Chapter 29 - A Suspicious Patient and an Even More Suspicious Guardian (7)
“I feel so sorry for my mom. Isn’t she going to end up with depression at this rate?”
As they confirmed the people in the photos, the daughters began to react violently, just as expected.
‘Depression? Well, I don’t know about that.’
Even though her husband's infidelity had been confirmed, not a trace of depression could be found on Lee In-im's face this entire time.
[System: Lee In-im’s primary emotion is ‘Joy’.]
Though she appeared despondent on the outside, Kaitman’s Glasses consistently identified Lee In-im’s emotion as ‘Joy’.
“Still, I’ve gotten a bit better after being hospitalized and talking with the doctors. Originally, the tears would just come at any time, and...”
[System: Lee In-im is lying. (99.9%)]
‘I still have a long way to go.’
He had prided himself on having a good eye for people after four years of residency training, but looking at it now, that didn’t seem to be the case at all.
“Fortunately, her condition is not severe enough to diagnose depression. Please rest assured.”
Sihyeon kept his words to a minimum.
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
The daughters looked somewhat relieved at the news that their mother’s condition wasn’t bad.
“As of now, we judge that the situation does not require further hospitalization. You may be discharged within this week.”
On the other hand, a flash of disappointment crossed the faces of Lee In-im and Hwan Sa-jun. They had inwardly hoped he would add fuel to the daughters’ anger, but Sihyeon did not act as they intended.
“By the way, isn’t there any way to punish that woman?”
It was Lee In-im’s eldest daughter, Kwak Eun-gyeong. She, who had defended her father in the emergency room saying he was never that kind of person, was now holding her mother’s hand tightly while asking Hwan Sa-jun.
“Can we really say the problem lies only with that woman?” Hwan Sa-jun asked back with a serious face.
“What do you mean by that? It’s obvious that woman approached Dad first—”
“Of course, the other woman who approached a married man is also at fault, but the client is currently contemplating what to do about her spouse.”
At his words, silence fell over the consultation room.
“Mom, what does this mean?”
“I’ve also been thinking about it a lot.”
At Lee In-im’s words, Kwak Eun-hui swallowed hard.
“I think this is the end. I simply cannot forgive your father, who not only had an affair but went as far as to lock me up in a psychiatric hospital. I’m sorry.”
‘Why is the atmosphere turning like this?’
The air in the consultation room grew heavy at the declaration of divorce.
[System: Kwak Eun-gyeong’s primary emotion has changed from ‘Contempt’ → ‘Depression’.]
Because the husband’s wrongdoing was so blatant, the daughters couldn't even raise an objection to Lee In-im’s decision.
“Regarding the lawsuit against the other woman, there is a way to file it independently, or it can be conducted simultaneously with the divorce suit. In the client’s case, the issue of asset division is particularly...”
[System: Hwan Sa-jun’s ‘Anticipation’ has significantly increased.]
‘He’s absolutely thrilled.’
While wearing an expression of regret on the outside, Hwan Sa-jun began pouring out explanations like a fish in water.
“The alimony lawsuit against the other woman... please proceed with that first. I’m begging you.”
It was the second daughter, Kwak Eun-hui.
“Yes, I fully understand your feelings. However, it seems it will be difficult to do right now.”
“Why can’t it be done right away? The evidence is so clear!”
Kwak Eun-hui shook the photos placed on the table. The hand holding the photos trembled, and sparks practically flew from her eyes.
“First, to serve the complaint, we need to know the other woman’s real name and personal information. However, we haven’t been able to figure that much out yet,” Hwan Sa-jun said, sounding regretful.
“I see. I understand for now. Please hurry as much as possible.”
‘Lee Ye-rim, 41 years old. The phone number is saved on the guardian’s phone as Assistant Manager Kang...’
Was it because he had become over-immersed in Kwak Eun-hui’s anger? For a moment, the name Lee Ye-rim almost burst out of his mouth.
Sihyeon barely managed to suppress the words caught in his throat and calmed his mind.
Ding-dong!
The notification sound rang out again. And in the next moment, as the notification window appeared, Sihyeon’s heart began to race.
[System: Hwan Sa-jun is lying. (99.9%)]
……
The patient and the guardians emptied out of the room like the ebbing tide, leaving Sihyeon alone in the consultation room.
‘A lie? Which part?’
The statement that they needed the other woman’s personal information for an alimony lawsuit couldn't be a lie. That was just common sense.
If so, only one possibility remained. The lawyer already had a fair idea of who the other woman was.
‘But why?’
He became curious about the reason for not proceeding with the alimony lawsuit immediately.
‘Well, maybe it’s not important anymore.’
Lee In-im seemed to have already made up her mind to divorce, and the daughters seemed to be in agreement. While it was strange that Hwan Sa-jun was hiding what he knew about Lee Ye-rim, it didn’t seem like there was anything more for Sihyeon to do.
Vrrrrrrr.
“This is Cheon Sihyeon from Psychiatry.”
“This is the outpatient clinic. A person claiming to be Patient Lee In-im’s guardian is looking for you. What should we do?”
“If it's a guardian, who...?”
“It’s a middle-aged man named Kwak Jeong-su. He says he has something he absolutely must tell you.”
A middle-aged man with the surname Kwak.
‘For what reason?’
He wondered what could possibly be left to discuss now that everything had been settled, but Sihyeon headed toward the outpatient clinic to meet the guardian for now.
……
“Dr. Cheon Sihyeon.”
Kwak Jeong-su’s voice trembled as he called out to Sihyeon.
“Let’s go into this examination room.”
Fortunately, the preliminary examination room, used for seeing first-time patients before the professor’s consultation, was empty.
“...Yes.”
The confidence he had shown a few days ago was gone; he looked extremely anxious.
“I heard everything from my daughters. I know my affair was wrong, but they were even more furious that I had my wife admitted to a psychiatric ward.”
“It seems so.”
“Can’t you and the professor please say something in my favor? I saw in the emergency room that my wife seems to trust you, Doctor.”
Kwak Jeong-su spoke with tears in his eyes.
“It seems my wife is firmly determined to get a divorce... That wasn't my true intention. I shouldn't have listened to that woman!”
“What did that woman say to you?”
“She told me that if my wife suspected an affair, I should just deny it no matter what and take a hard line, so I just...”
The sight of him blaming only the other woman even when things had reached this point made Sihyeon furrow his brow.
“Anyway, that part is our family matter... and actually, that’s not why I came here today.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
If he didn’t come because of his wife, then why? Sihyeon tilted his head in confusion.
“Doctor, Ji-eun... no, whether her name is Ji-eun or Ye-rim, anyway, I suddenly can’t get in touch with her.”
‘Wait, why are you looking for her here?’
It seemed the reason Kwak Jeong-su looked so unwell wasn't because of the issues with his wife, but because of this.
“It’s not just that I can’t reach her; she’s disappeared without a trace, to the point I wonder if such a person even existed. I even went to her officetel, but it was completely empty. Do you happen to know anything?”
“Not at all.”
When even Sihyeon, whom he had pinned his hopes on, failed to provide any information, Kwak Jeong-su let out a long sigh.
“But how did you know about that woman, Doctor?”
“To be honest, I don't know her well either. Since it's a secret I learned during treatment, it's difficult for me to speak in detail.”
Since he had learned the information through ‘All Charts in the World,’ he decided to be vague for now.
“Ah, I see. I just asked on the off chance...”
Kwak Jeong-su still seemed to have lingering feelings for Lee Ye-rim.
“I have some business in the ward, so I'll be going now.”
“To you, she might have looked like a gold digger, but that's actually not the case.”
As Sihyeon was about to get up, Kwak Jeong-su spoke to him again.
“The truth is, I made huge profits by investing based on her advice. Thanks to her, the company grew, and we even acquired two profitable subsidiaries.”
“Are you saying her help was significant in your mergers and acquisitions?”
“That's right. I've met many people while doing business, but very few had such a great business sense.”
A mistress who brought great profit to her husband. A re-evaluation of Lee Ye-rim was urgently needed.
“I married into a wealthy family and worked hard to grow the company... I did my best, but in the end, it turned out like this. I don't even have the face to ask my wife for forgiveness.”
[System: Kwak Jeong-su is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
“What do you mean by ‘turned out like this’?”
“I’ll probably have to step down from the CEO position at the next shareholders' meeting. My wife and daughters are very angry.”
Lee In-im seemed to be planning to drive her husband out of the company.
“Will you be stepping away from management entirely?”
“Yes, for the time being. Even as a major shareholder, if there's no role for me in the company, I should leave. But won't the opportunity come again someday? While running the company, I've gotten to know many shareholders who are friendly toward me...”
[System: Kwak Jeong-su is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
Sihyeon looked at Kwak Jeong-su with a pitying expression. The destructive power of an affair was truly immense—enough to shake a family and a company built over decades to their very roots.
‘What will happen to this company?’
After Kwak Jeong-su left the examination room, Sihyeon opened the green search window again and began searching for IM Bio. As he scanned through information ranging from recent articles to stock message boards, Sihyeon’s eyes widened.
‘Could they have been after this from the start?’
Sihyeon left the examination room and began to chase after Kwak Jeong-su.
……
One hour later, in the consultation room.
“I’m thinking of being discharged tomorrow.”
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”
“Things that were sluggish while I was outside are being handled immediately now that I’m hospitalized.”
As if there were no longer any need to hide her emotions, Lee In-im spoke with a bright smile.
“What do you plan to do next?”
“First, I have to kick that man out of the company. I’ve already finished talking with my daughters.”
“I see. Do you happen to be doing that part with your ‘lover’ as well?”
“Yes, he’s our company’s legal counsel, and our working styles match well—”
Responding absentmindedly, Lee In-im’s expression suddenly froze.
“How did you...? You didn’t tell my husband, did you?”
“Of course not. Confidentiality is guaranteed for information learned during treatment. Instead, my principle is to speak truthfully to the patient about the things I have discovered.”
“Is there something I don’t know?”
“I just had a meeting with your husband at the outpatient clinic. He said the other woman suddenly became unreachable.”
Lee In-im’s expression grew even brighter at Sihyeon’s words.
“Well, isn’t that obvious? They have to disappear if they want to avoid a lawsuit. All those gold diggers act the same way.”
She looked as though she felt completely refreshed.
“A gold digger? I’m not so sure. According to your husband, she actually helped him during the process of acquiring the subsidiaries.”
“That woman helped my husband?”
“Yes. From your husband’s perspective, she acted like a business professional. For someone like that, the alimony from an adultery lawsuit wouldn't even be a burden.”
“Whatever the case, didn’t she just ghost him because there’s no more nectar left to suck dry? Why would she keep seeing a man who’s about to be kicked out of the company?” Lee In-im replied dismissively.
“There’s a high possibility that isn’t the case either.”
“Why do you think so?” Lee In-im asked back.
“Because even if he just sells the shares he currently holds, he’ll have a significant amount of cash. From the mistress’s perspective, he would actually be in a better state for her to ‘cook’ him.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. But then why...?”
Toward the puzzled Lee In-im, Sihyeon held out a sheet of paper and spoke.
“I think both of you have fallen into a trap.”