Five years ago was around the time he entered university. The man who applied to become a detective because he disliked being called “Officer Kyung” would have been called “Detective Kyung” since then. He said he had worked at the nearby Gangseo Police Station, so it seemed he had known the staff at Boramchan Surgical Clinic since that time.
A melancholy expression settled over the face that had just shown a slight smile. Right now, Geun-yeong really envied Nurse Bong.
* * *
They said they should hold a welcome party for the newcomer. The welcome party included Professor Baek Moonjong, Nurse Bong Tae-hee, and although his position couldn’t be specified yet, the newly hired part-timer Ji Geun-yeong, as well as Kyung Jiho, Detective Kyung, who appeared right at closing time.
The four of them moved to a regular restaurant near the hospital that would make anything they asked for. Fresh cod had come in this afternoon, so the main menu was cod soup. There was a heated debate between Baek Moonjong and Bong Tae-hee over spicy cod soup versus clear cod soup, and Baek Moonjong, who threw a tantrum complaining about a painful canker sore, eventually won.
“Ah! Clear cod soup. Nice. Very nice.”
Baek Moonjong looked very satisfied with today’s menu. Bong Tae-hee was pouting, still preferring the spicy red cod soup.
Geun-yeong actually preferred the clear soup but kept quiet, not taking sides. He guessed Detective Kyung would probably prefer the spicy soup, while quietly filling glasses with water for everyone.
Kimchi, rolled egg, stir-fried dried shrimp with garlic stems, braised tofu, spinach and bean sprout salad, and peppers as big as cucumbers were laid out as side dishes. Rice bowls came out for each person, and Geun-yeong opened the utensil holder and quietly placed chopsticks and spoons in front of everyone. Baek Moonjong, who had been watching him silently, let out a hearty laugh and said:
“This kid is something else. I’ve worked with many autopsy assistants, but I’ve never in my life seen one who styles the corpse’s hair after we’re done. Hahaha.”
Uncomfortable with the attention, Geun-yeong fiddled with the end of his own spoon and explained in a small voice:
“His hair looked too much like cabbage…”
Kyung Jiho snorted and muttered “cabbage,” and Nurse Bong, who had been pretending to be Bong Tae-hee all along, became Bong Tae-gu and laughed loudly. The restaurant owner ajumma, who appeared just then carrying the cod soup pot with both hands, laughed the loudest without even knowing what was funny.
“I see a new face today! Oh, how pretty. Are you around twenty? But you need to eat more. You’re too skinny. Here, everyone eat. I made it nice and fre-esh.”
Around the time the ajumma asked if he was around twenty, he answered “I’m twenty-four,” but his response was buried in the stream of concerned comments that followed without pause. It wasn’t clear if she had heard Geun-yeong’s answer, but in any case, after saying everything she wanted to say, the ajumma set down the cod soup, turned on the burner, and left.
Only after Baek Moonjong picked up his spoon did everyone else follow. Kyung Jiho nudged Geun-yeong’s arm with his elbow as he was about to pick up his spoon and said:
“Don’t you need to do something?”
“Ah. Yes, I do. Excuse me for a moment.”
Geun-yeong slightly raised his hips, bowed politely, and got up to go outside. He planned to do it in the restroom if he could find one, or in a secluded spot in an alley if he couldn’t.
After seeing Geun-yeong leave the restaurant and the door close behind him, Kyung Jiho said:
“That kid has diabetes and takes insulin injections. I saw he wears a pump on his stomach. He can’t skip meals, and he needs to take insulin before every meal. So if that makes it difficult to employ him, tell me now.”
There was a brief silence after Kyung Jiho’s statement, which implicitly threatened not to say anything to the kid later. Then Baek Moonjong spoke:
“Even the guy who got fired for hooking up with a hospitalized soldier could keep his job if he worked well, so what’s the big deal about having diabetes and taking insulin? I have diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and can’t even pee properly because of an enlarged prostate—why don’t you tell me to leave instead, you thoughtless punk.”
“Ah.”
The thoughtless punk acknowledged his mistake with a single sound of agreement, substituting it for an apology.
Meanwhile, Bong Tae-hee, who was scooping out pieces of cod onto everyone’s plates, expressed his displeasure:
“Oh geez, seriously. Making it sound so cheap. What do you mean ‘hooking up’? It was the romance of the century at the time.”
Even while complaining, Bong Tae-hee set down the elegant and swiftly moving ladle and picked up his own spoon.
Just then, Geun-yeong returned after injecting his insulin and saw Nurse Bong’s lips protruding significantly, with his eyelids demurely lowered.
He had definitely been laughing about the cabbage, but why had he become so angry in such a short time? Was he still upset about the clear soup? While debating whether to ask, Geun-yeong tasted a spoonful of the cod soup broth from his plate. It was refreshing. Looking around, he noticed the piece of cod on his plate was the largest.
Who had given him such a large piece? Could it have been Detective Kyung?
With such thoughts, Geun-yeong finished his meal with proper portions. He ate the firm, almost chewy cod meat, some egg, and even diligently chewed the cucumber-sized pepper.
After dinner, they chatted for quite a while even without alcohol. Most of the stories were about cases that could be solved thanks to Detective Kyung who had brought corpses to Boramchan Surgical Clinic, along with Nurse Bong’s preferred type of men, and Professor Baek’s complaints and grumbles about aging. These days his knees ached when he stood for too long, he said. He just couldn’t manage anymore. Then he asked the kid who was nodding along attentively to his words, which made him like the boy even more:
“So, Geun-yeong, have you decided on your specialty? Internal medicine? Or maybe dermatology, which is popular these days?”
While asking about his career path, he was also asking about his motivation for becoming a doctor. Whether he simply wanted to cure diseases, or if he also wanted to make money and be successful in the process.
In truth, Geun-yeong hadn’t given it any thought. From the beginning, he had planned to do whatever the man who had decided his career would be a doctor told him to do. And now he had to decide for himself, but he still didn’t know what he wanted.
“I’m not… really sure.”
After answering honestly, he felt a bit embarrassed. He had no dreams, no hopes. He wondered what the difference was between himself and the old man who had been lying in the autopsy room earlier.
“If you don’t have anything specific you want to do, try studying forensic medicine.”
Forensic medicine?
Geun-yeong tilted his head. At that moment, Kyung Jiho quickly averted his gaze from Geun-yeong to look elsewhere.
Though he straightened his head, Geun-yeong was still thinking about what Professor Baek had said. Come to think of it, while helping with the autopsy and fixing the cabbage-headed grandfather’s hair, he had thought that the job of a forensic pathologist, who discovers the untold circumstances of the deceased, seemed quite rewarding. Was that why it was called “Boramchan” (Rewarding) Surgical Clinic? He had wondered about that too.
While Geun-yeong was seriously considering a career path he had never thought about before, Baek Moonjong continued talking:
“I’ve never seen a medical student who knows anatomy so thoroughly. Looking so delicate but not afraid of corpses.”
Baek Moonjong, who had warned in advance that becoming talkative with age was a physiological phenomenon, indeed hadn’t rested his mouth for a moment during the autopsy. He had told and asked Geun-yeong various things, then answered his own questions. Starting with questions about the current corpse, such as what the biggest difference was between a poisoned patient and one who died of myocardial infarction, he went on to ask about differences according to various causes of death, and Geun-yeong calmly answered with what he thought. Most of his answers were close to correct.
“Good deductive skills. Dexterous hands. Standing for four hours without a single complaint shows perseverance too. This field seems to suit you perfectly.”
Perseverant and smart. Above all, Baek Moonjong really liked that the kid had the basic mindset that a corpse was once a person and deserved respect. That’s why he wanted to draw him into this field where they were short-handed. Of course, such a smart kid with decent character wouldn’t likely take a job as a National Forensic Service pathologist for a salary just slightly longer than a rat’s tail, but still, Baek Moonjong was tempted.
“If you don’t have anything specific you want to do, give this field some serious thought.”
Even after that, Baek Moonjong’s courtship continued toward Geun-yeong, who couldn’t give a definite answer since he wasn’t even sure if he could graduate from medical school.
As such conversations went back and forth, the atmosphere mellowed, and when they seemed to have become quite friendly, Geun-yeong mentioned a fact he absolutely had to convey:
“Actually, I… have diabetes. I’m taking insulin.”
As the kid confessed this fact with his head slightly bowed, looking at the clear cod soup pot that was already showing its bottom, Jiho leaned back and gave Baek Moonjong and Bong Tae-gu a look. Don’t pretend you know, he signaled. He didn’t want to be known as a blabbermouth. Watching this, Baek Moonjong clicked his tongue quietly enough that the kid looking at the cod soup couldn’t hear, and said:
“Many excellent people suffer from diabetes.”
“Who?” asked Nurse Bong, as if he didn’t know any such person.
“Far away, there’s the female Prime Minister of France, and closer to home, there’s Baek Moonjong of Boramchan Surgical Clinic.”
No one laughed at the unfunny joke except the person who made it. Bong Tae-hee and Kyung Jiho merely wore expressions that said “no comment.”
Bong Tae-hee, who had a tendency not to allow gaps in conversation, changed the topic before Baek Moonjong even finished laughing.
“Since we’re on the topic, should we play a truth game? Should we? Then I’ll go first. Actually, I’m gay. I like men. You didn’t know that. Surprised?”
Geun-yeong couldn’t answer as he was being asked this. It was the most flustered moment since he had started living independently. He hadn’t felt this flustered even when he’d slept in after skipping breakfast, or when Detective Kyung caught him washing his blanket with his lower half undressed. Those moments were merely embarrassing enough that he could make excuses or cover things up. But this embarrassment was on a different level. Placed in a situation where he had to lie rather than make excuses, Geun-yeong stammered with a pale face.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
