Chapter 92
I arrived with great difficulty, sweating profusely, but couldn’t receive immediate medical attention. Since I appeared fine on the outside and walked in on my own two feet—regardless of my grim expression or sweat-soaked appearance—my treatment kept getting pushed back.
At least I received a quick imaging scan and an emergency pain relief patch that would normally require a prescription. When I carefully applied it to my aching chest, thankfully I felt the effects quickly.
After waiting longer, I finally met with a doctor. I was told that two ribs were fractured, but the cracks were clean, and fortunately they hadn’t punctured any organs.
“It’s not serious enough to require immediate teleportation for treatment. I’ll give you a brace, so try to minimize movement as much as possible. If the pain worsens, apply a new relief patch.”
“Yes, thank you.”
If it had been a temperamental Esper, they might have flipped the desk, demanding to know if this wasn’t considered an injury, but I actually felt relieved. Being here as Song Ji-hyeok’s paired Guide, it wouldn’t make sense to leave him alone.
The gruff yet kind doctor also provided some effective anti-inflammatory painkillers. I returned to my tent with the medicine bag and carefully sat down on the field bed.
Perhaps due to the strong medication spreading through my body, my mind became slightly foggy, and the recent attack felt almost like a dream.
But the pain in my chest was proof that it was definitely not a dream. I finally took some time to reflect on the latter part of the battle.
The impact that hit me at the end, judging by the angle, was absolutely not from the monster. It seemed that one of the Espers had made a control error while trying to target the monster’s neck.
I could probably find out who did it if I wanted to. Even though everyone was focused on the monster, someone must have witnessed what happened. Even if no one saw it, at least one person—the one who made the mistake—would surely know they had made an error.
But I had no desire to actively search for the culprit. Control failures during battle were mistakes anyone could make, and if deemed unintentional, they weren’t subject to punishment or criticism. It was a dangerous and urgent situation at the end, so they clearly made a mistake while hurriedly trying to attack the monster.
Looking at it differently, getting hit at that moment was fortunate. The attack had lost much of its power by the end of the battle; if I had been hit properly, my insides would have been a mess.
‘By the way, what should I tell Ji-hyeok?’
Now practical concerns began to surface. Physical guiding seemed impossible for at least a few days—would Song Ji-hyeok be satisfied with just kisses or petting? Before that, he would probably be angry just about the fact that I was injured…
But this time, it wasn’t a situation where I could just stand by. If the wind barrier had collapsed, if the serpent’s neck had been cut even a little later, everyone would have suffered significant damage from the poison. Including me.
‘Compared to that… a few fractured ribs is much better.’
The question was whether Song Ji-hyeok would accept this. All I could do was explain well that it was an unavoidable situation and try my best to make him understand.
Once I had mentally sorted through the situation, extreme fatigue washed over me. I felt like I would sell my soul for a device that could rapidly recharge physical and mental energy.
I slowly supported myself with my arm and lay down on the bed. But before even a few minutes had passed, I heard someone calling me from outside the tent.
“Su-Su-hyeon-ssi. Are you in there?”
My brow automatically furrowed. I was just trying to rest… Couldn’t they come later unless it was urgent?
I thought that briefly, but eventually slowly got up. It felt wrong to pretend I hadn’t heard when they called me by name.
When I pulled back the double curtain, Jeon Hyeon-wook was standing there as expected. Normally I would have smiled out of politeness, but I didn’t have the energy for that now. Jeon Hyeon-wook was, as always, slightly hunched with his gaze directed at the ground.
“What is it?”
“Well, um…”
Perhaps due to my poor condition, my patience was shorter than usual. Just as I was about to ask again what the matter was, Jeon Hyeon-wook’s lips moved once more.
“I-I was worried if you were badly hurt…”
Looking at him now, it wasn’t just his shoulders that were hunched. He was fidgeting with his clasped hands like someone emotionally disturbed, and his voice carried a faint tremor.
Ah, did he perhaps see me getting attacked?
If so, it would make sense that he was psychologically shocked. On the battlefield, especially seeing a teammate injured by an Esper’s attack, could itself become traumatic.
“I’m fine. Fortunately, the impact wasn’t that strong…”
Just as I said that, the area outside the tent suddenly became very noisy. I immediately understood the situation from the voices I heard. The attack team had returned.
Hearing about their return, Song Ji-hyeok naturally came to mind. I wanted to run out right away to check if he was safe. My urgent feelings were directly reflected in my words and actions.
“Thank you for your concern. Um, I need to…”
“A-aren’t you in pain?”
Suddenly, Jeon Hyeon-wook raised his voice. I felt both myself and the speaker himself startle.
His gaze seemed to lift slightly, but our eyes never met. Jeon Hyeon-wook looked back at the ground and continued.
“I-I know you’re pushing yourself too hard. So… so…”
“Senior Su-hyeon.”
Both of us froze again. When I turned my head, Song Ji-hyeok was standing there, having arrived without us noticing. As soon as I saw him, I forgot I was in the middle of a conversation and tried to approach him, but a throbbing pain surged from my sudden movement.
Seeing my grimacing face and the brace on my chest, Song Ji-hyeok asked in an urgent voice:
“Are you hurt?”
“…A little.”
Song Ji-hyeok’s eyes had a slight red tint today as well. Since explaining would take time and his guiding was the priority, I decided to send Jeon Hyeon-wook away first, who was still standing behind me.
But when I turned around, I was a bit surprised. I expected him to still have his gaze lowered, but he was staring directly at Song Ji-hyeok.
‘Why is the atmosphere like this?’
It clearly wasn’t a friendly feeling. Given that they had previously had trouble over guiding, I felt even more need to send Jeon Hyeon-wook away quickly.
“Thanks for your concern. I’m fine, so please go and rest now.”
“Su-Su-hyeon-ssi…”
He looked like he had more to say, but I also sent him meaningful glances. Fortunately, as if understanding my “let’s talk tomorrow” signal, Jeon Hyeon-wook hesitated briefly before finally bowing his head.
As soon as he left, Song Ji-hyeok’s gaze turned to me. His handsome face was full of displeasure.
“What was that guy? Did he come asking for guiding?”
He looked ready to chase after him and throw a punch if I said yes. Since it wasn’t true, I hurriedly denied it.
“He came because he was worried if I was okay.”
Song Ji-hyeok’s expression became even more severe.
“Did that bastard hurt you?”
“No.”
Stop jumping to conclusions. And Jeon Hyeon-wook is more senior than you, you idiot.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll guide you.”
I tried to push Song Ji-hyeok’s back toward the tent but barely remembered my injury and stopped. Whew, I almost got dizzy.
The magic word “guiding” seemed to work, as Song Ji-hyeok started moving despite his displeased face. After preparing myself mentally with a short sigh, I also entered the tent.
Afraid he might suddenly grab my wrist, I quickly spoke with an apologetic face.
“I’ll confess upfront. My ribs are slightly fractured… so I can’t move vigorously.”
Contrary to my expectation that he might get angry, Song Ji-hyeok replied without raising his voice.
“I already heard about it when I arrived. They said a monster almost turned everything into a disaster area.”
He’s already heard. Well, anyone could tell something had happened just by looking at the state of the base camp.
I didn’t know who told him, but it was appreciated. However, there was still one hurdle to cross.
“But why did you, a Guide, get hurt? What were the barrier staff and other Espers doing?”
…Here it comes.
To this number one expected question, I gave the answer I had prepared.
Song Ji-hyeok listened to my story silently. His expressions, however, were abundant. He furrowed his brow, then raised his thick eyebrows. And when I closed my mouth, he bluntly said:
“You did well.”
It wasn’t said sarcastically. I blinked a couple of times and involuntarily spoke.
“Are you talking to me?”
Hearing my words, Song Ji-hyeok chuckled as if in disbelief.
“Who else is here besides us?”
“No, I just thought you’d definitely scold me…”
“Honestly, I am angry. I fought my ass off, came back to find the base camp in chaos, and while other Guides are fine, only my Guide is injured.”
Song Ji-hyeok frowned again in displeasure.
“But I’m letting it go because you could have been included in the damage too. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have moved an inch. My well-being is directly connected to yours.”
“I’m glad you know that.”
Song Ji-hyeok stepped closer and cupped the back of my head. As I closed my eyes reflexively, his slightly dry lips touched mine as expected. At that moment, my heart pounded heavily. Something different from pain rose up—a tingling, fluffy emotion.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
