Chapter 26
Dae-ho kept his thoughts to himself.
And from that silence, a misunderstanding was born.
The warm, friendly atmosphere of their tea time suddenly froze.
Shhh—
“……”
Everyone went silent, their eyes fixed on Dae-ho.
Just moments ago, they had been laughing together—now it felt like they’d been struck by lightning.
Park Jin-gyu finally opened his mouth.
“I thought we were getting along.”
“In what part exactly?”
Dae-ho’s cold question made everyone choke on their breath.
Jin-gyu’s face twisted in irritation as he stood up.
“So that’s how you do it in the States, huh? Guess I was too quick to assume. Let’s go, guys.”
“Yes, senior.”
Step, step.
The juniors followed him stiffly, their expressions hard.
When they were gone, the air felt like thin ice—cold and brittle.
After the doctors left the nurses’ station,
Dae-ho sighed bitterly to himself.
‘This was the best way.’
That’s when Nurse Lee Su-yeon, who had been quietly waiting, asked hurriedly,
“Dr. Richard, why did you do that?”
“I just told the truth.”
“That’s not true—you pushed them away on purpose.”
“If that’s how it looked, then you can think so.”
At his curt reply, the nurses collectively froze.
“Uh… okay…”
“Thank you for the tea. Ah, the dinner later—still happening.”
With that, Dae-ho stood up and walked off alone.
The place where he stopped was outside the emergency room.
He could still picture the smiles of everyone congratulating him earlier.
Lifting his head, he saw the pitch-black sky with not a single star.
“Life’s such a damn mess. Maybe I should just go back to America.”
Just before dawn, Dae-ho visited Lee Young-rae.
Her condition had improved overnight, so she’d been moved from the recovery room to a general ward.
He adjusted her IV and checked the EEG readings.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine now, uh—”
Slip.
As she tried to sit up, her arm went weak.
It wasn’t a side effect—her stroke symptoms had been severe, so recovery would naturally take time.
At that moment, Kim Ji-hyun, who had been dozing off at the bedside, suddenly woke up.
“Ah! Mom, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I told you to go home and rest—why are you still here?”
“What are you saying? Ah, Doctor, good morning.”
Ji-hyun quickly wiped the drool off her face and greeted him.
Dae-ho nodded politely.
“The patient will likely be moved to a ward later this morning.”
“Um, is it possible for her to be discharged?”
Young-rae tried to hide her weakened arm as she asked.
Ji-hyun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Mom! What are you talking about? Discharge?!”
Her voice was so loud that other patients looked over in surprise.
Dae-ho calmly gestured for her to settle down.
“Please calm yourself.”
“I’m sorry… It’s just—my mom, she’s—ugh.”
“I understand how you feel. But of course, discharge is out of the question.”
His firm tone left no room for argument.
Young-rae looked deeply discouraged.
She quickly lifted her weak arm, forcing a smile.
“It’s really nothing. I just stumbled, that’s all.”
“Ma’am, the EEG only shows what’s real.”
“……”
“But it doesn’t mean your recovery will be slow. With proper treatment, you’ll be walking out of here in about a month.”
He spoke carefully but with hope.
Still, both mother and daughter looked grim.
Especially Young-rae—her face showed quiet despair.
“Doctor… isn’t one month too long?”
“Mom.”
“……”
“Doctor, you said a month, right? I understand.”
Ji-hyun forced herself to end the conversation.
Dae-ho could already guess the reason—
it was clearly about hospital bills.
But there was nothing he could do about that.
“Then please rest well.”
He bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Just as he was walking away, he overheard them talking.
“Ji-hyun, I’m fine. Let’s just get discharged later.”
“Not this again. I said I’ll handle it.”
“How can you? We’re drowning in debt. If only we’d kept that insurance…”
“Stop it, Mom. I’m figuring things out, okay? Just don’t worry about it.”
Ji-hyun spoke firmly, but her mother’s voice sank low.
“It’s all my fault. I’m such a useless person.”
“Mom, what are you saying? You didn’t want to get sick!”
“If only your father were still alive… sigh.”
“Dad? You mean the man who was never home, always chasing his failing business and leaving us with debt? That’s not a father!”
Ji-hyun’s voice trembled with tears.
Hearing that, Dae-ho stopped in his tracks.
Thud.
“……”
That pain… didn’t feel like someone else’s story.
Each of Ji-hyun’s words hit too close to home.
A memory flashed in his mind—his own childhood.
“Mom, where’s Dad?”
“Your dad’s doing something very important right now.”
“He went on another medical trip? Again? Then I’ll get sick too! If I get sick, Dad will come home! Waaah!”
Clench.
