Director Kim's Fall... and the Three Women I Met in the Hospital Room
"Kyaaaah! Chief!"
With a deafening crash, the desk employees' screams sent my head spinning.
'What is this... Shock like this... and this dirty, burning feeling dripping down.'
"Blood... blood! Blood is pouring from the Chief's head!"
I stared at her with a blank, stupid expression as she screamed in panic.
"Eh...?"
"What should we do! What are we going to do with our Chief!"
-The sight blurred as blood from my head began to drip, tinting everything red.
Yes... as foolish as it sounded, I finally understood.
The flowerpot I had so carelessly placed on the desk had fallen and smashed my head.
"Kuh... kuhuk... kuaaaaah!"
My despairing scream echoed through the room as Director Kim's face, which had been flushed red, drained of all color and turned deathly white.
"What on earth is happening here?! Director Kim Kyung-tae! Are you out of your mind!"
Self-sabotage blackmail was, of course, an art form of perfect timing.
She appeared exactly when the moment demanded, glaring at Director Kim as if she intended to kill him.
The desk employee I had been about to call the police was interrupted by none other than the woman I had been waiting for.
Lee Ji-yeon, the reporter!
A definite evidence to give Director Kim the mark of violence.
A definite card to perfect the media's opinion in our favor.
"You... what exactly are you doing right now?"
"A-ah, this isn't what I meant...!"
"Then is this boy saying he slammed his own head into the flowerpot on his own?"
'Yes... although I look stupid, that's the truth, noona.'
Director Kim was, without a doubt, a complete idiot.
Why wouldn't anyone be? A madman wouldn't smash his head into a flowerpot with no compensation at all.
Director Kim merely stared at the absurd incident that had befallen him with a dazed expression.
"Just wait and see, Director Kim. I'm definitely going to make you eat humble pie!"
-Click, click. The moment I received the call, she rushed over like a bullet and took countless photos while fuming.
The more she did it, the more Director Kim's face, which had been deathly white, began to turn pitch black as if he were dying.
The blood-soaked red floor... and Director Kim's contemptuous expression standing right in front of me.
The headline of Dong-in Ilbo tomorrow morning would look absolutely beautiful... and utterly devastating.
'Still... I'm a little sad about it. We shared such a hot night last night.'
Should I say it was inevitable that it had to be Lee Ji-yeon...?
She showed no interest in me whatsoever, only caring about her exclusive scoop, even as I lay collapsed on the floor.
'Truly... I have to admit her reporter spirit.'
I raised my thumb toward her while my consciousness was still fading.
'Still... noona... that timing was perfect...!'
"Hey! Minhyuk, snap out of it! Hey, buddy! Come on, wake up!"
-Thud.
The last thing I heard was Jong-seok-hyung running toward me and the chaotic sound of the ambulance.
Then I lost consciousness.
*
*
*
Inside the ambulance speeding like a madman through the city.
Flashing... flashing... scenes flashed through my consciousness as I regained awareness.
Jong-seok-hyung's concerned face looking down at me.
Lee Ji-yeon's face, furiously talking on the phone with panic.
And Si-a noona... wait, Si-a noona? Her face looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
'Isn't this noona getting acting lessons right now?'
That noona... at this exact time, she should be receiving acting lessons.
The ultra-elite acting teacher I had worked so hard to secure...!
Even as my consciousness faded, I forced words out toward her.
"Si-a... noona... acting... lessons..."
"Wh-what...?"
"Si-a noona... acting lessons..."
"Die... dying message...?"
Reporter Lee Ji-yeon... do you really want to kill me?
A dying message...!
Tsk... my head was spinning so badly I could barely speak properly.
'Jong-seok-hyung... come here.'
And why does this useless hyung keep shoving his own face right in front of mine...?
I want to talk to Si-a noona, not to hyung...!
This guy didn't have the slightest intention of backing off.
"Chief Kang! Hey, are you with us? Speak louder... what is this guy saying!"
"Si-a... noona... Si-a noona..."
The moment I heard my own name.
Kim Si-a, as if her mind had completely snapped, shoved Representative Lee Jong-seok aside and rushed to me.
"Hieeeng! Minhyuk! Noona's here! Noona's right here!"
She embraced me as if I were about to fall, bringing her lips close to my ear.
'Was she showering just now...?'
A soft, refreshing scent brushed my nose.
And the envious gaze of the paramedic sitting nearby...
Kya! I love this feeling of being managed by the Chief!
But this was not the time to enjoy such looks.
"Acting lessons..."
"Hieeek! Wh-what acting lessons?"
"Si-a noona has to go to acting lessons..."
"G-go to acting lessons...?"
I nodded and lost consciousness once more, slipping into sleep,
While the three people looking down at me began to stare at me as if I were crazy.
Even the paramedic with the envious gaze in the corner...!
*
*
*
'Noisy...'
Through my fading vision, people began talking in low voices again.
'This place... it's a hospital, right... a private room?'
It was dizzy... and my head was ringing.
Let me organize my thoughts.
I had thrown myself at the desk, and the flowerpot on top had smashed into my head.
And I remembered the ambulance arriving...
My memories stopped there.
I had no recollection of why I was in a private room... or how long I had been here.
"Excuse me... reporter-nim, you can go now. I'll take care of the rest here."
"No~ Si-a, didn't you hear what Minhyuk said? You have to go to your acting lessons."
"No, reporter-nim, you're the outsider here."
I could feel it. Even while smiling and speaking, the force behind her words was clearly directed at me.
"Aigoo~ Still, Minhyuk is lying here like this, where am I supposed to go?"
"Besides... reporter-nim, you seem very close to Chief Kim, don't you? You keep calling him Minhyuk."
"Of course. We're super close."
-Crack... The sound of Si-a noona grinding her teeth vibrated in my ear.
'Should I pretend to be asleep again...?'
Well... was this some kind of catfight among actresses?
Suddenly, old memories flashed through my mind.
I had seen plenty of actress-reporter feuds before...
But what baffled me now was why they were doing this right in front of the hospital room where I had fainted...
Awake people couldn't even sleep peacefully...
Seeing someone who's fainted like this was something I had never seen before.
'As expected... I must be awake, right?'
It was not the time to lie around lazily here.
I still had to wrap up the Director Kim case,
Meet PD Park Ji-ho and hurry to tell Si-a noona about her next project.
Right now was the precious one minute, one second when Si-a noona, this company, and I could achieve explosive growth...
It was not the time to waste precious time lying here.
I tried to push through the throbbing headache and move my body, but...
When I heard Reporter Lee's voice, I closed my eyes again and pretended to be asleep.
'I was done for... seriously...!'
If I woke up now, I would definitely get several smacks on my back.
p>Every time I got hurt, mom would smack my back several times...
I always found her hand far more painful than the actual injury.
"What are you doing, you crazy reporter! What kind of stunt are you pulling now...? Huh? This isn't the place...?"
With her entrance, an eerie silence fell over the hospital room.
The three of us froze in mutual shock.
She had rushed here in a panic after receiving the call about the accident, but what she found waiting was the most beautiful actress and reporter in the world.
And she had come to guard the room of the man she loved, only to find his mother had appeared out of nowhere.
They collided like a scene straight out of a drama, without any warning.
"This isn't the place...? The doctor clearly said this is my son's hospital room."
Immediately, Reporter Lee's voice, bright and cheerful, rang out and sent chills down my spine.
"Right?"
"Yes?"
"Correct~ That's right! It's Kim Si-a, isn't it?"
Suddenly, the words that had slipped from Reporter Lee's mouth flashed through my mind.
'Mom said Kim Si-a is so pretty~ Go on, do something with Kim Si-a!'
Tsk... if I ever uttered a weird thing like that, there would be no worse black mark than this.
"Ah... yes, I am Kim Si-a."
"We heard that our son's company has Kim Si-a... and here she is, right in front of us~!"
"Perhaps...?"
"Yes! I am the mother of the guy who's collapsed here."
Our Reporter Lee's unexpected appearance caused the two women who had been competing over me to freeze instantly.
Kim Si-a's mother... which meant the future mother-in-law of Kang Minhyuk!
The first one to recover was Reporter Lee Ji-yeon.
"Oh~ So you're Minhyuk's mom~ You look so young I mistook you for his noona!"
"Eh... who are you?"
"Ah! Hello, Mrs. Kim. I'm Lee Ji-yeon from Dong-in Ilbo."
Although Lee Ji-yeon had no plans to look into Minhyuk's future, her competitive nature kicked in because of the woman next to her.
'I don't know how the world works, but Kang Minhyuk isn't that bad... and doing that thing with him is a fantasy anyway.'
She blushed, bowed her head politely to my mother, and presented her forehead.
"Ah... yes. But why is our Minhyuk...?"
Kim Si-a, who had only now recovered, desperately wanted to kick the annoying reporter out right then and there.
But she could never behave so rudely in front of her future mother-in-law.
She approached with utmost composure... and warmth, staying close to my mother.
"Hehe~ It's nothing serious, mom~ Just an outsider here for an interview. No need to worry!"
"Oh... I see."
This time, Reporter Lee, who had been wearing a triumphant smile, bit her lip hard.
"Oh~ No, no. He's an extremely close noona to Minhyuk."
"Oh~ Really? I haven't heard of her."
"Here's my business card. If anyone ever bothers you, just call me immediately. I'm Minhyuk's noona, after all."
"Oh~ Thank you. If you're that close to Minhyuk, come eat at our house sometime."
"It's an honor, mom~"
-Click! While Lee Ji-yeon slipped her card into her pocket, the eyes of Kim Si-a and Lee Ji-yeon met, sparking intense rivalry.
"Besides... why is this boy here when his guests have come...?"
"I guess he got hurt badly... What should I do, mom...?"
"Eh...? Si-a, are you really that close to our Minhyuk?"
"Yes... Minhyuk is my... my manager! I was wondering if I could visit your house once...?"
"Oh, then it's my honor! I am a huge fan of Kim Si-a!"
"Hehe... really? Then it's okay if I come too, right, mom?"
"Oh, of course. Anytime, anytime~"
My mother's shoulders began to rise wildly.
Of course she would.
She had been offered the chance for a TV star and a great reporter to come eat at her house.
It felt strangely nostalgic looking at my lying son's face.
"Besides... your guests are here too... when are you going to wake up?"
-Thud. Her hand grabbed my cheek and I closed my eyes, trying to endure as much as possible, but...
Unable to resist Reporter Lee's icy voice, I had no choice but to open my eyes.
"Kang Minhyuk... you're awake! One... two... three...!"
"Haha! Everyone is energetic and good morning!"
-Flashing, I opened my eyes with that stupid line and looked at them...
And my expected reaction was completely different, leaving me stunned.
"Hey! Kang Minhyuk... how much I worried! Hieeeng..."
Si-a noona threw herself into my arms.
And I felt it—the intense glare of Lee Ji-yeon, who was spitting fire from behind her.