Chapter 5
Opening his eyes, Horang placed a hand over his chest. Thump, thump. It was beating. His heart was beating. Confirming his heartbeat, Horang let out a sigh of relief. It was a surgery he underwent every few years, but every single time, a lingering anxiety remained. That was why, right after surgery ended, he always instinctively placed a hand over his chest—to verify that his heart was beating properly and that he was still alive.
After touching his chest, Horang reached out to feel the table out of habit, only to be startled by the absence of anything there. Then, it hit him. He had lost the tie pin that had protected him like an amulet.
Just as he was rubbing his face with a dry palm and letting out a deep sigh, a voice drifted over. “They said her appendix burst.” Horang doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard. But then— “It’s fine, Mom. The surgery went well, and I’m totally fine, so there’s no need for you to come. And don’t go telling Dad.” It was a woman’s voice again.
Horang looked around. This was definitely the VVIP hospital room he always used when undergoing surgery. Naturally, it was a single room. So where on earth was a woman’s voice coming from?
Stepping down from the bed, Horang noticed a curtain drawn across the corner of the room. He could even see the silhouette of a person behind it. There had never been anything like this before. There shouldn’t have been, and there couldn’t have been—because his surgeries were secrets that weren’t even disclosed to his family.
Walking straight toward the source of the noise, Horang decisively whipped the curtain open. “Oh, dear! You scared me!” “What are you, a stranger?” “What about you? Why are you barging into a woman’s room and pulling open someone else’s curtain like a lunatic?” “A woman’s room? This isn’t a woman’s room, it’s—wait, you…?”
Horang was even more shocked by the fact that this woman was in here—and that someone other than Secretary Yoon knew he had been admitted—than he was by the fact that there was another patient in his exclusive VVIP room. “The kiss psycho?” “The ten-meter distance limit?”
Bobae finally recognized Horang’s face as well and stared at him with wide eyes. “Ah—wait, why are you here?” Horang was dumbfounded. That was his line. Could this woman possibly be… “Are you a stalker?” “Are you out of your mind?!” “Then a reporter?” “Didn’t I say I’m a writer?” “You’re neither a stalker nor a reporter, so why are you following me around?” “Ha! I am at a loss for words. Don’t you see me wearing a hospital gown?” “I see it.” “Then why are you picking a fight when a patient is in their hospital room?” “Because a place like this is no fit for someone as impoverished as you.”
At the word “impoverished,” Bobae instinctively glanced down at her own chest. Maybe because she hadn’t been eating well, today it looked extra impoverished… “Hey, you! Why do you keep calling my body impoverished?! Why are you crushing the spirit of something that’s already sad about not growing? Did you buy me a single meal? A single slice of bread? You didn’t contribute a single thing to its growth, so why are you bringing up economic inequality?! Who do you think you——huh?”
Stepping down from the bed to argue with Horang, Bobae finally took a look around. High-tech medical equipment, a luxurious bed that made it hard to tell if this was a hotel or a hospital, a sofa that looked plush enough to swallow you just by sitting on it, and even a dazzling chandelier. “Is this a hotel or a hospital?”
This wasn’t any hospital she had imagined. She had naturally assumed she’d end up in a crowded, six-patient ward. But— “Why am I here? There’s no way I’d be in a room like this.”
As Bobae muttered to herself, Horang let out a scoff and sat down on the sofa. Crossing his long legs, he spoke with an arrogant air. “Well then, go ahead and explain.”
It was a behavior deeply ingrained in him—an oppressive attitude, as if he were always receiving a report from someone. However, Bobae didn’t let herself get intimidated by his pressure and replied, “I wouldn’t know either. I woke up after surgery, and this is where I was.” “Do you expect me to believe that makes sense?” “Why wouldn’t it?” “Because you already have a history.” “A history? What history?” “Yesterday, you were clinging to me, begging me to kiss you and hug you, and today you’re in my hospital room. How am I supposed to interpret this?” “That was just a coincidence…” “Don’t even think about brushing it off with an absurd word like coincidence.” “Well, you see, the Earth is round, and—” “Are you really going to suggest that we’re the kind of demographic that keeps running into each other just by walking around?” “More than you think, the world is—” “And don’t give me that unscientific nonsense about the world being small.”
With all her intended comebacks completely blocked off, Bobae tightly shut her mouth. Does he read minds or something? How does he cut off every single thing I try to say at the root? Is he telling me to talk or not to talk?
Just as she was glaring at him and grumbling under her breath, a low, cold voice brushed past her ear. “Get out.” “Pardon?” “Didn’t you hear me? I said get out.” “Ha! I told you, I woke up here after my surgery too! Why won’t you believe people?” “Didn’t I make it clear yesterday? Even if we happen to cross paths again, don’t come within a ten-meter radius of me.” “I’ve heard it so many times my ears are practically calloused.” “If you’ve heard it that many times, then get the message and get out!”
When Horang pointed toward the door with a long finger, Bobae stubbornly flopped down onto the bed, looking as if she dared him to do her worst. “No. I’m not leaving!” “What?” “If someone brought me to this hospital room, there has to be a reason.” “I don’t care about any of that. This is my room. Get out!” “I’m a patient at this hospital too, and I paid for my own admission, you know?” “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew how much this room costs per day.”
Just as the two of them were bickering and shouting at the top of their lungs, the door to the room swung open and Professor Kwak walked in. “You’re both awake, I see.”
Professor Kwak looked back and forth between Horang and Bobae with a somewhat wistful expression, but the two of them were too busy arguing to notice his strange behavior. “I have something to tell the two of you—” “Hold on a second. Let me kick this stalker out first.”
At Horang’s words, Bobae snapped. “I told you I’m not a stalker!” “Like hell you aren’t. You’re a perverted stalker lusting after someone else’s body. Don’t ever dare to sniff around me again, just get out!” “Hey, hey! Where do you think you’re pushing me?”
When words failed him, Horang started shoving Bobae toward the door. As Horang tried to throw her out and Bobae stubbornly resisted, Professor Kwak called out to Horang. “President Baek.” “Just a second. Let me kick this woman out and then you can speak. Get out, you stalker!” “No! I’m not going!” “I said get out.” “Baek Horang!”
At Professor Kwak’s stern call—something he almost never did with a loud voice—Horang looked at him in surprise. Then, Professor Kwak spoke with heavy effort. “Don’t throw that patient out.” “I can’t do that. This woman has been stalking me since yesterday. I don’t know how she got in here, but she has to be kicked out!” “No. Don’t do that. You can’t treat that patient that way.”
Professor Kwak tried to dissuade him with a poignant look, but Horang stubbornly refused to listen. “I’m going to have to call security, or rather, the police.” “The police? Ha, does this guy take people for criminals?! Fine, call the police!” “You think I won’t just because you said so? Professor! Please call the police!”
The fight between Horang and Bobae showed no signs of stopping. No, rather than ending, their emotions were only running higher. Eventually, Professor Kwak, who had been watching them, shouted, “Horang! If that woman is gone, you die!”
At Professor Kwak’s bombshell statement, both Horang and Bobae stopped and stared at him in speechlessness. “Die? What on earth does that mean…?” “Patient Na Bobae… saved you.”
When Horang gave him a blank look as if he couldn’t understand, Professor Kwak spoke with an exasperated tone. “Without patient Na Bobae, you die!” “What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that…?” “If that patient isn’t around, your heart stops beating!”
At Professor Kwak’s words, Horang furrowed his brow. He would have believed it if he had been told the surgery went wrong. He would have taken it seriously if he had been told there was a complication during the procedure. But to say he would die without this woman? That his heart wouldn’t beat? Who on earth was she? He felt like he was going to survive only if she wasn’t around, yet they were telling him he would die without her?
Bobae was just as flustered. What on earth had she done to kill this man and make his heart beat? Unless it was driving him so crazy with anger that he grabbed the back of his neck, that made no sense. “Everyone, sit down first.”
At Professor Kwak’s words, Horang and Bobae, who had been standing there grabbing each other by the collars, sat down on the sofa. Professor Kwak looked between the two of them and reluctantly opened his mouth. “Your surgery went very well. The same goes for patient Na Bobae.” “Then what is it?”
If the surgery went well, why bring up death and utter such a terrifying statement that his heart wouldn’t beat without that woman? “The surgery went well, but there was a slight accident during the procedure.” “An accident? What kind of accident?” “The entire hospital suffered a blackout.”
Horang, who had been completely unaware of the situation at the time, turned serious. A hospital blackout was an issue directly tied to numerous lives. Of course, backup power would have activated, but the risk of a one-in-a-million accident couldn’t be ruled out. Moreover, if a blackout happened right in the middle of his surgery… “It seems a problem occurred then.” “Please explain in detail.”
As Horang adjusted his posture, Professor Kwak recalled the moment and said, “When the blackout hit, the battery connected to your heart appears to have discharged.” “Discharged…?”
Overwhelmed by shock, Horang stared at Professor Kwak with wide eyes. Discharged? The brand-new, state-of-the-art battery whose performance had been boasted about, assuring him he would never need a re-operation for the rest of his life, was discharged? He couldn’t believe it. No, he refused to believe it. “Is that even possible?” “It’s an unprecedented case, so we were just as panicked.” “Panicked? My life was on the line, and all you have to say is you were panicked?!” “We are looking into every possible avenue, so just wait a little longer.”
At Professor Kwak’s words, Horang clenched both fists tightly. He knew very well how skilled Professor Kwak was, and he knew the exceptional medical standards of Taesung Hospital. If they hadn’t found a way by now, it meant there simply wasn’t a silver bullet. “I’ll undergo re-operation.”
That was the only way to survive. He had been overly greedy. Thinking he could replace it with a semi-permanent battery to avoid the eyes of those aiming for his position—who would have thought it would turn out like this? But if he operated again, there shouldn’t be any major issues. As long as he managed to hide it from people’s eyes like before. “That… isn’t possible right away.”
At Horang’s declaration of a re-operation, Professor Kwak replied with a troubled look. “If not right away, when is it possible?” “It won’t be possible for at least three months.” “Three months? I can’t wait that long. How am I supposed to wait three months?”
Horang shouted, but Professor Kwak was firm. “Opening and closing a chest isn’t as simple as it sounds! Your body won’t endure it.”
It was a surgery he had performed periodically every few years. Of course, every time he went through it, it felt like brushing against death, but he had thought he could do it whenever he chose to. Yet to be told he couldn’t have surgery… Hearing that even the method he considered his last lifeline was blocked drained all the strength from his body. Ha. His mind ached with complexity, and Horang tangled his hands through his hair.
The artificial heart battery was discharged, and a re-operation was only possible after three months. If so, how was he supposed to live for the next three months? How could he harbor an artificial heart connected to a dead battery inside his chest!
At that moment, a fundamental question flashed through Horang’s mind. They had explicitly said the battery was discharged. That meant there was no driving force to make the artificial heart beat. Then how on earth am I alive right now?
Horang placed his large hand over his chest. His heart was beating. Just like always. “My heart… is beating?” “So, about that…”
Trailing off, Professor Kwak turned his head toward Bobae. Following Professor Kwak, Horang’s gaze also landed on Bobae’s face. Only then did what Professor Kwak had said earlier echo in his mind: “Without that patient… your heart won’t beat!”
When both men’s gazes landed on her, Bobae offered an awkward smile. Hearing the two men talk, she figured she pretty much understood the situation now. Especially that part about how the heart of this man whose battery was “discharged” was still beating—she felt she understood that detail all too well. “Why are you looking at that woman?” Anxious, Horang asked.
Professor Kwak’s gaze had lingered on the woman for quite some time, and she was smiling as if she knew something. Just as an ominous premonition began to envelop Horang’s body, Professor Kwak uttered something utterly unbelievable. “I don’t know the reason, but when patient Na Bobae is nearby, you’re fine.” “…?”
When Horang gave him a bewildered look, Professor Kwak picked up the cell phone and wireless charger sitting on the table to explain it in a way easy to understand. “When patient Na Bobae is nearby, your discharged battery charges, just a tiny bit at a time. Much like this cell phone and wireless charger.” “…?” “And when she moves away, it doesn’t charge. The battery drains.” “What kind of…” “A cell phone you can just charge again, but you aren’t like that. If that battery drains completely, your heart will stop beating. Forever.”
He would only respond if they said something that made sense, but this was so unscientific that Horang was left speechless. This woman charges my heart battery? Wasn’t that far-fetched nonsense? “I know it sounds absurd. But it’s the truth. I’ve verified it myself, multiple times.”
When Horang’s heart had stopped, to Professor Kwak, it felt like the world had stopped. This was the son of his close friend, someone he had treated like his own child. And yet, his heart had stopped during a surgery performed by his own hands. At that moment of despair, feeling like his world was collapsing, he had seen the flatline of the ECG monitor wiggle ever so slightly. But the joy was short-lived; the twitching graph had flatlined again.
Desperately trying to figure out why Horang’s heart had beaten, Professor Kwak had noticed Bobae’s bed rolling past after her surgery, and at that exact moment, Horang’s heart had started beating. When she moved away, the heart stopped again. Having accidentally discovered that fact, Professor Kwak had reached the conclusion that Bobae was exerting some kind of influence on Horang’s heart.
So, just in case, he had placed the two of them in the same room. And as he expected, Horang’s heart beat—and furthermore, the battery began to charge bit by bit!
It was just as hard for Professor Kwak to believe. Furthermore, he was a doctor; he didn’t have the soft-hearted sentimentality to believe in miracles. But the fact remained: when close to Bobae, Horang’s battery charged. He couldn’t risk Horang’s life just because he couldn’t scientifically explain it right away. Saving Horang had to come first. “The one who saved you is patient Na Bobae.”
At Professor Kwak’s words, Horang turned his head to look at Bobae. The kiss psycho was his savior? Not content with saving him, she was keeping his heart beating right now? “Ha-ha, ha-hahaha!” Horang started laughing like a madman. Was today April Fool’s Day? Why was someone telling such an unfunny joke?
Laughing to the point of tearing up, Horang wiped the corners of his eyes and said, “Thunder and lightning caused a brand-new battery to discharge, right. I’ll make a hundred concessions and believe that much. Sometimes things happen that human common sense can’t explain. But! That this woman is making my heart beat?!”
That he could not accept. Even if he conceded a thousand times, that was absolute nonsense. She wasn’t a god—how on earth could this woman make his heart beat?! “Hard as it is to believe, it’s the truth.” “Professor!” Yet Professor Kwak was resolute. “If you really can’t believe it, check it for yourself.”
Professor Kwak pointed to Horang’s wrist. A watch he had never seen before was fastened around it. “What is this?” “A smartwatch that lets you check your heart rate, ECG, and even your remaining battery level.”
Horang checked his wrist. On the smartwatch screen, the battery level was displayed as a number, and the current charge was 11%.
It was absurd and unbelievable, but he had no other choice. Since Professor Kwak had put it that way, the only option left was to check it himself—to see what kind of impact that kiss psycho had on his heart!
