Chapter 38

Thud, thud, thud.

The three of them were practically speed-walking.

It wasn’t just because of the freezing cold—though that was definitely a factor—but more because of the ever-present risk of their phones ringing at any moment.

‘Wait, false alarm.’

Jaewon, in particular, wasn’t as thick-skinned as Kang-hyuk, so he kept checking his phone as they walked.

Every time he felt like it vibrated, he had to make sure.

It was a phenomenon known as phantom vibration syndrome, a kind of modern affliction caused by smartphone overuse.

“Alright, let’s go here.”

Kang-hyuk pointed at a Chinese restaurant located right across the main road from the hospital.

The sign read 향미궁 (Hyangmigung) in large, bold characters.

Without any hesitation, Kang-hyuk stepped inside.

“I looked it up—seems like a decent place.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s good.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit expensive, though… I came here once for a department dinner.”

Jaewon and Jang-mi nodded in agreement.

As a hospital-front restaurant, they had been here quite a few times.

Rumor had it that the hospital chairman had hired a hotel chef to run the place.

Since the restaurant had exclusive catering rights to hospital events, no one knew if that was the cause or just a result of its reputation.

Either way, having a high-end restaurant just five minutes from the hospital was a blessing.

Especially for trauma surgery, where they barely had time to breathe, let alone eat.

“Do you have a reservation?”

Inside, a staff member—dressed in what appeared to be traditional Chinese attire, though no one could confirm its authenticity—greeted them.

A spontaneous dinner like this obviously wasn’t reserved in advance.

So, Kang-hyuk simply shook his head.

The employee looked a bit troubled but soon asked another question.

“Are you from the hospital by any chance?”

“If you mean Hanguk University Hospital, then yeah.”

“Ah, please follow me.”

From the way he spoke, it seemed like the restaurant had special treatment for hospital staff.

Thanks to that, they were immediately seated.

And not just anywhere—in a private room.

“What would you like to order?”

At the waiter’s question, Jaewon and Jang-mi quickly scanned the menu.

But what they failed to realize was a simple unspoken rule:

The one paying chooses the food.

“We’ll have the Dinner Course A.”

That course was a high-end option, costing over 100,000 won per person.

Jaewon and Jang-mi’s eyes widened in shock.

The only person who remained completely unfazed was Kang-hyuk, the one footing the bill.

“Three Course A’s, correct?”

“Yeah. Just bring them out quickly—we might have to leave in the middle.”

“Understood. Don’t worry—our food isn’t just delicious, it’s fast.”

Well, with a hospital next door, it had to be.

Doctors were the kind of people who dropped everything the moment their phone rang.

Even those not on call weren’t much different.

If a hospitalized patient suddenly went critical, who could possibly sit and finish their meal in peace?

It was one thing if they didn’t know, but if they had been notified?

Impossible.

“Will you be having any alcohol?”

“Of course not.”

“Understood.”

It wasn’t exactly a great idea to drink when they could be summoned at any time.

The staff seemed aware of this, nodding and stepping away without further questions.

Click.

As soon as the door closed, Jang-mi was the first to speak.

“If I knew we were eating something this fancy, I would’ve dressed up a bit.”

“Why? Does eating good food require a fashion upgrade?”

Kang-hyuk’s face was blank with genuine confusion.

Jang-mi let out a chuckle at his reaction.

“Well, how else am I supposed to post it on Instagram? My friends keep teasing me, saying I got into a top hospital but still dress like a beggar.”

“Oh, Instagram….”

Kang-hyuk had heard of it.

But he had neither the time nor the interest to sign up.

“By the way, Professor… are you sure it’s okay to splurge like this? 300,000 won for one meal is… a lot.”

Jaewon, on the other hand, was more concerned about Kang-hyuk’s wallet.

He had a rough idea of how much hospital professors made.

‘It’s not like their salaries are huge to begin with… and our department doesn’t even get incentives.’

Despite what people assumed, university hospital professors didn’t make astronomical salaries.

For top tenured professors or department heads, sure—150 million won a year was possible.

But for a new professor like Kang-hyuk?

He was barely making half that.

If a professor worked in a profitable department, performance incentives could boost their income.

But trauma surgery was running a deficit.

Forget bonuses—they were lucky if they didn’t get pay cuts.

“Oh. 300,000 won? Yeah, that’s a lot of money. But I have plenty.”

Kang-hyuk’s response was unexpected.

A trauma surgeon saying he had plenty of money?

He wasn’t a private practice owner.

‘Wait… is he rich?’

Jaewon couldn’t help but wonder.

After all, a lot of professors came from wealthy families.

Still, he didn’t dare ask directly.

Asking a professor about their family’s wealth was… bold, to say the least.

But one person here had no problem being that bold.

Jang-mi.

“Oh… so you’re actually rich, huh?”

“Rich?”

“Yeah. Are your parents super wealthy or something?”

Jaewon flinched at Jang-mi’s straightforward question.

But at the same time, his curiosity piqued.

Now that he thought about it, they knew practically nothing about Kang-hyuk.

All they knew was:

1. He graduated from Muan University.
2. He used to work for Doctors Without Borders.
3. He ended up here.

In contrast, Professor Han Yoo-rim, the department head of general surgery, was practically an open book.

They knew his wife’s name, where his kids went to school, where he lived, and even his favorite and least favorite foods.

Compared to that, Kang-hyuk was a complete mystery.

“Parents, huh.”

Kang-hyuk bit into a pickled vegetable, the crunch echoing through the room.

For the first time, his face darkened.

“My parents passed away a long time ago.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know….”

Flustered, Jang-mi quickly bowed her head.

“No, it’s fine. I was already grown by then.”

“I see….”

“You don’t have to get all gloomy about it. It was just a car accident, and they died because of it.”

To be precise, it had happened shortly after Kang-hyuk started college.

At the time, he had simply thought, It couldn’t be helped.

But as he gained more medical knowledge, he realized the truth.

If they had arrived at the hospital in time… If that hospital had a proper trauma surgeon…

If he had been their doctor, the chances of survival would have been much higher.

Kang-hyuk was lost in thought until he glanced around the table.

Jaewon and Jang-mi, who had been cheerfully eating just moments ago, now wore somber expressions.

This isn’t right.

He had gone through the trouble of treating them to a nice meal, and now the mood was completely ruined.

So, he forced a smile and changed the subject.

“Anyway, you were curious about why I have so much money, weren’t you?”

“Oh—yeah!”

Jaewon, being the more perceptive one, quickly nodded.

No matter how much time had passed, talking about deceased parents could never be a comfortable topic.

At times like this, changing the subject was the best option.

Kang-hyuk played along.

“Alright, I’ll let you in on a little secret today. But you can’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, I love secrets!”

“Me too!”

Who in the world doesn’t love hearing a boss’s secret?

Especially when it was someone as mysterious as Kang-hyuk.

Jaewon and Jang-mi leaned in, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Kang-hyuk looked between them and rolled up his sleeve.

The well-pressed dress shirt revealed his thick forearm.

More than the muscles, what really stood out was the tattoo.

“It has to do with this tattoo.”

“Oh, I was really curious about that!”

“Right?! I’ve never seen a doctor with a tattoo before.”

“You probably haven’t. Though… I’m not exactly the first.”

Kang-hyuk trailed off before tapping his tattoo lightly.

“The tattoo artist said it makes bullets miss.”

“What? Bullets?”

“Yeah. Bullets.”

“Wait… why would you get a tattoo that supposedly deflects bullets?”

Jaewon frowned, completely lost.

Why would a doctor need a tattoo for dodging bullets?

It wasn’t like he was a gangster or a soldier.

Kang-hyuk smirked at Jaewon’s reaction.

“What? I can’t get one?”

“No, it’s not that, but… it’s weird.”

“Weird how? It’s my choice. You wanna get shot and die?”

“No, but… it’s not like I’m ever going to be shot.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Well….”

Jaewon suddenly felt like he was losing this argument.

Logically, he was in the right.

But somehow, talking to Kang-hyuk always left him feeling like the one who was wrong.

Seeing Jaewon’s bewildered face, Kang-hyuk smiled.

“Anyway, Anus, now that you’re officially part of the trauma team, don’t you think it’s kinda weird for me to keep calling you Anus?”

Jang-mi immediately nodded in agreement—vigorously.

She had never been a fan of nickname abuse.

Sure, being called Gangster wasn’t great, but Anus was on a whole different level.

It felt like it completely erased Jaewon’s dignity as a person.

So, she spoke up.

“Yeah, that one’s too much. Just call him by his actual name.”

Kang-hyuk shook his head.

“Gangster, he’s not there yet. He still can’t even perform surgery alone.”

Jaewon immediately protested.

“What do you mean I can’t perform surgery?! I can take out an appendix in my sleep!”

“Is that trauma surgery?”

“Well… no.”

“A trauma surgeon should be handling trauma cases. Why are you bragging about appendectomies?”

“Uh….”

“But fine, I’ll remove the Anus label. Even I get annoyed when I say it because it reminds me of Han Yoo-rim.”

“Oh, thank you. I hated hearing it too.”

If the one calling the name found it disgusting, imagine how it felt for the one being called it.

Jaewon was relieved to be free at last.

That relief, however, lasted only a few seconds.

Because Kang-hyuk wasn’t done yet.

“So I’ve been thinking. About what to call you instead.”

“Oh… you’ve already decided?”

Jaewon suddenly felt uneasy.

There were only two nicknames he had ever heard from Kang-hyuk: Gangster and Anus.

Which meant the new one probably wouldn’t be normal.

Kang-hyuk stared at Jaewon’s anxious face and slowly opened his mouth.

“How about Slave?”