Return To The Building Owner [EN]: Chapter 720

The two returned to the hospital room.

Hyun-sung looked at the clock. It was pointing to 8 o’clock, five minutes early.

“Soo-hyuk, I’m going to see Doctor Choi.”

“Oh, okay. He told you to come by 8 o’clock, so you should go. By the way, why did Doctor Choi want to see you?”

“I don’t know, I honestly don’t know the reason.”

Hyun-sung tilted his head while answering.

Even with a quick thought, he couldn’t guess why Doctor Choi Min-young had called him.

Hyun-sung left the hospital room and started walking quickly.

Lee Soo-hyuk was left alone.

“Two years later…….”

The conclusion reached after talking with Hyun-sung at the coffee shop a little while ago was to complete the novel two years from now, before leaving this hospital.

Earlier in the evening, when Nurse Cha talked about completing the novel, it only felt vague. But after talking with Hyun-sung, it felt like it could actually happen.

Until now, he hadn’t even thought about two years later, but when he thought that it might actually happen, he thought he might be able to do it.

Of course, it might be wishful thinking. But this time, even if it was wishful thinking, he wanted to indulge in that feeling at least once.

No, he wanted to think of it as hope, not wishful thinking.

He wanted to insist on it that way.

If he could create hope even by insisting, he wanted to do so.

As a result, after much deliberation, he ended up making a promise with Hyun-sung.

Two years from now, before being completely healed and leaving this place, he would finish the novel he was currently writing.

“Hehe!”

Was it just a feeling? As soon as he made such a promise with Hyun-sung, he felt endorphins surging in his body.

Right then.

Creak!

The hospital room door opened and a nurse came in. It was Nurse Cha, who had talked about completing the novel earlier in the evening.

She had a blood pressure monitor in her hand.

“Soo-hyuk, I enjoyed the coffee a little while ago.”

Coming up from the coffee shop a little while ago, he had given three cups of coffee to the nurses’ station. It was for the nurses working tonight.

The greeting the nurse just said was in return for that coffee.

“Wasn’t it too sweet?”

“No, it was actually nice and sweet. When working at night, you need a lot of sugar. By the way, have you decided on what I talked about earlier?”

The nurse approached and said, putting the blood pressure monitor on his arm.

“You mean the novel?”

“Yes, about finishing the novel two years from now before leaving this hospital.”

“Um… yes, I’ve decided.”

Lee Soo-hyuk paused for a moment as if thinking, then answered immediately. Then her face brightened up.

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lee Soo-hyuk answered and looked at her. He could see that her expression was definitely brighter than before.

Lee Soo-hyuk smiled slightly and asked.

“Are you that happy?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. I’m happy. Just a moment, don’t say anything now and stay still.”

The nurse started checking his blood pressure.

After a while, the nurse who finished checking his blood pressure spoke again.

“So what’s the conclusion? Of course, you’re going to do as I said, right?”

“Well.”

“Yes? What kind of answer is that?”

“Can I ask you something first?”

“Yes, what is it?”

The nurse stared intently at Lee Soo-hyuk as if curious. Then Lee Soo-hyuk asked immediately.

“Do you usually have a habit of staring at people like that?”

It was something he always felt. When she spoke, she tended to stare at people so intently that it was sometimes embarrassing.

The nurse said, surprised.

“Oh my! Did I do that?”

“You sometimes do. So I was wondering if you were always like that.”

“No, it’s not that… I guess I did it without realizing it. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s the opposite.”

Lee Soo-hyuk even waved his hand on purpose and said.

In fact, her intense gaze sometimes made him feel embarrassed, but it wasn’t unpleasant or disliked. Rather, he liked that she seemed honest and didn’t hide anything.

“The opposite?”

“Yes, I actually liked that you looked confident and honest.”

“Oh, yes… you did. But was that what you wanted to ask me a little while ago?”

“No, I have something else.”

Lee Soo-hyuk shook his head and said. Then the nurse asked immediately.

“Something else? What is it?”

“Your name.”

“Yes? My name?”

“Yes, I know your last name, but I don’t know your first name. So I’m going to ask your name today.”

“Why suddenly my name?”

The nurse looked up at Lee Soo-hyuk head-on again this time. Then Lee Soo-hyuk chuckled. It was the moment he once again felt that looking at the other person head-on was her habit.

When Hyun-sung laughed, the nurse seemed to realize that she had looked at the other person head-on again and said immediately.

“Oh my! I did it again…….”

“It’s okay. I actually like it.”

“Still… I only realized today that I have this habit. But why suddenly my name?”

“You made today a special day for me.”

“Yes? I did?”

The nurse looked at Lee Soo-hyuk head-on again this time as if she couldn’t understand. Then Lee Soo-hyuk said immediately without laughing this time.

“Yes, today was a special day for me.”

“A special day?”

“Yes, I hadn’t even thought about two years from now until this evening. But my thoughts changed after listening to the nurse’s story. Of course, it’s a conclusion I came to after talking a little more with my friend, but the nurse’s words earlier made me change today.”

“So, in the end, you’re saying you’ll make a promise with me?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lee Soo-hyuk nodded. Then he immediately continued.

“So I asked for the nurse’s name. At least I wanted to know the name of the person who made me change.”

“Oh, yes…….”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask.”

“Um… Soo-bin. Cha Soo-bin.”

The nurse barely said her name as if she was embarrassed, and then took the blood pressure monitor and walked to the hospital room door. Then Lee Soo-hyuk immediately called her name.

“Soo-bin!”

“…….”

The nurse turned her head to look at Lee Soo-hyuk instead of answering. Then Lee Soo-hyuk said again.

“Thank you. Thanks to Soo-bin today, I have hope.”

“…….”

The nurse nodded slightly instead of answering and hurried out of the hospital room.

“Cha Soo-bin? It’s a pretty name…….”

Lee Soo-hyuk smiled as he looked at the door where the nurse had disappeared.

At that time.

Hyun-sung was looking at a computer monitor in Doctor Choi Min-young’s office.

Hyun-sung asked.

“Is this Soo-hyuk’s brain scan?”

“Yes, that’s right. If you look here…….”

Choi Min-young’s explanation continued.

The photos he showed were two types: a photo taken a week ago when he first arrived here and a photo taken three days after the new drug was administered.

Hyun-sung, who was listening to the explanation, asked.

“Doctor, is there any difference? I don’t know very well, but it seems to me that the two photos are the same…….”

“That’s right. There’s no difference at all!”

Choi Min-young’s voice was full of confidence.

Hyun-sung was just embarrassed by his appearance. The reason was because of Choi Min-young’s attitude of speaking so confidently.

To be honest, he said it cost 200 million won [approximately $150,000 USD] to inject the new drug once.

So, of course, he thought it would have an effect.

Of course, he knew that not much time had passed yet. But even so, he thought there would be at least a slight change.

But Choi Min-young said there was no change at all.

He even emphasized the word ‘at all’ as if to emphasize it.

Let’s say that’s possible. It hasn’t been that long yet.

But what Hyun-sung didn’t understand was the doctor’s attitude.

Even though there was no effect of the treatment at all, his attitude was too confident.

Hyun-sung thought that if he had at least a feeling of apology, he wouldn’t be able to speak so confidently.

Hyun-sung carefully asked again.

“Doctor, did you say that there is no difference between the two photos at all?”

“Yes, that’s right. So there’s hope.”

“Yes? Hope?”

It was a situation that Hyun-sung couldn’t easily understand.

There’s no difference between the two photos, but there’s hope?

What on earth is this?

Hyun-sung said again.

“Doctor, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re saying right now.”

“Um… okay.”

Choi Min-young paused for a moment as if thinking, then immediately continued.

“The fact that there is no difference between these two photos is proof that we are seeing the effect of the new drug.”

“Proof?”

“Yes, that’s right. Of course, Mr. Kim, you might think, ‘What effect is there if there’s no change?’ But in fact, that itself is the effect we’re seeing. What I mean is that it’s normal for this tumor to grow over time. But the fact that there’s no change means that the new drug has been injected and prevented the tumor from growing.”

Choi Min-young looked at the monitor again and continued.

“From now on, this tumor will no longer grow in this state. Now you understand what I’m saying, right?”

“Ah, so that’s how it works.”

Hyun-sung finally understood what Choi Min-young was saying.

He had thought that the new drug would only work when the size of the tumor decreased.

But that wasn’t the case.

He realized that even if the size of the tumor didn’t grow any further, it was still working.

Hyun-sung asked in an excited voice.

“So, in the end, we’re seeing the effect of the new drug?”

“Yes, that’s right. First of all, the priority is to prevent the tumor from growing any further.”

“And then we reduce its size?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it. Now that we’ve stopped it from growing any further, all we have to do is reduce its size from now on.”

Hyun-sung clenched his fist without realizing it.

Now, in this state, it will be a battle against time. And that time will also be on our side from now on.

“Hoo!”

Hyun-sung took a breath that he had been holding back without realizing it. Then he immediately continued.

“From now on, all we have to do is reduce its size?”

“You can almost say that.”

“Yes? Almost? Does that mean there’s still something to consider?”

He thought that now that he had stopped the tumor from growing any further, all he had to do was reduce its size. But the doctor was not giving a definite answer yet.

That meant there was something more left.

Hyun-sung asked out of curiosity.

“Doctor, what else is left?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, tomorrow will be the day we injected the new drug for a week. So we’ll be doing tests early in the morning tomorrow. I think I’ll be able to give you a definite answer depending on the results.”

Choi Min-young immediately continued.

“In fact, what I told you today is a special case.”

“A special case?”

“Yes, I wasn’t supposed to tell you in the first place, but I told Mr. Kim first because I was thinking of Chairman Shin, not anyone else. And…….”

Choi Min-young paused as if thinking, then continued again.

“I’m grateful to Mr. Kim, so I went a little overboard today.”

“Grateful?”

“Yes, if it weren’t for Mr. Kim’s support for the treatment costs, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come into contact with this new drug. Originally, it’s normal to tell you the results a week after injecting the new drug. That way, I can tell you the exact results. But as soon as I saw Mr. Kim today, I broke the rules. But…….”

Choi Min-young smiled and continued again.

“I had no choice. The reason is that you have made a great contribution to the development of Korean medicine to the extent that you can break the rules.”

“I just did it for my friend.”

“That’s why it’s even more amazing. Who in the world can spend so much money for a friend? Anyway, thanks to you, I personally had a great experience, and furthermore, the Korean medical community has greatly benefited from you. I don’t have any representation, but I wanted to express my gratitude like this.”

Hyun-sung finally knew why Choi Min-young had told him to come to the office.

“Is it possible that what you said a little while ago and tomorrow’s results may be different?”

“Almost 99% of what I said today will be correct.”

“So, in the end, you told me in advance.”

“That’s all I can do……, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want you to tell the patient about this fact yet. I’ll explain it in detail to the patient again tomorrow.”

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying. I’ll keep my mouth shut to Soo-hyuk for now.”

Hyun-sung chuckled.

He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly when he realized that the reason why Choi Min-young broke the rules and called him was, in the end, inevitably money.

But that’s not important.

Anyway, the important thing is that Soo-hyuk has hope.

That’s all that matters. After all, everything else is secondary.

Hyun-sung, who came out of the office, headed back to Lee Soo-hyuk’s hospital room. He had a brighter expression than ever before.