Yellow Red Yellow - 4
Irina had known for some time that people were approaching beyond the hospital room door. And that their destination would be this place—Baek Seojin’s hospital room.
What should I do…
Recalling her mother’s words to please think at least once before acting, Irina actually did think for a moment. The problem was that the thinking lasted only about one second.
“W-what are you doing!”
And Irina’s actions were far faster than her thoughts. She climbed straight onto Baek Seojin and declared as if making an announcement.
It wasn’t a lie or an act. It was the truth. Why did she keep showing interest in this man, in Baek Seojin? She had seen him for the first time. A person on a level similar to her own. He had sliced Kwak Hyuk’s spear in two and even landed a counter that left a wound. When she heard it from Han Jiyun, she had been so excited she couldn’t sleep. She had thought she would never meet someone like that in her lifetime. Another person who could understand her. Someone bound by this immense power—no, by this curse.
It wasn’t like that. As expected, there’s no such thing as being alone in this world!
If not for her mother’s warning to stay quietly at home, she would have rushed straight to the hospital where Baek Seojin was admitted. She might have even grabbed him by the collar and shaken him while shouting at him to wake up.
It was supposed to be a hidden gem restaurant that only I knew about. Ah, this has gotten way too famous.
If she had known this would happen, maybe she shouldn’t have acknowledged him during the Gate incident? No. Even without that, he would have shot to fame some other way anyway. In that case, it was better to make the first move and clearly mark him as part of her network.
Having reached that conclusion, Irina pressed down on Baek Seojin even harder. It was almost as if she were deliberately provoking whoever was about to enter the room.
The door opened with a clack. A doctor, a nurse, and a female student stepped inside. The moment the girl saw Irina, her eyes flashed with pure rage.
“You!”
At Kim Suhyun’s rage-filled shout, Irina let out a sigh. Really, I know I’m pretty crazy myself, but you’re not exactly sane either. How can you look at me and not show even a flicker of surprise?
Clicking her tongue inwardly, Irina casually reached out and grabbed the neck of Kim Suhyun, who had been charging straight at her.
“Gack!”
“Hey. Be quiet. Don’t you know the rule about absolute silence in a hospital room?”
“The one saying that… is you…! What are you doing to the patient Examiner…!”
Wow… She really doesn’t lose a single exchange. Old man. If nothing else, you raised your granddaughter well. To think she would be this bold. Or should I say crazy? Either way. If it had been anyone else, they would have been trembling in fear.
Shaking her head, Irina released Kim Suhyun’s neck and stepped back slightly. Kim Suhyun immediately approached the still-dazed Baek Seojin lying on the bed.
“Examiner!”
“Uh, yeah. Suhyun. Have you been well?”
“Yes! I… Ah, that’s not important! Are you okay?! Did you get hurt anywhere…?”
“Hey. Hold on. If someone overheard, they’d think I tried to kill Seojin oppa.”
At Irina’s words, Kim Suhyun glared at her. The sharp reaction was aimed precisely at the term Seojin oppa.
“What’s with that look? Get rid of it. Why are you staring at me like I’m some villain?”
“Shameless woman! What exactly were you planning to do to the Examiner while he was unconscious!”
“What are you even saying? No matter how reckless I am, I’m not that reckless.”
So she did have some self-awareness about being reckless. Not only Baek Seojin, but the doctor and nurse both wore startled expressions.
“Hey. This is a hospital room.”
Tsk. Irina clicked her tongue and stopped Kim Suhyun. Normally it should have been the other way around, with Kim Suhyun restraining Irina. Why did the so-called crazy bitch suddenly seem like the more normal one?
While Baek Seojin was thinking that, Irina continued.
“Don’t you know the rule about absolute silence? At the very least, I didn’t raise my voice, did I?”
At Irina’s words, Kim Suhyun let out a small groan and bit her lip. She had finally realized her own voice had been far too loud.
“B-but! Just now you…”
“Suhyun. That was just Irina falling over.”
Baek Seojin quickly cut in, mouthing the words Right, Irina? at her. His face clearly said he was asking for a favor—play along. The unspoken bonus was that he would treat her to dinner soon if she went with it.
Hmm.
What should she do? Should she let it slide just this once like Seojin oppa wanted? But if she did, that weird woman would probably stick to him even tighter.
Look at her. Look. Pretending to be innocent when she’s actually a total slut. Wow! Just look at her rubbing her cheek against him while clinging to his side. The rumors said she was an extreme introvert. No, not even an introvert—they said she was a complete coward, right? But seeing this, coward my ass. She’s the type who badmouths people from behind.
“Isn’t that right, Irina?”
When Baek Seojin asked again, Irina eventually nodded. For some reason she kept feeling like she lost every time it came to this man. Ah. Or maybe not? Whatever.
“Yes. Well, let’s go with that.”
The answer was a bit half-hearted, but it was enough to move on. At Irina’s reply, Baek Seojin patted Kim Suhyun’s shoulder and said, “See, Suhyun?”
The fierce glare from moments ago vanished completely. Kim Suhyun suddenly buried herself in Baek Seojin’s arms and burst into sobs.
Wow. What the hell.
Irina pretended to retch, as if the sight was too nauseating to bear. Seeing Baek Seojin comfort her only made her more irritated.
Meanwhile, the doctor who had been quietly watching finally spoke up carefully.
“Um… may I ask how the two of you are here?”
“What do you mean? You’re asking the obvious. We came to visit a patient. Is there a problem?”
“Well… yes, actually. Even though Irina is here, the hospital remains quiet. Moreover, patient Baek Seojin has no designated guardian, and he had not yet regained consciousness, so visits should be limited to authorized personnel…”
Shh. Quiet.
Irina smiled and pressed her index finger to her lips. Both the doctor and the nurse immediately shut their mouths with a gasp. She was smiling, but her eyes were definitely not.
“Now then, doctor? Let’s stop the pointless chatter. The patient Baek Seojin has regained consciousness, hasn’t he? Shouldn’t you be examining him? You’re not just going to say ‘Oh my, you’ve come to your senses. Congratulations,’ are you?”
The look in Irina’s eyes flashed with a clear warning: Refuse and see what happens. The doctor nodded his head three times in a single second while shouting, “Of course we must!”
Since the patient had regained consciousness, there were a great many tests to run. Therefore, the doctor asked the two visitors to step outside for the time being. Kim Suhyun had no choice but to nod, though it felt a little sad to be sent away the moment she arrived for a visit. Still, she had confirmed with her own eyes that Baek Seojin had woken up. That was enough. She had only seen his face for less than five minutes, yet somehow that felt better.
“Hmph.”
“…”
It would have been even better if the blonde, blue-eyed woman beside her weren’t there. While Kim Suhyun was quietly soothing the feelings she could not express outwardly—
“Instead of cursing me inside your head, why don’t you say it out loud?”
Kim Suhyun flinched at Irina’s words. What? Did this woman just read my mind?
“You’ve got a face full of complaints toward me. Am I wrong?”
Her expression said she already knew everything. Her tone demanded an honest answer. Kim Suhyun couldn’t bring herself to reply. Admitting it felt wrong, but denying it felt like a lie.
“Are you really going to ignore me to my face? That’s a little hurtful.”
Don’t engage. Don’t engage. The opponent was that Irina. There was nothing to gain by provoking her. So she should just stay quiet and—
“Fine. Then just listen quietly. You—stop doing that gatekeeper act. People who see you will think you and Seojin oppa are dating. Don’t act out and just stay quiet…”
“Aren’t you the same?”
The thread of reason she had been barely holding onto finally snapped. When Kim Suhyun’s eyes sharpened, Irina let out a disbelieving “Ha?”
“Yeah. I’m not either. But at least I had the guts to say the words ‘let’s date.’”
“And? Did the Examiner accept?”
“No. Seojin oppa seems like a total solo, yet he still put up one hell of an iron wall.”
“Then in the end…”
“Then nothing. Just because I got rejected doesn’t mean it’s over. Whether I cling harder or not is none of your business, is it? Why are you butting into someone else’s affairs? It’s neither more nor less than that.”
Kim Suhyun, who had been about to say something, bit her lip. Irina was right. She herself had no relationship with Baek Seojin whatsoever. They were simply examiner and academy student. Really nothing more, nothing less.
This person is right. What I’m doing right now… is completely out of line.
Clenching her fist, Kim Suhyun tried hard to regain her composure. But no matter how much she tried to calm down, the moment she looked at Irina her wariness surged.
“You think I’m the one getting in the way, but from where I’m standing, you’re the one getting in the way.”
“…”
“If you understood, then tone it down. It doesn’t look good to others, and it might burden Seojin oppa too.”
“…That’s exactly the same for you, Irina. The way you act toward the Examiner. It doesn’t look good to others, and the Examiner will find it burdensome as well.”
Hmm. As expected, words were completely useless. Should she just beat her up a few times? That would feel refreshing…
…Ah, come to think of it, this girl was old man Kang’s granddaughter. How should she handle this? How could she make her back off cleanly?
After turning the problem over and over in her mind, something suddenly flashed inside Irina’s head.