Although the "dinner date" with Yang Min Seok ended up being more enjoyable than Se Ah had expected, when he texted her the following day asking to meet again for lunch, she did not know if she wanted to say "yes" to that offer. She was not clueless, despite his generally flirty and misleading personality, she knew that Min Seok was interested in her and was not ashamed of showing it, however, being chased after by someone like him made her uncomfortable, to say the least, even if what he was after was nothing more but a meaningless fling. She felt conflicted and annoyed.
"Gosh, what the hell is wrong with me? So what if the two of you have a lot in common? This is the second time this man troubles your mind like this. Don't be ridiculous, Yoon Se Ah, get your shit together."
Since Se Ah had spent a whole hour mulling over the answer to Min Seok's offer, she decided that simply leaving him on read would come off as rude, therefore, she quickly came up with a believable excuse and finally replied to his text. Once that issue was out of her way, Se Ah decided to get dressed and go for a walk to clear her mind. She did not want to admit it but staying in a hotel room for so long, no matter how nice it was, felt stifling and suffocating. It was not her home, everything was different, almost foreign; the generic smell of each room, the lingering scent of a unisex perfume left by Da Hye, an unusable fridge, the snow-white sheets that were changed every day by a nameless and faceless housekeeper... There was nothing she could call her own. Everything belonged to someone else. She still had nothing.
Sundays seemed to be lazy for everyone, no matter how rich or busy they were. When she reached the hotel lobby, even the concierges were yawning and their movements were shackled in lethargy, despite the approaching hour of noon. Just looking at them made Se Ah sleepy again, it was contagious and she desperately needed to get out of there.
'I'm outside, what now? Should I just walk around until I feel hungry or tired?'
Her contemplations did not last long. At first, she thought she imagined it, after all, why would anyone call out her name there, but when she heard a familiar voice call out her name the second time, her curiosity soared and she had no choice but to turn around to finally see its source for herself.
"Miss Yoon!"
Lee Min Hyun was waving his hand while running towards her like a happy child running to greet his parents, his overly excited face was brighter than the sun reflected on the orange leaves of the tall trees. Se Ah felt a strange throbbing feeling in her chest - was it because of that guy? He was running against the wind, his black unbuttoned shirt was flapping around, revealing a blindingly white T-shirt, and his shiny black hair, which he usually styled imitating different actors and idols, was now brushed backwards by the harsh fingers of the wind, exposing his smooth forehead and carefully shaped eyebrows. It was a view worth remembering. It was strangely mesmerizing.
'Look at him, it's like he is filming a commercial.'
The guy stopped right in front of Se Ah, forcing her to make an abrupt step back which almost made her lose her balance but Min Hyun was fast to react - he grabbed her by the hand and pulled back up, helping her regain control of her posture. She felt stupid, it was definitely a very silly and cliche commercial.
"What are you doing here?"
The intern fixed his messy hair and smiled.
"I was supposed to meet my friend around here but he could not make it in the end so I was just walking around aimlessly. Then I saw you and here I am!"
"I see. Alright then, enjoy your Sunday."
She hesitated for a moment as if giving Min Hyun a chance to cling to her again but, either to her great surprise or disappointment, he did not do that. Did she really hope that he would ask her to join him? Her mind was a mess again, and the moment she finally decided to leave, her phone started ringing, and the number she hoped to never receive a call from, appeared on its screen.
"Hello?"
"Miss Yoon Se Ah?"
A low female voice on the other line sounded more cold than official as it called her name.
"Yes."
"My name is Eum Hee Kyung, I work in the accounting department of the Gaehwa Mental Hospital. There has been a problem with the payment for your mother's accommodation, the error says that the account has insufficient funds."
"What?"
Se Ah could not believe it, it was the first time since her mother was admitted, that she had an issue like this. That could not be right.
"I'm sorry, it must be a mistake, I'm sure there is enough money in that account, could you perhaps try again?"
The cold and official voice now turned into an irritated one.
"Miss Yoon, I don't mean to be rude but we've been trying to charge you since morning and the result is still the same. Please check it for yourself and let us know by the end of the day. Let me remind you that if you won't be able to pay, we will have to discharge your mother."
"... Alright, I'll let you know. Thank you."
Se Ah's mind went blank. How was it possible? The bank account linked to her mother's bills was the same one she had her savings on. It had more than forty million won on it and now she is being told it does not have enough money even for a monthly hospital payment? It simply did not make sense.
Lee Min Hyun who was still standing next to Miss Yoon, came closer and placed his big hand on her trembling shoulder.
"Miss Yoon? Are you alright? You suddenly turned very pale."
Although he looked concerned, for some reason, to Se Ah, his voice sounded strangely lively. But there was no time for that. She jerked her shoulder away and started frantically tapping on her phone screen, however, her shaking fingers were hard to control. When she was finally able to access her bank account through the app, she felt her soul leaving her already-cold body.
"It can't be... No, there must be a mistake, it's not possible."
She kept closing and reopening the app, refreshing the screen, and logging in and out of the account, but the outcome was still the same - there was no money. Everything was gone.