Chapter 140
"Hey, hey! A visitor just showed up in the youngest punk's room, and he's insanely hot."
"Who is it?"
"Looks like a lawyer."
"No way, hot? Can I go see him?"
"Not now—sneak a peek when you head out later."
"Good call. But why's a lawyer even here? For the youngest punk's case?"
"Seems like it."
This was the voices of the staff at the desk earlier. I was back in the office, fiddling with the recorder I'd pulled from the flowerpot and playing it back, when Oh Yanghun suddenly glanced my way at this part. Nothing too crucial.
"Ah, I just wish that youngest punk's trial or whatever would wrap up quick so he can get discharged. This is driving me nuts."
"Tell me about it. Total personality wreck."
I'd figured Go Yunseong's antics were bad, but if the nurses were banding together to trash him like this, it might surpass even my expectations.
"Making his lackey fetch food and not even cleaning up after—it's infuriating. It's not like they ordered from some Chinese joint; they just leave the food bags piled up right outside the room."
"Ugh, I was walking down the hall, didn't see it, kicked it, and all the scraps spilled out. I nearly burst into tears."
"Wasn't that just emptied scraps with the trash left like that?"
"No way. They don't even consolidate the food waste into one bowl—they just stack the dishes as is. The cleaning lady's face was ruined when she had to deal with it."
Hospital food tastes like crap even in the VIP rooms, apparently. I got why they'd order out, but these petty habits revealed Go Yunseong's mindset. He probably didn't even realize it, but it pissed off the staff big time. And it wasn't occasional—just one meal out? Nah, every damn day.
The nurses ripped into him pretty harshly, but soon the topic shifted entirely. With Go Yunseong's hospitalization dragging into its sixth week, they'd probably vented all they wanted about him by now.
"Go Yunseong's faking it, right? Pretty much confirmed?"
"Circumstantially, yeah. But even if we submit this recording straight to court, it won't prove malingering."
"True. It's not an internal issue, and someone hospitalized six weeks from a beating can still eat fine. Forcing this out just proves he's an asshole, nothing more."
"Any way to pinpoint when that bastard brought the PlayStation into his room? Arm in a cast, covered in injuries—he couldn't have gamed early on."
"Practically impossible."
Even if we lucked into hallway CCTV, his entourage would've packed it in a bag anyway. I toyed with the recorder as the nurses' chatter flowed, lost in thought.
What we needed boiled down to two things. First: prove Go Yunseong wasn't injured. Second: prove Oh Sanghyeon was beaten by him.
No luck on the first despite bugging the place, so shelve it. Focus on the second.
Best bet: secure the site CCTV. But with prosecutors burying it, not easy. Instead, I'd requested docs from Oh Sanghyeon's hospital proving his ER arrival time. He woke up three hours post-incident, so no help there.
CCTV caught Go Yunseong carried out by his men, timestamping the alley fight's end. Construction site to hospital: about 20 minutes on foot. If the gap between CCTV and arrival matched, it dodged suspicions of Oh Sanghyeon getting jumped elsewhere or self-harm to smear Go Yunseong.
But it wouldn't clinch one-sided assault. Even cleared, Go Yunseong would claim his men hurt Oh Sanghyeon defending him—slipping free himself.
"Quit yapping and get back to your stations!"
A sharp middle-aged woman's voice cut through the recorder then. It startled not just me but Oh Yanghun and Kang Minjae mid-discussion. Irritable high pitch—not one of the chatting nurses.
"Sorry…."
"1806's calling! Who's on it?"
"M-me!"
"Move your ass!"
Then a bang! Door slam, probably.
"Ugh, she's so damn annoying. Her voice alone gives me a migraine."
"I can handle asshole patients, but that woman's too much stress."
"Ha… Yeah. Wish Nurse Soo would come back."
"Texted her a bit ago—she seems settled at her new place. Loves it. Great mountains, fresh air. But wouldn't say where. Kinda hurt my feelings, especially after inviting me to visit."
"Three weeks gone; makes sense she'd adjust."
"Sigh. Back to work."
Rustling followed briefly, then silence. Total 30-ish minutes recorded, 22 with talk. I listened through the last eight hoping for more chatter—nothing.
"Nurses have it rough. Dealing with assholes like Go Yunseong under a bitchy head nurse."
Kang Minjae shook his head. I agreed. Worked under toxic bosses before—exhausting.
"Gonna take this call." Kang Minjae flashed his ringing phone and headed to the balcony. Oh Yanghun and I sat on the sofa, pondering.
Then I spoke up. "Manager Oh. That resigned head nurse might testify Go Yunseong's faking."
His furrowed brow eased as he nodded. "Could be. Only three weeks at the new gig—likely quit after his admission, so she'd know. Ex-employee, less pressure than current Wooshin nurses."
"Exactly. Wooshin retaliation? Worst case, demotion to a branch or firing. She's already gone, low risk."
Good mountains, clean air—probably some quiet rural clinic.
"Actually, might not be a simple quit."
"…Not simple?"
"Friction with Go Yunseong? Maybe she pissed him off and got pushed out."
I leaned toward that over voluntary move. Rare for a major hospital's VIP ward head nurse to bolt to the sticks without reason, timing matching his stay perfectly.
"Yeah, possible. At her level, she wouldn't quit over one short-term patient like him."
"Issue is, if so, less 'quit' and more 'demoted to a branch.'"
"Hm… Still on Wooshin payroll, tough for her to testify against him."
Oh Yanghun sounded worried.
"Not confirmed, so have Taesik track her location."
He picked up his phone. Answered quick.
Oh Yanghun: "Yeah, it's me. Call me office manager now—left the prosecutors' office."
Taesik: "Oh, right. Just 'Manager Oh' then?"
Oh Yanghun: "Yep."
Taesik: "What's up, Manager Oh?"
Taesik couldn't resist teasing even knowing he'd catch flak. Oh Yanghun skipped it, straight to business.
Oh Yanghun: "Wooshin Hospital VIP ward had a head nurse quit recently."
Taesik: "Head nurse?"
Oh Yanghun: "At least three weeks ago, maybe more."
Taesik: "Find her?"
Oh Yanghun: "She's at some rural hospital now."
Taesik hemmed and hawed, no firm yes.
Oh Yanghun: "Short on info?"
Taesik: "Her coworkers don't know where."
Oh Yanghun: "If we did, wouldn't bug you."
Taesik: "Fair. No name or age?"
Oh Yanghun: "Nope. We could dig, but you'd do it cleaner. If they catch wind we're interested, they might move first."
Taesik: "Got it—better if I handle, even if it takes time?"
Oh Yanghun: "Yeah—"
Cha Juhan: "No. You track her, fast."
Taesik: "Manager Oh, that lawyer's got issues, right?"
Oh Yanghun: (laughing)
Cha Juhan: "Tomorrow good?"
Taesik: "Wasn't gonna say it, but Lawyer, you crazy?"
Oh Yanghun cracked up. A day might be tight. Taesik was faster than his first gigs, but peak speed? Unknown.
Cha Juhan: "Deal: 200,000 won extra per day early."
Taesik: "Contact tomorrow."
Click. Tease, cuss me out, then deliver?
"Taesik's adorable. All talk, no bite." Oh Yanghun stretched, grinning. Nothing left but wait on him and hospital docs—send them home. I'd brainstorm more solo.
"Head out."
"Sure. Kang's call dragging, though." Oh Yanghun peeked at the balcony.
Then—
"Ah! Aah! Lawyer!"
The balcony door flew open as Kang Minjae burst in.
"Mid-call, it hit me—that head nurse? Probably fired for pissing off Go Yunseong! She could testify he's faking! Tell Taesik to find her!"
Great idea, terrible timing.