To Me, Who Doesn’t Love You

It would be better to tell Yeonseo if Suhan wanted to warn him. After pausing for a moment, Suhan began to speak.‘This is just a hunch of mine, so don’t take it too seriously.’Yeonseo, who had been dozing off, blinked his eyes open at the preface, clearly curious about what Suhan was going to say.‘Do you really think my accident was just a coincidence?’Yeonseo flinched, and Suhan, who could see his surprised expression even in the darkness, asked in a leisurely tone, as if he knew the whole truth. Yeonseo avoided Suhan’s gaze.‘I… I’m not sure.’When Yeonseo responded with uncertainty, Suhan pointed out with a hint of amusement in his voice.‘Say ‘I don’t know.’ Don’t be so stiff.’Yeonseo kept his lips pressed together and didn’t reply. From the hospital onward, they had heard countless times that there was no evidence suggesting Suhan’s accident was caused by someone else. There was no black box, and Suhan, the only witness and victim, had no memory of the event. The car had been scrapped right after the insurance company reached its conclusion, leaving no room to challenge the decision unless Suhan regained his memory. Still, there were too many odd details for it to be dismissed as simply driver error.‘Think about it. Who stands to gain the most if I disappear? It’s obvious. They’re even wary because I’m working half as if I’m back, thanks to your help.’As Suhan revealed that he was suspicious of a certain person, Yeonseo looked quietly at him.‘Are you suspecting Juno?’Suhan paused for a moment before answering.‘I don’t have any real evidence, but when I prodded, his reaction was odd enough to catch my attention.’Of course, anyone would react nervously if someone said something unsettling. If you ominously told someone driving to be careful, it would be natural for them to feel uneasy—wondering if something might have been done to their car. Even if they hadn’t done anything like that before, especially in this type of relationship, such tension would be expected. But Juno, despite being on the inside like Yeonseo, seemed more wary of Suhan, who was on leave, and that struck Suhan as odd.‘When I said something that annoyed him, he visibly wavered.’Yeonseo’s eyes widened in surprise. Could he have thought Suhan knew something? Suhan quickly explained.‘I didn’t say much. He kept asking what I was thinking and why, so I just told him to drive safely and watch out for accidents.’It was true that his words were unsettling, but they weren’t anything extreme enough to provoke such a reaction—especially if Juno had made it home safely. As Suhan casually lay his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes, Yeonseo watched him quietly in the dark.‘To Juno?’‘Considering we’re not on the best terms, if I were in his shoes, I’d probably think he did something to my car too and be shocked. But the way he reacted seemed like he had a guilty conscience.’Why had he been driving down that road in the first place? And on a provincial highway that seemed to have no relevance to him? As Suhan was about to fall asleep, the answer to the question he had absentmindedly asked came from an unexpected place. Yeonseo hesitated for a moment, biting his lip before revealing a story from over a decade ago.‘It’s not… impossible.’‘…?’Suhan looked at him in surprise, wondering if Yeonseo knew some evidence that he didn’t. Yeonseo, with a hardened expression, continued.‘I heard my brother had an accident when he was a student. I don’t remember it well because I was too young, but… on the way back from a family gathering, our uncle was supposed to drive him home because our parents had an urgent matter. But there was an accident.’A traffic accident itself wasn’t unusual—anyone living in the modern world could experience it once or twice in their life. But the outcome of the accident was what seemed suspicious.‘Fortunately, the airbags deployed properly, and there were no injuries—just a bit of shock. But in that situation, they should have turned right, not left.’Yeonseo’s brother had been involved in a defensive driving accident, swerving to avoid a car that crossed the centerline. Normally, people would swerve left to avoid an obstacle coming from the right, but their uncle had sharply turned the wheel to the left, causing Juno to collide head-on with the other vehicle. Luckily, the other car had slowed down enough to prevent any serious injuries.Their uncle had been waiting to make a left turn, with the blinker already on, and when the moment came, he had reflexively turned the wheel in that direction, as he later testified.‘It’s hard to believe my uncle tried to harm my brother, though.’There were suspicious circumstances, but no concrete evidence. With their uncle’s car heavily damaged as well, it seemed pointless to accuse him of malice. So, they had dropped the issue. Suhan nodded slightly, agreeing with Yeonseo.‘Be careful yourself. You’re the one who has to face him directly at the company.’Suhan had been about to ask Yeonseo if he could probe Juno a bit more, but then quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yeonseo. But was Yeonseo the type of person who could handle such underhanded schemes? Even if he loved Yeonseo, Suhan wasn’t sure he could trust him with that sort of role. Honestly, if Yeonseo just didn’t get taken advantage of, Suhan would consider it a relief.‘Yeonseo is cute… and diligent.’It wasn’t just a lack of trust that held Suhan back from pushing him into such a power struggle—it was also concern. He’d constantly worry if this was the right thing to make Yeonseo do.‘Just focus on your work. I’ll handle the rest.’Then Suhan planted a light kiss on Yeonseo’s exposed forehead, causing Yeonseo to frown faintly, as if annoyed at being treated like a child. But to Suhan, even that reaction was endearing.‘If anything worries or bothers you, tell me.’At Suhan’s kind words, Yeonseo immediately thought of something. But he couldn’t bring it up, fearing that mentioning the phone might shatter the fragile happiness they had like thin ice.Suhan had promised that no matter what, he wouldn’t lose Yeonseo. But would Suhan before he lost his memory have agreed with that? Without any certainty that Suhan’s current state wouldn’t change, Yeonseo could never fully shake the feeling that the sand he’d barely managed to hold onto might slip through his fingers.Still, there was no way he could keep it a secret forever. For Suhan’s sake, Yeonseo knew he had to talk about it soon. While he hesitated, Suhan pulled him tightly into his arms, closing his eyes. The warmth of their bodies pressed together was almost unbearably hot, like they were burning. Even if he melted away like a snowman in the midday sun, Yeonseo didn’t mind. All that mattered was Suhan.You’re the one who made it impossible for me to give up on you. With unspoken resentment, Yeonseo slowly closed his eyes. After confirming that Yeonseo had fallen into a deep sleep, Suhan tossed and turned for a while longer before finally drifting off.* * *The next morning. When Suhan opened his eyes to the morning sunlight, Yeonseo had long since left for work. This leisurely luxury was truly a privilege for the unemployed. With this pathetic thought, Suhan suddenly sat up in bed. If he kept waking up at noon like this, he’d turn into a cow without realizing it. Resolving to set an alarm and wake up at a normal hour like everyone else starting tomorrow, he threw off the blanket and stood up, only to feel a strange chill in his body. It was still the middle of summer. Maybe he’d set the air conditioner too high.Raising the temperature from its normal setting, Suhan left the bed and ate the breakfast Yeonseo had prepared before starting to investigate his own past again.I should check the things I haven’t looked into yet. Since he had recently reissued his digital certificate, Suhan pulled up several years’ worth of transaction records for review. He ignored the small amounts spent on simple online shopping and living expenses, focusing on the large sums that had been withdrawn. A pattern in the spending habits of the person known as Suhan began to emerge.‘Was I insane about food?’Given that he had been involved in high-end dining, it was no surprise that he ate well, but splurging on meals costing hundreds of thousands of won per person and wines priced in the millions was extravagantly over the top. Suhan glanced at the wine fridge on the balcony. Selling just that would probably be enough to live off of for a few years. He then recalled how he’d once enthusiastically swiped his card for 400 won at a discount ice cream shop, and let out a hollow laugh. No wonder it must have seemed odd. They probably worried that the accident had ruined his sense of taste.Apart from that, when the amount seemed a bit high, it was usually from an outlet or a luxury store, giving the impression that the person wasn’t someone who saved money or spent frugally. Instead of making small purchases frequently, it felt like whenever they did spend, it was a large amount. I mean, considering their well-known personality, it would be even funnier to imagine them relieving stress by ordering late-night chicken or snacks.Suhan smirked as he scrolled through the list, but then frowned at a strange entry from about two years ago. Up until then, even the largest payments were only in the range of several million won at most, but suddenly, the figure jumped up by an extra digit.[○○ Hospital]It was a payment record from a university hospital in the capital, a place where he thought he had no connections. Why had such a large sum been spent? Curious, he looked at the records before and after, and saw a few more payments to the same “○○ Hospital.” There were only four transactions in total over the period he was reviewing, but each one was substantial. Just from those four payments, the total spent at this hospital over the past three years amounted to at least tens of millions of won.“Was I sick?”Suhan tried to gauge the distance to the hospital. If traffic wasn’t bad, he could get there within an hour by car. If he had been ill, wouldn’t Yeonseo have known? Or had he kept the treatment secret even from Yeonseo? Could it have been a serious illness that required regular care, but worsened because of the accident, preventing him from getting proper treatment? A shiver ran down his spine. But soon, his hazy thoughts started to clear.“If that were the case, the tests would have caught it already.”Suhan had undergone dozens of tests during his hospital stay. He had weekly blood tests, X-rays, and other strange scans. There was no way the hospital wouldn’t have noticed something. And they would have definitely told him. So, had it been a condition that was completely cured, one that he no longer needed to worry about? Rather than speculating on his own, it was a hundred times better to check directly. Suhan found the hospital’s contact number and called the reception desk.“Hello, I’m calling to inquire about some payment records.”It might sound ridiculous to ask about money he had already spent, but since it was his own medical record, there was no reason they couldn’t tell him after confirming his identity. At worst, they might ask him to come in person to check. He drummed his fingers nervously on the table as he waited, hearing the staff member put the phone down to check. The receptionist didn’t return for a while, making it feel like they were intentionally dragging things out. Finally, the staff member came back, accompanied by the sound of typing.— Ah, just a moment. You’re asking about the payment on July 24th of XX year, right? The last four digits of your card number are XXXX and XXXX?“Yes.”Suhan, on edge as he waited for the receptionist’s response, soon heard something completely unexpected.— This payment is under patient Lim Jungseon. Do you need a reissued receipt for documentation purposes?Those three characters were a name Suhan had seen before.[Interbank Transfer] [Lim Jungseon] [3,000,000 won][Interbank Transfer] [Lim Jungseon] [5,000,000 won][Interbank Transfer] [Lim Jungseon] [2,300,000 won]It was the name on the transfer records, which ranged from a few million to tens of millions of won. Shocked, Suhan hastily declined the receptionist’s offer.“No, it’s fine.”This wasn’t the time for that. Regaining his composure, Suhan quickly added, knowing how odd it would sound.“Sorry, but could I possibly get the contact information for the patient?”Lim… If he remembered correctly, his mother’s surname, as shown on the family register when she reissued her ID, was also Lim. It could be a relative, possibly from his mother’s side. As Suhan clutched his phone, waiting for the receptionist’s response, they replied in a slightly perplexed tone.— Didn’t you claim the body last year? I’m not sure what you mean….Claim the body? It was shocking enough to find out that the person to whom he had been sending money and covering hospital bills was already dead, but the idea that he had personally claimed the body made his head spin. And last year, no less?Suhan, realizing that this call was the only thread connecting him to the truth, clung to it and asked,“By any chance, how am I listed in relation to the patient?”If he had covered the patient’s payments more than once, there might be some record of their relationship in the system. Holding onto a thread of hope, Suhan received an answer that felt like a blow to the head.— You’re listed as the patient’s son. Is there anything else you need assistance with?The voice was firm, almost as if dealing with a prank call. Behind the phone, the counter seemed busy as someone impatiently complained about the wait.— Zzz…Could you please hurry up? How long are you going to make me wait…Click…Startled by the irritated voice, Suhan quickly responded.“Oh, yes, sorry. Thank you.”After abruptly ending the call, the shock he had been holding back hit him like a wave. But the name of his parent, as confirmed in the hospital’s records, was different. Had there been a name change? Why? Checking again, the name was definitely different.Lim Jungseon, Lim Seonhi. If the name previously used was Lim Jungseon and the current name was Lim Seonhi, there didn’t seem to be any particular reason for the change. The names weren’t unusual enough to warrant immediate notice. Why would someone suddenly change their name right before their death? There were many suspicious aspects. Of course, it could be some strange family circumstance, but considering the recent passing, it was highly likely they were the same person.If they had passed away recently, they likely hadn’t been in good health for the past few years. It was also a mystery where all that money had gone. Even if it had all gone toward medical bills, adding up all the payments he had sent over the years amounted to hundreds of millions of won. What had a long-term patient spent that much money on? If there was any remaining balance, there might be a record of inheritance. Just as Suhan was pondering what documents to check to look into any inheritance records, the hospital called back.“……?”Suhan, filled with doubt, answered the call, and the hesitant voice of the receptionist from earlier drifted through the phone.— Hello, this is ○○ Hospital, we spoke earlier.“Oh, yes. Go ahead.”He turned on the recording button on his phone and waited for the next words, only to be met with more unexpected confusion.— This isn’t something we usually do, but… it seems that a patient who shared the same room as Lim Jungseon had been asking our staff for some time. They’ve finally made contact and insist that we pass a message to her son.Suhan had a bad feeling right away, and his instincts were usually right when it came to such ominous premonitions.— The patient claims that Lim Jungseon owes them money. Would you be willing to get in touch? If you’re uncomfortable with your contact information being shared, maybe you could arrange a meeting instead.Even after receiving such a large amount of money, she had borrowed from those around her? He didn’t know the amount or the circumstances, which made him feel uneasy. But since he had already decided to dig into the past, it was better to resolve things than to leave them buried. Suhan calmed his surprised heart and replied steadily.“Yes, I’ll make time and visit in person.”After hanging up, Suhan felt drained, as if all his energy had been sucked out by just a brief phone call. The fact that an unexpected debt had surfaced was one thing, but finding out that the strange transfer records had been in his mother’s name before she changed it was equally unsettling. Since there were no transfer records under her new name, it meant she had changed her name just before passing away. Or perhaps, after the name change, she had made the payments in cash. As he scanned through the account usage history to check for large cash withdrawals, several noteworthy records caught his eye. They weren’t checks but cash withdrawals.Had his mother been in significant debt? Had she worked herself to the bone like a money-obsessed person just to pay off those debts? If the constant outflow of money for hospital bills and debt repayment was for that reason, it made sense. Given that he was a well-known broadcaster and the people around his mother likely knew he was her son, she might have been desperate to pay back her debts to avoid affecting his career.But what had she done? Ordinary people don’t borrow such large sums without reason. Maybe she had started a business or acted as a guarantor… Suhan, running through various scenarios in his head, eagerly awaited the day he had arranged with the hospital. With a sliver of hope, like grains of sand, he clung to the possibility of finally uncovering some truth.“You’re back?”As always, evening arrived, and Suhan greeted Yeonseo with a smile. Yeonseo, who stepped into the doorway with his usual slightly tense expression, relaxed a little when he saw Suhan’s face and responded more gently.“Yes.”Suhan naturally took Yeonseo’s coat and immediately asked the most important question.“Today was your first day at the new job, right? How did it go?”There was no need to clarify who he was talking about. Yeonseo slowly nodded and answered.“Nothing special. We just had a small internal welcoming party, then set up a meeting to review past work, and ended with a brief status report.”“They really go all out for the smallest things.”A welcome party, huh? It wasn’t even like he left under good circumstances. They called it overseas business development, but in reality, it was just an office managing a few export and import staff, and they dumped him there. Everyone must know it was practically a demotion. And with the person who ousted him from the company now absent and their return uncertain, it wasn’t surprising there were those trying to cozy up to the new power.“Were you at the welcome party too?”At Suhan’s disinterested question, Yeonseo hesitated for a moment. The entire team had attended, so he couldn’t avoid it. But he was worried Suhan might feel disappointed or criticize him if he told the truth. However, lying was something Suhan would dislike even more, so Yeonseo mustered up some courage and answered truthfully.“Yes.”Should he offer an excuse, saying he had no choice? But if he kept talking, what if Suhan found it suspicious and wondered if something had really happened? While Yeonseo hesitated, Suhan casually spoke.“You did well. Did they bring cake or something for the party?”“…?”Yeonseo instinctively nodded, surprised by Suhan’s nonchalant reaction, when he had expected him to be a bit sulky.“Yes, there was a café on the first floor….”Then, Suhan responded in a way that Yeonseo could never have imagined.“You should’ve just eaten the cake, like half of it, in one big bite. The look on that guy’s face would’ve been priceless.”Suhan even lamented that he hadn’t done that, saying the person probably didn’t even touch it. Yeonseo, although quite taken aback, couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Suhan regretting not taking the chance to mess with that guy.“Next time, just pretend it’s a mistake and throw the cake in his face.”It would have been a total disaster for anyone else, but being the son of the chairman’s family, would he really be afraid of any consequences? As Suhan added words that were impossible to tell if they were a joke or serious, Yeonseo couldn’t hold back and his shoulders shook with laughter.“Yes, haha… I’ll definitely do that next time.”“Alright, what’s done is done. Let’s eat dinner now. I’m hungry from waiting.”After they naturally followed their usual routine of eating dinner together, there was still plenty of time before bed. Suhan stacked the dishes neatly into the dishwasher with Yeonseo, then brewed some tea for dessert and brought it to the table in the living room. He hesitated for a moment. The hospital where his presumed mother was admitted wasn’t that far away. He could easily go alone, and there was no need to inconvenience Yeonseo by syncing their schedules. Taking a taxi would be more comfortable.Besides, matters involving family were personal affairs. If Yeonseo already knew, it would be one thing, but since he wasn’t familiar with his mother, it seemed better not to bring it up.‘…If it were the old me before I lost my memory, I would have gone to great lengths to hide it.’The thought of having a parent who persistently asked for money—a parent who anyone would be embarrassed to show in public—was something Suhan would never have wanted Yeonseo to find out. In the stories he had heard from Yeonseo about his childhood, his father had appeared as a significant figure, but there had never been a single mention of his mother.At their wedding, when Suhan checked the family photos, he had been alone. It seemed there hadn’t been any relatives to fill in the space, as the only photo that remained was of him standing between the chairman and his wife. So it was possible that he had hidden everything about his mother.Suhan lightly brought up a topic to gauge Yeonseo’s reaction.“By the way, about my father… I mentioned he worked as my chauffeur even after I went to boarding school, right?”This was something Yeonseo already knew, but Suhan asked to throw out a bait. Yeonseo carefully took the glass of iced tea Suhan handed him and nodded slowly.“Yes, he worked until he retired due to health issues.”Suhan almost wanted to tell him, “Stop using such formal language,” but he held back, fearing the conversation would veer off in another direction. He already knew the cause of his father’s death—lung cancer. It was a disease caused by poor habits, like many others in his father’s generation.Even though regular health checkups were offered at the company, his father had relied on his naturally strong constitution and had skipped them for years, which had worsened his condition.During his hospital stays, Suhan had witnessed many patients hovering between life and death. He knew that avoiding checkups could be more dangerous, but many elderly people had feared getting diagnosed with a serious illness, leading them to skip the tests until it was too late.The company had covered all of his father’s medical expenses as compensation for his long years of service.On the other hand, his mother had depended entirely on Suhan for financial support, not only for medical bills but for unknown purposes as well. From the company’s perspective, while his father was a long-serving employee, his mother was a complete stranger, so it was natural that she hadn’t received any support. Suhan remained silent for a moment before carefully broaching the main subject.“So, you haven’t heard anything about my mother from me before? Like what kind of person she was, or what she did?”Yeonseo tilted his head slightly in thought.“I just knew that she passed away early. You said you were raised by your grandmother and father since you were in elementary school….”But Suhan’s mother had passed away only recently. There must have been a reason for claiming someone who was still alive as dead. Suhan quietly nodded.“Right. It’s nothing major, but I think I have to go somewhere for a bit. Not far, though. I just need to meet someone who claims to know about my mother.”“…!”Yeonseo’s eyes widened in surprise at Suhan’s unexpected words. Suhan, realizing that a small smile was forming on his lips, quickly reined it in and reassured Yeonseo.“Don’t worry too much. It’s probably nothing. It seems like my mother had some debts before she passed away. I’m just going to hear what it’s about first.”Still, Yeonseo’s expression remained uneasy, making Suhan want to laugh at how serious and tense he looked. To hold back the laughter, Suhan turned his head slightly, avoiding Yeonseo’s gaze. Yeonseo cautiously spoke up.“I’ll take some leave, so I can go with you….”“No.”Before Yeonseo could finish, Suhan immediately rejected the suggestion. Yeonseo’s eyes, once again wide with surprise, looked rather cute, but no meant no. Suhan didn’t change his decision and instead offered an explanation.“If I haven’t told you something, it’s probably because there was a reason. Now, honestly, it doesn’t really matter, but it seems like in the past, there were a lot of things I didn’t want to tell you. As you already know to some extent, my upbringing wasn’t exactly smooth.”He didn’t know the full details, but if a family as influential as Seosang Group had dug into his background, they certainly would have known about his past. After all, the chairman and his wife had accepted him as their son-in-law, despite knowing his family history. So, it might not have been such a serious issue. Still, it was clear that before losing his memory, he wouldn’t have wanted to proudly introduce a mother who had drained his finances to Yeonseo. Suhan had no intention of taking back what he had said.Though, it was ironic that he was speaking as if he cared so much about the version of himself before the memory loss, considering the mess he had already made. But that was that, and this was this. Suhan had already rationalized it to himself.“So, let me handle this on my own. If anything serious happens, I promise I’ll tell you.”It wasn’t so much a request for permission as it was a declaration, leaving Yeonseo no choice but to nod. The warmth of Suhan’s hand, gently stroking from his neck down to his lower back, was unexpectedly comforting, and Yeonseo couldn’t help but embrace Suhan tightly.“…You have to call me if anything happens.”He added in a slightly sulky voice, as a final touch.It was two days later when Suhan headed to the hospital. The day had been unusually overcast since morning, so dark it was hard to tell if the sun had risen at all. When Suhan had taken a taxi and was about halfway to his destination, the rain started pouring down. As Suhan glanced up at the sky outside the window without realizing it, the taxi driver spoke casually.“Oh my. The forecast said it would rain in the afternoon, but it’s already pouring. The hospital’s probably going to be quiet today, huh?”The driver then noticed the gift set for a hospital visit that Suhan had carefully placed on the seat beside him and casually asked:“Visiting someone in the hospital? Family?”The question, which intruded on Suhan’s personal space, wasn’t particularly pleasant, but there was no need to be overly sensitive. Suhan gave a similarly unremarkable response.“No, just an acquaintance of my mother.”It wasn’t a lie. This person was just someone he was meeting for the first time. At Suhan’s lukewarm reply, the driver hummed, seemingly uninterested, and started singing an off-key tune.“If you’re visiting in weather like this, people would think you were her son. You picked quite the day to come.”Suhan let the conversation with the driver pass without much engagement.“Yeah, it’s raining quite a lot.”By the time the taxi reached the hospital entrance, the sky was completely covered with dark clouds, like a black curtain had been drawn across it. Suhan stepped out of the car with a small worry—hoping the rain wouldn’t keep pouring like this. As he got out, water that had already pooled up rushed steadily toward the drains.‘I should have just come with Yeonseo.’He thought to himself idly. Yeonseo already knew his family was a mess, so what secret could be so important that he had to keep it from him? Suhan quickly shook his head at his own thoughts. Everyone has secrets they don’t want others to discover, no matter what, especially those stemming from circumstances they couldn’t control. It was a minimal courtesy he extended to his pre-amnesia self, who likely had good reasons for keeping certain things hidden.“Take care.”“Yes, have a good day.”As soon as the taxi door closed with a soft click, Suhan was enveloped by the sound of torrential rain, as if the downpour was swallowing everything around him. Just as the driver had mentioned, the hospital’s visitor parking lot, normally bustling with people coming to visit patients, was almost empty. You wouldn’t think that many people would cancel plans just because of bad weather, but it seemed like the added obstacle of rain had given quite a few people an excuse to cancel their visits.‘Fewer people mean less hassle for me.’He hadn’t come to hear pleasant news, so it wouldn’t help to have a crowd around. Suhan walked carefully to the reception desk and asked for the patient he was told about over the phone.“I’m here to visit Shin Yeongran in room 604.”The receptionist, who was dealing with a trickle of patients, glanced at Suhan briefly and responded without really looking at him.“The patient can’t leave her room, and food or drinks can only be consumed in the lounge on the 5th floor.”Although Suhan wasn’t carrying home-cooked meals packed with care, just a standard hospital gift set, the receptionist gave him the usual, indifferent instructions that are typically given to family members bringing tastier food to replace bland hospital meals. Suhan nodded politely.“The elevators are over there. You can register your parking at the kiosk when you leave.”After the short instructions, Suhan moved toward the elevators and headed to the 6th floor. The distance from the parking lot to the building wasn’t far, so he hadn’t gotten too soaked by the rain, but the entire entrance was damp, and water had pooled up, leaving wet footprints along the corridor as Suhan walked.601, 602, 603, 604. Suhan checked the nameplates on each room as he walked. The six-bed room, 604, had a few scattered name tags, and Suhan spotted the name [Shin Yeongran]. He slid the door open.As he entered, he saw alternating empty beds and beds filled with belongings but no people. At that moment, someone sitting at the far end of the room suddenly spoke up.“Are you here to see someone?”Suhan looked up at the middle-aged woman and, confirming the name [Shin Yeongran] on the nameplate in front of her bed, smiled politely and greeted her.“Hello, Ms. Shin Yeongran. I’m here because I was contacted regarding Lim Jungseon.”The woman responded in surprise.“Oh my goodness! I was wondering why such a handsome young man had come, and isn’t it that guy from TV? The one who says, ‘Is this the best you can do?’!”That show was unexpectedly popular with middle-aged women. Suhan, feeling a cold sweat on his back from her enthusiastic response, maintained his smile as he replied.“Ah, yes, that’s me. I’m sorry, but I have another appointment soon. Could you please tell me if there was any debt-related matter with Mr. Lim?”Engaging in idle chatter would only lead to confusion, so Suhan politely redirected the conversation. The woman laughed and began a long-winded explanation.“Oh, that. You see, Ms. Jungseon and I were hospitalized around the same time, so we’ve known each other for quite a while. As you may know, she had a lot of debts here and there. Something must have gone wrong, and she urgently asked me to lend her 1.5 million won to cover some interest payments….”According to her, Lim Jungseon, who had later changed her name to Lim Seonhi just before her death, had borrowed money early last year. Her condition had been so poor that lending her money seemed risky, but they had known each other for a long time, and she had always boasted about her son. She had lent the money, thinking, ‘His brilliant son will surely pay it back.’“She boasted about her son?”Suhan couldn’t hide his awkwardness and asked. The woman burst into laughter.“Of course! She used to brag all the time about how her son turned out so well, even though she hadn’t done anything for him. She’d go on about how he worked at a famous company. You’d think she had the president’s son or something! Even when the old ladies in the room asked her to show them a picture of her son, he never showed up. Turns out her son was getting support from Seosang Group! What kind of son was she talking about?”The woman’s confident tone, as if she were sure that someone like Lee Suhan couldn’t possibly be the son of the person in question, made Suhan flinch. He remained calm and listened carefully before cautiously speaking again.“Do you happen to have any photos of yourself with Mr. Lim Jungseon?”The woman reached for her phone from the cabinet beside her bed without hesitation.“Oh, yes. Let me see, it should be in the photo album….”She scrolled through the photos with her rough hands, eventually showing a picture. It seemed like a group of people had gathered to celebrate someone’s discharge. A cake sat in the middle of the table, and several middle-aged women in hospital gowns were seated around it.“Ah, here it is. This is her. She had such a pretty face, but she came in looking so much older than her age, probably because of all the hardships.”The woman she pointed to had indeed aged considerably for her years. Her face was wrinkled and covered with age spots and freckles. She must have been quite beautiful in her younger days, but now she looked like a frail old woman. According to her family registry, she was younger than she looked.Both Suhan’s father and mother had become parents unusually early, even for that era, so her birth year suggested she was more like an older aunt than a mother. Given her age, she wasn’t even sixty yet, but her frail, wrinkled appearance made it clear she had led a difficult life.“She’s had such a hard life. None of the old ladies in this room had it easy, but she had it especially rough. When she suddenly said she was changing her name, everyone just thought, ‘She’s been through so much, no wonder she wants to change her fate.’”Suhan averted his gaze, looking out the window as the woman casually made her remarks. The sky was still gloomy, and rain poured down as if the heavens themselves were dumping buckets of water.