from medical school.
His father had suddenly asked to have dinner nearby, and Junyoung wondered if something was wrong.
“They said people who witnessed you together thought you looked quite close.”
Director Kang subtly tested the waters while watching Junyoung’s reaction.
“It was the day Jin-yi came in for her health checkup. I just accompanied her as a guardian for the sedation endoscopy.”
A brief look of disappointment swept across Director Kang’s face.
Though he didn’t remember her well—having only seen her in passing—he knew she was one of Junyoung’s close acquaintances.
His expression clearly showed his letdown.
Somehow, despite hearing rumors, he hadn’t truly believed his son had a girlfriend—especially since a second-year surgical resident would hardly have time to date.
Even after hearing eyewitness accounts through Professor Lim, he had allowed himself to hope.
Moreover, when he learned she seemed unlike someone from the medical field, he had begun to feel reassured.
Yet now, disappointment settled heavily on his face.
Director Kang had long hoped that the woman Junyoung would marry would be someone ordinary—someone outside the medical profession who focused on supporting the household.
Junyoung’s mother had been diagnosed with cancer before he finished elementary school and endured a long battle with the illness. During that time, Junyoung grew up feeling lonely at the age when he most needed his mother.
At the time, Director Kang was working at a university hospital and spent most of his days in the operating room, unable to care for his son properly. On top of that, his emotional energy had been consumed by his wife’s illness, leaving him struggling to find stability.
He always regretted not being able to care for his son and wished for someone warm to stand by Junyoung’s side.
In fact, for a long time, he had considered Yu-min—a childhood friend and someone whose family was well acquainted with theirs—as a potential daughter-in-law.
Yu-min had known the family for years and was comfortable with Junyoung, treating him as a close friend.
They always hung out together, but their relationship seemed so casual that it was hard to detect any romantic feelings.
He thought that instead of a fiery love, a relationship built on deep friendship might allow them to understand each other better and last longer.
In that sense, Yu-min seemed like a fitting partner for Junyoung.
“If you get married and settle down early, it could also help your career. I’ve heard of several arranged introductions—when do you have time to—”
“I’m not thinking about that yet, Father. I don’t have the room for it.”
Junyoung cut him off bluntly, leaving Director Kang displeased.
“Instead of worrying about me, you should focus on yourself. How long do you plan to keep living like a widower, looking all lonely?”
“What? A widower?”
Caught off guard by the sudden jab, Director Kang’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“That’s what I mean. From an outsider’s perspective, you look more in need of a partner than I do. I even asked Professor Lim to introduce someone suitable recently, yet you keep dragging me into it.”
Junyoung shook his head as if he disapproved.
“At my age, what woman would I meet? I’m busy enough with hospital work—when would I even have time?”
“That may be true, but you shouldn’t focus only on work. If you do, you might end up alone. You’re not getting any younger.”
“Then you should find someone first before you get older, Father. I’ll go after you.”
With a teasing tone that sounded half serious, Junyoung earned a disapproving glare from Director Kang.
Section 3
Exhausted from constant overtime and sleep deprivation, Jini’s head suddenly dropped as she dozed off, startling her awake. Her fingers had still been resting on the laptop keyboard—apparently, she had fallen asleep without realizing it.
She yawned quietly and woke the blacked-out laptop screen.
The office atmosphere remained tense.
From the beginning of the project, everything had progressed smoothly, but at some point she had begun sensing underlying suspicions—like walking on thin ice.
The conflict had started when she discovered that a proposal originally created by Mr. Kim, which the team leader had dismissed as unfeasible, was later repackaged and submitted under the team leader’s name.
Such incidents were, in truth, not uncommon—privileges often enjoyed by team leaders.
