Chapter 87

At the best ENT hospital in Seoul, Moon Jung-woo opened his mouth for the doctor to examine his throat, and after a while, he closed his mouth at the doctor's signal. At this point, he could speak, but his throat was so dry and hot that he didn't even want to talk. Moreover, Lee Soo-young had also deprived him of the right to speak.

"How is it, doctor? What's the condition of his vocal cords?" Lee Soo-young asked anxiously, sitting on one side with a worried frown.

The doctor pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "The mucous membrane in the middle of the vocal cords has inflammatory edema, and there is secretion on the surface when he speaks. Also, since he came in, he has been frequently clearing his throat to try to remove the secretion. These... are all signs that nodules may form on the vocal cords."

Lee Soo-young's heart sank to the bottom. As a professional singer who had been in the music industry for so many years, he knew very well what vocal cord nodules meant for a singer.

Perhaps sensing his mood, the doctor waved his hand and said, "It's just a sign that they might form, not that they have already formed."

Moon Jung-woo had been standing to the side, head down and silent.

The doctor was curious because, regardless of whether the medical conditions he described were good or bad, this young man seemed to have no extra emotions. Could it be that what he was saying was too profound and professional for him to understand?

Before he could think more, Lee Soo-young asked, "Doctor, do you mean his voice can still recover?"

The doctor was taken aback, frowned, and said, "It's hard to say. His voice is still good. But as you mentioned, he is in the midst of his voice change, and during this period, he has been frequently using his vocal cords to produce high notes. Today, he even pushed to his limits and broke his voice. Both sudden and chronic damage are present. Frankly speaking, it's already a stroke of luck that he hasn't developed vocal cord nodules yet."

After a moment's thought, the doctor took out the medical record and wrote something, then looked up at Lee Soo-young. "My suggestion is to admit him. For ordinary people, vocal cord nodules are not a serious illness and can be treated with medication and care. But since you value his voice so much, and his career is likely related to this, it's better to admit him for targeted treatment and observation for a few days to see how it goes."

Lee Soo-young nodded quickly. "Okay. Please arrange it."

The doctor called a nurse to help Lee Soo-young with the admission procedures. Moon Jung-woo followed and sat on a bench waiting for Lee Soo-young.

Rubbing his throat, Moon Jung-woo took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. He leaned back and looked at the wall.

I already sang with you once. Why did you have to get so excited and do it again? And you even raised the pitch? It's not like you singing and me not singing would have avoided it.

In that moment, even as a collaborating singer, even if he didn't produce a sound, Moon Jung-woo would instinctively be carried by her pitch and try to match it. This led to his vocal cords completely breaking down at that moment.

At this point, he felt a bit tired, rubbed his face, and lowered his head. He hadn't even debuted yet, and it was already like this. If his vocal cords really had a problem, what would he do? Without a good set of vocal cords, he couldn't even be an actor, right?

No matter how handsome he was, a strange voice would just sound ridiculous. Moon Jung-woo, who had been tense in the examination room, now relaxed. Various feelings of helplessness and fear surged in his heart, ultimately turning into deep helplessness.

"Now you're scared? What were you thinking earlier?!" Moon Jung-woo instinctively looked up to see Lee Soo-young sitting next to him with a bad expression, glaring at him coldly.

Moon Jung-woo forced a smile, squinted his eyes, and tried to laugh. He opened his mouth to say something but paused and then lowered his head again. Lee Soo-young looked at him, shook his head, and sighed.

"President, the admission procedures are done." The driver called from the end of the corridor. Lee Soo-young pulled Moon Jung-woo up and followed the driver.

They soon arrived at a private room.

Moon Jung-woo was taken aback, turned around, and said hoarsely with a smile, "Tea... Teacher. Afraid... to waste... on me?"

The driver couldn't help but laugh. Seeing the president glare at him, he quickly turned away and stood to the side.

Lee Soo-young glared at him and rubbed his head irritably. "Just stay in the hospital. I'll have Soon-gyu bring your daily necessities over..."

At this, Lee Soo-young sat down and suddenly slapped his leg in anger. "That brat. You don't know your own limits! She dared to help you without telling me! Wait until I get back, I'll teach her a lesson!"

Moon Jung-woo quickly waved his hands. "Don't blame her, it's... cough... it's me who asked... asked Soon-gyu to help me."

Lee Soo-young paused, sneered, and looked at Moon Jung-woo sideways. "Not her fault? What about the girl you sang with?"

At this, Lee Soo-young looked at the silent Moon Jung-woo, suddenly stood up, and angrily patted him hard on the back a few times. The driver was stunned.

It wasn't because he was stunned by Lee Soo-young punishing Moon Jung-woo. As a teacher and student, this wasn't the relationship between a president and a trainee. If the president hit a trainee, it would be a complicated matter. Not to mention whether the parents would agree to such corporal punishment, the president himself wouldn't care about your child. But for a teacher and student, scolding and hitting were normal.

But Lee Soo-young didn't hit his head or face, just his back. Haven't you ever hit a child before? What are you planning?

But no matter how he hit, it showed Lee Soo-young's anger. "What were you thinking?! Did your 160 IQ go to your legs?! Why did you run away from home? Why did I spend so much time and resources cultivating you? You actually ruined the most basic capital for your debut as an idol just because of a fit of pique and some meaningless activity! Who do you think you're hurting?!"

Lee Soo-young was in his fifties, and after a while, even hitting the back left him panting. His hair was all messy.

The driver no longer mocked or complained, stepped forward, and pulled Lee Soo-young to sit on the sofa. Moon Jung-woo winced and moved his body, seeing Lee Soo-young so angry, he was silent for a moment. Then he stood up and knelt in front of him.

The driver sighed, rubbed Moon Jung-woo's head, and gestured for him to apologize. He left the room first, leaving the space for the teacher and student.

This act of kneeling made Lee Soo-young's anger subside by half. It wasn't because he needed this form of apology, but after hitting and scolding, it was time to think about the future. Everyone in the company knew how much Lee Soo-young valued Moon Jung-woo, including Moon Jung-woo himself.

Even Suger sometimes felt jealous when they saw Moon Jung-woo, complaining that the president treated them worse than he treated Moon Jung-woo. But now, regardless of the reasons, the result was that being a singer or an actor required a good voice.

Ordinary people didn't need it because they just needed to be able to speak, without too many requirements. But for artists, their voice was their bread and butter, and looks weren't the most important.

Even if you were extremely ugly, as long as your voice was good, you could still make it. But if your voice was bad, as an actor, you couldn't deliver your lines clearly, and your voice would be unpleasant to listen to. As a singer, you couldn't sing at all. How could you talk about being an artist or developing your career?

"Sorry..." Moon Jung-woo said hoarsely, lowering his head.

Lee Soo-young looked at Moon Jung-woo in a daze, then smiled helplessly after a while. "Do I need to tell you that you're not just hurting others but yourself?"

Moon Jung-woo paused and fell silent again.

Lee Soo-young pulled him up and sat him next to him. Looking at his remorseful expression, he had a lot to say but felt it was unnecessary.

Patting his head, Lee Soo-young's tone softened. "Rest well. The doctor said it hasn't reached the point of vocal cord nodules. As long as you treat it seriously and don't act recklessly, your voice can recover."

Moon Jung-woo nodded. Lee Soo-young was silent for a while, then stood up and said, "I'll go back first. Stay here and rest. During this time, let Soon-gyu take care of you."

At this, Lee Soo-young's expression turned bad again, and he walked toward the door. "That brat, wait until I get back, I'll deal with her."

Moon Jung-woo hurried to say something, but his voice wasn't working. By the time he chased out the door, Lee Soo-young had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Moon Jung-woo quickly took out his phone to tell Lee Soon-gyu to hide so her father wouldn't find her, but a text message from an unknown number made him silent again. He knew who it was, even though it was an unknown number. The message contained only one word or phrase.

"Sorry..."

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