Chapter 54

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: penny

Chapter: 54

Chapter Title: Daughter

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I opened my eyes.

"Ah..."

My throat... felt rested.

It seemed hard to speak properly.

Only a deflating sound leaked out.

Losing my memory and waking up in a strange place—this was already the second time.

Fortunately, this time it wasn't a room filled with red silk bedding.

A plain, hard ceiling and the distinctive smell that stung my nose.

I had a feeling I knew where this was.

A hospital.

I raised my arm.

An IV was hooked up to it.

I tried to recall my last memory.

The last thing I remembered... lightning and... Jahwa-yeon...?

Right, Jahwa-yeon had been there...

Everything after that was blank again.

I pressed my throbbing temples hard and tried to sit up.

My body didn't hurt, but my head ached badly.

"Ugh..."

"Ah, you're awake."

Right then, the hospital room door opened, and someone stepped inside.

From the white coat, they looked like a doctor.

"How's your condition?"

He approached me holding a clipboard.

"My head hurts... and I'm constantly dizzy."

"You were hit with a mental-type hunter's ability. It seems it was mixed into a liquid form and ingested via a drink."

"...Yes. That seems to be the case."

The coffee Baek Si-eun had given me contained a liquid infused with her ability.

I didn't want to mention what effect it was meant to induce.

The doctor flipped through my chart and clicked his tongue.

"Detoxifying it... wasn't easy."

"You're quite resistant to mental effects yourself, so this is as far as it went. For an ordinary person, the overwhelming urges might have... driven them to ruin without release..."

It was a chilling thought.

I nodded silently.

"That said, there might be some lingering aftereffects."

The doctor adjusted his glasses and continued.

"The drug you ingested wasn't just simple mind control. It could be seen as a kind of aphrodisiac that amplifies the target's instincts."

"We've removed all the directly acting components through detoxification, but..."

The doctor carefully concluded.

"A tiny remnant of the effect might remain in your body... causing sudden impulses independent of your will, or certain parts of your body reacting on their own."

"Got it."

I gave a wry smile and nodded.

I understood the gist.

Still, ending up like this was better than nothing.

The doctor gave me a few precautions and left.

Discharge wouldn't take long, apparently.

Good thing.

My schedule was packed; I didn't have time to lie around.

Silence filled the hospital room again.

I stared blankly at the hospital ceiling.

Then I began replaying the events I'd gone through.

Baek Si-eun.

Why?

Why on earth?

The Baek Si-eun I knew wouldn't do something like this.

She was always bright and smiling, kind to everyone.

I couldn't fathom what had driven her to commit such a horrific act.

"I have someone I like now."

In the end, the person she'd mentioned back at the counseling center was me.

"I even thought about just locking him up at home."

Even the secrets she'd confided in me had been genuine.

It seemed she'd planned all this out of fear that I'd leave the guild and drift apart from her.

And it wasn't even a crime of passion.

It was premeditated, practically announced to me in advance.

If Jin Sea hadn't found me...

What would I be like now?

I didn't even want to imagine what I'd be doing inside her red cage.

How stupid had I been?

I'm a counselor.

I have the ability to peer into others' minds.

Yet I'd tried not to rely on it as much as possible.

I intentionally avoided checking someone's inner thoughts unless necessary.

If only I'd glanced into her mind even once before drinking that coffee...

Things might have turned out very differently.

I reflected on my overconfidence and arrogance.

At that moment, a message popped up in front of me, as if consoling me.

I chuckled at the sudden apology and shook my head.

"What did you do?"

I stared blankly at the message.

Update?

What were they planning to do...?

The translucent system window filling my vision began shaking violently with noise.

Like an old TV screen about to shut off.

Incomprehensible words flashed by rapidly.

And finally.

I stared blankly at the now-cheerful emoticon.

"What's different now?"

There was no way for me to know right now.

In fact, if the update was for handling problematic situations, it made sense that I wouldn't notice in a non-problematic one like this.

"...Maybe it's better not to know?"

Learning about the function would mean something similar had happened.

As I thought that—

- Bang.

The hospital room door swung open.

I turned to look.

Jin Sea stood there.

Gray hair and golden eyes.

But unlike her usual confident demeanor, her face looked on the verge of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tears.

"Seon-woo..."

A trembling voice slipped from Jin Sea's lips.

I sat up without thinking at the sight of her.

She closed the door and walked slowly toward me.

She stopped awkwardly by the bed.

Then, slowly opening her mouth, she asked cautiously,

"Are you... okay...?"

"Yeah. Thanks to someone."

I nodded, lifting the corner of my mouth slightly.

It wouldn't have been easy without Jin Sea.

At my response, Jin Sea collapsed onto the bed face-first.

"I'm so glad...... really..."

And she began sobbing like a child.

I patted her back gently, comforting her.

For a long time.

Luna and Elise, thinking their teacher had been kidnapped, moved quickly.

They arrived at the scene, but all they saw was a house burned to ashes without a trace... and an enormous sinkhole.

However, they heard from the hunter at the site that the teacher had been rescued and was hospitalized.

It was incredibly fortunate news.

So they headed straight to the association-designated hospital.

Why?

...Because he's their counselor?

There wasn't really a reason.

And the news said the teacher had regained consciousness.

Visiting might be possible.

Even if not, just seeing his unharmed face would be good.

They had... some kind of connection, after all.

But there was one thing Luna and Elise overlooked.

"May I have your names?"

"Luna..."

"Elise."

"What's your relationship to patient Yoo Seon-woo?"

This was an association-designated hospital.

No one unrelated to the patient was allowed even a step inside.

The two froze at the receptionist's question.

They didn't know how to define their relationship to Yoo Seon-woo, so entry was difficult.

If anything, Luna and Elise were clients—people Yoo Seon-woo was responsible for managing.

"Uh... well... that is..."

What were they?

Teacher?

Colleague? Friend?

Hesitating on an answer, the receptionist eyed them suspiciously.

She'd just been informed that the kidnapper in this case was a famous female hunter.

So, in the extreme, they could be potential criminals too.

She had to be vigilant.

"If you're not acquaintances, visiting is not permitted. Please leave."

In the end, the two rabbits were turned away at the door.

They exchanged dejected looks.

And turned to leave without a word.

But then.

Another woman approached the reception desk behind them.

"I'm here to see patient Yoo Seon-woo."

Hearing that voice, Luna and Elise whipped around simultaneously.

There stood a woman in luxurious jade silk robes that clashed entirely with the modern hospital.

She spoke amiably to the staff.

"May I have your name?"

"Lee Seo-ryeong."

"What's your relationship to patient Yoo Seon-woo?"

"I'm the guardian of his daughter."

"Pardon...? Guardian of his daughter... so, that means..."

The receptionist tilted her head, following the perfectly logical flow.

Guardian of the daughter.

That would make the patient this woman's husband, right?

Lee Seo-ryeong watched the receptionist's confusion.

Then, with a gentle smile, she added,

"You can confirm directly with the patient if you'd like. Is it alright if I wait inside briefly?"

"Ah... yes! Of course."

By regulation, once family was verified, visiting was no issue.

Direct confirmation from the patient was even easier than documents.

Lee Seo-ryeong proceeded to the guardian waiting area.

"......"

Luna and Elise could only stare blankly at her retreating figure as she entered smoothly.

Daughter.

Guardian.

"......"

Those two words swirled endlessly in the sisters' minds.