Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: The Nurse's Side Hustle
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# Chapter 16
Han Sun-ah hummed a little tune as she drove.
Today was the day she headed out for volunteer work.
Others praised her, wondering how she managed such grueling nurse duties and still found time for volunteering...
But for Han Sun-ah, it was a day she actually looked forward to.
‘Idiots. Why wouldn’t they do something this great?’
She stopped at a red light and flicked her gaze to the rearview mirror, sneaking a peek at the back seat.
The boxes loaded in the back of the car.
All of them IV fluids and nutritional supplements swiped from the hospital.
“Wonder how much I can rake in today.”
Han Sun-ah hummed along as the light turned green, pressing down on the accelerator.
By now, the elders were probably gathered at the seniors’ center, waiting for her.
Han Sun-ah went there and sold the pilfered nutritional supplements to the seniors for about 100,000 won a pop.
‘It’s basically door-to-door sales, not volunteering... Whatever. They can pay up more if they want.’
She grumbled inwardly as she drove along the winding road.
Bump!
The car jolted repeatedly on the uneven path.
The swaying sensation made Han Sun-ah scowl.
“They work us to the bone for chump change, so here I am, dragging myself to a dump like this.”
With her brows furrowed, she griped while eyeing the poorly paved rural road.
If she were raking in real money, she never would’ve come to a place like this.
‘I should’ve become a doctor instead of a nurse.’
As a kid, nursing had seemed so glamorous.
But in reality, the work was brutal with no decent pay.
On top of that, it was a 3D job where she had to deal with elders’ bodily functions.
Her fellow nurses weren’t admiring her for volunteering on days off for nothing.
Without this side gig, she would’ve quit ages ago.
“I make money, and the elders don’t have to trek to some far-off hospital. Win-win.”
She nodded to herself, convinced by her own logic.
Of course, it was illegal for a nurse to administer injections without a doctor’s prescription.
Especially with elderly patients, whose weakened immunity and age-related issues could lead to unpredictable side effects, extra caution was needed.
‘I’ve done this a million times. What could go wrong?’
This wasn’t her first or second rodeo, so she figured it’d be fine this time too.
If trouble arose, she could just bolt.
She was only working at the university hospital for steady income anyway.
Her earnings from these house calls already outstripped her regular job.
Worst case, she could land a gig at some local clinic and keep at it.
‘It’s not like I’m using much, just stuff about to expire anyway. No way I’ll get caught.’
The drugs were near-expiry with degraded freshness, and the recipients were frail elders.
The risks were glaring, but Han Sun-ah turned a blind eye to them all.
Today, too, she drove diligently toward the seniors’ center.
“Oh my, Sun-ah’s here!”
“Still no boyfriend these days? My grandson’s been...”
Upon arrival, people came out to greet Han Sun-ah warmly.
Grandmas and grandpas welcoming her with their rustic charm.
From among them, one elder hobbled out, leaning on his cane.
“Heh heh, you’re here.”
Unlike the mild-mannered faces of the other seniors, his eyes gleamed sharply.
A hunched old man shuffling along with a cane.
Yet when you faced him, your eyes were drawn to him more than the others.
‘No matter how many times I see him, there’s something intimidating about him...’
Han Sun-ah thought as much but forced on her saleswoman’s smile.
Whatever vibe she got, he’d been a reliable business partner with no hiccups so far.
“Yes, Village Head. It’s been a while.”
“Alright then, shall we get started?”
The elder asked, his lips curling up slightly.
It was a vague question with no clear subject or object, but Han Sun-ah caught on instantly.
“Yes, I’ll grab it from the car. One sec.”
She nodded and turned toward her car.
And that’s when Han Sun-ah spotted a small girl standing near her car.
‘What’s this? Never seen her before.’
It was the outskirts of the capital region, a tucked-away little neighborhood where even young folks were a rare sight.
Hardly any young people, mostly just seniors.
So a kid that young wandering around alone was downright odd.
Han Sun-ah scanned the girl from head to toe with curious eyes.
“Wow... she’s gorgeous.”
Her mouth fell open as she murmured without thinking.
An elegant dress adorned with black lace.
Porcelain skin and long, straight black hair.
Eyes sparkling like jewels.
In a place full of nothing but old folks—no, even in Seoul—this was a rare beauty.
The girl stared blankly at Han Sun-ah before turning and dashing off somewhere.
Han Sun-ah instinctively reached out to grab her, then snapped back to her senses.
‘What? Why did I try to grab that kid?’
For some reason, she felt drawn to the girl.
Like she’d been bewitched by a ghost.
Realizing she’d moved on autopilot gave her sudden chills.
‘Snap out of it. This isn’t the time.’
Han Sun-ah shook her head to clear the image of the girl, then headed back to the car.
IV bags, needles, tubes...
She pulled out the necessary tools and shut the back door.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder and turning around, the girl was already gone.
‘What? Vanished already.’
Was it okay for a kid to be wandering alone like that?
With that thought, Han Sun-ah walked toward the seniors’ center.
* * *
Lee Jae-hyun furrowed his brow upon hearing the story from Serhen.
“So... she’s selling stolen goods at the seniors’ center?”
“Yeah. They looked pretty useless to me, though. But she was taking money for them.”
Serhen shrugged as she spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a hum and stroked his chin at her words.
No one would buy useless junk for money...
Either Han Sun-ah was running a scam, or Serhen was downplaying it from a demon’s perspective.
Something hugely important or dangerous to humans might hold zero value to a demon.
That realization hit home just how much Serhen wasn’t human—she was a demon.
‘Can’t just brush off anything she calls no big deal from now on.’
He often forgot because of her appearance, but Serhen was unequivocally a demon, not a person.
Something she dismissed could be crucial to him, so he had to stay sharp and not get fooled.
Lee Jae-hyun resolved as much and opened his mouth.
“Either way, we need to check it out.”
One thing was clear: Han Sun-ah was committing crimes at the seniors’ center.
They’d spotted something suspicious, so now it was time to scope out the scene.
“I’ll know what she’s up to once I see it with my own eyes.”
Lee Jae-hyun muttered as he started the car.
* * *
A short while later, he arrived at a seniors’ center about 40 minutes from downtown.
“Didn’t expect a seniors’ center way out here.”
Lee Jae-hyun muttered, glancing around.
He’d driven down a rough unpaved road to a tiny village that made you wonder if anyone even lived there.
He got out and headed toward the building that served as both village hall and seniors’ center.
From the outside, it looked like any ordinary seniors’ center.
Sounds of people inside drifted out.
“There’s the car. She was taking stuff out of it.”
Serhen pointed to a car parked off to the side.
Lee Jae-hyun turned to look at the vehicle she indicated.
A blue Ray parked next to the seniors’ center.
A popular compact for door-to-door sales folks.
Lee Jae-hyun approached the Ray and peered inside.
“Can’t see much through the tint... Does she haul around stuff she doesn’t want seen?”
Even cupping his hands to the window didn’t help much.
The tint was way darker than on normal cars.
Such heavy tinting was rare, making it all the more suspicious.
He shaded his eyes with his hand, and finally the interior came into faint view.
‘Doesn’t look like anything special.’
No obvious cargo.
The only slightly odd thing was a first-aid kit.
But considering her job as a nurse, that wasn’t too weird.
“Guess she already unloaded everything?”
He tilted his head and scanned the seniors’ center.
According to Serhen, she’d grabbed the stuff and headed inside.
The crime-related items might be with Han Sun-ah herself.
Lee Jae-hyun started toward the seniors’ center.
Creak.
As he stepped inside, the grandmas and grandpas eyed the stranger with puzzled looks.
“Who’re you?”
“Hello. Nothing much... I’m scouting neighborhoods to move to with my grandma and saw the center, so I popped in.”
“What’s a young guy doing at a seniors’ center?”
“It’s for my grandma, not me. We live together, but she hates how hectic Seoul is. I was looking for somewhere quiet and peaceful, saw the center, and wandered in.”
“Oh my, what a dutiful grandson. Come on in.”
Lee Jae-hyun spun a casual yarn, and the elders welcomed him warmly.
As he followed them inside, he kept scanning the interior.
‘One entrance? Door inside... Bathroom’s outside, so not that. Small room or storage?’
Habitually checking his surroundings, he mapped escape routes.
Doing this after so long felt like slipping back into his detective days.
Though now it was the future, not the past.
‘Worst case, if Han Sun-ah bolts, just block the path to the parking lot.’
Open fields of paddies and crops all around meant plenty of running room, but that was no issue.
He could just chase her down on foot.
As long as he stopped her from getting in the car.
‘So where’s Han Sun-ah?’
He glanced around for her but didn’t spot her.
No engine sounds, so she had to still be inside.
The moment Lee Jae-hyun thought that, a door to a small room on one side of the seniors’ center swung open, and Han Sun-ah emerged.
Her pupils quivered faintly as her eyes met his.
“Huh?”
Han Sun-ah let out a small sound.
Lee Jae-hyun gave a slight smile.
‘Something’s definitely there.’
Trembling pupils, flustered expression.
Classic reactions when someone’s hiding something.
Whatever it was, something illegal was going down in that room for sure.
Lee Jae-hyun smiled faintly.