"You really messed him up."
The doctor's brows drew together as he carefully examined Jiwon's injured ankle. His fingers pressed lightly around the swollen area before his expression darkened.
"Are you the one who did this?" he asked, turning toward Sergei.
But no response.
The doctor looked back at the injury and let out a quiet sigh.
"The fracture is worse than I expected."
He frowned.
"It looks like someone put pressure on it after it had already been broken."
Sergei stood near the window with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
The doctor glanced at him before shaking his head.
"This isn't a minor injury. With this condition..." he paused, adjusting his glasses,
"it'll probably take close to a year to heal completely."
For a brief moment, Sergei's eyebrows pulled together slightly... It wasn't concern, he was annoyed.
At least, that's what it looked like.
Meanwhile, lying on the bed, Jiwon slowly started drifting back into consciousness.
His body felt heavy, too heavy.
His eyelids refused to open properly, and his head throbbed painfully. The voices around him sounded distant, almost as if he were hearing them underwater.
Still... he could hear enough.
"Are you done?" Sergei finally spoke.
His cold voice cut through the room.
The doctor began putting away the medical tools scattered beside the bed.
"I'll leave medicine here. Make sure he takes it."
He placed a few small bottles on the table.
"And don't skip it."
Sergei didn't answer.
The doctor narrowed his eyes.
"Also let him rest. His body's already in terrible shape... If you keep pushing him like this, he could actually die."
"Okay."
The answer came flatly.
The doctor stared at him for a few seconds before exhaling quietly.
"Sergei..." he said after a moment,
"don't you think it's time to let go?"
Jiwon remained motionless.
His blurry vision couldn't make out their faces clearly.
But for some reason, the room suddenly felt heavier.
"Do not interfere, Doctor."
His voice carried a warning.
The doctor looked at him and gave a bitter smile.
"You sound exactly like your father."
Jiwon's breathing slowed.
Father...?
The doctor continued packing his things into his old leather bag.
"Mikhail Sokolov destroyed enough lives already." His voice hardened slightly.
"Don't become another version of him."
The name hit Jiwon like ice water.
[Sokolov?]
His chest tightened, he knew that name, not personally.But he'd heard it before.
Nochnaya Sova.
A name people spoke quietly, almost carefully. A name tied to stories prosecutors and police officers whispered behind closed doors disappearances, trafficking routes, and people who vanished without leaving anything behind.
Jiwon's fingers twitched weakly against the sheets.
His mind suddenly felt much more awake.
"I expected revenge from you, Sergei," the doctor continued quietly.
Then his eyes moved toward Jiwon's neck.
Toward the dark bruises left around his throat.
"Not... whatever this is."
Sergei remained silent.
His expression didn't change.
But the air around him somehow felt colder.
The doctor stared at him for a few moments before speaking again.
"You searched for him all these years…"
His voice carried confusion more than accusation.
"And this is how you treat him?"
Jiwon felt his heart skip.
[Revenge?... Searching for me ?]
His brows furrowed weakly.
The words repeated in his head again.
Searching for him?
No.that couldn't be right.
Why was Sergei searching for him?
Nothing made sense to him anymore.
The doctor finally closed his leather bag and stood up.
"Well." He sighed.
"I'm leaving now."
He walked toward the door before stopping.
"Take care of him."
Then after a brief pause:
"Or you'll regret it someday... meet me at my office tomorrow."
Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and walked out.
The room fell quiet again.
A few seconds later, Jiwon heard footsteps.
Slow and steady.
He knew who it was without looking.
He wanted to turn his head to see Sergei's face, but his body refused to listen.
The footsteps stopped.
Then...Click.
The door closed.
Jiwon stared blankly toward the ceiling while questions continued piling up inside his head.
Who exactly was Sergei?
Then suddenly, a word surfaced in his mind.
[Smert.]
His eyes widened slightly. He remembered... Sergei has already introduced himself .
Only then did he realize that what he had gotten involved in was far deeper than he had thought.
What had he done for Sergei to want revenge?
And why did it feel like Sergei deeply hated him?