Chapter 23
Back during Song Seon-yeong's incident, I'd suspected the moment I saw something that couldn't be explained scientifically. Is this a dream? The same doubt hit me now, watching a person fly around without wings or thrusters.
Is this a dream too?
There were circumstantial clues. Right before getting pulled into Song Seon-yeong's dream, I'd found her collapsed on the school rooftop and stayed by her side. Same thing here. The location was different, but I'd visited Choi Kang-min in his hospital room.
Plus, it's too coincidental.
Song Seon-yeong and Choi Kang-min hyung had the exact same symptoms. Unconscious states that defied science and resisted treatment! According to the doctors, they were just sleeping. Deep sleep, the kind that wouldn't break no matter the physical stimuli from outside.
I glanced around.
"S-save... me..."
"Aaaah! Doctor! Doctor~!"
"Blood from his head...!"
If this were a movie shoot, cameras and crew would be swarming the place. But look.
"Ugh..."
"Ahhh..."
Shards from the shattered glass had scratched skin, and there were even severe cases.
"Aaaah! My eye...!"
"My eyes! I can't see~!"
Sharp glass fragments embedded in eyes. No way. They wouldn't drag unrelated civilians into a single shoot. This was real!
And at the same time, a dream.
Probably.
The man chasing the intruder who'd smashed through the VIP ward's windows at Elmolrans Hospital was definitely Choi Kang-min. No doubt about it... but...
Why's he perfectly fine? I couldn't figure out how the guy who'd been shriveled like an Egyptian mummy could now fly through the sky in peak health.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
Paramedics were starting to get things under control. The silver lining amid the chaos?
"Priority to critical patients! Hurry!"
"Doctor! Call a doctor...!"
"Minor injuries over here!"
This was the world's top hospital, Elmolrans Hospital. No need to struggle transporting the injured elsewhere.
"Still, just in case, get a full checkup. The hospital's covering it free for anyone caught in this incident."
"For free?"
"Yes, completely free. Everyone who knows knows, but the government fully supports victims of Magic Boy-related incidents."
"Ah! Got it. I'll definitely get checked."
Free is always right!
That said...
Magic Boy...?
This unfamiliar proper noun people kept mentioning. Magic Boy! Adults casually tossing around a term that tickled childish hearts.
"Did you see Magic Boy?"
"Mommy, when I grow up, I'm gonna marry Magic Boy!"
"Oh! Magic Boy solved another impossible case."
"I love you! Magic Boy!"
Piecing together snippets of conversation, Magic Boy seemed like some apostle of justice who beat down villains.
"Kang-min hyung..."
But even hearing all that didn't make me think he was amazing or envy him. Why?
Hyung's on the brink of death, lost in heroic playtime in his dream...
Once I'd concluded this was the dream world from all the evidence, I just pitied Choi Kang-min hyung, trapped in his delusion.
Anyway,
"Excuse me."
"Pardon? What is it?"
In the midst of chaos with people hurt and paramedics rushing about, I approached an auntie casually reading webtoons on her smartphone, unfazed.
"Who's Magic Boy?"
"Why ask me?"
Because you look free! But I couldn't say that, so I sweetened my tongue.
"You seem like you'd know. You're reading something fantasy-like, similar to Magic Boy."
"Oh my! Still people saying stuff like that. Listen up. This isn't fantasy—it's modern fiction based on reality."
"I-is that so."
So dumping dump trucks and shooting beams from eyeballs counts as modern if it's "real." Got it.
"Fine. What can I expect from someone who doesn't even know Magic Boy."
"......"
"Magic Boy is the true—no, the only hero of this era who doesn't abuse his immense power!"
"Could you tell me more?"
"Is that smartphone in your hand just decoration? Search it yourself."
"...No way it's decoration. I just wanted living knowledge, not the wild rumors floating online."
"Smooth talker. And you didn't even know what modern fiction is."
"Haha!"
I laughed it off.
"Magic Boy's protected Earth for over ten years without asking for anything. Giant asteroids, mad scientists, mutants, aliens, magical girls, heinous criminals... countless crises."
"I see."
Problems that would take nations or the whole world to solve, handled solo. Magic indeed!
I wanted more details, but the auntie's patience was maxed.
"Still got questions?"
"No."
Answering "yes" here would be tone-deaf.
"If you're still curious about Magic Boy, use your smartphone. Or ask someone else."
"Yes. Thanks for humoring me. Happy reading."
No need to bug others, so I grabbed a waiting ticket and sat quietly until my turn.
It's real.
They really treated and examined Magic Boy incident victims for free.
"Sheesh..."
The auntie's scolding advice popped up. Smartphone just decoration?
Yep! Mine's pure decoration!
A warning had been flashing on my phone.
「No signal. Please replace USIM card.」
No internet, most functions dead! Probably because it's an old model from 13—no, 16 years ago. Doesn't match current mobile standards.
Ah! Wait... crap.
Even Elmolrans Hospital's public Wi-Fi wouldn't connect.
Ding-dong!
"Hm? My turn already."
I headed to reception with my ticket.
"What brings you here?"
"The incident on the 19th floor..."
"Write your name and resident registration number here."
"Okay."
"Detail any pain or issues."
"Sure."
Scribble-scribble. Handed it back quick.
"Registration com—huh?"
The nurse tapping away froze.
"What's up?"
"...Double-check if you filled it out right."
"Yeah, it's correct."
"Then it's a system error."
"What kind of error...?"
"Happens sometimes, don't worry. You're registered. Go down that hall, submit this receipt, and wait."
"Thanks."
My phone might as well be broken, so maybe that's why it felt off? But like she said, no big deal, so I let it slide.
After that?
"Kang Moon-soo-ssi."
"Yes."
"Change in the men's locker room over there, then wait at exam room 4."
"Got it."
I followed orders.
* * *
I figured it'd be a quick X-ray to check for fractures. Even when they retook my urine and drew blood, I shrugged it off. That was three hours ago.
That's a lot...!
Started with long waits, but now exams led straight into the next, skipping lines. Still, the variety was dragging it out.
"Kang Moon-soo-ssi."
"Yes."
"Ever had a colonoscopy?"
"No. Do I really need it?"
Didn't wanna show my butt to a total stranger.
"Mandatory. Ever since those parasites that control human bodies appeared, colonoscopies became a national security obligation."
"......"
What the hell is this world?! Parasites like that exist?!
Chills.
"Don't worry. Sedation anesthesia. You'll sleep through it and wake up done."
"Um, doctor."
"When do the exams end? It's been over three hours."
"...Not my department, so I don't know."
"Then who...?"
"Alright, meds incoming. Count in your head."
"Pardon? Okay."
One, two, three, four—
Couldn't even reach ten.
* * *
Slept a good long while after that, I guess.
"Ugh... where...?"
Were the anesthesia drugs that strong? Eyelids heavy. But I forced them open and looked around.
Totally different place. I was tucked under covers in a plush bed in a clean hospital room. Green curtains blocked the window view, but the wall clock straight ahead said it was the dead of night.
Whoosh—
"You're awake."
The auto-door slid open as a nurse entered.
"How long was I out?"
"About four hours since sedation."
"Ah..."
"How's your body feel?"
"Heavy."
"Anesthesia lingering. Doctor's on his way—wait just a sec."
"He's coming personally?"
"Yes. Should be here any—ah! There he is."
Whoosh—
The doctor stood at the silently opened door.
"Kang Moon-soo-ssi. How's the body?"
"Feels fine."
First colonoscopy. Felt instant, no pain or embarrassment, but... maybe just me? Didn't wanna do it again. Specifically, no more sedation.
"Results are in."
"Finally..."
Took so long, I'd worried something was wrong.
"Straight to the point: you're extremely healthy."
"Extremely?"
"Yes. Extremely."
An extremely deflating answer.
So,
"Doctor. This body's healthy?"
I weakly shook my skeletal wrist at the results. But,
"Yes."
The doctor stated it firmly, laying out the data in front of me. Stunned me speechless for a sec, but I wasn't backing down after all the hassle.
"Doctor, look. Can't even walk right."
"I fully understand what you're saying, Kang Moon-soo-ssi. But nutrition issues aren't linked to Magic Boy, so we can't address them here."
"Aha! Should've said that from the start. No misunderstanding then."
"No, it's not a misunderstanding. There's nothing wrong with your health. As a health medicine doctor, I'd advise moderating that diet."
"......"
Diet? Me?
Absurd. But with the data and explanations, I had to wave the white flag.
"And a question."
"For me?"
"Yes. Very important."
"...Go ahead."
What's more important to a doctor than patient health? Curious.
"Are you really Kang Moon-soo?"
"Pardon?"
"The name and resident number you submitted belong to a Kang Moon-soo who died 15 years ago."
"......"
"Who are you, claiming to be Kang Moon-soo?"
"......"
I died 15 years ago? More absurd than the diet thing.