Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: I'll Be in Your Care
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The month I spent in the hospital passed faster than I expected.
This was the first time I’d been away from the Astria Continent for so long since I’d found it again. Whenever I felt like I was about to be consumed by anxiety, Chris’s presence, always by my side when I was awake, kept it at bay.
With Chris, I could keep from reverting to my old self. Chris, who had adventured with ‘Rain’ on the Astria Continent, was also anchoring the existence of ‘Iseulbi’ here.
With Chris, I also slowly worked on overcoming my permanent disability.
Through this hospitalization, I learned that there were distinct levels of spinal cord injury. My body, not completely paralyzed from the waist down, had a lower-level injury than I thought.
Rehabilitation would make daily life a bit more comfortable. Of course, that didn't mean my legs would ever fully recover their function.
Still, I was different from the old me who had closed her eyes and ears in a state of ‘I don’t care.’ To live on the Astria Continent, I had to take care of my body in reality.
After all, Rain and Iseulbi shared a common destiny.
Beimerung and Cherni, who often visited my hospital room, also brought me joy. Their banter was quite entertaining. I rarely saw them together, though, since they took turns visiting when they were running carries.
Death of Death also came to visit once. We'd never run a dungeon together, but from his sharp impression, I could clearly tell he was the Fighter in Chris's party.
He said he respected me. He burned with a fighting spirit, vowing to catch up to me someday.
Hmm, am I someone worthy of such respect?
An outsider who had intruded upon a foreign world.
A presence that was nothing more than noise in a well-functioning world, someone who wouldn't be missed.
The lack of a sense of reality had always tormented me.
But lately, even here, in the world outside the Astria Continent, I was slowly beginning to feel a sense of reality.
Color was returning to this world, too.
*
*Vroom.*
"Finally getting discharged."
"It was so stuffy."
I complained lightly from inside Chris's car.
‘The Astria Continent’ was waiting.
Rain wanted to run free.
*Rain, just wait a little longer. I'll let you out as soon as I get home.*
For Iseulbi to be happy, Rain had to be happy.
And for that to happen, I had to play Astria Online.
Just as my anticipation was swelling for the world I would return to after a month away.
*Vrooom.*
"Ah."
Chris's car started heading toward a place I didn't recognize.
This was definitely the way to the city center.
I lived in a run-down neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, so why were we going downtown?
I felt a slight sense of anxiety.
"Chris...? Where are we going?"
"To your place, Rain."
"My home isn't this way."
"Hehehe."
Chris just gave a meaningful laugh.
Her smile made my head spin.
*Did I sign the contract wrong?*
*Was there a poison pill clause I didn't notice?*
*Am I going to be locked in a capsule 24/7 and used as a gold-farming mule from now on?*
*Iseulbi, snap out of it.*
*This world is far more dangerous than the Astria Continent.*
*Contracts, guarantees, debt. It's all full of traps.*
*You always have to be on your guard in this dangerous world.*
*No matter how kind Chris has been, you always have to be suspicious of everything.*
*I'm a valuable asset who can earn a lot of gold, so maybe she healed me just to work me to the bone.*
But could I even escape?
I’d already signed the contract, and my legs didn't work.
Calming my pounding, anxious heart, I tried to appeal to my own uselessness.
"I have a weak constitution, so I can't work for long. If you push me too hard, I'll break down quickly. The maintenance costs will be higher."
"...? What on earth are you talking about?"
Chris looked puzzled.
That was a genuine look of confusion.
Thankfully, it didn't seem to be the worst-case scenario.
"Phew."
I quietly sighed in relief and patted my chest.
Chris's car entered a luxury apartment complex.
"Wow."
This was the first time I'd seen such a luxurious apartment in person. Was this one of those places called ‘Something-or-other Palace’?
The Han River was nearby. Living here, you'd be able to look right down at it from your window. Was this one of those apartments with the 'Han River view' I'd only ever heard about?
Chris supported me as she helped me out of the car.
*Whirr.*
I operated my electric wheelchair, following Chris, who led the way into the apartment building.
We took a large, clean elevator up to a high floor.
My mind was still full of questions.
Why on earth would Chris bring me to a place like this?
I knew she was rich to some extent.
She lived in this apartment, and she had to stop by before taking me home. I could guess that much.
*Beep.*
Chris, standing in front of a large door, manipulated a hologram that appeared above it, then brought me forward.
"Here, can you bring your eye close to this screen?"
"......?"
Though still full of questions, I obediently did as Chris said.
*Beep.*
[Iris information registration complete.]
*Whirrr.*
I heard the sound of the door lock disengaging.
"From now on, to open this door, you just have to put your eye to it like you just did."
"Aha."
Was this the standard type of door lock these days? It was certainly different from my place, which used an old-fashioned key, a method decades old.
It seemed to work by recognizing a person's iris information to unlock.
But was there really a need to register my information on Chris's front door? It wasn't like I'd ever come here alone.
"Woah...!"
It was huge. It was spacious.
How many square feet was this place?
Including the parts I couldn't see, it had to be thousands of square feet.
I couldn't take in the entire layout of the home at a glance. For me, with my limited range of movement, it was practically the size of a sports field.
The luxurious interior and vast space caught my eye.
Once I was fully inside, a living room as large as several of my studio apartments combined came into view.
The ceiling was high. Beyond the wide veranda windows, a panorama of skyscrapers unfolded. A plush sofa was placed in front of the veranda windows.
Were the paintings on the wall modern art? I didn't know much about art, but they looked expensive. In the center of the living room, a large hologram system and audio system were installed. So this was what a hologram TV of this era looked like.
My eyes went wide at the luxurious environment I'd never seen before.
Chris pushed my wheelchair toward the veranda.
The view of the Han River from the window was fantastic. The river flowed calmly, and above it, bridges and skyscrapers were spread out like a painting.
Even if I saved up money for my entire life in Astria Online, could I ever afford an apartment like this?
I stared at the Han River, my mouth agape. Chris stood beside me, holding the handles of my wheelchair, smiling brightly.
If I were to sum up my feelings in one sentence.
"A place like this must cost a fortune, right...? You're incredibly rich, Chris...."
"This is the place you'll be living from now on. The contract said I'd take care of your housing, didn't it?"
"......?"
For a moment, my mind went blank.
The place I'll be living?
I hurriedly looked around. It was a proper home, fully furnished with the latest furniture and electronics.
"Gasp...! Isn't this your home, Chris!?"
"It is my home. And starting today, it's your home too."
*Shake, shake.*
I shook my head and carefully backed my wheelchair away.
"R-Rain!"
Chris rushed over and grabbed my wheelchair.
"I, um. I'm sorry. My head's still not working right."
I tried to sort out my confused thoughts.
Chris's home? My home?
Living together. In other words, cohabitation.
"Ah, goodbye! You don't have to see me out! I-I think I'll just take a taxi home!"
I tried to operate my wheelchair to leave this place as quickly as possible.
I was going back to my own little nest.
*Whirrrrrr.*
But my wheelchair's wheels just spun in the air. Chris had lifted me, wheelchair and all.
Wow, she was strong.
Soon, she set the wheelchair down and lifted only me into her arms.
Caught in Chris's clutches, I had no choice but to close my eyes tight and surrender myself to her.
"Ehehe."
Chris let out a strange laugh as she carried me somewhere.
"Here, this is where you'll be living, Rain. This penthouse is structured so it can be used like two separate households, one large and one small."
"Gasp."
Rounding a pillar, a living room, quite a bit smaller than the one I saw earlier, came into view. There was also a room connected to it.
"It's a waste for me to live here alone, right? I don't even use half of this huge space properly. I'll make sure your privacy is protected. You can live just like you did when you were alone. O-of course, if you're okay with it, Rain, I could come visit your room! And you can come visit my room, too."
"Aha."
Hmm, could I think of it as a form of boarding? With a separate layout like this, it might be less of a burden.
"Rain. I'm sorry for bringing you here without an explanation. Still, won't you live here?"
Chris looked at me with slightly anxious eyes.
No matter how big the house, no matter how separate the spaces, we were close enough that if I fell, I could feel her breath.
In effect, cohabitation.
But she promised to protect my privacy. She wouldn't invade my living space without my consent.
"If you were to collapse again, Rain, if by some chance I were too late... Just thinking about it makes my chest feel tight and I get so anxious."
Her desperate feelings and her warm heart flowed into my chest at the same time.
Her earnest desire to protect me from up close.
Why? We were just game friends.
Why did she care about me this much?
But, faced with her gentle heart, even the slightest shred of doubt melted away like snow.
Even if I was Iseulbi, full of lies, who still couldn't show her my deepest self.
Even if I was Iseulbi, with a broken body, who couldn't do anything properly on her own.
"If someone like me is okay with you."
If Chris could find happiness because of me.
If, through this, I could lessen the debt I felt in my heart.
With a resolute expression, I looked up at Chris and nodded.
"I'll be in your care."