Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Visiting the Patient
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Cha Eun-seo, the PC bang owner's niece, visited Yi Bora's hospital room along with Na Gang-in.
Yi Bora greeted the two of them warmly.
"Oh my. You didn't have to come if you were busy."
Cha Eun-seo looked a little flustered.
"Huh? But you specifically asked me to come visit, sis. And to bring Gang-in oppa too."
"Hohoho. Eun-seo, you've gotten even less perceptive, haven't you?"
Na Gang-in hadn't answered her calls. He'd ignored the unknown numbers, but Yi Bora thought he was dodging her on purpose and hadn't even sent a text.
Instead, she'd reached out to Cha Eun-seo and asked her to come visit with Na Gang-in.
Na Gang-in had followed along without complaint when Cha Eun-seo suggested it. He wanted to check if Yi Bora was really okay.
"At least she seems fine for now. That's what matters."
The purpose of coming here was fulfilled.
Yi Bora bowed her head.
"Thank you, Gang-in oppa. If you hadn't come then, I really would've been in big trouble."
"I got there in time, so it's all good. Forget about it and focus on recovering so you can get discharged."
She looked a little shy as she spoke.
"Um, about that promise I made back then... if you beat those kidnappers..."
She had shouted that she'd give him a kiss if Na Gang-in beat the kidnappers.
Na Gang-in chuckled and waved it off.
"It's fine. People say all sorts of things in a pinch."
Yi Bora seemed a bit thrown off.
She'd been planning to use that as an excuse to kiss him even now. But he'd brushed it off first.
Unable to let it go, Yi Bora pressed on.
"But I'm someone who keeps her promises..."
"Nah, you don't have to keep that one."
"No, it's not..."
Na Gang-in had confirmed Yi Bora was unharmed, so he was ready to head out.
But just as he turned to leave, the hospital room door opened and a doctor walked in.
The doctor seemed surprised to see visitors.
"Oh? Visitors here to see Bora?"
Yi Bora made the introductions.
"This is my cousin's son, who's a doctor at this hospital. Basically, my aunt's kid. Oppa, this is the martial arts director who saved me. And this is Cha Eun-seo, a close friend from the neighborhood."
Yi Bora had chosen this hospital because it was close to her parents' house and her cousin worked here.
Surgeon Kim Jung-seok greeted them with a bright smile.
"Ah! So you're the martial arts director she told me about? Thank you so much. I heard Bora survived thanks to you."
"No big deal. Yeah, I was able to help out."
Kim Jung-seok thanked Na Gang-in profusely before raising his voice.
"Come find me at our hospital sometime, and I'll take good care of you. Hahaha."
Na Gang-in exchanged greetings with Kim Jung-seok and left the room. Kim had only stopped by briefly to check on her condition before heading to another room.
Cha Eun-seo had to stay behind. Yi Bora had a lot to ask her.
Na Gang-in didn't leave the hospital right away. He walked the hallways because AI Jeon Ji-in had requested it.
"There's medicine at pharmacies too."
"Why do you always go to extremes? Why rob a hospital?"
Na Gang-in and AI Jeon Ji-in still didn't know why they were here. Assuming they were isolated in an operational zone, they were conducting self-initiated local adaptation activities.
"Fine. I'll take a quick look around and go."
Na Gang-in headed toward the corner of the hallway.
Na Gang-in stopped in his tracks.
A girl in a high school uniform came running down the hallway, rounding the corner and nearly crashing into him.
"Ack!"
Na Gang-in sidestepped smoothly. The high schooler barely grazed past, turned around, and bowed quickly.
"Sorry!"
A nurse who saw it scolded her.
"Yeon-ji! I told you not to run in the hospital hallways!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lee Yeon-ji said that but took off running again. The nurse sighed deeply.
"Haa. Really. She can't afford to trip."
That evening, surgeon Kim Jung-seok ate dinner at the hospital cafeteria.
Emergency room doctor Lee Jeong-hyeon sat across from him and asked.
"Surgery today?"
"Nah."
"Then why eat dinner here?"
"Mom and Aunt told me to keep a close eye on Bora's condition today. I've got papers to review anyway, so I'm just eating here."
"Papers?"
"Looking for other options for Yeon-ji's surgery."
"Ah. Section Chief Lee Jeong-ho's daughter?"
"Yeah."
"Any progress?"
Kim Jung-seok shook his head.
"Not yet. Well, not entirely. If we find the doctor who uses that sewing machine suturing technique, we'd have a way, but we can't track them down."
"Still no luck?"
Kim Jung-seok set down his spoon and sighed.
"Hoo. Checked everywhere, but no one knows them. Seems like they're not a doctor from our country."
"Huh... Well, keep at it. Hey, though."
Lee Jeong-hyeon glanced around before speaking.
"Yi Bora. Think she'd be up for some blind date matchmaking?"
"Huh? Matchmaking? With who?"
Lee Jeong-hyeon grinned and pointed his thumb at himself.
"Who else? Me."
"You're nuts?"
"Hey, why not! I'm a doctor, so I'm good enough for an actress blind date."
"Yeah, no. Buzz off. She only has eyes for guys' faces."
The wrap party for the drama Blue Sky was postponed.
Yi Bora had been kidnapped on the day of the party and barely rescued at death's door. No one was crazy enough to push ahead with a party.
The drama still had episodes left to air anyway, so there was no rush for the wrap party.
Composer Kwak Chan-seok and sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon, the siblings, finished post-processing on the new song Na Gang-in had sung.
SAH Entertainment used photos from director Son Tae-min for the album cover.
Na Gang-in's "I Walk Again Today" was released under the name "Ddaengddaeng." There was no big promotional event.
Instead, a few celebrities posted it on their personal SNS.
Kim Yu-chan's SNS had a short line.
[I really like songs with this vibe.]
Shin Eun-ha posted from her room at her parents' house via smartphone.
[So healing...]
Yi Bora was more enthusiastic from her hospital room.
[I love 'I Walk Again Today' sung by Ddaengddaeng-nim.♡]
Shin Eun-ha saw it at home, jumped in her car, sped to the hospital, and burst into Yi Bora's room.
She spat fire at Yi Bora.
"Hey! Why'd you add a heart when I couldn't even bring myself to?!"
Yi Bora covered her mouth and laughed.
"Oh my. Eun-ha, you're coming all the way to visit just for an SNS post? Since you're here, peel me an apple."
"Hey!"
Yi Bora touched her forehead lightly this time.
"I'm a patient. A patient. Don't yell. My head hurts."
"Who're you playing the sick card with! You've already recovered and are just hiding here to dodge reporters!"
"Tch. Where'd you hear that?"
"Do I not know you? It's obvious! And how'd you know Gang-in oppa sang 'I Walk Again Today'?"
"Eun-seo told me?"
"Cha Eun-seo! I raised a tiger cub!"
Yi Bora asked slyly.
"Does Gang-in oppa know about my condition by any chance?"
"He knows! I knew you were faking it from the start! And stop calling him oppa! You got chewed out last time for saying you'd do that!"
Surgeon Kim Jung-seok entered the bickering hospital room.
He was startled to see Shin Eun-ha.
"Huh? Shin Eun-ha!"
Shin Eun-ha didn't fight with Yi Bora in front of the doctor. She quickly flashed an actress smile.
"Ah, yes. Hello..."
"I'm a fan! Been a fan since way back!"
Yi Bora teased him.
"Don't be her fan! You're really my cousin?"
Shin Eun-ha realized who Kim Jung-seok was upon hearing that.
"Ah. Bora's cousin who's supposed to be a great student..."
"Yes! You know me!"
"The crazy guy who begged for a blind date with an innocent high school girl... Ah, no, nothing."
"Pardon?"
Kim Jung-seok turned to Yi Bora.
"Bora?"
Yi Bora averted her gaze.
"It's true. You begged me to set you up back then."
"Hey. That was years ago..."
Shin Eun-ha smiled awkwardly.
"That must really be the guy from back then. Wow. I was in high school."
"S-Sorry!"
The newly released "I Walk Again Today" got promoted by a few famous celebrities. Naturally, their fans checked it out.
People had varied reactions while listening.
"My Yu-chan oppa recommended it, and yeah, this is that song. The one I heard on the internet last time."
"Sounds even better than before?"
"Wow. Composed by Kwak Chan-seok. So this is his new song."
Some were curious.
"Who the heck is Ddaengddaeng for Kwak Chan-seok to give them a song and actors to hype it on SNS?"
"Don't know who, but the song's great."
Many just liked the track itself.
"Great song, great singing. Really healing to listen to."
At the PC bang, Cha Eun-seo closed her eyes and listened to the song.
"How is Gang-in oppa good at singing too?"
Yoon A-reum chimed in.
"He's great at cooking too."
College student hacker An Seong-hwan added.
"Hacking too."
The two turned to An Seong-hwan.
Cha Eun-seo asked.
"Hacking?"
An Seong-hwan had kept his hacker side hidden from these two. The PC bang had been hacked by him before.
"Huh? Did I say something?"
Yoon A-reum wrapped her arm around his neck.
"Hey! Spill it!"
"Gack!"
SAH Entertainment president Seo Jae-hyeon rubbed his hands as he checked the reactions to "I Walk Again Today."
"The graph is insane."
Shin Eun-ha's manager Park Woo-seop specialized in actors, not singers. But before becoming a chief manager, he'd occasionally supported the singer division. He wasn't clueless.
Besides, "I Walk Again Today" wasn't sung by an SAH singer. No performances or TV appearances planned. For a manager, that meant rejecting casting calls beyond basic track management.
The singer managers had balked at handling the song. Rejecting music show PD casting offers required apologies and awkward excuses.
For various reasons, Park Woo-seop, an actor manager, ended up overseeing Na Gang-in and the song.
Park Woo-seop told president Seo Jae-hyeon.
"As expected from composer Kwak Chan-seok. Reactions are excellent."
"The singing's top-notch too. We should turn this guy into our singer. Any way to lure him in?"
"As you know, Na Gang-in's the type who even dodges Son Tae-min's plea to star in his next film..."
Son Tae-min was the most recent director to hit ten million viewers domestically.
"Turning down the hot director Son Tae-min... Impressive."
"Honestly, without Gang-in, that movie wouldn't have hit ten million. It almost didn't even get a theatrical release."
"Casting inquiries?"
"Other managers and PR forward them all to me. I reject them."
"How?"
"I say we only released the album, not managing the singer, so it's out of our hands."
"That's true, but... You ask Na Gang-in each time before rejecting?"
"No. He just said reject them all."
Seo Jae-hyeon couldn't let it go.
"What if there's a show he wants to do?"
"Even Son Tae-min's request doesn't work."
"Why's Na Gang-in like that? He's not some fugitive, is he?"
Park Woo-seop shook his head firmly.
"With the Gangnam Jackal case and the Nakgwi Pirates leading to a joint task force, would they leave a wanted man alone?"
Seo Jae-hyeon nodded.
"True. Even criminal suspicions would've nabbed him. Then why no TV?"
"He's just so unique, it's hard to say..."
Seo Jae-hyeon leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
"Driving me crazy. If I could bring him to our agency, I'd make him fly in music, movies, dramas. But no way to reel him in. He says no shows forever?"
"Not sure. Hard to say..."
Yoon A-reum placed a bowl of ramen at Na Gang-in's spot in the PC bang.
"Hee. This one's on me."
Na Gang-in asked.
"Since when does she give stuff away for free?"
"Hehe. Well, you know I do game streams online, right?"