Chapter 25
In this world with a Magic Boy, there existed a bizarre law. Called the Magic Boy Special Act! All compensation for damages incurred while the Magic Boy was doing righteous deeds would be covered by the country the area belonged to! ...An utterly surreal law.
Even if people died. Even if buildings collapsed. Even if roads were gridlocked. Even if jobs were lost. It meant the Magic Boy bore no fault whatsoever.
The intent is good. If a hero fighting for justice held back out of fear of property damage or loss of life, it would only lead to even greater catastrophes. Hence the broad immunity. But there was a massive, fatal blind spot.
Dangerous. What if that apostle of justice wasn't so just? This world would devolve into a lawless playground for someone who could kill without punishment. And it was obvious that lawless figure would target me again.
Anyway, "Auntie, one more please."
"Hoho! Eat up, young man."
"Thanks!"
Even if I died later, I had to eat and stay alive for now, right?
Seo Hye-ju, whose interest in me hadn't waned, recommended I stay longer at the hospital as a 'patient.' And I snapped up the offer without hesitation.
Why? Hey, they haven't dissected me yet. Blind faith that human rights are unconditionally guaranteed is a bad idea. It had been a hair-raising situation at the top-tier Elmolrans Hospital—if they'd harbored ill intent during those precise scans, it could've been very dangerous. But they hadn't done anything, so I trusted them. That was all...
Whoa!
Jackpot! So much beef in the side dishes...!
The Elmolrans Hospital staff cafeteria was practically heaven to me. The mountain of worries and wariness piled up in my head vanished in an instant. Including my promise with the pool supervisor.
However,
「Breaking news! An alien flying ship has appeared in the sky!」
「My God! The aliens have declared revenge for their husband's death!」
「Get out of the way! The aliens have begun indiscriminate slaughter!」
「The Magic Boy has appeared!」
「Viewers, can you see it on screen?! The Magic Boy just kicked the flying ship!」
The live broadcasts blaring from the massive TVs installed everywhere in the cafeteria were incredibly noisy and annoying. And on top of that,
"Woooah!"
"It's the Magic Boy!"
"You got this! Magic Boy...!"
The cheers and cheers from the diners who'd set down their spoons!
Damn it! So loud I can't even eat...!
Magic Boy, Magic Boy, Magic Boy... Was I just being sensitive? At this rate, I'd end up with neurosis.
"Haa..."
But as frustrating as it was, there was nothing I could do for the time being. Because I'd decided, at Seo Hye-ju's urging, to live at Elmolrans Hospital for a while.
It's unsettling, but... As long as I couldn't escape this world (dream) right away, I couldn't ignore food and shelter. The first step: Wait until I was officially recognized as 'Kang Moon-soo' in court.
Why? This was a capitalist society! Without money, you couldn't do anything. Until I got the compensation from the Magic Boy Special Act, I couldn't even use public transport freely. Unless I got a part-time job in the dream.
That's impossible too. With my resident registration number erased, I couldn't work anywhere except through illegal channels.
"Magic Boy~!"
"He's the best! Magic Boy!"
"He won again...!"
Goosebumps rose as I watched the ecstatic crowd.
This isn't normal. If disasters like this hit every single day, no city would be intact. Yet people seemed filled with dreams and hope.
* * *
Hmm. I had high hopes for future Earth, but it's nothing special. No flying cars straight out of sci-fi. They still rolled on wheels across the ground, even if their designs had changed. According to Seo Hye-ju, they'd conquered lifespan, but most people walking the streets were wrinkle-faced elders! Society was deeply aged.
And,
"Selling! Magic Boy transformation costumes!"
"Magic Boy's magic wand! Buy now and get one free!"
"Handmade by the owner! Magic Boy highlight reel!"
"Magic Boy gukbap with 20 years of tradition! No regrets guaranteed!"
The future was overflowing with Magic Boy merch! A future that surpassed the imagination of all those hopeful kids' dreams. I could pass on a future like this.
Good thing it's just a dream? But how to escape was still unknown. Still, since I'd been through this before, I could make some guesses. The center of this world (dream) was Choi Kang-min. Just like how the world once revolved around Song Seon-yeong, here the protagonist was Magic Boy Choi Kang-min.
The difference between them?
Attitude, probably. Song Seon-yeong had been friendly toward me. She'd seen me as the one human, the one man in this world. But Choi Kang-min?
"Friendly? Hardly."
He'd probably try to kill me the moment he saw me. Even if he couldn't do it openly because of his mask of justice.
On the other hand, I also thought,
If I die, will I wake up from the dream? I didn't particularly want to test it with suicide, but my fear of death was definitely lower here than in reality.
For now, "Where to, sir?"
I hailed a taxi with the pocket money Seo Hye-ju had given me. I could've used cheap public transport, but I didn't want to get dragged into any trouble or incidents.
What I really want is... To meet Choi Kang-hun, who's been in prison for nearly 20 years. But a suspicious guy without ID wouldn't get visitation rights.
In the end, I had only one choice.
"To Choi Kang-min's company headquarters, please."
A head-on confrontation.
* * *
"Whoa... Is this for real...?"
Even craning my neck 90 degrees, the top of the skyscraper was hidden in the clouds. According to the chatty taxi driver on the way, it was the tallest building in the world.
Beep-
"Huh?"
Like everyone else around me, I stepped one foot inside the automatic door without thinking—and an alarm blared.
"Excuse me, but this area is restricted to authorized personnel only."
A man standing motionless like a mannequin by the door—dressed in a black suit and sunglasses like some secret agent—spoke in a businesslike tone.
"I'm here to see Chairman Choi Kang-min."
"That's odd. If you had an appointment, you'd have his business card, which serves as entry clearance."
"I don't have an appointment."
"Then please make one and come back."
Was this routine for him? The man spoke in a calm tone devoid of any irritation.
"Could you at least pass a message?"
"No."
I hadn't expected much from the start, so no disappointment either.
"I can wait out here without going in, right?"
"That's fine. Though the chances of seeing him are low since he mainly uses vertical takeoff and landing craft."
"......"
Chaebols didn't breathe the ground air, apparently.
"You're blocking the path where you are. Please wait over there."
"...That won't work."
"If you don't move, it'll be a problem for me too. I'll have to call the police—"
"I've got a promise to meet the pool supervisor who's gonna cover my food, clothes, and shelter for the next year—in two days."
"What does that...?"
"Meaning I don't have time to waste waiting around."
"You can't enter."
I couldn't see his eyes behind the dark sunglasses, but the man blocking the entrance seemed to be glaring at me.
"You can't enter."
I took a step back, inhaled deeply, and shouted as I exhaled.
"Choi Kang-min hyung! You hear me? If you don't wanna regret it, come out now! Remember my voice? It's Kang Moon-soo!"
"...You can't do this here."
"Eek?!"
Grip. The man seized my shoulder hard and said firmly.
It hurts! The fact that it hurt this much without waking me from the dream was surprising.
"Choi Kang-min hyung...!"
"Come with me."
The man started dragging me away by force. Outside the building, far away. I couldn't even wait at the entrance anymore, but since I'd achieved my goal, it didn't matter.
"What's going on? Some incident?"
"Kang Moon-soo? Know him?"
"Who's causing the commotion...?"
Attracting the stares of the building's employees? No.
He'll come down soon. This wasn't hope or expectation—it was certainty. He was the great Magic Boy, after all! A guy who practically defended Earth single-handedly wouldn't miss my voice over some soundproofing and distance. If he did, it meant his powers were actually mediocre...
"Noisy."
"Ch-Chairman?!"
And sure enough, he appeared just seconds later. Choi Kang-min. Wearing horn-rimmed glasses, dressed in a white tuxedo adorned with a red rose on his left chest.
But he wasn't the boy I'd seen from the 19th floor of the hospital.
He's aged. For a 20-years-in-the-future look, he was still young, but too old to call a 'boy.'
"I said it's noisy."
"Sorry! This guy was making a scene—"
"Your excuses are noisy."
"......"
The man bowed his head and fell silent at Choi Kang-min's icy remark.
"Hyung. Long time no see."
"...Is it really you, Kang Moon-soo?"
"Of course. If you're doubting, I can tell you about the times we hung out as kids."
"......"
Instead of a warm welcome, Choi Kang-min narrowed his eyes and scanned me up and down like he was appraising me.
"Still can't believe it?"
"...You can't be Kang Moon-soo. He died 15 years ago."
"But here I am."
Denial was pointless. The truth was right in front of him!
"No. If you were really Kang Moon-soo, you wouldn't have this attitude right now."
"Why?"
"If you don't know why, you're not him."
"Because I'm not angry?"
"......"
Choi Kang-min answered with heavy silence. A being capable of infiltrating the camera-riddled Elmolrans Hospital and assassinating a patient. Only the Magic Boy.
"Hyung."
"Reveal your identity."
"Huh? Still don't believe me?"
"There are villains who can transform into human shapes."
"Aha!"
What a truly annoying world!
"Whoever you are, the Magic Boy won't forgive you for insulting the dead."
"If I were really a villain, I'd have exposed your identity first. Right?"
"......"
Choi Kang-min, who'd been glaring at me, finally looked away. He glanced behind him and flicked his wrist at the man standing quietly in the background. A signal to stay back. The man got the hint, put distance between us, and blocked passersby from approaching.
"Mr. Magic Boy, guardian of Earth. Feel like talking now?"
"Don't misunderstand. I haven't acknowledged you as Kang Moon-soo. What's your goal?"
"To wake you up."
"Wake me? Me?"
"You think flying through the sky without wings or engines is normal? Never questioned it?"
"If you want to debate natural science, talk to an expert."
"I'm serious."
"I'm special."
Some girl who swam like a dolphin had said something similar. Chewing on the memory, I shot back.
"It's all a dream."
"First you disguise as Kang Moon-soo, now you're talking about dreams."
"You're lying in Room 1906 at Elmolrans Hospital like a vegetable."
"......"
Had a bit of my sincerity gotten through? Choi Kang-min's scoffing expression hardened.
"Time flows faster here. In reality, not even 10 years have passed."
"Nonsense."
"Your doctor said it. If you don't wake within 100 days, complications will kill you. By this place's time, that's about a year—"
"Shut up!"
"......"
"Reveal your identity!"
The same demand as before, but different. So I gave a different answer.
"I'm a shaman."