Chapter 122: Friend Confrontation And Leaving The Hospital
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
"Are you sure you didn't want to misunderstand?"
"Why would I want that?" Ji-Won's eyes went wide.
Despite being rather displeased with his friend's unfounded accusation, he also couldn't help but feel surprised.
Under Seo-Jun's scrutinizing gaze, Ji-Won tried to search inside himself for an answer.
Was it really possible that he allowed his thoughts to go in that direction?
But why? Why would he choose to believe Min-Jun was Su-Jin's boyfriend instead of a close relative? Just because the two didn't resemble that much? That's highly unlikely to be the case, though. Just look at him and Ji-Su. Admittedly, they are only half-brothers, so the lack of similarities isn't that surprising.
As though he was able to read Ji-Won's thoughts, Seo-Jun smiled knowingly. Leaning forward slightly, he pinned Ji-Won with his eyes and gave his answer.
"Because that way you could have an excuse to keep yourself from being interested in her. Because if she had a boyfriend, then you could maintain a safe distance."
Ji-Won scoffed.
Yet, whilst he appeared to mock Seo-Jun's reply, Ji-Won couldn't really ignore the flutter of guilt he felt inside his stomach. It might have actually been possible that his friend's words were the truth.
Even so, he still wasn't ready to accept this possibility. And as a consequence, Ji-Won could only keep holding onto his previous belief, stubbornly hiding behind half-made truths.
"That's plain stupid." he said, titling his head to take a sip of soju.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Seo-Jun retorted with a frown.
His eyes sent sparks of annoyance and his posture suddenly became tense.
Most likely he had noticed the small change in Ji-Won's state of mind, so seeing his friend continuing to deny everything irked him to no end.
"You can be stupid sometimes." Seo-Jun finished with a sneer.
Ji-Won glared at his friend. He placed the glass on the table and crossed his arms.
The posture looked anything but defensive, though. His eyes were sending sharp daggers at the man in front of him, his mouth set in a firm line. Both his face and muscles seemed tense like a spring.
"You don't know what you are talking about." Ji-Won said, his voice quiet, but cold as ice.
"Oh, but I do, Ji-Won. You're just afraid to admit I'm right. You think your ego won't survive if you admit that you were lonely, that you wanted someone to come and shatter that wall made of ice you've grown around your heart. Is it so bad to love and be loved, Ji-Won?"
"I am not…" Ji-Won began but Seo-Jun cut him off with an impatient hand gesture.
"Save it for someone who doesn't know you." He said curtly. "In all the years I've known you, you never once showed so much emotion as you have been doing since Su-Jin came along. Even with me your reactions were lukewarm at best. But with her... you go ballistic in mere seconds. On Sports Day you even went to pick her up from home and brought her to the campsite. Not to mention your behavior when she got hurt during the last day."
"That's because she is impossible! She cannot stop herself from causing trouble." Ji-Won bit out in frustration.
Just thinking about Su-Jin and her knack for making trouble wherever she went made him feel a bubbling irritation rise in his chest.
"I grant you that, the woman is a handful." Seo-Jun admitted with a deep sigh, then added hastily. "But that doesn't mean you are not interested in her."
"I... I'm... Not." Ji-Won spoke in a faltering voice.
He stared back at Seo-Jun without actually seeing the man. His vision went blank for a second, while his mind struggled with the idea.
Min-Jun had asked him the same thing and even urged him to find the answer sooner. But what was that answer?
Was he in fact interested in Su-Jin? More than just a boss for his employee? And if that was indeed true, then how far did his feelings run?
Just then, Seo-Jun's voice broke Ji-Won's thoughts, pulling him back to the conversation.
"Ji-Won, I know you can be slow sometimes, but you can't really be that dim."
~~~
In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived and Su-Jin was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
"You are good to go, Miss Park." The doctor said with a kind smile, then he added in a more serious tone of voice. "Just try not to force yourself for a while. You need to rest, both physically and mentally. Concussions may seem like nothing, but they can become pretty troublesome in the long term if they aren't treated right. So, take heed and don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, doctor. I understand. I'll be sure to take good care of myself." Su-Jin nodded and gave the man a rather childish smile as she continued. "Thank you very much for taking care of me."
"Nothing to thank me for. It's what I should do." The doctor reached out and patted her head.
Just as he was retracting his hand, a light cough came from the door.
Su-Jin leaned to look behind the doctor and yelped in excitement when she saw who it was.
"Mi-Suk! I didn't know you were coming."
"Min-Jun is busy with school stuff this afternoon, so he asked me to get you."
The young woman smiled at her friend as she stepped into the hospital room. Once she reached Su-Jin's bed, Mi-Suk swiftly turned and bowed to the doctor.
"Thank you for taking care of her, doctor." Mi-Suk said politely.
The man smiled good-naturedly and, after giving Su-Jin another row of advice, he excused himself.
"So, are you ready to go?" Mi-Suk asked as soon as they were alone.
"Hell yes I am!" Su-Jin cried out in elation. She couldn't wait to get out of there.
In all honesty, no matter how comfortable the hospital room was, she still missed her own bed. She wanted to be home, with her brother and best friend, to pet and hug Gyojeon. She also missed Min-Jun's cooking.
After giving the room one last check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Su-Jin followed Mi-Suk outside.
Just when they were about to walk past the front desk, the two women bumped into someone.
Mi-Suk merely glanced at the man, admiring his handsome features and lean body. But after noticing his light hair and beautiful brown eyes, her gaze slowly shifted away from him. Mi-Suk was ready to move forward when she suddenly felt Su-Jin freezing in place.
"Su-Jin?" Mi-Suk asked quietly.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"Are you sure you didn't want to misunderstand?"
"Why would I want that?" Ji-Won's eyes went wide.
Despite being rather displeased with his friend's unfounded accusation, he also couldn't help but feel surprised.
Under Seo-Jun's scrutinizing gaze, Ji-Won tried to search inside himself for an answer.
Was it really possible that he allowed his thoughts to go in that direction?
But why? Why would he choose to believe Min-Jun was Su-Jin's boyfriend instead of a close relative? Just because the two didn't resemble that much? That's highly unlikely to be the case, though. Just look at him and Ji-Su. Admittedly, they are only half-brothers, so the lack of similarities isn't that surprising.
As though he was able to read Ji-Won's thoughts, Seo-Jun smiled knowingly. Leaning forward slightly, he pinned Ji-Won with his eyes and gave his answer.
"Because that way you could have an excuse to keep yourself from being interested in her. Because if she had a boyfriend, then you could maintain a safe distance."
Ji-Won scoffed.
Yet, whilst he appeared to mock Seo-Jun's reply, Ji-Won couldn't really ignore the flutter of guilt he felt inside his stomach. It might have actually been possible that his friend's words were the truth.
Even so, he still wasn't ready to accept this possibility. And as a consequence, Ji-Won could only keep holding onto his previous belief, stubbornly hiding behind half-made truths.
"That's plain stupid." he said, titling his head to take a sip of soju.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Seo-Jun retorted with a frown.
His eyes sent sparks of annoyance and his posture suddenly became tense.
Most likely he had noticed the small change in Ji-Won's state of mind, so seeing his friend continuing to deny everything irked him to no end.
"You can be stupid sometimes." Seo-Jun finished with a sneer.
Ji-Won glared at his friend. He placed the glass on the table and crossed his arms.
The posture looked anything but defensive, though. His eyes were sending sharp daggers at the man in front of him, his mouth set in a firm line. Both his face and muscles seemed tense like a spring.
"You don't know what you are talking about." Ji-Won said, his voice quiet, but cold as ice.
"Oh, but I do, Ji-Won. You're just afraid to admit I'm right. You think your ego won't survive if you admit that you were lonely, that you wanted someone to come and shatter that wall made of ice you've grown around your heart. Is it so bad to love and be loved, Ji-Won?"
"I am not…" Ji-Won began but Seo-Jun cut him off with an impatient hand gesture.
"Save it for someone who doesn't know you." He said curtly. "In all the years I've known you, you never once showed so much emotion as you have been doing since Su-Jin came along. Even with me your reactions were lukewarm at best. But with her... you go ballistic in mere seconds. On Sports Day you even went to pick her up from home and brought her to the campsite. Not to mention your behavior when she got hurt during the last day."
"That's because she is impossible! She cannot stop herself from causing trouble." Ji-Won bit out in frustration.
Just thinking about Su-Jin and her knack for making trouble wherever she went made him feel a bubbling irritation rise in his chest.
"I grant you that, the woman is a handful." Seo-Jun admitted with a deep sigh, then added hastily. "But that doesn't mean you are not interested in her."
"I... I'm... Not." Ji-Won spoke in a faltering voice.
He stared back at Seo-Jun without actually seeing the man. His vision went blank for a second, while his mind struggled with the idea.
Min-Jun had asked him the same thing and even urged him to find the answer sooner. But what was that answer?
Was he in fact interested in Su-Jin? More than just a boss for his employee? And if that was indeed true, then how far did his feelings run?
Just then, Seo-Jun's voice broke Ji-Won's thoughts, pulling him back to the conversation.
"Ji-Won, I know you can be slow sometimes, but you can't really be that dim."
~~~
In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived and Su-Jin was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
"You are good to go, Miss Park." The doctor said with a kind smile, then he added in a more serious tone of voice. "Just try not to force yourself for a while. You need to rest, both physically and mentally. Concussions may seem like nothing, but they can become pretty troublesome in the long term if they aren't treated right. So, take heed and don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, doctor. I understand. I'll be sure to take good care of myself." Su-Jin nodded and gave the man a rather childish smile as she continued. "Thank you very much for taking care of me."
"Nothing to thank me for. It's what I should do." The doctor reached out and patted her head.
Just as he was retracting his hand, a light cough came from the door.
Su-Jin leaned to look behind the doctor and yelped in excitement when she saw who it was.
"Mi-Suk! I didn't know you were coming."
"Min-Jun is busy with school stuff this afternoon, so he asked me to get you."
The young woman smiled at her friend as she stepped into the hospital room. Once she reached Su-Jin's bed, Mi-Suk swiftly turned and bowed to the doctor.
"Thank you for taking care of her, doctor." Mi-Suk said politely.
The man smiled good-naturedly and, after giving Su-Jin another row of advice, he excused himself.
"So, are you ready to go?" Mi-Suk asked as soon as they were alone.
"Hell yes I am!" Su-Jin cried out in elation. She couldn't wait to get out of there.
In all honesty, no matter how comfortable the hospital room was, she still missed her own bed. She wanted to be home, with her brother and best friend, to pet and hug Gyojeon. She also missed Min-Jun's cooking.
After giving the room one last check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Su-Jin followed Mi-Suk outside.
Just when they were about to walk past the front desk, the two women bumped into someone.
Mi-Suk merely glanced at the man, admiring his handsome features and lean body. But after noticing his light hair and beautiful brown eyes, her gaze slowly shifted away from him. Mi-Suk was ready to move forward when she suddenly felt Su-Jin freezing in place.
"Su-Jin?" Mi-Suk asked quietly.
"Are you sure you didn't want to misunderstand?""Why would I want that?" Ji-Won's eyes went wide.Despite being rather displeased with his friend's unfounded accusation, he also couldn't help but feel surprised. Under Seo-Jun's scrutinizing gaze, Ji-Won tried to search inside himself for an answer.Was it really possible that he allowed his thoughts to go in that direction? But why? Why would he choose to believe Min-Jun was Su-Jin's boyfriend instead of a close relative? Just because the two didn't resemble that much? That's highly unlikely to be the case, though. Just look at him and Ji-Su. Admittedly, they are only half-brothers, so the lack of similarities isn't that surprising.As though he was able to read Ji-Won's thoughts, Seo-Jun smiled knowingly. Leaning forward slightly, he pinned Ji-Won with his eyes and gave his answer."Because that way you could have an excuse to keep yourself from being interested in her. Because if she had a boyfriend, then you could maintain a safe distance."Ji-Won scoffed. Yet, whilst he appeared to mock Seo-Jun's reply, Ji-Won couldn't really ignore the flutter of guilt he felt inside his stomach. It might have actually been possible that his friend's words were the truth. Even so, he still wasn't ready to accept this possibility. And as a consequence, Ji-Won could only keep holding onto his previous belief, stubbornly hiding behind half-made truths."That's plain stupid." he said, titling his head to take a sip of soju."Took the words right out of my mouth." Seo-Jun retorted with a frown. His eyes sent sparks of annoyance and his posture suddenly became tense. Most likely he had noticed the small change in Ji-Won's state of mind, so seeing his friend continuing to deny everything irked him to no end. "You can be stupid sometimes." Seo-Jun finished with a sneer.Ji-Won glared at his friend. He placed the glass on the table and crossed his arms. The posture looked anything but defensive, though. His eyes were sending sharp daggers at the man in front of him, his mouth set in a firm line. Both his face and muscles seemed tense like a spring."You don't know what you are talking about." Ji-Won said, his voice quiet, but cold as ice."Oh, but I do, Ji-Won. You're just afraid to admit I'm right. You think your ego won't survive if you admit that you were lonely, that you wanted someone to come and shatter that wall made of ice you've grown around your heart. Is it so bad to love and be loved, Ji-Won?""I am not" Ji-Won began but Seo-Jun cut him off with an impatient hand gesture."Save it for someone who doesn't know you." He said curtly. "In all the years I've known you, you never once showed so much emotion as you have been doing since Su-Jin came along. Even with me your reactions were lukewarm at best. But with her... you go ballistic in mere seconds. On Sports Day you even went to pick her up from home and brought her to the campsite. Not to mention your behavior when she got hurt during the last day.""That's because she is impossible! She cannot stop herself from causing trouble." Ji-Won bit out in frustration. Just thinking about Su-Jin and her knack for making trouble wherever she went made him feel a bubbling irritation rise in his chest."I grant you that, the woman is a handful." Seo-Jun admitted with a deep sigh, then added hastily. "But that doesn't mean you are not interested in her.""I... I'm... Not." Ji-Won spoke in a faltering voice.He stared back at Seo-Jun without actually seeing the man. His vision went blank for a second, while his mind struggled with the idea. Min-Jun had asked him the same thing and even urged him to find the answer sooner. But what was that answer?Was he in fact interested in Su-Jin? More than just a boss for his employee? And if that was indeed true, then how far did his feelings run?Just then, Seo-Jun's voice broke Ji-Won's thoughts, pulling him back to the conversation."Ji-Won, I know you can be slow sometimes, but you can't really be that dim."~~~In the blink of an eye, Friday arrived and Su-Jin was finally allowed to leave the hospital. "You are good to go, Miss Park." The doctor said with a kind smile, then he added in a more serious tone of voice. "Just try not to force yourself for a while. You need to rest, both physically and mentally. Concussions may seem like nothing, but they can become pretty troublesome in the long term if they aren't treated right. So, take heed and don't push yourself too hard.""Yes, doctor. I understand. I'll be sure to take good care of myself." Su-Jin nodded and gave the man a rather childish smile as she continued. "Thank you very much for taking care of me.""Nothing to thank me for. It's what I should do." The doctor reached out and patted her head.Just as he was retracting his hand, a light cough came from the door. Su-Jin leaned to look behind the doctor and yelped in excitement when she saw who it was. "Mi-Suk! I didn't know you were coming." "Min-Jun is busy with school stuff this afternoon, so he asked me to get you."The young woman smiled at her friend as she stepped into the hospital room. Once she reached Su-Jin's bed, Mi-Suk swiftly turned and bowed to the doctor. "Thank you for taking care of her, doctor." Mi-Suk said politely. The man smiled good-naturedly and, after giving Su-Jin another row of advice, he excused himself. "So, are you ready to go?" Mi-Suk asked as soon as they were alone."Hell yes I am!" Su-Jin cried out in elation. She couldn't wait to get out of there. In all honesty, no matter how comfortable the hospital room was, she still missed her own bed. She wanted to be home, with her brother and best friend, to pet and hug Gyojeon. She also missed Min-Jun's cooking.After giving the room one last check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Su-Jin followed Mi-Suk outside. Just when they were about to walk past the front desk, the two women bumped into someone. Mi-Suk merely glanced at the man, admiring his handsome features and lean body. But after noticing his light hair and beautiful brown eyes, her gaze slowly shifted away from him. Mi-Suk was ready to move forward when she suddenly felt Su-Jin freezing in place. "Su-Jin?" Mi-Suk asked quietly.
