Chapter 33

Chapter 33Christmas chemistry(2)

Walking while looking at his phones navigation, Jeong-woo got off at Apgujeong station and arrived in front of a building soon after.

In front of a clinic that had a fairly large hospital-like exterior, although not as big as an AN hospital, there was a plaque that read The best way to cope with heartbreak and separation from sweet dreams.

Passing through the entrance, he glanced at a picture on an advertising board.

Is that Dr. Moons senior colleague, the director?

Jeong-woo was slightly nervous at the confident career womans face, who looked to be in her mid-thirties. Her appearance was outstanding enough to have a full-face picture, but she exuded a similar atmosphere to Dr. Moon.

Except for wearing glasses, she had a cool and aloof feeling.

If her personality is also like that, shes a bit scary.

Passing through the neatly paved pastel-tone corridor, Jeong-woo stood in front of the reception desk.

I made a reservation. Han Jeong-woo.

After stating his name and showing his ID, he received instructions to go directly to examination room 1.

As it was a sleep clinic, it was very quiet and not as noisy or chaotic as a hospital.

Even just sitting in the lobby, the atmosphere was so calming that he felt like he would start yawning.

Jeong-woo cautiously approached the examination room at the end of the corridor, blending into the serene atmosphere.

As soon as he opened the door, the director, who had a name tag with the name Seong Mi-na, turned her head.

Welcome.

A fresh voice.

Would you like to sit in the front?

As Jeong-woo sat facing her, Director Seong checked the reservation information on a small monitor.

Mr. Han Jeong-woo. This is your first visit today.

Then Director Seongs eyes widened.

Thats right. You came here through Chae-euns introduction?

Ah, yes.

Anyway.

Director Seong placed her chin on her hands and slowly looked at Jeong-woo.

Since its been a long time since Chae-eun asked me personally, are you two dating?

No, were just coworkers.

Excuse me, Im being rude on our first meeting.

With a smile, Director Seongs tone of apology had a bright energy to it.

As she tapped away at the keyboard, a diagnostic form titled Sleep Survey appeared on the monitor facing Jeong-woo.

If you press it with your hand, it will be selected. Please listen to me while you fill it out.

Jeong-woo looked at the screen.

[It takes more than 30 minutes to fall asleep after lying down.]

[0. Not at all4. Every day.]

He selected each one, and the director spoke up.

The diagnostic process will be comprehensive. Especially, we need to collect accurate information related to sleep. Relax and take your time.

I dont think I can relax when I hear the same questions from you earlier.

I did that on purpose.

The director looked at Jeong-woo, who was puzzled.

Most insomnia patients are defensive. If you say things like Oh, you havent been able to sleep for a few days? or Are you afraid to go to bed? to patients who are depressed, they just get stressed.

Is that so?

Oh, have you been suffering because you havent been able to sleep for a few days?

Although it wasnt a complaining tone, nor did it feel comforting, Jeong-woo nodded his head.

Comforting words other than identifying the exact cause and treatment method are not even worth a single sleeping pill. Thats the summary. In that sense.

When Jeong-woo finished the survey, the director spoke in a cheerful voice.

Go to bed. Room 4. Its on the second floor. Lets talk more tomorrow.

Director Seong phrasing felt like it lacked emotion.

Jeong-woo remembered seeing on the signboard that the director was introduced as [Medical Doctor / Neuro-Psychiatrist Specialist] and sensed that this was also an expert who was picky, even though Doctor Moon and Director Seong had different personalities.

Jeong-woo, who had gone up to the second floor, wandered around the Sleep Examination Room area and looked around for Room 4. Most of the rooms had their lights turned off, but in the room at the end with a gloomy door, light was seeping out.

It seemed like someone was inside the VIP examination room.

Since this is Cheongdam-dong, its natural that the upper class is here, right?

Jeong-woo was surprised to find that the interior of Room 4, the Sleep Room, was more luxurious than he had expected.

If his own room was an inn, then this was a hotel. The room next to the VIP room was probably a penthouse.

As he sat briefly on the plush-looking bed, the door opened.

I am the sleep attendant.

A clinic staff member came in. The man who had placed his sleepwear and toiletries asked him to prepare and said he would be back soon.

After changing into his sleepwear and finishing brushing his teeth and washing his face in the bathroom outside, the staff member came in with the EEG equipment.

Attaching sensors to his head, face, and legs, the staff member told him to lie down on the bed.

Well test your brainwaves before you fall asleep and turn off the lights.

What if I cant sleep?

A sleep study is not about whether you sleep well, but about examining any problems with sleep.

Upon hearing this, Jeong-woo felt relieved.

It looks more comfortable than my own house, so I might be able to sleep well.

After a while, the lights in the room turned off.

A spacious room with warm light pouring in through a large window.

Yoon Yi-seol, lying in bed, opened her eyes slightly and confirmed that it was morning before letting out a groan and covering her face with a pillow.

She was tossing and turning, struggling with the desire to stay in the cozy feeling of the blanket and not get up, as if fighting against something.

Oh my.

Yoon Yi-seol turned her head to the middle-aged woman in a white gown sitting next to the table.

Director?

Merry Christmas.

When did you arrive?

10 minutes ago.

The record number on the device that Jeong-woo was holding was number eight. The woman had number seven written on her wrist. Jeong-woo thought they might be waiting together, so he greeted her first.

Hello.

As soon as he spoke, the woman, who was startled, froze in place. Seeing her not responding, Jeong-woo wondered, Did I do something wrong? and scratched his chin as he sat down on the chair by the hallway.

Maybe she caught a cold.

He didnt think much of her wearing a mask indoors and was just waiting, but her reaction was a bit strange. She kept fidgeting.

What did I say?

He shrugged off the clinic-provided gown and looked at the woman again. She seemed anxious and kept twirling her long hair hanging down below her shoulders.

Hmm?

He briefly focused and stared at her, but suddenly her hair magnified and turned into a microcosm. The scent molecules in the shape of flower petals that scattered into the air from her hair were captivating to Jeong-woo since it was the first time he had seen them.

Meanwhile, the door to the measurement room opened.

Number seven, please come in.

The woman disappeared into the room like a gust of wind. The scent molecules were blown into Jeong-woos nostrils by the wind.

It was the smell of shampoo that Jeong-woo also used in the morning in front of the sink in the sleeping area.

Could she be a VIP?

Jeong-woo became curious about why someone who lived so leisurely and in such a nice place would suffer from insomnia.

The VIP woman continued to receive the examination one step ahead of Jeong-woo.

At the place where they test stress by applying electric shock to the fingers, the person screamed Gyak! but then disappeared quickly as soon as it was over.

At the place where one had to walk 2km on a treadmill, she quickly disappear after the sound of the alarm without following the employees instructions.

Jeong-woo had to scratch his head as she kept avoiding him. Why is she like this? Is she from the upper class who dislikes meeting ordinary people?

The room they entered this time was a place that measured the level of brain waves when feeling interested. The testing method was simple, they attached a sensor and sat in a chair to play a ring-throwing game.

The VIP woman, who had already failed four times and was contemplating the last one while holding it in her hand, quickly threw it away as soon as Jeong-woo entered. With a regretful sigh, she clenched her fist tightly.

Ill do it again in a bit. The third time will be a success.

It seemed that she had already tried several times. She ended up standing awkwardly behind the chair in the examination room, unable to escape quickly this time.

Excuse me.

He passed her closely, revealing only her skin next to the mask, but she felt quite young.

Jeong-woo then wore the measuring device on his head and grabbed the ring.

There was a wooden pole 2 meters away and a plastic ring the size of a palm.

He thought he could easily succeed at this level, which was like a childrens toy, so he threw it comfortably.

Ugh.

He failed the first and second attempts in a row.

Its not as easy as I thought.

Jeong-woo concentrated and threw the third one. The ring flew narrowly and hit the pole, bouncing off.

Stay calm. You only need to succeed once in the measurement. Its the change in brain waves at the moment of success thats needed.

As the employee spoke, Jeong-woo felt even more nervous and had failed four times already. He was afraid he would have to try again.

Its a shame. It looks like you were very tense, the VIP woman standing behind him said, covering her mouth and smiling.

Ugh, how embarrassing.

Thinking this was not the way to go, Jeong-woo took a deep breath and called out to his colleagues for the first time in a while.

Gather around, come on!

He collected stardust in his right hand and put it in the ring. His left hand pointed towards the wooden rod.

He gathered all the stardust floating around the rod. As soon as he confirmed that the rod had turned [+] for a moment, he quickly threw the plastic ring that had turned [-].

The ring flew in a curve and was sucked into the rod like it had a magnet. It seemed like a success that ignored gravity, but the employee was looking at the brain wave test results and didnt seem to notice.

Okay. I saved my pride. Thank you for your hard work.

Jeong-woo smiled with satisfaction as he scattered the stardust in both hands. They gathered and dispersed better than before.

Your brain waves are a bit unusual now. There are more theta waves.

Jeong-woo asked the employee about the difference.

I cant be sure since this isnt a high-density EEG, but you should get the directors opinion.

As Jeong-woo took off the equipment and stepped back, the VIP woman sat down on the chair and took off her hat.

As the flowing hair shone like a commercial, Jeong-woo couldnt help but be amazed by the glossy appearance. Perhaps because she was from a wealthy family, she seemed to have been taking good care of herself.

However, the attempt this time was progressing as if it would end up as another failure. When the third ring fell to the side, the employee said with a half-giving-up face, Its not a necessary examination, so you can just skip it this time.

The slight shrinkage of the VIPs shoulders conveyed the feeling of disappointment to those around her.

She seems to have poor motor skills. (Look whos talking coughcough)

Jeong-woo thought for a moment. If she couldnt succeed, there would be no point in doing the examination. It wouldnt hurt to try to help out and practice handling the dust particles.

Jeong-woo, who was standing behind her, reached out both hands. It was a method of gathering dust particles from a distance and concentrating them in a specific area, just like before.

The fourth ring flew towards the pole and failed very close to it, falling to the ground.

Its not easy.

The fifth ring.

Send it here and remove it there.

The group of dust particles gathered at a distance of about 3 meters, each taking their place and moving.

Ping-grr. Chuck.

Like two fabrics sticking together due to static electricity, the ring was hung on the pole.

Wow!

The VIP woman raised her hand in excitement. She seemed to be very pleased with something that wasnt a big deal for someone from a wealthy family, so Jeong-woo laughed.

After an hour of examination, a 10-minute break came.

Jeong-woo was sitting on a bench in the third-floor hallway, drinking water. Then he perked up his ears at the sound coming out of the ventilation grille above his head.

As the clinic was generally quiet, the sound of someone humming while washing their hands was faintly audible.

But as he listened, the melody became very familiar.

This is.

A sweet humming.

How could he forget that charming voice that had shocked his ears not long ago?

The sound soon disappeared. Jeong-woo looked at the back of a woman walking away on the other side of the hallway, who had just come out of the womens restroom at the end of the ventilation grille. If she were carrying a guitar on that body type, she would be the one from back then.

Oh? Ms. Yoon Yi-seol?

The movement of the VIP girl stopped.