TIN 26

The child said that the child’s mother died while giving birth. The child conveyed this tragic past with no trace of sadness on their face, simply shrugging it off.

As I was wondering what the child was thinking with that blank stare on their face, the child added in an awkward tone, “My dad is still alive.”

It had been a few days since the child had told me that. A strange adult invaded the private space I shared with the child. Logan called him the Vice President, and the child called him “Father.” The giant of a man looked down at me, who was with the child, narrowing his eyes.

“So…the child you found, is that right?”

I couldn’t even sleep properly, plagued by the unease of having ventured inland. The sudden appearance of the child’s father seemed like an ominous sign, even to my young eyes. The child seemed to feel the same, tightly gripping my hand and hiding behind me.

“If you have something to say, say it…”

“Please step outside for a moment.”

No one dared to give orders to the child, but the man casually issued an eviction. A child barely six years old had no right to refuse him. Ultimately, the child followed Logan outside, leaving behind the man, his secretary, and me.

“Listen carefully to what I have to say.”

Unlike the child’s golden eyes, the man’s eyes only gleamed golden when the light hit them at just the right angle. The ethereal quality in his dark irises was intimidating, even to an ignorant child like me, although he smiled gently.

“Let me ask you a favor.”

The child resembled the mother. The man in front of me bore no resemblance to the child. Unlike the child’s honest, if arrogant, smile, this man’s naturally spread smile did not seem pure.

“Our Joo Do-hwa needs to take medicine because he’s not feeling well, but the child doesn’t listen to me.”

The child wasn’t sick at all. Far from being weak, the child didn’t have a single ailment and had looked at me in puzzlement when I caught a cold.

“Since the child seems to listen to you well…”

The man then rummaged in his suit pocket and pulled out a transparent glass bottle. It contained a small pill the size of a pinky nail.

“You’re going to give this to Joo Do-hwa, understand?”

“…”

How could I agree to that? I didn’t know what that medicine was, but it was clear to me, of all people, that the child didn’t need any medicine.

“You should answer me.”

The man gently prodded, then soon let out a light exclamation, as if something had occurred to him after seeing how I kept my lips sealed.

“Come back in a week.”

That one-week timeframe was nothing less than a threat to complete the task he assigned.

“If you can’t do it in that time…”

The unspoken words came after I had already left the room. Just before the door closed, I clearly saw the man’s lips moving, giving a dispassionate order to his secretary.

‘Just kill him.’

His expression was calm. It seemed tinged with a hint of annoyance.

I was not so young as to not understand the meaning of “kill.” There was no other possible interpretation, given what I had read from his lip movements.

Of course, I had only one choice.

* * *

“Cough…”

The raspy cough sounded pitiful. After a few more coughs, I could even taste the metallic tinge of blood in my dry throat. I was already tired of just lying in bed all day, but I languidly sprawled there, unable to even lift a finger.

“I feel like I’m going to die.”

I had caught a cold. And a very severe, feverish one at that.

The day after Joo Do-hwa had choked me, I woke up in an unusually poor physical condition. Not only was my throat painfully sore, but my eyes were also so gummy that I could hardly open them. While the throat pain was understandable, I couldn’t help but wonder why my eyes were like this.

It turned out that the blood had rushed to my head, bursting the capillaries in my eyes. No wonder it felt like my eyeballs were about to pop. And my swollen gums were clearly the result of clenching my teeth throughout the whole ordeal.

Still, I was fine with that. As long as my teeth weren’t damaged, I could just avoid hard foods for a while. Swallowing anything was already difficult with my sore throat.

The real problem was the horrific fever coursing through my entire body. With the heat rising as if my brain was melting, I couldn’t even properly feel where exactly it hurt.

After lying helplessly in bed for a while, the person who belatedly came to find me was not a staff member, but Joo Do-hwa.

“Why aren’t you coming down…Ah, I see.”

I didn’t know whether to thank him for realizing my condition at a glance or to praise him for calling a doctor after causing my injuries.

When the doctor’s thermometer read 40 degrees Celsius, I thought to myself bitterly, If I had been on the street, I would have died. Instead of lying on this luxurious, soft bed, I would have been sprawled in a cold alley, suffering until I could no longer hold on. And I wasn’t even sure I would have woken up again.

It was ironic that I had caught a cold just from falling into the water a bit, after getting soft from being well-fed and staying in a warm place. The doctor said it was likely due to inflammation, but it was only a few years ago that I had been fine even after getting beaten up all night. Regardless of the reason, the fact that I had suddenly become this weak was a definite blow to my pride.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed various medications for me, and apparently even gave me an injection and an IV drip while I was briefly asleep. At first, I was suspicious of the unusual drugs, but I decided to relax when I realized they wouldn’t be giving me expensive narcotics. However, I did become doubtful again when I woke up after sleeping for about 24 hours under the influence of the drugs he had given me.

“It’s time for me to get better…”

A week had passed since then. My physical condition still hadn’t fully recovered just yet. The fever had subsided, but now I have a persistent cough that even hurts my ribs. The purple bruises on my neck had faded to a bluish color, but their presence was still overwhelming.

In a way, this was fortunate. Since I couldn’t go out while I was sick, I’d inadvertently gained a grace period. Even if the cold was fully healed, I wouldn’t be taken around by Joo Do-hwa until my injuries were healed. So the meeting with Chairman Joo would be further postponed as well.

“Are you sleeping again?”

As I was blankly staring into the air, someone entered the room. The leisurely footsteps belonged to the owner of this house, Joo Do-hwa. Joo Do-hwa walked up to the bed and silently looked down at me.

“Are you still in pain?”

“…”

There was no need to answer him. Or rather, the truth was, I didn’t have the energy to respond. I could only blink my eyes slowly, as I didn’t have the strength to even move a finger.

Seeing me like this, Joo Do-hwa clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“You must be in a lot of pain.”

How pitiful, the added words surprisingly contained a hint of compassion. As if I had no connection to the reason for my current state. I didn’t expect him to feel guilty, but he seemed to lack even the bare minimum of responsibility.

“Why is your body so weak?”

“…”

I should have hit him again then. A few more bruises on that pretty face would have been appropriate. Unfortunately, the injury on his lips had disappeared without a trace in just three days.

“Judging by your glare, it seems you’re getting better.”

Joo Do-hwa smiled slightly and sat down on the bed. He had been visiting my room daily to check on my condition, alone without Henry. I had prayed a hundred times that he would catch my cold, but infuriatingly, he remained healthy.

“The fever is gone, right?”

Before I could answer, Joo Do-hwa reached out and touched my forehead. Right before his hand made contact, I instinctively flinched and shrank back my neck. Though he clearly noticed my reaction, Joo Do-hwa simply used his other hand to check my forehead.

“Still, it’s better than before.”

Whatever, as if he had any prior training on how to properly check a temperature.

“Why did you leave some food?”

Joo Do-hwa, who had quickly withdrawn his hand, asked while looking at the dish on the nightstand. Since I fell ill, the staff had been bringing my meals to the room. I had always cleaned the plate, as I couldn’t afford to waste the precious food, but today I had left about half uneaten.

“Do you have no appetite?”

“…No.”

I reluctantly moved my lips to answer, not wanting to be misunderstood. How could I possibly leave hot food unfinished when it was such a luxury.

“I’m just…too tired.”

“Is it hard for you to digest?”

I blinked my eyes, signaling that that wasn’t the case, and Joo Do-hwa perceptively grasped the meaning.

“Is it difficult for you to move?”

I slightly nodded my head. It was a small movement that could be easily missed, but Joo Do-hwa seemed to understand, humming in acknowledgment.

Joo Do-hwa then reached for the bowl of porridge next to him.

“I’ll feed you.”

“…”

Hearing that, I stared at him with a serious look on my face. What the hell, it’s not like he’s giving me medication and poison.