Chapter 27
“Gasp...!”
The moment my eyes snapped open, I started gulping down air in ragged breaths. Had the everyday air I'd always breathed ever tasted this sweet? Ah! So pure! The air I was sucking in now held not a whiff of that filth-mixed, bloody stench... Huh?
“He's alive!”
“It's a miracle!”
“His heart had completely stopped...?”
“What a relief!”
The clamor of voices around me snapped me out of my little world.
What's going on here?
I was lying in a snow-white bed, surrounded by what looked like a bunch of doctors and nurses. They all stared with expressions that said they couldn't believe their eyes.
“Where...?”
“This is Elmolrans Hospital!”
The doctor answered my question crisply and clearly.
“...You survived?”
“Yes! A real miracle!”
“......”
I'd been killed by Choi Kang-min after he transformed into the Magic Boy. And they were calling it a miraculous survival?
No way!
After what I'd been through in that hell, no modern medicine could have fixed me up. Even if they'd rushed me to the hospital and kept me alive, my limbs shouldn't be this intact.
The doctor went on to explain what had happened.
“Mr. Kang Moon-soo suddenly collapsed in room 1906 and was unconscious for nine hours.”
“Ah...”
Room 1906. The moment I heard that, I realized why I was miraculously alive.
I woke up from the dream!
But I couldn't relax completely.
“And just a little while ago, your heart stopped.”
“My heart?”
“Yes. We performed CPR. But after twenty minutes with no response, we were about to give up—then your breathing returned, and you woke up.”
“...I see.”
A chill ran down my spine. I'd come that close to dying in reality, not just the dream!
Still, now... I let out a long sigh. Thanks to the doctor's words, I could finally release the tension.
I'm alive... I'm alive...
There'd been a crisis, but hey, I was alive, right? I relaxed my shoulders and sank into the soft bed.
I'd really thought I was done for. The pain and terror had been so vivid, it was hard to dismiss as just a dream. Even thinking back on it now made my arms tremble.
“Is your arm uncomfortable?”
“...A little.”
I couldn't say it was because of that nightmare. Had it really just been a dream? It felt too real.
“It's probably aftereffects from your heart stopping. Not for a moment, but a full twenty minutes. We'll need precise tests to know for sure, but if your body's intact, that would be the real anomaly. Your survival is nothing short of a miracle, Mr. Kang.”
“A miracle... huh.”
Miracle. Yeah, escaping the glare of that absurd monster who could lift a truck one-handed? That qualified.
“Any other discomfort besides your arm?”
“...I'm hungry.”
“Haha! That's a good sign. Means your metabolism's kicking strong! Unfortunately, it's 5 a.m., so pickings are slim.”
“Damn.”
“If convenience store porridge is okay—”
“How's the billing work?”
Hospital and treatment fees were already weighing on my mind.
“Choi Kang-hun covered all costs. Oh! This porridge is on me.”
“Pardon? Why...?”
“Seeing a patient die right in front of me depresses me for days. This is payback for cheering me up.”
“That's...?”
What a ridiculous reason. The doctor who'd saved my life was thanking me?
He flashed a gentle smile, then turned to leave.
“Get some rest.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Alone in the spacious room, I stared up at the dim hospital ceiling in a daze—trying not to think about anything.
But still, that guy...
I couldn't help thinking about Choi Kang-hun.
...Not because of the hospital bills.
I hadn't met him in person without my ID, but in the dream, he'd been living a desperately miserable life.
And Choi Kang-min had admitted it himself. That he'd done it. Crushing me like a bug with the body of an innocent boy—
Don't think about it.
I cleared my mind again.
Then, with a soft slide—
The door to my private room opened, and a doctor in a crisp white coat stepped in.
“Thanks for the porridge—huh?”
The doctor carried a tray with microwave-heated porridge. But as her figure emerged from the shadows, I realized it was someone else entirely.
“Glad you're awake.”
“Ah! Hello.”
It was Seo Hye-ju.
She personally unfolded the hospital bed tray over my waist, set down the porridge and utensils.
“Eat before it cools.”
“Thank you. But...”
“Seo Hye-ju.”
I remembered the name. I just couldn't figure why she'd come see me at this hour.
Don't overthink it.
I wasn't in a state to waste brainpower on something trivial anyway.
I decided to just ask.
“Vice Director Seo Hye-ju.”
“Vice director? The real vice director would be heartbroken to hear that. I'm just a section chief.”
“Ah... Sorry, Section Chief Seo Hye-ju. I must've mixed you up with someone else.”
In the dream, 'Seo Hye-ju' had been vice director, so I'd assumed.
“You're wondering why I came to see you, right?”
“Yes.”
“I was shocked.”
“Pardon...?”
“Your symptoms were identical to Choi Kang-min's. That startled me.”
“...I see.”
She was Choi Kang-min's attending physician. It clicked.
“Then I was shocked again when I heard you'd died of cardiac arrest less than a day later, and a third time when you came back to life twenty minutes after.”
“Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you so much.”
“No, it's fine. I'm grateful, actually.”
“To me?”
“Yes. You gave me hope. Hope for treating my patient, Choi Kang-min.”
“Ah...”
Come to think of it, yeah.
She was in charge of a patient who had less than a hundred days left. Seeing my recovery with the same symptoms must've shown her a 'possibility.'
“I'm pretending to be calm, but I'm actually pretty anxious.”
“Because of Choi Kang-min?”
“Yes. He's a very important patient for us. He owns a significant stake in Elmolrans through his family. We can't ignore him.”
“Aha!”
Similar to the dream. Just that he was the major shareholder himself, not his kid.
“When the director and vice director gave up on him, I thought it was my chance to shine. But that wasn't opportunity—it was arrogance.”
“I see.”
I had zero desire to think about Choi Kang-min right now, so I just nodded along half-heartedly.
“How did you wake up?”
“No idea.”
I really didn't. If I knew, I wouldn't have gone through that hell!
“Let me rephrase. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, I have to go back to work tomorrow.”
Work! What a thrilling word that was!
Sure, my aptitude had made it tough, but I'd landed a solid gig(?) with room and board for at least a year.
“Once a week.”
“Sorry.”
“I'm not asking for free.”
“...Hourly?”
I had no choice!
* * *
A noisy voice woke me after the warm porridge and deep sleep.
“Hyung~~!”
“...Kang-hun?”
I was still tired and a bit annoyed, but seeing his eyes red like a bunny's melted it away.
Think positive.
It meant he'd been that worried about me.
Definitely not because I was scared of the treatment bills.
“What a relief! I thought we were in big trouble!”
“I'm fine.”
See? Alive and back safe and sound.
The real Choi Kang-hun hadn't gone to prison.
That was enough.
“I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have asked for your help and put you in danger!”
“I didn't do anything.”
“No way! They said you had the exact same symptoms! You must've caught it trying to help!”
“Hm... Can't argue with that.”
I'd met the rampaging Choi Kang-min in the dream.
“See? You're amazing, hyung!”
“I failed.”
But I'd failed to convince him and got toyed with by force.
Like a bug in a playground having its legs and wings ripped off by a kid.
“Still amazing!”
“...Thanks.”
His sincere praise from his little bro patched up my shattered dignity a bit.
“Oh! And Dad said he's sorry and to make sure I tell you!”
“Already over it.”
“You're the first, hyung! First person whose brainwaves affected his. Lots of jargon I didn't get, but the attending doc explained it well to Dad.”
“Got it.”
Good, misunderstanding cleared.
“So as an apology, Dad's covering a ton of treatment fees. Just give him your account number.”
“My account? No need to bother... Wouldn't it be easier to just pay the hospital?”
“Huh? Oh! I already paid your treatment fees! Dad's talking about fees for your help!”
“I failed the treatment.”
“Still, he was thrilled—said you gave him hope!”
Hope. Probably thanks to Seo Hye-ju's positive spin.
“Awesome!”
I struggled to sit up.
“Hyung, can you move already?”
“Yeah. And I have a meeting with the swimming coach tomorrow. Gotta tidy up the place first.”
“Aha! I'll help with cleaning!”
“No need.”
“You're a patient! Don't refuse!”
“...Fine.”
The more I looked at pitiful Choi Kang-hun, the more I let him do whatever.
Does this guy know?
That his half-brother saw him as an obstacle, a nuisance.
“Kang-hun.”
“Yeah!”
“...Never mind.”
I wanted to warn this naive kid that Choi Kang-min saw him as worthless scum not worth visiting.
“Huh? What, what?”
“Just testing.”
“Yeah!”
But I swallowed the urge rising in my throat.
He's a dying man anyway.
Plus, badmouthing someone else's family wouldn't benefit me. No proof for my claims either.
“Hyung, you can't just leave. For discharge, you need the doctor's diagnosis and permission.”
“Mandatory?”
“Totally! It's the law.”
“......”
I'd never been hospitalized, so I didn't know.
Dad hadn't even gotten the chance to discharge.
Ding-dong♪
Choi Kang-hun pressed the call button that looked just like a doorbell by my bed.
(Yes, patient? How can we assist?)
A nurse's voice came right away from the speaker.
“I'd like to discharge. Can I see the doctor?”
(Yes, please wait a moment.)
Things progressed smoothly under Choi Kang-hun's lead.
“You're good at this.”
“I visited hyung a lot. Picked it up naturally.”
“...Yeah.”
The doctor arrived soon after the call.
“Discharging already?”
“Yes. Can't leave home empty too long.”
I lightly moved my limbs to show off my health.
“Hm... Still, get checked first.”
“How long?”
I couldn't help being wary—memories of endless tests in the dream.
“Not long.”
“Exact time?”
“......”
“......”
“...If it's quick, about eight hours—”
“No thanks!”
I knew it!