Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2

Well, whichever it was, it didn’t really matter to her. She didn’t have a strong sense of ethic nor desire to help an injured person. She was just doing what she was told.

She just wanted to do what was needed, go back to her room, and curl up like a corpse.

“I’ll remove your clothes since they’re getting in the way of the treatment.”

Heeju picked up a knife and cut away the vinyl packaging. As she made each cut, the fabric clinging to the man’s body fell away.

His upper body, soaked in a dark, sticky liquid, was exposed. She had expected to see tattoos of tigers, dragons, or snakes, typical of gangsters who used intimidation to get what they wanted. But the man’s skin was surprisingly unmarked.

Instead, large and small scars caught her attention. She ignored the cuts and abrasions, but her gaze stopped at the gunshot wound on his shoulder.

How could he have been shot in South Korea, where guns are illegal? Judging by the healed state of the wound, the bullet seemed to have passed through the man’s right shoulder from back to front. It was likely a .45 caliber round.

Heeju scanned the man’s body, covered in menacing scars, before raising her eyes to his face. Despite his condition, Gukhyun lifted his chin confidently.

“Like what you see? You can’t take your eyes off me.”

“When you examine a dead man’s body, you can see the life they’ve lived.”

Scars, posture, the curvature of the spine, the patterns of fingerprints, and the calluses on hands and feet—all these details leave traces of a person’s life, like a footprint, whether they want them to or not.

“What do you see in my body?”

“You’ve lived recklessly.”

At Heeju’s response, Gukhyun chuckled, pleased. His upturned lips were surprisingly attractive for a thug, but with his body covered in blood, he looked like a madman.

“I’m flattered. Thanks for the compliment?”

It’s not a compliment, you lunatic, Heeju thought to herself as she cleaned the wound with an alcohol swab.

“If we were at a hospital, we’d use local anesthesia, but since we’re just stitching it up, it might sting a bit. Let me know if it hurts.”

“And if I say it hurts, will you blow on it?”

“No, I’ll just think you’re being a baby. Most of the patients I dealt with were silent.”

When she worked at the forensic lab, she sometimes performed autopsies on more than five bodies a day. How long had it been since she last held a scalpel? She couldn’t even remember.

She felt so weak that she barely had the strength to lift a spoon, and she hadn’t eaten properly all day, so her hands were trembling like a drunk. Heeju slowly clenched and unclenched her hands.

She knew that if she stitched him up in her current state, it would be a mess, but she didn’t care. He didn’t like he would mind adding another scar to his already scarred body.

“How chilly.”

Gukhyun squinted one eye as he placed a cigarette between his lips. Smoking during treatment? Heeju looked at him in disbelief.

He was ridiculous, yet she couldn’t help but notice how sensual he looked as he tilted his head and lit the cigarette. To be honest, he was far too handsome to be living the life of a gangster. But how he chose to live his life with that face was none of her business, nor did she have any intention of getting involved.

While Heeju stitched up the wound, Gukhyun leisurely smoked a cigarette. He took a deep drag, his cheeks hollowing, and exhaled the smoke into the air as he asked, “Why did you try to die?”

She felt his gaze on her, steady and unblinking. The acrid smell of the cigarette mingled with the metallic scent of blood and his strange body odor, faded into the air. Heeju finished the treatment in silence and set down the forceps and scissors.

“It’s done. Anywhere else?”

“I don’t know. You’re the doctor.”

I’m not a doctor, she thought. Apparently, the man had a habit of not listening to others and interpreting things as he pleased.

Heeju switched her grip on the knife and glanced at the man’s lower body, which was still on the bed. His pants were soaked in blood, appearing almost wine-colored. Without hesitation, she set the knife upright and ripped his pants open.