Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 051
Chapter Title: Sick Visit and Watermelons, Watermelons, and...
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A stranger's ceiling.
Whenever someone regains consciousness after passing out, that's the line that inevitably fills the first sentence. Sure enough, as soon as I opened my eyes, a strange ceiling stretched out before me. Pure white text overlay on a sterile, public institution vibe ceiling.
I lowered my gaze and realized I was in a hospital room somewhere. A luxurious single room, no less.
But why had I woken up in a hospital room? With my foggy mind, I recalled the events right before I blacked out, step by step.
After hearing Iliana's investigation results, I contacted Kang Haneul immediately.
She didn't pick up, so worried she might be in danger, I headed straight to her place.
But lo and behold, Kang Haneul, who had said she was dropping out of the Academy, was wearing cute cat-shaped headphones, fawning over her audience during an internet broadcast.
The moment I tried to explain the situation to her, the attackers showed up—the duo from the original story, Jin-su and Seong-chan—coming to kidnap her.
After fighting like hell and chasing them off, I heard sirens in the distance, my tension snapped, and then...
I remembered nothing after that. Which meant I'd probably lost consciousness right after the fight with those guys.
'...Somehow I survived.'
Even if I'd used some tricks, I'd scored a clear win against that Heo Seong-chan. Considering my pathetic stats when I first possessed this body, it was huge progress, but I never wanted to pull off something that reckless again.
'I could've just played dead and stayed down.'
I couldn't understand my judgment at the time—what demon had possessed me to charge in and save Kang Haneul like that?
It had worked out since I'd won, but it was a situation where I could've easily lost my life. If that close-range explosion gamble targeting the enemy's insides had failed, I'd have died right there on the spot.
'Not even a main heroine or key character, risking my life for some random side character? I must've been crazy.'
About a month and a half since possessing this world, I'd come closer to death than ever before. The more I thought about it, the colder a chill ran through me.
'...How long was I out?'
To check the time, I pushed my stiff body upright.
-Clunk.
At that moment, a heavy sensation tugged at my left arm.
I turned my head. A strange woman was using my arm as a pillow, slumped over asleep. A woman with black hair reaching down to her waist.
'Min Chae-ryeong?'
The thought flashed through my mind, but I shook my head immediately. She looked like she'd fallen asleep while nursing me, but I couldn't imagine Min Chae-ryeong doing that.
"Mm..."
Maybe stirred by my movement, the mystery woman slowly lifted her head.
Black hair, black eyes. Moderately pretty, but overall plain impression.
"Kang Haneul Student?"
The one who'd been sleeping on my arm was Kang Haneul. In her real form, not her avatar, she stared at me blankly with sleepy eyes.
-Drip.
A trail of drool from her half-open mouth. I glanced down, and the sleeve of the arm she'd been using as a pillow was soaked with what looked like saliva. I instinctively grimaced at the sight, and only then did Kang Haneul snap awake with a gasp.
"S-s-sorry! Slurp! I'm so sorry. I, I must've dozed off without realizing..."
She wiped the drool from her face, saw my sleeve, and her eyes trembled in panic.
I had no intention of blaming her, so to spare her feelings, I changed the subject.
"Were you nursing me the whole time?"
"No. I, I just got here. Around twelve? Probably about an hour ago..."
She waved her hands flusteredly and checked her wristwatch.
"Huh?"
Kang Haneul's eyes went wide. The watch read five p.m. If her memory was until one, that meant she'd been sleeping on my arm for at least four hours.
"S-sorry. D-does your arm hurt...?"
Kang Haneul cautiously gauged my reaction. Seeing her, who was always full of complaints whenever we met, fawning over me like this felt so unfamiliar that I just stared silently.
"Ah..."
Her face gradually flushed red. Her dark eyes darted around wildly, lost.
"R-right! Fruit! I brought fruit! Fruit's a must for sick visits! Fruit's easy to digest when you're sick, right? Or was it the sweetness helps wounds heal? Or hydration? Anyway!"
Kang Haneul babbled incoherently and pulled a black plastic bag from the mini-fridge by the bed.
But its size was anything but ordinary.
"...What's in there exactly?"
"A w-watermelon?"
"Pardon?"
What she pulled out was a watermelon bigger than my head. It was so absurd I couldn't speak.
There were plenty of other fruits, but in early March, she brings a watermelon—as a sick visit gift?
"D-don't people usually bring easy-to-eat fruits for sick visits? How am I supposed to eat this...?"
"Ah..."
Kang Haneul looked flustered at my words, then cried out as if wronged.
"I-it's okay to bring a watermelon sometimes! Back home, Mom always cut watermelon for me when I had a cold! Watermelons have lots of water and sugar, so they're good for patients or whatever..."
Her bold voice trailed off. Her face flushed like a ripe watermelon in an instant, and she averted her gaze from mine.
This was utterly unfamiliar too. A human side of Kang Haneul that the original story never showed, something you could never guess from the novel's descriptions.
Kang Haneul's reaction felt exactly like a real person's. Just looking at her, you couldn't imagine she was a character from a novel made of text and settings.
Blushing in embarrassment right in front of me, pouting her lips like she was wronged while glaring at me, but unable to say anything harsh since I'd saved her, just clamping her mouth shut in frustration—that sight.
No matter how I looked at it, she seemed nothing but human, making me almost forget this was a novel world and she was just a character.
That look. That human-like demeanor. That appearance that could only be seen as human.
Suddenly, I thought I'd done well saving her.
"A-alright, alright! If I cut it for you myself, you won't complain, right?! Geez, I went out of my way to bring a gift, and you can't just graciously accept it?"
"Sure, but even so, a watermelon? Plus, I don't even know if I can eat fruit right now."
"Don't worry about that. The ruptured organs are all sutured, and the potion dilution has fully healed your digestive system. Doctor said you should stick to liquids for a while, but fruit like watermelon is fine."
"You know an awful lot about it."
"W-well..."
Kang Haneul hemmed and hawed, avoiding my gaze.
"...You're the benefactor who saved my life. Of course I'm worried."
"For someone like that, you haven't said thanks once yet."
"I-I was about to! It's embarrassing to say it outright, so I was trying to ease into the mood! But then you go and say that—what am I supposed to do now?!"
Kang Haneul shot up from her seat, her face a mix of emotions as she shouted.
"What, you fishing for thanks right now? No, if you're gonna play hero from a comic and save a girl, just quietly bask in it! Why push for verbal thanks like this?! You ruined the mood!"
"I'm not exactly a comic book hero."
"Right! Exactly! I must've been mistaken for a second! You're just a security guard getting paid at a university—yeah, I totally misjudged you!"
Kang Haneul huffed and puffed, catching her breath. Her heavy breathing echoed in the silence that settled between us.
"...Anyway."
Her face flushed again as she scratched the back of her head messily.
"Thanks for saving me. Sigh, seriously. This isn't the mood for lines like that..."
Kang Haneul pouted sulkily and pulled her hoodie down deep over her face.
"Anyway, glad you woke up safe. You were out for almost three days."
"Three days?"
That meant all the cleanup, police investigations, and such were probably done. I asked Kang Haneul about what happened while I was unconscious.
"Beats me? I haven't heard anything."
But she just shrugged, saying she knew nothing.
"You were the victim—how do you not know?"
"That's what I'm saying. But the police and security force won't tell me squat—what can I do? Unknown duo attempted kidnapping. Details unknown. That's all I got."
Did that even make sense? The thought crossed my mind, but on second thought, it wasn't strange.
No way would Ye Il or Na Ju-yong leave traces connecting to Jin-su and Seong-chan unless they were idiots. Plus, those two were unregistered slum rats. Of course the police investigation was hitting walls.
'Min Chae-ryeong probably knows the gist, but no reason for her to kindly explain it to Kang Haneul.'
"Don't you know anything?"
Probably asked out of frustration since I'd just woken up and couldn't look into it much.
"Yes. I know."
"Pardon?"
But I answered that I knew.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Prevent Kang Haneul's withdrawal from the Academy. Build rapport with Kang Haneul. Keep Kang Haneul by your side. Her presence will surely benefit you. The extra quest message told me that. To get close to Kang Haneul. She would definitely be helpful to me.
I couldn't trust the system 100%, but so far, it hadn't lied to me once. Plus, the extra quest message had a strangely different vibe from usual.
To stop her withdrawal and build rapport, it was best to uncover the mastermind behind this incident.
With that thought, I shared with Kang Haneul everything I knew about the incident. About Ye Il, Na Ju-yong, his research on multi-ability users, and the connection between Seong-chan, Jin-su, and Na Ju-yong.
I told her everything except the part about Min Chae-ryeong. By the end, Kang Haneul's face was ashen.
"...Fuck, for real. I just wanna live quietly, why do these assholes have to stir shit..."
She pinched her brow with a troubled expression and let out a deep sigh.
"What should I do now?"
"...For now, reverse the withdrawal and stay at the Academy. That'll make it harder for Ye Il to touch you."
"If I don't withdraw, will the security force protect me?"
"That... probably."
I couldn't give a firm yes. If the police hadn't connected Jin-su, Seong-chan to Ye Il, the security force likely hadn't either. They probably wouldn't assign 24-hour guards to her.
Min Chae-ryeong knew the situation, but without knowing her goals, it was uncertain if she'd protect Kang Haneul.
'Or maybe Min Chae-ryeong is after her too.'
If it was just coveting talent like Kang Haneul, fine—but if she was after gains from her ability like Na Ju-yong?
"At least it's good the security force has capable people like you—I could relax—"
"No. Don't trust the security force too much either."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well... there might be someone in the security force secretly cooperating with Ye Il."
I couldn't say a security force bigwig might be targeting you—that'd make even me, her direct subordinate, suspect.
"...So you're the only one I can trust now?"
Kang Haneul said it, but her expression wasn't bad. Despite the situation, a faint smile played on her lips.
"It's Sunday, so first thing tomorrow morning, I'll head to the student affairs office and reverse the withdrawal. The paperwork probably processed Friday, but begging should fix it."
"What about your internet broadcasts?"
"Gotta keep doing them. Tuition and living expenses eat cash—gotta earn while I can. Plus, turns out streaming kinda suits me. I can bare my soul without showing my real face, y'know?"
-Ding!
As she said that with a casual smile, a blue system message appeared in the center of my vision.
⚙ EXTRA QUEST CLEARED ⚙ You have prevented Kang Haneul's withdrawal from the Academy and succeeded in building rapport with her. Please cherish that relationship. Rewards
1. Guard Rate increased by 3% (Current Guard Rate: 8%) ※When Guard Rate reaches 10%, [스킬: Academy Guard] effect allows raising one stat rank by 1 step.
Seeing the message, I let out a sigh of relief. Another incident wrapped up, at least for now.
"...Why are you staring like that?"
I immediately dismissed the system message. I'd just been looking at it, but to Kang Haneul, it must've looked like I was staring at her silently.
As I fumbled for a reply, she tilted her head. Then she touched her cheek and blushed embarrassedly.
"D-does it look that different?"
"Pardon?"
"My avatar and real face. You kept staring, so I thought maybe you were comparing... I-I mean, it's based on this face, but I tweaked a lot. Eyes, nose bridge, skin's clearer on the avatar. And other stuff... But no need to stare like it's that weird."
I hadn't thought that at all, but she seemed to interpret my gaze that way.
"No. Wasn't thinking that. Avatar or real, no real difference."
"Huh?"
Sure, there was some difference between her avatar and real appearance. But nothing dramatic. I'd recognized her instantly when I first saw the avatar—it was basically the same as her real self.
"Pfft."
At my answer, her flushed face broke into a smirk.
"That line was pretty good. Clueless face slipping in a compliment—total shonen manga protag."
"Of all the comparisons..."
She probably meant it as a joke, but to me, possessing a novel character, it hit complicated. Oblivious to that, Kang Haneul grinned wide at my awkward frown.
-Rrrumble!
Then the hospital room door burst open noisily.
"Huh?"
It was Chae So-yeon who'd barged in. Her eyes widened hugely, one hand clutching a large bag.
"Chae So-yeon?"
"Y-you're awa-a-aake! Finally awake!!!"
The next instant, Chae So-yeon teared up and charged at me. Instinctively, I activated my ability.
-Thwack!
"Ow!"
Her head snapped back from the baseball-sized smoke compression hit.
"Why'd you hit me!!!"
"You came rushing in suddenly..."
"My coworker was out for three days and wakes up—can't I be happy about it!!"
"...Coworker senior?"
"No. Same year."
This little punk. Acting all senior out of nowhere?
"But who's she... Ah!"
Chae So-yeon pointed at Kang Haneul and shouted.
"Scaredy-cuss-mouth dropout!"
"...What?"
A thick vein bulged on Kang Haneul's temple. She eyed Chae So-yeon, then nodded as if remembering.
"Oh, it's that brat nagging next to Su-ho back then? Thought some elementary kid was hanging with security—what, you're security too?"
"Brat? Elementar-r-ry brat??? Did you eat manners for breakfast?!"
"Pot calling the kettle. You hit me with scaredy-cuss-mouth first."
"You are a scaredy-cuss-mouth!"
"Look at you. Can't reflect on yourself, just yapping—textbook elementary brat."
Chae So-yeon suddenly revved up, and Kang Haneul fired back without yielding an inch.
'Come to think of it, Kang Haneul had a temper too.'
She'd been so meek since I woke up that I'd forgotten, but our first meeting, she'd dropped an f-bomb right away. Worst possible matchup with walking rage-bait Chae So-yeon.
"Did I lie?! Scared of fighting so you drop out, then we come and you cuss first! Scaredy-cuss-mouth!!"
"I can't listen anymore. You know nothing about my situation and act all high and mighty?!"
"This bitch!"
"What! Bitch, what?!"
"Both of you, stop."
At my words, the two huffing women turned to me in unison. I undid my gown front, proudly showing off my bandage-wrapped torso.
"Great way to 'sick visit' in front of a patient—fighting each other. Right?"
"...Sorry. I got a bit excited."
"Hmph! At least you know!"
"Fucking hell."
The last curse was from me. I formed a smoke ball ready to launch, and Chae So-yeon yelped, shielding her forehead with both hands.
"If you're sick visiting, don't pick fights—do the visiting. You were bawling and rushing in when I woke up, now I'm invisible?"
"Saw you're healthy—good enough! Right, brought fruit for you! Ta-da!"
Chae So-yeon held up the black plastic bag.
Its size was suspiciously large again.
"Don't tell me watermelon."
"Ding dong dang!"
"Fuck, seriously."
What the hell—both of them bringing watermelons to a patient? Was this normal here? Was my original world sensibility out of sync with this novel world's common sense?
"Why does everyone bring watermelons? Couldn't you pick something easy for a patient?"
"Potions heal most injuries anyway! Just cut and eat—why fuss?"
She didn't offer to cut it herself. That was so Chae So-yeon.
"Two watermelons—when am I supposed to eat all this...?"
"Huh? There's more?"
"What?"
At Chae So-yeon's words, I shot back, and she pointed at the door.
"On my way up, Ji Ye-w... I mean Ye-won was at the first floor. If not visiting someone else, probably here for you. She had a fruit bag too."
Too coincidental for chance. Kang Haneul dozing off fine, but how'd Chae So-yeon and Ji Ye-won time their visits perfectly to my waking?
"If she brought watermelon too, hilarious. Right?"
"Hilarious my ass. Think Ji... Ye-won lacks common sense like you?"
"Lacks common... Sorry..."
"No, wasn't saying you lack... I mean Kang Haneul student..."
Suddenly thrust into some harem plot I never asked for, I sighed. Head already hurting from just waking, now it felt ready to burst.
-Rrrumble!
Then the door opened, and Ji Ye-won appeared.
"Huh? You're up? And strangers too."
As part of her Ji Ye-won persona, she wore a baseball jacket loaded with flashy overlock stitches, snapback tilted huge. Where'd she even get that outfit?
"Anyway, good you're awake. Brought fruit as a sick visit gift."
"Watermelon by any chance?"
At my question, Chae So-yeon and Kang Haneul's eyes gleamed, staring at Ji Ye-won's bag. Under the intense gazes, Ji Ye-won tilted her head.
"Huh? No? Grapes and bananas—easy to eat. Why watermelon all sudden?"
She proudly pulled out a bunch of yellow bananas from the bag.
Chae So-yeon and Kang Haneul tsked softly, and I sighed in relief.
"...What? Why you all like that?"
Ji Ye-won, clueless, tilted her head holding the bananas with a blank face.