Muyeol paced around anxiously. The situation was much worse than he had thought. Her safety had been put at stake, attacked by a patient with whom she was supposed to have a relationship of trust. She would have to deal with trauma or it would scar her forever; she would never be able to go back to her life as a doctor. Yiyoung was a strong person, sure, but this was an extremely serious problem.
Muyeol pressed a hand against his forehead, deep in thought as he tried to find a logical solution to this complicated situation. His face remained impassive like a robot, but his heart was far from calm. The fiery anger bubbling inside threatened to burn his heart to ashes.
âI-I got stabbed by⦠by a knife, and Iâm s-so scaredâ¦â The rage inside him shot up his throat like bile as he recalled her trembling voice. Muyeol gulped, trying his best not to let it overwhelm him. He could barely hold it back. His throat was on fire, and it was driving him crazy.
In his entire life, he had never felt so enraged before. And unfortunately, this was one situation which called for him to remain as calm as possible and not get emotional.
âExcuse me, presidentâ¦â Someone called out from behind, and Muyeol turned around. âThese are Dr. Yoonâs belongingsâ¦â
The person held out a shopping bag filled with Yiyoungâs belongings, and Muyeol received it with trembling hands. Tongue-tied by his emotions, he simply nodded to acknowledge the person.
Once the person left, he reached inside, only to pull her blood-stained clothes. The smell of blood permeated the air, plunging him into fear. Muyeol collapsed, his very soul shaken by the sight of her bloody handprint on her phone. And the ring⦠He held her belongings to his chest, clinging onto them desperately.
âYoon Yiyoung⦠Shitty Yoonâ¦â
He kept thinking about her; his eyes turned blood-shot.
* * *
Mr. Hong was hurrying to the operating room when he spotted the figure kneeling on the floor. His steps slowed down, unsure if the person was Muyeol. But one look at the figureâs face confirmed it; it was Cha Muyeol, his boss. Yet Mr. Hong could not bring himself to approach him. He stopped dead in his tracks as he watched his boss desperately hug something; it was his first time seeing Muyeol lose his composure.
So Mr. Hong decided to wait, refusing to take a single step forward until Muyeol was done. Once he saw Muyeol move to stand up, he walked forward. âIâm sorry for being late, Sir.â
Unlike the panicked way he had clung to Yiyoungâs belongings earlier, Muyeol seemed serene as he slipped her ring on his hand, calmly putting away her stuff back into the shopping back. However, he still needed to take a few deep breaths before being able to speak; he finally opened his mouth, his voice all low. âHowâs the situation?â
Mr. Hong mentally debated over which news to break first. When the director left the meeting room after receiving a call, everyone had begun to panic. And not long after, Mr. Hong received a call which made him panic, too. âMr. Hong! Thereâs a rumor going around in the company⦠about the directorâs marriage. The director of S hospital called andâ¦â
Mr. Hong understood why his boss had kept his marriage a secret. Anyone who knew the CEOâs personality and the kind of father he was, would understand why. It was to protect his wife. Mr. Hong would have done the same.
He had been working as a secretary for Muyeol since the manâs intern days. And from the first day until now, Mr. Hong had never seen his boss so perturbed. But he also knew why. Muyeol was trying his best to survive, so he probably couldnât afford to let anyone see him in such a state.
CEO Chaâs monstrosity was well-known among the employees of the company. Whenever there was a meeting which involved CEO Cha, the employees removed anything and everything which could potentially be used as a weapon; CEO Cha had a habit of throwing the thing nearest to him if the meeting didnât proceed according to his plans.
His behavior toward his sons was way worse, and because Muyeol refused to surrender to him like Jaeho, he was treated even more awfully.
Some people might say that since Muyeol was able to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth because of his father, he should simply endure such harassment. However, unless they were called a âfilthy-blooded b*stardâ like he was, they would not be able to understand the pain he had suffered from. No one, no one would ever want to experience the same humiliation that he had.
The situation was so strange and unfamiliar; Mr. Hong couldnât come up with any words to say to Muyeol. But Muyeol recognized his struggle and asked, âAre there rumors spreading in the company?â
âThe hospital director called the chief secretary at the company.â
âWhose number is this?â Muyeol showed his phone to Mr. Hong, the unknown number from before still flashing across the screen.
Mr. Hong didnât need even a second to answer, âThat phone number belongs to Gong Heesu.â
âWhere are she and Jaeho now?â
âI heard the chief secretary is blocking them from entering the meeting room.â
âThat crazyâ¦â muttered Muyeol.
Mr. Hong knew Muyeolâs anger was directed at Cha Jaeho and Gong Heesu, not at the chief secretary. âWhat do you want me to do?â
Muyeol fiddled with Yiyoungâs ring. He needed this chance, or all his hard work would be wasted. One wrong decision, and the opportunity to achieve the only thing he had ever wished for in his life would disappear. He turned around, only to be faced by the notification board.
âIn operation. Yoon Yiyoung,â it read. Seeing her name on there made him tear up.
In that moment, Muyeol made his decision. âTell Chief Kang to open the door. And tell him to proceed as if theyâre in our team now.â
âWhat?â
âFrom this moment onward, Executive Director Cha Jaeho will be in charge of the project. Unless heâs out of mind, he would know that he canât possibly lead the project successfully without Chief Kang. Iâm sure heâs smart enough to make a good decision.â