Chapter 343
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 343
“…It’s not impossible that it’s simple exhaustion… but usually, people don’t remain unconscious for this long….”
A sickening sense of déjà vu washed over me.
“…Still, it might be better to run the tests again….”
It felt like the end of Shining Star Season 2, when I first sensed a quest failure was imminent.
“……Guardian….”
Back then, Seo Ho-jin had been drenched in sweat, his body limp and his face flushed red as he gasped for breath—exactly like the penalty I received for abusing the system.
“…Guardian!”
My heart hammered against my ribs so loudly it felt like it was beating in my ears.
“—Guardian!!”
“…Ah, yes.”
I slowly lifted my head to look forward. The doctor spoke with a troubled expression.
“Are you absolutely sure your brother has no underlying conditions?”
It was the next morning, just after Ho-jin’s detailed examination had concluded.
“…None that I’m aware of.”
The doctor seemed to be saying something else, but none of it registered. I simply nodded reflexively and walked out of the consultation room.
The manager, who had been waiting outside, approached me with a worried face.
“Are you okay? Your brother was just moved to a private room.”
“Thank you. I’m going to go get some fresh air.”
“Why don’t you go back to the dorm and get some sleep? I’ll stay here and keep watch.”
“No. I’m fine.”
Habitually, I pulled my hat down low and went searching for a place where there were no people.
Passing through a cluster of small trees and turning past a well-maintained flower bed, I found a bench tucked away in a corner. I trudged over and slumped into it, leaning my weight heavily against the backrest.
“It might be a good idea to check your surroundings.”
So, I checked.
“Just like I shared your pain, someone else might be sharing your burden.”
I’d fed the kid hundreds of dollars' worth of S++ Hanwoo.
Did that make me feel safe?
‘I let my guard down.’
It felt as if something loathsome was crawling through my gut. Perhaps it was a form of self-loathing.
I pressed my palms against my eyelids for a moment, then let a small voice slip out.
“…Was it you?”
I didn’t know how long Seo Ho-jin’s pain had been going on.
I only knew that I was a complete idiot for not noticing it until now.
“Have you been hurting for a long time?”
The long silence broke at my growled words, and a blue light flickered in my vision.
[Even if someone did it, and no matter how long it has been, would that change anything?]
[What Seo Ho-yun wants to know is how to keep his brother from hurting in the future, not why he is hurting now.]
It was obnoxious, but it hit the mark so precisely that I couldn't easily retort.
Taking advantage of the opening, the system window flashed a message.
[I will help you if you wish.]
[However, it won't be easy.]
I rubbed my face roughly with my palms and glared at the text, letting out a hollow laugh.
“You’re a real piece of shit.”
When had it ever been easy?
I had nowhere left to retreat.
* * *
Looking at the IV needle stuck in his arm, it was definitely a hospital….
The first thing Seo Ho-jin thought as he opened his eyes to the seagull pattern on the ceiling was that none of this felt real.
He remembered finishing up after some underclassmen in his department caused trouble, and then studying in the department office. He’d felt a massive headache and exhaustion, and then Woo Gyeong-un had shown up and started making a racket—but after that, everything was a total blackout, as if someone had taken a pair of scissors to his memory.
‘My body feels lighter, though.’
Ho-jin sat up groggily and stretched his torso, scratching his head. The intermittent, boiling fevers that had been hitting him at random times were completely gone, and the lethargy that had been weighing him down had vanished. He felt remarkably good.
Slide.
Just then, he heard the door to the hospital room open.
He looked up to see Seo Ho-yun wearing a linen shirt, thin slacks, and a hat. Of course, from head to toe, he was dressed entirely in black, as if someone had dumped a bucket of dark paint over him.
“…Are you the Grim Reaper?”
Ho-yun’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Without a word, he pushed Ho-jin’s shoulder to make him lie back down. He seemed to be giving him a pass since he was a patient.
“Lie down, moron.”
“Am I dying? Is it my time to go?”
“The fact that you’re talking nonsense means you’re not hurting enough.”
Even though it hadn't been that long since they last met, Ho-jin felt a strange sense of relief even at Ho-yun’s scolding, as if they hadn't seen each other in ages. He pulled up the thin, crisp hospital blanket and shifted his posture, a question popping out of his mouth.
“Hyung, aren't you busy?”
“No, I’m not.”
Ho-jin narrowed his eyes, trying to scrutinize his brother.
Ever since becoming an idol, Seo Ho-yun was always busy.
If he had even a moment of free time, he’d cram in more schedules or cut into his sleep to practice.
“I’m sorry. Because of me…”
His friends often called Ho-jin "tough," but he always felt he was nowhere near his brother’s level.
It was obvious that schedules must have been messed up today because of him.
“…Forget it.”
Ho-yun, who was sitting on a folding chair with his legs crossed and his chin resting on his hand, answered a bit slowly. His expression was hidden in the shadow of his hat’s brim.
However, even though his tone was the same as usual, there was a strange hint of anxiety bleeding through.
“I’m used to it.”
“Used to it?”
“Yeah. This has happened since you were a kid.”
“To me?!”
As Ho-jin bolted upright, Ho-yun pressed a finger against his forehead and added nonchalantly.
“You were always such a fool and a slow learner, so you were in and out of the hospital constantly.”
And then, the verbal abuse began.
“It’s not like you were a picky eater, but you were small for your age. You couldn't do anything without your brother. Oh, and come to think of it, I think you were a bit ugly when you were little.”
This guy is really laying it on thick.
“…You’re lying, right?”
“The part about you being ugly is a fact.”
Ho-jin wanted to argue, but when he tried to recall those days, everything was shrouded in a thick, white fog.
Ho-yun reached out and pulled down Ho-jin’s hand, which had been unconsciously picking at a fingernail, and gave a faint smile.
“When was it? There was a time you didn't come home until late. I went out looking for you, wondering if you’d been lured away by some old man promising candy. You didn't even have a cell phone back then….”
Ho-yun paused for a moment before continuing.
“After wandering around for a long time, I got a call from the emergency room. I rushed over to find you covered in blood. You’d been playing with a friend and tumbled down the stairs, and your forehead was split open and needed stitches.”
Ho-yun’s gaze lingered near Ho-jin’s forehead before dropping, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
“It was hilarious seeing you try so hard not to cry with your eyes all swollen, looking so guilty.”
Ho-jin couldn't say anything in response.
No matter how hard he searched his mind, he had no such memory.
“…I really did that?”
“…….”
“But if it was when I was a kid, why did they call you and not Mom or Dad?”
Ho-yun stood up and let out a short laugh, the kind he always gave right before cracking a joke.
“Who knows? I wonder why.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Seo Ho-jin, get some more sleep.”
Ho-yun tapped his forehead lightly, then covered Ho-jin’s eyes with his palm, forcing them shut as he spoke in a low voice.
“Hyung will take care of the rest.”
He’d thought he was feeling better, but perhaps the exhaustion had caught up to him; sleep came crashing down.
With his vision blocked, his hearing became more acute. He could hear the sounds of Ho-yun moving around the room—the clicking of the refrigerator door, the faint sound of him clicking his tongue.
“The patient is awake now.”
Then, after pressing the call button by the bed, Ho-yun paused for a moment before walking away without hesitation.
“…Hey, Min Ji-heon. Your house for a bit—…”
The last thing Ho-jin heard before his consciousness faded completely was the muffled sound of Ho-yun’s voice on the phone as he closed the door.
Three days later, Ho-jin was discharged in perfect health.
They had conducted several more tests in the interim, but they found absolutely nothing wrong.
In the end, the hospital gave the usual diagnosis: temporary symptoms caused by stress.
As he left the hospital, he sent a text to Ho-yun to thank him for handling all the administrative work through his manager.
[Me: Hyung, thanks so much, really.]
[Me: Can I call you now??]
However, no reply came even after he arrived home and finished unpacking. Just as he was hesitating, about to press the call button, a brief reply arrived.
[My Hyung: Its fine busy]
“…Busy?”
Since there was no reason for his brother to lie, Ho-jin closed the message and called Woo Gyeong-un. He felt he should at least say thank you, as he’d heard Gyeong-un was the one who called the paramedics and acted quickly when he collapsed.
[Hey! Seo Ho-jin!!!]
“Do you have to blow my eardrums out?”
But as soon as the call connected, Woo Gyeong-un’s frantic shouting made his gratitude evaporate.
[Are you okay?! I mean, how does a guy who was perfectly fine just collapse like that? Is it really just stress?]
“The results say there’s nothing else, so what can I do?”
[Hmm… but anyway, you know I’m the savior of your life, right?]
“And?”
[Shouldn't you show some gratitude to your savior? How about donating some of those precious IRIX Points of yours?]
“I’m hanging up.”
[Aaaah! Hey, hey! Is this really how you treat your savior?]
“Shut up. Unless you want to find out what ‘treating a savior’ really looks like.”
He glanced at the clock; it was well past mealtime.
Propping the phone between his ear and shoulder, he went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. At some point, someone had come by and stocked it to the brim with various types of porridge and side dishes.
He let out a bewildered laugh and grabbed the first thing his hand touched.
His friend’s nonsense continued to leak from the phone like background noise.
[…Your brother is seriously something else. It was like he had a halo behind him! Is it because he’s a celebrity?]
“Hyung was always like that.”
[Always? What, even when you were kids?]
“Probably.”
He tossed the food onto the table and went to grab a spoon. On his way back, he caught sight of the small mirror hanging on the wall.
Suddenly, the conversation they’d had at the hospital flashed through his mind.
“……Huh?”
He carefully lifted his bangs. There, on his right temple, was a very faint mark.
A scar so dim you had to look closely to even notice it.
“…It’s actually there?”
[Huh? What is?]
.
.
.
At that same moment.
“…Cough, hack!”
Seo Ho-yun was in an unfamiliar bathroom, gripping the sink and retching. Red droplets fell one by one into the pristine white basin, soon pouring out incessantly until the entire sink was stained a vivid crimson.
“Ha… fuck.”
This was Min Ji-heon’s house; the actor was currently away for an overseas shoot.
Outside the bathroom door, the puppy Ji-heon had left in his care barked anxiously, as if sensing his distress.
“Hey….”
Ho-yun clutched his head with his wet hands and slumped to the floor. Burying his head against the side of the sink, he muttered weakly.
“Make that dog stop barking….”
This was the price of his deal with the system—the start of a heart-wrenching month.