PEN Vol 3 Ch. 28

After that, Cheon Sejoo first looked for Han Jiwon. She was waiting in the lobby in front of the emergency room for the car that would pick her up, as she had to go to Ehwagak immediately and take care of things.

“Manager Han, I’m thinking of transferring Ms. Kim Hyunkyung to another hospital. Would it be alright to take her right away?”

“Ah…”

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Han Jiwon, who had regained her composure, expressed difficulty. She was only in a position to manage those who came to work at Ehwagak and she didn’t have the authority to make decisions about them.  There was a separate person who managed those who came to Ehwagak because of debt.

“By the rules, she should return right after getting her tests. I told them the tests are available tomorrow, so I made it possible for her to stay at the hospital until tomorrow, but to transfer her to another hospital, I need permission from Director Baek…”

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Cheon Sejoo, recalling another of Shin Gyoyeon’s subordinates, Baek Sunghwan, faintly furrowed his brow. He wasn’t on good terms with Baek Sunghwan. Around the time he received training from Seok Yoonhyung and took charge of the disposal team, he had clashed severely with him, and since they hadn’t seen each other once since then, there was no time to resolve the bad blood between them.

“Should I try calling him? I’m sorry, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have contacted Director Baek in the first place.”

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“No, it’s fine. You did what you had to do. Wait a moment… I’ll think about it.”

Stopping Han Jiwon, who was picking up her phone, Cheon Sejoo left his seat and went outside the emergency room.

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Even if he called Baek Sunghwan, he wouldn’t hear anything good. If he were to talk about transferring Kim Hyunkyung to another hospital, Han Jiwon would inevitably have to mention his name, and if that happened, the creditors might pick a fight with him, telling him not to interfere unnecessarily.

…Then, wouldn’t it be better to make it so that he didn’t have to get permission from him at all? The reason Baek Sunghwan had the authority to decide Kim Hyunkyung’s whereabouts was because of the debt her husband owed to Shinsa Capital.

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That meant that if the debt was gone, the shackles binding her would also disappear. Quickly reaching a conclusion, Cheon Sejoo immediately called Kim Donggil. Before the ringing tone could even properly connect, a fawning voice could be heard.

-Oh, boss. What brings you to call me?

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“Are you at your office?”

Kim Donggil was endless once you gave him a word. Ignoring his greeting, Cheon Sejoo Kim Donggil was endless once he started talking. Cheon Sejoo ignored his greeting and immediately went straight to the point.

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-Yes, do you have any orders for me, boss?

“How much of Kim Hyunkyung’s debt, the one transferred to Ehwagak at the end of September last year, is left?”

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-Huh? Ah, hold on a second. September, Ehwagak, Kim Hyunkyung… Please wait a moment.

With a grunt, Kim Donggil rose from his seat, the sound of drawers opening following. Deureureuk, deureureuk, the metallic drawer slid open, and he rummaged through it for a while. After some time, he finally retrieved Kim Hyunkyung’s file.

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-We’ve been garnishing her wages from Ehwagak consistently, and with the principal and interest… there’s now 57,724,000 won¹ left. Why are you asking? 

57.72 million won. It wasn’t that much money. 

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Cheon Sejoo gauged the remaining balance in his account and opened his mouth.

“Give me the account number. Where should I make the repayment?”

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-Huh?

“I said, give me the damn account number, you little punk.” 

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-Uh…

Kim Donggil was silent for a moment, seemingly flustered. Then, as if he finally understood what Cheon Sejoo meant, he explained in a troubled voice.

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-Boss, technically, as our rule, our members aren’t allowed to interfere with the debtors… If this gets out, I’m fucked.

A shitty loan shark company with a hell of a lot of shitty rules. However, Cheon Sejoo already knew that Kim Donggil wasn’t exactly adhering to those rules in the first place. Han Jonghyun had taken away more than a few girls under the guise of paying off their debts.

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“Is Han Jonghyun above the law? Cut the crap and give me the account number.” 

-Oh, come on, boss!

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Kim Donggil exclaimed in apparent panic as Cheon Sejoo openly mentioned Han Jonghyun’s name. He knew that if Baek Sunghwan or Chae Beomjun found out about this, he would be the one to get severely reprimanded, but Cheon Sejoo couldn’t care less.

More than anything, what enabled him to act was the certainty that the executives wouldn’t care about the circumstances of a mere debtor. With this conviction, Cheon Sejoo pressed him.

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“I’m saying this for the fourth time. Give me the repayment account number. If I say it one more time, you’re dead.”

At that chilling threat, Kim Donggil finally caved, his voice laced with urgency.

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-Ai, boss. Hold on! If you pay it off all at once like this, there’s a repayment fee. Let me calculate that…

A repayment fee? 

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It wasn’t even a bank. What kind of bullshit system was this?

Cheon Sejoo swallowed his irritation and waited. About a minute later, Kim Donggil, tapping on his calculator, spoke.

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-Including the fee… it would be 72 million²…

“Fucking hell, you goddamn scammer.” 

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A 15 million won fee? 

What kind of utter bullshit was this?

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As Cheon Sejoo cursed, Kim Donggil chuckled nervously.

-It’s not like I want to charge you this… Please understand.

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Right. At the very top of this whole fucked-up system sat Shin Gyoyeon. Thinking of the ill-tempered psychopath, Cheon Sejoo roughly ran a hand through his hair. Only after saying for the fifth time, in a coldly subdued voice, to send him the account number, did Donggil finally send him a message.

Shinsa Kim Donggil
Korea Bank, (Ltd.) Shinsa Capital, 551-2938109-121, 72,813,500 won lol
16:32

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After checking the message, Cheon Sejoo immediately transferred all the money to the account Kim Donggil provided. Then he called him again.

“When are you reporting this to Director Baek?”

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-Report about the debt being paid off? Next week. Why?

“So Kim Hyunkyung doesn’t have to work from now on, right?”

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-Um, right? Since the debt is paid off?

Cheon Sejoo received the expected answer to his confirmatory question. Baek Sunghwan definitely wouldn’t care much that one of his many debtors had unexpectedly gained their freedom so quickly. Now he could transfer Kim Hyunkyung to another hospital.

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Although he had impulsively used up almost all his cash, he didn’t regret it. He even felt a sense of relief. The thought of Sejin being happy that Kim Hyunkyung no longer had to work hard put his mind at ease.

However, on the other hand, a part of him felt bitter to think that Sejin had been living separated from his mother because of something that could be resolved with a single phone call. He felt disgusted with himself for having stood by and watched their misfortune until now, only to play the savior so late in the game.

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Cheon Sejoo forced down his churning emotions and lit a cigarette. Then he took out his phone again and made another call. This time, it was to Ha Yeoreum.

“Hello? What’s up?”

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Yeoreum answered the phone in a sleepy voice as if she’d been dozing off.

“What are you doing? Are you busy?”

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Cheon Sejoo explained the situation to her as she asked what was going on. He told her that someone close to him was sick and needed to get tested at a hospital, but there weren’t any places available immediately. 

Could she help? 

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At his words, Yeoreum was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke in a worried voice.

“Senior Joo-won is at the main branch’s Radiology Department. There are tons of our classmates there, so if I just make a call, she should be able to get tested right away. But are you sure about this? Most of the guys are in the military, but Lee Jung-oh is still there.”

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No matter which hospital they went to around here, there would be no place to get an MRI or CT scan immediately. It was a bitter reality, but connections mattered even in hospitals. Whether you knew a doctor or not meant the difference between getting a same-day treatment and an appointment three months later.

Even if they took Kim Hyunkyung in an ambulance in her current state, she would have to wait for days at another hospital. But if he contacted his estranged senior through Yeoreum’s help, Kim Hyunkyung could get an MRI as early as tonight.

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However, to do that, Cheon Sejoo had to go to Hankuk University Hospital with her. He had to set foot in the place he’d sworn never to return to the moment he stained his hands with blood.

When Cheon Sejoo was arrested and detained, many of his classmates who learned of his situation submitted petitions on his behalf. However, not everyone understood his circumstances.

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‘I will respect human life from the time of conception. I will not use my knowledge in ways that violate human ethics, even under threat.’

Cheon Sejoo was the one who read the Geneva Declaration, also known as the Hippocratic Oath, as a representative in front of hundreds of medical school graduates.

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The fact that such a person abandoned the honor of a doctor and tried to harm someone caused a backlash from many. Some criticized him for tarnishing the reputation of Hankuk University’s medical graduates, and some insisted on revoking his medical license so he could never set foot in the medical field again.

Among those who attacked him was his classmate, Lee Jung-oh, who even visited the detention center to hurl insults at him.

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Hankuk University Hospital was where both those who supported him and those who condemned him gathered. Setting foot there was no different from facing the past that Cheon Sejoo had avoided for five years.

“I’m okay.”

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However, Cheon Sejoo was prepared to accept all of that. He, too, was one of those who condemned himself. Since he couldn’t even be on his own side and loathed himself, it wouldn’t matter if others added a few more words.

“So, will you help me?”

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He felt terrible asking Yeoreum, but she was the only one he could turn to right now. At his words, Yeoreum was silent for a while before finally answering, “Okay.”

“I’ll call my senior and get back to you later.”

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“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

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After hanging up, a headache washed over him. Cheon Sejoo pressed his throbbing forehead and took deep breaths for a while before leaving his seat once his head cleared a little.

As he headed towards the bed where Kim Hyunkyung lay, he saw Sejin sitting blankly in the attendant’s seat. Sejin was silently holding his mother’s thin hand.

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Only after seeing the sleeping Kim Hyunkyung did Cheon Sejoo realize the severity of her condition. 

Kim Hyunkyung, whom he’d seen just a month ago, had lost much more weight than in July. The veins on her emaciated hands bulged blue, and the shape of her ribs was visible through her unbuttoned staff shirt. Only her made-up face looked somewhat fine, which was probably why others hadn’t noticed such a drastic physical change.

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Cheon Sejoo naturally recalled his past conversation with Kim Hyunkyung. When he went to Ehwagak alone and asked her if she was feeling unwell, Kim Hyunkyung put on a troubled expression and told him she was on a diet.

Her explanation had seemed plausible then, so he hadn’t paid much attention to her condition. 

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But what if that was all a lie? 

What if she already knew about her condition all along and had deliberately hidden it…?

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The miserable assumption made it hard to breathe.

Cheon Sejoo clenched his fists, trembling as he stood there. Unable to bear it any longer, he left the emergency room. He sat down on a chair in the hallway and pressed his palms against his forehead.

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Along with the persistent headache, the urge to smash his head against the wall came crashing down. 

He felt like he was going to die.

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<To be Continued in Volume 4>

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