Emergency Instinct - Chapter 68
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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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The elevator was only blinking with a red ‘Under Maintenance’ indicator light.
Thump thump.
Anxiety surged as Ji-an gritted her teeth and threw herself toward the stairwell.
Her chest was burning.
Every time her toes hit the edge of the stairs, it felt like her breath was being torn away.
When she arrived in front of Mother’s hospital room, breathing heavily.
The door was half open.
Ji-an’s heart dropped.
“Mother…?”
She pushed the door open and went in.
“Huh? Who are you?”
An unfamiliar nurse looked up.
It wasn’t Mother’s assigned nurse.
The unfamiliar nurse was holding a syringe and ampoule in her hands.
Fixing her sharp gaze on those hands, Ji-an quickly approached.
“Where did the person in charge here go? What about my mother?”
The nurse blinked for a moment, then seemed to smile awkwardly.
“Uh, this is an empty hospital room.”
“…What did you say?”
Ji-an’s voice trembled thinly.
Only then did she see the bed.
It was completely empty.
The blanket was neatly folded, and the water cup that had been beside the bed, and the small handkerchief Mother always touched.
Nothing was there. As if it had never been someone’s hospital room from the beginning.
“What are you talking about right now.”
When Ji-an took a step closer, the nurse stepped back.
Her pupils shook anxiously.
“Who are you? Where did you take my mother!”
“I, I don’t know! I’m! Ah!”
Ji-an reflexively snatched the ampoule from the nurse’s hand.
The moment she checked the label, all the warmth drained from her face.
Narcotic painkiller.
The dosage and formulation were completely different from the medication on Mother’s order.
“This isn’t the medication for my mother.”
Ji-an’s voice sank even more coldly.
“What are you. What were you trying to do here!”
The nurse’s face turned pale white in an instant. She poured out words as if swallowing tears.
“I’m a new employee. I was trying to practice… I thought it was an empty room and came in. I didn’t secretly bring the injection. It’s for the patient in the next room. I brought it according to the order. I haven’t, haven’t opened it yet.”
Ji-an didn’t have the luxury to understand those words.
Only the empty bed was stuck in her eyes, shaking.
Her mind went blank.
-I’m planning to take away the most precious thing from you. Your mother must be scared.
The eerie voice from the threatening call came back to life like a blade in her ears.
“Something is definitely wrong.”
When she shook her head, her stomach turned.
She felt like vomiting.
Ji-an ran straight to the hospital ward station.
But the station was also completely empty.
No matter how early in the morning it was, this couldn’t be right.
No bell sounds, no keyboard sounds, no footsteps from anyone, nothing at all.
Mother. I need to find Mother.
Fear came rushing like waves.
She took out her cell phone with trembling hands.
She found and pressed the threatening number she had received earlier.
“Answer. Please… answer!”
The call connection tone stretched out long.
Tears welled up, and even biting her lips couldn’t stop the trembling.
Then!
“Ji-an!”
Someone called her like salvation.
When she turned around, Tae-jun was running from the end of the hallway with a breathless face. His tie and shirt collar disheveled.
The moment she saw that sight, Ji-an, who had been barely holding on, collapsed all at once.
“Mo, Mother… disappeared. I, I got a call. Someone…”
Before she could finish speaking, Tae-jun suddenly pulled her into his arms.
His chest was pounding.
Rough breathing brushed against her neck.
Ji-an was momentarily dazed by that heartbeat sound.
It was such a realistic pulse that it was rather more frightening.
After a moment, unbelievable words were heard.
“Ji-an, don’t worry.”
Tae-jun whispered in a low but firm voice.
“I safely moved Mother to another place.”
Ji-an’s wet pupils shook.
The first thing that rushed through her whole body was relief and gratitude.
Thank goodness. Really thank goodness.
But soon after, whether it was surprise, disappointment, or the lingering echo of fear. Unknown emotions tangled together and pressed down on Ji-an’s solar plexus.
Why didn’t he tell me first this time too.
Her confused feelings flowed down as tears.
***
Tae-jun barely caught the collapsing Ji-an and brought her to the chairman’s office.
For now, they needed to get away from that place.
As they passed through the darkened hallway and the door closed, the noise from outside was cut off.
As if disconnected from the world, silence quickly settled.
Ji-an collapsed onto the sofa as if her legs had given out.
“Where is my mother now?”
Tae-jun answered after catching his breath a beat late.
“I safely moved her to the VIP ward.”
Ji-an’s wet pupils shook again.
“By any chance, were you also threatened?”
Tae-jun looked straight at her.
“First, tell me what happened. You said you got a call?”
“It was a threatening call.”
Ji-an pulled out memories between trembling breaths.
“They kept saying incomprehensible things… the more they spoke, the more…”
The more words continued, the clearer the fear became. Her throat tightened.
“Breathe.”
Tae-jun handed her a cup of water.
“Drink some water.”
Ji-an took the cup, but her hands were trembling.
“My mother is really safe, right?”
As anxiety raised its head again, she ended up repeating the same question.
“Yes.”
Tae-jun’s voice didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Calm down first and let’s go together. If you go with that face, Mother will worry even more.”
Ji-an exhaled several times, then forced herself to swallow the cold water.
Her throat was wet, but her heart pounded even more.
“I have no idea what’s going on.”
Ji-an shook her head. Her eyes grew hot.
“There are rumors about me going around the hospital. Oh, I need to take down that video first—”
Ji-an, who had been speaking incoherently, suddenly looked up at Tae-jun as if something had occurred to her.
“Did Grandmother threaten your mother? So she really gave money…?”
Tae-jun cut her off firmly.
“No. It ended before that.”
“Then it’s true that she did threaten her.”
Despair seeped in and Ji-an’s whole body trembled.
It felt like falling endlessly through the floor.
“…Why didn’t you tell me? You should have told me the truth.”
Her resentful gaze pierced into Tae-jun.
“I’m sorry.”
Tae-jun closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and bowed his head.
“There’s no excuse. It’s all my fault.”
He looked even more tormented than Ji-an. Like someone who had taken on her fear in her place.
She had asked him to be honest about everything, but it seemed he had tried to handle everything alone again this time too.
It was my business, yet I knew nothing.
Heavy silence flowed.
Ji-an asked in an even lower, heavier voice.
“Tell me everything that happened. Don’t leave out a single thing. Everything.”
Tae-jun let out a long breath.
“The woman who called you was probably Cha Bo-kyung.”
“Cha Bo-kyung? You don’t mean…?”
Ji-an’s eyes shook as she naturally thought of Dr. Cha Bo-kyung from Family Medicine and looked at Tae-jun.
“That’s right. The woman I went on a blind date with.”
Ji-an’s face hardened as she drew in a surprised breath.
“Why on earth…?”
Tae-jun’s eyes darkened.
Deep regret was layered within them.
“I cornered that woman trying to catch her. So she took it out on you for no reason…”
Tae-jun let out a big sigh as if anger was rising.
“What do you mean…?”
“Manipulating your grandmother to demand money from our family, and now spreading rumors behind the scenes to frame you… It’s all Cha Bo-kyung’s doing.”
“…”
“The hospital will handle it, so you don’t need to worry.”
Ji-an’s mouth opened quietly in surprise.
“She’s been scheming behind the scenes all this time. But she cleverly slipped away so we couldn’t catch evidence… So I set a trap and was watching.”
“What kind of trap?”
“Cha Bo-kyung bribed your mother’s caregiver. It seemed like she might do anything, so I was monitoring the situation… An hour ago, she gave instructions to secretly take your mother out of the hospital.”
“Why my mother…? No, bribed? Then the lady…?”
Tae-jun immediately continued.
“The caregiver seemed suspicious from when Park Soon-ja barged in last time, so I was watching her. I caught her tail, and she already confessed.”
“…”
“I’ve already taken care of the caregiver’s side so we can catch Cha Bo-kyung. Don’t worry.”
Ji-an’s whole body trembled as she listened.
Tae-jun’s firm voice saying there would be no danger to her mother at all certainly brought relief. She was endlessly grateful and also sorry.
But on the other hand, disappointment quietly raised its head.
“I was the only one who knew nothing again.”
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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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Fjiehd™
Girl you’re so damn lucky to have taejun by your side!