Hospital Visit (1)
Hospital Visit (1)
The after-party went off without a hitch.
For a while, cadets who got along gathered freely, eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
But as the scheduled event time drew near, the scattered cadets began trickling back to the first-floor banquet hall one by one.
That was around when I returned from my walk.
The moment I stepped inside, eyes flew toward me again. Afraid someone might snag me, I scurried over to a table off to the side and sat down.
The cadets who had been striding toward me regretfully dispersed. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. I'd nearly gotten swept up again.
A short while later, the event began in earnest.
But there was nothing particularly special about it, despite being called an "event."
It was basically a talent show, the kind you might see on a school trip or a college MT.
Though, since I'd never been on a school trip or attended college, I only knew about them from online stories...
Still, the way things played out was pretty similar.
The emcee worked the crowd with a clever wit, and a few cadets went up on stage to show off their talents, drawing cheers.
The difference was in what those cadets were actually doing on stage for their talent show.
Not that I'd ever been to one personally, but in my original world, people mostly just danced, sang, or did magic tricks.
A female cadet stepped onto the stage to a round of applause, said a few words, and started dancing. Her superhuman conditioning made the performance genuinely impressive.
She pulled off a fiercely dynamic, fast-tempo routine without a single hitch.
Up to that point, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything fell well within the bounds of common sense.
- Fwoosh!
From then on, ordinary common sense no longer applied.
Flames ignited at her fingertips. Anyone normal would've flinched and shaken their hand violently, but the cadet just kept moving as if nothing was wrong.
The fire flickered, leaving red trails that followed her hand. The flames seemed to echo her movements, gentle and fierce at once.
The fire wasn't merely along for the ride, either. It moved on its own, as if it had a mind, roaming around the cadet's vicinity.
The whole scene looked like a mythic dancer wielding flames.
'......'
It was a bizarre spectacle in many ways.
All of it streamed in through my Spatial Perception. As I analyzed every movement with it, I felt like I was racking up unexpected experience.
One peculiar act followed another.
One cadet manipulated floating water in midair, mimicking all sorts of figures and buildings with astonishing quality. Another used telekinesis to work marionettes, putting on a one-person play.
All of it was the kind of entertainment you'd never see in my previous world.
And it was a goldmine of experience. By thoroughly dissecting those performances with my Spatial Perception, I gained a lot.
I could feel their mana deployment, the changes in their bodies, even the process of their unique ability manifesting. The experience I got from it was pretty sweet.
So I shelved the idea of leaving and just sat quietly at a side table, observing the talent show.
At one point, they randomly called out the numbers handed out beforehand to the after-party participants. A few were summoned onto the stage to sing a short song.
My number got picked, which created a brief weird atmosphere, but aside from that, things went smoothly.
.
.
.
And so the after-party came to a successful close. No incidents, no accidents. Most of the cadets seemed satisfied with the festivities.
Unlike the freshman welcome party, which ended on a strange note when I blacked out, this one played out well from start to finish.
After the event, those who'd had their fill went home, and the ones with energy to spare supposedly stayed in the banquet hall and partied through the night.
The day after the after-party.
I sat on my bed, scrolling through the group chat on my smartwatch, nodding to myself.
The cadets' hangover agony was being reported in real time. I honestly can't fathom why people force themselves to guzzle booze only to suffer so much.
It was Sunday morning, normally a red-letter day for rest.
Usually, on a weekend, I'd have to fight off the temptation of sleep and drag myself out of bed. But today I woke up naturally, clear-headed.
I'd been like that since yesterday. Ever since Baek A-rin told me about Hong Yeon-hwa's condition, to be exact.
'I hope she's okay.'
She didn't come to the after-party because of the Calamity Flame's side effects.
Hong Yeon-hwa, who always seemed so healthy and indestructible, was sick and couldn't make it.
Hong Yeon-hwa, so widely known as a heavy drinker, missed a big drinking party like this...
My thoughts kept circling back to it.
The transformation of the Calamity Flame. A change that visited Hong Yeon-hwa every iteration, and a side effect she'd always overcome with ease.
So I hadn't thought much of it.
In the original timeline, she showed up perfectly fine in just a day or two.
But actually hearing that Hong Yeon-hwa was sick and couldn't come to the event—it left a heavy weight in my chest.
The listless look she had on the final day of Tower entry kept flickering in my mind. My thoughts grew restless.
One moment I'd be focused on something, and the next my mind would wander.
'......'
After I heard the news from Baek A-rin... after Baek A-rin sent me something like proof, I contacted Hong Yeon-hwa.
It was around 9 PM, wasn't it?
Was I contacting her too late at night? Was I being a nuisance? I hesitated for a long time before sending that message.
I asked if she was okay.
I sent the message, and at the exact moment the mad buzzing of Baek A-rin's smartwatch finally stopped, her reply arrived.
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Thank you so much for worrying. I'm okay (Yesterday 20:57)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: It's something most Calamity Flame bearers go through. I'll be fine in a few days, so don't worry (Yesterday 20:58)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: More importantly, A-rin didn't do anything weird to you just now...? (Yesterday 21:01)
She said she was okay. That she was grateful I worried. That she'd be better soon, so I shouldn't worry. It was a formal reply, but it still made my chest tighten.
I didn't quite understand the question about whether something had been done to me, but even though she was the one who was sick, the overall tone felt like she was worried about me.
I skimmed through the message log briefly, then nodded and got up.
For the first time in my life, I was going to visit someone who was sick.
A sick visit.
Going to see someone who is hospitalized, checking on their condition, and offering comfort.
I'd never gone on a sick visit in my life.
To be more precise, people had come to visit me when I was sick, but I'd never gone to visit anyone.
That was thanks to my practically nonexistent social circle in the previous world, which had been cramped to the point of emptiness.
I had no friends to get hurt. So naturally, there was never an occasion to go visit anyone.
My only real connection had been a single online friend. That says it all.
'I wonder how that person is doing...'
As I got dressed to go on the sick visit, an acquaintance from my old world suddenly crossed my mind.
My online friend, the one who went by the nickname Agapanthus.
Whenever I was bored and struck up a conversation, a razor-sharp reply would fly back instantly. A shut-in just as hopeless as I was.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say most of my communication skills today were built through conversations with Agapanthus.
And unless I ever considered returning to my original world, that was someone I'd never meet again.
'...They must be doing well.'
From what I heard about their situation, they had zero financial problems. They weren't in a precarious spot that required my worry, so I'm sure they're doing fine.
They're the kind of person who inhabits the internet 24 hours a day. They probably have plenty of other online friends besides me, so they won't be lonely.
My mind drifted for a moment. I pulled myself together and finished getting dressed.
Unlike in my previous world, I'd managed to build a modest number of personal connections here.
And especially with Hong Yeon-hwa... I thought we might have a relatively close bond.
...Honestly, it was basically a one-sided relationship where all I did was receive help from her.
Hong Yeon-hwa was sick. My heart was anything but settled, and I wanted to go see her in person and ask how she was doing.
Of course, I didn't rush over right away.
Even if I've never visited anyone who was sick, I at least know that randomly showing up unannounced is rude.
So yesterday, when I messaged to ask how she was, I'd subtly brought up the topic of visiting.
▶Me: If it's okay with you, would it be alright if I came to visit sometime tomorrow...? (Yesterday 21:06:11)
▶Hong Yeon-hwa: Yeah (Yesterday 21:06:12)
I got a positive reply. I had permission, so there was no reason to hesitate.
'...It's okay for me to go, right?'
Fully dressed and stepping out of the dormitory, a sudden thought made me freeze in my tracks.
What if I was being completely clueless, and she'd only said yes out of politeness?
Still, aren't Hong Yeon-hwa and I close enough for a sick visit...? I hadn't just imagined that we were friends, had I?
I hesitated briefly, then shook off the anxious thoughts.
If I stayed home, I felt like I'd just keep cycling through the same worries.
I quickly finished getting ready, stepped into the living room, and picked up the gift I'd prepared in advance.
I'd bought the wrapping paper on my way home yesterday.
When I looked up etiquette for sick visits, it said bringing a gift was a good idea whenever possible. And even just by my own reasoning, it felt wrong to show up empty-handed.
Of course, from Hong Yeon-hwa's perspective, it would probably be a trivial thing... But still, isn't there a saying that what matters most with a gift is the thought behind it?
I checked the gift one more time, then opened the door and stepped outside.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul→Hong Yeon-hwa
●●●●●●●●○○(83/100)
「?」 「Indebtedness」 「Sorry」 「Gratitude」 「Worry」
[The conditions to break the 「Curse of Silence」 have not been met.]
[The conditions to break the 「Curse of Solitude」 have not been met.]