Dr. Kang Hyung Min looked with more interest at the cute-looking young lady staring wide-eyed next to the patient than at the patient himself.

He was a bit surprised that she looked younger than he expected, but he liked her kind-looking face.

“You must have been very surprised. Now that you’ve taken the medicine, you should be fine.”

As he spoke kindly to Soo Young with a smile, Woo Jin said with a sullen expression,

“Why are you talking to her? You should be talking to me, the patient.”

“You’re used to it. This young lady is here for the first time. What’s your name?”

“Kim Soo Young.”

“That’s a pretty name too.”

As Hyung Min chuckled, Woo Jin said with a displeased expression,

“Why is an old man like you so interested in a young girl? Just go. Why isn’t Seol Ji Hyun here?”

Soo Young glared at Woo Jin, incredulous at how he could speak so rudely to someone who was supposed to be his attending physician.

However, Kang Hyung Min ignored him and spoke to Soo Young again.

“Isn’t it hard working here?”

“Oh, no. It’s comfortable and nice.”

When Soo Young responded politely, Kang Hyung Min’s expression became even more pleased.

“Is Woo Jin giving you a hard time?”

“Why do you keep saying unnecessary things? Aren’t you busy?”

As Woo Jin spoke with disgust, Hyung Min gathered up the medicines and tools he had brought, saying,

“What do I have to be busy with? I only see the chairman and you. Drink plenty of water, and if it gets really tough while sleeping at night, call me. Ji Hyun went to the countryside today for a meeting. Soo Young, please take care of this guy. Feed him dinner too.”

“Am I a kid? What do you mean take care of me?”

Soo Young let out a small laugh, finding it absurd how he talked as if he lived alone when everyone around him seemed to be taking care of him.

However, Hyung Min seemed used to his whining and patted his calf over the blanket instead of his shoulder as a sign that he was leaving.

Perhaps because it wasn’t direct touch, he who usually flinched at any contact was relatively quiet this time.

As Soo Young followed him out to the living room to see him off, he spoke gently to her.

“When that friend catches a cold, he starts having problems with his bronchial tubes. Tell him to spit out phlegm if it forms and have him drink warm water often. If he seems to have a fever, call me right away.”

From the atmosphere, it seemed he thought Soo Young was staying in this house. But that’s not the case. I need to go home.

“Um, when is the boss… I mean, when is Seol Ji Hyun coming back?”

“Well, I’m not sure… He just said to take good care of him since he couldn’t come. Oh, do you need to go home?”

Soo Young didn’t understand why he thought they would live together when men and women usually live separately, but she silently nodded.

It was long past her work hours, and she was considering whether to tell her mother she was at the library and come home very late, when Hyung Min kindly said,

“Then go home. I’ll tell Ji Hyun to come by tonight without fail.”

As Hyung Min spoke looking at her, Soo Young waved both hands and said,

“Ah, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry and go on in.”

“Please take good care of our Woo Jin in the future too.”

“Pardon?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen Woo Jin allow someone to be close to him. I told Ji Hyun to hold on to Soo Young no matter what, did you hear about that?”

“What? No.”

She now understood why Ji Hyun had insisted on keeping her, even going so far as to invite Young Mi to his house. But why go to such lengths?

“It’s been 10 years. Since he’s allowed a stranger. It seems Soo Young is a very important person to Woo Jin. Haha…”

Important person, no less. The boss called her an auspicious event, and now the doctor calls her an important person.

Soo Young pondered if she had ever received such treatment anywhere before. Without needing to think, it was the first time in her life.

She saw him off with a rather shy face, repeatedly bowing her head.

Hmm… Feeling quite proud at being called an important person and an auspicious event for the household, Soo Young walked back into Woo Jin’s room with a proud stride.

But while others regarded her as an important person, the owner of the house who was directly benefiting from it was looking at her with a displeased expression.

Woo Jin, who was now sitting at his desk, spoke coldly as soon as she entered the room.

“Just now enter this room, okay?”

“I just entered earlier too, remember? Are you okay? Shouldn’t you be lying down?”

“I’m fine after taking the medicine. You can go now.”

“…Don’t you need to eat dinner?”

“Not interested.”

“You need to eat well to get better quickly.”

At that, Woo Jin’s expression became thoughtful for a moment before he spoke.

“Do you know how to make kimchi porridge?”

“Kimchi porridge? The one with kimchi in it?”

“…Sigh, forget it. What could you…”

As Woo Jin suddenly shook his head, Soo Young exclaimed, feeling provoked.

“I can make it! How hard can it be? Seol Woo Jin, you’re craving something spicy? Just wait a moment.”

Soo Young confidently said as she left his room. However, as soon as she closed the door, she became quite flustered.

Kimchi porridge? Is there such a thing? Wait, how do you even make porridge? Put in rice… and boil it, right? Or should I just order it?

Soo Young hurriedly opened a delivery app. But while kimchi octopus porridge and kimchi tuna porridge came up in the search, there was no pure kimchi porridge.

What exactly is kimchi porridge?

Searching for kimchi porridge on Naver again, various types of kimchi porridge came up. Bean sprout kimchi porridge, poached egg kimchi porridge, hangover kimchi porridge…

This is it! Hangover kimchi porridge!

After carefully examining the recipe, she took out rice and kimchi from the lunchboxes and boiled them in water.

When it was boiling vigorously, she tasted it and found it a bit bland, so she added some soy sauce and salt as mentioned in the internet recipe.

Remembering that Woo Jin had liked the nutty flavor when she added sesame oil to rice balls before, she sprinkled a little sesame oil as well.

The visual and smell were perfect for porridge, and the taste was quite good too.

Wow… To think that I made kimchi porridge…!

She wanted to brag to her mother so badly, but her mother already disapproved of her working here, and telling her about making kimchi porridge for the house owner would likely make her even more displeased.

Ah, what a Hong Gil-dong-like life, unable to call a manager a manager and kimchi porridge kimchi porridge.

But suddenly, the bubbling porridge started to overflow.

“Ahhh!”

Soo Young frantically rolled up some kitchen towels and wiped the induction stove.

Feeling nauseous, he impulsively recalled the kimchi porridge he had eaten at his family home before and asked if she could make it, but he didn’t really think she could actually make it.

But then a faint smell of kimchi wafted from somewhere. Was there kimchi in the house? Is she really making kimchi porridge?

Suddenly, he heard a scream from outside. Worried she might have burned herself like last time, he abruptly got up and went to the living room.

He was in such a hurry that he bumped his shoulder on the doorframe once and his knee on the sofa once.

He used to never get hurt at home, but since she came, he’s been getting injured frequently. He should be annoyed, but worry came first.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, Woo Jin asked towards the sink area.

“Are you hurt?”

“Huh? Did you come out because of the smell?”

To be precise, he hadn’t come out because of the smell but because of her scream, but for some reason, he didn’t want to admit that.

To the silent Woo Jin, Soo Young said in a slightly excited voice.

“Sit down. Wow, I made porridge for the first time in my life. It’s simpler than I thought?”

He felt both anxious and excited at her words about making porridge for the first time in her life. You made porridge for the first time… for me…

Regardless of Woo Jin standing still, Soo Young quickly ladled the porridge into a bowl and placed it on the table.

After setting up the spoon and water, she said in a voice as excited as Woo Jin’s:

“Please sit down. There’s water on the left and a spoon on the right. Be careful with the bowl, the porridge is hot.”

Following her words, Woo Jin sat down and hesitated for a moment before picking up the spoon and carefully dipping it into the steaming porridge.

“Is it good?”

Soo Young asked with genuine curiosity as she watched him taste the porridge with the tip of his spoon.

However, he said nothing, just savoring the taste before blowing on the spoonful of porridge and putting it all in his mouth.

“It’s delicious, right?”

“Try it.”

Woo Jin said indifferently. Soo Young confidently scooped up some porridge and, just like him, blew on it before putting it in her mouth. The texture was a bit different from what she expected, but it was tastier than she thought.

“It’s delicious!”

“Eat a lot.”

“Doesn’t Seol Woo Jin like the taste?”

“The seasoning is right, but the texture…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Soo Young covered his mouth with her hand.

Startled by the sudden warm touch, Woo Jin jerked his face back.

“Even if it’s not tasty, don’t say anything. I can’t let Seol Woo Jin’s frank words ruin my first porridge ever.”

As Soo Young spoke firmly, Woo Jin couldn’t help but smile. Yet he didn’t stop eating the porridge.

He felt his nauseous stomach gradually settling and his condition slowly improving.

But he tried to think rationally that this was due to the medicine, not the porridge.

“Seeing you eat well, it must be delicious!”

Soo Young exclaimed, looking at his half-empty porridge bowl, and Woo Jin took a sip of water before saying seriously.

“The seasoning is right, but the texture is like pig slop.”

Whether it was her first porridge in life or not, he had to say what needed to be said to feel satisfied.

Young Soon, who came home just before midnight after her usual overtime work, paused while taking off her shoes when she saw her daughter pacing back and forth in the living room.

Her daughter had a handkerchief over her eyes and was feeling her way around.

She had always thought her daughter was a bit different from other kids, but it seemed to be getting worse as she grew older, and a silent sigh escaped her lips.

“What are you doing?”

“Mom?”

“Playing hide-and-seek by yourself?”

“Ah. Visual impairment experience. They say other senses develop when you can’t see, but why couldn’t I hear the door lock sound? Was I too focused on my feet?”

Soo Young approached Young Soon, feeling her way, and hugged her.

“Oh, when I can’t see, Mom’s touch feels so good. Mom’s smell is so nice too.”

“Wasn’t it good when you could see?”

“No, it was good then too, but it feels even better now. It’s so scary not being able to see even though it’s inside the house? But when I hug Mom, I’m not scared at all.”

She thought she understood a little why Woo Jin hugged her so tightly when going outside.

If it’s scary even at home, how scary must it be to go outside… She suddenly felt Woo Jin was amazing. That courage.

“Did you have a good day? Are you tired? I made kimchi porridge, do you want some, Mom?”

Soo Young asked cheerfully while still hugging her mom, and Young Soon replied while hugging her daughter back.

“Why kimchi porridge?”

“Oh. I thought you might be hungry, so I made it. Since it’s porridge, it should be easy to digest even though it’s late, right?”

“You can’t even make ramyeon well, how did you manage to make porridge? That’s difficult, you know?”

“It’s not difficult at all. Just put leftover rice, kimchi, and water, boil it well, add soy sauce and salt… That’s it?”

“Hmm? If you make it like that, won’t it just taste like kimchi?”

“That’s why it’s kimchi porridge.”

Soo Young smiled at her mom as she untied the handkerchief from her eyes.

As her daughter stepped away, Young Soon finally took off her shoes and entered the living room, asking as she headed to the kitchen.

“Why the sudden visual impairment experience?”

“Just because. I wanted to see what inconveniences there are when living at home without being able to see.”

“But why did you want to know that?”

She opened the pot lid to find that there really was bright red kimchi porridge inside. Despite it being late at night, the smell of kimchi somehow stimulated her appetite.

“I just got curious while watching YouTuX.”

“Don’t do things like that. It’s unlucky.”

“Huh? Why is it unlucky?”

“They say words become seeds. What if it really happens? It’s hard enough to live in this world even when you’re fine, if you had a disability on top of that… Oh my… Mom would be so heartbroken, I don’t think I could live. The porridge looks delicious.”

Young Soon tasted a spoonful of the porridge and slightly furrowed her brow. The seasoning was right, but the texture was strange.

Still, thinking of her daughter’s sincerity, she decided to eat a whole bowl.

As she turned her head, she saw Soo Young staring blankly into space with a dumb expression.

She wondered if that person had wanted to die too. Being so sensitive, he might have felt it more than others.

She recalled when Seol Ji Hyun had called saying he couldn’t reach Woo Jin.

Even through the phone, she could feel his urgency and anxiety, and she did as he asked, entering Woo Jin’s room and bathroom.

Thanks to that, she got to see the house owner’s splendid body, but if his family was that anxious even though he seemed to have lost his sight quite a while ago, it meant similar incidents must have happened often before…

“What’s wrong?”

As Young Soon examined her daughter’s expression, Soo Young looked at her mom intently and said,

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

“The person I said I’m managing, the writer… That person is visually impaired. That’s why I’m managing him.”

Young Soon’s eyes widened at her daughter’s words.