Chapter 37
Snap! My eyelids, heavy as lumps of iron, lightened and fluttered open at the same time.
“Ah...!”
And there was the pristine white ceiling of the building I'd seen right before entering Choi Kang-min's dream.
Beep, beep, beep... The steady rhythm of the medical monitor tracking my heartbeat filled the air, and my skin was plastered with suction cups from all sorts of devices.
They didn't dissect me while I was out, did they...? I looked downright suspicious.
Clunk!
“You're awake!”
How did she know I'd woken up? Seo Hye-ju didn't wait for the automatic door to the hospital room to fully slide open before rushing in.
“Hyung~!”
And right behind her was Choi Kang-hun.
I was thrilled to see him, but first things first. “What about Choi Kang-min?”
There'd be no point if I'd escaped the dream and he hadn't.
“He's opened his eyes! My god! The patient who hadn't stirred for seven years is finally awake! His health is still terrible—no energy to speak yet—but he's going to live.”
“That's a relief.”
Thank goodness the treatment fee I'd been promised for Choi Kang-min wasn't going up in smoke!
Thud, thud... As soon as I tried to sit up in bed, the suction cups tugged at me.
“Hold on. I'll remove them.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Fine by me, but if you break any, the repair bill...”
“Just take them off!”
I stayed still while Seo Hye-ju carefully peeled off every medical device stuck to my body.
“We'll leave the IV in. It's nothing compared to Choi Kang-min's case, but your stamina's taken a hit. And it's expensive fluid anyway.”
“You won't charge me for it, right?”
“Of course not.”
Pop, pop, pop... With her help, the cups came off quickly, and I headed straight for the bed where Choi Kang-min lay.
“Hyung. It's me, Kang-hun. Do you recognize me?”
Choi Kang-hun was already chatting away, holding his half-brother's gaunt hand. A heartwarming sight of brotherly love!
If only his true feelings matched... The fact that they were polar opposites was mind-boggling.
“......”
At his half-brother's gentle question, Choi Kang-min blinked in wide-eyed shock. No wonder—he'd lost seven years. In that time, his little brother had gone from being teased as girly to becoming a heartthrob popular with girls.
Meanwhile,
“Choi Kang-min. Nice to meet you. I'm Seo Hye-ju, your attending physician for the past seven years. This is a special suite at Elmolrans Hospital. We're relieved you've woken safely, but your condition isn't stable yet.”
“......”
Choi Kang-min could only roll his eyes around as he listened. Or maybe he winced slightly, like he was in pain?
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“Yes.”
“I have a lot of questions, but the patient comes first. Wait outside, please. You too, family member Choi Kang-hun. Someone will escort you.”
“Got it.”
In a hospital, the doctor's word was law! We stepped out without protest, and soon a swarm of doctors and nurses filed into the room.
“Moon-soo hyung.”
“Don't thank me. I'm getting paid.”
“Still, thanks. I almost got you killed with my stubbornness.”
“Forget it. I promised I'd help.”
I was regretting it a little now, but when I'd made the promise on impulse, I'd meant it.
The rundown old commercial building. My tiny one-room apartment. A secret I went to great lengths to hide from everyone.
Checking for nosy friends before heading home had become routine. And I'd prepared over ten excuses and scenarios in case I got caught, like “This isn't my place.”
What a life...
When I'd revealed it to Choi Kang-hun right before moving, I'd expected ridicule. A chaebol heir like him would be shocked that anyone lived in a dump like that.
But he'd reacted the opposite. Surprised, sure—but with admiration, not mockery.
I'd felt the same at first. Doubting I could live in what was basically a warehouse—former warehouse, anyway. Yet I'd grown used to it, and that resilience both amazed and impressed me.
So,
“I promised, but putting your life at risk—”
“Drop it! End of discussion. It was my choice.”
“Still...”
“Kang-hun. You've heard it before, right? A real man doesn't go back on his word. A true man doesn't break promises just because they're hard.”
“Ah! Yeah!”
The magic words “true man” worked like a cure-all for Choi Kang-hun, wrapping up the conversation instantly. Of course, my real thoughts were, Promises? Money's king!
If they hadn't offered a fortune I'd have to part-time for five years without spending a dime to even touch, I wouldn't have committed so fast.
“Hey, Kang-hun.”
“Yeah. Ask away!”
“What's today's date?”
“April 25th.”
“Huh. Woke up sooner than expected.”
Blame getting spotted by Choi Kang-hun early. If I'd known it'd go down like this from the start, I wouldn't have needed Seo Hye-ju's funding or the long vacation I'd begged from Coach Jang Seo-yeon.
And that's not all. My uncle's video, plus all the other prep materials and plans? They never even got started.
That wizard outfit... All because of that witch.
No hard proof, but that witch had definitely entered Choi Kang-min's dream like I did and done something. She'd tracked his light-speed movements and path with eerie precision. Like she was controlling him...
“...Ah! Right!”
“What?”
“Paper! Quick, paper and pen! This isn't the time to slack!”
“Got a pen...”
Choi Kang-hun pulled a fountain pen from his pocket that gleamed like solid gold. Probably not real gold, but still. Scolding myself for such trivial thoughts,
“Lend it!”
“Sure.”
I snatched the pen and grabbed a survey sheet from the stack on the hospital corridor wall.
“This'll do.”
The back was blank—perfect. No time for complaints. Scratch-scratch—I started sketching the chemical formulas I'd memorized for a solid eight hours in the dream.
Birth and death of planets. I drew them in sequence, just like that process: manifestation, synthesis, division, circulation, harmony...
Stuff crammed with unfamiliar terms. Shoving it all into my head wasn't easy, and one slip meant verifying from square one. A blank slate might as well have been safer.
“Hyung?”
“......”
I was too focused to even acknowledge Choi Kang-hun peeking over my shoulder.
Dangerous.
Anyone who's dreamed knows the feeling. Vivid right after waking, then poof—gone after splashing water on your face.
Same for me. The eight-hour formulas were fogging up, fading fast.
Scribble—drip.
“Done!”
Overjoyed, I whooped in the quiet hospital, forgetting where I was.
The finished formulas. Fragile—I'd never recreate them perfectly now.
“Hyung. What's that formula?”
“The dream of eternal life.”
“Probiotics?”
“No clue. I never saw the end result.”
True. Back then, I couldn't even imagine.
* * *
News of the heir to one of Korea's top chaebol families waking up spread fast through the media.
Something like, The son of [Group] chairman awakens after seven years—a single line over a five-second shot of him in bed. Done.
“Feels good.”
As someone directly involved, my chest swelled with pride. Especially my suddenly plump bank account!
Lounging on my bed in the sports university dorm, counting the zeros in the deposit had become a hobby.
“Heh heh heh...”
Never got old. Where to spend it? Options swirled, letting me envision an optimistic future for once.
Add my loans and buy a convenience store in the countryside...? Nah. With my credit score? Dream on.
Luxuries like designer goods or fancy French restaurants? Not even on the radar.
Conclusion?
“...Save it.”
Before P's Aptitude Test sparked the efficient Job Revolution, history class said ordinary folks jumped into stocks. Now? Exclusive to those with “Investor” aptitude!
If a civilian dives in? Stock geniuses leave no gaps—day trading means guaranteed losses or breaking even at best. Common knowledge.
So most folks hand it to investment firms for modest returns above bank interest.
Me? Spend it smart.
Save a bit more for a surefire business. Thanks to part-time experience, convenience store owner was top pick!
...No second choice.
“Hmm. To save up, maybe look for pool cleaning gigs...”
Ding-dong♪
I sat up from my bed, where I'd been sketching future blueprints, at the dorm room doorbell.
“Who is—”
“Hyung! It's me!”
“Kang-hun?”
“Yeah! With hyung!”
“...Come in.”
Choi Kang-min too? Not thrilled, but no ignoring guests. I unlocked the door.
Creeeak—
Cautiously opening it revealed Choi Kang-min in a wheelchair, pushed by Choi Kang-hun. Sweet brothers on the surface.
But they weren't alone.
“Kang Moon-soo. Doing well?”
Behind them, Seo Hye-ju with emergency medical gear. Proof his body was still weak.
But why visit me?
“You shouldn't overdo it. Could've just called me to the hospital...”
The fat treatment fee earned some after-service.
As Choi Kang-hun wheeled his half-brother inside, he explained.
“Dad's orders. Treating your lifesaver like a servant would be turning guest and host upside down.”
“I see.”
Room for flexibility there, but that uncle was stubbornly old-school in odd ways.
“Hyung wanted it too.”
“......”
Choi Kang-min stared straight at me in affirmation.
“Hyung's airways are wrecked from asthma, so no talking yet. He wrote a letter instead.”
“Really?”
It was true. A folded letter was wedged between the wheelchair arm and his right arm.
“Took him three hours.”
“......”
Choi Kang-min weakly lifted his right arm, as if urging me to take it. I snatched the slipping paper mid-fall and unfolded it right away.
Three hours for this?
Shorter than expected.
「I saw it, so I know. You can be the world's greatest lawyer. Use that talent to protect my brother. Please.」
Lawyer. Never crossed my mind.
But his earnest gaze made it impossible to brush off.
“I'm a swimmer right now. I'll think about it later.”
“......”
Choi Kang-min closed his eyes contentedly, satisfied.
“Choi Kang-hun. Take your brother to the parking lot first. I'll be right there.”
Silent till now, Seo Hye-ju took the baton.
“Why? Can't I hear?”
“...Business talk.”
“Include me!”
Choi Kang-hun's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Seo Hye-ju pointed awkwardly at the letter. “Sensitive business.”
“Oh...”
Taking the deal meant no lawyer path as Choi Kang-min suggested. We both got it.
“Section Chief. I'll hear it and decide. It's my call.”
I still had those future formulas too.
“...Kang Moon-soo. Let me make a proposal.”
“Business?”
“Yes. Partner with me?”
“Pardon?”
Lawyer, now doctor? One absurd offer after another.