First Field Activity (2)
First Field Activity (2)
My first activity outside the academy in the Second Round.
It was a momentous occasion, but I had no choice but to go alone, without my wives.
—Since I'm going anyway, could I at least bring my friends along? I could hang out with Haru a bit afterward....
—Denied. Ryu Suyeon requested support from you alone.
—Huh. Is this a mission?
—Of course. If this were unpaid volunteer work, do you think I would have approved it as Association President?
'I couldn't exactly bring my wives to work.'
This was an assignment for A-rank awakener Seo Yujin.
I was acting as an awakener, not as a cadet.
She said that money aside, public and private matters had to be kept strictly separate.
She didn't elaborate, but the Chairwoman was clearly also concerned about protecting my image.
'This alone would not be nearly enough... but knowing Big Sis Suyeon and the Chairwoman, they'd have arranged something more behind the scenes.'
Judging by their behavior, there seemed to be more to it than that.
The Chairwoman herself had secretly driven me all the way to the hospital, after all.
If things went well, they'd conceal my involvement in the treatment. If not, they'd minimize my exposure and use the media to protect me.
They seemed to have made arrangements along those lines.
But I pretended to know nothing and acted nonchalant.
Maintaining an innocent image was the most important part of my plan.
I couldn't let them see how perceptive I really was.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"During today's rounds, we'll conduct a small clinical trial of your hypnosis. Yujin, please use it according to each attending physician's instructions."
"Oh, this is more formal than I expected. I thought you'd just have me go around treating patients."
"Because acting without a medical professional's opinion would be a violation of the Medical Act. Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't still issues with this, but don't worry, I'll cover for you on that."
My act must have worked; amusement colored the voice that answered me.
She was probably inwardly thinking something like, 'Newbie's adorable.'
If even Big Sis Suyeon, an awakener herself, reacted this way, the others were bound to be worse.
—Bow.
"I am Seo Yujin, an A-rank awakener. I look forward to working with you!"
"You are remarkably fresh-faced for someone so famous. I am Professor Song Yeonghun, head of neuropsychiatry. I look forward to working with you today."
"I'm Oh Eunsol, a clinical professor of psychiatry. I'm not expecting too much, so relax and don't be nervous."
One deep ninety-degree bow earned me a flood of goodwill.
That confirmed it.
My plan was going to work.
"Yes. I hope my ability can be of help."
'Until the hypnosis was lifted, I, Seo Yujin...'
—Ding!
[Judgment successful. The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
"Well then, let's begin the rounds."
The time had come for my hypnosis, dormant lately, to shine once more.
* * *
Oh Eunsol, a clinical professor of psychiatry.
Truth be told, she held no great expectations for Yujin.
'Hypnotherapy, huh? What if this only gave the patients false hope?'
She knew that awakener abilities could not be explained by modern science.
Ryu Suyeon, walking beside her, was living proof.
She had no intention of denying the seemingly magical power of hypnosis.
But her years of experience told her Yujin could not possibly deliver.
Psychiatry was full of illnesses whose causes modern medicine still could not clearly explain.
Even Alzheimer's disease—the most common and deadly form of dementia—still had no fully understood pathophysiology.
And a mere first-year cadet was supposed to treat illnesses like that? With hypnosis?
Hah. At best, it'd be about as effective as basic hypnotherapy.
Treating PTSD was impressive, but it'd be useless on patients sick enough to require hospitalization at a university hospital.
She scoffed inwardly at the thought.
'Still, I liked him as a person. How could someone so handsome be so kind too?'
Of course, that was only her assessment of his hypnosis.
Her opinion of Yujin himself could not have been higher.
Good lord. Just look at that face. He really was handsome.
At that point, wasn't his face itself a form of hypnosis?
And then there was his eagerness.
A celebrity hailed as the next S-rank had been called in on a weekend. No one would have blamed him for complaining a little.
Instead, his eyes sparkled as though he wanted them to give him more work.
He had even said that he hoped his ability would help.
Seriously kind. So kind.
'If he became discouraged, I'd have to comfort him. Tell him it had at least helped a little.'
"Ahem. Well then...."
As her favorability steadily rose, the medical team continued down the ward.
An extravagant set of rounds attended by two professors and two A-rank awakeners.
The first patient to receive that honor had an eating disorder.
"This patient is...."
'Anorexia and mild depression. Right. I heard the words, but I had no idea what they meant.'
The emaciated patient looked up at Yujin as though asking, What are you doing here?
The professor also looked to Yujin.
"She experiences a severe fear of eating. So..."
"So I just need to make her no longer afraid of eating?"
"For now. Let us try it and see how she responds."
'Not that it'd work.'
It was a casual prescription, given on the assumption that it'd fail.
But...
For Yujin, the request was child's play.
Golden light gleamed in his eyes as he looked at the patient.
"Back in the day, what was your absolute favorite food?"
"Huh? Ah... um... it was tonkatsu."
"What a coincidence. I love tonkatsu too."
"What...?"
"When you cut into a sauce-soaked cutlet and hear the crust crunch, your mouth waters before the first bite. Then you get greedy and spear two pieces at once."
Yujin and the patient exchanged idle chatter.
But no one around them could bring themselves to interrupt.
As Yujin's eyes flashed, something appeared between the patient's lips...
A single strand of drool.
—Gulp.
"Y-you really know how to eat."
"A little. Anyway, didn't your heart pound as a kid when you cut into your tonkatsu? From the joy of it."
"Y-yes. Back then..."
"I'll let you feel that joy again—so meals will never frighten you and you can enjoy eating once more."
"Huh?"
"Three, two, one... ta-da!"
—Ding!
[The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
"......?"
"It is done."
Yujin announced that he had finished in under thirty seconds.
Sharp breaths of confusion escaped the people around him.
They'd expected something dramatic, yet nothing appeared to have changed.
———However,
—Growl.
"I'm, I'm hungry."
"......!!!"
For the first time since her admission, the malnourished patient—who had felt no hunger at all—said that she was hungry.
Every gaze returned to Yujin.
Yujin smiled, his face just slightly pale.
[Through the effect of the Status Effect 'Hypnosis'....]
'There, that's one dealt with.'
"What should I do now?"
".........!!!!?"
The professor, frozen in shock, finally came back to life.
The ward suddenly bustled with activity.
"Nurse, bring some porridge. Quickly!"
"Her family brought some packaged abalone porridge for her..."
—Growl.
"I'll pop it in the microwave!"
People rushed around to see whether her anorexia had truly been cured.
And,
—Ravenously.
"I-It's so good...!!"
The patient devoured the abalone porridge with obvious delight.
It was hard to believe she had once vomited after a single spoonful.
The professor's gaze changed instantly.
'What on earth is the principle behind this... no, let's continue the rounds first.'
"Yujin, next is the patient beside her. She has schizophrenia..."
The second patient suffered from severe schizophrenia.
"Hypnotherapy should not work on this, but..."
"Snap out of it, yap."
[The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
"Done."
"Could you look at me and answer? What did you eat yesterday?"
"Huh? Uh... the tasteless hospital food? The braised mackerel was good, though."
A patient who had been incapable of coherent conversation could suddenly communicate normally.
'These had still been open-ward cases. In the locked ward...'
"This patient has severe depression and repeatedly attempts suicide."
"Could you tell me honestly why?"
"I, I'm... just, I hate myself that much......."
"You're far too wonderful a person to hate yourself. Just as I like you, I want you to live loving yourself too."
[The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
"Y-Yeshh...♡"
The woman whose wrists were covered in scars shyly hid her wounds and beamed brightly.
The professor's jaw dropped.
'What the hell was this?'
It could be treated that easily?
Our hospital was respected in the field of psychiatry.
And he had cured a patient we couldn’t treat with just a few words?
Unable to contain herself, the professor asked Yujin.
"Pardon me, but how long does your hypnosis last, Mr. Yujin?"
'There was no way such a powerful hypnotic state would last long...'
"On non-awakeners, easily ten years. If the hypnosis aligns with what they secretly want, perhaps thirty."
"...Thirty years!!?"
Her shock deepened.
Decades of hypnosis from a single snap?
Could this really be a freshman's ability?
Even Ryu Suyeon, the Angel in White, could not do anything on this scale.
Awe filled the medical team's eyes.
...Yujin himself was looking increasingly strained.
[Through the effect of the Status Effect 'Hypnosis'....]
'Ugh. This was harder than I expected.'
"Next patient?"
But Yujin didn't let it show.
The result was an unprecedented highlight reel of psychiatric rounds.
[The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
[Through the effect of the Status Effect 'Hypnosis'....]
[Falls under hypnosis.]
[Through the effect of 'Hypnosis'....]
[Falls under.]
[Effect....]
"......Insane."
Every time Yujin exchanged a few words with a patient, the illness burdening their mind simply washed away.
One person's mutter summed up what everyone was thinking.
It was an ability that was literally insane.
Maybe that's why,
"Then the next patient...!!"
"Yes......."
'Ugh, I'm exhausted.'
Even they, medical professionals, failed to notice.
That Yujin's complexion, working miracles, was worsening in real time.
Ultimately, Yujin stopped after treating his 99th patient.
"N-next..."
"Yujin. That is enough."
—Grab.
Ryu Suyeon—the woman who had been watching him closely for some time—grabbed the shoulder of Yujin, who'd been moving like a machine.
Only then did the doctors look at Yujin's face.
Yujin's face was ashen, and beneath the sleeve he held under his nose, a line of blood was running.
"......!!!!?"
'Why had he been hiding this...!?'
'Of course. After using an ability like that over and over, how could his body possibly be fine?'
'He had hidden it because he knew we'd stop him the moment he showed how exhausted he was.'
The doctors murmured in shock, realizing they had been so mesmerized by the miracle that they had failed to monitor Yujin's condition.
Meanwhile, Yujin shook his head.
"I can do one more."
"No. You're at your limit, Yujin. I will treat you, so rest now."
"I-I am fine..."
Though he staggered on the verge of collapse, Yujin still insisted on saving one more person.
Even the cynical professor was genuinely moved.
'To think such a terrifying power belonged to someone of such character...'
"This is already more than enough. Please stop."
But that was one matter, and this was another.
The professor joined Suyeon in trying to stop him.
———Until a desperate cry rang out from somewhere.
"M-M-Mr. Seo Yujin!!!!"
"Hm?"
Everyone's gaze fixed on one spot.
A young man drenched in sweat stood there, a woman slung over his back.
Security guards arrived behind him and seized him.
"You cannot enter without permission!!"
"We understand your situation, but...."
"P-please! My little sister is sick... They said it is CRPS...!"
Rough hands restrained him, but he ignored them and shouted.
His little sister was sick. Even the slightest breeze made her feel as though her flesh were being sliced, leaving her unable to go outside.
Please save her, he begged.
Yujin smiled.
—Step. Step.
"Mr. Yujin. That's enough."
"I can manage one more."
And then he staggered forward.
He was so exhausted that every step fell out of rhythm.
His unfocused eyes swayed wildly from side to side; he had long since reached his limit.
Blood from his nose scattered red droplets across the floor like petals.
Even so, Yujin subtly glanced past the man.
—Trained on.
'I had been wondering when a reporter would show up. Perfect timing.'
A woman had slipped out amid the commotion.
Anyone could tell from the way she handled the small camcorder that she was a professional.
—Trudging.
'Seriously, how did Công endure this every time? I really was a bastard.'
He walked without letting it show.
To put the perfect finishing touch on his plan.
To make sure the camera captured him at his limit.
And then,
"Doctor, what should I..."
"Chronic neuropathic pain of unknown cause. Just make it stop hurting."
"Eunsol!"
The two doctors disagreed, but...
"Little one, look, this way."
"Ughh...?"
"From now on... don't hurt. Stay healthy."
—Ding!
[The target falls under 'Complete' Hypnosis.]
The girl slung over the intruder's back.
Her face, previously contorted from extreme pain, relaxed.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, big brother...."
"Ah... th-thank you... ngh..."
In exchange,
[Through the effect of the Status Effect 'Hypnosis', you acquire the Status Effect 'Partial Overload' (100/100).]
[The Status Effect 'Partial Overload' evolves into 'Overload'!]
[The Trait 'Unyielding' is forcibly activated! The Status Effect 'Overload' is drastically mitigated to 'Mild Exhaustion'.]
[Conditions met; the Status Effect 'Hypnosis' is released.]
'The performance was perfect...'
—Thud.
"Get a trolley and transfer him to the ER! Check his temperature and give him an antipyretic injection!"
"Y-Yujin!? Stay with me, Yujin!!"
Once again, chaos erupted in the hospital.