Chapter 2: It Is Not Indigestion [1] (1/2)
'What the…?' Ganghyuk tried to swallow the curse.
There was a man with a mustache right in his face. Dolseok was staring at Ganghyuk intently.
”Sir, if your mother knew about it, I would be scolded.”
”Are you talking to me? Who are you? And where am I?”
”Sir, are you pulling my legs again? What is that anyway?”
Ganghyuk looked at the thing that Dolseok pointed at. It was the medical visitation bag that he grabbed hard during the flight in his unconsciousness. But, it seemed that his clothes had been replaced with something strange.
”What is this? Why am I wearing it?”
”Your mother made it for you. That is why you are wearing it.”
”Mother?”
”Please, it is not a moment to play a joke. I am going to Okseok first.” And the man rushed out of the room just like that.
”Ha” Ganghyuk sighed as he was left alone in the small room. 'What is on earth happening here?' He tried to check himself. He wore a white Hanbok (1) and sat on a futon. There was a small lamp and a low desk near him. The wall was covered with white Korean paper, but the material was different from what he saw in the Folk Village.
'What happened?' Ganghyuk tried remembering to the moment just before he lost his consciousness.
'Yes, I met the president… and then I met the chairman…' He did not remember what he did after meeting him. It was as if someone had cut the part out of his memory, completely erasing it.
'What happened to me?' He was wondering for a while until he heard a voice.
”Where is Ganghyuk?”
”Well...”
”Tell me, where is he?”
It seemed that the unknown man was very angry. And, the problem was that the target might be Ganghyuk.
Without any surprise, the door opened with a bang. As the door was slammed open too hard, the hinge was almost removed from its brackets.
”Hey, it is already noon and you are still there, lazy boy?”
The speaker was an old man with good looking beard. From his face, Ganghyuk recognized him immediately, but he could not believe his eyes. This guy could not be alive! He himself had cremated him and spread his ashes in the river!
Ganghyuk rubbed his eyes, but he was the same person even after Ganghyuk looked at him again and again.
”D…addy?”
”Daddy? It seems you are not fully awake yet.”
”Is that really you? You pa.s.sed away last year. What happened?”
”What? Ha ha...” The old man laughed as if he had gone crazy, his beard trembling while his body trembled together with it like an aspen.
'Is that really my father?'
His laugh was the same his late father's. Seeing all of this, Ganghyuk felt that he was haunted.
The old man was very angry.
”b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” the old man said. He rolled up the sleeves and held a brush on the floor. He flourished the brush as if he were a cleanup hitter in a baseball game. He was a strong man although he had wrinkles on the face.
Dolseok rushed in to pacify the old man.
”Please sir, he has recovered from the fever just now.”
”Leave me alone, Dolseok. Let me do it.”
”Okseok is sick now, and we cannot have another patient.”
”Ha, the boy... What should I do?”
The old man left the brush on the floor and tried to catch his breath.
Dolseok helped the old man, who had fallen to get up from the ground.
”Sir, I will take care of him.”
”Thank you for taking care of the bad boy. Okay… When can we expect the doctor?”
”Soon, sir.”
”Ok… I see.”
The old man walked away while shaking his head, his face full of agony. ”G.o.d, why is my only son a useless b.a.s.t.a.r.d? Did I commit a big sin at some point in my life? He has not even washed his face yet even though the sun has risen high.”
Hearing his 'father's' monologue, Ganghyuk felt very uncomfortable. It seemed like he was being scolded, he who was always at first position in school, and had a good life until he became the professor.
'If it is a dream, it must be a nightmare.' While he was looking at the back of the old man leaving the room, Dolseok arrived next to him. He bowed his head and said. ”Sir, let's go. Your father might die because of the agony.”
”Where do you want me to go, sir?”
”Please sir, do not call me 'sir'. It is not comfortable for me to handle a joke right now.”
Ganghyuk did not know Dolseok at all, but the latter acted like he knew the former very well. He thought that Dolseok had good skills in acting. He seemed like a good actor from Chungmuro (2). However, if he were an actor, this was as good as it got.