Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: New Phase (1)
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The ambulance arrived quickly.
Yoon had demolished a wall, allowing the ambulance to push its nose right through. A familiar face hopped out energetically from the stopped vehicle.
Ska strode in carrying a stretcher.
“You look better than usual.”
That was the first thing he said upon seeing Ye-hyeon.
Yoon nodded silently. My master, having finished treating my wounds, glanced at them once more before standing and walking over to Ska.
Meanwhile, Ska let out a sigh, turned his head, and looked at me.
He frowned at the wound on my shoulder.
“Hey, that must really hurt.”
“Yeah, a bit.”
I answered honestly.
My straightforward response amused him, and Ska let out a chuckle.
“Just hang on a sec. I’ll give you some painkillers right away.”
Yoon and Ska moved with incredible speed.
The two of them swiftly loaded Ye-hyeon onto the stretcher and carried him to the ambulance. I staggered to my feet and made my way over as well. The vehicle stood amid the dusty debris, and I could see the seniors performing emergency treatment on Ye-hyeon—inserting an IV, applying gauze, and so on.
As I stepped forward, Ska hopped over and supported my good arm.
With his help, I sat down on the narrow seat. Ricardo and Ami were inside the ambulance too.
“Hey, you…”
Ricardo gave me a weary smile at my state.
“Can’t even come back from the congregation in one piece?”
“Tell me about it. The world won’t just leave me alone.”
I received painkillers from Ska.
I wondered who was driving, and sure enough, Ami was in the driver’s seat. She and Ricardo must have stayed inside the ambulance because meeting Jaeyeon would do them no good. Seeing her face wouldn’t benefit them at all.
The ambulance took off right away.
It sped through the city shrouded in bluish darkness. Exhausted, I leaned against the ambulance wall. There were too many newly recalled facts swirling in my mind, and I needed time to process them.
Fortunately, no one bothered me as I sat there dazed. Yoon steadily monitored Ye-hyeon’s vitals, Ami drove, and Ricardo and Ska sat with legs crossed or arms folded, eyes closed, passing the time.
The silence broke when my phone rang.
The vibration came from inside my ruined jacket pocket.
That bastard Colton.
With everyone’s eyes on me, I answered with my good hand.
“You bastard.”
I started right off with the cursing.
“Thanks a fucking lot for the help, you bastard.”
[Don’t mention it.]
Colton replied smoothly from the other end.
He seemed to be riding in a car. I could hear a low engine hum and the clink of a glass being set down through the receiver.
The image of him working in a luxury sedan while sipping fine liquor pissed me off.
Ignoring the stares, I vented my irritation.
“Is this how you treat a friend of several decades, right off the bat?”
[Your skills must have gotten rusty.]
I really wanted to kill him.
I closed my eyes and swallowed my rage.
“Why the hell were we friends?”
[Do you think you were some loyal friend?]
I heard the rustle of turning pages on the other end. It was obvious he was skimming documents and replying half-heartedly.
The air carried the scent of approaching midnight. Colton added in his characteristic elegant tone,
[You seem to have forgotten about ramming a truck of silence into my car.]
…Did I do that?
I fell silent for a moment. Pursing my lips, I recalled watching Colton’s power struggles with others back then. Back when Kyle and I were on good terms, and I could leisurely sip an Americano at an open-air café.
Ah, I remembered.
“Come to think of it, I did do that.”
[Your shamelessness is as strong as ever.]
Colton wasn’t surprised.
He didn’t even give me time to get more annoyed and protest. Just as I was about to complain that he’d crossed a line, he cut me off sharply with, “I’m busy, so let’s end this.”
Then he hung up unilaterally.
What a precious friend.
Fuming, I tossed my phone onto the seat.
“…Wasn’t that just Falcon?”
The silence returned to the ambulance after the call ended, broken by Ska’s stunned voice.
I’d never seen Ska this shocked. The usually laid-back, cocky guy stared at me in disbelief.
Yoon was looking at me with an incredulous expression too. Ricardo narrowed his eyes and scrutinized me.
Come to think of it, they all must have heard. It was so quiet that they probably caught everything Colton said on the other end.
I gave an awkward smile.
“Yeah. You all heard, huh. Sorry about that.”
“Friends?”
Ska asked in shock.
“With Falcon?”
“Well, sort of… not your typical friends, though. More like acquaintances we saw often out of necessity… Wait, that sounds weird when I put it like that.”
“Looks like some memories are coming back.”
Yoon, who hadn’t asked much during the congregation, crossed his arms and eyed me.
My master, leaning against the bed where Ye-hyeon lay, asked,
“How old are you?”
Even I didn’t remember that.
When I answered honestly, Yoon looked sullen but didn’t press further. I gave another awkward smile, enduring the stares.
Ska and Ricardo stared at me in stunned silence. Ami focused on driving, and Yoon checked Ye-hyeon’s vitals before turning his gaze to me.
“You got injected with something, didn’t you?”
He must have spotted the syringe rolling around on the filthy floor.
I nodded silently, and Ricardo and Ska frowned.
“How’s your condition?”
“Fine except for the nausea.”
“Still, get checked out the moment we arrive. We ran a quick blood test, but that’s not enough to know everything.”
When did they take my blood?
Ska, seeing my bewilderment, unfolded his arms with a frown.
“What do you mean ‘injected’? Like some drug?”
“Yeah. But I’m okay. Doesn’t seem like a big deal.”
“Whether you’re okay or not is for the doctor to decide…”
Ricardo muttered menacingly, having stayed quiet until now.
“Don’t you have any sense of self-preservation?”
Scary.
Terrified, I apologized first. The air inside the ambulance froze in an instant. But Ska and Ami, who was driving, each tossed in a comment, easing the tense atmosphere right away.
It eased, but my heart had already clenched.
I need to be careful… Ricardo really isn’t an easy guy, just like my first impression.
Ami and Ska asked follow-up questions about my condition. A brief Q&A on my health ensued. Once that fruitless conversation ended, silence returned to the vehicle.
White noise battered my ears.
Ever since getting hit with something from Jaeyeon, my senses had sharpened excessively. My sensitive ears picked up everything. The sound of tires on the road, the engine hum, the drip of medication from the IV. All those unfiltered noises poured in, wearing me out quickly.
But thanks to that, I caught the change in breathing.
Ye-hyeon had woken up.
Lacking the nerve to look at him, I dropped my gaze to the ambulance floor.
“Sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten dragged into this mess.”
The people, lost in their own thoughts, turned to me as I broke the silence.
I hadn’t said it expecting a reply. Except for Yoon, no one seemed to realize Ye-hyeon was awake.
But Ye-hyeon responded. The superior, who had just woken, let out a choked laugh—Ricardo and Ska whipped their heads around—and said,
“It’s my greed that put you under me.”
“Keep it short.”
Yoon grumbled bluntly, but his superior brushed it off.
“And Jaeyeon’s hated me from the start. Not your fault.”
“I was out of it and tied up, so you couldn’t fight back.”
“Less than usual.”
Ye-hyeon slowly opened his eyes.
Yoon furrowed his brow but said nothing. I watched as Ye-hyeon stared blankly at the ambulance ceiling, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“For snatching someone Falcon had his eye on, the price was pretty light.”
Satisfaction colored his voice.
“Hilde, you must be really stubborn.”
I’ll be someone’s ace in the hole from now on too.
My old frenemy’s words came to mind. His past words echoed in my ears too. You’re my ace of victory. Colton wasn’t one to speak idly. There was a reason he’d looked down at me from the conference table and said that.
It meant he knew I was now Ye-hyeon’s man.
He wasn’t the type to hold idiotic beliefs like “make the impossible possible.” Colton had a talent for distinguishing the impossible from the possible. Knowing me well, he must have realized I’d never come under him. He probably grasped it the moment we reunited at the congregation.
He’d gotten angry at that fact and sent Jaeyeon after Ye-hyeon and me in tandem, but…
In the end, he acknowledged reality. Even under Ye-hyeon, I wouldn’t threaten him, and it was better than me going under another elder.
I thought of the two elders who’d shown interest in me and smiled faintly.
“I might not be such a useful talent. I still can’t remember a lot of things right now.”
“It’s fine.”
Ye-hyeon said in a hoarse voice.
“You’re doing plenty well enough.”
“Really? Thanks just for saying that.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.”
“Enough talking now.”
Yoon directed flatly.
With that, the conversation ended.
In the ensuing quiet, I sank into my thoughts.
Colton, my long-time frenemy. Kyle, an even older connection turned enemy. Ye-hyeon, who’d hidden my existence and officially registered me in Black Badger. Jaeyeon, who hated me for giving enhanced bodies to humans. And the two elders who’d shown interest in me, along with their lackeys.
One of those lackeys was Ye-hyeon’s father….
Ah.
I remembered.
His name was Lee Seung-hyun.
A soldier scouted from Korea.
***
I must have zoned out while sitting in the ambulance.
I’d thought I was fine, but when I opened my eyes, I saw a hospital room ceiling. Feeling my vision sharpen, I blinked several times.
How many times has this pattern repeated?
“Hey, you’re awake?”
Doctor Samuel Han craned his neck.
My senses, refusing to dull even after the injection, registered the presence by the bed. The doctor peered at me, clicking his tongue.
“Let’s not see each other for a while, huh?”
“Sorry.”
I do come here too often.
Ignoring the stabbing headache, I took in my surroundings. No major noises meant I was in a hospital room. When did I pass out?
I really thought I was fine.
Is Ye-hyeon okay?
I stared blankly at the ceiling before sitting up.
“Look at you, can’t even stay lying down.”
Samuel clicked his tongue as I slowly raised my upper body.
“Don’t put strength in your right arm, man. If you want to heal fast.”
“Got it. But did you get the pound cake from last time?”
“Pound cake?”
The doctor looked like he’d never heard of it.
“What pound cake?”
“I brought one to give you last time… but with everything going on, I forgot to hand it over.”
I’d ditched it in the hallway rushing to catch Peter and completely forgotten.
It’s probably been thrown out by now. I’ll have to buy something better.
Groggily opening my eyes and fumbling for my phone, the doctor who’d been at the foot of the bed strode over.
He grabbed my phone from the table and thrust it at me.
“Just behave and get discharged already, kid. Don’t bring anything.”
“I’ll bring something right after discharge. What do you like?”
“I said don’t bring anything.”
“Raisins or green tea? If you don’t like sweets, I’ll get something that’s not dessert. That way, I can be a bit more confident every time I end up owing you…”
“You little shit, can’t even smack your head ’cause it’s injured.”
Samuel looked like it was the greatest regret of his life that he couldn’t whack me with his tablet.
Smiling at the doctor holding the tablet, I noted he was the same as ever. Clean-shaven face, jet-black hair, tired but sharp blue eyes hiding keen intelligence.
The doctor, who sometimes smelled faintly of cigarettes, sighed at my grinning face.
“Contact your people.”
He jerked his chin toward the phone in my hand.
“Kept getting calls. Can’t use your right hand, so call them instead of texting.”
I obeyed quietly.
I turned on the phone with my left hand and checked the backlog of messages. Ones from Ami, Ska, and Ricardo. Oh! Hessy and Tom are back. No contact from Yoon, or Ye-hyeon.
And who’s this?
Not a blocked number, but an unknown one.
I opened it first before the others.
And read the message from a completely unexpected person.
[Hi Talib. It’s Sue Diamond. Wanna go to the game shop in the slums with me and Senior Walker after you get discharged?]