Emergency Instinct - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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December 31st.

 

Tae-jun finally got off work after pulling an all-nighter.

 

Having been trapped at headquarters for several days, buried in piles of documents, he looked like a mess.

 

Thanks to that, the direction for the new business he was preparing had been set. The business plan was also perfectly completed.

 

All the urgent matters at headquarters were finished, so now he could focus on Hanyeong Hospital.

 

As he entered his house, fatigue washed over him.

 

After finishing his shower, he poured whiskey into a glass and took a sip.

 

He rolled around in his hands the green grape-flavored candy that Ji-an had thrown at him as if telling him to eat it and get lost, like it was a bar snack.

 

Rustle. Rustle.

 

The plastic wrapper made a loud noise in the silence for a while.

 

After rolling it around for who knows how long, the candy wrapper had become soggy.

 

He quickly downed the remaining whiskey in his mouth.

 

With the help of alcohol, he headed straight to bed.

 

He needed to sleep even a little. But instead of his eyelids getting heavy, as if he had drunk a stimulant, he became increasingly alert, and as always, Ji-an’s image floated around in his head.

 

Is Hong Ji-an still saving someone right now?

 

Naturally, he thought of her appearance when he last saw her.

 

As soon as she heard the emergency broadcast, her eyes changed and she ran out again.

 

‘Chairman, stop playing around and do some work now!’

 

It was the first time he’d heard such words.

 

Telling him, a workaholic, to do some work.

 

He’d heard people tell him to stop working so much, but being told to work was a first.

 

She says such bewitching things that I can’t come to my senses.

 

Using Ji-an’s words as encouragement, he had worked to his heart’s content for several days.

 

As Tae-jun tossed and turned thinking of her, his thirst grew worse.

 

It seemed that not seeing Hong Ji-an for several days was causing his insomnia to start again.

 

Tae-jun gave up on falling asleep, got up from bed, and picked up his phone.

 

What a heartless woman. She never contacts me first.

 

He had spent his time busy working as she said, without contacting her first.

 

Of course, there was a bit of stubbornness involved. He somewhat hoped she would be curious about how he was doing.

 

Whether he had disinfected his forehead, whether it hurt, he thought she would at least send a message as a doctor worrying about her patient. But there had been complete silence until now.

 

She was probably the only woman who was so indifferent to him.

 

What can I do? The one who’s desperate has to dig the well.

 

Tae-jun compromised with himself and pressed her number.

 

Since it was a night with only a few hours left in the year, he wanted to hear her voice at least.

 

A long dial tone played, and just when it seemed like it would disconnect.

 

Click, the call connected with a sound.

 

Just the fact that she answered was about to improve his mood, but from the connected phone came noise that couldn’t possibly be from the hospital.

 

And Ji-an’s voice, slurred with intoxication, came through a little late.

 

-Can’t see. Where am I…

 

Tae-jun, whose remaining sleepiness completely vanished, bolted upright.

 

“Dr. Hong Ji-an. Where are you right now?”

 

-Ah. This place is…

 

“Whatever it is, tell me what you can see right now.”

 

He spoke as calmly as possible while quickly getting dressed.

 

“Hospital?”

 

There was no reason to drink at the hospital.

 

Since he told her to say what she could see, it probably meant she could see the hospital.

 

He was roughly picturing in his head where nearby bars with a view of the hospital might be, when suddenly.

 

-Delicious. Meat.

 

Hong Ji-an’s tongue had gotten short.

 

Don’t tell me she followed someone who offered to grill meat for her, like a child?

 

-Bomb shot is delicious too. Delicious. Soju…

 

Incoherent humming of “delicious” of unknown origin could be heard.

 

While worried about where Ji-an was and what she was doing to get so drunk, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her absurd and cute song.

 

His heart racing with urgency, Tae-jun immediately rushed out. With all his senses heightened, heading toward Ji-an.

 

***

 

The barbecue restaurant near the hospital was bustling with noise.

 

Min-su’s clamoring for a company dinner had been pouring into the Hanyeong Hospital residents’ group chat all day.

 

A spontaneous company dinner was arranged with just a few hours left in the new year, and residents who had been hiding like zombies gathered one by one.

 

Ji-an was inevitably dragged along by Min-su while leaving work.

 

Was it because the pork belly was so delicious?

 

The first soju she drank, thinking it would be just one glass, was too sweet.

 

No, actually it might have been because of her grandmother who had disappointed her to the very end.

 

Like a surprise attack, this morning her grandmother sent Ji-an a high-amount hospital bill. Brazenly to the hospital emergency room, via quick delivery.

 

Ji-an, who had been off guard, couldn’t move for a while holding the bill she suddenly received.

 

Her grandmother demanded that Ji-an compensate her for a whopping 200 million won.

 

Not only the bag she had eventually gotten from Tae-jun, but she had also dry-cleaned and sent back all the clothes. But she inflated and sent costs for makeup for each blind date and ridiculous hospital bills.

 

Like a loan shark, she also left threatening messages saying she would get Ji-an fired from the hospital if she didn’t pay back the money.

 

That would also mean her mother could no longer stay at the nursing home.

 

How can a person be so vicious?

 

Ji-an, whose days were already complicated, tilted her soju glass repeatedly while thinking of her grandmother’s bill.

 

She didn’t remember well after the third glass, but she seemed to have drunk it like water, swept up by impulse.

 

Strangely, the soju was as sweet as honey water.

 

After drinking the bomb shot that Min-su passed around, giggles started flowing out.

 

The world spun round and round as if she were wearing glasses that didn’t match her prescription. Her sunken mood floated up like a balloon.

 

“Whew…”

 

Ji-an, who had been giggling, let out a long hot breath.

 

Alcohol is nice after all.

 

Her worries became dim.

 

Her chest had been aching and cold all day, but now it was warm.

 

“Ji-an. Hong Ji-an! Are you okay?”

 

“Ah, Senior Kyung-seok…?”

 

Kyung-seok, who had gone to attend the professors’ year-end gathering today, appeared.

 

He must have had a hard time cleaning up after the professors, but it seemed he came to look after the residents too.

 

Anyway, Kyung-seok was so kind it was a problem.

 

“This won’t do. Get up.”

 

Kyung-seok dragged her out of the barbecue restaurant that was vibrating with the smell of pork belly.

 

She wanted to stand straight, but it wasn’t working as intended.

 

“What’s gotten into you to drink so much? It’s not like you.”

 

“Senior Min-su…”

 

Ji-an mentioned Min-su as if tattling on him.

 

“Anyway, Kim Min-su is the problem. He sang drinking songs and ended up completely wasting the kid.”

 

Clicking his tongue, Kyung-seok said it would be hard to get to the convenience store and sat the staggering Ji-an on a nearby park bench.

 

“Wait just a moment. I’ll go buy a hangover cure.”

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

Ji-an hung her head low.

 

Even while wavering back and forth, she still felt sorry about looking Kyung-seok straight in the eye.

 

“Hong Ji-an. Don’t read my mood. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

As expected, Kyung-seok was a good man.

 

Even though she had rejected his feelings, he maintained appropriate boundaries and continued to treat Ji-an kindly without change. That made her feel even more sorry.

 

“I’ll be right back.”

 

Watching Kyung-seok run off, Ji-an let out a sigh.

 

Does he not even dislike me?

 

If it were Seo Tae-jun, there would never have been such kindness.

 

He would rather just cut off contact completely.

 

Ha, why did I suddenly think of Seo Tae-jun?

 

Thinking of Tae-jun, who had been silent for several days, Ji-an felt emotions welling up inside her.

 

It’s a good thing.

 

Isn’t this what I wanted?

 

He must have finally come to his senses, as he no longer appeared. No contact either.

 

It was an impossible relationship from the start, and he was a man I couldn’t handle. If he got involved with me, he would only see terrible things in the future, so…

 

When the large sum Grandmother had demanded came to mind again, Ji-an smiled bitterly and took out her phone from her pocket.

 

She understood it in her head, but unlike her now-quiet phone, her heart kept becoming restless.

 

She must have drunk too much alcohol.

 

Her emotions kept losing control and crossing the line.

 

It’s okay. Everything will be fine once time passes anyway.

 

Ji-an, who had been overwhelmed by trembling, gripped her phone tightly and stood up from her seat.

 

Kyung-seok had told her to wait, but she didn’t want to feel more sorry.

 

She didn’t want to give him false hope either.

 

Most of all, Ji-an had a homing instinct, so she could always find her way home no matter when or where.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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