“What is he talking about?” said Byujngwon with a blank expression on his face after checking the message. The duty doctor, curious about his expression, looked at the text message.
The doctor opened his eyes wide, “Wild ginseng?”
He felt Byungwon got swindled by someone. Where could one find the genuine wild ginseng these days? He knew most wild ginseng in circulation was fake, and even what they said was good wild ginseng was usually cultivated ginseng, not genuine wild ginseng. Nonetheless, the doctor didn’t tease Byungwon by saying “Oh, you were deceived into buying it, dude!”
There were so many emergence patients he had to take care of. The doctor left to take care of other patients, leaving Byungwon alone, with a blank expression. Mingyu was asleep with a peaceful expression on his face.
Byungwon called Hyunwoo again, asking “Are you sure it’s genuine wild ginseng?”
“Yes. I didn’t tell you on purpose because you might feel uncomfortable. I discovered it by chance in the mountain. The doctor said Mingyu was okay, right? I told you so. It’s a bit of dizziness, so don’t worry at all.”
Byungwon felt much relieved to hear that. After the call, he watched Mingyu’s condition, and the morning came before he knew it.
The duty doctor left for the day, and a new duty doctor came in. Checking the medical record, the doctor examined Mingyu’s condition and said in a rather businesslike tone, “Nothing wrong with him, so please take him home. If you still feel uneasy, take him to the patient’s room after going through the hospitalization.”
Byungwon took Mingyu back home who did not regain his consciousness until then. It was about five hours later when Mingyu woke up. It was already 2 pm.
“Mom, I want water!”
When they heard his voice, Byungwon and his wife hurriedly came to him and asked, “How do you feel?”
“How about your condition?”
Mingyu made an perplexed expression when he saw his parents making a big fuss about him. He felt really good after a sound sleep, but his parents seemed full of anxiety. Then, he suddenly recalled he felt dizzy after taking the medicine his father gave him and couldn’t remember anything after that.
“What happened? Did I faint again?” asked Mingyu.
Whenever he had a high fever, he fainted. Byungwon explained to him briefly what happened, and checked his body carefully.
“How do you feel? Don’t you feel anything strange about your body?”
Mingyu swung his arms and turned his head to double check the condition of his body.
And then he suddenly opened his eyes, which made Byungwon’s heart sink.
“What’s wrong with you? Anything wrong?”
“Yea, something strange. I feel so well.”
Though he’s a young boy, Mingyu suffered from chronic fatigue as found in adults. No matter how long he slept, Mingyu always felt tired, but now he felt something different.Though it might be temporary, he felt so refreshed.
Even Byungwon felt Mingyu’s eyes were s.h.i.+ning brightly. Suddenly, he felt his heart throbbing. Like Hyunwoo said, he felt as if Mingyu got better in just one day. The medicine Hyunwoo gave him looked special. Initially, he didn’t think of it as some typical medicine on the market, but he took a completely different view. It was the greatest medicine ever for Mingyu, to say the least.
“Honey, put the medicine in the refrigerator and take special care of it, and keep it according to the instruction on the memo.”
Only then did his wife recognize the value of the medicine, and put it carefully in the refrigerator.
***
Late Friday afternoon, while checking his watch, Team Leader Youngsu Park stood up suddenly and said, “Hey, guys, you can leave for the day.”
And then he left the office five minutes earlier than the closing time.
Other team members also quickly followed suit with bright expression on their faces. Suji Min was no exception. Though she had no particular appointment over the weekend, she was still happy on Friday.
“See you on Monday,” said Suji as she heded home.
What should I do over the weekend?
Then Sangho Oh suddenly came to her and said, “I hear you live in H apartment in Sunbudong, right?”
“Yes,” said Suji with a beautiful smile and a nod. She smiled to everybody of the purchasing team.
“Well, I have an appointment near that area. Let’s go together. Let me give you a ride,” said Sangho.
“I’m fine. I can ride a bus that will drop me off right near my apartment.”
“What? You make me embarra.s.sed. I’d like to show my goodwill, but how can you refuse it like this?” said Sangho jokingly.
“Hoho. Got it. Let me owe you a big favor today only, then,” said Suji with a grin.
“Don’t mention something like ‘favor’.”
Suji got in Sangho’s foreign car. At a glance, it was an expensive foreign car. He brought it here when he moved from the United States.
“How do you spend your weekend? I think you must have a date, right?”
“Oh, you know already I don’t have any boyfriend yet,” said Suji, leering at him.
“Really? I didn’t know that. So, you don’t have any special appointments? Can I take you to a musical? I’ve got some good tickets,” said Sangho.
Suji felt something strange about Sanghos’ remarks.
“Don’t you think you should enjoy the musical with the manager of the publicity team, Minhye? I know both of you have been dating.”
“We broke up long time ago. She is no longer my girlfriend. How about dating me?” asked Sangho jokingly, but Suji couldn’t take his words as a joke. Suddenly, she felt awkward.
“Well, I have someone in my mind. Sorry. Hohoho,” replied Suji.
“Who? a.s.sistant Manager Hyunwoo?” asked Sangho, trying to figure out her interests.
“Hummm…it’s a secret. Hohoho”
“If your date is Hyunwoo, you have picked the wrong person. He’s on intimate terms with Minhye.”
“Really? I’ve never heard about it,” said Suji, opening her eyes wide.
“Didn’t you notice that at the recent picnic?”
Of course, Suji remembered that, but it was Minhye who tried to get close to Hyunwoo. Sangho said they were really intimate, and that Hyunwoo was acting like he was not close to her.
As Sangho kept talking like that, Suji found herself asking, Oh, was it true?
While they’re chatting like that, the car arrived at Suji’s apartment.
At that moment Suji shouted, surprised at something, “Oh my G.o.d! Mom!”
Sangho stopped his car, surprised. A middle-aged woman was ma.s.saging her legs with her hands, squatting on the street. Suji quickly got out the car and approached her.
Sangho’s eyes opened wide, Oh, she must be Suji’s mother.
He got out of the car quickly and walked toward them, helping her mother stand up.
Mrs. Kong, Suji’s mother, looked at him with a strange expression on her face, “May I ask who you are?”
Sangho introduced himself, and Mrs. Kong smiled brightly as if she knew about him.
“Oh, I see. You’re that man from a famous US college…”
Sangho smiled in satisfaction. It looked as if Suji told her mother about him in detail. That suggested she was interested in him to some degree, though she didn’t express it outwardly.
“Yes, you’re right. Let me introduce myself formally. My name is Sangho Oh.”