Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Visitation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...".
Seol Yu-wol was overcome with extreme boredom.
Waking up early in the morning and loosening up her body was a habit she'd repeated her entire life.
Even in the empty room, she swung at the air hundreds of times as if a sword were in her hand.
Until sweat poured down like rain and her whole body screamed in pleasant exhaustion.
That wrapped up her morning training.
She also dutifully read the book her mother had left for her.
[21 Proper Ways for a Woman to Carry Herself]
It looked much like the books from the Central Plains.
And the content was hardly different from those either.
A bit less strict, perhaps, but still.
Once even that was done, there was truly nothing left to do.
The physician would come personally on Thursday.
She'd even confirmed it with a passing staff member.
No doubt about it.
Which meant tomorrow...
"Ugh..."
She rolled around on the sofa.
How am I supposed to wait?
Until recently, every day had felt far too short, packed with wonders.
The massive market where she'd held the physician's hand as they walked.
The sweet food he'd fed her by hand.
Even the new clothes that weren't entirely comfortable but which he'd liked.
But this room without him felt like a secluded training cave.
Time refused to move.
In the end, she rolled around on the sofa again.
Then, her fingertips brushed something hard and elongated.
'If you press this... it will light up and make sounds like this.'
She recalled the staff member's explanation from a few days ago.
Half-doubting, Seol Yu-wol firmly pressed the large red button on the slender device in her hand.
- Beep.
The very next instant, the black board on the wall blazed with dazzling light.
Dozens of small, round white puppies toddled across a green lawn on the screen.
"Hee..."
Cute. They looked soft and tiny.
That harmless, peaceful sight brought a smile to Seol Yu-wol's lips.
Whether Central Plains women or modern ones, they all melted for cute things.
And so, Seol Yu-wol dove deep into the world inside the idiot box.
But then.
- Ding! Ding!
A blaring alarm rang out, and the cute puppies vanished. The screen filled with bold, scary red letters.
[Urgent Breaking News]
A calm female voice filled the room.
- Breaking news. Yoo Seon-woo, Korea's Number One Hunter Mental Counselor, went missing from his workplace at Haetae Guild this morning... Circumstances suggest he was kidnapped...
Seol Yu-wol's smile froze.
"Physician... nim...?"
Yoo Seon-woo... counselor?
She thought she'd misheard.
But there on the screen floated the physician's face.
The physician was kidnapped?
- Thud.
The remote slipped powerlessly from her hand to the floor.
I listened quietly as Jin Sea talked, watching her struggle to peel the apple.
She'd come so confidently, saying she had something she could do...
"So, Team Leader Wi Jae-wan... Ah, hold on... P-Pee... Pee..."
She was wrestling with the apple right in front of me.
True to her S-rank hunter status, she handled the paring knife with expert skill.
But stabbing and slashing were one thing—peeling an apple was another. She had zero talent for it.
More flesh was coming off than peel.
I worried she might end up making apple skewers and reached out my hand.
"...Just give it to me."
I practically snatched the apple and knife from her.
Then peeled the skin with familiar motions.
As I worked, I listened to what Jin Sea was saying.
"The team leader was the first one taken."
"Yeah."
Baek Si-eun had tried to create an inside accomplice for her plan, turning Team Leader Wi Jae-wan into her puppet.
He'd only been a device to lure Jin Sea out at the right moment.
Apparently, he was in the hospital receiving treatment now too.
I gave a wry smile.
I was the one kidnapped, but I wasn't the only victim.
- Scrape, scrape.
I carved the apple entirely into rabbit shapes.
"There."
I speared the prettiest piece with a fork and offered it to Jin Sea.
But she made no move to take the fork.
"...".
Ah. She opened her mouth wide.
A silent demand to be fed.
"You're the patient here?"
I stared at her in disbelief.
She didn't bat an eye.
In the end, I fed it to her as requested.
Only then did she look satisfied, munching the apple happily.
"Good grief."
Right then, a knock came from the hospital room door.
I left the crunching Jin Sea for a moment and called toward the door.
"Yes, come in."
The nurse in charge entered, checking her pad before asking politely.
"If the patient is feeling up to it, we have a few things to confirm."
"There are people waiting to visit you right now."
Visitation waitlist?
Who would come visit me?
And there was no need anyway—they said I could discharge this evening...
I nodded anyway.
"Yes... I'm fine, but..."
The nurse swiped through her pad and spoke.
"First, a Yi Seo-ryeong... Do you know her?"
"Ah, yes. I do."
Yi Seo-ryeong was someone I knew.
I was just surprised she'd come visit in person.
She was the counselor in charge of Seol Yu-wol, so probably here for that too.
"And... Hunter Luna and Hunter Elise are here as well. Do you know them too?"
"Ah... Yes, them too."
Luna and Elise had come too.
"Understood. Shall I let them in?"
"That should be fine, but..."
I glanced at Jin Sea beside me.
Yi Seo-ryeong, Luna, and Elise were my clients too.
It'd be smoother for Jin Sea to step out.
The crunching sounds stopped abruptly.
She slowly swallowed the apple she'd been chewing.
"...I'll be back later."
She stood with a reluctant expression.
The door closed soundlessly.
She really was quick on the uptake.
She left before I even had to say it.
"Yes, that should be okay."
I nodded to the nurse.
Meanwhile, in the visitation waiting room.
"...".
Afternoon sunlight poured through the window, but the air in the room was ice-cold.
None of the three women spoke first.
Elise let out a deep internal sigh of relief.
We could've just asked the patient directly to confirm, right?!
If not for her sister's super save just now, the two of them would've been sent home empty-handed.
Elise patted Luna's butt under the sofa in thanks.
"Eut..."
A silent gesture of gratitude.
Normally, Elise's bold personality would've had her demanding entry even before this Yi Seo-ryeong showed up.
We're definitely acquaintances!
But she hadn't.
Strangely, anything involving Teacher made her passive and conservative.
What if she declared they knew each other and got rejected for no reason? It'd hurt.
Of course, Teacher wouldn't be that harsh...
Which made it even more surprising.
For her naturally timid sister, who hated troubling others more than death, that bold move earlier must've taken tremendous courage.
Luna had definitely... changed.
No one else would notice.
Only Elise, who was closest and had known her longest, could spot it.
Tracing back to when the change began... there was only one answer.
Teacher...
Elise tried not to dwell too deeply on what that meant.
It was instinctive, something even she couldn't explain.
Right then, the waiting room door opened, and a nurse entered.
"Yi Seo-ryeong guardian?"
"Yes."
The nurse stepped inside.
"The patient says visitation is okay now. He's actually set to discharge today, so no formal hours. Please keep it brief."
Discharging today.
Yi Seo-ryeong, Luna, and Elise all relaxed at once.
No serious injuries, then.
"Yes. Understood."
Yi Seo-ryeong smiled graciously and bowed her head slightly.
She stepped out toward the room.
The hospital room door opened.
The moment Yi Seo-ryeong entered, her eyes met Yoo Seon-woo's. He was half-reclined in bed and tried to sit up straight.
- Hurried footsteps.
Yi Seo-ryeong rushed to him and gently gripped his shoulders.
"Please... stay as you are..."
"Ah... Okay."
Yoo Seon-woo awkwardly adjusted his position.
Only then did Yi Seo-ryeong sigh in relief.
She began carefully examining his face.
A slightly pale complexion, dark fatigue around his eyes.
But the fear or despair she'd feared weren't anywhere on his face.
To Yi Seo-ryeong, that was worth more than gold.
Yoo Seon-woo broke the silence first.
"Thank you for coming."
He spoke calmly.
"Not at all. Just doing my duty. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."
"No need for that. I'm grateful enough."
She nodded.
He looked quite tired.
A line from the book she'd read that morning flashed in her mind.
[A wife must cherish her husband's body more preciously than her own life.]
What he needed now wasn't lengthy talk.
Staying longer would just disturb his rest—better to let him recover.
Lingering here would be selfish.
She mustn't disrupt his peace.
Yi Seo-ryeong bowed deeply, her face shy.
"I've confirmed you're safe. That's enough."
With that, she quietly left without another word.
Like a virtuous wife loath to wake her sleeping husband.
- Click.
The door shut, leaving the faint scent of orchids in the room.
"...Huh?"
Yoo Seon-woo blankly stared at the closed door.
What was that just now?
A bit flustered, but no time to think.
- Knock knock.
Someone knocked again in quick succession.
The next visitors.
"Yes, come in."
The door opened slowly.
This time, it was two.
Luna and Elise.
The two rabbits stood frozen at the threshold, staring at me.
"What are you doing out there?"
I craned my neck curiously to look.
"Teaaacher..."
Luna and Elise approached with faces on the verge of tears.
Fortunately, no visible wounds.
A little fatigued, maybe.
"Thank you, Luna and Elise, for coming. I have no idea how you all found out..."
I gave them an awkward grateful nod.
"Nooo..."
Elise spoke first.
"Is your body... really okay?"
Luna asked softly, cautiously.
Her red eyes scanned his face intently for any injuries.
"Yes, I'm fine. Discharging this evening."
Yoo Seon-woo smiled to reassure them.
"Thank you for worrying. But really, I'm okay."
The two rabbits' hearts lightened a bit.
Then, as if remembering something, Yoo Seon-woo picked up the plate from the bedside table.
On it sat the rabbit-shaped apple pieces he'd... no, Jin Sea had... well, he'd carved.
"Rabbits. Cute, right?"
He grinned and handed each a toothpick-speared piece.
Handing rabbits to rabbits.
But the sisters' eyes weren't on the kind gesture.
Yoo Seon-woo slowly... deeply pierced the last remaining rabbit with a long, sharp toothpick.
And brought it straight to his mouth...
The sisters' red eyes followed blankly.
- Crunch.
"Tasty."
He nodded, savoring the apple.
However.
The two rabbits weren't focused at all.
"...".
"...".
In their ears echoed only "Tasty."
In their eyes, only Yoo Seon-woo deliciously devouring the rabbit.
The rabbits' minds went blank.
```
