By Zephyria J scrutinized the boy anew. His lips, pale and chapped with dried blood, were pursed tightly. He seemed quite displeased.
How could he express his feelings with just the shape of his lips? He was supposedly on the verge of fainting from the pain, yet he stubbornly expressed his will even in this extreme situation.
‘They say your personality gets worse when you’re in pain.’
Did this kid become venomous because of the pain, or was it his original personality? Curiosity bloomed. J, who had been intently observing the boy, suddenly asked,
“Do you remember me?”
“……”
“I brought you, from there. I did.”
Even though it was a vague story, he seemed to understand, as his sharp lips relaxed slightly. His head seemed to turn a little more towards J, as if he remembered that time.
‘It would be better if he didn’t have that memory.’
If the melted figure that had been protecting the boy was really his parents or family… even more so. J bit the inside of his cheek. People’s memories don’t move as they please, and the memories you want to forget only become clearer as time passes. J, who had been staring intently at the face wrapped in bandages, said,
“I heard you still can’t speak… What about your fingers? Can you move them?”
As if in response, his fingertips twitched. J rested his chin on his hand and muttered,
“Then you just move your fingers. I’ll try hard to understand.”
“……”
“I’m good at talking to myself. And I’m good at reading people’s expressions.”
“……”
“If you understand, can you move your fingers?”
His fingertips twitched. J smiled.
“Yeah, like that.”
Beep, beep, beep…. A quiet breath mingled with the rough, labored breathing. The hospital room, which had always only heard one person’s breathing, seemed a little more full. It was a quietness that had been a long time coming. J, who had been closing his eyes, whispered,
“I’m J.”
“……”
“It’s not my real name, but just call me that. I’m a Hunter, my ranking is pretty high, and I’m affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau… Is that enough? Ah, damn… Now that I’m actually talking, I don’t have anything else to say.”
The boy’s fingers wriggled. J stared intently at the boy’s diligently moving fingers. He had said he would understand everything with great enthusiasm, but in reality…
‘I don’t understand anything.’
He couldn’t understand at all. J awkwardly twisted the corners of his lips, feeling embarrassed.
Well, wouldn’t time solve this too? If they spent more time together, he would be able to answer immediately even if that guy just twitched his fingers. He was good at learning. J tapped his mask with the fingers propping up his chin and answered casually.
“You won’t be able to see my real face even when you’re healthy. I’m wearing a mask. So don’t be too sad that your eyes are injured… It can be treated.”
“……”
“The voice you’re hearing now isn’t my voice either. The mask also changes my voice.”
“……”
“Ah, do you want to try touching it? Can you move your arm?”
J moved closer to the bed. And he gently rolled up the sleeve of the patient gown the boy was wearing.
However, the arm wrapped in bandages was covered with wires connected to all sorts of machines, and there was no space left with the IV needles inserted into the gaps. It looked like the researchers and doctors would rush over the moment he moved even a little.
J quietly put his hands behind his back and looked at the ceiling.
“…I guess not.”
“……”
“Your arm looks like it’ll be a big problem if I touch it. Sorry.”
The boy’s fingers, which had been moving busily, stopped. The boy’s lips became pursed. J cleared his throat and turned his head slightly.
“I’ll let you touch it when you get healthier.”
“……”
The boy’s head, which J glanced at, slowly began to turn to the opposite side. J hurriedly said,
“Ah, really. I’m not lying. Promise, promise.”
J urgently reached out and touched the end of his pinky finger to the end of the boy’s pinky finger. It seemed difficult to intertwine fingers in his current state. No matter how much he tried to control his strength, the boy was a weakened civilian, and he was a top-ranked Awakened.
Fortunately, it seemed to work, as the boy turned his head back towards J. J, who let out a sigh of relief, began to touch his fingers with a hand that was as relaxed as possible. It was as if he was handling a precious piece of porcelain.
“If it hurts, let me know by scratching my hand.”
“……”
“…But don’t scratch too hard. Your fingers might break.”
The bandaged hand flinched wherever his touch reached. The sight was like a mimosa, making it fun to watch. J, who had been touching the bandages and fingers, muttered,
“It must be boring being alone.”
At that moment, the watch on his wrist rang loudly. It was a call.
“Ah.”
How much time had passed? J, who suddenly came to his senses, released his hand, and a faint finger brushed against the back of J’s hand. J’s eyes widened. The boy’s finger was extended towards J. J, flustered, grasped the finger.
“What, does it hurt?”
“……”
The finger moved slightly, as if to say yes. J said with a troubled expression,
“…But I have a call… This is something I really have to go to. I’ll call a doctor for you instead.”
“……”
The boy’s lips jutted out. J blurted out a word without realizing it.
“I’ll come again next time.”
“……”
His lips were still pouting. J, groaning, looked at the ceiling and said,
“…I’ll try to come as often as possible. But I don’t know how often I can come.”
“……”
His lips seemed to be even more sullen. Damn it, he shouldn’t have said it so honestly. J was never good at lying anyway. J sighed.
“Sorry. Just wait a little bit.”
“……”
“I’ll come as soon as possible. Okay?”
Only then did the finger lightly poke Eui-jae’s palm and fall away. He still didn’t seem to be in a good mood. J lightly cupped the bandaged cheek and then released his hand.
“See you next time.”
J turned and headed for the door. When he opened the door, Ga-young, who had been sitting on a chair with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, suddenly opened her eyes. She must have dozed off for a moment. She wiped the corners of her mouth and jumped up.
“Y-You’re already coming out! Oh my, you could have stayed longer.”
“No, I have a call from the Management Bureau.”
“Aren’t you too busy? Dungeons and Rifts… And you even bring us Poison.”
“Well… it can’t be helped.”
J shrugged his shoulders after closing the door. Silence flowed as he retraced his steps. When he approached the laboratory, J opened his mouth.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes! Please speak.”
“Could you make a hospital room access card? Just for me.”
“Excuse me?”
Ga-young looked at J with her mouth agape. J, with his hands behind his back, said in a voice filled with laughter.
“I have a donation… That much is possible, right?”
Time passed quickly once again. Still, it was fortunate that it was lighter than the time that had passed until now.
Thud, thud. As he swung Geochang in the air, drops of blood fell like rain. J shook off the blood on the spear and headed for the Dungeon exit. As he felt his body being swept away, a familiar landscape appeared before his eyes.
He was standing at the gate of a shabby house. It was a special case where the house had become a Dungeon, so J had entered directly, but fortunately, it was a relatively peaceful place. A Hunter who had been waiting at the entrance handed him a white towel dampened with water. J, who received the towel and wiped the blood from his hands, pressed his in-ear.
“This is J.”
A gentle voice asked.
-Yes, was the Dungeon okay?
“Yes. It was a forest type, and there were quite a few useful things. I’ve killed the Dungeon Master and the Monsters… How about forming an investigation team and a research team and sending them in?”
-Okay. But….
A moment of silence flowed. J checked the power of his in-ear with a puzzled expression. It wasn’t disconnected. Ham Seok-jeong was uncharacteristically hesitating. After a moment of silence, she asked.
-Do you have something good going on?
“…Excuse me?”
J stopped dead in his tracks and blankly checked his watch. He wondered if he was talking to his aunt instead of the Director, but it was the Director. The Director was saying this? Just as J was about to fall into confusion, Ham Seok-jeong quickly continued.
-No, you just seem to be in a good mood these days.
“……”
-…I’m not saying anything. I think I said something unnecessary. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.
“Ah, no.”
J replied in a dazed tone.
“Uh, um… Thank you for your concern.”
-…Okay. It’s relatively quiet today, so get some rest.
“Y-Yes….”
The communication was cut off. It didn’t seem like much had changed, but was it enough for Ham Seok-jeong to ask? J scratched his head and nodded to the Hunter who was waiting next to him.
“Thank you. Hunter, please return as well.”
“Aren’t you returning to the Management Bureau with us?”
“Ah, no. I have somewhere else to go.”
“Understood. Thank you for your hard work.”
The Hunter bowed and disappeared. J also moved his steps slowly. The pace, which had been normal, quickened a little as he approached a familiar alley, and by the time he began to see the white building, he was almost running.
He entered through the staff entrance, took the elevator, climbed the stairs, passed through the hallway, and put his ID card on the machine. Beep, a cheerful mechanical sound rang out, and the familiar hospital room door appeared. J, with the corners of his lips raised high, burst open the white door.
The bed placed in the center of the pure white hospital room was still surrounded by machines. However, it was not as quiet and desolate as before.
The boy, who had been sitting leaning against the bed, slowly turned his head. The face wrapped in bandages was also different from before. Unlike before, when only his nose and mouth were exposed, now his eyes, nose, and mouth were all exposed. Although his eyes were blurry due to the Poison, his pupils were directed precisely at J.
J spread his arms wide.
“Hyung’s here!”
The blurry eyes that were directed at him narrowed slightly. As if he was smiling.