CNC Ch 3
by Sorai“From the looks of the charges, he deserves to die.”
“Whether he’s dead or alive is none of my business.”
CEO Lim put down the coffee cup with a wave of his hand and leaned his bulky body forward. Lowering his voice, he asked Yong-jae somewhat subtly.
“What about Chairman Jo? Is he still not making any moves, as usual?”
“…Yes, well.”
“The child he abandoned is lying like that, how can he not even show his nose for several months? Is that person really a human?”
Even when he lowered his voice to avoid being overheard by others, CEO Lim’s face crumpled and he spoke with a scowl.
“In the end, it’s because of Chairman Jo that things turned out this way! If he hadn’t thrown that kid like he was a piece of discarded gum, would Hye-an even have had such a terrifying idea to jump off the bridge?!”
In an instant, the title “Chairman Jo” was downgraded to just “Mr. Jo.” The more he spoke and thought about it, the more infuriated CEO Lim became, puffing out his breath and raising his temper.
“Even if it was just a sponsorship relationship, he should still have some affection for the person he’s living with. Despite being told not to mingle with those humans who think they’re something because they’re chaebols, but that punk…”
Realizing that there was no use in saying anything, CEO Lim trailed off his words. Then, he pulled out the straw from his cup and gulped down the coffee as if it were bitter alcohol.
While Yong-jae was keeping an eye on him, CEO Lim’s phone rang loudly from his jacket pocket. It was the hit song of the disbanded group ‘TiTan,’ which had once included Yoon Hye-an.
“What is it? You don’t know who you call?”
CEO Lim muttered with an annoyed expression and connected the phone while covering his left ear with the palm of his hand to avoid the high volume of music.
“Yes, hello. Oh, it’s the hospital. Where am I now? Why do you need to know that?”
Yong-jae, who had taken out his phone to search for surrounding real estate to sell Yoon Hye-an’s apartment, looked at CEO Lim in surprise when he heard the word “hospital.”
“Yes, I am. I am Patient Yoon Hye-an’s guardian, Lim Sang-jin. But what happened… Yes, yes. Ah… Yes???”
Gradually, the expression on CEO Lim’s face became serious as he lowered his head, but suddenly, he raised it high. His eyes widened, and the whites turned reddish-yellow, pulsating with intensity. In one swift motion, he accidentally knocked over the cup placed on the top of the supply box, spilling coffee over his suit sleeve and hand. However, he seemed not to care.
“No way… How could… When… Ah, yes… I understand. Here, here, it’s in Gangnam, so it might take some time… Anyway, I’ll leave right away. Yes.”
CEO Lim jumped up like a person poured in hot water, but after hanging up the phone, he stood there, seemingly possessed by a spirit, barely moving. Yong-jae bent his large frame and looked closely at CEO Lim, wondering if something bad had happened to the patient at the hospital. He cautiously watched CEO Lim’s reactions.
“Is it the hospital?”
“Huh? Uh… yes, the hospital.”
“What did they say?”
Still as stiff as a statue, CEO Lim turned his eyes to Yong-jae.
“Hye-an… well, he woke up.”
*
The first thing he saw was the light.
Not any object or person, just light.
Abundant light was pouring in from the large window that stretched to the side of the bed.
A rich, white, yet transparent and abundant light.
It felt peaceful as if he were in heaven.
Choi Hong-seo soon realized that he was smiling with real lips.
He rolled his eyes and looked down. He could see the volume of the thin body lying on the blanket. He was conscious enough to deduce where this place was. The name of a famous university hospital was engraved in blue letters on the blanket that quietly covered his shoulders.
Was this a dream? Or just one of the many rapidly changing scenes he experienced?
Or, was jumping from the 32nd floor… that memory was actually a dream?
No, that wasn’t it.
Suddenly, he vividly remembered the feeling at the time when all his organs were leaning upward and his heart was contracting. At the moment of impact, along with the experience that shattered and disappeared before feeling any pain. No, could that even be called an experience?
Horrified, Choi Hong-seo’s body began to tremble under the blanket.
No miracle could save someone who jumped from the 32nd floor. It was definitely not a dream. There was no chance of survival. Then… was this moment also an extension of the dream? Was he still floating somewhere between the afterlife and the living world? But right now, he was clearly in possession of a physical body.
“….”
At that moment, the door to the hospital room opened.
“Knowing that everyone misses meals while working, do you think it’s okay to just leave and eat alone?”
The grumbling voice of someone entered the hospital room. It was a nurse who had come to check the basic vital signs, as done several times a day.
Approaching the bed directly, she held Choi Hong-seo’s wrist to compare the name on the hospital bracelet with the name on the list and then proceeded to check his temperature by reaching out her hand towards his ear after disinfecting the ear probe of the thermometer. It was a procedure that had been done many times a day for months on this patient, so all movements were almost mechanical and proceeded smoothly.
“Can you swallow food through your throat? Yeah, you must be able to. If you couldn’t swallow, you wouldn’t have been… Ah, ahh!”
It was a patient who should have quietly closed her eyes, who had been like that for months. When the nurse’s eyes met the patient’s, she took a few steps back in shock and screamed. She was startled as if she had witnessed a corpse come back to life.
The nurse who unconsciously grabbed her left chest quickly regained her composure. Then, she carefully bent over to Choi Hong-seo.
“Patient, can you speak?”
The fact that he was communicating with someone sent shivers down his spine.
“Don’t strain yourself; please answer. When did you wake up?”
“Probably… about five minutes.”
His voice was dry and hoarse, but it wasn’t too painful to speak.
The nurse checked the patient’s condition with quick and accurate movements after she had recovered from her shock.
“Is there any discomfort?”
Choi Hong-seo shook his head slightly. The nurse reassured him with a bright smile.
“Your body temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure… all normal. You did well. The attending doctor will be here soon.”
She walked briskly toward the door and turned back to her patient.
“You came back really well, Hye-an-ssi.”
Her last words left a gap in Choi Hong-seo’s mind. It was like a mismatched puzzle piece or a key that didn’t fit its lock. Something was off. After she left, Choi Hong-seo felt trapped in that mismatched gap.
And the gap widened even further when the attending doctor arrived.
The doctor, who had come with only one nurse to ensure the patient’s stability, conducted basic examinations in the hospital room.
From someone who could barely blink to someone who could get up and move like they had just woken up from a nap. The doctor explained that patients awakening from unconsciousness could have vastly different conditions. Choi Hong-seo was relatively in good condition. Though not completely normal, he wasn’t like Uma Thurman in the movie “Kill Bill,” having to move one finger at a time. After some light stretching, he could even stand up and walk slowly around the hospital room.
“Very well done. Hye-an-ssi, you’ve had comfortable breathing and your physical injuries from the accident have almost healed. But for today, it’s best to rest. Starting tomorrow, we’ll gradually begin rehabilitation. Do not push yourself at all. Do you understand?”
While everyone tried to maintain a calm demeanor for the patient’s sake, both the doctor and the nurse seemed to be holding back excitement. Seeing their jubilation and gratitude for the miracle, Choi Hong-seo could only feel confused.
He had fallen from the 32nd floor.
There was no way he would have survived, and even if he did, there was no way he would be this fine. However, his current self was not a spiritual existence as he was when observing the Earth from space. He was a tangible existence, with blood flowing and flesh touching reality in a straightforward manner.
Even after he followed the doctor’s instructions to sit, stand, and walk, Choi Hong-seo couldn’t immediately accept the reality they were presenting.
“From tomorrow, you can slowly start eating, and for today, just take small sips of water at regular intervals. Your guardian has been notified, and they’ll be coming to see you soon.”
“Doctor.”
“Yes?”
The doctor’s expression was gentle as he looked down at Choi Hong-seo lying back on the bed.
“My name is…”
“….”
A momentary darkness crossed the two hopeful faces. The doctor tried to hide his agitation and calmly leaned toward the patient.
“You don’t remember your name?”
