Just a Case of Indigestion
"Uh, uhh... It's just indigestion, that's all. Yeah."
With that, the late-night commotion wrapped up as nothing more than 'a little indigestion.' Mom called Dad to give him a quick update, knowing he'd be worried sick back home. The moment she hung up, the professor let out a warm chuckle, his curiosity clearly piqued.
"What on earth did you eat to get so stuffed?"
He was asking what I'd crammed down my throat to end up like this. Mom jumped in like she'd been waiting for the question, waving her arm toward the bright city streets.
"Oh dear, we hadn't done a family sushi buffet in ages... and this kid put away three whole bowls of sushi by herself. Then another full bowl of everything else on top of that."
She poked at the air, counting out the bowls as if she could see them, painting a vivid picture for the professor. Sure, I'd overdone it today, but who doesn't feel like a loser if they don't stuff themselves at a buffet? Just hearing the sheer volume made the professor blink in disbelief. He let out a helpless laugh.
"That's... quite a lot. Do you normally eat like that?"
"Nooo? Today was especially bad."
The two of them kept chatting, talking right over me like I wasn't even there. The stomach pain hadn't eased up even after the medicine, so I kept rubbing my belly. Whether I was suffering or not didn't seem to matter.
"There are several overseas cases of people with the Beast Disease who developed completely different appetites. One male patient in America grew bear ears and a tail. After contracting it, his intake skyrocketed. He even rips into live salmon with his bare hands."
The professor casually brought up the American patient's story. According to him, the man who'd become a bear beastman didn't just eat more; he tore apart raw, wriggling salmon while it was still alive.
"Eww."
Live, flapping fish? The mental image alone made my skin crawl. It'd be gross enough watching an actual bear eat raw fish, but a person with bear ears ripping into one? The professor noticed my obvious disgust and kept going.
"They say his consumption is no longer at a human level."
"Huuuuh..."
Mom gasped in horror at the other patient's case. So his appetite had gone full bear mode? It was like a lifetime N-times food bill event had started for the guy. Poor man in America. I genuinely felt bad for him.
"Then what about our daughter?"
"In this case, it simply means she can eat a lot more now."
He answered Mom's worried question in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. He flipped through some papers a few times before glancing out the dark window and making a careful suggestion.
"How would you feel about being admitted right now?"
"Admitted?"
The word "admitted" echoed in my ears again. When we'd talked about it at home, Mom had shot it down instantly. The professor, unaware of that conversation, kept offering incentives that sounded pretty tempting.
"Yes. We'd assign you a comfortable private room... and we'd handle all the meal planning and conveniences. It would also be much easier to monitor your progress that way."
"Couldn't she just be admitted on weekends or something?"
Even after his suggestion, Mom stubbornly clung to the weekend-only idea. She was clearly determined to send me to school no matter what. But if I was only admitted on weekends, there was zero point. Hospitalization only made sense if I could skip school. Spending my precious weekend gaming time cooped up in a hospital? No thanks.
"Then I'm not getting hospitalized."
I said it bluntly, making sure Mom could hear, even though the suggestion had come from the professor. He glanced back and forth between us, reading the room, then spoke quietly.
"Isn't it about time for high school exams to be over?"
"Even after exams, classes don't just disappear."
The moment the professor mentioned the exam period, Mom repeated the same argument we'd had at home. She indirectly stressed the need to attend school by pointing out that classes continued regardless.
"Please reconsider. Just stay for a week so we can observe her progress. It can double as rest while the reporters calm down."
"Hmm..."
Mom finally seemed to waver under the professor's desperate persuasion. Since he was a medical professional, his words carried weight and she was starting to reconsider. Even though it was a holiday period, the math was simple: skip four days of school and get discharged on Saturday. It was all upside. My heart swelled with hope. This might actually work.
"Just one week, right?"
"Yes. I'll make sure she's discharged next Saturday."
"Sigh... Fine. I understand."
Mom finally gave in after all that desperate convincing. The reluctant permission made me want to cheer.
"Yeehaw!"
"Oh dear, is it really that exciting?"
When I let out a cheer that was closer to a scream, Mom sighed like she couldn't be helped and gave a small laugh.
"Then for clothes and other necessities..."
Once the conversation naturally shifted toward admission, Mom started listing the things we'd need. Even for a hospital stay, you didn't show up empty-handed. Underwear, spare socks, towels, chargers; patients were expected to bring those basics. As Mom muttered to herself, thinking through the list, the professor spoke up reassuringly.
"Normally patients do bring those, but we'll provide most items here. Just bring a few personal things like underwear and socks."
"Ah, I see."
Mom nodded, satisfied with the short explanation. After receiving all the instructions, we left the examination room. The stomach pain that had been stabbing me was finally starting to fade.
"Whoa."
The hospital room they'd assigned me was a spacious private one. The moment I stepped inside, an impressed hum escaped me. The only thing that really screamed 'hospital' was the bed. There was a TV, a fridge, a sofa, and plenty of outlets. If you ignored the bed, it was basically a hotel room.
"Wow, so this is what a private room looks like..."
Mom seemed pretty shocked by the room too. She took a deep breath and let it out in amazement. I couldn't help asking when I saw her reaction.
"Is this your first time seeing one too, Mom?"
"Of course. When would I ever have a reason to stay in a private room?"
She answered like it was obvious, unable to tear her eyes away from the luxurious setup. The professor watched us gawking like country bumpkins and chuckled, hands clasped behind his back.
"Does it meet with your approval?"
"How much does a room like this usually cost per day?"
Mom quickly asked the question that must have been on her mind. The professor immediately waved his hands.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about the cost at all. We're the ones covering a full month's stay here anyway."
He laughed warmly, emphasizing that they'd be footing the bill. But Mom was curious regardless of who was paying.
"I'm just asking out of curiosity."
"Just curiosity? Well, even so, it's usually between two and three hundred thousand won per day."
"Whaaaat..."
Mom's jaw dropped at the price, which was way higher than she'd imagined. Even at the low end of two hundred thousand, a week would be 1.4 million won. It meant that even if I saved every penny of my allowance for a whole year, it still wouldn't cover a week here. The thought of staying in a place like this for a week without paying a cent made me feel strangely rich.
"You won't need a caregiver, right?"
"No, it's really more like a short stay than a full admission. We'll keep the number of people coming in and out to a minimum."
While I dove onto the bed to enjoy the feel of it, the two adults continued their serious discussion. Once their conversation hit a lull, the questions flew my way.
"Hyunwoo, what else should I bring besides clothes?"
"For me? The game console and charger."
I immediately requested the game console and charger in response to Mom's question. There was no way I could survive a whole week with just my phone. Mom tilted her head slightly.
"Doesn't Hyeonseo use that too?"
"We've got the computer. Tell her to use that."
When Mom pointed out that Hyeonseo used the console too, I immediately brought up the computer like I'd anticipated it. To Mom, consoles and computers were all the same kind of 'game machine.' For someone who didn't even understand why people played games in the first place, that explanation was good enough.
"That's all you need?"
"Yep."
The operation was a huge success. I pumped my fist and silently cheered 'Nice!' inside. Hyeonseo was the type to go along with Mom rather than fight her, so if Mom said she was taking it, there'd be no argument.
Before Mom left, I tried on the clothes from the closet. It was a white patient gown with the hospital name printed all over it in blue letters.
"Hehehe."
The moment I put it on, I felt strangely excited. It really felt like I'd been seriously injured and needed to be hospitalized. The complete set would include dragging an IV pole around. Mom watched me beaming with obvious joy and spoke up right before leaving, looking displeased.
"Don't wander around and bother the other patients, got it?"
She warned me not to cause trouble for others while roaming around. When had I ever been that much of a problem child?
"Do I really give off that kind of vibe?"
I gave Mom a sharp look for saying something so ridiculous. I wasn't an elementary schooler anymore.
"Sigh, I'm just worried. Mom's leaving now. See you tomorrow."
She brushed it off like it was nothing and waved as she said goodbye.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
I waved back and gave the same reply. The moment the door closed, I stretched my arms wide. There was only one thing to do in an empty hospital room. I leaped with all my strength and dove onto the bed. With a soft bounce, my light body sprang slightly off the elastic sheets. The cushioning was on another level compared to a floor mat.
"Mhehehehe."
A happy sound slipped out before I could stop it. My tail wagged vigorously from side to side in perfect sync with my feelings. This was something I couldn't show even to my family.