InkBound
patreon
CH89 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-04-22 07:21:51 +0000 UTC“How is it?”
I asked David, looking straight at him.
In order for my hedge fund to continue providing funding for the development of the treatment, the Castleman Foundation had to operate a for-profit company under its umbrella.
Every company needs a CEO.
I wanted to entrust that position to David, but his face showed only burden.
“Do I really have to take on this role? It’s going to be funded by Sean’s money anyway, so in this case, Sean could…”
David indirectly expressed his intention to decline, but I firmly cut him off.
“That won’t work. If I become the CEO, a conflict of interest issue will arise.”
A hedge fund I founded investing a large sum of money into a company I represent?
Who would believe in the sincerity of that investment?
Especially if the company keeps making losses?
The person leading this company had to be someone completely unrelated to me.
There was no more suitable person than David, yet he was hesitating.
“I don’t have the capability or capacity to run such a business. I’m not even interested. Just developing the treatment is already overwhelming…”
“This is a necessary procedure for developing the treatment. If we establish a subsidiary like this, we’ll be able to attract investment funds instead of just relying on donations. Not only my capital but also investments from other sources can be secured.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Relying solely on donations will never allow us to complete clinical trials. With a company like this, we can attract various institutional investors. Moreover, with a business model like a rare disease biobank, there’s also a possibility of securing large-scale funding from governments and international organizations.”
Despite emphasizing the necessity to this extent, David still showed hesitation.
“If the investment increases, so does the responsibility. I’m still uncertain about its profitability… I don’t want to waste precious time being pressured by sales targets every day.”
It seemed he was worried about whether the company could actually turn a profit.
However, I answered decisively.
“It doesn’t matter if we don’t make a profit.”
“What?”
“What’s important is not the revenue but the potential. In fact, there’s a startup I know that barely generates any revenue but is valued at a whopping 9 billion dollars.”
The company I cited as an example was Theranos.
It was an extreme case that demonstrated the power of ‘potential,’ having attracted enormous investment without real technology.
“Our service offers enough potential.”
“But…”
Even after persuading him for a long time, David couldn’t make a decision.
In the end, he sighed and said, “You’re making a valid point, but could you give me a day to think about it? It’s such a sudden proposal, and I think I need to discuss it with Jessie…”
“Of course.”
I answered calmly on the surface, but frustration welled up inside me.
“Jessie again…?”
David consulted Jessie on all important matters, and at times, I felt he relied on her excessively.
As if sensing my thoughts, David cautiously continued speaking.
“I know it may be frustrating, but I have no choice. I owe my life to Jessie.”
David paused for a moment and lowered his gaze. Then, as if making a significant decision, he confessed.
“In fact, I was already as good as dead four years ago.”
His eyes dimmed.
It seemed he was recalling the moment when he faced death four years ago.
“At the time, I suffered from consecutive seizures, but no one could give me an accurate diagnosis. I spent a year and a half wandering from hospital to hospital.”
The diagnostic criteria for Castleman disease were established in 2018.
Before that, it was often misdiagnosed as lymphoma, and David said he was also misdiagnosed.
It appeared to be lymphoma, but it was a rare case with symptoms different from typical lymphoma.
We don’t even know the exact cause.
That’s what the doctors said, adding that there was nothing more they could do, and David had no choice but to lie in bed waiting for death.
“I had given up hope and started putting my affairs in order, even ending my relationship with Jessie… Though I kept the illness a secret and simply told her we should break up. I thought a breakup would be less cruel to her than bereavement.”
David looked down at the ground and let out a bitter smile.
“I didn’t tell anyone about my illness except my two closest friends and my family.”
“It’s not like I was trying to hide it, but…”
“There probably wasn’t much reason to go out of your way to tell people.”
“Yes, exactly.”
It was understandable enough.
I hadn’t bothered to tell anyone about my illness either.
If I had needed a blood or organ donation, it might have been different.
But since that wasn’t the case, talking about an incurable disease would only result in cliché sympathy like ‘That’s unfortunate.’
“Then, I had another seizure, and I truly felt that the end was near. So, I called a pastor, left my will, and was just waiting for death. But at that moment, Jessie appeared in front of me.”
It turned out that David’s best friend had broken his promise and told Jessie everything about the illness.
Jessie, having learned the truth too late, rushed to his bedside.
“At the time, my organs were failing, and I no longer looked human—I was in a pitiful state. And yet, Jessie saw me like that. Do you know what she said as soon as she saw me?”
“I don’t know. Did she resent you?”
“No, she asked me to marry her.”
“……”
That woman must have been remarkable.
To propose to a human balloon.
“At the time, I couldn’t even respond because of the intubation. Then Jessie said, ‘Silence means yes,’ and unilaterally concluded that I had accepted her proposal. After that, she visited me every day, talking about wedding preparations… I just couldn’t leave her.”
David’s eyes grew moist.
After taking a moment to compose himself, he continued.
“Then, something truly amazing happened—I began to recover as if by a miracle. I came back from the brink of death. I… I believe Jessie saved me. She gave me a reason to cling to life, and that reason gave me the will to live.”
Could that really be possible?
Still, I could somewhat understand David’s special attachment to Jessie.
“Since then, Jessie even quit her job to help me and work at the foundation. I can’t make such an important decision without consulting her.”
“Of course. I wasn’t expressing dissatisfaction.”
“I know you weren’t, but I thought you might find it strange. Since this is how things will be in the future, I wanted to ask for your understanding in advance.”
I nodded willingly.
“Understood. Honestly, I didn’t expect an answer within a day anyway. That wouldn’t be like you.”
“Not really, haha!”
David suddenly burst into laughter and said something unexpected.
“In fact, my original personality was impulsive and carefree. I was quite a troublemaker. I enjoyed living as a free spirit, and I once dropped everything and went on a two-week world trip on a whim…”
A carefree David. That’s hard to imagine, given how he is now.
Well, to be fair, I haven’t had many personal conversations with David.
“But things are different now. This is my second life, and in this new life, my priorities have completely changed.”
A small smile crept onto my lips.
“A new life, new priorities…”
That was something I could relate to.
We both shared the experience of living a second life.
In my case, it was quite literal—I had come back to life and returned to the past.
But aside from that, the essence was the same.
Both of us had been given a second chance at life, and we had decided to dedicate it entirely to developing a treatment.
“That’s why I think you’re incredible, Sean. Despite losing someone precious, you didn’t give up on developing the treatment.”
“Sorry?”
“I have someone precious by my side, so I can try this hard. But if Jessie had left me too, I don’t know if I could have continued down this path…”
“……”
“Would it be too rude to ask who that person was…?”
“……”
I couldn’t give an immediate answer.
I could vaguely lie and say it was a family member…
But that might be exposed someday.
Records of my father’s medical history or my mother’s accident would be somewhere if someone looked hard enough.
Not that anyone would bother digging it up…
‘But I can’t completely rule out the possibility.’
In the future, I would become a public figure.
A fund manager with outstanding achievements and someone deeply involved in rare disease treatment development.
When that happens, there will inevitably be people curious about my personal life.
If I rashly mention my family history here, it could later be revealed as a lie.
For now, it would be better to remain ambiguous.
“I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
I put on an expression as emotional as possible, as if recalling that moment itself was painful.
David’s eyes widened in surprise.
He seemed quite taken aback.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just not ready to talk about it yet…”
“Of course, I understand. I wasn’t trying to force you.”
After that, David looked at me with eyes full of sympathy for a while.
Feeling uncomfortable with his blatant gaze, I turned my head, and a clock came into view.
It was almost six o’clock.
“Shouldn’t we get going now?”
We got into David’s old car once again.
Our destination was the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where we had an appointment with someone.
As we entered the hospital, a familiar smell hit my nose.
It was the distinctive scent of the hospital, a mix of various disinfectants and medications.
“Phew…”
I found myself breathing heavily without realizing it.
It’s known that the sense of smell is the strongest trigger for memories.
Perhaps that’s why memories of lying on a hospital bed, waiting for death, vividly came back to me.
I fixed my gaze on the floor and kept walking.
The fluorescent lights seemed unusually bright.
Before I knew it, my hands and feet were growing cold.
‘Is this PTSD…?’
Just a few months ago, I had experienced similar symptoms in a hospital.
It didn’t seem like a one-time occurrence.
“You look tired.”
David’s voice pulled me out of my daze as I walked in a semi-conscious state.
“Sorry?”
“You don’t look well.”
“You don’t look great either, David.”
David’s face was equally pale.
He gave an awkward smile and rubbed his face with both hands.
“Honestly, I always feel like this whenever I come to a hospital. I’ve got too many bad memories.”
Well, he too had danced on the brink of death multiple times, just like me.
It wasn’t surprising that he might have PTSD as well.
We continued walking down the hallway in silence.
As we passed through the lobby and took the elevator to the fifth floor, neither of us said a word.
Only the conversations of others and the mechanical beeping of medical devices filled the air.
After walking for some time, a voice came from down the hallway.
“David!”
As I lifted my head, I made eye contact with a Hispanic man who appeared to be in his late 30s.
He stood there, looking tense and stiff.
David exchanged a warm greeting with the man before turning to me.
“Let me introduce you. This is Joel Rodriguez, and this is…”
David’s gaze shifted downward.
Behind Joel’s legs, a little girl was hiding.
The child looked up at us with frightened eyes.
“This is Michelle Rodriguez.”
David introduced the child in a gentle voice.
I nodded slightly and greeted them.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Si-heon, you can call me Sean…”
“Are you…”
Before I could finish speaking, Joel took a step forward and grasped both of my hands tightly.
His hands were trembling violently, and tears welled up in his eyes.
“You’re the one supporting this treatment! Thank you so much. Thank you, truly!”
I tried to pull my hands away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“We couldn’t even dream of affording the treatment, and yet you’re covering the costs… Truly…”
“I have my own reasons for doing this, so please don’t feel burdened.”
“It’s not a burden, really…”
“Besides, we don’t even know if the treatment will work yet.”
“Even so, it doesn’t matter. I just don’t know how to thank you enough…”
Joel, who had been choking up, soon regained his composure.
He wrapped his arm tightly around his daughter’s shoulder.
“Would you mind going ahead? I need to wait for my brother so I can leave Michelle with him…”
We nodded in response and headed toward the hospital room.
As the door opened, I reflexively shut my eyes.
In the darkness, only the sounds echoed around me.
Beep, beep, beep—
Huff, huff, huff—
The ECG monitor displayed irregular heartbeats, and the mechanical breathing sounds from the ventilator filled the room.
I kept my eyes closed.
I knew what kind of scene awaited me—one I didn’t want to confront.
But I couldn’t avoid it forever.
Slowly, I opened my eyes, revealing a hospital room filled with countless medical devices.
And lying in the center of that room was a woman.
Her limbs were swollen to nearly twice their usual size.
Her skin was stretched taut, almost like transparent plastic.
She looked like a human balloon.
The woman’s face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable, with only her barely open, slit-like eyes faintly visible.
She was the person I had come to meet today.
Amelia Rodriguez.
Our first Russian roulette patient.
