OMS 70

Kim Jun-han sighed quietly as he watched the barely moving cars ahead. It had to snow on a Friday afternoon of all times. One finger tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. Unable to bear the silence any longer, he turned on the radio. Immediately, news of an accident in the tunnel came through.

Finally cursing under his breath, he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back in his seat. He had been for this abortion all along. But he hadn’t expected it to progress so quickly like this. He’d at least wanted to be there during the surgery. Being human, he felt sorry and naturally guilty.

Kim Jun-han had always said there was no such thing as a beautiful farewell, but ironically, he’d wanted to end things well. So unlike the things detailed in the contract, he had looked for a house and arranged for people to care for Lee Hee-soo. Then this unexpected thing happened. It was more uncomfortable than unpleasant. The feeling was unfamiliar, having never experienced it before, and it was irritating, to say the least.

Meanwhile, traffic started moving bit by bit. Though he sped up, it was already evening by the time he arrived at his destination. After parking, his steps quickened as he entered the hospital. Getting off the elevator to the right floor, he noticed a doctor and nurse talking in the middle of the corridor. When the doctor spotted Kim Jun-han and greeted him, the nurse naturally excused herself.

“I apologize, sir. I heard you called earlier, but I was caught up with emergency surgery this afternoon.”

“Where is Lee Hee-soo?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I heard there was surgery today. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, there was surgery. But they were discharged right after.”

Kim Jun-han’s face contorted after hearing this piece of news.

“You performed surgery and discharged them without a guardian?”

“There was a guardian…”

Kim Jun-han raised his voice slightly, which was totally unlike him.

“Who? Kim Yoon-ah? How could she be the guardian?”

“That’s not it…”

Though he knew this was a Daesan Group hospital and the doctor wouldn’t lie, everything seemed suspicious. Kim Jun-han fixed the doctor with his razor-sharp gaze.

“Let me ask one thing. Was there really surgery?”

That was when it happened. The sound of clicking heels from behind.

“If he says there was, there was. You think the doctor would lie? I can guarantee what he speaks is the truth.”

Kim Jun-han’s face hardened as he turned around. It was Madam Song. She appeared with her secretary, looking extremely tired.

“Mother, why are you here…?”

“Hee-soo asked me to come as his guardian instead.”

Kim Jun-han wore an expression of utter disbelief. Hadn’t she written a contract with Lee Hee-soo wanting the child to be born? Sensing her son’s thoughts, Madam Song sighed deeply and lowered her voice.

“I went to a powerful shaman who said the child would bring trouble to our family. Said it wouldn’t get along with family members and might tear the household apart. How could I stay comfortable with that? So I consented to the surgery.”

Since this was entirely possible for Madam Song who was deeply into superstition, he didn’t question any further about the truth and after sending the doctor away, asked her another question.

“Where did Hee-soo go?”

Madam Song shook her head.

“Well…probably went home? I’m not sure. He is no longer connected to our family now…”

Just then, someone came running like a madman from far away. It turned out to be Kim Tae-han. Kim Jun-han’s expression turned cold. “Mother, please detain Tae-han for now.” 

Then he turned and strode toward the consultation room. Opening the door, he found Lee Hee-soo’s attending physician looking at a monitor before standing up.

“Doctor Lee. Just one question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Was Hee-soo really pregnant with twins?”

The doctor nodded.

“Yes, they were twins.”

At the past tense response, Kim Jun-han was briefly silent.

“Hee-soo said that if someone who wasn’t the father made contact, the babies would show rejection. Is that true?”

“Usually, yes.”

“What do you mean by usually?”

“Though rare, even if it’s the biological father, if they have negative feelings about the child, those feelings can manifest as pheromones and cause the child to show rejection. It’s like a distress signal. ‘Since the father is rejecting me, please protect me, Mother.'”

Kim Jun-han’s face gradually hardened as he listened. So they could have been my children? Just then, the door burst open and Kim Tae-han entered. Thinking he might cause a scene if left alone, Kim Jun-han grabbed hold of Kim Tae-han’s arm and dragged him out of the consultation room. Kim Tae-han roughly shook off his arm and confronted Kim Jun-han.

“This is all your fault! You know that? You’re the one who made things come to this!”

Madam Song hurried over to stop Kim Tae-han.

“Tae-han, stop it. You’re embarrassing me, okay?”

“Just watch. I’ll find Hee-soo. If you get in my way, brother or not, I really won’t let this matter go.”

Madam Song frowned irritably.

“How dare you speak to your brother like that?”

Kim Tae-han was snorting like an enraged bull. However, he’d just escaped from the company and both his shirt and hair were an absolute mess. Looking at Kim Tae-han, Kim Jun-han had such a thought, If Hee-soo had been with Tae-han instead of me from the start, wouldn’t he have been happy?

Kim Jun-han ignored Kim Tae-han and looked at Madam Song.

“I’ll return to the company now. I’ll see you after work.”

Hearing this, Kim Tae-han jumped up.

“Company? You’re going to the company in this situation? You never had even a speck of feeling for Hee-soo, did you? Are you relieved now that your headache is gone?”

Kim Jun-han glared at Kim Tae-han and warned quietly.

“Stop talking. Unless you want to brag about your affair with Hee-soo.”

Leaving Kim Tae-han glaring with tightly clenched teeth, Kim Jun-han turned and left the hospital. Getting in his car, he leaned his head against the seat tiredly. The headache that had been bothering him since morning had worsened, and something felt like it was crawling up his solar plexus. He took out his phone and called Secretary Choi.

[I was just about to contact you. I’m sorry, sir. Kim Tae-han slipped away like a loach—]

“Never mind that. Deploy people immediately to find Hee-soo.”

[Find him?]

“Yes. Pull all of Mother’s bank records too. Check everywhere she’s been and who she’s met in the past few days. Same for Hee-soo. Start with hospital entry and exit records, check all surrounding CCTV, black boxes, use any means necessary to find him. No, block the airports first.”

“Did…did Hee-soo do something terribly wrong?”

Kim Jun-han pressed his lips tight. Secretary Choi called “Sir?” but he couldn’t bring himself to answer. Wasn’t he the one who asked for the abortion and divorce? Lee Hee-soo just did what he wanted. Why did he have to feel so betrayed? Why did it feel like he’d been sucker-punched? Why was he so angry and furious right now?

Kim Jun-han ground his teeth and muttered.

“They really made me angry, so yes, they did something wrong.”

***

Kim Yoon-ah and Lee Hee-soo entered a small shop near the harbor. It sold things like snacks, ramen, and alcohol, but something about the place felt shady. Kim Yoon-ah looked around the shop with anxious eyes. The owner had a large scar on his face, and another man who entered right after also had an unsavory look.

“Welcome, pretty customers.”

Only Lee Hee-soo remained calm in this situation.

“Two to Japan. The sooner the better.”

“You’ve got the wrong place. This is just a supermarket.”

“It’s three thousand per person, right?”

The owner rolled his tongue inside his mouth before grinning.

“Who referred you?”

“That doesn’t matter. Just tell me if it’s possible or not.”

“Money? Did you bring it? Smuggling costs quite a bit these days because of increased crackdowns. Did you know that?”

“Four thousand instead of three thousand.”

“…”

“Don’t try to screw with me thinking I look desperate. If you do, I’ll fucking bring the cops and have you cleaned out.”

At the threat, the man in the back made an ugly expression and reached for his waist. The owner laughed loudly and waved him off.

“Such a sharp tongue for someone so pretty. We run our business on trust, so we weren’t planning to screw you over. However, the boat can’t leave today, it’ll have to be midnight tomorrow. How’s that? Actually, this is extremely fast. Usually, people wait weeks. You’re lucky.”

Without any further thought, Park Dong-sik took out bundles of cash from the bag and handed over the deposit to the owner, who wrote something on paper. Looking at it, below the words “Swan Boat” was a phone number.

“The balance goes to the captain.”

Park Dong-sik nodded his head and left the shop with Kim Yoon-ah. Outside, Kim Yoon-ah pounded her trembling legs with her fists while glancing back.

“M-Mr. Lee? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I was so scared just now. That person’s face, those were knife scars, right…?”

He almost honestly replied, What’s a knife scar? I used to have quite a few too. Hey, do you know what a machete is? It’s a jungle knife as thick as an arm, and I once cracked my head trying to dodge one. Park Dong-sik reassured Kim Yoon-ah and looked around for a place to rest. Then he spotted a motel.

Inside, the owner peered out with a drowsy face as if just woken up.

“Two rooms.”

After paying in cash and receiving the keys, they went up creaking stairs that seemed old. 

Standing in front of their respective rooms, Kim Yoon-ah turned with a tense expression.

“T-There won’t be mice, right?”

“If there are, call me. I’ll catch them.”

“…”

“Sleep well.”

“Yes…sweet dreams.”

Entering the room, Park Dong-sik first shoved the luggage in a corner and flopped onto the bed. Being cheap, the motel had dirty wallpaper and curtains, and a musty smell. It was a shabby place to sleep compared to waking up in the luxurious mansion that morning.

None of this felt real. What would Kim Jun-han be doing now? He probably hadn’t noticed yet. Would he feel relieved that I’m gone? I hope Madam Song acted well. As for Kim Tae-han…he must be very angry. Would he resent me? Surely that bastard isn’t crying his eyes out right now, is he?

He shook his head vigorously to clear the flooding thoughts. Ah, let’s not think anymore. They’re people who have nothing to do with me now. I just need to safely deliver the baby to Madam Song. Once I get the promised money, that’s the end of our relationship.