The Soul That Lingers

Soul.

The lightning that crashed down from the sword I had forged for Zeus. The curse of death that took up residence in the spear I had made for Hades. Those were Soul.

Of course, the things I had crafted or repaired during my time on Mount Olympus had carried Soul as well. I was no god, though, so it had never been me who imbued it. The very breath of the gods that filled Mount Olympus had settled into my work and given it Soul.

That was why, once I returned to Korea, I had put the entire matter of Soul completely out of my mind. And yet the voice of Zeus I had heard just now, and the sensation I had felt from the doctor's glasses—that was unmistakably the same Soul that had dwelt in everything I had made on Mount Olympus.

It's not even an ant's toenail compared to my days on Mount Olympus, but this is definitely Soul.

The ability itself was truly feeble next to what it had been then. Feeble or not, though, if Soul took up residence in the things I made or repaired, any blade I forged would be sharper than the finest famous sword, and any bed I built would grant the most restful sleep in the world.

For someone who makes things, there is no better ability than this…

"If I go this far for him, I almost feel bad for cursing him under my breath on the way out…"

The doctor, who had caught my muttering, spoke up.

"Um, sir…?"

Only then did I come back to myself and hand the glasses back to him.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. Here you go."

"Hahaha. Not at all. But wait—are you a student here?"

I nodded.

"Yes. I'm a third-year in the Department of Advanced Materials Engineering."

The moment I revealed I was a student, the doctor stared at me in open astonishment.

"Hold on. You're still a student, and you can repair things that well?"

Well, I may be a student, but I did slave away on Mount Olympus for over a hundred years.

Just then, someone approached from behind the doctor.

"Jae-hyuk. What are you doing over there?"

The man who had spoken was a middle-aged physician in a white coat, his eyes ringed with dark circles—exhaustion, by the look of it. From the school emblem on his clothes, he was probably a professor at Hanbit University Hospital.

"Ah, Professor! Good afternoon."

The professor glanced my way for a moment, then turned back to the doctor.

"Someone you know?"

"Ahaha… yes. He's a student who came into the ER as a patient not long ago. I received a bit of help from him at the time."

"I see. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Well then, if you're finished talking, shall we get going?"

"Ah, yes. Of course, Professor."

The doctor gave me a light nod of farewell and left.

Hmm…

Something about that middle-aged professor's face was familiar.

Who was that. I know I've seen him somewhere…

And it did not take long at all to remember where.

Ah… that's where I saw him.

It had been on the school bulletin board, in the Alumnus of the Year section. I had passed that board so many times coming and going that I couldn't have forgotten the face if I had tried.

I had only given it a passing glance before, so I hadn't known a thing about the write-up. Reading it properly now, though, he was quite an impressive man. I had taken him for nothing more than a worn-out middle-aged physician, but now that I knew the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠circumstances, that exhausted appearance struck me as all the more remarkable.

Still, it wasn't anything that important, and it had nothing to do with me. There was no reason to dwell on it. Right now, my next class mattered more.

I sat through a short one-hour lecture, then headed down to the first floor to cross over to another building for my next class—and whether by coincidence or not, there was the same doctor from earlier. He was in the first-floor café, talking about something with the man called Park Sang-jin.

"Hmm… and this is supposed to be the best they can do?"

"Yes, they say this is the best they're able to produce. Still, isn't this level acceptable?"

What's this?

Curiosity got the better of me, and I snuck a glance. They had what looked like medical instruments laid out on the table, going back and forth over them.

"It's better than what we commissioned from the Chinese factory… but this still isn't the standard I had in mind."

"I see… I'm sorry, Professor."

The apology seemed to fluster Professor Park a little.

"No, well. This isn't something you need to apologize for. If anything, I'm the one who's sorry for putting you to the trouble."

"For now, I'll ask my acquaintance in Japan to look into other factories or workshops."

Professor Park shook his head.

"No. There's no need for that. This place is supposedly regarded as a master craftsman's workshop even within Japan, isn't it? No need to go through all that trouble."

This is going to bother me…

If I hadn't known, that would have been one thing. But I had just found out exactly who this Park Sang-jin was, and simply pretending I hadn't noticed and walking past sat all wrong with me.

My nosiness has gotten way out of hand.

Professor Park rose first and left, and once only the doctor remained at the table, I walked up as naturally as if the meeting were a complete coincidence and greeted him warmly.

"Ah, Doctor. We meet again."

He returned the greeting with a pleased smile.

"Ah, hello. Looks like you're heading home after class."

"Yes. But what brings you all the way here?"

"Ahaha… well, it's a long story…"

He gestured at the medical instruments on the table.

"My mentor said he needed high-quality medical instruments, so I specially commissioned them through an acquaintance in Japan. I came in person today to deliver the finished pieces."

"Hmm… so these are them. May I take a look?"

"Ah, yes. By all means."

Laid out on the table were a pair of hemostatic forceps scissors, a needle holder, and a dissecting scalpel. They were commonly used medical instruments, but they had to be crafted with such precision that each one carried a considerable price.

It's not that they're poorly made…

Perhaps because Japan had a well-established reputation for this sort of work, the quality wasn't lacking. No—it was actually excellent. Compared to ordinary mass-produced pieces, the quality was overwhelmingly superior.

They put real care into these. But…

All that meant, however, was that they were well-made by ordinary standards. If I had turned out something like this, I would have thrown it straight in the trash.

As my silence stretched on, the doctor laughed, looking a little embarrassed.

"Ahaha… well, it's a workshop that any number of doctors in Japan order from and use themselves, but I suppose the quality didn't quite reach what the professor was hoping for."

Medical instruments…

At the most basic level, they were among the things I made best. Similar to a sword, and yet subtly different. A sword is forged to take a life. A medical instrument is made to save one. I never did figure out why the gods wanted medical tools made, but during my time on Mount Olympus I had crafted so many of them I couldn't even begin to count.

Even so, when I made medical instruments, I always found myself pouring a little more of myself into the work.

I looked at the doctor.

"Doctor. Would it be all right if I tried making these myself?"

The sudden offer made him start.

"What? You're going to make these medical instruments yourself? Wait—you're still a student. You know how to make things like this too?"

"Yes, well. Making all sorts of things is a hobby of mine."

The doctor stared at my face for a long moment. If this had been someone who knew nothing about me, he would probably have written me off as a lunatic. But I had repaired this man's glasses to perfection, and I had made them more comfortable on his face than any pair of glasses in the world. He already had a precedent. There was a what if taking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠root in his mind.

He opened his mouth carefully.

"……I'm extremely grateful for the offer. I've already confirmed your skill to some extent last time. If you make them, the professor will compensate you more than adequately. However…"

He hesitated, then went on.

"Professor Park is leaving the country in a week. This time he'll be gone for quite a while, so they'd need to be finished before then if we're going to get them to him. Would that be possible?"

A week…

Plenty. More than enough.

There was no shortage of people who told me to make things far more demanding than this in a single day.

"A week? Three days will be plenty. Instead, may I ask one favor? I need photographs of the professor's hands—the one who'll be using these. Video would be even better."

"Ah, yes. I'll send those to you."

The doctor bowed his head.

"I'll be counting on you. I'll speak well of you to the professor and make sure the compensation is generous."

Compensation, well—getting paid is nice.

I had offered to make them myself, so I didn't particularly need to be paid. But if someone was going to give me money, I had no intention of stopping them.

Is there anyone alive who hates money?

"Yes, understood. Don't worry. I'll make them properly."

After I parted ways with the doctor, I called home, then headed for the factory where I worked my part-time job. I made it to the company just in time, before they locked up for the night, after everyone else had already clocked out.

It wasn't even a workday, and I had shown up with evening already settling in. Boss Han looked at me in puzzlement.

"Hm? Cheol-woo. What's going on? Isn't today a school day?"

"Ah, Boss. It's nothing else—I have something I need to work on. Would it be all right if I used some of the company's materials?"

Under ordinary circumstances, the answer would have been a clear no. But Boss Han's trust in me was anything but ordinary.

"That so? All right. Here's the key. Just make sure you lock up when you head home later."

"Thank you. I'll deduct whatever materials I use from my wages later."

Boss Han waved it off.

"Forget it. Forget it. Just write down what you used. Do you have any idea how much you do for this company? I'm not docking your pay over something that small."

And with that, Boss Han took his leave, his back as unbothered as ever. Alone in the emptied factory, I set to work.

All right. Let's see what I can make.