Real Man

Chapter 83

He had been suffering a lot these days.

It was about two weeks ago when he found out that there was something wrong with his mother’s health.

He rushed to a hospital in Seoul and got a diagnosis that his mother had a heart problem.

The problem was that the tests and surgery cost a lot of money.

He didn’t have enough money to afford such a big surgery with his poor situation.

He tried to borrow some from his relatives, but they cut off even the occasional contact they had.

That’s when he realized.

How scary money was.

Even his closest relatives were like that, so there was hardly anyone he could borrow money from as a young man.

He barely scraped together 20 million won.

It was the money he got by putting up his father’s debt-ridden car center as collateral.

But he knew that this was not enough to survive.

Even if the surgery went well, he needed at least 30 million more for the expenses afterwards.

He looked into investing as a last resort.

He knew that the chances were slim.

It wasn’t really that he wanted to make money with it, but rather that he just wanted to have one more option.

But then his friend came.

What if Yoo-hyun knew about this?

He knew his friend’s personality well enough to know that he would try to help him right away.

Kim Hyunsoo was not a fool.

He knew what his friend’s family situation was like, and that a new employee who just started working had no money.

He didn’t want to pass on his debt to his friend.

“What should I say…”

He checked the time for their meeting and quickened his pace while muttering to himself.

Yoo-hyun sent a message to Lim Hanseop while on the move.

He told him to send a proposal to Lee Chanho about the smartphone mockup.

He didn’t know how Lee Chanho would react, but he was sure that his vision would broaden if he saw the proposal from Semi Electronics.

The choice was a matter for later.

Ding-dong.

The subway door opened and Yoo-hyun quickly climbed up the stairs.

30 minutes before the meeting time.

Yoo-hyun went to a nearby hospital instead of the cafe where they were supposed to meet.

Seongil General Hospital.

It was where Kim Hyunsoo was most likely to be.

He could have asked him beforehand, but he didn’t want to pry without seeing his face first.

5 minutes before the meeting time, a man ran frantically through the lobby on the first floor corridor.

His face was pale and his hair was messy, but there was no problem recognizing who he was.

“Hyunsoo! Kim Hyunsoo!”

Was it because of Yoo-hyun’s call?

He stopped running and looked around.

And then he met Yoo-hyun’s eyes.

His pupils grew bigger.

“Yu, Yoo-hyun. How, how did you…”

“They said the coffee here is better.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Not going.”

“…”

Yoo-hyun tried to smile and dragged him to a coffee shop in the basement.

Sitting in the coffee shop, Kim Hyunsoo looked restless. Yoo-hyun opened his mouth first.

“Green tea is good, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They exchanged some simple greetings while walking, but Kim Hyunsoo’s eyes still looked complicated.

He must have a lot of questions, but he was holding back.

Sitting down, he asked Yoo-hyun.

“How did you know?”

“What?”

“That I’m here.”

“Just. I stopped by.”

Kim Hyunsoo sighed deeply and didn’t ask any more questions.

He just stared blankly at the wall.

Yoo-hyun brought coffee and green tea and waited for him to open his mouth.

But he didn’t say anything until then.

However, his fingers rubbing the edge of the tablecloth or his hand stroking his neck showed how anxious he was.

Yoo-hyun handed him the green tea and then his mouth opened.

“Thanks.”

He tried to lift the corners of his mouth with a smile, but his eyes remained the same.

His voice tone and fast blinking revealed how much stress he was under right now.

‘Just tell me. Why are you keeping it inside?’

What a dull guy.

In the end, Yoo-hyun asked first.

“Is your mother okay?”

“…”

Yoo-hyun didn’t miss Kim Hyunsoo’s shaking eyes.

He was right.

Then he had to make sure and move on.

It was a matter of life and death for his beloved friend’s mother.

Yoo-hyun straightened his posture and said.

“Hyunsoo, just tell me. I told you I want to help you if you have any trouble.”

“…It’s not like that.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but how would you feel if I were in your position?”

“…”

“Hyunsoo.”

He must have thought he couldn’t avoid it anymore.

He sighed and closed his eyes tightly. He finally opened his mouth.

“Just. She’s a little sick.”

“Where?”

“Her heart. I’m such a bad son. Sigh…”

Yoo-hyun listened to his story quietly.

He went to the hospital because of Yoo-hyun’s suggestion to get a health checkup for his parents at the last drinking party.

That’s when he found out that there was an abnormal sound in his mother’s heart.

He moved to another hospital because it was something that a small hospital couldn’t handle.

It was Seongil General Hospital.

He had more tests here and heard the results a few days ago.

Kim Hyunsoo blamed himself for ignoring his mother’s complaints of chest tightness.

Who could have known that?

Yoo-hyun comforted him.

“Don’t think like that. It’s good that you found out now.”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I got tested and found out… I couldn’t even thank you.”

“Don’t say that and get up if you’re done with your tea.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yeah. I came all the way here, so I have to say hello to your mother.”

He was a dull guy, so he couldn’t wait for him.

“Ah…”

“What are you doing? Not getting up.”

Yoo-hyun nudged him and Kim Hyunsoo followed him reluctantly.

He seemed to be thinking hard, but he had no reason to refuse.

It was not a bad thing to visit a friend’s parent.

Yoo-hyun smiled and said.

“Let’s go.”

Yoo-hyun went up to the first floor and looked for the items he had left at the lobby.

It was a fruit basket that he had bought in case he visited someone.

“I need to pick up something I left here earlier.”

“Did you plan this from the start?”

“Of course. Did you think I would come empty-handed for a visit?”

“I didn’t say anything…”

“I heard it in your heart. Aren’t we friends?”

“Enough. Stop talking.”

Kim Hyunsoo stuck out his tongue as Yoo-hyun answered cheerfully.

In fact, he felt good inside that his friend cared for his mother so warmly.

A faint smile appeared on Kim Hyunsoo’s lips, which had been stiffened by the stress.

Yoo-hyun entered the fifth floor ward and greeted Kim Hyunsoo’s mother.

She smiled brightly as she lay in her hospital gown.

“Oh my, Yoo-hyun, it’s been a long time. It feels like yesterday when you were a little kid with curly hair.”

“Yes, mother. It’s nice to see you again.”

Yoo-hyun tried to be as friendly as possible and chatted with Kim Hyunsoo’s mother.

He also talked to Kim Hyunsoo’s younger brother, who was standing idly by.

“You must be studying hard. I see calluses on your index finger.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

“You have calluses and you don’t even know? You’re funny.”

Yoo-hyun led the conversation with his unique insight, and Kim Hyunsoo joined in comfortably.

Kim Hyunsoo’s mother seemed happy to hear that her son was studying hard, and she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

‘It’s time to go…’

That’s when it happened.

“Patient Shin Hyunmi.”

They heard the nurse’s voice and turned their heads. They saw an old doctor followed by residents and nurses.

They came to check on Kim Hyunsoo’s mother.

“Should we get up?”

“Huh? Wait, there’s something I couldn’t tell you earlier.”

“It’s okay, Yoo-hyun. We can go later.”

Kim Hyunsoo’s mother intervened, so Kim Hyunsoo couldn’t drag Yoo-hyun away.

Yoo-hyun stepped aside and pretended to talk to Kim Hyunsoo while listening carefully.

He added the doctor’s words to the information he had heard from the nurse earlier, and he could figure out the rough situation.

The doctor mentioned surgery as well.

It seemed like an unexpected development for Kim Hyunsoo, who looked resigned.

After the doctor left, Yoo-hyun exchanged a few more words with Kim Hyunsoo’s mother and left.

He sat on a bench in the hospital corridor.

Kim Hyunsoo had no choice but to sit next to him.

There was a moment of silence.

The first one to open his mouth was Yoo-hyun.

“You can tell me. I heard everything.”

“…Yeah. You did, but it’s not an easy surgery.”

“But you have to do it.”

“Mother keeps refusing it.”

He said it calmly, but Yoo-hyun could tell how much he was struggling.

The financial aspect was probably part of his worries.

Yoo-hyun looked into his eyes and said.

“I’ll make sure she gets the surgery. Don’t regret it.”

“…Yeah, I guess so.”

Kim Hyunsoo loved his mother more than anyone else.

He wouldn’t want her not to have surgery.

It was money that was the problem.

Yoo-hyun wanted to lend him money right away.

But it wasn’t easy to bring up money to a friend who had been delaying telling him the news out of guilt.

“I’ll connect you with the investment expert you mentioned.”

“Thanks, Yoo-hyun.”

Instead, he promised to connect him with the investment expert he had mentioned before.

It was much better than getting involved with some other scammer.

Yoo-hyun finished the conversation and patted Kim Hyunsoo’s back silently.

He didn’t say anything like cheer up.

Instead,

‘I’ll definitely help you this time.’

He vowed in his heart.

Surgery cost 20 million won.

It was the price he got from searching online with the information he heard from the doctor.

Of course, it could vary depending on the hospital, but there wouldn’t be a big difference.

Plus, hospitalization fees, test fees, post-surgery rehabilitation fees, and living expenses while closing the car center.

He needed at least 30 million more at best.

It was exactly the amount he aimed for as profit: 30 million won.

“What a stubborn kid.”

Yoo-hyun chuckled and organized his thoughts.

How should he invest to turn 20 million won into 50 million won?

Kim Hyunsoo asked about investing because he had heard stories of people who easily made two or three times their money with things like Chinese funds.

Not only China, but the domestic stock market was also booming.

The KOSPI index broke 2,000 for the first time in history, and there were stocks that rose more than five times in a month.

But the party would soon end.

Yoo-hyun knew that better than anyone else.

Of course, there could be short-term soaring stocks, but Yoo-hyun didn’t bother to remember them.

He could pick stocks that would rise in the future, but they were likely to be negative in the short term.

Then what?

Yoo-hyun immediately contacted Park Young-hoon, his senior in the army and a financial company employee.

-Hey, what’s up with the call? You’re not skipping exercise again, are you?

“No, actually…”

Yoo-hyun quickly got to the point.

-I see. Do you want me to put it in gold or dollars like you?

“Yeah. Just don’t put it in stocks. Just do it like that.”

-But isn’t 150% return too absurd? It seems hard to get even 5% a year like that. It would be lucky if it doesn’t go negative.

He didn’t know what he was talking about.

Soon, the subprime crisis would erupt and gold and dollars would rise sharply.

But that didn’t mean he could get a 150% return.

It would only go up by 20-30% in the short term.

He could have taken a risky gamble, but if he messed up, it would be a big shock for Kim Hyunsoo.

Yoo-hyun didn’t intend to make 150% with Kim Hyunsoo’s investment money in the first place.

It was difficult and risky at this time.

Yoo-hyun just hoped that Kim Hyunsoo would make a steady profit for a long time.

That way, he could have some hope.

“Just take it. Don’t worry about the return.”

-Alright. I’ll call you later.

“Okay. I’ll let you win once when we spar next time.”

-You crazy. You’re no match for me!

Yoo-hyun laughed softly and hung up the phone.