Chapter 373
Chapter 373
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Please Save Me
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"Spit it out! Spit it out!"
"Cough! Gah!"
Jang Chaeyeon and Ailin pounding vigorously on my back, and Yoo Daon pressing firmly around my solar plexus.
It felt more like she was punching my solar plexus than pressing it, but anyway, she was working on it.
Song Arin and Park Ye-eun had gone to fetch a nurse.
And then,
"Gah!"
Me, making unseemly noises with a candy stuck in my throat.
"Gah! Heuk!"
"The kid's dying! Can't you pull it out with telekinesis?"
"You might rip out the esophagus too!"
Was that even a sensible thing to say?
Jang Chaeyeon responded to Ailin's frantic shout, and as I heard it, I felt my face drain of color.
Of course, it was turning pale because I couldn't breathe properly, too.
"Heuk!"
As Ailin slapped my back and saliva flew,
Gulp.
The candy lodged in my throat went down.
"Ugh...!"
I started coughing.
I kept coughing and dropped to my knees, and only then did they start stroking my back.
"You okay?"
"You're alive, right?"
"Jaeheon-ssi, are you really okay?"
"You didn't just punch him in the solar plexus, did you, Daon-ssi...?"
"Huh?"
At my mutter, Yoo Daon widened her eyes innocently, and I pressed on my solar plexus.
She had definitely been pressing on it, so why did it feel like I'd been hit?
"I absolutely didn't!"
"..."
I groaned and plopped down on the floor, and soon Song Arin and Park Ye-eun arrived with a nurse.
Of course, now that I was perfectly fine, we all sat in a circle, drawing the nurse's disapproving gaze.
The only difference being...
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone except Yoo Daon staring at me like I was a bomb.
"First off—"
"Don't open your mouth. You never know what might happen."
"Are you saying I'm gonna breathe fire or something?"
"I said be quiet. You never know what might happen."
Song Arin shook her head with a serious expression at my incredulous retort.
"You stay quiet for now."
"..."
"You."
"Y-Yes..."
Song Arin glared at Park Ye-eun, who avoided her gaze.
"What happened."
"Huh?"
"What you just did was way too unnatural."
Song Arin crossed her arms and stared at Park Ye-eun, and Ailin, upon hearing that, went "Ah..." with a look like she'd realized something and eyed Park Ye-eun.
"I see."
"Um... what are you talking about..."
"When you moved just now."
Song Arin cut off Park Ye-eun and spoke.
"The whole situation was too contrived."
"..."
"There was nothing around to trip over, but you suddenly slipped, the candy flew, and it went straight into that guy's mouth... Does that make any sense?"
"..."
Park Ye-eun hung her head at Song Arin's words.
"Be honest. Are you from some organization or—"
"Not that far."
Ailin stepped in with a calm voice to block her.
"Ye-eun-ah."
"Y-Yes, Unnie."
"Did you eat the candy?"
Ailin smiled benevolently at Park Ye-eun.
Receiving that gaze, Park Ye-eun froze, then slowly nodded.
"I did."
"I see."
"But I really didn't know it was that kind of candy! I just thought it brought good luck! I even bought a lottery ticket after eating it, and nothing changed...!"
"How'd a minor buy a lottery ticket?"
"Team Leader bought it for me."
Team Leader...
"Anyway, I really... didn't know... And no, I'm really not from another organization!"
"Yeah, I figured it wasn't that."
Ailin said that while glaring at Song Arin, who looked away with her arms still crossed upon receiving the gaze.
"Someone had to be suspicious."
"That doesn't make it okay to suspect a teenage kid."
"..."
Song Arin shut her mouth, and in the meantime, I approached Park Ye-eun.
"Right, Ye-eun-ah."
"Yes..."
"No changes at all?"
"Yes..."
Park Ye-eun nodded at my words.
Wasn't it supposed to bring good luck?
Or was feeding it to me the stroke of luck?
Otherwise, was it just calling itself good luck while parasitizing me like Butterfly's Dream?
"First, Arin-ssi, get Ye-eun a mental scan right away. And an X-ray too."
"What about you?"
"If Ye-eun's fine, I'll be fine too. Hurry!"
At my words, the others sprang into action efficiently, and soon Ye-eun bowed her head to me in apology.
"I'm sorry, Oppa..."
"No need to apologize. It could've happened to anyone."
Honestly, I had no intention of scolding a teenager. Kids do stuff like that.
"But why didn't you say you'd eaten it?"
"I... thought I'd get in trouble."
"Next time, tell us right away. That's how we can fix the problem."
"...Yes."
Park Ye-eun nodded slowly at my words, and I comforted her as we waited for the nurse.
*
"She's fine."
Soon, the nurse took Park Ye-eun to the X-ray room, and after the scan, she stated calmly while looking at us.
"Ah, really?"
"Yes. Nothing strange inside."
"You're sure?"
"Our Management Bureau hospital sees more human insides than anyone."
The nurse's eyes flashed at my question, and in the end, I had no choice but to trust her.
As we came out with Park Ye-eun, the others looked at me curiously.
"What'd they say?"
"Uh, she's okay."
"Hmm."
"So probably nothing to worry about for me either."
"..."
The others looked at me with faces full of worry.
"Don't worry too much. Worst case, Arin-ssi won't protect m... well, she'll at least watch over me."
"Hah, unbelievable. I can protect you just fine, you know?"
"She's right, she can't protect you."
Song Arin calmly shook her head, agreeing with me, and Jang Chaeyeon nodded along.
True enough. How could Song Arin protect me anyway?
"So we'll stay here overnight."
"But won't it be uncomfortable for you?"
It was a standard two-person room, so the other person had to sleep on an uncomfortable sofa-chair.
Sleeping like that would probably wreck your back...
But as if to make my worries unfounded, Jang Chaeyeon and Yoo Daon shook their heads.
"No problem."
"Even if my back gets crooked from the discomfort, it'll go back to normal anyway!"
I knew convincing those two wouldn't work.
"...Got it. Then Ailin-ssi, you watch Ye-eun... If anything, no. Just stick close to her today."
"Okay."
"Call if anything happens."
"Don't worry."
Ailin nodded slowly at my words, and a subtle emotion flickered across Park Ye-eun's face.
"Why?"
"...No, it's just..."
Park Ye-eun trailed off with a hum.
"I thought, yeah, it really does bring good luck."
"..."
Park Ye-eun's gaze turned to Ailin, and I followed it before poking her in the back of the head.
"Don't go eating stuff aiming for that."
"Of course not!"
"No more candy, right?"
"Really, absolutely none. I swear on my mom and dad!"
"..."
What could I even say to that?
"Anyway, then."
We sent off Ailin and Park Ye-eun like that,
"...Let's go."
"Yeah."
"Yes!"
"...Quit granting wishes halfway."
Jang Chaeyeon and Yoo Daon nodded with smiles, while Song Arin muttered something incomprehensible as we headed to our room.
*
Night fell.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Surprisingly, nothing happened.
No good luck, no bad luck.
Wait, wasn't nothing happening the good luck right now?
Did that mean something was supposed to happen?
"Jaeheon-ssi, what ominous thing are you thinking now?"
"Busted."
"Don't worry too much!"
Yoo Daon laughed at my calm reply and raised both arms.
"If anything happens, I'll take responsibility and help!"
"Taking responsibility doesn't mean throwing your body at death."
"But Arin-ssi can't even do that."
"Can we stop fighting?"
Wait, were they getting along? Was I the one butting in cluelessly?
Anyway, the two shut their mouths at my words.
"I'll take responsibility and scold you properly."
"Chaeyeon-ssi fights too."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon shut her mouth at my words.
And so night came.
Yoo Daon took the spot next to me, and Jang Chaeyeon took the one next to Song Arin.
I'd suggested a few times that Jang Chaeyeon sleep next to me instead, but sharing with her probably meant I wouldn't sleep at all.
Not that it was easy sleeping next to Yoo Daon either.
"...Brings back old memories."
As I stared blankly at the ceiling with the curtain drawn around Song Arin's bed, Yoo Daon whispered to me.
"Old memories?"
"Yeah. Sometimes... just sometimes, there were days with no incidents at all."
Yoo Daon murmured while gazing at the ceiling.
I could almost smell vanilla wafting in.
"We'd all gather like this, staring at the ceiling, talking."
"..."
"About what we'd do when we got out. Who we wanted to see... stuff like that."
"I see."
"And I really didn't know anything, so..."
Even in the darkness, I could tell Yoo Daon was giving a wry smile.
"The others would tell me all about it every time."
"So Daon-ssi, did you have something you wanted to do?"
"Me? Hmm..."
Yoo Daon closed her eyes at my question, as if thinking.
"I..."
"..."
After pondering with her eyes closed for a moment, Yoo Daon smiled.
"Now? I don't know."
"Huh?"
"I've done a surprising amount already. With you, Jaeheon-ssi."
She smiled softly.
"I've walked outdoors smelling fresh grass, ridden a boat inhaling sea air. And seen movies and plays."
"I see."
"So if I stay by your side from now on, I'll get to see even more, right?"
"That's not all."
"Huh?"
Yoo Daon turned to face me, and I smiled back at her.
"I'll show you even cooler, more amazing things from now on."
"..."
Yoo Daon smiled at my words,
*Knock knock.*
Someone knocked on the door from far away.
[Please be quiet, everyone.]
An unnecessarily eerie voice came from outside,
"Yeah, time to sleep."
"Yeah."
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon chimed in from next door.
"You guys are too much."
"Ahaha..."
"I can hear you."
Yoo Daon laughed at my words, and Song Arin spoke in an irritated voice.
"Anyway... goodnight."
"Yeah."
Yoo Daon smiled and closed her eyes, and I closed mine too.
If this was good luck, then it was good luck.
I closed my eyes like that,
*
-...right.
-...right?
-...hey.
I opened my eyes at the distant voices.
Three voices.
"...What."
Why are they fighting again, why.
As I pulled down the blanket and looked toward where the three were,
They were pointing fingers at each other.
The sun hadn't even risen yet—what now.
"Ah! Jaeheon-ssi!"
Jang Chaeyeon spotted me and lit up, opening her mouth.
"...Yeah?"
"Jaeheon-ssi!"
Jang Chaeyeon ran toward me,
"Please don't run around with that body of yours."
Yoo Daon sighed deeply with her hand on her forehead,
"..."
And Song Arin stared at me expressionlessly.
"Br-Branch Head-nim."
"Jaeheon-ssi! It's me! Yoo Daon!"
"Branch Head-nim. Save me!"
A terror I'd never felt before in my life came over me.