No Legs? Prosthetics It Is!
No legs? Prosthetics it is! …………… Baek Sehee lay down on the opposite side of the bed. She pulled the covers over herself and turned onto her side, showing me her back. I lay down too, facing the other way.
Silence. My heart pounded. Baek Sehee was lying right next to me. …Just go to sleep. I closed my eyes. But sleep wouldn't come.
How long had I been lying there trying to drift off? I had no idea. At least thirty minutes must have passed. Then, my right ankle started to tingle.
…Here we go again. Phantom pain. My ankle throbbed, my toes ached. But I couldn't scratch it or rub it. I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to make a sound and wake Baek Sehee.
But the pain grew worse. Ankle, toes, calf. It felt like my entire missing leg was twisting. "Ngh…." A groan slipped out despite my efforts.
"Yujin, are you okay?" Baek Sehee reacted almost immediately.
"I-I'm fine."
"Phantom pain, right?"
"Yeah. It's okay. It'll pass soon." A lie. When it's bad, phantom pain can last for hours.
Silence again. But the pain didn't fade. If anything, it intensified. My missing calf cramped up like it was seizing.
"Ngh… ugh." Another groan escaped.
"Yujin." Baek Sehee turned to face me. "Come here."
"I'm fine."
"I'll pillow your head. Come on."
"No… really, I'm okay."
"Yujin." Her voice grew firmer. "A sense of security helps ease the pain. My body heat will soothe it."
…Is that true? I'd never heard that before. Would a hug really make the pain go away? No idea if it was real or bullshit. But right now, I was hurting bad. My missing toes felt like they were curling in agony. If this could make it stop, I'd do anything.
"Um…."
"Come on, hurry." Baek Sehee opened her arms.
I had no choice. I scooted over bit by bit toward her. Slipped right into her embrace. It was soft.
"Breathe slowly."
Her scent filled my nose—sweet somewhere, warm. Honestly, she was too close. Sure, Baek Sehee was my benefactor, but did I deserve this much care? Still, her body heat was comforting.
Her hand wrapped around my waist. We stayed like that, hugging, for a few minutes. The phantom pain… seemed to ease a little. Placebo effect? Or did the security really help? The ache in my missing ankle started to fade. My eyelids grew heavy.
……
Just before drifting off, I glanced at Baek Sehee. She was… smiling. Her lips curved up, her expression oddly relaxed. Blissful, even.
…Why that face…? A question flickered, but I was too tired to think. Consciousness blurred as I slowly fell asleep. In Baek Sehee's arms.
……………
Time flew by. It had been about two weeks since I regained consciousness. The wound on my severed right leg healed faster than expected. The swelling around the stitches subsided, pink new flesh forming. The doctor who checked in occasionally said my recovery speed was remarkably fast.
Phantom pains still came, but far less frequently than at first. Embarrassing to admit, but Baek Sehee hugging me whenever they hit had helped a ton.
And most importantly, my strength was returning. At first, just sitting up in bed was a struggle. I needed her help to transfer to the wheelchair because my arms were so weak. Now, I could walk alone with crutches. Indoors or in the yard, at least.
Still…
From the bedroom to the living room, living room to the yard—using just my left leg and crutches. It was slow, but doing it solo made me pretty happy. Showers still required Baek Sehee's help, though.
Yeah, Baek Sehee. She'd stayed here with me the whole recovery period. Slept beside me every night, held me through bad phantom pains, made my meals, gave me meds, helped with showers, disinfected my wound. Honestly, we're total strangers, yet she cared for me this devotedly. Even family might not go this far. I was truly grateful.
Someday, I gotta repay this debt.
But… something felt off. Why was Baek Sehee going this far for me? It wasn't like with Kang Haneul, where she needed my skills or whatever.
Anyway, physically, I was much better. The problem lay elsewhere.
Let me sort out the situation.
My social standing, in a word: fucked. First, the manager contract with Kang Haneul. According to Baek Sehee, it was officially erased from records. Contract scrapped, all traces deleted. Association-level decision, apparently. Reason? Obvious. An EX-rank Awakener like Kang Haneul crippling a civilian's limbs for no special reason? Can't let that leak. EX-ranks are national assets, humanity's bulwark. So I became the scapegoat. Our contract? Never happened.
What a shitty, unfair mess.
And worse: the official reason for my right leg amputation. Records say I was "coincidentally" at the reptilian Dimensional Gate invasion site, lost my leg to a ray gun blast while evacuating like other civilians. Just another victim in the Gangnam mass Dimensional Gate incursion.
That's Moon Yujin's official status now.
Fucking bastards.
Kang Haneul smashed my leg. Her kick. But that's nowhere in the records. She's innocent, just a classmate of Moon Yujin who sued him for badmouthing online then dropped it—a real saint. Perfect, clean cover-up.
So what's left for me? Checked my brokerage account on the new smartphone Baek Sehee got me—old one lost en route to the ER, she said. Balance: about ten million won in severe injury aid. Plus a few million in leftover pay from Kang Haneul. That's it.
…Truly fucked. I sighed.
Overall: No home. No job. No right leg. Barely any money.
This life's looking like an all-time low.
The three goddesses' trials? How the hell do I pass those? In this state? Survival? How long on this cash? Months? A year? Then what? Disability welfare? Government aid? Live off that forever? Bleak. No other word for it.
But…
Today was a little different. Prosthetic delivery day.
After getting the new smartphone from Baek Sehee, I applied for a prosthetic via the government's disability program. Government aid wasn't enough, though. Custom fit meant extra costs. Nearly drained my account. Over half the injury aid gone.
But no choice. Can't live properly without one. Crutches have clear limits. Stairs are hell, walking outside sucks. Above all, I can't keep relying on Baek Sehee forever.
She's a great person. My savior. Saved my life, still caring for me. But… even that has limits eventually. I'm not blood, and even blood doesn't owe lifelong support.
Gotta find a way to survive. Maybe try emoticon artist like Yeoreum did.
Can't starve, right? If manual labor's out, pivot elsewhere.
……………
Afternoon rolled around, and Baek Sehee entered the bedroom. "Yujin, the prosthetic's here."
"Ah, got it!" Finally.
She fetched the package from the entrance. Big box. Opened it: right lower leg prosthetic, below the knee. Metal and plastic, mechanical leg.
…This is my leg now. Weird feeling. But way better than crutches.
"With this… I can go outside." I said it with mixed emotions.
But—Baek Sehee didn't reply.
"…Sehee?"
Turned to look. She stood frozen, silent. Her face… way different from usual. Gentle smile gone. Lips a straight line, brows slightly furrowed. Dark. The whole expression.
…Why?
Me getting a prosthetic, walking alone—does that upset her? Didn't make sense.
"…Sehee?" No answer.
"Sehee?" Called again. She snapped to.
"Ah, yes. Sorry. Got lost in thought…." She forced a smile. Awkward. Stiff. Like… lips up, but brows still pinched.
"Uh, I'll try it on." Fitted the prosthetic to my stump. Silicone liner clung strangely to skin. Uncomfortable, but bearable. Tightened the straps with belts, securing up past my thigh.
"Now, stand…." Gripped the wall, rose slowly.
Oh. Standing. On both legs. One mechanical, sure. Bizarre sensation. Didn't feel like my leg. Just some weird attachment.
But still. Better than crutches. Right foot touches floor. No sensation, obviously. Machine. But I can walk. Left, right. Left, right. Crossed the room. Bed to chair. Chair to window.
…I can walk.
Daily life seems doable. Stairs possible, maybe. And… I can leave this place.
Chest lightened. Less reliance on Baek Sehee. Can do things solo. Way better than crutches indoors.
"Sehee, this works great! I can head out now!" Stopped mid-sentence. Her face had darkened even more.
…What's wrong?
Baek Sehee just stood there, staring. At my leg. The prosthetic right leg.
Her lips moved. "If both legs were gone…."
A near-whisper. Like a trance-mumbled soliloquy, slipping out unconsciously.
"…Would Yujin stay here forever?"