T2

Chapter 2. A Debt of Gratitude

Eun-young climbed the steep stairs, breathing heavily.

She brushed the white snow off her fragile shoulders with her bare hands.

Her toes felt like they would shatter inside her canvas sneakers as she trudged up the snowy path.

All she could think about was crawling into a warm blanket.

Just as she opened the iron gate and stepped into the house—

Puck.

A porcelain bowl hit her head and fell to the floor.

It rolled away with a clatter as her aunt, Hee-suk, shouted from the hallway.

“Myung Eun-young! I heard you got fired from the hospital!”

Ah, should’ve come home a little later.

Hee-suk, who worked night shifts at a diner, was just about to leave, wrapping a scarf around her neck.

Eun-young had miscalculated—she thought she’d miss her aunt’s departure by a few minutes.

Since she practically lived at the hospital, there was no way she could have known her schedule.

“Yeah… it happened.”

“It happened? That’s all you’ve got to say? How are we supposed to pay the bills this month?”

“…I’ll transfer the money as soon as I get my severance.”

She was doomed. Eun-young sighed inwardly. She had planned to use that money to rent a tiny studio.

Apparently, her aunt had called the hospital to check, noticing that Eun-young had been home more often lately.

Hee-suk narrowed her eyes, glanced at the clock, and began putting on her shoes.

Before leaving, she turned around, pressed two fingers against Eun-young’s forehead, and said—

“Don’t even think about running. Whether you flee overseas or to the afterlife, I’ll find you.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

“Yes, Aunt. Please be careful on your way.”

“Empty words. You’ve got no manners, brat.”

The metal door slammed shut.

The spot where the bowl had struck her throbbed warmly.

The quiet house filled only with the whistling of the cold wind.

Standing barefoot on the icy floor sent a chill up her body.

Eun-young quickly turned on the electric mat and pulled the thick blanket over herself.

She hadn’t expected to miss the days when she couldn’t even sleep properly, always on call as a resident doctor.

As she slipped off her coat, something poked out of her pocket—

A business card.

The one the man had given her.

The gold-embossed edges exuded the unmistakable authority of a top-tier conglomerate.

He’d said he was looking for a personal physician.

But Eun-young knew the patient, Kwon Ji-woong, already had a full medical team.

She recalled his faintly smiling face.

Even though his smile was kind, there had been a strange pressure behind it—something dangerous.

Eun-young crumpled the card and shoved it back into her pocket.

Even if the pay was good, she didn’t want a job where she’d be living in constant fear of being fired.

‘Sorry, Eun-young. But with your experience level, it’s hard to hire you.’

It was the third rejection call she’d received.

She’d shamelessly asked a few acquaintances to check for openings, but the answer was always the same—no positions available.

Rehabilitation medicine wasn’t as physically or mentally demanding as other specialties, and its steady demand made it valuable.

Her dream had been to stay in academia and become a professor. But after being cut as a resident, she had to look elsewhere.

She tried applying for a few “pay doctor” positions, but her applications were rejected right from the start.

She had just come out of one last interview—another failure.

Standing outside the hospital, Eun-young gazed blankly at the traffic light.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the light had turned green until the warning beep jolted her. She stepped forward hastily.

At that moment, a motorcycle came racing toward her.

Before she could react, a strong hand pulled her by the waist—

It was Tae-woong.

A faint trace of cologne brushed her nose as the man’s dark eyes met hers.

The gaze of a predator who’d just found its prey.

“Are you all right?”

Eun-young quickly stepped out of his grip. “Thank you.”

“What a coincidence, meeting like this.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Were you here for an interview?”

Glancing toward the hospital building, he asked casually.

“No, I was just visiting a friend.”

She didn’t want to admit she’d been rejected, so she lied.

“I’ve been busy, but I’m taking a short break now.”

“I’ve been waiting to hear from you.”

His eyes curved as he smiled. The coldness in his features softened, and for a moment, Eun-young thought he looked… charming.

She turned her gaze away, her cheeks warm.

“I’m not sure the position suits me.”

“I understand. But my brother’s personal doctor quit suddenly, so I’m in a bit of trouble.”

“Then shouldn’t you find someone else? I’m sure you could easily hire a more qualified doctor.”

“So that’s a no, then.”

He said it with a polite tone—but the faint smile on his lips carried a trace of mockery.

“I understand your decision, Dr. Myung. Still, if you ever change your mind, call me. I’ll be waiting.”

Without another word, he turned and left.

His manners were refined, yet every move radiated the confidence of someone who held all the cards.

When the light turned green again, Eun-young hurried across the street.

Down a nearby alley, Tae-woong strode toward a luxury sedan.

The secretary in the driver’s seat reported promptly—

“We’ve already contacted other hospitals and taken care of it.”

Tae-woong’s warm expression vanished, replaced by cold indifference.

“And her home?”

“She only stays when her aunt’s away. The rest of the time, she’s looking for part-time work at cafés.”

“And her cousin?”

The secretary handed him a tablet.

A scruffy man with an unshaven face appeared on the screen.

“He’s been hanging around a gambling den for about a month, as instructed.”

“Good. Now make him lose. Deeply. I want him in serious debt—and make sure the aunt gets the call.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he swiped the screen, a photo of Eun-young appeared.

She was climbing the snow-covered stairs, her thin body trembling in the cold.

Her pale ankles, red from frost, peeked out beneath the hem of her jeans.

She’s got nothing—yet if you treat her kindly, she doesn’t even realize she’s being cornered.

Earlier that day, she’d been wearing a thin autumn coat in midwinter.

She didn’t even own a proper winter coat for interviews.

She hadn’t called yet, but he knew she would—soon.

After all, I hold her future in my hands.

“How much did you say?”

“One hundred million won.”

In the narrow alley behind the diner, Hee-suk trembled as she held her cigarette.

“That bastard—gambling? After all I’ve done for him?”

Even the usually stoic Eun-young crossed her arms to hide her shaking hands.

“Isn’t there anyone we can borrow from?”

“Who’d lend me money after all the times I’ve begged just to pay the bills?”

“I don’t have money either. You know that.”

“What about a loan?”

“I just got fired. They won’t approve it.”

“Then what’s the point of having rich doctor friends? Borrow from them!”

Eun-young had borrowed from friends back in university.

She’d worked herself to exhaustion to pay them back, one hour of sleep at a time.

The shame that came with it had been worse than the interest.

“You think anyone who knows I got fired will lend me money now?”

Hee-sook flicked her cigarette away and stepped close, her voice rising.

“So what now? You think you’re blameless? He wouldn’t have turned out like this if it weren’t for you!”

Always her fault.

Her cousin Jong-hoon’s failures—the endless exams, the wasted years, the misery—

All pinned on her.

Ever since the day the “unlucky child” survived the car crash that killed her parents.

Hee-sook rubbed her face with her rough hands, then grabbed Eun-young’s shoulders tightly.

“Eun-young, when everyone else turned their backs on you, I took you in. I was raising my own kid alone, but I still fed and clothed you, didn’t I? Maybe if I hadn’t, my boy wouldn’t have turned out like this. So…”

Her tired, sunken eyes met Eun-young’s directly.

“You should repay the favor. We’re family, aren’t we?”

In the shadowed alley, her aunt’s glinting eyes made Eun-young feel suffocated.

She clenched the business card in her pocket.

A debt of gratitude… one that might cost her everything.