“……What should I say? I don’t think I’ve ever felt such comfort in my life. But at that moment, I definitely felt a comfort that I couldn’t put into words.”

Seo-jun, who had come to visit, quietly listened to the chattering words of Go Kyung-soo.

Next to him, Lee Jung-shim was smiling warmly while peeling an apple. It was a story that Lee Jung-shim had already heard many times.

“I felt like there was something even greater beyond that door.”

“Something greater?”

“Hmm... I’m not good with words, so I’m not sure how to express it, but I felt like there might be something like heaven. I also had this feeling that my wife, who passed away before me, might come to greet me.”

Go Kyung-soo didn’t directly say it. But Seo-jun knew how Go Kyung-soo’s wife had died.

This wasn’t intentional. It was just a piece of additional information Seo-jun discovered while recalling that memory.

She had been murdered by a robber while Go Kyung-soo was at work. That incident had weighed heavily on Go Kyung-soo’s heart.

Seo-jun didn’t really know what it felt like to lose someone he loved, but he figured Go Kyung-soo must have been genuinely happy in that moment of death.

Happy because he could finally apologize to his wife, because he could hold her hand once more.

“Boss?”

“Ah, yes.”

“You’re listening, right?”

“Of course.”

“At that moment, you showed up.”

“Me?”

Seo-jun feigned a surprised expression, and Go Kyung-soo nodded vigorously.

“Yes. You asked if I had eaten the seaweed soup. When I said I did, you told me that Hye-jin had prepared a birthday gift. That’s when I realized I had completely forgotten about Hye-jin.”

“Here, have an apple.”

Seo-jun accepted the apple that Lee Jung-shim handed to him.

“When I asked what gift she had prepared, you said it would be better if I received it myself. So, you told me to go back.”

“And then what happened?”

“I don’t know. The world went completely dark, and when I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital.”

“That’s because the boss here saved you. You were stopped from crossing the River Styx, that’s why. So, be thankful.”

At Lee Jung-shim’s words, Go Kyung-soo looked awkward.

“Mom…”

“What, does it sound like a lie? I’ve told you before. When I had my accident, your grandfather appeared and told me to come back. That’s why you’re here now.”

“You’ve been telling me this for the past ninety-six times. I’m going to get earwax at this rate.”

“Just do well. Do well. Boss, thank you again. You saved this kid’s life.”

Seo-jun waved his hand in refusal.

“It’s nothing. I didn’t do anything.”

“An old woman with little time left might say such superstitious things, and it could make you uncomfortable, but I believe it. I believe that the boss saved this kid.”

Seo-jun smiled lightly.

At that moment.

Drriikk!

The door opened, and a group of people in doctor’s coats entered. Among them was Park Min-Cheol. Park Min-Cheol approached Go Kyung-soo with a serious expression.

Go Kyung-soo instinctively knew that Park Min-Cheol was his surgeon. He tried to sit up, but...

“Ah, it’s fine. Please stay comfortable. Stability is the priority.”

“But…”

“It’s fine. This is the first time I’m meeting you since the operating room. My name is Park Min-Cheol.”

“As you know, I’m Go Kyung-soo. I’ve never met you before.”

At his light joke, Park Min-Cheol smiled faintly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to you, I’m fine. I heard from the other doctors. They said I had stopped breathing several times... but you saved me, right?”

“Half correct, half wrong.”

“What?”

“Can the other doctors step out for a moment?”

Park Min-Cheol asked the residents and interns to leave. Go Kyung-soo was left puzzled.

“I did perform the surgery. But during the surgery, I declared death because cardiac arrest occurred. At that moment, your consciousness returned.”

“But after that, you…”

“You were undergoing a rebleeding... that means, blood wasn’t clotting and you were still bleeding. But at some point, the bleeding stopped on its own.”

“Is that even possible?”

“That’s why I’m saying this.”

“What?”

“What’s even more surprising is that I was working on stitching up the torn blood vessels... but when I looked, they were already stitched up.”

“What does that mean?”

“To put it simply, you self-healed.”

“Self-healed?”

“Yes. So, I can’t say I saved you.”

“Can I ask why you’re telling me this?”

Though Go Kyung-soo had only just opened his eyes two days ago, he had already heard the rumors circulating in the ward.

The rumors that Dr. Park Min-Cheol had dragged his soul back from the brink of death.

That wouldn’t hurt him as a doctor; the other doctors who were involved believed it too. It wasn’t something he had to disclose.

But this doctor had revealed it. That was confusing to Go Kyung-soo.

“Because it makes me uncomfortable.”

“What?”

“If I had saved you, I would say so, but how could I claim to have saved you when I didn’t?”

Was it just because of that?

A look of bewilderment crossed Go Kyung-soo’s face.

Perhaps Park Min-Cheol had read the expression on his face.

“It’s not just because of my conscience. As I said, you self-healed. I think you should go to the Awakener Management Center for an examination.”

Then Go Kyung-soo understood. As the doctor had said, if he had self-healed, it was likely that he had awakened.

Normal people don’t self-heal.

“Ah… Thank you.”

When Go Kyung-soo looked somewhat dazed, Min-Cheol, who had been watching him, noticed Seo-jun had entered the room.

“Ah?”

“We meet again.”

“What brings the boss here?”

“I came to visit.”

Go Kyung-soo, with a confused expression, asked.

“Do you two know each other?”

“Ah… Well, not really, but we went for drinks the other day.”

“Ah, so you went for a drink? You should try the boss’s cooking, it’s amazing. Have you ever had the spicy pork belly with gochujang?”

“Yes. I had that with some drinks, and it went down so smoothly. I ended up drinking more than usual.”

“Next time, you should try the fried egg too. It’s really amazing.”

“Oh… I’ll have to try it.”

Unlike the two people who were chatting happily over a drink, Seo-jun was focused on the pocket of Park Min-cheol.

- Thank you for saving me.

After finishing his work for the day, Park Min-cheol returned to his room at the medical office, and despite being alone, he smiled awkwardly.

It was a phrase he often heard from patients.

Thank you for saving me.

Thanks to you, I survived.

You’re my lifesaver.

He used to feel a sense of fulfillment as a doctor when hearing such words. But this time, it felt incredibly awkward.

'I didn't save him...'

Go Kyung-soo, the patient, was stubborn. He was going to the Awakener Management Center for tests, but would he still be a lifesaver before the results came out?

He chuckled.

He seemed like a good person. Especially if they could drink together.

'I wonder if that's even possible.'

If they exchanged personal contact information, it might be, but... it didn’t seem likely.

More than that, there was quite an age difference.

Even if he was thought of as a lifesaver, what young person would want to drink with someone much older than them?

Once again chuckling to himself, Park Min-cheol hurried to finish work. He had planned to go home early today to write his resignation letter.

If not today, he wouldn’t have time later.

Leaving the hospital and heading home.

Unless something special happened, like the other day, Park Min-cheol usually took a taxi to and from work.

After all, District 12 was a dangerous area. But today, for some reason, he felt like walking.

Although he had walked this path for over ten years, he had never really paid much attention to the details before.

As he wandered, his eyes suddenly caught a sign.

One Drink

He glanced at his watch.

'Seven o'clock.'

It was still early.

In that sense...

'Why not just have one drink.'

Hic!

"Boss, just one more bottle..."

Hic!

"Give me more."

"I think you’ve had enough."

"I’m fine..."

Hic!

"Really."

Seo-jun, who had been considering, added water to the empty bottle and brought it to him.

Choo-rook!

"I guess I’m really drunk... Why does this taste so bland?"

"You’ve already had seven bottles, so it makes sense."

Park Min-cheol, staggering, looked around.

"Huh? It was so crowded earlier, but where did everyone go? Up to the sky..."

Hic!

"Did they soar up, or did they fall to the ground?"

His laughter grew louder as the alcohol hit him. With hiccups, Park Min-cheol chuckled.

"Did everyone leave already?"

"Yes. All the other customers left already."

"But it’s only eight o'clock."

Seo-jun smiled bitterly.

It wasn’t eight o'clock; it was two forty. He must have mistaken the minute hand for the hour hand.

"By the way, that fried egg was really good. I’m glad I ordered it."

"Thank you."

Druru! Druru!

His phone on the table vibrated repeatedly. Min-cheol, with a dazed expression, flipped his phone over.

"If I go home, there’ll be a lecture waiting for me. I shouldn’t go."

Park Min-cheol laughed again. What was so funny, he bent backward, laughing loudly.

He stopped laughing and stared at the ceiling, sighing before speaking.

"Boss, you’re lucky. Being young..."

"How old do you think I am?"

"Well... about twenty-five or twenty-six?"

"No."

"Then, eight? Nine?"

"If you knew, you’d be shocked."

"Did you eat about a hundred years?"

"No. I stopped counting at about three thousand years."

"Three thousand... huh? Three thousand years?"

Park Min-cheol widened his eyes.

"Wow! Three thousand years ago, that would be when Gojoseon existed?"

"Gojoseon didn’t exist."

Ah, the subject was missing.

In the demon world.

"What did you do for the three thousand years?"

Hic!

"What did you do?"

"I did a lot of things."

Hic!

"Can you be more specific?"

"Mostly, I fought wars."

"Wars... After living that long, what do you think about?"

"I desperately wanted to go home. I missed kimchi stew, and I missed soybean paste stew. I wanted to smell the cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) aroma, which I couldn’t smell in the past."

"Hehe, you’re a fan of Korean food, huh?"

"It’s not exactly that, but Korean food is what I craved most."

"Korean food... I like it too."

Park Min-cheol smiled and brought the now cold fried egg to his mouth, chewing it.

Even in his drunken state, it seemed delicious, and a smile spread across his face.

"But the best is this kimchi stew! This is the best!"

Park Min-cheol scooped up a spoonful of kimchi stew that Seo-jun had given him earlier and ate it.

Hic!

"Ah... I should send my wife here. She should learn how to cook from you. Ah!"

Park Min-cheol, widening his eyes, placed his finger to his lips.

"Shh! This is a secret from my wife!"

"Got it."

Min-cheol, smiling mischievously, stared at the kimchi stew.

"Boss."

"Yes?"

"Can you teach me the recipe for this kimchi stew?"

"The recipe?"

"Ah! I know this is something even daughters-in-law aren’t taught. But... I think I’ll miss this taste. Damn, if I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have eaten it."

Grumbling, Min-cheol looked up.

"Is it not possible?"

"It’s simple. Just put in kimchi, water, and boil it. Oh, and pork. If you add tofu, it tastes even better."

Min-cheol smiled slightly.

"What about green onions? Do you chop them and add them?"

"And if you have spicy peppers, it would be great to add them. It’ll make it spicy."

Min-cheol laughed loudly, his belly shaking with laughter.

He wiped his eyes, which were filled with tears.

"Don’t misunderstand. It was just so funny."

"I’m not misunderstanding."

"...Do he come here often?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"That patient... no, that officer. Officer Go Kyung-soo."

"He comes here often. He’s the father of my nephew’s friend."

"I see."

Park Min-cheol seemed to fall into deep thought. He stayed still for a long time, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly took out his wallet.

"How much is it?"

"You already paid for everything."

"No, not mine."

"Huh?"

"Please charge me for about two million won in advance."

"Two million?"

"I don’t have that much money either. People think that doctors in university hospitals live luxuriously... but that's a load of crap."

Seo-jun remained silent.

"So, please charge me two million won in advance."

"What do you mean, charge in advance...?"

Min-cheol, staggering, stood up and said,

"For the alcohol that Officer Go Kyung-soo will drink when he comes in the future."