Alter Ego

Chapter : 7 The Familiar Stalker

"𝑺𝒐 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌, 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒔."

In the last part, in the tense stillness of the hospital room, Jung Si's sharp eyes caught a fleeting shadow lurking just beyond the door, a silent observer to their conversation. With a silent signal to Do Wan, she alerted him to the potential threat. Do Wan's hand moved swiftly to his bag, retrieving his gun as he stepped purposefully towards the door, his instincts on high alert. Sensing danger, he motioned for Jung Si to take cover behind him, shielding her from whatever lurked beyond the threshold. With a deep breath, Do Wan braced himself and swung the door open, ready to confront whatever awaited them on the other side.

But as soon as Do Wan opened the door, he saw the same old nurse lady eavesdropping on them. Caught red-handed, Do Wan confronted her, saying,

"Shouldn't you be working right now? Don't you think you have too much time to spend eavesdropping on us, you old hag?"

Her response was a defiant grin as she retorted,

"Bastard, first learn to respect your elders, then talk to them."

Unfazed, Do Wan shot back,

"I don't want to if elders are like you."

The nurse's anger flared as she explained,

"I was just passing by and thought I should check on this little girl. When I heard your voices and some cute chit-chat, I stayed to listen. I got a call from the head office, so I left, but when I returned, I heard the same conversation and was leaving when you opened the door, thinking I was eavesdropping. I've been busy all this time."

Jung Si emerged from behind Do Wan, apologizing to the nurse, who patted her and left. But Jung Si remained suspicious, wondering where the true eavesdropper might be. Do Wan urged her to share her suspicions, but Jung Si refused, suddenly feigning inability to walk. Do Wan attempted to assist her, but their actions drew unwanted attention and judgment from bystanders.

In response to the public scrutiny, Do Wan picked Jung Si up and carried her, as she warned him never to do it again, lest it cause trouble.

Do Wan tossed Jung Si onto the bed and said,

"You sure are a good schemer, really got a good planner and an evil mind. Suited for an undercover agent."

Then his phone started to ring. He stepped forward to the door, opened it, and left the room. Jung Si was curious about why he left the room. Thoughts raced through her mind – was it an important call, or was it something related to her? So, she left her bed and went toward the door to eavesdrop on him. On the other side, Do Wan was talking to his assistant, who wanted to meet him specifically for something more important than any of his other work. He told her to wait for him for half an hour; he would be reaching his office soon. Meanwhile, Jung Si overheard him saying,

"Oh, I forgot, wait a minute. I am coming to the office in half an hour. There are some more things I have to handle in the office, and I encountered an unexpected event, so I was late. Wait for me. I am coming."

She thought it was his girlfriend because he was talking very friendly on the phone. Do Wan disconnected his phone, and at that moment, Jung Si rushed back to bed and lay down as if she hadn't moved. When he returned to the room, he said,

"Good work, Jung Si, at eavesdropping on me."

She didn't understand how he knew she was eavesdropping since she hadn't taken even a second longer to reach her bed. She managed to make it seem like nothing had changed since he left the room, so how did he know? She asked him how he knew she was eavesdropping. He explained,