squeeze. Though it was meant to comfort, it made Jihoon stiffen. Such a paternal gesture was foreign to him. And the detective had a way of making Jihoon wonder what things would be like if he’d had a father figure in his life. It was useless to wonder, though. Jihoon’s father was a criminal and a selfish man. Even if he were around, he wouldn’t be like Detective Hae, who was stable and kind.
Jihoon cleared his throat and glanced toward the other side of the room. “It looks like we’re getting a new neighbor.”
“Yes, Mr. Kim passed away last night. His daughters were talking to the nurses outside just now, poor girls.”
Jihoon’s mouth became dry. The news of death did that to him these days. A sharp fear that he’d soon be the one whispered about with such pity, a poor boy who’d lost someone he loved.
“He didn’t seem that bad off.”
“He’s at peace now and his soul can finally rest.”
“You really believe that?” Jihoon asked. Detective Hae was devoutly Christian. Surprisingly, it had lent Jihoon some comfort in the past month as he tried to come to grips with his halmeoni’s condition.
“Sometimes, in life, we cannot find the salvation we need. If so, it can come in death.”
“Well, sometimes people shouldn’t die so soon. It’s not fair.”
Detective Hae nodded. Jihoon didn’t know if it was agreement or not.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m still your primary contact for the hospital. They called me when you didn’t go to your last appointment.”
Jihoon’s sigh wasn’t directed at the detective, though he was the only one to receive it. When Jihoon was in the hospital after the accident, Detective Hae had taken on the case. Without anyone else to call, the hospital had taken the detective’s contact information. Jihoon had never changed it.
“I told you, if they call me, I’m coming down here to check on you,” Detective Hae said.
“I know,” Jihoon said. “I’m sorry.”
Detective Hae had proven to be more than a cop trying to close a case. He’d become personally invested in the attack at Halmeoni’s restaurant. Sometimes the neighbors told Jihoon they saw Detective Hae diligently canvassing the area. Jihoon knew the attacker would never be brought to justice, but it mattered that someone cared.
“Jihoon-ah, when a man gives his word, he should keep it.”
The lecture was something Jihoon would have ignored a month ago, but he nodded dutifully. “Yes, sir.”
The detective was a man with a distinct sense of right and wrong. Follow the law, be a good person, and live a decent life.
“Have you given thought to what I asked you last time?”
Jihoon hunched, averse to the topic at hand. “I did,” he mumbled.
“And?” Detective Hae prompted. “Would you like me to try to find your father? It could make it easier to have a parent . . .” He trailed off, knowing it was a sore subject for Jihoon. The detective was good at his job; it had only taken a day for him to find out who Jihoon’s mother was and where she lived. But he’d respected Jihoon’s desire not to call her and that had gone a long way in earning Jihoon’s trust.
“I’ll be okay once Halmeoni wakes up,” Jihoon said, standing. He wanted to end this discussion. “I’ll go to that appointment now.” And with a final bow, he escaped.
* * *
• • •
The neurology floor was newly renovated, frosted glass bordering the halls and freestanding waterfalls decorating the waiting room.
Jihoon checked in and was immediately brought to the back, where Dr. Choi waited in an examination room. He stood with arms crossed, his square jaw set. The gray at his temples gave him the distinguished look of a man with wisdom. Jihoon suspected it was a carefully cultivated look.
“Mr. Ahn, how nice of you to grace us with your presence.” Dr. Choi gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Do you really think another test is going to tell you anything new?”
“What concerns us is that nothing seems to be working and the seizures have grown more severe,” Dr. Choi said, as if lecturing a room on a medical phenomenon. “Don’t you want to know what’s causing this?”
Jihoon couldn’t very well say he already knew. What would Dr. Choi do if Jihoon said, Well, I do know what’s causing them. A couple months ago I fell for a gumiho whose mother put my halmeoni in a coma and probably put a fox curse on me.