The Cliff (2)
In the dim hospital room, if I kept my eyes closed and stayed perfectly still, the memories of that day would rise up again. The razor-sharp bite of the scythe as it punched through my arm, the sickening burst of flesh. The way my whole body had locked up as if my blood had frozen solid, the terror so absolute I even forgot how to breathe….
….
But now it was okay. After the scythe cut me, I’d lost consciousness and remembered nothing, yet for some reason one thing remained crystal clear. Jihwan’s voice as he gripped my arm tightly, desperately hiding his trembling while he comforted me.
‘…Yeah, it’s okay, Soyeon. I’m right here…’
That warm, gentle voice had been carved deep into my mind. It might be a twisted thought, but the fear of the scythe slowly faded once I realized that being cut had let me see that side of him.
…Was love really that strong?
I slowly opened my eyes and carefully shifted, glancing toward the guardian’s bed.
Hoo— hoo—
There lay our mom, beautiful even in deep sleep.
When I first woke in the hospital, the first person to greet me wasn’t the doctor, the nurse, or Jihwan. It was Mom—someone I hadn’t seen in who knew how long—still as stunning as ever.
The moment our eyes met, she pulled me into a tight hug and whispered that she was sorry. I was startled by the sudden reunion, but the simple fact that I was seeing her again filled me with a strange warmth. Our first conversation after so long ended just like that.
Even calling in the Saintess to heal me, Mom said the outside world was in chaos, so it would be best to rest here in the hospital for a while even if it was uncomfortable. I wanted to go home quickly, but I knew I should listen to her for now.
….
Still, I wanted to see Jihwan.
Mom told me he was in a room on the floor below. She even praised him—something she rarely did—saying he’d worked incredibly hard to save me….
When I immediately tried to go see him, she stopped me, saying he was still recovering and I should let him rest. I’d already caused him enough worry; if I started running around claiming I was fine, how could he relax?
Understanding her meaning at once, I obediently lay back down and prayed for Jihwan to heal quickly.
But….
…I can’t hold it anymore. I want to see him right now.
I wondered if he might come up first, but he never showed his face—not even once—until the hospital lights went out. No matter what, we were in the same building. Weren’t we close enough for at least one visit? I’d heard he didn’t have any serious injuries and was only receiving an IV.
…It’s not like he’s deliberately avoiding me….
…Right…?
….
When I thought about it calmly, even I could see how someone might lose interest. I had ignored Jihwan’s words and thrown three tantrums. If the results had been good, maybe it would be different, but I’d ended up injured and unconscious, causing him nothing but trouble. The more I reflected on my behavior, the more anxious I became.
…No….
I swallowed hard and quickly checked the clock on the bedside table.
Late at night—the time when Jihwan would be fast asleep.
….
…J-just looking at his face for a second would be okay, right? If he happened to be awake, we could talk a little before I returned. If he was sleeping, I’d just take one quick look and leave.
Just to be sure, I quietly turned my head and peeked at Mom.
Hoo— hoo—
She’d been running back and forth meeting association people since morning, so she must be exhausted.
…She won’t wake up, right?
If Mom woke, she might stop me, so I had to be as quiet as possible.
Having made up my mind to go see Jihwan, I moved without making a sound, not even the rustle of fabric, and slowly slid out of bed.
Sliiide— sliiiide—
While sneaking off the bed and glancing at Mom, I cursed inwardly. Crap…! The slippers were slightly out of reach.
…I was sure I left them right beside the bed….
Someone must have moved them. In the end, I had no choice but to step onto the floor barefoot.
The moment my feet—warm from the blanket—touched the cold tile, goosebumps raced up my spine.
…Ugh….
I tiptoed over, braced one hand lightly against the wall, and quietly slipped my feet into the slippers.
Sliiide— slip—
After sliding my left foot in, I was about to put in my right when—
Rustle—!
“…Hup!”
The sound of plastic crinkling echoed through the silent room. The quiet made it sound deafening.
…W-what was that…!?
I dropped into a crouch, covering my mouth, and slowly scanned the area for the source.
And….
….
I discovered a piece of plastic trash stuck under my right slipper.
…What kind of person just throws garbage on the floor…!!
Fuming inside, I pushed the plastic aside to clean up later and finished putting on the slipper.
After quietly sliding my foot all the way in and sneaking another glance at Mom, I crept toward the door.
Tap… tap… tap… tap…
I moved with held breath, placing each foot carefully.
Drrrrrrrrr…
I cracked the door just wide enough to slip through and was about to sneak out when—
Creak— The gap wasn’t big enough; the door pressed against my chest.
“!”
I flinched and checked whether Mom had woken, but….
Fortunately, she seemed to still be asleep.
After finally escaping the room and quietly closing the door behind me,
“…Whew…”
I let out a sigh of relief and headed toward the stairs.
Right then….
Lying in bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly sat bolt upright.
Yeah. Let’s just go see her face.
Around dinnertime, my wife had told me it would be better not to visit Soyeon right away. At first I didn’t understand. No matter how much I had become a stranger to her, she was still my only daughter. It wasn’t as if we couldn’t see each other’s faces, and I was only going to check on her for a moment—why stop me?
But….
It turned out she had been diagnosed with severe mental instability. The diagnosis came from the Saintess. I didn’t want to believe my wife, but she wouldn’t lie, and the Saintess had no reason to fabricate such a thing.
When I slowly thought back over Soyeon’s situation, it made sense that she would be under immense mental strain. It was her first real battle and she’d been badly hurt. The reunion with her parents—though not ideal—had happened after a long separation. There were far too many things that could shake a teenage girl’s fragile heart.
That was why I’d decided to take it slow—maybe just a quick visit tomorrow….
But once I lay down to sleep, I realized today or tomorrow made no difference.
It was late at night. Right when Soyeon would be asleep. Wouldn’t it be fine to just sneak a peek at her face?
“…Okay.”
Having made up my mind to go upstairs, I left the room immediately.
Taking the elevator would have been easier, but I decided quietly using the stairs was better. I headed toward the stairwell.
When I opened the heavy iron door, a chill rushed over me.
“Ugh…”
Wearing only underwear beneath the patient gown made the cold air feel especially sharp as it slipped inside.
Tap-tap-tap-tap—
I climbed the stairs quickly. The moment I opened the heavy iron door with a long creeeak—
“…Huh?”
“Huh?”
By pure coincidence, I ran straight into Min Soyeon.
Wait, why is she here?
Her unexpected appearance froze my brain for a second. Min Soyeon looked just as shocked—her eyes were trembling.
Right then—
Drrrr— Somewhere nearby, a door opened.
Min Soyeon snapped back to her senses and shoved me through the doorway.
“…G-get inside!”
Startled by her sudden action, I stepped back obediently. She glanced around cautiously and carefully closed the door.
Click—
After the door shut, I finally regained my composure and opened my mouth to ask how she was doing.
“…Soyeon, are you o—”
“Shh!”
She cut me off immediately, pressing a finger to her lips and leaning her ear against the door. It looked like she was listening for something on the other side….
…Why is she acting like this…?
Not understanding her behavior, I simply waited in silence.
A moment later.
“…Whew…”
Min Soyeon let out a sigh of relief and glanced back at me.
“Soyeon! Are you feeling better?”
When I asked urgently, she gave a slow nod and said she was fine.
“…Let me see.”
I reached out, asking to check her arm. Normally she would have refused, but this time she offered it without protest.
Sliiide—
I gently took her slender arm, rolled up the sleeve, and held it to the light. Her skin was perfectly clean. The fair complexion that had been drenched in blood was now spotless, without a single scar or blemish to show where she’d been hurt.
It was the Saintess’s work.
“…Thank goodness…”
“…Y-yeah.”
When I released her arm, Min Soyeon looked up at me with a faintly disappointed expression.
“…What about you?”
“I’m completely fine. I only survived because you helped me. Thank you. Really.”
She shyly looked away, murmuring that she was glad.
We continued exchanging brief updates on each other’s conditions until I suddenly remembered she had been heading toward the stairs.
“By the way, why were you coming this way? Where were you going?”
Min Soyeon paused, then turned the question back on me.
“…What about you?”
Since I had come up specifically to see her, there was no need to dodge.
“I was coming to see you.”
At those words, Min Soyeon’s expression crumpled strangely.
“…Me? …Why?”
Her eyes sparkled with something unreadable, as if she were testing me.
“…Because I wanted to see you. You got hurt because of me. …I’m relieved you look okay.”
After quietly staring at me for a moment, she suddenly dropped her gaze and muttered.
“…Th-there’s still one place that isn’t fully healed…”
“…A place that isn’t fully healed?”
My face turned serious without thinking. Min Soyeon’s eyes lit up with clear anticipation.
“…The spot where the chain hit…”
The chain. When she had recklessly charged in, the chain had struck her in the stomach. Now that I thought about it, she had also complained that her chest hurt back then….
Had the Saintess failed to heal it completely? She had been in her early twenties when we worked together; now she was nearing thirty. It wouldn’t be strange for her to make a small mistake.
My trust in the Saintess plummeted instantly, and my worry for Soyeon surged.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
As if she had been waiting for the question, Min Soyeon stroked the area below her collarbone and said,
“…It feels a little… throbbing…”
When I unconsciously followed her hand with my eyes, she spoke again as though she had planned it all along.
“…W-want to see…?”
The moment those words left Min Soyeon’s lips—
Clank—!
The heavy iron door that had been tightly closed burst open. A woman poked her head through, cutting Soyeon off mid-sentence.
“…So this is where you were?”
It was my wife.