Wooyoung held medical referral forms in his shaking hands at the front of Seoul National University Hospital. With gentle rain pouring continuously from dark overfalling clouds, the gray October morning suited his mood exactly.
Not since that encounter outside the club, which turned his life around, have he had three days of decent sleep. His head on repeat played the memory. One of his frequent clients had cornered him in the alley as he was departing work, weary from a long night.
When he dropped the words that changed everything, the asshole was casually and unconcerned having a smoke.
The man had said, not even bothering to glance at Wooyoung, "You should get yourself tested. I have AIDS."
Just so. No apologies, no regrets, no recognition of the meaning of those words.
The fucker had just completed his cigarette, thrown it away, and strolled off, leaving Wooyoung standing frozen in that filthy lane as the consequences hit over him like a tidal wave.
Three months they had been meeting regularly, three months of unprotected encounters as the bastard had claimed he was clean, and only now did he bother to bring up this tiny point.
Three days later, Wooyoung felt like he was strolling through a dream—terrible. Aside from bread, his stomach had not tolerated solid food since that night, so he was living on convenience store coffee.
His hands trembled slightly as he gazed up at the stern medical facility before him, dark circles shadowing his eyes.
With its crisp white walls and sterile glass windows either his sanctuary or his death, the hospital seemed huge and frightening.
Inside those walls he would at last discover whether that single thoughtless act had cost him all. Whether a guy who couldn't even be bothered to exhibit basic human decency had taken his future.
Breathing deeply, Wooyoung began his walk toward the main entrance, his worn-out shoes dashing across little puddles on the pavement.
As he approached, the automatic doors started to open, and he was so engross in placing one foot in front of the other that he missed the sleek black sedan just arriving at the curb behind him.
Helping an elderly woman get out of the backseat, a driver got out and ran around to open the passenger door. She stepped onto the sidewalk gracefully, accepting the driver's help. She had a simple but tidy gray hairdo and a small but clean coat that showed she was well cared for without being showy. Her coat suggested she was well taken care of without being showy.
Wooyoung had no way of knowing this was Mrs. Choi, San's grandmother. After his parents died, she had raised San from childhood, and her comfortable living in later years had resulted from his business success. The same routine she had followed for years to monitor her health and guarantee she stayed strong for the grandson who meant all to her, she was here for her monthly checkup.
When Wooyoung collided roughly with Mrs. Choi just as she was approaching the hospital entrance, he was still lost in his worried ideas mentally practicing what he would tell the doctor.
Their both stumbling results from the force, and Wooyoung's medical forms fell like autumn leaves on the soaked pavement.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry!"Wooyoung dropped to his knees right away, frantically trying to grab his papers while also extending his hand to support the lady he had bumped about.
"I'm such an idiot, I was not monitoring where I was heading to. Are you hurt?"
Mrs. Choi quickly caught her balance with the help of the driver and fixed her gaze on the young man obviously in trouble. She could watch the terror in his face, the tremor in his hands as he gathered his disarranged papers.
His initial worry had been for her wellbeing instead of his own humiliation, even in his clear anxiety.
" Not really, I'm fine boy."
" I just..."Wooyoung's voice tapered off as he came to understand what she could view over the pavement in front of her. Clearly shownn to her were the medical referral forms, with official medical terminology terms such HIV screening and sexual health consultation printed alongside.
His cheeks heated with humiliation as he swiftly picked up the papers, some already wet.
She was seeing precisely how a kind individual he was. This honorable lady spoke with real kindness and bore herself with calm dignity.
When he raised his gaze, he expected to witness disgust or fear in her eyes, the same response he had come to know from good society.
Rather, he discovered something totally different. Mrs. Choi was gazing at him with sincere concern—the same look she might don when meeting any young person obviously in distress and fear.
Her eyes lacked judgment, condescension, or moral superiority. Simply human kindness for another human being in need.
She murmured softly noting his pale skin and dark circles under his eyes, her observed looking like he had not been tending to himself.
"When last did you have a decent meal?" Her voice's sudden warmth almost destroyed Wooyoung's deftly kept composure.
He had been getting ready for weeks to confront medical staff, possible hospital staff rejection, and the dreadful possibility of a positive test result.
But he had not prepared for true human kindness from a stranger who had every reason to just walk away. He admitted, his voice barely above a whisper," I cannot really recall."
Mrs. Choi reached into her handbag and pulled out a little voucher, the sort the hospital cafeteria gave for families of patients during extended stays. She had been waiting for later, but something about this young man's clear anguish moved her to response.
She said, handing the voucher into his palm despite his protests. The cafeteria on the third floor makes fantastic soup. You'll need your energy for whatever appointment you're here for.
Wooyoung fixed the voucher as though he could hardly believe it was real. "I can't take this from you. You don't even know me."
Mrs. Choi said sternly, "I know you're a young person who is terrified and hasn't been eating right. I know you bumped into me because you're too anxious to see what's around you. And I know that whatever brought you to the hospital today, you will handle it better with some food in your system.
Mrs. Choi examined his face briefly, looking past the shame and guilt to something more profound below.
She could tell genuine character from her years of living, and despite whatever situations had led this young man to her doorstep, she could detect the natural goodness in him.
"Someone like you? she asked quietly. "You mean someone who immediately apologized when they made a mistake? Who says please and thank you even while he is obviously experiencing something terrible? Someone who worried more about whether I was hurt than about his own shame?"
Her voice matched the same tone she had used with San whenever he had questioned his own value as a youngster as she moved closer.
"Child, I have lived long enough to know that a person's character is defined by how they treat others when they believe nobody important is viewing, not by their surroundings."
The words slammed Wooyoung like a actual punch. When last anyone had treated him with value-added conversation , as if he were more than simply a commodity to be bought and tossed away ? He choked up with feelings he had been burying for days.
"Mrs. Choi," the lady continued, pulling a business card from her wallet. I will be at my appointment for the next two hours. If you need anything at all, you can find my driver and mention my name."
Wooyoung read the basic writing on the card with trembling hands: Mrs. Choi Miyeon, along with a phone number. Just freely given contact information to someone she had no responsibility to assist; nothing fancy or fake.
Quietly he said, "I don't understand. Why are you being so good to me?"
Mrs. Choi grinned, and the look changed her whole face with love and real warmth. "Because everyone deserves kindness, especially when theyre courageous enough to look after their health even when theyre terrified."
She softly stroked his arm in a motherly action that gave Wooyoung unexpected solace throughout his entire being. "Now go eat something before your appointment. Whatever you're going through right now, good food will help you cope better. "
Wooyoung observed her move toward the hospital entrance with calm assurance, the kind that came from a lifetime of respecting others and anticipating the same in exchange.
She spun back one last time right before the automatic doors shut behind her.
She whispered, "And young man, remember you are stronger than you realize."
She vanished then, leaving Wooyoung in the mild rain with a cafeteria voucher, a phone number, and the first real gesture of compassion he had had in more than he could recall. He glanced down at the business card once more, admiring its simple elegance and the way it conveyed someone who volunteered to assist without having to prove anything to anybody.
Wooyoung felt for the first time in three days as though he might truly survive whatever the test results would expose. The worry was still present, curled tightly like a living thing in his chest, but next to it was something new.
A small ray of optimism rose in him that maybe, just maybe, there were still decent people on Earth who regarded him as human rather than disposable.
He strode toward the hospital entrance with more steady steps, one hand holding the voucher, which meant far more than simply dinner.
It revealed that despite his background, not everyone would judge him and that occasionally help would come from the most unexpected places. People were still nice.
Wooyoung entered to encounter whatever was waiting for him, bearing with him the warmth of actual human compassion and the knowledge that he was not entirely alone in the world after all, the automatic doors gently whispering open.