IMTS 06

Chapter 06

Cheong-ah was, by nature, quite harsh when it came to evaluating men’s appearances. Even seeing a fairly good-looking celebrity would usually only earn a “he’s average” from her.

So when she uttered that someone was handsome—really handsome—it was remarkable.

The smile on In-gyu’s face instantly vanished.

He grabbed Cheong-ah’s arm firmly and made her face him.

“Right now… is being handsome really that important? Why didn’t you mention it? I didn’t see it in your report.”

“Ah, come on. This isn’t a one-day thing. I already gave the team leader a verbal report. The written report will come later, after I double-check and see how things develop.”

Park In-gyu let out a heavy sigh.

“There’s no such thing as a handsome guy who’s normal. Be careful.”

“Hyung! Is that your way of strongly implying that you’re normal?”

“Hey, you—if it’s someone like me…”

Squeeeak.

The old door of the fitness room creaked open, cutting off In-gyu’s words.

Both of them instinctively turned toward the entrance.

“So you two were here, huh?”

At the voice of Oh Sung-min, Cheong-ah and In-gyu hastily stood and gave a polite greeting.

“Hello!”

“Senpai… you’re here.”

Seeing Cheong-ah and In-gyu bow respectfully, Sung-min picked up a sword that had fallen to the floor.

“What’s this? Is this how people settle love quarrels these days?”

Cheong-ah laughed softly at his playful joke.

“Oh, senpai, we’re not that kind of relationship. And besides, how would I even try to attack In-gyu hyung?”

“Tsk, tsk. ‘Try to attack,’ you say… looks like you already got a slap for messing around.”

“Ah… this was at the hospital…”

Cheong-ah scratched at the bandage on her forehead with an embarrassed look.

“Does the main entrance at Boksan University open with your forehead or what?”

The reason Officer Sung-min could act friendly toward Cheong-ah, who held a higher rank, was simple. He was a veteran with nearly twenty years of field experience. Cheong-ah treated him respectfully as a senior.

Of course, Sung-min also maintained proper decorum toward Cheong-ah in official situations.

Thanks to this mutual effort, the Violent Crimes Unit 2 team maintained a warm, harmonious atmosphere, free of unnecessary hierarchy, while still respecting one another.

“Did running your head off get you any results?”

“I don’t know… I think I might’ve caught something… or maybe not…”

“Take it easy. If it’s tough, just ask Park In-gyu here to help you out.”

“Huh? He’s super busy already, handling all of Kim Cheong-ah’s work!”

Cheong-ah smiled behind the frowning In-gyu.

“Thanks, senpai!”

30 minutes before Boksan University Hospital opens for consultations.

The cleaning staff had finished tidying the examination rooms early in the morning and sat in a line along a corner of the staff-only corridor.

They were taking a short break, sipping the cold vanilla lattes Cheong-ah had brought for them.

“Oh, now that a young person’s around, we get to try something like this.”

“Thanks, Boksun. We’ll enjoy it.”

The staff smiled brightly at Cheong-ah, who was diligent and courteous.

“Hehe, yes, I’ll bring you a cup from time to time, unni.”

Cheong-ah laughed along with them.

“Also, if anything interesting happens at the hospital, let me know. I love that kind of thing.”

Yes. This was bribery.

She wanted to be the first to catch wind of suspicious individuals or insider information circulating within the hospital.

“Of course! Who else could know hospital news faster than us?”

“Exactly! Hehehe.”

As their laughter dispersed, a man in a white coat strode past them. Cheong-ah’s laughter faltered slightly at once.

It was Min Yoo-shin, heading briskly into the consultation rooms.

Cheong-ah instinctively followed his movements with her gaze.

“By the way, Boksun… what happened to your forehead?”

“Just… bumped it a little.”

Her answer was dull and absent-minded, her attention fixed on Yoo-shin’s back. Still, the kind-hearted women frowned and spoke with concern.

“Did you disinfect it properly? We handle hospital waste, so there’s a risk of infection. You have to manage it carefully.”

“Don’t worry, unni. Professor Min Yoo-shin treated it himself.”

“Oh, really? …Geez, couldn’t he make it look a bit nicer?”

At that moment, Yoo-shin halted mid-step. He slowly turned his head, his gaze sharp as it landed on Cheong-ah.

“…?”

His eyes focused on the bandage on her forehead, wrinkled from sweat during exercise, patched over roughly.

Yoo-shin strode toward Cheong-ah in long, deliberate steps.

The three seated cleaning ladies looked on wide-eyed.

“This isn’t the treatment I gave you.”

With a deeply furrowed brow, Yoo-shin reached out and grabbed Cheong-ah’s wrist.

“Huh?”

Cheong-ah was pulled out from between the cleaning staff, all of whom craned their necks like meerkats to watch.

“Boksun!”

“Professor! Oh my!”

Ignoring the flurry of voices, Yoo-shin led Cheong-ah along by the wrist.

They arrived at the ER. Cheong-ah was dropped unceremoniously onto a small chair.

“Who would leave a dressing like this and then say I treated it? Tch.”

Yoo-shin removed the bandage roughly, as if to show his displeasure, then patted sterile cotton soaked in disinfectant on her forehead.

“Ow… it stings… but I guess it’s better than saying the professor hurt me?”

As he brought fresh gauze to her forehead, Yoo-shin’s hand faltered. His gaze met Cheong-ah’s.

“….”

“….”

Normally, Yoo-shin would have instantly berated her with a string of curses. But now, looking straight into Cheong-ah’s eyes, he could say nothing.

The only sounds were the noisy surroundings of the ER.

How long they stared at each other, neither knew.

Yoo-shin was the first to look away.

With a small sigh, he slapped a new bandage onto Cheong-ah’s forehead.

“Ugh!”

A spark seemed to flash before Cheong-ah’s eyes. Holding her forehead, she groaned in pain from another hit today.

For some reason, Yoo-shin looked at her with narrow eyes.

“Stop saying useless things. I’ll take responsibility for this.”

With a snap, Yoo-shin flicked his fingers on her forehead, then walked briskly out of the ER.

Cheong-ah stared after his back, wondering:

Why does he open his eyes like that?

Was he… smiling?

Hopefully, he wasn’t mocking me.

At the end of her shift, Cheong-ah still thought about Yoo-shin.

The medical waste facility reeked of alcohol and blood. Only after stacking all the boxes of trash did Cheong-ah remove her safety gloves and wipe the sweat from her forehead.

The neatly attached bandage brushed against her hand.

“….”

Actually, her injury wasn’t entirely Yoo-shin’s fault.

She had also been at fault for sneaking near his room to eavesdrop.

“So, I don’t have to take responsibility… but still… thanks, but not really thanks.”

Her mind was a jumble of emotions.

At that moment, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked the caller and pressed the call button.

“Yes, Yeon-hee?”

[Unni…]

A weak voice came through the receiver.

[I must have misread. I checked the hospital intranet again. Professor Min Yoo-shin at Boksan University Hospital… He served properly in the military, is married, not rich, and lives in an apartment near the hospital. Just an ordinary man in his 40s.]

“What?”

Cheong-ah’s wide eyes narrowed sharply.

His smooth, polished face… in his 40s?

No way.

She closed her eyes and tried to recall his ID. The photo, name, date of birth, even the address—all clear in her memory.

Leaning on a mountain of stacked waste boxes, she shook her head.

“We double-checked that day. I didn’t misread. If the ID were wrong, I wouldn’t have missed it…”

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She trailed off.

“Wait… could this be information manipulation? How likely is that?”