Chapter 50
“I understand. Thank you for answering.”
I had no idea how the doctor interpreted my words.
But instead of questioning me further, he changed the subject.
“I understand now that your condition isn't immediately dangerous. Still, my skill could theoretically be wrong, so you need another full examination. Even if nothing appears wrong now, your condition could suddenly worsen. I can't discharge you immediately.”
“...How long will it take?”
“If every test comes back normal and your condition remains stable for the next few days, you should be able to leave in three or four days.”
Three or four days isn't too bad.
I reluctantly nodded.
“Okay.”
“There probably won't be a major issue. Ah, I'll remove the bandages.”
The doctor smiled bitterly and began unwinding the bandages around me.
By the time he finished, I quietly sighed in relief.
“I'll be going now. If you experience even the smallest problem, tell us immediately.”
He gave a light bow and approached the door.
I thought he was leaving.
Then he seemed to remember something.
He came back and pulled something from his coat.
A business card.
“This might be unnecessary advice, but from what I understand, Hunters never know when something might happen to them. Rather than continuing such dangerous work, you might consider working in the medical field.”
There was only one reason he would bring that up right now.
“The pay is fairly good too, especially because not everyone can do it.”
My eyes widened slightly at the unexpected suggestion.
“I just wanted you to know that option exists. Get some rest.”
I watched him leave while rubbing the business card between my fingers.
...That actually doesn't sound bad.
Doctors had the reputation of earning a lot of money.
I had never been especially gifted academically, so becoming a doctor had always felt completely outside my reach.
After retiring as a Hunter, I'd have to decide whether to return to school or find a job anyway.
If I could use my Hunter abilities in a field that paid more...
That didn't sound bad.
I'll think about it later.
I placed the business card, which had the name Oh Minwoo written on it, on the bedside table.
Then Han Siwoo spoke quietly.
“You know... I was a little scared.”
He sat on the small chair beside the bed and stared at the floor.
“I thought you might never wake up.”
His emotionless voice somehow sounded like he was holding something back.
“I feel like I had a lot I wanted to say when you opened your eyes. But now that you're awake, I don't even know what to say.”
I fidgeted with my fingers awkwardly.
My chest felt strange.
Almost ticklish.
Or maybe unsettled.
“I still remember this, though.”
Han Siwoo finally lifted his head and looked at me.
This time, I was the one who looked away.
“Thank you for waking up.”
I didn't know what to say.
So I stayed silent.
Still...
It didn't feel bad.
It felt as though something indescribable had filled my chest.
Han Siwoo didn't seem to expect an answer anyway.
The conversation ended there.
The silence I created stretched on.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It felt like the quiet of an ordinary lazy afternoon.
When the peaceful silence started becoming awkward again, I carefully spoke.
“Have you seen my phone?”
Han Siwoo stared at me in amazement.
Then he silently laughed.
“Can you stop looking at your phone even now? Jihoon hyung probably has it.”
“Why does Oppa have someone else's phone? What am I supposed to do in a hospital room without it...?”
I frowned.
Han Siwoo pressed his thumb against the space between my eyebrows and smoothed out the wrinkle.
“Stop frowning.”
“I can't even control my own face now?”
“You only just realized?”
“Hey!”
His hand, which had seemed to be pressing my forehead, suddenly pushed my whole face backward.
My head jerked back slightly.
I stared at him in disbelief.
What was he, an elementary school kid?
A laugh escaped me.
Then another.
Eventually, I burst out laughing.
Han Siwoo did too.
Nothing about the situation was particularly funny.
Still, for some reason, we kept laughing for quite a while.
Thinking about it...
We used to act like this often.
After the world changed, ordinary moments like these disappeared.
I was briefly lost in nostalgia when...
BANG!
“Kim Jia!”
“Noona!”
My brother and Lee Junhyuk rushed into the hospital room.
Seriously.
Speak of the devil.
My brother hurried toward me.
I shamelessly held out my hand.
“Oppa. My phone.”
He completely ignored my hand and stared at me with a serious expression.
“You! You...!”
His mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Eventually, apparently unable to speak, he shut it again.
I stared at him.
He had clearly run here.
His already terrible hair looked even worse.
Come to think of it, he had been injured back then too.
Was he okay now?
