27

Perhaps because I had dozed off on the way here, my consciousness slowly returned.

Dr. Seo Byeong-gwan, the kind-faced pediatrician who had been my childhood doctor in my past life, was examining me.

Dr. Seo frowned slightly and looked at Mom.

"Mother, did you feed him anything unusual?"

"Just his usual breakfast, and a banana for a snack. With plain milk. He's never had problems eating this before."

Dr. Seo tilted his head.

"Did you feed Seong-guk something like spicy kimchi?"

Mom looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Seong-guk, when did you eat kimchi?"

"Ttimchi. Yummy."

I grinned broadly.

After emptying everything from my stomach and intestines in the Sampoong Department Store restroom and sleeping soundly in Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong's luxury sedan, my body was gradually recovering.

Dr. Seo Byeong-gwan pinched my cheek.

"This little rascal, you sneaked some while Mom wasn't looking, didn't you?"

Grin.

I smiled faintly.

Mom looked at me with a relieved expression.

"Doctor, is he okay now?"

"It's common for children who aren't yet accustomed to spicy food to get sick if they eat it improperly. But this kid, just how much kimchi did he eat?"

Dr. Seo Byeong-gwan clicked his tongue.

While Mom was busy packing things for the photoshoot, I had seized the opportunity, opened the refrigerator, and stuffed my mouth with the bossam kimchi from Dad's restaurant.

Honestly, I don't even remember how much I ate.

My goal was simply to eat as much as possible.

And to commit the perfect crime, I washed my hands, even applied baby lotion, and waited nonchalantly for Mom.

Mom still looked worried.

"Doctor, this is really the first time something like this has happened. Kimchi is spicy, so even when I give it to him usually, I wash it all in water first."

"This little guy probably got startled too, so he won't go near kimchi for a while. Still, his condition isn't good today, so let's give him an IV drip before you go. I'll prescribe some medicine too. Please come back in about three days. I'll schedule an appointment."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Mom held me and moved to get the IV drip.

A nurse saw me and smiled.

"Mother, is this the famous Seong-guk?"

"Yes."

"I wondered how a child could be so pretty, but Mother, you're absolutely beautiful. You must be so happy to have a son like this."

"He's usually such a well-behaved kid, I don't know why he ate kimchi today when he never does."

"At least Seong-guk just ate kimchi. So many kids come in having eaten things they shouldn't. No matter how well parents watch them, kids really get into trouble in an instant."

"That's true. I think I need to be more careful from now on."

It was then.

Pager alerts started going off simultaneously throughout the hospital.

Beep- beep- beep- beep- beep-.

"Oh my, what's happening?"

The nurse looked surprised too.

The pager Mom carried also went off.

"Dad contacted me."

Kim Mi-yeong, who had arrived late, ran over, her face ashen.

"Unni, what on earth is going on?"

"Sampoong Department Store. Sampoong Department Store…"

Kim Mi-yeong couldn't continue her sentence.

"Unni, what about Sampoong Department Store?"

"…It collapsed."

"What?!"

Mom screamed in shock.

Just then, emergency news reporting the collapse of Sampoong Department Store began playing on the large TV in the lobby.

Mom's legs gave way, and she collapsed onto a hospital chair, still holding me.

"Seong-guk's mother… Seong-guk's mother, are you okay?"

"Unni…. Seong-guk saved us."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong's face hardened as he strolled through the Samjeon Hospital garden.

Secretary Yang's face was also pale with shock.

"Vice Chairman, they say Sampoong Department Store has collapsed."

"I just heard as well. What about the executives who remained?"

"Sampoong employees contacted them before the collapse, so they all evacuated, sir. Many of our company employees live in the apartments near Sampoong, so damage to their families is anticipated."

"Let's go to the company."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong started walking, then stopped abruptly.

"By the way, did we get an update on Seong-guk's condition?"

"Dr. Seo Byeong-gwan contacted us just before we received the accident report. He said the child has severe stomach upset causing dehydration, but there are no major issues."

"That's a relief."

"Vice Chairman, isn't this truly strange? We've known Seong-guk for two years, and he's never once been late for a shoot or feigned illness. Why today, of all days, would he get a stomach ache?"

"..."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong walked on without a word.

It truly was strange.

Since getting involved with the child named Seong-guk, not only had Samjeon Electronics' image changed, but his own position had solidified as well.

And today's events… could only be believed as fate.

Of course, the Sampoong management staff knew beforehand and evacuated, and he likely would have too, but that could actually invite criticism.

However, thanks to Seong-guk, he had already left the scene before any sign of the incident occurred.

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong looked back at Secretary Yang.

"First, have the group make a donation to help the Sampoong collapse site and victims, and look into other support measures."

"Yes, Vice Chairman."

"And also. Once things quiet down a bit, I was thinking, how about we try to make an issue out of Seong-guk's situation today?"

"By that, you mean?"

Secretary Yang asked cautiously.

"If we highlight the story of the baby model suddenly getting sick, using my car to go directly to Samjeon Hospital, and thus having his life saved, it seems like it would help the Samjeon Group's image. What do you think?"

"Given the magnitude of this incident, there might be backlash…"

"Monitor the public's reaction and proceed cautiously."

"Yes, Vice Chairman."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong got into the car.

Thud.

The car door closed, and he raised his fingers to his brow.

Whenever he got involved with the child named Seong-guk, there were times he made judgments he couldn't explain.

Today was like that too.

Normally, he would have just sent the child, so why did he accompany him to the hospital himself?

But what was even stranger was the fact that, by doing so, Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong not only saved his own life but also received indemnity from any potential problems.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The IV fluid was entering my arm.

I received the drip in a private room provided by the Samjeon Group side.

Hearing the news about me, Dad and Im Seon-mi also rushed over, faces pale.

"So-yeong, I swear, when I heard at the restaurant that Sampoong had collapsed, I just crumpled right there."

"Oppa, sorry. Seong-guk's condition was so bad, I didn't have the presence of mind to think about anything else."

Mom had tried to call Dad back after getting his page, but the lines at the public phones were so long it took a considerable time to get through.

Actually, the person most shocked was Im Seon-mi.

"Today was really strange. I've worked with Seong-guk for a long time, and this is the first time something like this has happened… If the Samjeon side hadn't cancelled my schedule…"

Im Seon-mi's lips trembled.

I lay in bed with a feeling of despair.

This was as much as I could do.

I couldn't change the fates of countless people or alter history.

Mom stroked my head.

"Seong-guk, don't worry. Mom and Dad are here."

[Haaah, this damn shoddy construction. Mom, I've repaid my debt to you.]

I remembered the day I first acknowledged this young couple.

On the way to the supermarket, carrying me on her back to buy bean sprouts.

Mom had thrown her entire body to shield me from a collapsing building.

And today, conversely, I had thrown my stomach and intestines.

[Aha, my stomach hurts.]

My stomach and bottom still stung because of the spicy kimchi.

The TV in the private room continuously showed the Sampoong collapse site.

Sampoong Department Store, tragically collapsed as if hit by bombardment, with only parts of the building remaining.

The desperate cries of people searching for family members who had lost contact there.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

Just then, the announcer on screen mentioned that donations were arriving from corporations and various parts of the country to aid the disaster site recovery.

I quickly sat up.

"Mommy, me too."

"Seong-guk, what did you say?"

"Me too, that."

I pointed at the TV screen where the donation amounts were scrolling.

"Seong-guk's mother, I think Seong-guk wants to make a donation."

Kim Mi-yeong caught on quickly.

Mom and Dad looked at each other, then nodded.

Dad came to my side and held my hand tightly.

"Seong-guk, Dad will make a donation in Seong-guk's name tomorrow."

"Ung." (Okay.)

I nodded.

A full five days had passed since the Sampoong Department Store accident.

After the initial survivors were found, there was no further progress.

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong looked through several morning newspapers alternately.

News flowed about near-miraculous survivors pulled from the tragically collapsed debris, and that Seong-guk had donated 10 million won to the fund for Sampoong disaster survivors.

Simultaneously, Seong-guk's story from that day also emerged.

"Jeon Seong-guk-gun was on his way to Sampoong Department Store for a scheduled Samjeon Electronics catalog shoot and fan signing event that afternoon when he suffered severe stomach pains and headed to the hospital, thus saving his life."

Stories followed one after another, from how the top idol group 'Just' only did the catalog shoot and left due to schedule issues, missing the fan signing, to how ordinary people narrowly escaped the accident.

Public outrage erupted over the revelation that Sampoong management staff knew about the impending danger and evacuated beforehand.

Now was the appropriate timing to release the story about Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong and Seong-guk.

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong immediately summoned Secretary Yang.

Soon, Secretary Yang knocked and entered.

"Vice Chairman, you called for me?"

"I think it would be good to release the anecdote with Seong-guk to the press in a few days."

"I was just about to mention that, sir. Also, Seong-guk's side has made a request."

"A request? What kind of request?"

A second Uri Geller!

I let out a heavy sigh.

When they failed to find the missing persons, they couldn't secure the famous psychic Uri Geller, so after bringing in various shamans and psychics, an absurd situation unfolded where a blond boy from some unfamiliar country came.

"I feel an energy here."

[Even I could say that, you punk!]

Time passed, and people grew anxious.

It wasn't that I didn't understand that.

As the news continuously reported the failure to find more missing persons, opinions emerged suggesting that perhaps the search should conclude.

"This is a waste of the budget!"

Politicians' repertoires were predictable, then as now.

[Tsk tsk tsk.]

I couldn't just stand by and watch.

So, after much deliberation, I devised a plan to ask Kim Mi-yeong for help.

Currently, the person with the most clout I could access was Kim Mi-yeong.

On a day Kim Mi-yeong came to our house for dinner, the news was reporting on the Sampoong collapse incident, same as always.

"It seems they really aren't finding any more missing people."

"The searchers are getting tired, and relief efforts seem to be dwindling too. Some factions want to wrap up the incident quickly."

At that moment, I quickly grabbed Kim Mi-yeong's hand tightly.

"Not okay (Ang dwaeyo)."

"Seong-guk, what did you say?"

"Not okay. Absolutely not okay (Ang dwaeyo)."

"What are you talking about?"

"People there. Waaaah."

I burst into tears.

Instantly, Mom and Kim Mi-yeong stared at me.

Kim Mi-yeong looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Seong-guk, what do you mean by that?"

"Request (Butang). Request (Butang). Request to Samjeon. One. Two. Three. Four. Only Five more (Oman deo)!"

"Five more days?"

"Yeees!"

I nodded my head.

After careful consideration, Kim Mi-yeong called Secretary Yang of the Samjeon Group.

"Seong-guk asked to extend the search for exactly five more days, you say?"

"Yes, Vice Chairman."

"The child?"

"Perhaps…"

Secretary Yang trailed off.

"Secretary Yang, call Teacher Lee in Samcheong-dong. Tell him I'm coming."

"Yes, understood."

The place Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong referred to as Samcheong-dong was where the Samjeon Group had consulted fortune tellers for generations.

Since Chairman Jeon Ju-shin's time, the Samjeon Group had particularly looked at physiognomy (gwansang) and the Four Pillars of Destiny (saju) when hiring executives.

"It seems possible. However, Vice Chairman. What is it that you are curious about?"

"Hmm…"

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong paused for a moment.

Truthfully, what he was curious about was his relationship with the child named Jeon Seong-guk.

How this child appeared at every crucial juncture for him.

And why those events influenced Samjeon Electronics. He wondered if saving his life at Sampoong was a coincidence. All of this was vaguely puzzling.

"Vice Chairman?"

When Jeon Jae-hyeong didn't answer, Secretary Yang asked quietly.

"Contact Seong-guk's home and find out Seong-guk's saju details as well. This Sampoong incident too… It feels like I'm somehow connected to that child, so I think I need to sort this out before moving forward… and I need to gauge my father's thoughts as well."

"Yes, Vice Chairman."

Secretary Yang bowed respectfully and left the Vice Chairman's office.

Jeon Jae-hyeong found it strange that precarious situations kept arising whenever he got involved with the child named Seong-guk. Of course, until now, everything had been advantageous for Samjeon Electronics. But no one knew what the future held.

Doesn't the devil offer candy first?

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong walked into the old hanok (traditional Korean house).

A magnificent old zelkova tree in the courtyard spoke of the house's history.

It was a place where ordinary people had to wait over a year even after making a reservation to enter.

Neither money nor power could change the order.

The only exception in all of South Korea was the Samjeon Group.

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong crossed the neat hanok garden, took off his shoes on the daetdol (stepping stone), and stepped onto the maru (wooden floor).

A woman with her hair neatly combed into a single braid silently guided him to the anchae (inner quarters).

The place exuded the atmosphere of a high-class traditional establishment (yojeong) rather than a fortune teller's den.

Due to the Vice Chairman's visit, all regular customers had been cancelled or turned away, making the interior quiet to the point of silence.

They reached the room located at the very end.

As the woman opened the door, an elderly man with a benevolent face bowed deeply to Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong.

This man was Teacher Lee.

"Vice Chairman, please come in."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong sat down demurely before Teacher Lee.

The scent of chrysanthemum tea, a favorite of the Vice Chairman, filled the room.

"The tea has been brewed perfectly."

Teacher Lee lifted the lid of Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong's teacup.

"Elder, have you looked at the saju I requested?"

"You mean the saju for the one born September 12, 1991, during the Hour of the Monkey (Shin-si)?"

"Yes."

Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea, brewed perfectly for drinking, and savored it.

The old man thought for a moment, then looked at Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyeong.

"Vice Chairman, forgive me if this sounds rude. But… could this child perhaps be your hidden son?"