It was about 20 minutes later that I got to meet the doctor.
We hadn’t gone to find him. Somehow, he had taken the time to come to the cafeteria where we were.
He didn’t wear glasses, but he had the impression of someone whose eyes weren’t great. His hair was a bit messy, probably because he hadn’t properly fixed it, and he wore blue scrubs. The white coat he had on made it obvious that he had been there since morning.
The dark circles under his eyes contributed to that image.
When the doctor saw me, he widened his eyes, and then turned pale upon seeing Yang Hye-in. He seemed to have a remarkably good memory, as a doctor should.
…Judging by his reaction, he might not have known we were here and could have come by for a coffee break.
We sat near the entrance of the cafeteria, so we could easily see the doctor freeze as he tried to come inside.
“……”
No matter how long I waited, he didn’t seem to be planning to come over, so I decided to get up first.
I walked over to him, tap tap, and said, “Do you remember the day I came here?”
Typically, it’s polite to ask how someone is before diving into conversation, but unfortunately, I didn’t know much about dealing with people. I’d only started learning properly a week ago.
Therefore, what came out of my mouth was that blunt question.
The doctor opened his mouth slightly, looked down at me, and nodded.
“Could you spare a moment?”
I threw another straightforward question at him.
*
Surrounded by what one could call beauties or cute girls in the cafeteria, the doctor didn’t seem comfortable at all. It was understandable. While the three people he was seeing for the first time may have been of no concern to him, the likes of Yang Hye-in and I were capable of ruining his career with just a word.
The doctor and I sat across from each other with a small table between us, and Yang Hye-in and the others occupied the adjacent tables. Though there were just three two-person tables, since the doctor was in the middle, it wasn’t wrong to say he was “surrounded.”
“How are you feeling?”
Given that he remembered someone he had only met once, and that he came looking for me, his first words were those.
I nodded.
“Yes, I’m okay.”
At least for the past week, I had seen no injuries on my body. There was nothing more to get hurt with.
If anything, it would be accurate to say I’ve been healthier than before I lost my memory. I had been eating much better than usual, and my stamina had improved significantly. While I still couldn’t say I was better compared to others, at least I could properly run a lap around the playground now.
Honestly, it was quite bewildering at first. During meal times, I felt unbearably hungry and had been eating more than I remembered.
Just how precious did he think my body was?
“Well… that’s a relief.”
The doctor said that, took a sip of coffee, glanced at Yang Hye-in, and then shot a fleeting look at Shin So-hee, who was dressed the same way beside her.
Then, leaning slightly toward me, he spoke in a low voice.
“Have you experienced anything similar since then?”
Even with that voice, I bet everyone could hear.
But no one interrupted.
“No.”
I cut him off as clearly as I could.
“Why do you ask? How badly was my condition back then?”
However, I also asked about the circumstances in detail.
“…You don’t remember?”
The doctor said gravely. He glanced at Yang Hye-in once again. Did he think she was going to stop us from talking? Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did.
…Perhaps bringing Yang Hye-in was a mistake.
Still, it seemed the doctor clearly remembered my state back then. Even though three months had already passed.
That would mean I left a significant impression. There might be many people who came in more seriously injured, but very few would end up being discharged like that.
After pondering for a moment about how to respond, I nodded.
“Yes, I don’t really remember that day. I was out of it due to the pain.”
“……”
The bruise on my back.
“Could you tell me if there’s anything similar that happened back then? Not a diagnosis, but maybe pictures that recorded my condition…”
“……”
The doctor was silent for a moment. Not just silent, but after hearing my words, his face turned pale.
Why?
Seeing him keep glancing at Yang Hye-in, it must have been related to her.
“Uh, um…”
“Can you wait a bit farther away?” I interrupted and said carefully. Yang Hye-in stood up without a word and quickly walked away.
After reaching near the window, she turned around and waited while looking this way.
“The, um, others…”
The doctor continued to speak in a cautious voice.
“…Please.”
After my request, Yoo Ha-neul, Lee Soo-ah, and Shin So-hee looked at each other and nodded slightly at me.
Then they stood up and walked to a distance where our conversation couldn’t be overheard but was still close to Yang Hye-in.
Though everyone faced this way, they still drew glances from passersby.
“…Are you okay now?”
“Yes…”
The doctor nodded and hesitated while pulling out his smartphone from his pocket.
“Um, what I’m about to show you is something I took in case I might need to show it to the police…”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Even though I nodded, he still looked worried as he switched on his smartphone and scrolled through the images. He hesitated and finally turned the smartphone towards me.
…What appeared on the screen was a photo.
My photo.
Or rather, one could say it was that person’s photo.
Someone was lifting up my clothes.
And the severely bruised back was filling the frame.
It wasn’t just a bruise; it looked like it had been left unattended for far too long, nearly without any blood circulation.
The person in the photo was slumped down helplessly. Did they scream in pain before collapsing?
There weren’t many photos. According to him, it didn’t seem like he had taken them for personal collection; it focused solely on the back and the back of the arms.
“There are only these photos, but the condition was worse than this. The back of your head and legs were practically at the same level. It looked like someone had persistently tormented you.”
If these injuries were caused by someone else, it could hardly be called ‘torment.’
“Were the injuries just bruises?”
“…Yes, that’s right. And that’s why I considered it more abuse.”
The doctor implied that if the injuries had come from a different accident, they wouldn’t have only been bruises.
“…If you need help, you can say so right now.”
Did he know how dangerous a statement that was?
…But it meant he was a kind person.
Worrying about a girl he had just met to the point of potentially reporting to the police.
I returned the smartphone and said, “No, I’m fine. That won’t happen again.”
At least, I would refrain from taking medication to get through the pain.
Even if I could somehow survive, it would mean inflicting even greater pain on that person.
I began to understand why those injuries occurred.
I decided not to question the validity of it. After all, it was something that actually happened.
At least I had a hunch that this person did not wake up right after I had fallen asleep.
…Had this person known about it?
Had they known who had inflicted such immense pain on them?
Had they still moved on my behalf even after knowing?
…If it had been ‘me,’ I wouldn’t have been able to do that.
Well, I couldn’t even properly protect my own life.
*
He didn’t come to the hospital for money.
He came because he wanted to save lives.
It’s not like those touching stories of doctors in dramas existed. It would be more accurate to say those thoughts developed while watching those dramas.
Yeah, it was as unglamorous a reason as why someone would become a doctor for money.
But still.
He did think it wasn’t right to forsake the profession of a doctor for money.
…Truthfully, after sending a patient off last time, it would be a lie to say he hadn’t rationalized it internally.
“……”
He was staring at his smartphone for a long time. It had been about an hour since the victim who sought him came asking to see their photo, only to walk away again.
There was no demand to delete the photo or hand it over.
He just looked at his smartphone, smiled wryly, and left a word of thanks as he turned to go.
“……”
Was it right to let this pass?
Is it right for a doctor to just look the other way while he only cared for his own wellbeing standing in front of a victim?
…No, it couldn’t be right.
He brought up the dial pad on his smartphone.
As he typed 112 on the screen, he thought this was already too late.
