Chapter 128: Chapter 1
Kanghyok pulled on a stiff gown that looked starched. Walking with his gown fluttering, he looked pretty proud.
“Hi, Dr. Paek!”
“Oh, hi. Good morning.”
“Are you doing your rounds?”
“Nope, I’m on my way to the director’s office. See you later.”
“Yeah, professor!”
Kanghyok passed by several nurses and got on an elevator.
His handsome look, reflected in the mirror, looked more handsome today of all days.
He was competent enough to be a full professor in his early 30s.
He had broad shoulders, a good build, and a fair face of an intellectual. He was even good at drinking and dancing. So, there were lots of women trying to win over his heart. As he himself liked to play with them, he made love with several women. He even had sex two or three times a day.
The problem was he didn’t yet find a woman whom he truly loved.
‘I’m afraid he might ask me again to meet some professor’s daughter.’
Why should he meet a girl who was a total stranger to him?
If the woman was a professor’s daughter, it would be hard for him to easily break up after dating her for some time.
He just hated exclusive dating with a girl.
Ding dong.
While he was agonizing over it, the elevator stopped at the top floor.
There was a small door on the left, and another door inside it. Only when he entered could he meet the director.
When Kanghyok approached, the secretary said hello.
“Prof. Paek, could you wait a moment?”
“Sure.”
When he was informed of Kanghyok’s arrival, he threw the inside door open.
“Prof. Paek, come on in,” said the director in a cheerful voice as usual.
‘He must have a reason for calling me.’
With a sigh he walked into the director’s room.
He noticed a black bag at the side. He would have ignored it as a rule, but he felt something strange about it today.
The director was standing, waiting for him even before he came in.
“Hi, Prof. Paek. Come on in.”
“How are you, director?”
“Sorry to call you like this even though you’re busy.”
“No worries. I don’t have any particular schedule today.”
The director kept rubbing his hands together as if he wanted to say something embarrassing to Kanghyok.
‘He did the same thing last time when he asked me to play golf.’
Trying to smile, Kanghyok waited for him to speak.
“You know our chairman, right? I mean the chairman of our hospital.”
How was it possible that he wouldn’t know? Kanghyok nodded quickly.
“Chairman wants you to make a house call for him. He says he wants to introduce a lady to you when you come...”
“House call?”
“Oh, I felt it a bit strange that you have to make a house call, but the chairman strongly insisted on it.”
“Oh, I see...”
He looked at the director, letting out a sigh.
As for the chairman of Chungmu Hospital, he is Chairman Lee of Chungmu Group, the largest and best business conglomerate in Korea. Chungmu Group was famous as a patriotic company, too.
Accordingly, if Chairman Lee asked Kanghyok to make a house call, it would be better for him to do so even if Lee was in the demilitarized zone now.
“I have already asked my secretary to pack a bag. Chairman Lee asked for lots of medicine. If you look into it, it contains his routine pills and some other container. Just give it to him, pretend not to know it.”
It was inevitable for Kanghyok to make a house call now.
“What time does he want me to come?”
“You said you don’t have any schedule today, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Just start now. Let me get the car ready.”
“Haha, okay.”
“Sorry about that. Won’t you think positively? I know you’re not interested in women, but if you have to get married, isn’t it good to meet a girl by way of the chairman’s introduction?”
“Got it. Let me go now.”
“Great. Take care.”
Carrying a black bag, he got in a black sedan.
The sedan stopped in front of a personal museum in Hanamdong. As the sign of the museum was so small, people would not know that it was even a museum.
When the driver operated the mechanism for the door, it opened.
“You can come in now.”
“Oh, thanks.” Kanghyuk went in, lowering his head awkwardly. He was always confident in his words and actions, but not here.
It looked shabby inside. There was a long hallway with the lights blinking.
‘Rather, it looks scary here, not shabby.’
“Are you Prof. Paek?”
“What the heck? Who is it?” Kanghyuk looked around the hallway. Looking closely, he noticed a camera on the ceiling.
“Chairman?”
“Yes, just walk along the hallway and come inside.”
“Oh, I see. Got it.”
The order of the mighty chairman.
Kanghyok could not refuse it.
He was also his benefactor.
When Kanghyok was a resident, he treated his secretary in the emergency room by chance. The chairman was most likely impressed by his service.
While walking, he strongly smelled something like old dirt. All the rooms on both sides of the hallway were full of antiques. At a glance, he felt that there were lots of antiques that an individual was not supposed to keep.
‘I heard the chairman was eccentric, but how come he called me here?’
Now, he was approaching the last room in the hallway. He found the door ajar, and heard somebody inside murmuring something. It must be the chairman’s voice, but he had no idea what he was mumbling about.
‘Looks like it’s not Korean language.’
When he stood before the door which was slightly open, he felt a little pitiful. “Ehem.”
“Come on in!”
Opening the sliding door, Kanghyok went in. He smelled the nice fragrance of tea.
‘Is it puer tea?’
He saw a very old man with grey hair sitting on a cushion. It was difficult to know how old he was by the look of his face.
According to the director, the chairman’s face was still the same as that in his youth. The chairman had a ruddy complexion, plus ample proportions. He might have been a military general in the old days. At least, he was not sick enough to call for a house call.
“It’s been a while!”
“Yes, you’re right. How are you, chairman?”
“Hmmm.”
He stared at Kanghyok silently without even asking him to have a seat.
“As you’re here, just check my blood pressure.”
“Yes, sir.”
How can he ask for a house call and then have Kanghyok, a surgeon, check his blood pressure? Kanghyok felt he should check his own first.
Controlling his troubled mind, he took out a sphygmomanometer.
“Can I have your arm?”
“Sure.”
“Your arm feels firm. It’s normal, 120 over 80.”
“Really? Maybe because I play golf these days. It’s good.” With a smile he sipped tea.
“Do you also enjoy tea?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Try this.”
Kanghyok sipped the tea he poured in a cup. He felt a bit relaxed at the sweet fragrance of the tea. Only then could he take a view of the room.
There was a variety of antiques and works of art that he felt he must have seen somewhere. In particular, the large sword hung on the wall behind his back looked impressive.
“Are you interested in antiques?”
At his question, Kanghyok smiled.
As he was previously a member of a calligraphy club back in college, he seemed a bit interested.
“Yes, I like it.”
“Really? Won’t you look at this?” The chairman took out a scroll from a drawer carefully.
It was a very old and worn-out scroll.
As it was stained with red, it was difficult to identify whose portrait it was.
He felt the scroll was not valuable enough for the chairman of Chungmu Group to possess.
But he couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Kanghyun began to focus on it before he knew.
The chairman said, as if he thought as much, “It’s a great picture, isn’t it?”
Though he spoke in a strange tone, Kanghyok didn’t sense it. Something like a strong yearning felt from the picture was disturbing Kanghyok’s focus.
“What did you say? This person, no, are there two here? Who is it?”
“I don’t know exactly who it is. I see a sword right next to that...”
Obviously, the sword in the picture was the same as the one hung on the wall of his room.
There were also a swing, a lone rope, books, an inkstone, a brush and acupuncture needles in the picture.
It seemed the chairman knew something about the picture and he looked very anxious to inform Kanghyok about it.
But Kanghyok was still staring at the picture.
“This looks like a couple...”
Kanghyok pointed at the two shadows at the forefront. It was impossible to tell a man from a woman, but Kanghyok was sure it was a couple.
“Really? Does it look like a couple to you?”
“Well, I am not so sure, but...”
Kanghyok felt like he was enchanted by the picture.
Huck.
As if he was bewitched by something, Kanghyok put his hand on the scroll.
The chairman murmured, “Exactly,” but he did not stop Kanghyok.
The moment Kanghyok’s hand touched the scroll, he felt the world was turned upside down.
He felt like he needed to hold onto something, but he could only hold onto the black bag he had.
He heard the chairman shouting in the distance, but he couldn’t understand it as if it distorted into the buzzing of mosquitoes.
In what felt like no time at all, somebody shook Kanghyok to wake him up.
“Master, master! You are not going to sleep, are you?”
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