Yeon-woo left the hospital room with her eyes closed, feeling her way along the wall as she struggled to move. Keeping her eyes completely shut was far too uncomfortable, so she cracked them open—and saw that the hospital lobby was packed with people. Making eye contact with the wrong person would mean trouble, so she lowered her gaze, kept her head bowed, and walked slowly with her eyes narrowed.
‘All I have to do is avoid eye contact. I’ll look around until I find someone who seems okay, then open my eyes in front of them. You can do this, Yeon-woo.’
Even with her eyes only slightly open, Yeon-woo could barely see what was in front of her, so she kept bumping into things. She ran into walls and even collided with people passing by.
“Hey! What are you doing? Watch where you’re going!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
Every time she bumped into someone, Yeon-woo squeezed her eyes shut in case their gazes met and repeatedly bowed in apology. At this rate, she was going to be exhausted before she even met anyone. There were too many people in the lobby, so she decided it would be better to go outside. When she finally made it out of the hospital, moving slowly and carefully, a cool breeze brushed against her hair. She opened her eyes slightly, and the sunlight filtering into her vision felt warm.
“Beautiful day.”
She had almost gone to the afterlife on a day this beautiful. Yeon-woo suddenly felt dizzy. She had never been to the afterlife, but she imagined it was probably the exact opposite of this place—gloomy and dark. Gratitude and relief spread through her at being able to open her eyes in a bright place again, and the cool breeze seemed to make her steps lighter.
Yeon-woo was walking slowly, lost in the moment, when she suddenly collided with someone she hadn’t noticed. The impact was strong enough to make her lose her balance and lean backward. Fortunately, a hand caught her around the waist before she fell all the way over. If she had fallen like that, she might have had to beg the reaper to save her life again.
“Whoa—are you okay?”
Yeon-woo turned toward the person asking if she was all right. Wow, he was handsome. No, was he pretty? Or maybe cute… Either way, even at a glance, he was undeniably attractive. More than anything, his eyes were beautiful. They were a light brown and seemed to sparkle from somewhere deep within.
Wait. How was she seeing this person right now? She had been so startled when she nearly fell that both of her eyes had flown open, and because it had happened in an instant, Yeon-woo hadn’t noticed. She was now staring directly into the eyes of the person holding her upright.
‘What? Am I making eye contact with him right now?!’
The moment she realized their eyes had met, something strange happened to Yeon-woo. Her heart suddenly seemed to beat faster. She felt dazed and blinked repeatedly. Her face grew inexplicably hot, her throat felt parched, and an unfamiliar tension made her swallow hard.
“Um, excuse me…”
Only when she saw the man’s flustered expression and heard the careful uncertainty in his voice did Yeon-woo come to her senses. She hurriedly slipped free of his hold. Then she roughly smoothed her slightly mussed hair with one hand and brushed at her hospital gown for no reason, trying to straighten her appearance.
“Oh, I’m sorry. And thank you.”
“It’s all right. I was lost in thought and didn’t notice you walking toward me. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
His warm smile made Yeon-woo’s heart react once again. He was incredibly attractive, kind, fortunately young, and even dressed well. He was wearing a casual-looking semi-formal suit, and it suited him perfectly.
“You were admitted here, I take it.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Then I hope you make a speedy recovery.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
An awkward silence descended. Yeon-woo needed to keep the conversation going, but this was her first time in a situation like this, and she had no idea what to do.
‘Damn reaper. What am I supposed to do when you just throw me into this situation and leave me here?’
Yeon-woo unfairly blamed Han-gyeol and fell into thought. The person standing in front of her held the power to either save her life or end it. At least she had met him, but what was she supposed to do next? If she wanted to see him again or somehow stay in touch, she needed his contact information. But asking a total stranger for his number out of nowhere would look bizarre. Should she ask his name first? That didn’t give her much of an excuse, either. Yeon-woo was still trying to figure out how not to look like a weirdo when a woman approached them.
“Han Seo-won! What are you doing out here?”
Han Seo-won? Thanks to the woman who had come over, Yeon-woo accidentally learned his name. She thought it suited him perfectly. The woman beside Seo-won had dark, tanned skin and striking features. Her hair was cut into a bob, and its unusually deep black color made Yeon-woo wonder if she might be a reaper too. Then she noticed that the woman was wearing a doctor's coat. She was probably a doctor at this hospital. Seo-won smiled warmly at the woman approaching him.
“Hye-jin.”
“What are you doing? You came all this way, so you should hurry inside. You even made me come out here.”
“Sorry, sorry. I was just about to go in.”
“But who’s this?”
Hye-jin’s gaze shifted to Yeon-woo. In an instant, she seemed to scan Yeon-woo from head to toe. Yeon-woo felt intimidated for no reason, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong. Hye-jin had definitely been smiling just moments ago, but there was something chilling about her expression as she looked at Yeon-woo. She seemed even scarier than Reaper Han-gyeol, who had been chugging banana milk in the hospital room.
“Oh, I was walking while distracted and bumped into her. I was apologizing.”
“Oh, really? Anyway, let’s go inside, honey.”
“Yeah, yeah. Oh, I’m really sorry about that. I’ll see you around.”
Seo-won dipped his head slightly, and Yeon-woo answered with a quick bow of her own. Once their greetings were over, Hye-jin slipped her arm through Seo-won’s. The two of them entered the hospital arm in arm, looking completely at ease together.
Yeon-woo stared blankly after them, replaying what had just happened. Hye-jin had definitely called Seo-won “honey.” That meant they weren’t just friends. The way she had linked arms with him so naturally, and the tenderness in Seo-won’s manner toward Hye-jin, made it obvious that they were a couple. She was screwed. Completely and utterly screwed.
“Aaaaaah!”
“Enough! Stop screaming! That was exactly the fourteenth time you’ve screamed. If you do it one more time, I’m seriously taking you away!”
Back in the hospital room, Yeon-woo was screaming while pulling at her hair. Han-gyeol, who had been watching her the whole time from the side, was well past his limit.
“He’s young. He’s incredibly good-looking, and he talks so sweetly. He even dresses well.”
“Yeah, but he probably has a girlfriend. One who looks terrifying, too. She was probably even scarier than me, a reaper.”
Yeon-woo had started repeating the same story and screaming the moment she returned, so Han-gyeol already knew everything that had happened.
“Waaah! I’m doomed, I’m doomed! Can’t you let me close my eyes and open them again? Even you have to admit this is kind of messed up. Huh? Please, Reaper. Pleeeease.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have that kind of ability. You’ve been saying you’re doomed over and over, but he’s not married, so what’s the problem? A goalie doesn’t mean the ball can never go in. Think positive.”
“Aaaaaah!”
“Oh, for crying out loud! I told you I’d take you away if you screamed one more time!”
Han-gyeol’s threat had no effect. Yeon-woo continued screaming, berating herself, and whining at Han-gyeol over and over. Unable to stand listening anymore, Han-gyeol plugged his ears with his fingers and shook his head.
After who knew how long, Yeon-woo finally exhausted herself after making a scene for quite some time. She let out a long sigh and rubbed her chest in an attempt to calm down, but then she remembered meeting Seo-won.
“Hey, Reaper.”
“What?”
“When I met that guy earlier… I felt something really strange. It was a feeling I’d never experienced before in my life.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“My heart suddenly started beating faster, my face felt hot, and I got nervous for no reason.”
“Humans usually call that love at first sight.”
“But is that even possible? Can you really fall for someone after only seeing them for a moment?”
“You said you felt it today.”
“I don’t know if that’s what it was. I’m not used to feelings like this. It was just something I’d never felt before. It was unfamiliar, but I didn’t dislike it.”
“You’re being kind of corny.”
“Why? It’s my first time. Of course I’m like this if it’s my first time.”
“So, what’s your plan going forward?”
Thinking about how she had felt when she met Seo-won had made Yeon-woo forget reality for a moment. But even after thinking it over again, she was at a loss. All she knew was his name. She didn’t have his contact information, and she didn’t even know what he did for a living. How on earth was she supposed to meet him again? And even if she got lucky and ran into him again, she had no idea how she could approach someone who already had a partner.
“Reaper, do you have an ability that lets you find out where people are?”
“Yeah. If you know the person’s name.”
“Han Seo-won.”
“What was that for?”
“What do you think? I’m asking you to help me.”
“Why should I?”
“I’ll give you all the banana milk in that refrigerator! You can drink every last one. If that’s not enough, I’ll buy you more!”
“Psychiatry clinic. Third floor of this hospital.”
Han-gyeol immediately told her where Seo-won was. Yeon-woo found it hilarious that the reaper had folded so easily over banana milk, and the corners of her mouth twitched.
“There are only two left. Make sure you restock them later.”
“Sure, sure. I’m off. Thanks, Reaper!”
Yeon-woo winked at Han-gyeol and even shot him a finger heart before heading straight out of the room toward the third floor. When she got off the elevator and walked toward the nurses’ station, she spotted Seo-won talking to a doctor in front of a consultation room at the end of the hallway.
“That’s Han Seo-won, right?”
“Yeah. It is.”
When Seo-won’s name came up in the conversation between the two nurses at the desk, Yeon-woo perked up her ears in case she could learn anything useful.
“What was it again? His job is brewmaster? Apparently he’s really famous.”
The occupation Yeon-woo heard from the nurse caught her interest. She had learned about the job of a brewmaster while helping a famous author with a project in the past. Brewmasters were experts responsible for the entire beer-making process, from selecting ingredients to fermentation, aging, and quality control. It wasn’t exactly a common profession, so it was unfamiliar to her, but when she imagined Seo-won making beer, she found herself thinking it sounded kind of cool.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard. I’ve seen him on TV a few times, but he looks even better in person. His face is so small, too.”
“I heard somewhere that he’s dating Dr. Shin Hye-jin from internal medicine.”
“Dr. Shin Hye-jin? The hospital director’s daughter?”
“Yeah, that’s right. But apparently Han Seo-won comes from a rich family, too. Guess people really do end up with their own kind.”
Listening to the nurses made Yeon-woo’s heart sink all over again. She regretted overhearing them. Learning his occupation was useful, of course, but she had also discovered something that made approaching him even more difficult. Having a girlfriend was already a problem, but that girlfriend was the hospital director’s daughter. Yeon-woo was so poor she practically didn’t even have a spoon to her name—there was no way she was in his league. And although she hadn’t known it before, Seo-won also seemed to be fairly famous. He would have been hard to approach even as an ordinary person, but why did there have to be so many walls between them? The thought left her feeling helpless.
“But why would someone like that come to psychiatry every week?”
“I overheard the doctors talking, and apparently he’s receiving trauma treatment for some kind of severe psychological shock.”
“What kind of shock?”
“I don’t know. Everyone’s being really hush-hush about it. But apparently that’s what’s going on. Dr. Hye-jin must be incredible.”
Trauma caused by a psychological shock. Seo-won seemed so calm on the outside, yet he was carrying some kind of pain. Seeing that side of him made Yeon-woo view him differently. She was lost in thought for a moment before another wave of despair hit her. She had no way of knowing how close Seo-won and his girlfriend were while he was going through such a difficult time. Their relationship was probably deeply devoted, which left her wondering whether there was any opening for her at all.
Unable to stop the sigh escaping her, Yeon-woo stood there dejectedly. Just then, Seo-won finished speaking with the doctor and walked toward her.
“Oh? We meet again.”
Seo-won noticed Yeon-woo and stopped in front of her instead of simply walking past. His voice brought her back to herself. Yeon-woo was flustered, but she did her best to hide it.
“It’s nice to see you again. Did you come here for an appointment?”
“Ah, no. I… well, I took a wrong turn. I mean, I got on the wrong elevator—no, I pressed the wrong floor.”
“Oh, I see.”
Just as when they had first met, an awkward silence fell between them. Seo-won seemed a little embarrassed and gave her an awkward smile.
“Um, excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Could I… get your business card?”
“My business card? You mean mine?”
Yeon-woo had mustered her courage because she thought she might never get another chance to see Seo-won if they parted then. But her sudden request for a business card naturally left him puzzled.
“Uh… I mean… Hmm. Oh! Beer! I like beer!”
Yeon-woo could barely drink at all and was practically a total lightweight, but she couldn’t think of a better excuse for getting his card. Seo-won lowered his head and burst out laughing. Yeon-woo had been acting so awkwardly that it was hard to continue the conversation, and then she had suddenly declared that she liked beer and asked for his business card. He found it amusing.
Seo-won took a card holder from the inside pocket of his jacket, pulled out a business card, and handed it to her.
“Once you’ve completely recovered, come visit anytime. I’ll treat you to something delicious.”
Yeon-woo accepted Seo-won’s business card carefully with both hands and nodded.
“Oh, what’s your name? I thought it would be nice to know.”
“Pardon? Oh, I’m Yeon-woo. Seo Yeon-woo.”
“That’s a pretty name. See you again, Yeon-woo.”
Seo-won gave her a kind smile to the very end before leaving first. Left behind, Yeon-woo stared intently at the business card in her hand. Despite how hopeless the situation was, a smile kept rising to her face for some reason. Was she happy because she had gotten his contact information? Or because Seo-won’s gentle smile warmed her heart? Or because he had said her name was pretty? Or simply because she had gotten to know him? Maybe she was happy about all of it. She couldn’t say for sure, but one thing was certain: she didn’t feel bad at all.