Chapter 39. Hospital Visit
Chapter 39. Hospital Visit
“It’s China. Soldiers from the 42nd Group Army’s Special Enhanced Experiment Unit. Five entered the country ten days ago, and twenty-five more entered three days ago.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Confirmed. This is material the U.S. CIA sent us. They say it belonged to a top-secret unit in China and was unknown until now.”
“Why the hell are Chinese soldiers doing that kind of shit in Korea? And what—Iron Man? Jumping off the 20th floor… Are you telling me what I’m watching isn’t a movie, but real?”
The NIS director pointed at the screen and shouted, his voice rising. The video replayed a man lightly leaping off a building while carrying an old man, followed by a hulking figure fully armed, descending using thrusters on his back.
The armored brute sprayed a rifle, mowing down pedestrians indiscriminately.
“As I said, it’s presumed to be one of the new weapons China has kept hidden.”
“Then why did the U.S. take every one of those bastards’ corpses? This is the Republic of Korea, not America! Who the hell approved that?”
“I’m sorry. But the Blue House issued an order—to the military, the police, and even us—to fully cooperate with the CIA on this incident and follow their instructions.”
“The claim that they’re Chinese soldiers is America’s unilateral statement. Did we verify it?”
A politician classified as pro-China had been parachuted into the NIS director position. The deputies giving the report had expected exactly this kind of reaction.
“I’m sorry. But since the government issued official guidelines, we can’t take the lead and intervene.”
“Tell the public that the extremist protest faction behind the Gwanghwamun bombing carried out a firearms attack in the middle of Gangnam. Monitor the media, the internet, and SNS thoroughly—take down every suspicious video!”
“It’s too late. The U.S. is making an emergency announcement live right now.”
One deputy switched the main feed to the news.
A breaking report was scrolling.
Footage showed a man in armor-like machinery firing indiscriminately into civilians.
And the U.S. government was announcing that these were soldiers from China’s enhanced squad, that they had committed terrorism in an allied capital, and that they demanded an explanation from China.
“This is driving me insane! If that happens, those Chinese bastards are going to go berserk! And we’re the ones caught in the middle going crazy!”
He might have been a former politician, but he was still the sitting NIS director. It wasn’t the attitude someone in his position should show, and the field staff cursed him silently.
“Then what’s that suit-wearing guy?”
“He’s an organized crime figure operating in northern Seoul, but that’s a cover identity. He’s a top-tier U.S. special agent. The U.S. is demanding immunity from prosecution through the Blue House, saying this agent is currently carrying out a mission to stop China’s operation to conduct terror in Korea.”
“What? Immunity? Since when does our country have a system like that!”
“The Blue House says this is a chance to create such a system, and they ordered the NIS to cooperate.”
“This president… unbelievable. He just gets shaken from every side! He needs to pick a center—no backbone at all!”
The NIS director—who had been a political ally of the president for many years—cursed out loud, whether anyone was listening or not.
“You said there were thirty Chinese soldiers total, right? Then where are the remaining nine?”
“We believe they’re hiding somewhere in Seoul. With things this big now, we predict they’ll attempt to smuggle themselves back home.”
“What stance do you think the government will take toward that U.S. announcement? If we side with the U.S. and curse China out, the backlash won’t be small.”
“But after today, anti-China sentiment will become severe. There are Korean deaths too. We can’t keep brushing it off like before. They’ll likely issue a strong protest and demand a full investigation.”
The NIS director gave a short, amused snort.
“You’ve lived as agents a long time, but you don’t know politics at all. You don’t know what kind of man the president is. For now, just watch. We have to match the government’s line anyway.”
While Korea’s NIS was deep in countermeasure talks, the situation room at China’s MSS was heavy with silence.
The video they were watching showed an enhanced soldier’s head flying up after being severed.
“Who the hell is that guy?”
“He’s a U.S. black agent with a cover identity as the boss of a Korean criminal organization. The U.S. demanded immunity for everything that man does in Korea.”
“How dare they. Immunity for the one who killed a warrior of Great China? Does that make any sense? Pressure Korea to reject that demand.”
“Korea contacted us. They’re asking whether what the U.S. announced is true. They’re also pressing us on whether the Gwanghwamun bombing was done by our side.”
“Ignore them. Say we’re unrelated and it’s America’s unilateral lie. Say we suspect America instead.”
“Yes, understood.”
“And how many enhanced troops are still left in Korea?”
“Four enhanced soldiers and three Cave soldiers.”
“What? Then tell them to return with that U.S. black agent’s head.”
“Sir, in a situation this noisy, we can’t carry out an operation quietly. And the U.S. is moving actively right now. If we slip, we could clash with America.”
“At this point, move as loudly as possible. Let America’s reinforced suit troops and our Cave soldiers compare power directly. If a firefight happens, make sure America’s violence gets highlighted too—make it a ‘both sides’ story.”
“Yes, understood.”
A staff officer who understood the MSS director’s intent nodded.
China’s enhanced soldiers had been clearly inferior to America’s suit troops. So they’d rushed development of a mechanical armor platform for enhanced soldiers—those were the Cave soldiers.
The developers had been confident the Cave soldiers wouldn’t be outclassed by America.
And yet yesterday, one had been decapitated by a dagger swung by an ordinary human.
They needed to verify the Cave soldiers’ real combat performance.
9:55 a.m.
It was almost time for my shift to end.
Today again, Chanhyeok hyung—who came in at 9:30—vanished, saying he was going to the bathroom, and the Isu Gang juniors had just arrived and were getting ready for work.
A life of nonstop hard labor from 10 a.m. to midnight should’ve been exhausting, but they were grinning like they were happy.
It seemed like cleaning suited them.
Then the women’s cleaning team came down to the first-floor lobby wearing flashier outfits than usual.
“Assistant Manager Kang. We’re using our monthly leave today. We’ve got something important.”
“What? Monthly leave? You mean a day off? You three can’t overlap—you’re supposed to take turns.”
“What are you talking about? Monthly leave is something you can use whenever you want. I already texted the boss.”
“……….”
If it was already settled with the boss, it wasn’t my call.
But do people call a day off “monthly leave” these days? I’d never worked anywhere but this motel, so I didn’t know.
Then the door to Room 102 opened and Bella came out dressed to go out, too.
“Chan! Your shift’s almost over, right? Let’s go!”
9:58 a.m. Still two minutes early.
“What are you talking about, guest? Where are we going?”
“You’re not going to visit Cheolmin? He’s hurt and lying there.”
“Huh?”
I knew Cheolmin hyung had been injured and hospitalized.
Through the telekinetic field linked to him, I’d watched the whole fight.
When the grenade went off, I’d considered helping so he wouldn’t get hurt, but it didn’t look life-threatening, so I left it alone. If it wasn’t life-threatening, it was better not to interfere.
After that, he’d been taken to the hospital and was still admitted.
Even now he looked fine—so did I really need to go?
And how did Bella even know?
“Cheolmin always bought you food. If you don’t show up when someone’s sick, it stings. Koreans live on affection. You can’t do that.”
Bella wasn’t wrong.
Ordinary people live by exchanging warmth with each other.
I’d received a lot from Cheolmin, so yeah—I should go.
Since it was exactly 10:00, I spoke casually to Bella.
“Okay. Wait a sec. I’ll change and come out.”
“Oh. Are you two going to the hospital too?”
“Huh? Two?”
The three cleaners had been listening and cut in.
“We heard the Room 105 guest got badly hurt, so we took monthly leave today and we’re on our way to the hospital.”
“What? Why?”
I asked because I didn’t get it, but Arin’s eyes turned sharp.
“Someone you see every day got seriously hurt, and you’re not going? Koreans can’t do that.”
When Bella, a foreigner, talked about Korean affection, it didn’t really hit.
But when Korean women emphasized “Koreans,” it sounded convincing.
Wait.
Didn’t these women say they grew up abroad?
I thought they said they were Korean-Americans.
When I saw Chanhyeok hyung coming back to the counter, I went up to the rooftop, changed straight into a tracksuit, and came back down.
When I returned to the counter, there was one more person.
The long-term guest from Room 103.
She was a vampire, right?
Clothes covering her entire body, leather gloves, a wide-brim hat, sunglasses, and a mask.
She said she knew Cheolmin hyung.
But how did everyone know he was hurt?
I knew because of the telekinetic field.
But I had no idea how these women found out in just one day that he’d been hospitalized.
And unlike their bright faces earlier, even the Isu Gang juniors—who were about to start cleaning with gloomy expressions—didn’t seem to know Cheolmin hyung was in the hospital.
Did other people have secrets like me?
“We’ll be back.”
When I left the motel counter with five women, Chanhyeok hyung’s face looked dark and lonely.
He looked like he wanted to join our group and go visit Cheolmin hyung.
When it was just me and him, he always cursed out Cheolmin hyung’s people, but maybe he actually liked Cheolmin hyung deep down.
Ah… is that what Korean affection is?
Maybe I was the one who was different from ordinary people—maybe that was what “normal” looked like.
Five subway stops.
Yuri’s group was going to take a taxi, but when I said I was taking the subway, they insisted we ride together.
“By the way, Room 103—aren’t you hot?”
On the way, Bella asked the Room 103 guest.
“I’m not hot. I have a sunlight allergy, so I have to dress like this.”
“Allergy? Hmm… weird. From what I saw, you didn’t need to cover up like this.”
Bella tilted her head and stared at the Room 103 guest’s face.
“Can’t you lower it a little? I don’t think you’ve got an allergy.”
The Room 103 guest—her expression unreadable behind sunglasses and mask—was silent for a moment, then slightly lowered her mask.
The moment her porcelain-white skin met sunlight, it started to burn.
I spread a layer of my telekinetic field over the patch of skin hit by direct light.
The skin that had been about to sizzle and burn stayed intact.
She stopped dead.
Then she yanked the mask off.
Seriously—she could’ve told me first.
I covered her entire body with a layer of my telekinetic field.
A service that blocks sunlight when a guest goes out.
…Technically, I was off today. I didn’t have to do this.
No.
I couldn’t let a guest go outside, burn in the sun, and turn to ash.
That was life-threatening. Helping was the right call.
Now the Room 103 guest removed her sunglasses and mask, and even took off the wide-brim hat.
A woman with an inhuman face—right, she wasn’t human—stood under the morning sunlight with a moved expression.
The subway was uncomfortable.
Even to my eyes, five beautiful women boarding the same car drew everyone’s attention.
Especially the Room 103 guest—her beauty was so unreal it didn’t look human. Some people even secretly filmed her.
I was clearly standing in the center of them, yet no one seemed to think I was with them.
Anyway, after five stops, we arrived at Cheolmin hyung’s hospital.
“Cheolmin, open your mouth. Ah—”
We stopped when we saw what was happening inside the private room.
Lauren was peeling an apple and feeding it to Cheolmin hyung.
“Cheolmin. You’re fine. We came for nothing.”
Bella didn’t care. She tossed him a roll of toilet paper she’d brought.
“Gift.”
“Junior… how did you end up here…”
“The cleaning team and Bella were worried you got badly hurt, so we came to visit. Are you okay?”
“It’s nothing. I got a few stitches. You can’t even tell now. You didn’t need to come…”
“Oppa… are you okay.”
“Oppa. We were really worried.”
Yuri, Hyeonyoung, and Arin were shocked for a moment at the sight of Lauren and Cheolmin being so close.
Then, like they finally snapped back, they threw themselves at him and started wailing.
“No—how did you even get here…”
With three women clinging to him in a full-body assault, Cheolmin looked flustered. He couldn’t dodge, and he couldn’t exactly hug them back either.
“But Cheolmin, what happened? Why did you get hurt? A traffic accident?”
At Bella’s question, Cheolmin’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he answered solemnly.
“I met vicious men. There’s a saying from Confucius: with great power comes great responsibility. As someone with power, I couldn’t just watch, so I stopped them and got a little hurt.”
“………”
“Cheolmin is so ignorant. Seriously, super ignorant. Bella’s just going home.”
Even if Cheolmin hyung misunderstood something, he didn’t deserve that kind of verbal beating…
That wasn’t a saying from Confucius.
I didn’t know the details, but I was sure it didn’t originate in East Asia. It sounded like something from the West—so maybe Plato or Socrates.
While I was thinking that, a loud commotion erupted in the hallway.
Screams, and the sound of things crashing.
I extended my telekinesis to check.
It was the Chinese men Cheolmin hyung had fought.