Chapter 37
Seon returned to the office and collapsed into her chair, exhausted.
“Why did it take so long? Did they pick on you again?”
Eun-young asked, unaware that Seon had been to the hospital.
“No, the briefing went well. We decided to proceed next weekend as planned.”
“…That’s a relief. You worked hard.”
“Worked hard? Not at all.”
Seon gave a wry smile.
“But why does your face look like that? Did President Woo bother you?”
“…No. I guess I’m just a little tired.”
She forced a smile as she replied.
“Oh, right. You’re starting soon, aren’t you?”
Eun-young checked the calendar and said,
‘It’s already obvious to everyone around you how serious it is.’
At that moment, she remembered what Gyeon-hee had said.
“…Unnie.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’m fine. I can handle it.”
“Who said anything about not worrying?”
Seon just gave a wry smile at Eun-young’s retort.
“So, how was the pet exhibition?”
Eun-young asked with curiosity.
“Uh? It was fun.”
“You’re skipping a lot. Can’t you give more details?”
Aria, sitting nearby, smirked mischievously and asked again.
“Uh… it was really, really fun.”
“Hmm…”
Aria pursed her lips and glared at Seon.
“But you didn’t buy anything?”
At Eun-young’s question, Seon briefly thought of Eun-woo, who was holding her luggage.
“Oh, right! Unnie, I think I should head in first.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I left my things with the director.”
As Seon hurriedly prepared to leave, she noticed a pile of event items stacked in a corner of the office.
“By the way, can all the campaign items fit in your car?”
Most of the items were school supplies and not very bulky, but it would be a stretch to fit them all in a sedan.
“Hmm. If not, we’ll have to rent a van.”
Seon nodded at Eun-young’s words.
“Hey, why don’t you ask the director for help?”
Aria interjected.
“What?”
“I saw you leaving earlier. That was a big van, right? That’s the director’s car?”
“Uh? Uh…”
Seon nodded at Aria’s question.
Eun-young exchanged a glance with Aria and stepped forward.
“How about it? Can’t you borrow it?”
“How can we make the director work as a chauffeur?”
Seon made a face as if it was absurd.
“Not ‘make him work.’ We’d be paying him anyway if we rented, so we can use that money to treat him to a nice meal. Right?”
As Aria jumped in, Eun-young nodded in agreement.
“You’re going to meet him anyway, right? Just ask him.”
Seon’s expression became awkward at Eun-young’s words.
“…I don’t know. I’ll go first.”
Seon slung her bag over her shoulder and tried to leave the office.
“Wait, unnie, what’s that?”
Aria called her urgently, pointing at Seon’s desk.
Seon turned her head and saw the bag Gyeon-hee had left behind—filled with chocolates and various sweets.
“…Leave it.”
After a brief hesitation, Seon turned and walked out of the office.
“Hmm. Because of the transfusion… that makes sense.”
In the late evening, Dr. Seo nodded after hearing Gyeon-hee’s explanation in his consultation room.
“I’m certain. There’s no other explanation. Well, it’s already an illogical situation anyway.”
Gyeon-hee frowned as if dissatisfied with her own illogical words.
“Fortunately, we have blood samples from both people, so let’s run the tests. We’ll contact you immediately if we find anything unusual.”
“Please. And as you know, this matter is strictly confidential.”
Secretary Kwon lowered his voice.
“No need to worry. As the primary doctor, I have a duty of confidentiality.”
Dr. Seo even winked as if to assure them.
“Thank you.”
Secretary Kwon double-checked everything and left the consultation room with Gyeon-hee.
“You’ll find something in the blood test. Don’t worry too much.”
Gyeon-hee felt a bit relieved by Kwon’s understanding tone.
“…Is this consolation?”
“Exactly. That’s what consolation is. What you did earlier was just memorization.”
“…I don’t get it. It’s hard.”
Gyeon-hee shook her head, furrowing her brow.
“You did pretty well. That’s how it starts.”
Kwon smiled and clenched his fist.
Gyeon-hee let out a dry laugh.
“By the way, how’s the orphanage campaign?”
Since he hadn’t attended the briefing, Secretary Kwon asked for confirmation.
“It’s going ahead as planned.”
“Good. So… do you want to go?”
Gyeon-hee slowly shook her head at Kwon’s cautious suggestion.
“No. I’ll just feel miserable if I go.”
“But it’d be nice to see the nun after a long time.”
“Just send her my regards.”
“…Alright.”
Kwon reluctantly nodded. Gyeon-hee’s stern expression made it difficult to continue talking.
The lights at Blue Rose Animal Hospital went out. A while later, Seon and Eun-woo came out onto the street.
“I’m a little late, right?”
Seon apologized to Eun-woo.
“I lost track of time with my work.”
Eun-woo smiled, and Seon felt at ease seeing that thoughtful smile.
“So, how’s Labong?”
“He’s fine. But since he’s alone at home a lot, I think I’ll bring him to the office from now on.”
“That’s a good idea. Dogs really get lonely.”
Seon nodded slowly.
“I always feel sorry. I want to take better care of him but I can’t.”
“Then take him for walks. Being cooped up at home too long is frustrating.”
“You’re right.”
Seon nodded and smiled.
At that moment, her phone vibrated with messages.
“You must ask the director. Go for it, unnie!”
“Absolutely necessary to save costs.”
Both Eun-young and Aria had sent messages simultaneously, as if determined.
“Sigh…”
Seon sighed awkwardly.
“Is it bad news?”
“No, it’s just…”
Hesitant, Seon finally spoke,
“…Do you have plans next weekend?”
“Hmm. Nothing special.”
Eun-woo looked at her curiously.
“…Well, we’re doing volunteer work next weekend. But there’s a lot of stuff to carry…”
Seon trailed off, unable to ask for help directly.
“Sure.”
“Huh?”
Eun-woo’s sudden answer surprised Seon.
“You’ll need my car. I said it’s fine.”
He smiled, acting like it was nothing.
“But don’t push yourself if it’s too much.”
“It’s the weekend, and Paju is perfect for a drive. Let’s go.”
“…Thank you.”
Eun-woo nodded with a smile, and Seon smiled back.
The next morning, at the Kids Fan office.
“Yay! I told you it would work!”
Aria shouted excitedly after hearing Seon’s news.
“That’s great. Labong, you like it too, right?”
Eun-young asked Labong.
“Woof! Woof!”
Labong wagged his tail excitedly.
“Since it’s like this, should we pack lunch too?”
Aria said, her face beaming.
“Lunch?”
“The campaign’s in the afternoon anyway. We can leave early, have a little picnic vibe—it’ll be fun. What do you think?”
“Finally, a suggestion I like.”
Eun-young nodded in agreement.
“People who like having fun… how do they get work done?”
“They work to play.”
Seon shook her head at Aria’s obvious logic.
Sitting down, she refocused on the campaign preparations for the weekend.
Exchanging glances, Eun-young and Aria looked at Seon.
“Spring is coming.”
Aria whispered, and Eun-young pinched her side.
But Seon, already focused, didn’t notice them.
A week later, at the hospital.
Gyeon-hee and Secretary Kwon arrived early at Dr. Seo’s consultation room.
“Do we need to come this early?”
Kwon yawned, still half asleep.
“A week’s already passed, and there’s no update. How much longer should we wait?”
Gyeon-hee’s brows were tightly furrowed.
“Oh, right. You’re just starting…”
Checking the date, it was just about time to begin.
“It’d be better to know the cause before starting.”
Gyeon-hee’s nerves were sharper than ever.
Just then, Dr. Seo entered the room.
“How did it go?”
Impatient, Gyeon-hee asked before he even sat down.
“Hmm. I examined both blood samples thoroughly, but found nothing unusual.”
“What?”
Gyeon-hee’s voice shot up sharply.
“Gyeon-hee, calm down.”
Secretary Kwon tried to soothe him.
“It took a week just to run one blood test. And we found nothing?”
“Well, not exactly nothing. Epidemiological checks took time.”
Dr. Seo paused before continuing.
“Turns out, Seon gets regular transfusions every month. But no one else experienced what President Woo did. That means only President Woo feels her pain.”
“Uh…?”
Gyeon-hee sighed in frustration. There was no other cause besides the transfusion.
“There is a way to check if the transfusion is the cause, but it’s not certain.”
Dr. Seo sounded unsure.
“What is it?”
Desperate, Gyeon-hee asked.
After a brief pause, Dr. Seo spoke.
“Hmm… it’s a reverse transfusion.”
“Reverse?”
“President Woo’s blood is transfused back into her. Think of it as returning the blood that shared the pain.”
“Oh…”
Gyeon-hee nodded, understanding Dr. Seo’s idea.
“But as I said, it’s not certain. The cause itself isn’t confirmed.”
“Let’s do it.”
Gyeon-hee answered immediately.
“This is the only way so far, isn’t it?”
“Yes… it is.”
“Then let’s try.”
Feeling the approach of pain with his whole body, Gyeon-hee had no reason to hesitate.
“Hmm. First, we need her consent…”
“I’ll take care of that.”
Gyeon-hee brightened slightly at the glimmer of hope.
“Good. Then let’s proceed. Here’s a checklist for the transfusion.”
Dr. Seo handed a checklist to Gyeon-hee, who reviewed it. Dr. Seo’s expression stiffened.
“Is this certain?”
“Yes? Yes. Is there a problem?”
Dr. Seo checked the list again.
“Sigh…”
He sighed, removed his glasses, and muttered.
“…You went to London.”
“Yes. On a business trip last week.”
Dr. Seo paused, then said slowly with a stern expression,
“Anyone who has been to the UK cannot donate blood.”
“What? That’s ridiculous!”
Gyeon-hee jumped up, slamming a hand on the table.
The glass on the table tipped and shattered on the floor.
Crash.
