Chapter 18
Song Seon-yeong, who'd been in a coma just as long as me, wasn't in good shape either. Her cheeks were sunken, her face pale and gaunt. Compared to her bony frame, I was in pretty decent condition.
"...Hi?"
I broke the ice first.
Damn! Has my brain atrophied like my muscles...?
I should've started with introductions, but I casually greeted her like we were old acquaintances. How weird must I seem to Song Seon-yeong?
"Hi."
Thankfully, she didn't ignore me or act suspicious—she responded smoothly. But that was it.
"......"
"......"
The air grew thick with awkwardness, like we'd just met for the first time. Which made sense. We'd only met in a dream, and the 'Song Seon-yeong' who shared memories with me was fictional. The girl in front of me now was the real Song Seon-yeong. And to her, I was a total stranger.
We might've brushed past each other a few times in the school hallways, but that was the extent of it. No real connection.
Stay calm, Kang Moon-soo.
A dream was just a dream. Clinging to it or hesitating would hold me back. No way I was letting that happen.
"You might not know me, but I'm Kang Moon-soo—the guy with the rare shaman aptitude who turned the school upside down."
"I know."
"...You're Song Seon-yeong, right? The doctor told me. Said there's a classmate with the same symptoms as me."
The doctor hadn't said any such thing.
What the hell am I doing?
I had no idea why I was lying just to keep the conversation going. It was pointless.
"I heard about you too."
"Oh... right."
"......"
"......"
I'm not shy by nature, but as fellow students at the same school, our small talk could only go so far. I had no clue what to say next. And it felt wrong to keep a patient standing there in the middle of the hospital like this.
"......"
Song Seon-yeong just stared at me quietly. What was she thinking? How did she see me?
Time to decide.
"...This spot's too busy—people are staring. Wanna head to the hospital rooftop? I hear it's landscaped nice, like a garden."
I didn't want to trap her in meaningless chit-chat. Standing around too long wouldn't be good for her fragile state anyway. If she refused, that'd be that. No hard feelings.
"Sure."
But she accepted the invitation from a guy she barely knew from school.
No way...?
My heart pounded. The cold organ in my chest started heating up again.
* * *
The open-air concrete rooftop held special meaning for us both.
Ding! Rattle—
We took the elevator straight up.
"Whoa! They've got it sealed tight with iron bars. Can't even jump if you wanted to."
Tall, gapless railings and surveillance cameras everywhere—perfectly preventing any mishaps.
"Yeah."
Song Seon-yeong glanced around and agreed.
"Let's sit on that bench."
"Okay."
Whatever her reasons, the fact she'd followed me this far meant she was open to talking more. I decided to go bold with a potentially odd question.
"So—"
"You good at swimming?"
Song Seon-yeong, who'd been passively answering until now, beat me to it the moment we sat.
Swimming. That held huge significance for us too.
"I used to only do doggy paddle, but now I'm decent."
"...How?"
"Learned from a pretty girl in my dream who had swimmer aptitude."
True story. The techniques and knowledge she taught me still lingered in my head.
"How pretty was she?"
"Long, slim legs—could be a swimsuit model."
"Sounds like me?"
"Yeah. It was you."
"......"
"......"
Looking into each other's eyes, we were thinking the same thing.
It wasn't just my dream!
But two different people sharing the exact same dream? Scientifically impossible. Hard to believe outright. So I tested it again—this time, my turn to ask.
"What did people look like?"
The same question I'd asked shaman Yuil-am.
"Mannequins."
"Do they still?"
"Hmm... no. Not now. People aren't repeating the same actions."
"...What about me?"
"Shaman guy?"
"What did I look like?"
Dream and reality started blending in our conversation. No—flowing naturally.
"A person. But not like a guy."
"Got it!"
And just like that, the vibe cooled off naturally!
* * *
"I thought—believed—I jumped off the school roof. Don't laugh."
"Not laughing."
"Truth is, I passed out in front of the fence 'cause I was too scared to die..."
"Who told you that?"
"The doctor."
No physical trauma, so that's the diagnosis they gave. Hard to blame them as incompetent. By the time two strangers shared a dream, we'd already transcended science.
"Ignore it. Yuil-am's theory was more convincing."
"Right? He showed up too. Claimed he cured me, then tried shaking down my parents for payment. Unbelievable!"
"Did you pay?"
"Hell no. My dad's a doctor too. Like you, he believes in science—says there's no illness medicine can't explain."
"Makes sense. Good call. He couldn't answer my question."
"What question?"
"Mannequins."
"Ah! Total scammer."
Once we confirmed the shared dream, conversation flowed easy. As friends, not lovers!
Can't be helped.
I knew why she'd fallen for me in the dream. I was the only 'real man' in her world. No other choices. But now?
Plenty of normal-looking guys around. And women too...
Guess I haven't fully woken up yet.
Unlike Song Seon-yeong, who'd adapted quick, I needed time—a lot of it.
"Shaman guy."
"Yeah?"
"I'm gonna be a model. That's the plan."
"But that's..."
A dream. This was reality now. Couldn't treat people like mannequins anymore. Could she handle the stares if she ignored her aptitude for modeling? She'd said no before. I'd convinced her otherwise.
No.
Couldn't undermine her now that she'd steeled herself.
"I'll cheer you on."
We'd made a promise.
"Shaman guy, forget the promises from the dream."
"Still..."
"I'm confident I'll be better than at swimming."
"Okay."
Felt brushed off naturally again. Just my imagination?
"Gotta rebuild this mess of a body first, though."
Song Seon-yeong grinned, playfully waggling her skinny wrist. Her arm flopped like a noodle. More zombie flick extra than model right now.
"Mom's gonna hug me and help out. Dad's a plastic surgeon—no need to ask."
"Nice..."
Having your family safe was happiness enough.
"Shaman guy."
"Yeah?"
"I don't trust that lying scammer, but I trust you. Saw it myself. You'll be an amazing shaman for sure."
"Thanks."
Not planning to be a Yuil-am type, though.
"Getting cold. I'm heading down."
She rubbed her shoulders and stood.
"See ya."
"...Hey, Moon-soo."
"Yeah?"
She stopped and turned back.
"After graduation, you gonna keep living in that house from the dream?"
"Probably. Can't afford to move somewhere nicer."
"Got it. Bye."
"Bye."
We who'd met in the dream parted in reality.
* * *
What I'd told Song Seon-yeong in the dream applied to me too. Don't like your aptitude? Find something else. Simple in theory, brutally hard in practice.
Proof of just how massively P's Aptitude Test shaped human lives.
But first.
Had to sort out my convenience store part-time gig—it directly hit my wallet.
"Oh! Moon-soo! You're safe!"
"Yeah. Hope you've been well."
"Same as always. Haha!"
The boss greeted my unsteady steps warmly as I shuffled into the store.
"But Moon-soo."
"Yes?"
"I'm really sorry."
"......"
The convenience store owner, who loved games more than women, apologized to me.
Can't be helped.
It was expected, so I took it in stride.
"It's fine. Really."
"I heard from your homeroom teacher about the accident, but I couldn't just wait forever without hiring someone."
"I get it. Totally."
Getting fired was inevitable. Not a day or two off—over two weeks.
Stores like this needed daily management.
Big trouble.
Facing the reality of job hunting already darkened my vision. Silver lining? Graduating high school soon meant plenty of time. College was off the table ages ago.
"You did great work. Thanks to your honesty and diligence, I could game worry-free."
Always came back to games with him.
"Thanks for everything too. Your 'main job' mix-up gave me decent cash."
"Hey! It's not a mix-up. Gaming is my main gig. Ask anyone on the street if they know me."
"I know. You're famous."
"For real! Believe me!"
"I do. That streaker from the papers—the hot one who showed everything—was you, right?"
"Streaker... no, that was..."
"Boss, thanks for all the favors over the years. Hope your VR game keeps booming."
"It already is. You just don't know."
"I'm off."
I ignored his fame obsession and turned.
"Anyway, thanks. And drop by sometime! I'll hook you up."
"Sure. I'll visit."
Ding-a-ling~♪
That's when an exotic-looking customer entered.
Wild outfit.
Pointy witch hat, black cloak evoking a witch; gothic short skirt and black fishnets drew the eye.
A real witch? In this day and age?
Not my place to judge, with shaman aptitude and all.
"Welcome!"
"......"
"Oh crap. Where'd I put the translator? Ugh..."
Boss sweated as the unresponsive customer made him rummage under the counter.
Meanwhile,
"You're the one."
"Pardon?"
"Unexpected. Thought you'd look more extraordinary."
"What...?"
She approached in tall black boots, clicking sharply, and whispered close. Her voice was eerie yet seductive, like a beautiful demon.
Who the hell?
Deep hat shadowed her face, but the slim jaw and full lips hinted at beauty.
"You have no idea, do you?"
"......"
"Interesting."
"Sorry, but I think you have the wrong guy."
"Let's see if you can interfere next time too."
"Excuse me?"
Ding-a-ling~♪
The arbitrary customer—as capricious as Yuil-am—dragged her big bag and left.
Came to the convenience store to see me? What for?
Made no sense.
"Here it is! Forgot about it in this corner since I never use—Huh? Customer?"
"Gone."
"Darn..."
"Boss, I'm heading out."
"Yeah. Come visit."
"Will do."
Ding-a-ling~♪
Time to reject this aptitude fate and hunt for a solid job.
Song Seon-yeong's doing it.
If I beat the human dolphin at swimming, I could do anything.
...Right? That'd make sense, wouldn't it?
It wasn't easy.