Chapter 6 …
The man from the house across the street struck with uncanny precision, as if he had received advance information from someone and knew exactly where to stab. For her—someone unfamiliar with hatred even if she could endure indifference—it was a considerable shock. What made it worse was that she didn’t even know the reason.
After turning it over in her mind again and again, Se-yeon finally found a single clue: Hansung Hospital, the man’s former workplace and Kim Daehyun’s current one.
With his strong sense of elitism, Kim Daehyun tended to keep especially close to medical staff who had graduated from the country’s top medical schools.
Se-yeon had once thought that this might stem from his own inferiority complex at not having gotten into one of those universities. After all, you notice what you lack most clearly.
Myeong So-young told Kim Daehyun that Se-yeon was going to Cheonghaeri, and Kim Daehyun passed that information on to the man across the street, who ran a clinic there.
That was the conclusion Se-yeon ultimately arrived at. She could find no other motive.
There was no way Kim Daehyun would have said anything nice about her. And yet, she was the one who’d been dumped—so why was he the one acting so petty?
Se-yeon found it utterly ridiculous. The person who brought her up and the person who believed it without question were equally at fault.
Unable to sleep, tossing and turning in anger, she heard a faint sound outside. Holding her breath and listening closely, she realized it was Cheshire groaning.
Se-yeon came out of her room and went into the yard where Cheshire was. She had even bought him a new, cozy cat house, but Cheshire lay outside it on the cold ground. He barely reacted when she called his name.
“Cheshire, what’s wrong with you?”
Seeing Cheshire lying there listlessly, Se-yeon’s eyes widened in alarm. Beside him were traces of vomited cat food.
Cradling Cheshire, Se-yeon rushed outside and rang the doorbell of the house across the street.
She still didn’t know this neighborhood well, and she had no idea where the nearest animal hospital was. In that urgent moment, she had simply and instinctively remembered that the man across the street was a doctor.
“Excuse me, I live across the street—”
When there was no response even after ringing the bell, Se-yeon started knocking on the gate. The lights were on inside, so someone was clearly home, yet there was no movement from within.
Only after she rang the bell several more times and knocked again did the man appear, his brows deeply furrowed.
“What do you think you’re doing right now?”
A person connected to Kim Daehyun, here to make her miserable. She wanted to stay far away from him forever—but at the moment, she was the one in need.
“I know this is rude, but it’s urgent. Cheshire threw up everything he ate, and I don’t know why.”
“Who’s Cheshire?”
“Our cat.”
Yujin looked down at the cat in her arms and let out a short, incredulous laugh. It was a cat he knew well.
A yellow tabby that ate at Yujin’s house and slept at the house across the street. A stray that was—and wasn’t—a stray.
“So?”
Yujin folded his arms leisurely across his chest.
“You’re a doctor, and you know this area better than I do, so I was hoping you could help.”
“If a cat’s sick, you take it to a vet. Why are you coming to me?”
“I know, I know—but I don’t have a car, and I don’t even know where the nearest animal hospital is.”
“There aren’t any animal hospitals around here.”
She had expected that. This neighborhood had far more things missing than things it had.
Should she ask to borrow his car? He’d probably say no. Maybe ask him to take her as far as where taxis run? He’d refuse that too. His face already screamed no to everything.
As Se-yeon wrestled with her thoughts, the man let out an irritated sigh, reached out, and smoothly took the cat from her arms.
“Why?”
“You asked me to take a look.”
“You can treat animals too?”
Se-yeon hurried after Yujin as he supported the cat with one arm and went inside the gate.
Yujin’s house was very different from Se-yeon’s. From outside the gate, it was hard to tell, but the house was larger and the yard much more spacious. She couldn’t see inside, but she could guess that the interior was well done too.
“Did you feed him cat food?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
Perching on the wooden porch, Yujin examined the cat as he asked.
“Sarigen Seven Fish. They said it was the most expensive one, so I bought it. I gave it once during the day and once in the evening, but…”
“He’s reacting because his food suddenly changed. Just give him water tomorrow and keep an eye on him. Starting the day after, mix a little of the new food into what he used to eat.”
“But I don’t know what Cheshire used to eat.”
“I do. I was wondering why he didn’t come today—turns out he switched restaurants.”
After saying that, Yujin handed Cheshire back, went inside, and came out with a bag of cat food. It seemed Cheshire had been eating here all along.
“Is it really okay not to go to the hospital?”
“Most of them adapt after a few days like that. If he’s still not better, then you can go to a hospital.”
The man across the street had helped her a great deal. Setting aside how awkward their relationship was, gratitude was still gratitude.
“I’m sorry for bothering you so late. Thank you so much for looking at him.”
Holding Cheshire in one arm and the bag of food in the other, Se-yeon bowed her head in thanks. She turned to go home when a voice, tinged with mild curiosity, stopped her.
“Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”
Se-yeon stopped and turned back. She thought for a moment, then let out a small sound of realization.
Oh. This counted as a consultation—so she should pay a consultation fee. And late-night visits usually cost extra.
“If you write down your account number and the amount on a piece of paper, I’ll transfer it right away.”
She chose to receive the information on paper rather than exchange phone numbers. She didn’t want to expose her contact details by typing them into his phone.
“Myeong Se-yeon, let’s stop talking around in circles and be honest. I know why you came down here. But it won’t work. So don’t waste your energy—stay a few days and go back up. Things that won’t work just won’t.”
As she listened to him, Se-yeon confirmed that her guess had been right. Through the mouths of Myeong So-young and Kim Daehyun, the reason she had come to Cheonghaeri had been leaked.
So-young mocked Se-yeon for coming down to Cheonghaeri, but at the same time, she was wary. She didn’t want Se-yeon to achieve anything. Kim Daehyun, now on the same team as So-young, surely felt the same way.
But what did any of that have to do with this man, no matter how hard she tried?
“I came down here with a goal. How could I just go back without trying? I have to see it through as far as I can.”
“Are you the persistent type?”
“I’m above average at most things. I’m better at long-distance running than sprints, too. I’m strong in areas that require patience.”
Se-yeon was struck anew by how small the world really was. Just how much did this man know about her?
“That’s enough effort for appearances’ sake. Save your pride and go back. If you push yourself any further, that’s a disease. One more piece of advice: life with a doctor husband may not be as nice as you imagine. So there’s nothing to regret and nothing to feel bitter about.”
He knew everything. Even the fact that she had dated Kim Daehyun and broken up with him.
Even so—did he really need to repeat what he’d heard straight to the person involved?
Se-yeon clenched her trembling lips and glared at him.
“Who do you think you are, being this endlessly rude to me?”
“Rude? Can’t you see I’m explaining things to you quite kindly right now?”
Yes—there were people like that. People who believed that belittling others and treating them poorly somehow raised their own worth.
That was exactly the kind of person who could casually tell her at the hospital that she looked well-raised but not truly cherished.
“They say doctors can’t cure their own illnesses. Looks like you don’t know about the disease you’re suffering from either.”
“And what disease would that be?”
“In my opinion, you’ve got a serious one. A nasty case of being an asshole.”
“What?”
“I just examined you too, so let’s call that your consultation fee.”
Leaving the man staring after her in disbelief, Se-yeon turned away without hesitation. She decided then and there to ignore that perfectly, relentlessly rude man—completely.
