"Can you write down her name as well?"
"Yeah, sure. What's her name?"
"Kang Seojin"
At the sound of that name, Kim Taeha slowly lifted his gaze from the book in his hands. His eyes shifted to Minci, sharp with curiosity.
"Kang Seojin?" he repeated, as if needing to hear it once more to be certain.
"Yes, that's her name," Minci replied with a warm smile. "You know, she'd be so happy to see it. She's the biggest fan of yours I've ever met. What a shame she couldn't be here today."
A faint smirk played on Taeha's lips.
Yet something lingered in his expression, uncertainty. He wasn't entirely sure if Minci was referring to that Kang Seojin. Still, a flicker of recognition danced in his mind.
"Is she a doctor, by any chance?" Taeha asked, careful, almost like he was testing a theory.
Minci blinked in surprise, eyebrows raised as if she'd just witnessed him read her mind.
"Yeah, she is. But…how did you know that?"
Taeha leaned back slightly, his voice casual, but his eyes thoughtful.
"Ah, you mentioned the hospital earlier, so I just guessed," he said with a small shrug. "Looks like I was right."
Kim Tae-ha didn't expect Kang Seo-jin to be one of his fans, especially after how she'd acted around him. Avoiding him like he was a contagious disease? That didn't scream "biggest fan." But as he recalled her face turning red like a tomato the other day, he couldn't help but smirk. He quickly straightened his expression though, not wanting Min-ci to catch him acting weird.
Opening Seo-jin's book to the same page he signed earlier, Tae-ha scribbled down her name, and this time, he added a small smiling face next to it. A cheesy little doodle, but it felt... right.
"Here you go," he said, handing the book back.
Min-ci looked like she'd just won the lottery. "Oh my gosh, she's going to flip!" she squealed before hopping back to her car. She couldn't wait to tell Seo-jin…so of course, she dialed her up immediately. But… no answer.
Why? Because our poor heroine, Seo-jin, was neck-deep in patient files. Literally. Miss Wang had just dumped what looked like a mini mountain of folders on her desk with an exhausted groan.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Miss Kang. They were so heavy," Miss Wang said, half-collapsing into a chair like she'd just climbed Mount Everest.
Seo-jin blinked, her focus now shattered. "It's okay," she muttered, brushing her hair behind her ear. Then she spotted a familiar name: Kang Mu-ha. She took his report card.
Her eyes narrowed as she went through it.
"Isn't Mr. Kang Moo-ha getting discharged today?" she asked.Miss Wang nodded.
"Do I have dementia or something? I keep forgetting things lately."Seo-jin facepalmed.
Miss Wang tried to maintain a straight face, while clearly fighting back giggles after hearing it.
Seo-jin sighed. "But I don't think his guardian can come today. He is pretty busy." She said remembering about the fan meeting.
"Should we delay his discharge then?" Seojin added.
"I'm afraid we can't," Miss Wang replied. "Dr. Park's patient is moving into that room."Seo-jin nodded grimly.
"I saw Mr. Kang packing when I passed his room". Said Miss Wang.
"What!! We obviously can't let him go like this. He's recovering from a heart attack!" said Seojin at once. "And the official reason?...It's hospital policy," she said with a dramatic flair, though both she and Miss Wang knew it wasn't really about the policy. Something tugged at her, a sense of responsibility, a quiet guilt. The thought of Mr. Kang leaving with nowhere to go made her chest tighten.
Without another word, she threw her coat over her shoulders and rushed to his room.
Sure enough, Kang Muha was there, folding his blanket like a sweet old man in a K-drama.
"Oh my…no, Mr. Kang, you don't have to do that!" Miss Wang dashed forward and gently pulled the blanket out of his hands.
Kang Mu-ha smiled at both of them. "When is Mr. Kim coming to get you?" Seo-jin asked, already bracing for the answer.
"He said he'll wait for me at the bus stop."
Lies. She could tell.
"So... you're planning to go alone?"
Silence.
"He's busy today. I didn't want to bother him."
"Did you at least tell him you're getting discharged?"
"Yes. Of course."
But he didn't meet her eyes.
Seo-jin took a deep breath. "Mr. Kang, you can't go without your guardian. We've got paperwork. Plus, we need the director's permission."
She threw Miss Wang a look. Play along.
Miss Wang nodded seriously. Team effort, baby.
Seo-jin whipped out her phone but hesitated. She was about to dial Taeha's number. (Which she got by referring to the guardian information in Kang Muha's file).
What if Tae-ha thinks I'm calling him on purpose? What if he thinks I'm trying to flirt? No, worse—what if he thinks I'm some desperate fan girl?
Her dignity screamed abort mission.
Maybe I can use Ms. Wang's phone? No, suspicious. Hospital phone? Too public. Everyone will hear me trying to "coincidentally" keep his dad here. Ugh.
Desperate, she turned to the patient himself.
"Mr. Kang... may I borrow your phone for a minute?"
Silence. Eyes darted. Mr. Kang and Miss Wang looked at her like she just asked for a kidney.
"I-I mean, since Mr. Kim knows your number, he won't be alarmed if you call him... right?" she added with a sheepish chuckle.
Miss Wang nodded solemnly, like a sage confirming her logic.
Mr. Kang blinked. "Oh. Of course. Here you go."
Bless his soul.
Seo-jin took the phone, tried not to look nervous, and dialed the number. One ring. Two—
"Hello?" came a voice.
Her heart did a weird dance.
"Uh, hello! This is from Seoul University Hospital. Is this Mr. Kim Tae-ha?"
"No, I'm his manager speaking. He's not available at the moment. Is this an emergency?"
"Oh….no. Not really. It's about Mr. Kang Mu-ha's discharge. Could you tell Mr. Kim to come by?"
"Got it. He should be free by evening."
"Thank you. Have a good day."
Click.
Seo-jin let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Alright, we don't need to change the rooms. I'll handle Dr. Park. He won't be able to resist my charm," she said with a cheeky grin.
5 PM … Fan Meeting Ends
Backstage at the venue, 5- GANG was sprawled across couches like war survivors.
Their manager, Min-hyuk, walked in.
"Hey, Tae-ha. You got a call from the hospital. Your dad's being discharged today. You might want to head over."
"What? Isn't that tomorrow?" Woohyun frowned.
"Maybe they mixed up the dates?" Il-soo shrugged.
"Hyung, you take the car. We'll head back with Min-hyuk."
Tae-ha nodded gratefully and drove off like a man on a mission.
When he got to the hospital, he rushed to the reception, but before he could ask anything...
"Mr. Kim? Guardian of Mr. Kang Mu-ha?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Follow me."
He was led to his father's room, heart thudding, until he saw the man sitting there calmly reading a newspaper like nothing happened.
Tae-ha smiled. "Let's go home, Father."
It was the same line his father said when he first met him at the orphanage.
His father smiled back, and for a moment, there was nothing but warmth in the air.
After wrapping up the paperwork, Tae-ha lingered for a second, looking around the room, the hallway, and even the nurses' station.
And finally, he asked the question that had been dancing on the edge of his tongue since he arrived.
"Um... Do you know where Dr. Kang Seojin is?"