Chapter 86
I’m thinking about sneaking out later to make a call, but with my brother at work, it’ll be hard to find time to slack off. If I get caught doing something else, he’ll definitely threaten me with the card again.
Let’s just finish the work first.
I grumbled but moved quickly. My brother stood watching me for a few minutes, as if monitoring me, before moving to another part where help was needed.
The factory was chaotic with the mix of machine noises, heavy thuds from moving materials, wood dust, and dirt. Everyone was busy with their assigned tasks, with no time to pay attention to anything else.
In this hectic atmosphere, the accident happened in an instant.
“Huh? What’s wrong with this?”
Someone’s shout was drowned out by the factory noise.
Thud!
Before I could recognize the forklift approaching me, I felt a dull impact on my arm. At the same time, my balance shifted dramatically.
When I opened my eyes after closing them, I saw the factory floor. My eyes were suddenly very close to the ground, close enough to see the dust rolling around.
“What the…”
Did I fall?
I frowned, not immediately realizing my condition. As I tried to get up, I heard footsteps running towards me from afar.
“Are you okay?”
“Kwon-oh!”
Suddenly, I became fully alert.
When did I fall? I pushed against the floor to get up.
For some reason, one of my hands wasn’t moving well, and thick wooden planks were scattered all over the floor.
“Are you alright, Kwon-oh? Your arm is bleeding…!”
My brother looked at me and my arm alternately with a shocked expression. Only then did I realize that blood was flowing from a scratch on my arm.
Looking at the forklift stopped at an awkward position, it seemed like it had collided with me while moving materials. No wonder my body felt stiff.
As I stood up straight with my brother’s support, I noticed my phone on the ground and bent down again to pick it up.
“What? What are you doing? Your phone? I’ll pick it up, don’t move.”
Since my right arm wasn’t moving properly, my brother picked it up instead. The screen was completely shattered. Shit.
“Let’s go to the hospital first. How’s the arm that got hit?”
Hearing my brother’s words, I tried to move my right arm, which had been bothering me with pain.
“…It won’t move.”
“What?”
“I said it won’t move.”
“Why is the examination so delayed? The patient’s condition is urgent.”
“The director’s procedures and consultations are backed up, so there’s nothing we can do. Your turn is almost here, so please wait a little longer.”
“Excuse me. What kind of situation is this where you don’t see patients for over an hour because of some procedure or whatever?”
The nurse passed by, barely looking at my brother who was complaining. Judging from her indifferent expression, delays in consultations seemed to be a frequent occurrence.
The waiting room was already full of patients, and the doctor hadn’t even entered the consultation room yet.
“Let’s just go to Seoul for examination and treatment.”
My brother said in an agitated voice. I shook my head. It’s true that my hit arm hurt, but it wasn’t unbearable as long as I didn’t move it. Just a bit of throbbing?
“It’s fine. It’s better to stay here than to go to Seoul, re-register, and wait again. Didn’t the guy who was driving get hurt too?”
“Who cares if that bastard is hurt or dead.”
“What about the factory?”
“For now, we just cleaned up the spilled lumber, and the rest is back to normal. Don’t worry about that.”
“I came to help and just ended up causing more trouble.”
“How can you say that, you fool.”
My brother was about to pat my shoulder but lowered his hand when he saw my injured arm.
“I’m going to take a call. Wait here.”
And he left his seat again to answer another incoming call.
Only then did I take out my phone from my pocket to check. I pressed the power button again just in case, but it remained silent. It would be strange if it turned on in this state with the screen completely shattered.
“I was waiting for a call.”
I muttered, looking around.
Talk about bad luck. Not only am I injured, but I didn’t even get to hear Ryu Jeong-ha’s voice today, and now my phone is broken too.
There’s not even a public phone around, let alone anything outside the factory complex, so there’s no good place to borrow a phone. Even if I borrowed one, I can’t keep in constant contact, so it’s better to use my brother’s phone later.
A moment later. While my brother was away, I was able to get a consultation from the doctor who had returned.
I thought it wasn’t a big deal, but the injury was quite serious. They said I needed to be hospitalized for a cast and additional tests tomorrow.
I agreed since it would be inconvenient to stay at home with my arm in this state anyway. This place is closer to the company, so it’ll be easier for dad and my brother to commute.
The four-bed room I was barely assigned to was just as crowded with patients and guardians as the waiting room. It was no different from a marketplace with only loud people.
My brother and dad quickly returned to the factory after checking on my condition in the hospital room. There was no time to borrow a phone or anything.
I understood because if they couldn’t meet the scheduled output that day, the planned delivery schedule would keep getting delayed.
Furniture is problematic whether delivery is delayed or inventory piles up due to its large size, so it’s important to stick to the schedule as much as possible.
I fell asleep as soon as I lay on the bed, having only slept for two hours the previous night and now injured. In fact, there was nothing else I could do but sleep.
I intended to sleep for only an hour, but when I woke up, it was the next day. Shit.
As soon as I came to my senses, I immediately borrowed my brother’s phone to call Ryu Jeong-ha. It should be before he goes to his part-time job. He didn’t answer, maybe still asleep.
[Jeong-ha, it’s Kwon-oh. My phone is broken, so I’m contacting you through my brother’s phone. Call me when you see this.]
I left a message and was about to go back to sleep, but the room was too noisy, forcing me to stay awake.
I sat on the bed and pondered what to say to Ryu Jeong-ha when he calls later. He’ll definitely worry if I tell him I’m injured. It seems difficult to hide it completely, so I should just say I got a slight sprain once I’m discharged and somewhat recovered.
I looked like a mess, so it didn’t feel right to go to Seoul. I needed to oversee the accident cleanup and see the face of the guy who hit me, so it made sense to stay in Yongin for a few days.
According to my brother, the guy driving the forklift was drunk at the time. Who comes to work drunk? I was reminded once again that there are many crazy bastards in the world.
“Hey, can’t you be a bit quieter?”
“What did I do?”
“Why do you have your phone turned up so loud? It’s not like you’re deaf already.”
“What did you just say?”
Maybe because they were all people who got injured while working at nearby factories, their way of speaking was rough. They would often yell and fight among themselves at the slightest provocation. Like now.
I had no intention of getting involved in their dogfight, so I pulled the curtain around my bed and lay down. I tightly gripped my brother’s phone, waiting for Ryu Jeong-ha to contact me, and soon a call came in.
The number showed it was Ryu Jeong-ha!
“Hello.”
—Kwon-oh!
As expected, Ryu Jeong-ha’s voice was full of worry, as if he had been waiting for my call.
I quickly got up and went out to the relatively quiet corridor.
—What happened to your phone? You said it’s broken.
“About that, shit. I kept it in my pocket at the factory and dropped it on some materials, and the screen broke. Sigh.”
I explained the situation as minimally as possible. It’s bad enough being apart, I didn’t want to worry him by saying I was injured. I didn’t want to show him the cast either.
So I lied about the prepared excuse that I had to stay a few more days because it was busy.
—Is it that busy?
As soon as I said I needed to stay in Yongin longer, Ryu Jeong-ha asked in a dejected voice, as expected.
I felt guilty lying to someone who knew nothing.
“Yeah, they say there are a ton of orders because it’s vacation season.”
—Well, I guess it can’t be helped then… How much longer do you think you’ll be there?
“Maybe… four days? Five days? I’m not sure exactly.”
Just then, a loud voice rang out from the central desk in the hospital corridor.
“How can the hospital bill be this high? Where’s the doctor? Tell them to come out!”
A limping patient was yelling at the nurses. Shit, I’m just trying to talk to Peach, and all kinds of crap is happening.
It looks like there are only female nurses at the desk, and this pathetic guy is yelling? If I wasn’t on the phone with Ryu Jeong-ha, you would have already died by my hand.
I moved my body back so Ryu Jeong-ha couldn’t hear, but kept watching that direction to see if the troublemaker might raise his hand. If he tried to use any violence, I was planning to go over and crush him.
—Kwon-oh. I’m not working from tomorrow until Wednesday… Should I come visit you there?
But then Ryu Jeong-ha said something unexpected.
“What? Why would you come here?”
I was startled and asked back, as I had been glaring at the pathetic guy.
Then, belatedly realizing my mistake, I added:
“Don’t come. There’s nothing to do here, and there are only old geezers at the factory, so you’ll just be wasting your time.”
Even the one I’m looking at now is an old geezer. Ryu Jeong-ha coming here? Just the thought of pure and gentle Ryu Jeong-ha being among these filthy bastards makes me furious.
Ryu Jeong-ha doesn’t need to see this miserable and dirty sight. He should only see good things, it’s not enough as it is.
—I could still go… I, I won’t bother you, can’t I just see your face and come back?
“It’s too hectic here.”
—…
“Anyway, it’s dangerous, so you can’t.”
He’ll probably feel hurt. But it can’t be helped. It would have been good if I had another suitable excuse, but I couldn’t think of anything right now. So I just insisted that he couldn’t come.
—I understand.
I was worried he might stubbornly insist on coming, but Ryu Jeong-ha replied in a dejected voice that he understood.
His unusually compliant response made me feel uneasy. Did I reject him too harshly? Shit, speak more gently, Joo Kwon-oh.
“I’ll come back as soon as the work is done. How about you? Did you get home safely after your part-time job yesterday?”
Afraid that he might catch my lie if we talked longer, I deliberately changed the subject and ended the call soon after chatting for a bit.
I felt sorry for Ryu Jeong-ha, but this was better. I was embarrassed about being hit by a drunk bastard and didn’t want to make him worry, but more than anything, I didn’t want to bring Ryu Jeong-ha into this chaotic place. Absolutely not.
That’s why when I found a pale white peach standing alone in this mess the next day, I felt like my heart was sinking.
“B-bone? You said the bone is broken?”
