Chapter 103: Unheard Grumbles and Congratulatory Drinks

Ignoring my grandfather’s grumbling, I focused on waiting for the surgery to finish.

Sixteen hours after Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk was wheeled into the operating room, the hospital director and the lead surgeon entered with bright expressions.

“Chairman, the surgery just finished. Fortunately, it was a success.”

Tears welled up at the word ‘success’.

My grandfather clapped his hands and got out of bed.

“That’s a relief. You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much.”

Grasping the lead surgeon’s hand tightly, I could sense his exhaustion. His entire body seemed drained, and his hands trembled, perhaps from the overwhelming fatigue.

“It was my duty. I simply did what I had to do.”

“Mr. Kim Yoon-suk has been moved to the recovery room. Thankfully, the internal damage was minimal, so his recovery should be quick. We’ll monitor his progress and let you know when visitation is possible.”

The surgeon was humble, the hospital director eager for praise. Their roles were clear.

“I’ll express my gratitude separately. You must be tired, go and get some rest.”

“Oh, and Chairman, we haven’t contacted the patient’s guardian separately….”

“I’ve already taken care of it. His family should be on their way here now.”

As the two men bowed and left the room, I let out a long sigh.

“Isn’t this a great relief?”

“Yes. I almost had to carry this heavy burden for the rest of my life.”

“Not for your entire life. Haha.”

“Huh?”

“Gratitude is easily forgotten, but resentment lingers. That’s how people are. You never forget the money you lent to a friend in need and never got back, but you can’t even remember when or who you borrowed from after you’ve spent it all.”

Perhaps that’s true. But isn’t striving to keep those memories alive, so as not to forget the kindness, also human?

Grandfather stopped the serious talk and started talking about drinks again.

“Now I can have a drink, right? What do you say?”

“Yes, we should have congratulatory drinks for the surgery’s success. What would you like to have?”

Grandfather smacked his lips, thought for a moment, and then clapped his hands lightly.

“We haven’t eaten anything today. Let’s get something substantial. How about chicken stew and some dongdongju?”

“In a hospital, fried chicken is the way to go, not boiled chicken.”

“Fried chicken?”

Grandfather looked displeased. Being an older person, he probably didn’t fancy anything too greasy.

“Then let’s have both chicken stew and fried chicken. But let’s keep the drinks light with just one can of beer. Dongdongju is too heavy.”

I asked the employee guarding the room to place the order. Perhaps because of the chicken stew, the food arrived quite late. It was past 10 PM, and it was amazing where they managed to get chicken stew from.

Grandfather blinked at the fried chicken brought into the room.

“What’s this? Why is this fried chicken so dark?”

“It’s soy sauce flavored chicken. Have you never seen it before?”

“What kind of nonsense is this to do to chicken? Did they just dunk it in soy sauce?”

“It’s a delicacy. Would you like to try some?”

Grandfather waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget it. You eat your fill. I’ll have my boiled chicken.”

We toasted with canned beer and started picking at our respective chickens. But as the savory aroma filled the room, Grandfather couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“Give me one of those. It smells quite….”

I handed him a chicken wing with a smile. I watched with curiosity to see his reaction, but it was just as I expected.

His expression changed as the salty-sweet flavor hit his tongue.

Having avoided stimulating foods for his health, this taste must be a whole new world.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s trade.”

Of course.

The taste of chicken after a sip of beer is irreplaceable.

Grandfather’s expression had already turned childlike.

“Don’t eat too much. It’s hard to digest.”

As I offered the soy sauce chicken, the bowl of chicken stew came towards me.

Of course.

Chicken stew and beer aren’t a great combination.

* * *

“Stop pretending to be in pain and tell us the truth. Who ordered you to do it?”

“W-Who are you people?”

“We’re the victim’s family. Why?”

“D-Did he… did he pass away?”

The truck driver was pale with fear due to the pressure emanating from the three men in suits.

“We don’t know yet. But we want to hear something. Was there someone who told you to ram him with your truck?”

“N-No! It was a genuine accident. I just dozed off while driving overnight. Please believe me.”

“Whether we believe you or not is our decision. If you tell us the truth, it’ll be like nothing happened. But if there’s even a hint of a lie, your life is over.”

The truck driver suddenly slid off the bed and knelt on the floor.

“Please have mercy. I haven’t had much work lately and had to drive up with an empty truck. The pay barely covers gas, so I was frustrated and had half a bottle of soju with dinner. The alcohol… I deserve to die.”

The truck driver slammed his head on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably.

Lee Hak-jae, who had been silently observing the scene, slipped out and spoke to the secretary who followed him.

“Dig into this thoroughly. Report anything you find immediately.”

“Yes, Chief of staff.”

The truck driver’s tearful words sounded plausible, but my doubts remained. Something about his words felt off.

“Wouldn’t someone who caused an accident ask, ‘Did the victim die when I first checked on them?’ or ‘Were they badly injured?’ Why would they ask, ‘Did he pass away?'”

“Hmm… Well, wouldn’t the pressure make him speak more formally?”

“Is that so? Alright. Go take care of it.”

Leaving the bowing secretary behind, Lee Hak-jae went up to Chairman Jin’s room.

“The family has arrived?”

“Yes. Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk’s wife and mother are here.”

“Put their minds at ease and arrange a nice place for them to stay nearby, won’t you?”

“I’ve booked a hotel for them. And I’ve kept a hospital room vacant as well. I’ve also assigned an employee to assist them with anything they need.”

“Good job.”

Chairman Jin nodded, seemingly satisfied with Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae’s meticulous arrangements.

“By the way, Chairman.”

“Yes?”

“I haven’t informed them about your condition yet. Perhaps it would be better to tell them about the accident instead.”

Chairman Jin understood Lee Hak-jae’s intention.

“You want to gauge their reactions?”

“Yes. Someone will surely make a move if it wasn’t an accident but a plan.”

“You don’t even consider the possibility of it being a simple accident.”

“I apologize. Wasn’t your move to the intensive care unit also driven by suspicion, Chairman?”

Chairman Jin sighed softly as he looked at the bowing Lee Hak-jae.

“I’ll play along with your hunch. Go ahead with it. Thanks to this, I get to rest here for a few weeks.”

“I’ll tell Do-jun as well. He’s quick-witted and will understand.”

“Alright. Anyway, I’ll rest here, so make sure our kids don’t come into my room.”

“Yes, Chairman. I’ll ensure you have a comfortable rest.”

* * *

Jin Yun-ki, Do-jun’s father, was the first to arrive at the hospital. It’s only natural for a father thinking of his child to move the fastest.

“Hyung-nim!”

Jin Yun-ki, looking pale, spotted Lee Hak-jae blocking the entrance to the intensive care unit and ran over, calling out loudly.

“How’s Do-jun? Is he alright? Is he badly hurt?”

“Calm down. Do-jun is fine. He’s recovering, so wait patiently without worry.”

“Then how’s Father? He’s alright, right?”

Jin Yun-ki’s face turned white as Lee Hak-jae hesitated to answer.

“Yoon-ki! Chief of staff Lee!”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki and the second son, President Jin Dong-ki, arrived next.

To prevent a commotion in the hospital, Lee Hak-jae took the chairman’s sons outside. He explained the accident and the steps taken so far in detail, causing Jin Yun-ki to exclaim.

“But why did Father bring the child all the way here?”

Only Jin Yun-ki, who didn’t understand the significance of Gunsan, would ask such a question.

“Yoon-ki! That’s not the important thing right now!”

The eldest brother’s shout made Jin Yun-ki’s face flush. His father’s well-being was more critical at the moment.

“The Chairman is currently in the recovery room after surgery. The doctors say we’ll know more in about a day.”

Lee Hak-jae’s eyes gleamed as if he were trying to capture every detail of his two sons’ expressions.

“We can’t just stay in some backwater hospital. Let’s move him. To Soonyang Medical Center, or get the best doctors here….”

“Vice-chairman, we need to monitor him for now. Any slight shock could be dangerous. We’ll bring him to Seoul when it’s safe to do so.”

“So, we just wait here twiddling our thumbs?”

Unlike the agitated Jin Young-ki, Jin Dong-ki spoke calmly.

“Chief of staff Lee, what’s the doctor’s opinion? What do they say?”

“They aren’t making any guarantees either. They say we have to wait and see for 48 hours.”

The three sons could only sigh with grim faces.

Lee Hak-jae’s eyes darted around, scrutinizing their expressions and even the movements of their fingers.

“Chief of staff Lee, why weren’t we informed immediately after you were contacted? What is this? For us, his own children, to find out after half a day?”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki’s face was red with anger, but Lee Hak-jae remained composed.

“Those are the Chairman’s instructions. I was simply following the protocol for when the Chairman’s safety is compromised. I apologize if you’re upset.”

The vice-chairman swallowed hard, unable to say anything to Lee Hak-jae, who bowed deeply. What could he do when it was the Chairman’s order?

“Oh, and how’s Do-jun?”

Whether to change the awkward atmosphere or out of genuine concern, President Jin Dong-ki asked about his nephew.

“Do-jun is fine. He’s recovering.”

“Then please excuse me. I need to check on the situation. I’ll report immediately if anything comes up.”

Lee Hak-jae emphasized the word ‘report’ and went back inside the hospital.

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki glared at his retreating figure, displeased.

* * *

When Lee Hak-jae returned to Chairman Jin’s room, the employee guarding the door said.

“Chief of staff, the Chairman isn’t here right now.”

“What? Where did he go?”

“He had to go for another test…. Please follow me. I’ll show you the way.”

Lee Hak-jae followed the employee and arrived at the MRI room.

“Ah, Chief of staff.”

The director came out to the hallway when he saw Lee Hak-jae.

“What’s going on? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s nothing to worry about. There were some questionable areas in the CT scan results, so we’re doing another check. The Chairman readily agreed.”

“So, it’s nothing serious?”

“That’s right. It’s just a precaution to be absolutely sure.”

The hospital director said to the relieved Chief of staff Lee with a slightly somber expression.

“I believe your family members have arrived?”

“I’ll keep them away, so the hospital will remain quiet. Oh, and if you confirm the Chairman’s condition, please proceed as I instructed.”

“Yes. The Chairman also mentioned it, so we’ll trust you and proceed accordingly. Please ensure there are no issues later.”

Just then, Chairman Jin walked out after finishing his test.

“I hear the kids are here?”

“Yes. They’re all very worried.”

“I’m sure they are. Though their reasons for worrying might be different.”

Chairman Jin chuckled, and Lee Hak-jae subtly gestured, reminding him that there were many ears around.

“Let’s go. We can talk in the room.”

“Yes.”

As the two turned to leave, the hospital director said.

“We’ll come to see you as soon as the results are in.”

Chairman Jin didn’t even turn around and simply raised his hand in a casual wave.