#53
Do Ha-seong had awakened. Not only had he opened his eyes, but he had even raised his upper body and was examining his injured arm and side here and there. Then he saw Do-hyeok entering and widened his eyes slightly.
“Oh? Hey, you came at just the right time. Did you see my phone?”
“It’s been a while, hyung.”
Do-hyeok, who had been staring intently at the awakened Ha-seong, slowly approached him.
“Wait, it’s been a while…? How long was I asleep?”
Ha-seong asked with an anxious face. Surely it wasn’t like I woke up and 10 years had passed… such a thing that would only happen in movies hadn’t happened to me. He suddenly felt ominous. That was because Ha-seong couldn’t tell what day it was now, or what time it was. What he saw as soon as he woke up was only a pure white ceiling and a hospital room lined with medical equipment, and his phone was nowhere to be seen.
He remembered that the last time he saw it was when he left it at the scene, and was feeling troubled when Cha Do-hyeok entered. But what he said was, it’s been a while?
“A little over a day.”
Fortunately, reassuring words came from Do-hyeok’s mouth. He hadn’t even achieved his dream of being a rich unemployed person, so if he had wasted precious time on top of that, his life would have been too unfair.
“But why do you say it’s been a while? You startled me.”
Ha-seong patted his chest and glared at Do-hyeok slightly.
“I just felt that way.”
What kind of feeling is that supposed to be? Ha-seong criticized, but saying it had been a while wasn’t just nonsense. Ha-seong had lost consciousness and collapsed yesterday morning, and only a day had passed. But that one day had felt like an incredibly long time to Do-hyeok.
“How’s your body?”
“Ah, the places where I got shot throb a bit. Well, this much is fine.”
Ha-seong massaged his right shoulder and side while grimacing. Even though he said it was fine, it seemed like the pain was still severe.
“Among the people I know, hyung is the only one who woke up in just a day after being shot twice.”
Didn’t Seo Ha-jun say so too? That if recovery speed was incredibly good, one could miraculously wake up right away. A miracle. Yes, this was something that would seem like that to ordinary people’s eyes.
“It wasn’t like I was hit in a vital spot or anything. And you don’t know that many people anyway.”
“I know more than hyung.”
“I’m voluntarily like that.”
The two exchanged childish arguments as usual. That atmosphere, that familiar air, was bringing quite a sense of stability.
“I’ll hear the situation report later. For now…”
Do-hyeok took out his phone and seemed to be calling someone. When Ha-seong mouthed ‘who?’ quietly, Do-hyeok told him softly that it was the doctor.
Do-hyeok, who had briefly finished a call with the content that Ha-seong had awakened, stood quietly beside him. And he stared intently at the person who had just woken up. Ha-seong glanced at him under that somewhat blatant gaze, then soon tilted his head.
“Why. What. Are you going to scold me? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just because.”
His eyes kept going to that white, clear face. The awakened Do Ha-seong, Do Ha-seong’s voice. He just couldn’t take his eyes off anything. Perhaps that gaze was unbearably burdensome, because Ha-seong was about to say that if he was going to scold him, he should wait until he was fully healed to do so.
Suddenly the door burst open and a doctor in a white gown came rushing in. His hair was slightly disheveled as if he had been sleeping.
“…You really did wake up.”
Seo Ha-jun fumbled to take out glasses from his gown pocket and approached Ha-seong. His gaze was somewhat like looking at a zoo monkey, so he had the ridiculous thought of whether he wasn’t supposed to wake up right now.
“Patient, how is your condition right now?”
“Fine.”
“Lie down for now. The gunshot wounds were quite deep, so you might reopen the wounds if you’re not careful.”
Ha-jun made Ha-seong, who had only raised his upper body and was sitting up, lie back down. Since it was a doctor’s order, he couldn’t not listen. He obediently put his head on the pillow.
“I think we need to proceed with examinations first. Even though you’ve regained consciousness, there might be other problems, so please get a comprehensive examination, and I’ll speak with you afterward.”
Then Ha-jun moved as if he was going to proceed with that examination or whatever right away.
“Excuse me, doctor. It’s late, so couldn’t the examination be done tomorrow? I’m fine.”
He felt bad about making an innocent person work overtime because of him. Ha-seong was someone who got very angry just hearing the ‘over’ in overtime. Was it because in that damn previous world, he couldn’t sleep and worked every single day? He was someone who ranked leaving work on time as the second most important thing in life after money.
“Get the examination. Even if the outside looks fine right now, we don’t know what the inside is like.”
Do-hyeok, who had been leaning against one wall, said sharply. Seeing the Guild Leader use honorifics with someone, Ha-jun inevitably widened his eyes. He too had been thinking that Do-hyeok was someone who didn’t know how to speak politely.
“Hmm, yes. The Guild Leader-nim is right. And honestly, it’s more convenient for me to do it at this late hour. Precisely when no one else is around.”
Ah, understanding the meaning of those words, Ha-seong nodded. Though he hadn’t heard detailed explanations from Cha Do-hyeok yet, he probably kept his injury secret. Getting examined here when it would be swarming with other hunters tomorrow seemed a bit unreasonable.
“Don’t worry. Technology is good these days, so results come out quickly.”
“Ah, yes.”
How would someone who wasn’t from this world know such things? Still, he knew that this place’s civilization was much more advanced than the previous world. In the past, even when injured, there were no surgeries or follow-up examinations. As soon as you woke up, you had to go straight to work, and there were no nice hospital rooms like this. They would cram ten or more people into one room to share. The bonus was that being gathered with other patients made you feel even worse.
“The examination is all done. Please wait a moment.”
While he was blankly reminiscing about the past, Ha-jun, who had removed the needle from his arm, stood up.
“When will the results come out?”
“Within an hour.”
Ha-jun said that and went outside. When Ha-seong tried to sit up again, Do-hyeok sat in front of him and stopped him.
“Your wounds will reopen.”
Then Do-hyeok took out a phone from his pocket and handed it to Ha-seong. The screen was cracked in several places and red bloodstains could be seen seeping through the gaps.
“I picked it up on the rooftop.”
Ha-seong looked at his miserably destroyed phone. The first old phone he had bought since coming to this place. He had chosen the cheapest one to save money, but it was unexpectedly convenient to use, so he kept using it. Replacing it would also cost money, so he planned to use it until it broke.
However, he hadn’t expected the breaking point to be now. It would cost money to replace it again. Ha-seong sighed deeply.
“Who uses that kind of phone these days?”
“You just made a comment disrespecting grandpas and grandmas.”
It was when Ha-seong unconsciously reached out his right hand to grab the phone he was handing over.
Thud—
The phone fell from Ha-seong’s hand and hit the floor again. The two people stared at each other wordlessly, and quiet silence flowed through the hospital room.
“Fine my ass.”
Do-hyeok picked up the phone and placed it on the bedside table. Ha-seong frowned and massaged his right arm.
It seemed like he still couldn’t put strength into it. The bastard had specifically targeted his right hand and right side. Damn bastard. Next time they met, he’d make him the same way. While Ha-seong was thinking such thoughts, Do-hyeok pulled over a chair and sat in front of him.
“But Cha Do-hyeok.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going home?”
He had heard what time it was from Ha-jun earlier. Work hours had long passed and it was already the middle of the night. It seemed like his feet were unintentionally tied here because Ha-seong had woken up now.
“I’m not going.”
“Work hours are over. You can go. I’ll take care of myself.”
“I’ll stay a little longer before going.”
No matter how he looked at it, this guy seemed to not know the happiness of leaving work on time, the joy and duty of leaving work at the right time. In this modern society where everyone tries to leave work as quickly as possible, he was saying he’d stay a little longer.
“I want to look at hyung’s face a little more before going.”
“……”
Ha-seong widened his eyes as if a bit surprised. What was that supposed to mean? Ha-seong, who was earnestly thinking about the meaning of those words, soon concluded that that bastard was seeing him as a weak guy. He wondered if he was doubting his abilities because he had been shot twice and collapsed.
“Hey, I’m really fine. Do you think it makes sense that I woke up in just one day after being shot? It’s a bit awkward for me to say this myself, but I’m totally fine with this kind of thing…”
“Then why did you get shot?”
Suddenly Cha Do-hyeok came with a question that caught him off guard.
“Huh?”
“I know you’re strong. More than me. I also know you’re not the type to let your guard down. But why did you get shot?”
Why were you lying there collapsed? Do-hyeok asked like that. Those words felt like they were reproaching him. But that reproach wasn’t in the nuance of why didn’t you complete the task. At least that bastard’s eyes said so.
“That’s…”
Ha-seong, who was about to speak, hesitated. Why was he shot? Why didn’t he notice another enemy approaching from behind? If asked like that, there was one answer.
“I let my guard down.”
“Why?”
It was excessive persistence. Do-hyeok knew because he understood Ha-seong’s abilities. That in combat, he was much more experienced than himself and was born with all the conditions. It was persistence that came from knowing that. You wouldn’t do that, so why did you? Perhaps it was words that came from trust in Ha-seong, from that faith.
“Do I have to tell you?”
“……”
Do-hyeok continued to stare at Ha-seong wordlessly. Why did he let his guard down? Ha-seong went back through his memories for a moment to recall that moment. Before being shot, that is, the moment he was trying to remove the hood of the guy covered in rags, Ha-seong had definitely been thinking about Cha Do-hyeok.
If this bastard was the guy Cha Do-hyeok was looking for, would this relationship end now? He had been thinking such thoughts. He was surprised that he had such thoughts himself, and that’s why he hadn’t noticed.
Ha-seong moved his lips again.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
thank you for the update!
Thank you for the update!