Chapter 125.2

Chapter 125.2

A strange fear gripped Seoryeong, and her knees trembled. She clenched her now-cold hands, recalling Kia, who seemed abnormal, and the ‘Sonya’ he had been searching for.

Could the reason they sold Korean children to Russia be related to this? If VeriChip was officially approved in 2004, then Seoryeong was about nine years old at the time.

She found herself calculating her age naturally, feeling strange, and quickly shook her head. But, was it only the US that was so obsessed with chips?

At that moment, Yoo Dawit groaned again, shifting uncomfortably.

“If all this is real, God is going to be very angry.”

Seoryeong gripped the hem of her clothes and hunched her stiff shoulders.

***

“Patient… you shouldn’t be doing this…”

As Seoryeong tossed and turned, a voice, somewhat awkward and distressed, penetrated her ears.

Was that a woman’s voice? But the feeling of her body languidly sinking under gravity was so pleasant that she didn’t want to move her cheek from the soft pillow.

How long had it been since she had slept so peacefully? The thin microfiber sheets gave off a nice smell, and the soft, goose-feather-like sensation against her skin tickled her.

“Patient, you haven’t yet recovered!”

“It’s fine.”

Wait, is that the nurse’s voice? She furrowed her brow and slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, recognizing the familiar ceiling above her.

Where was this again? Seoryeong couldn’t remember exactly how she had fallen asleep. Clinging to the last remnants of her blurry consciousness, she slowly retraced her steps as the soft voice continued in the background.

“By the way, I saw on the chart that today is your birthday… happy, happy birthday.”

“…”

“Then, I’ll take out the IV for you.”

As Seoryeong turned toward the voice, she was met with a familiar patient gown blocking her view.

“――.”

So, right now… was I pushed out of the bed of Lee Wooshin, the patient, and ended up lying down here? Seoryeong bit her tongue in frustration. No wonder the nurse had seemed so uneasy.

Then, the blurry memories from yesterday suddenly came rushing back. Having wandered out of her colleagues’ rooms in a daze, Seoryeong had been overcome with the urge to sleep right away.

She opened a hospital door without thinking.

She had meant to go back to her own room, but when she regained her senses, she found herself in the room with Lee Wooshin, who was lying asleep, breathing quietly. Unable to move, her limbs stiff, she finally retrieved a caregiver’s bed.

But why?

Seoryeong buried her flushed face in the pillow, hesitating. She wanted to get up immediately, but she didn’t want to reveal she was awake, so she kept her eyes shut and waited.

Meanwhile, the nurse’s slightly flustered voice continued addressing Lee Wooshin.

“Um… if there’s anything you’d like to eat. Technically, I shouldn’t, but maybe some iced tea? It’s already early spring, and it’s warming up outside. I could push your wheelchair—”

“Could you lower your voice?”

“Lower than this?”

“Yes.”

His low, emotionless tone stopped the nurse. Although she couldn’t be certain, Seoryeong felt his gaze on her, making her hold her breath. Her face itched as if she was about to sneeze.

“So she doesn’t wake up.”

Though his words lacked a subject, her ears burned at the sound of them.

The nurse let out a breath—part sigh, part exclamation—and focused solely on removing the IV. The sound of peeling tape and the removal of the now-empty IV bag echoed awkwardly in the quiet room.

Before leaving, the nurse emphasized again that the patient should lie down, but Lee Wooshin didn’t respond. Once the door closed fully, his palm pressed against one side of her cheek.

“――!”

The moment the nurse left, Seoryeong snapped her eyes open. Sunlight flooded her vision, making her squint, but soon she could see the light filtering through the curtains and the dust drifting lazily in the air.

Outside the window, the midday view was vibrant with green. Under the clear, cloudless sky, young leaves sprouted like seeds and swayed in the gentle breeze.

She had so much to say to him. But as she momentarily forgot everything and stared out the window, Lee Wooshin tilted her chin toward him. Noticing her puffy eyes, he smirked.

“You look awful.”

His eyes, unlike the previous night, were sharp and focused.

He was no longer a man shrouded in the veil of the past; now, he was present, meeting her gaze directly. The realization drained the tension from her body.

Ah! The nurse was right.

Before she knew it, spring had arrived.