“Wow—the hotel lobby is amazing!”
Shin Se-young, wearing a cute pink dress, exclaimed in admiration. Her pale complexion made the pink color stand out beautifully.
“That’s true. It’s my first time here too. I heard this is an extremely expensive hotel… and the interior really lives up to it. It feels like an old castle.”
Kim Cheol-soo nodded in agreement. The Shilla Hotel, which Ha Saebyeok had led them into, was indeed magnificent. The dazzling chandeliers adorned with countless crystals and the buffet overflowing with delicious food.
Kim Cheol-soo quickly filled his plate and sat down at the table. He started with a simple salad, then picked up a piece of the soft-looking lobster with his fork.
The lobster, rich with the scent of buttery saltiness, was absolutely delicious. The white flesh inside the hard shell was exquisite. Tender yet stimulating to the palate, it was a rare delicacy incomparable to the crab sticks commonly found in the market.
“Tasty. This dish really carries the essence of the sea.”
His appetite whetted after a long time, he finished the lobster and moved on to the lamb chops. Grabbing a lamb chop bone with his bare hands, he took a big bite straight off it.
“Mmm! This is truly delicious. I think it’s my first time eating lamb chops without any gamey smell. The meat is nutty and oily, making it easy to eat. Really fresh!”
As Kim Cheol-soo praised, Shin Se-young also chimed in.
“It’s really tasty. It’s amazing that we can eat food like this endlessly.”
“Eat a lot, Lieutenant Shin.”
After about an hour of eating to their fill, Kim Cheol-soo’s eyes widened when he saw the slice of fresh cream cake that Ha Saebyeok had brought over.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a raspberry cake. The tiny raspberries are really delicious, so please try some, sir. The chef said they were picked this morning.”
“And what’s that sparkling thing on top of the cake?”
There was a strange glittering powder sprinkled atop the fresh cream cake. Kim Cheol-soo asked suspiciously, and she smiled as she answered.
“It’s gold. Gold dust. It’s edible gold, so please try it.”
“… Still, people actually eat gold…?”
Kim Cheol-soo made a face of disgust and refused, but Ha Saebyeok simply picked up a forkful of cake and fed it to him.
“Mm… mm!”
“How is it? Tastes good, right?”
“… It’s good. I don’t understand why they put gold on it, though.”
“I’m so glad you like it, sir.”
Ha Saebyeok seemed rather unconcerned about the day’s events. Kim Cheol-soo turned his head toward Shin Se-young, who was looking at him from the side, and said, “Try the raspberry fresh cream cake. It’s delicious.”
“… Okay.”
She wore an inexplicably uneasy expression but didn’t show it openly. Kim Cheol-soo felt as if he had become the one who had done something wrong. But he justified himself, thinking it was hard to dodge the fork that Ha Saebyeok suddenly pushed toward him, and focused on the meal.
Originally, the seating arrangement had Shin Se-young and Kim Cheol-soo sitting on the same side, with Oh Hajin and Ha Saebyeok on the opposite side. Suddenly, Ha Saebyeok got up, grabbed a chair, and moved closer. She placed the chair on Kim Cheol-soo’s right side and sat down.
“Sir, do you like kiwi? I’ll peel it for you.”
“… N-no, it’s fine. I can peel it myself.”
“No, I’ll do it for you. It’s not that easy. Your hands get covered in kiwi juice. Just wait a moment! I’ll peel it right away.”
Kim Cheol-soo looked a little embarrassed but happily ate the kiwi she peeled for him with a fork. From the other side, he could sense Shin Se-young’s sulky mood, which made him restless. But when else would he get treated like this in his life?
Sitting between two beautiful women and eating luxurious food until he was stuffed—it was truly heaven on earth.
“Are you full? Then I’ll go wash my hands. The kiwi juice makes my hands sting.”
“Please do.”
While Ha Saebyeok was away, Kim Cheol-soo also paid attention to the others. Oh Hajin was still eating, having brought more lamb chops… but honestly, he kept worrying about Shin Se-young. He spoke to her.
“Did you enjoy your meal, Lieutenant Shin?”
“… Yes. How about you, Colonel?”
“I ate well too. But why do you look like that? You seem uncomfortable.”
“I… may I ask you something?”
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked with a resolute expression. Kim Cheol-soo answered, somewhat taken aback.
“… Ask me anything. I’ll answer honestly.”
“Are you two dating? You and Saebyeok?”
“…! No way. Why would a top star date an ordinary person like me? Were you worried about something like that? Don’t worry. That won’t happen at all.”
Kim Cheol-soo’s firm words brightened Shin Se-young’s face. She looked fresh and pretty as she spoke.
“Then that’s a relief. Ah… ‘relief’ was a mistake! Don’t misunderstand.”
She blushed clumsily, looking unusually cute today. Kim Cheol-soo recalled the time since he was first assigned to Hampyeong. On the first day, he had just stopped the bleeding in the operating room and left. Since then, he had solved several surgeries with her help. Today, he felt that she looked pretty in casual clothes, and awkwardly averted his gaze.
“Lieutenant Shin, you must be tired from coming all the way to Seoul. Please take it easy today and rest up.”
At that moment, Shin Se-young mustered up courage and said,
“I… Colonel, if you don’t have any plans later, would you like to hang out with me?”
“… Huh? Do what?”
Kim Cheol-soo thought he had misheard. There was no way a young and beautiful woman like her would ask him out. There was quite an age gap between them. But Shin Se-young avoided his gaze and said, “… I want to see around Seoul. But I don’t want to wander alone… Could you, who’s familiar with the city, show me around?”
“Oh! That’s it. I thought you were asking me out on a date. Hmm… I’m not sure if I’ll have time, but after I meet the patient, let’s go out together.”
“Wow—really? Thank you!”
Seeing Shin Se-young’s suddenly cheerful mood, Kim Cheol-soo smiled too. It was hard to explain, but he recalled how much he had overworked her. As her superior, he felt sorry for pushing her too hard.
But that wasn’t all. His gratitude toward her for always staying by his side grew. Kim Cheol-soo felt quite awkward between the two women, but thought it was all a misunderstanding. Neither Ha Saebyeok nor Shin Se-young could possibly like him. It must be a delusion. Besides… this was no time for dating.
Kim Cheol-soo steeled his heart again and looked at Ha Saebyeok approaching from a distance.
She smiled and said, “Sir, have you finished eating? Then let’s go upstairs to meet the patient.”
“Upstairs? Where exactly do you mean?”
Kim Cheol-soo was bewildered. This was a hotel. Going upstairs would mean to a hotel room, right? Was Ha Saebyeok trying to seduce him now? Inviting him to her hotel room? But no way…
Feeling very flustered, Ha Saebyeok said, “The patient is waiting in the VIP room on the top floor. Let’s go up together.”
“Then I also…”
Oh Hajin stepped forward tactlessly, and Shin Se-young seemed eager to go up as well. But Ha Saebyeok shook her head.
“I’m sorry, but you two should wait here. The patient said he wants to see you first, sir. So today, just the two of us will go up.”
Kim Cheol-soo felt a little uncomfortable. He could understand the earlier misunderstanding, but leaving his colleagues behind and going up alone didn’t feel right. Then Ha Saebyeok linked her arm with his and beamed brightly.
“Come on, sir. Hehe—”
“… Very well.”
It seemed impossible to go against Ha Saebyeok’s words. She was very beautiful, as a top star should be, and as always, she was her own person. And honestly, Kim Cheol-soo was curious about the patient’s identity. Who on earth required this level of security?
They could have just met the patient casually at the buffet… Maintaining such tight security was strange.
Was this common for celebrities?
Ding!
The two got on the elevator and got off on the top floor. This floor was different in cost. Following the luxurious red carpet patterned with gold designs, they walked all the way to the innermost door. Then they entered a spacious and lavish VIP room through the open door.
The bodyguards guarding the magnificent living room greeted Ha Saebyeok. Kim Cheol-soo felt himself tense up. What was this atmosphere? A single celebrity needed this level of security? Even inside a room?He had a strong feeling something was off.
Passing through the living room, the two entered the master bedroom. A middle-aged man lay alone on a large bed.
“Huff… huff…!”
The man gasped painfully in his sleep. He looked very ill, his complexion jaundiced and unhealthy. Kim Cheol-soo approached the patient with a serious expression and used his eyes to scan and diagnose.
After a moment, Kim Cheol-soo’s expression turned grave. Though the patient showed jaundice symptoms like Hong Jin-o, his problem was entirely different. There was no issue with the liver or gallbladder.
The patient had a major problem in the pancreas, located just beneath the liver.
“Hmm… You’ve arrived?”
The patient, awakened by Kim Cheol-soo’s presence, spoke.
“Pancreatic head cancer… you must be in a lot of pain.”
“You’ve diagnosed my illness?”
“… Are you Medical Officer Kim Cheol-soo? I apologize for the intrusion. I should be the one standing to greet you… but how did you know right away?”
The middle-aged man said in surprise. Kim Cheol-soo hadn’t said a word or even seen the MRI scans. Yet, he had correctly identified the patient’s condition immediately, which astonished him.
‘A true master doctor. A master!! I’m glad I insisted on calling Medical Officer Kim Cheol-soo…’
“It’s nothing special. I just made an educated guess. But…”
At that moment, Kim Cheol-soo asked Ha Saebyeok with a puzzled look.
“Sorry, but I don’t quite understand the situation. Didn’t you say a celebrity friend was sick? Who is this man?”
Ha Saebyeok hesitated and looked flustered. She bowed her head and apologized.
“I’m sorry, sir. I lied to you. To bring you to Seoul…”
Kim Cheol-soo said disappointedly,
“Why did you lie?”
“That’s because we had to hide the fact that the person lying in this bed is seriously ill. I’m truly sorry.”
Ha Saebyeok apologized repeatedly, and Kim Cheol-soo turned his gaze back to the patient. The VIP room, which must have cost a fortune per night… This patient was no ordinary person.
But already feeling upset, Kim Cheol-soo spoke sarcastically to the patient.
“So, is the patient some conglomerate heir? If that’s the case, I can understand why you lied.”
The middle-aged man nodded.
“Yes. I am Jung Mong-hoon, chairman of Hyundo Group, the number one conglomerate. I instructed her to lie to prevent any leaks to the media. If it offended you, I apologize, Medical Officer.”