OMS 115

When he opened his eyes, he saw a deep blue sky without a single cloud. The ground rumbled, thump-thump, and crying could be heard from somewhere. Getting up, he saw Blackey bouncing across the wide field, wailing loudly.

“I hate Seokbong! I hate Seokbong! Waaah-!”

The scattered tears fell to the ground and turned into jewels. Park Dong-sik gathered the jewels in his arms while calling out to Blackey.

“Blackey! Stop crying and come here!”

As he approached to comfort them, a blindingly bright light appeared in the distance. Ugh. Just as he grimaced, Blackey began sprinting toward it. Terrified, Park Dong-sik chased after Blackey with all his might.

“No! Don’t go! Blackey!”

But Blackey only got farther away, finally getting sucked into the light and vanishing without a trace. Standing there with a bewildered face, Park Dong-sik looked around for Whitely.

“Whitey! Whitey!”

The dense forest rustled, and Whitey jumped out from up high. Park Dong-sik urgently waved his hands. 

“Whitey! Whitey!” 

But without hesitation, Whitey leaped over Park Dong-sik and ran toward the light where Blackey had disappeared.

Again, Park Dong-sik ran with all his might chasing after Whitey. 

“Whitey! Blackey! Where are you going?! Take me with you! Let me come too!” 

Though he ran with all his strength, he couldn’t catch Whitey, and was finally left alone in the field.

“Whitey…Blackey…Don’t leave Mama behind…”

As he got choked up with sadness, the light disappeared and dark clouds loomed overhead. Thunder rumbled—soon rain poured down, and an anxious Park Dong-sik ran toward where the light had been, hoping to find his children.

But strangely, his feet would not budge an inch and he couldn’t advance. Feeling like he was stuck in a swamp and despairing, Park Dong-sik slowly opened his eyes. First seeing the white ceiling, he sighed in relief while touching his chest.

Thank goodness, it was just a dream…

Then realizing his stomach was flat, he bolted upright. Did the surgery go well? What about the babies? Where did Kim Jun-han and Kim Yoon-ah go? I feel too light for having had surgery. Is this normal?

“Oh? You’re awake? Are you alright?”

An unfamiliar elderly person sitting on the opposite bed asked. Park Dong-sik looked around in confusion. Come to think of it, he wasn’t alone. Including himself, there were several people in the room. Before he could look for any guardians, the door opened and a nurse entered.

“Oh? You’re awake? How are you feeling?”

“Excuse me, nurse. The babies? Where are the babies? Are they healthy?”

“Babies…? Who?”

“The twins. The babies I gave birth to.”

The nurse tilted her head to one side, and her expression changed strangely. The other patients and guardians in the room also whispered while giving Park Dong-sik odd looks. Just then, the door slid open with a noisy commotion from the entrance.

“Dong-sik, you bastard. You’re awake?”

“Congratulations, boss. You died and came back looking even better. Hehe.”

Park Dong-sik couldn’t close his mouth. Why were Moon Ho-cheol and his people here…Moon Ho-cheol died in the fire…It was even on the news…

Unable to speak due to shock, he suddenly noticed something strange.

What did Moon Ho-cheol just call me? Dong-sik? Unconsciously looking at his arm, Park Dong-sik was speechless, seeing the needle stuck in his muscular forearm. Moon Ho-cheol came closer and lowered his voice slyly while grinning.

“Dong-sik, you lucky bastard. I heard on my way here—the person you saved is no joke. You’ll faint when you find out who it is.”

His ears were ringing. Park Dong-sik pulled out the needle and got out of bed, looking for the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, his face was pale white. With a sense of dread, he lifted his hospital gown to check his chest, finding his abs and old knife wound scars still there.

In the mirror stood not Lee Hee-soo but Park Dong-sik with a haggard face, looking like he’d just seen a ghost. Is this an extension of the dream? This can’t be happening. He pinched his cheek, then slapped it hard enough to make a sound, causing the nurse to rush over.

“Mr. Park Dong-sik, what are you doing? Please return to your bed.”

“What’s today’s date, no, what year is it, no, no! Wait, oh shit, what’s going on here?”

As he clutched his head in confusion, the nurse tried to stop him.

“You went into cardiac arrest after falling into the water. You’re just in shock. Go ahead and rest. I’ll call the doctor.”

Park Dong-sik’s voice rose in agitation.

“That’s not it, something’s wrong! I was definitely giving birth, and had twins in my belly, so why am I Park Dong-sik again?!”

Moon Ho-cheol and his men made puzzled expressions nearby. 

“Did this bastard lose his mind after falling in the water?” 

At Moon Ho-cheol’s words, his brothers snickered, while Park Dong-sik, unable to believe the situation, just stared at his palms.

The calloused hands with thick joints were not Lee Hee-soo’s. Nothing changed even when he pinched the back of his hand and slapped his cheek. Park Dong-sik asked the nurse hopefully.

“Excuse me, nurse. Where is that man?”

“Who?”

“The man they say I saved!”

“We can’t tell you that—”

Before the nurse could finish speaking, Park Dong-sik bolted out of bed. He clearly remembered where his initial hospital room was without the nurse’s directions. Taking the elevator to the VIP ward, he tried to enter the room but was blocked at the entrance by men in suits. Some faces looked familiar to him.

“Who are you? You can’t come in here.”

“I need to check something. Move aside.”

“That’s not allowed. Please step back.”

“I just need a moment! Is Lee Hee-soo really in there? I need to see with my own eyes, so move!”

“What’s going on?” 

At the familiar voice, Park Dong-sik turned and froze. It was Kim Tae-han. Same outfit and face as the day they first met. He looked Park Dong-sik up and down and slightly furrowed his brow.

“Who…were you again?”

Park Dong-sik’s lips trembled. How could he explain this? It felt too vivid to be a dream, yet too incomprehensible to be reality. Kim Tae-han genuinely seemed not to know him. When Park Dong-sik couldn’t answer, Kim Tae-han snapped his fingers.

“Ah, you’re the one who saved my sister-in-law? From drowning in the sea?”

“…”

Kim Tae-han eagerly grabbed Park Dong-sik’s hand. 

“Thank you for saving him. He’s alive thanks to you. But Hee-soo’s sedated and sleeping right now, so you’ll have to come back later.” 

Park Dong-sik looked back and forth between Kim Tae-han’s hand and face as he moved his lips.

“You…don’t know me?”

“Pardon?”

“Kim Tae-han, you really don’t remember me?”

“How do you know my name? I’m curious.”

A flash of wariness crossed Kim Tae-han’s eyes, but he quickly returned to a friendly smile.

“We’ll properly show our appreciation, of course. That’s only right. Since he’s unconscious now, could you come back later? We need to hear the full story too. Understand?”

He signaled to the security guards with his eyes, and they escorted the dazed Park Dong-sik far from the room. Park Dong-sik collapsed weakly onto a chair by the exit, staring blankly into space.

After a while, he checked his calloused palms again and repeatedly touched his face and stomach. He still couldn’t believe it. What was going on?

Could it be…was it all a dream?

Don’t people sometimes have dreams so vivid they’re confused with reality? He covered his face and tried to sort out his confusion, but couldn’t reach any conclusion. When he finally gathered himself to stand, his legs kept giving out.

As he trudged weakly toward the elevator, someone emerged with a ding. Park Dong-sik stopped, feeling like his breath had been knocked out. Unexpectedly, Kim Jun-han appeared with Secretary Choi. Their casual conversation reminded him of their first meeting.

As the distance closed, his heart not only raced but felt like it would jump out of his mouth. When he stared openly at Kim Jun-han’s face, Kim Jun-han glanced at him once before looking away. That indifferent look, like seeing a random passerby, made his suppressed emotions surge.

Without thinking, Park Dong-sik chased after him and grabbed Kim Jun-han’s wrist.

“Kim Jun-han!”

Secretary Choi intervened, roughly removing Park Dong-sik’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

Kim Jun-han gestured for him to step back and stared at Park Dong-sik.

“Who are you? Do you know me?”

“…”

A bitter laugh escaped his lips. After countless intimate moments together, with the warmth of his touch still lingering, the Kim Jun-han in front of him was asking if he knew him.

The eyes that once confessed love showed no emotion, and his lips were twisted in cold indifference. If Kim Tae-han’s reaction had hurt his feelings, this felt like being stabbed all over his body.

As he opened his mouth to speak, tears poured out first and he lowered his head. When there was no answer to who he was, Kim Jun-han walked away without hesitation, and Park Dong-sik, feeling hurt and indignant, shouted, “Why can’t you remember?! Even if others don’t, you should remember me!”

Kim Jun-han turned back with an incredulous expression, and Park Dong-sik strode over, grabbed his collar, and poured out his anguish.

“I even gave birth to your children! How could you forget me, you bastard?!”