Health Checkup *Cough Cough*
“Got a cold? In the summer?”
“Yeah.”
I'd caught a summer cold that even dogs don't get. And on the day of the health checkup, no less. It was all because I'd lingered too long in the air-conditioned job experience expo.
This body of mine gets sick from just this much of a temperature swing? How pathetic is my immune system?
“I think I've grown a ton. I finally broke 120cm! What about you, Nami?”
“105.3cm? You've grown a lot.”
About 2cm in two months meant no issues with growth at all.
“If anything, aren't you the one who's too big, Arin?”
“I'm still on the small side in our class, though...”
Were kids these days just that tall on average? Yeah, even average ones were hitting 120cm or 130cm. It was downright pitiful having to keep looking up at these runts.
“Nami, your weight's way too low. Make sure you eat all three meals a day properly, got it?”
If only the school nurse knew that gaining even 1kg was torture. I couldn't eat properly without potions. And these therapeutic mana potions weren't covered by insurance—they cost a bloody fortune.
Thinking about potions suddenly made all this height and weight stuff seem trivial. The orphanage wasn't footing the entire bill for these. Detective Ma Beomil had prepaid 3 million won out of his own pocket, letting me keep taking them. And clueless me had been downing three a day without fail.
“I'm scared of the blood draw. Can you hold my hand?”
“I'm already holding it.”
“Don't let go!”
It didn't even look like it hurt. Modern medicine was impressive. Kids' dramatics were the same as ever, though.
The children returned to class one by one, pressing their other hand firmly against the puncture site to stop the bleeding. Soon, Nurse Ha Seonhwa scanned the list and called out a few names.
“The kids I just called need retests because the first ones didn't process right. Head to the auditorium when the break bell rings.”
The targeted kids murmured anxiously. Did that mean another blood draw? Worry already creased their faces.
“And Nami, I think you and I should head to the hospital right now. I'll buy lunch on the way, so eat in the car today, okay?”
“Teacher, is Nami sick?”
“No, she just needs a bit more detailed testing at a bigger hospital. You can make it home on your own today, right, Arin? Be brave.”
“Yeah...”
And just like that, Nami unexpectedly scored a date with Ha Seonhwa.
“Grab your backpack, Nami, and let's go.”
No matter how small Nami's body was, Seonhwa had no intention of shoving her into the car seat meant for her own 20-month-old daughter. Nami's mental age made that a step too far. She settled plainly into the passenger seat and buckled up diligently.
“Like bacon sandwiches?”
I took a bite of the one she handed over.
“Is there anywhere your body hurts right now, Nami? You have to explain it well to the doctor, but if it's hard to talk about, you can tell me now.”
A bit of lung ache every time I coughed from the cold? It barely registered as pain for me, so I made an X with my fingers.
“This is something a grown-up would say, but I'm really grateful you helped Arin adjust to school.”
Our shared topic with Seonhwa was, predictably, Arin. Especially since she couldn't stand silence—bringing up Arin was inevitable.
“Not sure if you know, but Arin wasn't always this chatty. She's the type who gets really lonely, so at first I tried group activities to help her make friends, but it didn't work out. The teachers' lounge isn't for students to just wander into, but I couldn't bring myself to scold her.”
“Because of her background?”
“Yeah. I just wish our classmates weren't discriminating on purpose. It's because of something bad that happened at school last year. The whole atmosphere now has everyone avoiding kids like you. It's heartbreaking seeing you innocents suffer for it.”
She added that it was even harder to rein in because parents were leading the charge.
There were about 30 kids total at Merlin Orphanage, from elementary to high school. Not in the city center but on the outskirts, they all attended the nearest school under the Arabyeol Foundation. But with kids disrupting the study vibe, frequent school violence, and now rumors of cartel ties, they were prime targets for avoidance.
Seonhwa found it tragic. Innocent children bullied over prejudice. And she worried they'd go off the rails like problem kids, hurting others. She couldn't decide whose side to take.
Every kid at Merlin carried deep scars: abandoned at birth, parents too busy with work, cut off from family... A couple adults couldn't heal them all. So they hoped for adoption, waiting endlessly for someone who needed them. But as years passed, they realized there was an age limit and despaired. Eventually, they learned only orphanage friends were reliable—no guardians to correct their slips.
Conversation stalled after that.
“Precision testing referral from Arabyeol Elementary.”
“Yes, guardian signature here, please. No billing process—just have a seat and wait.”
“Any idea how long it'll take?”
“Around 20 to 30 minutes. Ready to go with the nurse sister, kiddo?”
And so Nami was led off by the nurse. They ran the same procedures as before: a machine emitting high-intensity mana waves scanned her body in circles, followed by the usual doctor interview.
The doctor seemed young to me, squinting awkwardly through thick lenses—astigmatism, maybe? Seonhwa, as guardian, joined the talk. She spoke first.
“Is it serious?”
“Hard to say how to put this... The diagnosis is Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. Genetic, but in this case, likely acquired from prolonged high-concentration mana exposure causing mutation.”
“Muscular dystrophy means muscle contraction...?”
“It can progress to atrophy later. It advances gradually, so many don't notice until adulthood. Lucky we caught it early... but expect no strenuous exercise for life.”
Like most genetic diseases, no cure yet. He upped symptom relief meds, supplements, and my mana potion dosage threefold. Desperately chugging potions to survive had backfired, hastening this.
Unfair doesn't even begin to cover it.
“She can barely drink 3L of water a day—can she handle triple the bitter potions...?”
“Best we can do for now.”
* * *
Round and round, it always came back to money. This puny body devoured cash like crazy. The orphanage might kick me out someday. As far as I knew, Merlin was at its operational limits. At least my limbs worked—small mercies... But cash woes loomed larger than health now.
Shell out to save my limbs, or save cash and go quadriplegic? No contest—the former.
The chatty teacher stayed silent until dropping me near the orphanage. She needed time to process, too. Teacher's college didn't cover consoling a student with a terminal illness.
I didn't head straight in but wandered nearby alleys. This female body—or maybe my nature—had me getting sentimental sometimes. Arin would rush me like a retriever for comfort once I got back, but I wanted solitude now.
Why couldn't I wake as an adult like protagonists in early-2000s novels? Adult me could've tutored snot-nosed kids with past-life knowledge. But I was barely over 1m tall.
At least until I stopped looking like a kid...
Gung PC Bang
[Highest-res streaming software for Twitch, VTube, etc. — Free!]
“Wanna play a bit before heading back?”
“An hour here's 3,000 won.”
“Members get 2,500.”
“Still too pricey.”
“My treat today. No other PC bangs around anyway.”
I overheard two boys who seemed like friends. Why hadn't I thought of that?
If no decent body, VR would do. Even in the capsule, some streamed with personal cams amid endless trolling. I wouldn't go that far.
The dimly lit PC (Personal Capsule) bang felt familiar yet repulsive as it enveloped me. No owner in sight—unmanned? Pricier than old-world norms, but the only one en route to/from school. Blame the fuzzy child protection zone.
Perfect. Waste school time sleeping, pull all-nighters in clean-magic capsules. Merlin had annoying brats picking fights anyway—tired of dealing.
This month's allowance: 5,000 won total. I paid for 1.5 hours and entered a capsule.
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“Back again. But Mom's gone now.”
Six partition walls rose in the empty void space, forming a single-room setup. The familiar bare room I knew: plain white wallpaper, bed, table, chair. But no trace of Seola anywhere.
“Wish we could've gamed together. Did Mom hate games?”
I leaned against the bed where she'd lain.
“Made a friend named Arin. Nicer than expected.”
Thought I'd be alone this life too, yet love kept overflowing.
“They say my body's really sick. Mom would've worried sick.”
Even in-game, she'd hurl herself to block attacks on me.
“Hilarious. I was the one meant to die in her place.”
What was I supposed to do if she died for me? The game would've glitched... We always played unbeatable games, but this life, those felt like my happiest.