Chapter 136: ㄴㅇㄱ (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: ㄴㅇㄱ (3)
After my last class of the afternoon, I called the number I had saved for Ju-yeon on my smartphone.
-Hello?
A voice answered almost as soon as I called.
“Hello, ma'am.”
-Hehe, hello. Did your class just end?
“Yes. I was wondering if I could come see you now.”
-I'm in the infirmary right now, so come on over!
“Okay. I think it'll take me about ten minutes.”
-Alright.
I headed to the infirmary at a leisurely pace.
“It really feels fine, though.”
The sensation from my hand, wrapped up in bandages like a teenager with chunibyo, was perfectly normal.
Even when I inspected it internally with my mana, I couldn't find anything wrong.
Above all, it made no sense that a healer as skilled as Ju-yeon couldn't cure frostbite in one go.
“Of course, she’s better at buffing than healing, but still…”
Even so, she was beyond A-rank and on the verge of becoming the nation's first S-rank healer.
Her healing abilities were only lacking in comparison to her buffs; she was still skilled enough to completely overwhelm any average healer.
“Come to think of it, that’s strange.”
Thinking about it, the bigger question wasn't why she couldn't heal the frostbite at once, but why Ju-yeon was even here in the first place.
Healers at major hospitals or government agencies. Those positions were usually filled by retired Hunters.
The ones who retired due to age, or those who couldn't bring themselves to fight because they were afraid of battle.
Because healers were in such high demand, they still earned high salaries, but there was an enormous gap compared to what Hunters on the front lines made.
At a minimum, it was several times less; at most, it could be tens, even hundreds of times less.
For someone like Ju-yeon, who had been active in a major American guild, the difference was probably in the hundreds.
That's why I couldn't understand.
I'd heard her guild had offered to triple her original salary to get her to stay.
“Is she homesick…?”
It had been about seven years since Ju-yeon left Korea. She hadn't come back once in all that time, so I assumed she had adjusted well…
“No, it still doesn't make sense.”
Even if she was homesick, becoming a healer at Korea University was the wrong move.
The moment Ju-yeon set foot in Korea as a free agent, all sorts of major guilds must have been drooling over her.
“Hmm… Don't tell me.”
An ominous thought suddenly struck me.
“She's not sick or anything, is she…?”
As I said, being a healer was a second-choice career for those who had retired from active duty.
Could it be that after seven years of hard work in a foreign guild, something had gone wrong with Ju-yeon's body?
If she chose to be a healer at Korea University in preparation for her retirement as a Hunter…
“Nah, no way.”
I shook my head hard, trying to erase the ominous thought.
I knew it wasn't entirely impossible, which only made me hope more desperately that it wasn't true.
The foreboding feeling quickened my steps.
Before I knew it, I'd arrived at the infirmary wing.
I bounded up the stairs, taking two or three steps at a time, and knocked on the door to her office.
“Come in!”
I carefully opened the door and went inside, where I saw Ju-yeon in a white coat.
Her usual bright, warm smile put me at ease for a moment.
“Hello, ma'am.”
“Hoho! Yes, come on in.”
Ju-yeon greeted me with a happy expression and patted the chair in front of her.
I walked over calmly and sat down.
“Let's have a look at that hand, shall we?”
“Ah, yes.”
The bandages on my hand were unwrapped.
The corners of Ju-yeon's mouth lifted when she confirmed that the knot she had tied was completely untouched.
“You listened well, didn't you? Aww, what a good boy.”
Han Ju-yeon suddenly reached out and stroked my head.
“……”
This feels a bit strange.
I wasn't sure if I liked being treated like a child or not.
“Is there anything wrong with the sensation?”
“No, not at all.”
“That's a relief. Your skin… doesn't seem to have any issues either.”
“Then…”
I was about to ask if that meant I didn't have to come back anymore.
“But you never know! Let's have you come in every day this week!”
“…Ah, yes.”
When I answered, my face falling, Ju-yeon pouted.
“What's wrong…? Do you hate seeing me that much?”
I quickly waved my hands, denying her words.
“No, of course not. I just hoped to be declared fully healed soon…”
At that, Ju-yeon's pout vanished as if it had never been there, and she scolded me with a stern expression.
“The human body is incredibly delicate. Aftereffects can linger even if you feel fine now. That's why we have to be extra thorough. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Then I'll wrap the bandage again.”
Once again, my hand was covered in bandages.
It was inconvenient, but… I just stayed quiet.
This had its own advantages, like Yu-jeong or Jeong-hee feeding me my meals.
I even used it as an excuse to have a wild night of sex yesterday.
As I watched her meticulously wrap the bandage, strand by strand, my eyes landed on a place they shouldn't have.
As she leaned forward, the collar of her coat parted, revealing her cleavage.
The moment I saw the deep valley formed by her ample breasts, which seemed impossible to hide no matter what she wore, my gaze was drawn there against my will.
“Ngh…!”
Two emotions merged within me. The guilt and excitement of looking at my sister-in-law's chest—though technically, she wasn't that anymore.
Having thoughts like this, I must be well and truly insane.
After barely managing to tear my eyes away, I asked her a question.
“Um… may I ask a personal question?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“From what I understand, you're an active A-rank Hunter. An outstanding one, at that, who received enormous offers from foreign guilds…”
“Hehe… It's a bit embarrassing, but yes, that's right.”
“Then why are you working as a healer here?”
The question I'd been harboring.
What kind of answer would Ju-yeon give me?
“Hmm~ Well…”
“……”
The bright smile that had been on her face just moments ago turned a little gloomy.
“I was active in the United States for seven years, you see…?”
“…Yes.”
“But during that time, I lost something incredibly important.”
Her answer sent a dizzying sensation through my entire body.
A dizzying feeling, as if I were in a constant freefall from a staggering height.
I asked her again, my voice trembling.
“That… thing you lost…?”
“Hehe…”
Her expression as she let out a small laugh looked indescribably lonely.
Hollow emotions like emptiness and loss clung precariously to the corners of her lips.
“Something very important. Something as precious as my own life…”
A smile as pitiful as a spurned woman's, and an answer that was endlessly bitter.
My racing heart stopped in an instant.
It felt as if my stilled heart had plummeted to the floor with a sickening lurch.
All the puzzle pieces seemed to click into place.
Why she had been panting so hard after healing a simple case of frostbite, and why she'd told me to come back all week, as if she didn't trust her own skills.
“Ma'am…”
The precious thing Ju-yeon said she had lost.
For a Hunter, there was only one thing that precious, something they wouldn't trade for their own life.
The ability that defined them as a Hunter.
I didn't know what on earth she had been through, but… Ju-yeon had undoubtedly lost her ability.
Of course, seeing her use Cure meant she hadn't lost all of it, but… she must have lost a significant portion.
If that was the case, then I could understand why Ju-yeon had gone out of her way to become a healer at Korea University.
With the power she had left, being a healer was probably… all she could do.
She had plenty of money, sure, but she was such an active person that she hated being cooped up at home.
Or maybe… she just wanted to do something, anything, to keep the distracting thoughts at bay.
“There, all done.”
Having finished wrapping the bandage, Ju-yeon straightened up.
“What's with that expression? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Seeing my darkened face, she asked me with a look full of concern.
It was so like her to be worrying about others even now, and yet, it was heartbreaking.
“That… thing you said you lost.”
“Hm? Oh, that…?”
“Can you get it back?”
At my question, Ju-yeon gave a strange expression and let out a low laugh.
“Hehe… I'm not so sure. Maybe if I try hard enough…?”
Possible if she tries. To me, that sounded incredibly difficult, but not entirely impossible.
That was enough.
As long as it wasn't impossible—no, even if it were, I would have tried anyway.
“Ma'am.”
I took her hand firmly with my good one and spoke.
“I will make sure you get it back.”
Ju-yeon was someone who meant a great deal to me.
At times she was a friend, at times like a little sister, and at times a comforter who consoled me when I was lost in despair.
I couldn't just stand by and watch a person like that lose her abilities and fall into despair.
“You'll… help me get it back?”
Han Ju-yeon asked, a bewildered look on her face.
I nodded confidently and held up my bandaged hand.
“You healed this hand for me, so I'll help you get back what you've lost.”
I still didn't know what the problem was, or how to get her abilities back.
But whatever it was, I would do it, and I would succeed.
“Will you really help me?”
Had my bold declaration given the weary Ju-yeon some strength?
A faint smile bloomed on her pale lips.
“Then can you promise me? That you'll help me get back my precious thing.”
She held out her pinky finger.
Whenever Ju-yeon made a promise, she would always insist on linking pinkies.
“Yes, I promise.”
I answered without hesitation, linking my pinky with hers.
We did the whole routine—stamp, copy, the works.
It was nothing more than a childish game, but my resolve was firm.
I would get back what Ju-yeon had lost. I swore it.
“Hehe… That's a promise, then?”
…But why did a sudden chill run down my spine?