The Awakened Giant Tree (1)
A grueling week of nonstop work finally came to an end, and Saturday arrived once more. I was just finishing up the last of my tasks when my phone, left beside the keyboard, began to vibrate. Buuung-. From the pattern, it was a text message. I planned to finish typing the sentence I was on before checking, but the door to the division head's office suddenly flew open.
"Young Master!"
The person who burst in was none other than Han Seung-woo, Chief of the Chairman's Secretariat—the last man you'd expect such frantic behavior from.
"Chief Han? Did QS Tower catch fire?"
At my teasing remark, Han Seung-woo answered with a completely straight face.
"No. QS Tower is secure. Did you not receive the message?"
Whoa. When Mr. Bloodbath wiped every trace of expression from his face like that, it was genuinely terrifying. A message. He must have been referring to the vibration I'd just felt. Whatever it was, it had to be far more important than a fire at QS Tower. Then again, the building's fire safety systems were flawless, so even a blaze wouldn't have been much of an issue.
"Just a moment. Let me check my phone."
"Of course."
In the brief time it took me to finish one sentence and speak with Han Seung-woo, another message had arrived. One from the director of Myungryun University Hospital, the other from the head of the neurosurgery department.
My stomach dropped. This wasn't something to treat lightly.
- Chairman Kwon Byung-do has regained consciousness.
- We are urgently contacting the guardian as patient Kwon Byung-do has recovered consciousness.
Reading the shocking news twice in a row left my head spinning. Without realizing it, my expression had become identical to Han Seung-woo's. Too many emotions and thoughts collided at once, leaving my face utterly blank. I grabbed my coat from the rack in the corner of the office.
"I need to step out for a moment."
"Shall we head to Myungryun University Hospital?"
"Yes."
"I'll drive you."
The moment I nodded, we rushed out of QS Tower so quickly it was a wonder we didn't make a racket, and arrived at Myungryun University Hospital. Without needing to discuss where to go, we both headed straight for the neurosurgical intensive care unit where Chairman Kwon Byung-do was hospitalized.
Halfway there, I remembered that visits to the ICU required a medical staff escort and wondered if I should call the director or the neurosurgery chief. When we arrived, however, that proved unnecessary. Both men I had thought of were already waiting in front of the ICU, fully dressed in gowns, masks, and hair caps. There was one more person with them: Kim Majin, also in the same attire and disinfecting her hands. She must have received the same message. Kwon Je-gyun had apparently been unable to come due to circumstances, so Kim Majin had arrived first.
Shortly after, Kwon Seong-gyun and his wife arrived as well, less than a minute behind us. The cold war between Kim Majin, Kwon Seong-gyun, and me—lingering from the QS Foods shareholders' meeting barely a week ago—remained in full force. Given the location, Kim Majin and I exchanged nods rather than warm greetings. Kwon Seong-gyun, on the other hand, merely shot us a sharp glare.
His wife, Oh Jeonghwa, went even further. Having apparently heard about the shareholders' meeting from her husband, she stood with her arms crossed and jabbed her chin at Kim Majin and me in turn. I couldn't understand why she felt the need to act that way with such an unattractive jawline. At least she hadn't forgotten that there was a time and place for everything. Both Kwon Seong-gyun and his wife followed the director's instructions, changed into visitor gowns, and completed disinfection. Once Han Seung-woo finished as well, all five of us were ready. The director then led us to Chairman Kwon Byung-do's bedside.
* * *
As we approached step by step, I found myself doubting whether the chairman had truly regained consciousness. The bandages on his head still looked thick, and the tangle of wires and surrounding machines was dizzying. Fortunately, when we reached the bed, Chairman Kwon Byung-do was awake—his eyes open, unlike before.
"Although the patient only regained consciousness a short while ago, our medical team has already confirmed that his vision, hearing, and sense of touch are functioning normally. He cannot speak yet, but if there is anything he wishes to say, he may do so."
The moment the director finished, Oh Jeonghwa grabbed Chairman Kwon Byung-do's hand.
"Father, I can't tell you how relieved I am that you've woken up."
Kwon Seong-gyun placed his own hand over hers, rested his other hand on his wife's shoulder, and asked, "Father, do you recognize us?"
Chairman Kwon Byung-do blinked once. The director quickly explained, "One blink means yes, two rapid blinks mean no."
It was the signal the medical team had arranged with the chairman while confirming his return to consciousness. A single blink meant he recognized his son and daughter-in-law.
Whew. Chairman Kwon Byung-do had regained consciousness, but it seemed he hadn't lost his memories like characters in old dramas often did. Kim Majin, who had once appeared in a similar drama, must have had the same thought—she let out a sigh of relief at the same time I did.
"Father, you must recover fully and show us that you can walk on your own two feet. The company has been in complete chaos without you."
At Kwon Seong-gyun's words, Chairman Kwon Byung-do neither opened nor closed his eyes. Instead, he slowly turned his gaze away from his son. Startled by the unexpected reaction, Kwon Seong-gyun looked back at the director and the neurosurgery chief, but both shook their heads, equally baffled. Then again, even as neurosurgeons, they couldn't read minds. It was clear the chairman found Kwon Seong-gyun's words displeasing, so the couple stepped back and Kim Majin and I took their place beside the bed.
Recalling the memory of meeting his closed eyes in this very spot, I quietly met his open gaze. To others, the moment might have seemed brief, but between Chairman Kwon Byung-do and me, it stretched long enough. During that time, Kwon Seong-gyun and his wife whispered to each other, apparently finding my silence strange.
Then, very slowly, the chairman closed and opened his eyes. His gaze remained fixed on mine.
"I've been managing the company's affairs well. You don't need to worry."
After I finished, it was Kim Majin's turn. Without saying a word, she simply held the chairman's hand tightly and smiled. She surely had many things she wanted to say—about what her husband, Kwon Je-gyun, had done while the chairman slept, what had become of him, the great misfortune that had befallen her family, and how she was now overcoming it with me. Yet she seemed reluctant to voice any of it in front of Kwon Seong-gyun, so she merely alternated her smile between the chairman and me.
Behind us, a commotion broke out. Oh Jeonghwa had cornered the director with questions.
"When will Father be able to stand again? Is there any chance he'll lose consciousness once more?"
The director answered in a flustered voice. "Recovery of limb motor function usually takes considerable time even after consciousness returns. We will continue rehabilitation during that period. While I cannot say there is zero possibility of losing consciousness again, the fact that he regained consciousness after brain surgery is itself an extremely positive sign in our neurosurgery department."
"So you're saying he could return to his previous state?"
Crack. Even I was getting irritated just listening. Chairman Kwon Byung-do had been given a prognosis that he might never wake up, and now he had barely regained his senses. No matter how much of a doctor one was, how was anyone supposed to answer a question framed entirely around possibilities? Especially when we had just confirmed that the chairman could hear everything being said around him—did we really need to discuss the possibility of his condition worsening right in front of him?
The director glanced at me sideways, clearly at a loss, then continued his conversation with Oh Jeonghwa while looking utterly helpless.
"At this point, all I can say is that every possibility remains open. I'm sorry."
In the end, the director even suggested that this return of consciousness might be Chairman Kwon Byung-do's last. When he finished speaking, the chairman's eyes trembled violently as he looked down at me. Ignoring the exchange, Oh Jeonghwa pressed for a definitive answer, but the director, realizing the situation was untenable, signaled toward the bed and ushered us out of the ICU.
We moved to the neurosurgery chief's office, where we received explanations about the treatments and test results so far, as well as the future treatment plan and expected outcomes. Oh Jeonghwa, who had taken the seat closest to the neurosurgery chief, looked around the office and put on a show of intelligence.
"So what you're saying, Chief, is that the most likely outcome is that Father will recover enough to move from the ICU to a general ward within the next week to a month?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Though I disliked her attitude, the content of her words was at least reassuring. If Chairman Kwon Byung-do recovered, I would finally be able to ask him about the homunculus and many other things. I could also express my gratitude for the consideration he had shown me and hear his response.
* * *
That evening, Kwon Seong-gyun and his wife left the guardian waiting room, saying they had dinner plans with their children. Only Han Seung-woo, Kim Majin, and I remained, eating convenience store food from the hospital. As Kim Majin opened her second bread package, Han Seung-woo asked, "You're eating more than I expected."
Kim Majin let out a small laugh. "Why? Did you think a chaebol daughter-in-law wouldn't know how to eat something like this? I used to eat this every day when I was filming dramas and movies. I couldn't eat much because I had to watch my figure—just one at a time. Now that I can eat two, it's nice."
Knock, knock.
A heavy knock interrupted our light conversation.
"Come in."
At my reply, the neurosurgery chief appeared. His face was so rigid it looked as though it wouldn't show a single scratch even if struck with a stone.