A Miracle in the Pediatric Ward

Originally, this event hadn't been planned as volunteer work but as a proper promotional event. And not for the Mir Guild, but for the Lair Cafe.

You know how it is. Sometimes you want to be celebrated, but it feels awkward to outright say, "Celebrate me."

For the Mir Guild, this was their first place finish.

One might ask, why feel awkward about coming in first? But honestly, the Mir Guild had taken first place far too many times. First-place marketing only works for so long. At some point, even celebrating another victory starts to feel embarrassing.

From CEO Lee Shin down, their motto was "If it's cliché, it's better not to do it at all." That was also why, even as the Mir Guild continued to hold the top spot, Their promotions focused on walkthrough teams like the Mountain King rather than their results.

That was the guild's perspective, at least.

From the Lair Cafe's point of view, this approach was a bit problematic.

The Lair Cafe was doing quite well, but it wasn't the industry leader like the Mir Guild. Setting that aside, whether it felt stale or not, they needed the publicity. After all, this was how the franchise owners made their living.

In any case, because the Lair Cafe's core identity was its connection to the Mir Guild, the situation had become rather ambiguous.

So the sales team racked their brains and came up with an elegant marketing plan: do a good deed, promote the first-place finish, and promote the Lair Cafe all at once.

But the moment this marketing event fell into Lee Shin's hands and those of the Strategic Planning Office, it transformed completely.

It all started with the wishes enclosed in the report.

Lee Shin had been smiling at the abstract, innocent wishes when he suddenly stopped at one.

It was a long letter.

At a glance, it was clearly not written by a child.

They had collected wishes from children, yet for some reason a guardian seemed to have participated. The person who wrote it must have known that. Nevertheless, they had poured their heart into every single character. Was it asking something of them? No.

This was more like a vow to themselves.

Our child will get better. They will definitely become healthy. The faith they had always repeated, the prayer they had always offered, had finally overflowed.

It was a feeling only someone who had desperately wished for something could understand. At that moment, Lee Shin was already calling for Yun Cho-a.

"I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handle this myself, so noona, look into this for me."

The next day, the wish box was delivered back to the guild, now filled with the sincere wishes of the patients' parents as well. And that was how this event had been planned.

Pediatric ward.

The children came pouring out. Some held their parents' hands, others sat in wheelchairs as they headed toward the auditorium.

"Jisoo's mom, what's going on?"

"Why did they suddenly tell us to take our valuables out?"

"They said they're disinfecting the ward. Maybe because the flu is going around?"

"Oh my, I was worried about that! I can't believe the cheapskate hospital director is actually doing something!"

"This is perfect. Should we bring some drinks or something?"

The children were all smiles at the thought of watching cartoons, while the adults were simply happy that the rooms where their children lived would become more comfortable.

As everyone headed to the auditorium and it was confirmed to be completely empty, Lee Shin (Agent ver.) and his "children" appeared, their trench coats fluttering behind them.

"Good work, Agent Five."

"Th-thank y—"

"Hold on."

At Lee Shin's stern gesture, Park Ju-hee yelped and quickly put on her sunglasses.

"Don't forget. The concept must be maintained."

"Y-yes! Agent One, sir!"

"There. Now that's more like Agent Five. Lead the way."

"Yes, sir! Please follow me."

Lee Shin and his agents entered the hospital rooms. Not long after, Yun Cho-a, who had been waiting, entered with the disinfection company staff.

She checked her watch and spoke in her flat, unchanging tone.

"Clean, disinfect, then install the ordered equipment and interior. Total time is one hour. Begin."

"Yes! Don't worry, sir. What are you all doing! Window team, start cleaning the glass! The rest of you, disinfect the bathrooms first!"

Who would dare make a mistake in front of these people?

Leaving aside the capital, the Mir Guild's power in Busan was absolute. Frankly, if Lee Shin wrote a single comment saying "This company seems decent," it was guaranteed that their schedule would be fully booked for the next year by tomorrow morning. The opposite outcome... was best left to the imagination.

So it wasn't strange at all for the company president himself to show up carrying a broom and disinfectant sprayer.

In the meantime, Lee Shin was shaking hands with a kind-looking doctor.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for taking interest in our pediatric department."

"Haha, you don't need to thank me that much. Guild people have hearts as black as coal. This is an investment. An investment."

"...What do you mean?"

"You've probably seen it before. When corporations say, 'We dream of a future we create together.' What they really mean is, 'We want to keep profiting from this for generations~'"

"I see. So you want to keep profiting from this too, Director."

"Hehe. Who knows? Maybe one of these kids will become an employee or a hunter for our guild. If you're interested, how about partnering with me? Fifty-fifty split?"

"I'm tempted."

"Well, well. It seems you and I would make excellent partners, Professor."

Hahaha.

It sounded like a villainous conversation about splitting the future fifty-fifty, but every medical staff member present knew the truth.

Just how purely Lee Shin had been sponsoring them.

Financial support, facility improvements, medical research assistance, and more. To claim he was investing in all of this merely to line his own pockets? It would be more profitable to dig for water in the Daedong River.

Of course, that didn't mean he gave without conditions.

"Just in case, let me say this. If the hospital director, who has political ambitions, tries to play games with my sponsorship, please tell me. I don't like it when people touch what I've claimed as mine."

"My, my. I don't know how to express my gratitude. I will definitely pass that along."

"Hahaha, I'm liking you more and more, Professor. Here's my business card. If any issues come up in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future, call this number."

Did the professor know? The true value of the business card he had just received. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a card that even the current Busan mayor desperately wanted, one that had him visiting Yeongdo every night.

It was a scene that showed just how sincere Lee Shin was about this sponsorship.

With that, the gift for the ward was complete.

Next was...

Clap, clap!

Lee Shin clapped his hands.

"Time to change outfits."

At his single word, Yun Cho-a pulled coats from her subspace pouch and handed them to the medical staff. The people who took them were shocked when they saw the tags still attached.

"What is this, hu—!"

"Real Burbe— hu—!"

"How many zeros is this? One hundred, one thousand..."

They were all luxury items. The real deal.

As a side note, the sunglasses they were wearing were luxury brands too.

The reason was simple. They looked better that way.

To the astonished staff, Lee Shin spoke with the solemn dignity of a godfather in a classic scene.

"Loyalty always comes from money. So? With this much, can I buy your loyalty?"

There was no need to answer.

"Then let's get moving."

At Lee Shin's command, the people moved. They were already wearing the coats instead of their white gowns.

After the movie ended, the children in patient gowns came pouring out.

Smiles bloomed across every face.

"Wow! That was so fun!!"

"Body slam!"

"Hyper beam!!"

"Mom, Mom! I got a MonGuild sticker! Can we buy that one?!"

As expected, the children's eternal friend was "Monster Guild."

Cute monsters shooting ice, spitting fire, destroying buildings, and farting everywhere. How could the kids not burst into laughter?

As the children laughed with joy, the guardians' moods improved as well.

"Look at the kids, pfft. Are they having that much fun?"

"But watching on a big screen really is different, right?"

"It is. We see MonGuild all the time, but seeing it like a movie feels so fresh."

"It would be nice to have time like this once a week."

"Oh my, that's a wonderful idea."

Chatter, chatter. Laughter, laughter.

They were happily returning to the ward, enjoying the unexpected freshness, when—

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, everyone froze.

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

Something was wrong.

The lights in the ward were off. No, to be precise, the entire area was covered with black curtains.

The children tilted their heads with question marks floating above them, while the adults frowned.

"Is the work not finished yet?"

"They should have told us if that was the case."

At that moment, a woman emerged from the door. It was a face they had never seen before. The tall woman with an extremely cold appearance was Yun Cho-a.

The adults flinched at Yun Cho-a's icy aura.

But the pure-hearted children looked at her with admiration, saying "She's so tall," and "She's cool, that big sister."

Then, the ice-like expression on Yun Cho-a's face shattered, replaced by a warm smile.

"I've been waiting for you. Princesses and princes."

The kindness that came from such a gap was considerable.

When someone who didn't seem like they would smile actually did, the atmosphere became as soft as marshmallows.

"Please come in."

She led the way with the courtesy of a butler. The children entered first, followed by the guardians who had been watching.

The moment they crossed the threshold into the dark room—

The children burst into huge smiles while the adults nearly fell over in shock.

"Whoaaaa!!"

"It's space! Stars! The stars are moving!!"

"Gulp. Wh-what is this?"

"This can't be real. The night sky..."

The hospital corridor they passed through every day had transformed into a night sky.

Lights sparkling like jewels in the darkness. They were stars.

In the vast night sky created by illusion magic, the stars that Park Su-bin—no, Agent Two—had made rotated around the children.

Soon, the spinning stars began forming constellations.

Orion, Aquarius, the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. The constellations unfolded like scenes from a movie.

"Wow..."

"It's beautiful."

"It's like in the fairy tale books..."

"Mom, I've never seen anything like this before."

"I know... Mom hasn't seen it in a long time either."

It was Lee Shin's small gift to them. They who, in their stifling hospital lives, saw concrete ceilings instead of the sky and fluorescent lights instead of stars.

After passing through all the constellations, the stars poured down like a waterfall and gathered in front of the children.

The dots became bigger dots, then even bigger, forming a giant full moon. When the light shattered into pieces and a figure appeared amid crackling electricity—

"This body has arrived!!"

Yu Ri-ra revealed her white teeth in a bright smile amid the flowing currents.

"Hi, kids!"

The moment the children made eye contact with the smiling Yu Ri-ra.

A high-frequency cheer that had never been heard before exploded.

―――――!!

What was the unchanging number one future dream for these children? To become hunters.

There had been a time when idols and YouTubers were rising fast, but children always dreamed of becoming superheroes like hunters.

How could such children not like the Mir Guild?

And among them, Yu Ri-ra was in a league of her own.

No matter how much Park Su-bin was treated like a sacred being of the Mir Guild, no matter how much Baek Yeon-woo made older female fans' hearts race...

Nope. The president of children is me!

A superstar receiving overwhelming support from child fans. The moment Yu Ri-ra appeared, the children's joy meters broke through the ceiling.

It felt like an earthquake might occur.

If they hadn't installed soundproofing magic circles, it would have been chaos.

Before the excitement could even settle, Yu Ri-ra raised her finger to focus the children's attention.

"Okay! Kids, look over here."

Crackle. Sparks flew from her fingertip.

"Pop."

In that instant, pure white lights turned on in the darkness.

A brilliant path of light was beckoning to the children. Come quickly. We've been waiting. Let's play together.

Yu Ri-ra grinned brightly.

"Let's go~"

Whoaaaaaaa—!!

The children ran after Yu Ri-ra.

And a short while later, the children had to cheer once again. After passing through a path guarded by cool-looking agents wearing sunglasses, they arrived at a certain space.

What greeted the children was...

"Wow."

A Christmas tree so splendid it was radiant, and a mountain of gift boxes.

Finally, a throne that slowly turned.

"Hey there, friends."

Lee Shin looked down at the children. He had rejected the cliché Santa with the mismatched beard and "ho ho ho" laugh. Wearing a red suit and a crown, he was King Santa.

"Have you been listening to your parents?"

―――――!!

At Lee Shin's appearance, the children screamed so loudly it seemed the room would burst.

Meanwhile, the adults had finally caught on to the situation.

Tears welled up in their surprised eyes. So that's what it was. It was a surprise party. That rumor that had been circulating since morning was about this.

Christmas in the middle of summer was so like Lee Shin, and they were so grateful that tears flowed for no reason.

But then—

The tears quickly disappeared with what happened next.

Lee Shin pointed at them with the golden scepter in his hand.

"Hey friends, why aren't you answering?"

"??"

"Us?"

"Of course. The reason this body came today is because of all of you."

"...?!"

As Lee Shin smiled gently at the trembling adults, the agents placed party hats on the parents' heads. Then they handed each of them a large gift box.

"Open them."

Still wearing question marks on their faces, the guardians opened the boxes and were shocked. Inside were luxury women's bags and men's watches.

Since they had only written about their children's health, what else could be done? Lee Shin, whose sense for money was completely broken, had chosen them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠himself.

Those who had to watch their loved ones in pain suffered just as much.

Lee Shin knew this quite well, which was why he empathized with the parents even more than with the children.

Therefore.

"I really wanted to say this."

Lee Shin, who had been staring at them as if searching for something, opened his mouth.

"You've worked hard. Today, you should enjoy yourselves too."

At the unexpected comfort, the guardians turned their heads, shoulders shaking. To give them some privacy, Lee Shin exaggeratedly gestured toward the children.

"Kids, let's have some real fun!"

Bang! Bang! With fireworks, food was brought in.

What was the point of earning money?

This was exactly how you were supposed to spend it!!