Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 115

#115 Surfers (5)

Two hours into the drinking session.

My vision is spinning.

Geun-wook and I were slowly starting to feel our lives were in danger.

“What are you doing? Raise your glass! Cheers!”

“Cheers~!”

Glasses clink.

I don’t know how many cheers this is already.

Of course, the atmosphere itself is good. It’s also fun.

Coincidentally, the women are the same age as us, so we quickly dropped formalities.

But the problem is… they’re drinking way too fast.

“Oh? Your glass is empty? Then we have to fill it up!”

“You’re not thinking of turning your glass away, are you?”

Pour, pour, pour!

Geun-wook’s and my soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] glasses are filled to the brim.

Kim Ah-ryeong, Park Cho-rok.

Their alcohol tolerance was no bluff.

Trying to keep up with their energy, I didn’t have a chance to get any information about the future I saw.

‘I’m not supposed to be sitting here drinking like this…’

There are already 10 soju bottles on the table.

I haven’t drunk this much since my freshman year of college.

On the other hand, the two of them seem to be just getting started.

“How is it? Are you starting to feel the alcohol a little bit?”

“Excuse me, two more bottles here!”

They’re so cheerful.

How can their faces look so happy when ordering alcohol?

The rumor that some of Gokdam’s people’s blood is made of alcohol seems to be true.

“Hey, hey, time out. Time out. Let’s take a break before drinking more.”

Geun-wook raises the white flag.

His flushed face looks like a patient himself.

I have a feeling that tomorrow morning, he’ll be lying on an emergency room bed getting an IV drip.

“Hey, are you kidding? Who takes a break during a drinking session? We’re just going to eat, drink, and die like we’re only living for today!”

Kim Ah-ryeong smiles brightly and raises her glass.

“Hey. You guys can rest tomorrow, but we have to work in the emergency room from the morning.”

“Oh, please, that’s hilarious. We’re going surfing from tomorrow morning too, you know?”

Surfing?

My eyes widen.

I think I can finally continue the conversation I want.

‘At this timing, let’s get at least a little information about the paraplegia incident!’

I felt the alcohol rising, but I pulled myself together.

Hiding my expression with a water glass, I subtly threw out a question.

“So, do you two usually like surfing?”

“Ah, I’ve been riding for about 3 years, and my friend is doing it for the first time! So I’m going to teach her from tomorrow.”

Cho-rok adds with an excited expression to Ah-ryeong’s words.

“Have you guys ever tried surfing?”

“No.”

“Don’t you want to learn it at least once in your life? It was one of my bucket list items to surf 멋지게 [meotjige – stylishly/coolly] on the waves!”

“Sounds fun.”

“Right? I’ve been planning to learn surfing for years, and I’m finally going to ride it for the first time tomorrow morning!”

Hearing those words, I thought in my head.

The future I saw in my dream.

The situation where Park Cho-rok becomes paraplegic for an unknown reason while learning to surf!

That’s going to happen tomorrow morning.

‘There’s only half a day left…’

This is a disaster.

It’s too tight.

I thought I would have at least a few days, but that wasn’t the case.

‘If I want to get her to get a checkup at the hospital, tonight is the only time I have.’

But how?

I can’t just drag a perfectly healthy person to the hospital.

Should I trip her?

If I could at least inflict a minor injury and lure her to the emergency room…

‘What kind of psycho thoughts are those? Get a grip, Sin-seon!’

Slap, slap.

I slapped my cheeks.

I’m not in my right mind because I’m drinking.

First, I threw out questions as they came to mind.

“Cho-rok, have you had any pain in your body lately?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m super healthy!”

Then Ah-ryeong suddenly cut in.

“Sin-seon, you talked nonsense, so drink. One shot!”

Pour, pour, pour.

I downed the alcohol and threw out another question.

“If you only work at the company, your body can get worse in many ways. Like a herniated disc.”

“Hey, I’m still fine even if I sit at my desk for 10 hours when I work. Aren’t we too young to talk about discs?”

Then Ah-ryeong, who was listening next to me, suddenly cut in.

“What are you? Are you very interested in my friend?”

The look in her eyes as she said that is meaningful.

What are you thinking?

She seems to be misunderstanding something.

“Anyway, she’s so healthy that it’s excessive, so don’t worry.”

“Yeah, yeah. Can’t you tell by the way she’s drinking now?”

The conversation quickly moved on to another topic.

But their conversation no longer reached my ears.

‘Kim Ah-ryeong is right.’

Park Cho-rok.

A healthy woman in her 20s.

No matter how I look at her, she looks healthy and full of energy without any pain.

What if a ‘tumor’ is the cause, as I thought?

Can she drink so normally right now?

If there’s a tumor in her body that will paralyze her spine tomorrow, how can she not have any neurological symptoms tonight?

That doesn’t make sense.

‘Maybe it’s a different cause.’

Infection?

Can an infection really progress so quickly in 12 hours?

This also doesn’t make sense…

It’s getting more and more confusing.

Even if I think about numerous possibilities, I can’t guess.

‘I need more information first. I need to make time for the two of them to be alone.’

Then Kim Ah-ryeong said.

“We’re going to the bathroom. If you throw away what’s filled in your glass right now, I’ll fold your spine in half?”

She says that while laughing.

She says scary things casually with a refreshing expression.

Soon the two walked to the bathroom.

Geun-wook said with a drunken face.

“Did you hear that just now? Ah-ryeong is so cool. She’s my style.”

It seems that Geun-wook likes ponytail Kim Ah-ryeong’s personality.

“Are you smitten?”

“Yeah.”

“How many hours has it been since you met her?”

“Isn’t this fate? Her job is a sports instructor, and even her name is Ah-ryeong. She’s a match made in heaven with me, who likes to exercise.”

Geun-wook mutters as if he’s half-possessed.

Look at his red cheeks.

Half of it is because of the alcohol, and half of it is because he’s in love.

“Okay. Good luck. I’ll give you some space later.”

I chuckled.

That’s a good thing.

The one I have business with is Park Cho-rok.

Shortly after.

As soon as the two returned, I put down my glass.

And I said.

A bold word that I would never have said normally.

“I want to talk to Cho-rok alone.”

“…? !”

The two looked slightly surprised.

Park Cho-rok readily agreed, and I suggested taking a walk on the beach.

As I left the grilled clam restaurant and moved my steps, Kim Ah-ryeong shouted from behind.

“Hey, there are CCTV cameras on the beach these days! Don’t do anything weird when you go for a walk together!”

What is she thinking?

* * *

Squeak, squeak.

The two are walking on the beach.

Unlike the hectic atmosphere of the drinking session a little while ago, only the sound of waves is calm on the beach.

‘What, this guy is surprisingly bold. Suddenly taking me out like this…?’

Park Cho-rok.

She was quite confident in her charm.

She has received countless confessions from men while living.

Therefore, she thought that this time would be no different.

But…

The man I met tonight feels different for some reason.

‘He looks innocent, but he was completely aggressive, right?’

There’s an unexpected side to him.

His appearance is also my style.

Cho-rok looked at the back of the man walking in front with affectionate eyes.

How long did they walk along the beach?

Seon-han opened his mouth.

“Shall we sit here for a while?”

“Okay.”

The two sat on a bench.

The wind blowing from the night sea is cool.

Thump, thump.

Cho-rok felt her heart beating for the first time in a while.

“Why did you suddenly ask to come out separately?”

“There’s something I want to say to you.”

Oh…

Even honest?

I like him more and more.

Cho-rok asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“What do you want to say?”

Sometimes there are times like that.

When you do things you don’t normally do.

Cho-rok felt a slurred tone mixed in her voice.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions from now on…”

Then Cho-rok laughed and interrupted the man’s words.

“That’s good. Actually, I had a lot of questions about you… Then shall we ask each other one question at a time?”

“Okay.”

“Can I go first?”

“Whatever.”

His answer is so chic.

I like him more and more.

Cho-rok said carefully.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

Yes!

Cho-rok cheered inwardly.

He’s single, right?

After the first question, it was Seon-han’s turn.

What kind of question will come in?

Seon-han’s mouth opened.

“Do you have any heat sensation?”

Huh?

A question mark appeared on Cho-rok’s face.

It took a long time to understand the question.

“…Heat sensation? You mean heat in my body?”

“Yeah.”

What is this intention?

Ah, maybe that’s what he means.

Doesn’t my heart feel hot with excitement at this moment…?”

‘Oh, please. He’s a doctor, so he expresses himself very uniquely.’

Cho-rok thought so and pretended not to know.

“I don’t have a fever? Touch it if you’re curious.”

Then Seon-han raised his hand and touched Cho-rok’s forehead without hesitation.

What, was it a skinship [physical contact] strategy after all?

If you wanted to touch me, you should have said so.

Cho-rok smiled and threw out the next question.

“When was the last time you were in a relationship?”

“A year ago. Now it’s my turn, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Have you been diagnosed with any diseases recently?”

What?

What kind of question is this?

Are all doctors like this…

The person in front of me is starting to look like a psycho.

“No, why are you suddenly asking that… I feel like I’m here for a health checkup?”

Cho-rok tried to laugh it off.

I wanted to change the subject now.

But Seon-han asked again as if he had been waiting.

“Health checkup? When did you get it?”

He’s a psycho.

This man is a psycho crazy about health!

I couldn’t help but think so.

* * *

“Why have you been asking that since earlier?”

Cho-rok’s eyes looking at me are now strange enough.

But I can’t help it.

Because I have to find out the information even like this.

“There was nothing wrong with the health checkup that the company gave me. Can you stop talking about that now?”

Cho-rok’s eyes are full of complaints as she says that.

I paused for a moment.

I still don’t have enough information, but I can’t help it.

I’m going to make up a disease and make her go to the hospital somehow.

“I have something important to talk about, that’s why.”

“What is it?”

“Actually…”

The moment I was about to open my mouth.

My vision went dark.

My vision is distorted, and the salty air of the humid night sea seems to disappear far away.

Saaa―

The scenery in front of me changes.

I had arrived at another unfamiliar place again.

‘It’s a dream!’

That’s good.

I was frustrated anyway.

I was feeling the limit of getting information from Cho-rok like I was interrogating her.

I hope there’s more useful information this time.

I looked around.

‘But where is this? It doesn’t seem like Gokdam Jeil Hospital.’

Squeak―

I moved my steps and looked down at my feet.

Snow is piled up.

Winter.

That means quite some time has passed.

‘The story is that at least 6 months have to pass before a snowy midwinter comes…’

I was soon able to find the building entrance and know where this was.