The next day, Seojin woke up extra early, determined not to run into Kim Tae-Ha. She couldn't bear the thought of facing him after what had happened the previous day. It seemed heaven had heard her prayers, she didn't see him at all on her way to the hospital.
As she was getting ready to examine her patients, her phone rang. The caller ID made her raise an eyebrow. It was someone she hadn't spoken to in a while.
She answered with a teasing smile.
"What's up, Min ci? I see you still remember me," said Seojin.
"Cut it out, will you? I have a surprise for you," Min ci replied.
"A surprise? For me? What is it?" Seojin asked, her curiosity flaring.
"Just wait a little longer. You'll find out soon."
"Now you're totally ghosting me after mentioning a surprise? Don't be so rude....tell me!"
But Min ci only laughed and ended the call, leaving Seojin buzzing with excitement.
Still humming a Five-Gang song, Seojin went on with her morning rounds. But midway, the melody shifted, memories of the previous night returned, and she quickly changed the tune.
*******************
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-Ha arrived at the hospital to visit Kang Mu-Ha. He hadn't come empty-handed. He brought a bouquet of fresh flowers and some of Mu-Ha's favorite snacks.
Kang Mu-Ha was still asleep when Tae-Ha entered the room. Quietly, Tae-Ha placed the flowers in a vase by the window and arranged the food on the table. He pulled out a chair and sat beside the bed, his gaze softening as he looked at the old man.
Silence settled in the room. His thoughts drifted back eighteen years into the past.
Seven-year-old Kim Tae-Ha sat alone in the orphanage dining hall, having breakfast by the window. While other children chatted and laughed with friends, Tae-Ha sat quietly, wondering where his parents were.
He had no friends. And that made him the perfect target for bullies.
As usual, they came for him.
"No wonder you don't have any friends. You look ugly and stinky," one sneered. The others laughed, circling him like vultures.
Tae-Ha didn't respond. He kept eating silently.
One of the bullies grabbed his glass of milk and poured it over his head. Still, Tae-Ha said nothing.
Irritated by his silence, they yanked back his chair, sending him crashing to the floor. He tried to get up, wobbling.
"You're total trash. That's why your mother left you in a dumpster," another bully spat, literally and verbally.
That did it.
Tae-Ha's eyes darkened. Like a bull unleashed, he lunged at the boy who mentioned his mother and tackled him to the ground. Then the punches came; fast, wild, and relentless. Blood splattered. The bully's face was quickly reduced to a swollen, crimson mess.
But Tae-Ha didn't stop.
His fists, covered in blood, kept swinging. The moment he saw the blood, something inside him awakened, he wanted to see more.
Other children had gathered around, but none dared to stop him. They stood frozen, horrified by the monstrous fury unfolding before them.
The dining hall had become a bloodbath.
It took three orphanage guards to drag Tae-Ha away. The boy he attacked was rushed to the hospital, his life hanging by a thread.
Tae-Ha was punished severely after that.
He was made to stand outside in the scorching sun for the entire day. Silent and still, he obeyed, walking to the edge of the orphanage compound. His hands were still bloody. He was sweating under the sun, but he made no complaint.
Meanwhile, Kang Mu-Ha visited the orphanage with his wife. Since they didn't have children of their own, they were looking forward to adopting a child.
"We have twenty-four children in this orphanage. You may choose one....or even more....to adopt," said the headmaster, showing them a folder of photographs.
While his wife took the lead in the conversation, Kang Mu-Ha's attention wandered. His gaze fell on a small figure outside the window; Kim Tae-Ha, standing alone in the courtyard, his clothes slightly stained, his eyes distant.
Almost instinctively, Mu Ha stood up and walked toward the window to get a better look.
Both the headmaster and his wife turned to him in confusion.
"We'd like to adopt that little boy over there," Muha said calmly, pointing toward Tae-Ha.
The headmaster frowned.
"Oh, that kid's a troublemaker. You'd be better off choosing someone else."
"No," Kang Muha replied firmly. "We'll take him."
And just like that, the decision was made.
Once the paperwork was completed, Muha approached Kim Tae-Ha, with his wife following close behind. The boy stood quietly, unsure of what was happening.
Kang Muha knelt slightly and looked into his eyes for a moment.
"Let's go home, son," he said softly, gently patting Tae-Ha's head.
Tae-Ha was lost in that memory, the warmth of it faint but still flickering in his heart, when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, snapping him back to the present.
It was a call from Il-Soo
"Hyung, where are you? The photo shoot is about to start."
"Don't worry, I'll be there. Just give me a few more minutes," he said, already heading for the door.
He reached for the handle and was just about to pull it open,
when disaster struck.
On the other side of the door, Kang Seo-Jin had just arrived, arms full with a towering stack of reports and files. With her hands completely occupied, she was about to open the door by leaning back against it and pushing.
Neither of them saw it coming.
Then
Crash.