Peace (1)
“...Are you sure you just fell?”
The doctor said to me as I lay there. Even I thought my hand looked too mangled for a simple fall, but I had to stick to that story no matter what.
“...Yes.”
The doctor stared intently at my hand. He glanced back and forth between it and my face a few times before letting out a sigh.
“...For now, I think you should get surgery as soon as possible.”
“The cracks are manageable, but the dislocated joints...”
The doctor used his own hand as an example, explaining further. Every time he described a twisted part, my left hand throbbed.
I casually asked the doctor, who was rattling off treatment options.
“When can I go back to work?”
“...Since you're right-handed, you should be able to return to daily life pretty quickly.”
I felt a bit relieved at his assessment.
Bzzz...
The hospital room door slid open, and someone approached the doctor.
“The guardian is here.”
...Guardian?
Everyone's eyes turned to the woman who followed behind. She was panting slightly, as if she'd rushed over. I jolted in shock when I saw the familiar face.
No way—why is she the guardian?
She hurried straight to me and spoke.
“...Are you okay?”
I had a ton I wanted to say, but considering the hospital's name, maybe it made sense.
“...I'm fine, Ga-eun.”
*
Baek Ga-eun listened to the full story and asked how much time there was before surgery. When they said about 20 minutes, she told them she'd fill out the consent form herself and to please leave the room.
I couldn't understand why Baek Ga-eun, who wasn't even an official guardian, was doing this. The doctors complying so meekly with her absurd demand was weird too. In the end, my questions all led back to the Baekil Group name.
As I sat there speechless in disbelief, Baek Ga-eun spoke up.
“...Oppa, be honest. How did you really hurt your hand?”
Even Baek Ga-eun was starting to suspect my hand injury. I couldn't tell the truth, so I had to brush it off vaguely.
“...I fell.”
She seemed to swallow something hard, lowering her voice as she asked again.
“...Why'd you fall?”
I turned my head away completely, avoiding her gaze, and answered.
“...It was slippery.”
She let out a deep sigh at my words.
“Oppa, tell me when I ask.”
Coming from her, it sounded like, If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself. I could totally see Baek Ga-eun doing that.
To prove my innocence, I forced myself to meet her eyes and said,
“...I really fell.”
She glared at me like she wanted to devour me, started to say something, then squeezed her eyes shut as if holding back.
“...You need surgery anyway, so we'll leave it at this for today.”
Even a worm writhes when stepped on. I glared back with axe-like eyes, ready to talk after surgery, but her sharp gaze cowed me into silence as I lay back down.
Instead, as I listened to her explain the consent form, surgery soon began. They started administering the anesthesia.
A moment later, I could hear the people in the operating room talking, but my consciousness gradually faded.
Before blacking out, I thought it would be nice if I could see the goddess.
*
[...It's been a while.]
“Huh? We actually met?”
It was the first time we'd met while I was unconscious, so it felt strange. The goddess looked displeased after so long.
[I don't have much time, so I'll keep it brief.]
“...Huh?”
[Have you made any big mistakes lately?]
“...Mistakes?”
I almost retired Lee Ji-yeon... lied to Hyeon Ha-yeon and got caught...
[I told you to be careful with Lee Ji-yeon, but instead of that, you spend the whole day entangled with her bodies? Do you think that's acceptable?]
I did try to be careful at first. Sure, I ended up making a big mistake...
[...This is a very bad situation, so be cautious about physical contact with those women.]
I couldn't believe what the goddess was saying. She'd told me to make them celebrities and succeed, and now she was warning me about contact?
[...I'll be away for a while, so it might be hard to meet.]
“...What do you mean?”
I was flustered by the goddess bulldozing through her points.
[You must not entangle your bodies with her anymore.]
[Lee Ji-yeon, be careful of Lee Ji-yeon. The demon king and hero are still...]
Her gaze blurred as she kept emphasizing Lee Ji-yeon right up to the end. She tossed me vague hints but no clear instructions. Soon, I woke up.
The fluorescent lights stung my eyes. I struggled to raise my hand and rub them.
“...Sunbae-nim, this is the hospital room.”
“Ha, you're calling me sunbae now? What about you, hubae-nim?”
My mind was foggy, like I hadn't fully woken up.
“If you keep making a fuss...”
“Hey, hubae-nim, who are you to play guardian?”
...Baek Ga-eun and Lee Ji-yeon were arguing.
Baek Ga-eun replied in her usual calm tone.
“I'm his guardian...”
Provoked by Baek Ga-eun's words, Lee Ji-yeon raised her voice and advanced like she was about to strike.
“Oppa? You bitch, who do you think you—”
Even Baek Ga-eun stepped closer, as if daring her to try. I had to stop Lee Ji-yeon before she did something rash.
“Ugh...”
I let out a strained groan, and both their gazes snapped to me.
“Cho-in!”
“Oppa!”
Ignoring each other, they rushed to my side.
“...Feeling a bit better?”
“...You okay?”
I couldn't single one out, so I answered vaguely.
“...Yeah, I'm fine.”
Lee Ji-yeon leaned in close to my face.
“You, tell me honestly—how'd you get hurt?”
Baek Ga-eun reached out to block her, covering my face.
“...Sunbae-nim, he's the patient. Now that the anesthesia's worn off...”
Furious at Baek Ga-eun's action, Lee Ji-yeon ground her teeth.
“...Hubae-nim, I'll handle my own business, so scram, okay?”
Even with Lee Ji-yeon's harsh words, Baek Ga-eun kept her calm tone.
“Sunbae-nim, I'm the guardian. Don't hound our oppa when he's suffering.”
I was shocked at Baek Ga-eun subtly provoking her. Was she always this aggressive? They traded barbs without outright cursing, and I finally managed to speak.
“...My head hurts, so... be quiet for a bit...”
They finally stopped fighting and went quiet. We chatted awkwardly on thin ice, growling occasionally at each other's jabs a few times until the doctor came in, checked my condition, and said I could be discharged tomorrow with outpatient treatment.
“Um... it's late, so we'll have only one guardian stay...”
The nurse, cowed by Lee Ji-yeon's sharp glare, barely continued.
At the nurse's words, Baek Ga-eun smiled brightly.
“Sunbae-nim, take care going home.”
Lee Ji-yeon trembled with rage, then approached me, planted a deep kiss on my lips, and left. The nurse, startled by Lee Ji-yeon's boldness in front of others—for the first time—and Baek Ga-eun both froze, sneering at her retreating back.
The wide-eyed nurse glanced between Baek Ga-eun and me before slipping out of the room.
Baek Ga-eun wiped the lipstick off my lips with a wet wipe, saying it was smeared.
We spent an awkward time together until it grew late. I tried to send her home, but she insisted on staying by my side out of worry. I understood her sisterly affection, but it felt burdensome at this level. After some back-and-forth, I couldn't break her stubbornness.
Still, chatting about this and that made time pass enjoyably. I didn't like her sleeping on the stiff guardian bed, but she reassured me it was fine since it was a VIP room, and we talked until right before sleep.
*
Lightning flashing through the room...
Krummm...
Fingers dangling with a chilling sound...
Crack
A sweet sigh mixed with a voice counting numbers right by my ear...
“Three times...”
I desperately tried to scream, but a rough hand blocked it, letting only a muffled cry escape...
“Grraaah!”
Viscous madness and rage crushing my body, with frailty buried beneath...
Snap
“Four times...”
Krummm...
The same scenes repeated endlessly, making my vision spin.
“Hah!”
I bolted upright, gasping, and looked around.
Krummm...
Thunder rumbled outside the window. I was in the hospital room.
“Huff... huff...”
As I panted, a voice came from under the bed.
“...What's wrong?”
I jumped at the woman's voice, sucking in a breath and turning. Of course, it was Baek Ga-eun.
“...N-nothing... just a nightmare...”
My left hand throbbed. It hurt like Hyeon Ha-yeon was twisting the fingers again.
“...You okay?”
Forcing a reply to her worried tone, I lay back down. But the recurring nightmares kept waking me in cycles.
Each time I jolted awake, so did Baek Ga-eun. Suddenly, she rummaged in her bag and handed me something.
“...Sleeping pills. They said it's okay to take, so have some and sleep.”
“...Th-thanks...”
Exhausted mentally, I swallowed them blindly and drifted off. The relief of the meds put me to sleep fast.
...Someone was panting.
Something heavy pressed on my lower body, grinding against it. Something soft that had been rummaging in my mouth slid down my body, caressing every inch.
A thick pleasure tingled from my scalp to my toes, draining out of me.
Something white swayed before my eyes.
That was the dream I had.