episode_0166

A few days later.

“I heard bringing flowers is a bit tacky.”

In response to my comment, Yoonji chuckled and extended the flower basket she was holding towards me.

“No one dislikes receiving flowers. I was so happy when you gave them to me.”

“Well, that’s…”

Why is she bringing up old stories again?

Without realizing it, I found myself at a loss for words, and Yoonji chuckled as she patted my back.

“Let’s go quickly, there’s something I want to say. And there are places we need to stop by.”

“Something you want to say?”

“Apologies and gratitude.”

Yoonji spoke concisely.

Understanding the meaning behind her words, I followed her into the hospital.

We took the elevator to the highest floor.

It was the VIP ward.

“You must have spent a lot of money.”

Since Yoonji had covered all the hospital bills, I asked casually, and she replied with a bitter smile.

“Money isn’t important.”

“…”

“And it’s not just me paying, it’s our company. To put it bluntly, we only failed in this matter.”

Judging by her expression, it seemed like Yoonji had learned a lot from this experience.

The VIP ward consisted of individual rooms, and there were a total of four rooms we needed to enter.

We first entered the room of Jung Chanwoo, who unexpectedly had five people gathered inside.

“What’s going on? Why is everyone here?”

Our stylish friends, who had been beaten up by gangsters in just 30 seconds, were gathered together, tapping on their phones.

“We’re in the middle of a game.”

“It’s boring to be alone in the hospital room.”

It seemed like they were not using their individual rooms at all.

The four of them were playing games on their phones. A bald man in the corner smiled softly and waved at us.

“I really appreciate what you did this time. Thanks to you, the kids weren’t seriously injured.”

Surprisingly.

The bald man was the one who protected the four people who were beaten up in just 30 seconds.

He was good at fighting.

Thanks to him, they weren’t seriously injured, but the important thing was.

Han Kang and Pyo Jinho’s military enlistment was delayed because of me.

They were supposed to go to the training camp the next day, but it was postponed again due to this hospitalization.

As I handed over the expensive fruit basket as an apology.

“Oh, he’s dead. Right, Woojin!”

“Kyaah! Woojinaaa!”

The two people ran towards me after the game ended.

Naturally, I thought they would say something, but they lifted me up and started spinning around the room, forgetting that they were patients.

“Thanks to you, we’re late for the military!”

“Yesss! So happy! So happy!”

“…These guys are really living for the moment.”

Please forgive my guilty conscience.

Seeing them so happy about not going to the military made me feel conflicted.

They would have to go eventually.

Isn’t it better to get it over with early?

Should I apologize to them or just accept their happiness with a smile?

A vague situation.

After the chaos settled down.

Yoonji coughed lightly and handed each of the four people a bouquet of flowers.

“Flowers are prohibited in the hospital, but arrangements are allowed. Here.”

“Oh…”

“Thank you.”

One by one, they looked at Yoonji’s gift with discomfort. Wondering what kind of flowers they were, they opened them up and found a stack of bills inside.

“Wow…”

“How much is this!”

“Yoon-nim! Oh my god, Yoon-nim!”

“Not going to the military and getting pocket money! Yay!”

They were ecstatic, like primitive people who had discovered fire, as the bills kept coming out, and no one knew when it would stop.

“What, was it that kind of thing?”

Surprised by the revelation, I asked, and Yoonji winked and shrugged.

“Of course, guys would love it.”

“Being on TV with celebrities, she knows how to do events.”

“You used to do this with me too.”

“That, well… yeah.”

Cosplaying, shopping with electric gadgets plugged in, camping in tents, and so on.

“What, all these lewd things.”

Seeing that they can only think of such things when it’s called an event, I wondered if my brain had rotted.

Yoonji also seemed to recall something similar, her face slightly reddening and her breath getting warmer.

Yoonji, who was offering a step to the four people she liked, cleared her throat and then bowed deeply.

“This time, due to our side’s mishandling, we have caused you harm. I am truly sorry. It may be somewhat inadequate compared to the suffering you endured, but it is our sincerity.”

“Oh, this is more than enough!”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

“They were the bad ones from the start!”

Whether it’s because they are easy to handle and comfortable to be around, or simply because they are good people, Yoonji thought to herself as she watched everyone enjoying themselves.

She also bowed her head towards the bald man.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here. I was planning to come find you later.”

“No, I’m just glad our cool guys are safe. There’s no need to come find me separately.”

“But…”

“If it’s not okay, can you lend me Wujin?”

What the hell.

Why are you asking me?

Go ask Chanwoo.

Yoonji took a step back, shivering, and then linked arms with me, shaking her head.

“I don’t think that would be possible.”

“Too bad!”

A bright smile that didn’t seem disappointed at all. Yoonji finished her conversation with the bald man like that.

We left the hospital, greeted by the cheers of the four who had returned from being cool to being dorks.

“Phew, that was a relief.”

Yoonji breathed a sigh of relief, brushing her chest.

It seemed like she was worried that if she didn’t receive an apology, something might happen, given the magnitude of the incident this time.

After leaving the hospital, we stood there in silence for a moment.

We both had things we wanted to say, but we were still organizing our thoughts.

“How is Popo?”

I spoke up first.

“He’s fine. All the others retired from broadcasting, but Popo decided to continue with us.”

“It was quite big when Geongong and the fans came at the end.”

“Yeah, he was actually planning to quit, but after seeing Geongong and the fans, he said he wanted to continue and asked for our help. He wants to change his name though.”

It seemed that Popo had been dissatisfied with the nickname Hwangsa gave him for a long time.

Well, Popo was a name that seemed like it would appear in a historical drama.

“Starting fresh with a new name doesn’t sound too bad.”

I nodded with a smile, and Yoonji took a deep breath before bowing her head.

“Sorry, Woojin.”

“…”

“I was very inexperienced in handling this matter.”

Looking at Yoonji’s apology, various emotions welled up inside me.

She had done her best in her own way.

She knew how to deal with the police. She already had a plan in place to handle the situation, even if we just reported it.

She wanted to understand the internal confidential information and facts, gather solid evidence, and strike.

In that sense, Yuarin was a quite tempting key.

With an amazing show, she had caught their attention.

There would be no suspicion that it was Yuarin who approached them, not Hwangsa.

“To be honest, I was quite flustered at that time.”

“…”

“I didn’t expect to see you and Yuarin there.”

It was undoubtedly Yoonji, Jageunhyeong, and Jageunhyeong’s fault for bringing Yuarin in. Even if she had agreed.

“If things hadn’t worked out well, it could have been a big problem. But anyway, it worked out well.”

I patted Yoonji’s head as she bowed her head.

It felt like the first time I had done something like this, so I petted her head a little more firmly.

“Alright, that’s enough. We’re 21 now. Whether you’re a CEO or a chairman’s son, we’re still just college students in the end.”

Mistakes can happen.

Failure is also a possibility.

Yoonji’s meticulous image made me somewhat puzzled, but it also meant that she was just as eager.

She wanted to save the exploited broadcasters.

“If you fail, you don’t have to do it again next time.”

As I tried to comfort her, Yoonji slowly raised her head.

Her eyes were red.

Seeing her, who looked like she could burst into tears at any moment, I smiled slightly and gently held her trembling hand that cautiously grabbed my clothes.

“Can I hug you just once?”

“Huh?”

“Is it okay if I hug you just once?”

“…But there are people around near the hospital.”

“Still. I want to hug you.”

Look at her acting cute.

Glancing around, I subtly spread my hands, and Yoonji immediately rushed into my chest, burying her face in it.

“I won’t make this mistake again! I won’t make this mistake again!”

“Okay, you’ll do well.”

“I’m sorry, Woojin! I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay. Maybe it’s because you’ve been working hard for the past six months.”

She was the one who tried to work tirelessly to come back to me.

If she had to break a little to come back to my arms.

If she fixes it again, it’ll be fine.

My heart felt heavy.

Watching Yoonji cry, I felt a deep emotion and hugged her gently.

“It’s okay, try talking to Yuarin. Even if her personality is a bit dirty, she’s not a bad kid, so if you’re honest, she’ll forgive you.”

“Okay.”

“Ugh, why did you become such a crybaby while I wasn’t looking?”

“Geez! Don’t say that!”

Words may be like that, but they don’t fall apart.

Although the attention of the people near the hospital was focused on us, Yoonji buried her face in my chest and seemed unaware.

“You like confident appearances… I intentionally acted that way too.”

A small confession now.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, it’s a different look.”

After giving her some time to calm down, her crying stopped.

“By the way, can you give me Minjuhee’s number? I want to contact her separately.”

The leader who played a big role this time.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll tell you separately. You don’t need to do that, she just asked me to buy her a meal. So we decided to have lunch together today.”

“….”

It felt like Yoonji’s hand holding me had gained strength.

* * *

After parting ways with Yoonji, who was going to meet Yuarin.

I went out to the city to have lunch with Joohee senior.

Since I promised to buy her an expensive steak, I headed to the steakhouse.

“She’s not here yet.”

There were people around, but Joohee senior was nowhere to be seen.

Checking the time, there were still 10 minutes left.

I thought I could just wait at the entrance.

As I was looking at my phone.

Tap, tap.

Someone was tapping me on the side.

I wondered who it was and glanced over.

“Why are you pretending not to know me when you clearly see me.”

It wasn’t the usual military jacket she wore.

She was wearing a snug beige dress.

Her hand, which usually held a cigarette, was now lost and resting somewhat awkwardly on her stomach.

She seemed to have put on makeup, with a brightness and neatness in her tied-up hair that was different from usual.

“J-Joo, Joo leader?”

Blushing, Joohee senior nodded her head.