Lee Sung-Chul, the director of Seoul Ilshin Hospital, received astonishing news. A patient suffering from hypersomnia had woken up from a 'terminal sleep' state.
"Is that really true?" "Yes, Director. I confirmed it myself."
Even if it had happened at someone else's hospital, it would have been enough to make any medical professional's ears perk up — but this patient was in their own hospital.
'This kind of luck, falling right into my lap!'
Director Lee Sung-Chul's sharp mind began calculating away.
"Isn't this something unprecedented in the world?" "Yes, Director."
The attending doctor nodded. Lee Sung-Chul's grin stretched so wide it practically reached his ears.
"Well done, Doctor Choi!" "Excuse me? Director, I didn't do anything—" "Now, now!"
Lee Sung-Chul shot the doctor a subtle look.
"It doesn't matter how you spin it — if the patient recovered, the doctor who treated them naturally deserves praise!"
And of course, that meant the hospital he belonged to as well!
"Ah, yes... thank you, Director."
The attending doctor reluctantly bowed his head. Yet despite his lukewarm reaction, the smile on Lee Sung-Chul's face wouldn't budge in the face of this unexpected windfall.
'If this goes well, the eyes of the entire world could be on Ilshin Hospital!'
Being talked about in a positive light was nothing but beneficial. Good was good — there was no downside. Once this news got out, reporters from around the world would come flooding to the hospital, scrambling to dig up any scrap of information they could. It was a golden opportunity to put the hospital's name on the map without spending a single won.
'Of course, what the reporters will want is the treatment method...'
That was fine. They could figure that out by keeping the patient around and studying them gradually. No problem at all. That was what he thought — until the attending doctor spoke up, glancing at him awkwardly.
"The patient's guardian is requesting a discharge." "What?"
No, no, no! The patient had to stay at the hospital — that was how the reporters would pile in. No, forget the reporters. To figure out the cause of the recovery, they needed to keep the patient here. Lee Sung-Chul's eyebrows twitched.
"What's the patient's condition?" "Completely normal." "They lay unconscious for four years and you're telling me their body is perfectly fine?" "Maybe it was because of the life-support equipment?" "Hmm..."
Well, when the machines were too good, that became a problem too.
"Make up something about needing to monitor their progress, and delay the discharge as long as possible." "I told the guardian exactly that, but it didn't work." 'If the patient wants to leave, we can't just hold them without a reason...'
Then there was only one option. Get the word out before the patient was discharged.
"Report it to the media while they're still in our hospital."
The attending doctor shook his head.
"That's... difficult, Director." "Why?" "We can't reveal the patient's identity. If we mess this up, it could get very serious, Director."
At this unexpected statement, Lee Sung-Chul wore a bewildered expression. Looking at the doctor's eyes, it was clear this wasn't just empty talk. Lee Sung-Chul's demeanor turned cautious.
"Is the patient that important a person?" "It's not the patient — it's the guardian who's a bit... The confidentiality request was filed by the guardian."
Come to think of it, Doctor Choi had been addressing this guardian with polite honorifics from the very beginning.
"What kind of person are they, exactly?"
What kind of person would have their family's identity protected while Doctor Choi naturally appended honorifics to their name?
"Have you heard of Sung Jin-Woo?" "Sung Jin-Woo?"
An up-and-coming politician? Or the head of a major corporation? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but no particular face came to mind. Lee Sung-Chul shook his head. As if he had expected this, the doctor quickly continued his explanation.
"He's a Hunter who recently received an S-rank designation." "S-rank!"
Now there was a reason for Doctor Choi's cautious attitude. The patient's guardian happened to be an S-rank Hunter.
'If I act carelessly and things go sideways, it's over.'
The social influence of an S-rank Hunter was enormous in itself, but if that Hunter were to lose reason to anger... The unexpected name had popped up, and Lee Sung-Chul swallowed hard.
'Close one.'
His stiff expression suddenly gave way to a light smile.
"Begin the discharge paperwork immediately." "That would be right?" "Of course it is."
Heh heh, a friendly smile hung at the corners of Lee Sung-Chul's mouth. Naturally they should let the patient go. Why would anyone want to antagonize an S-rank Hunter? He softened his words with a veneer of common sense.
"We can't hold a healthy patient against their will, can we?" "Understood, Director."
The attending doctor stood up right away. After he left—
"Whew—"
Lee Sung-Chul let out a sigh of relief, staring at the closed director's office door.
***
Jina, having received the news, dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. Jin-Woo, who had been sitting in the chair beside his mother's bed, sensed his sister approaching and stood up. Clank. The hospital room door swung open.
"Mom? Mom?"
Her face was already streaked with tears before she even stepped inside.
"My daughter, you've grown so much."
The last time Park Gyeong-Hye had seen Jina was when Jina was in middle school. She gazed at her grown-up daughter with surprised eyes, then soon broke into a warm smile and opened her arms wide toward Jina. And then—
"Mom!"
Jina flung herself into her mother's embrace. Jin-Woo hesitated. It was the kind of movement you shouldn't make with a patient who had just regained consciousness after four years, but seeing his sister buried in their mother's arms, sobbing, he couldn't bring himself to stop her.
"Mom..."
Jina had been putting on a brave face, but in the end, she was still a child. Seeing his usually tough sister brought back to mind made the tip of his nose sting.
"Now..."
When Jina tried to pull away, Park Gyeong-Hye pressed a finger to her lips and shook her head. Her other hand continued to pat her daughter's back. Jin-Woo let out a quiet breath and stepped back. Watching his sister in their mother's arms, observing their mother's gentle expression, an involuntary smile crept onto his face.
'My efforts weren't in vain.'
All the hardship he had endured felt rewarded in this very moment. Something that had been clenched tight in a corner of his heart melted away, softening and flowing down. Then — should he leave them be just a little longer? Until his sister could pull herself together. She was smart enough to know she shouldn't burden their mother. She just needed a bit of time. Jin-Woo smiled faintly and turned his gaze toward the window. The weather was bright and sunny, as though celebrating the family's reunion. Sitting there staring out the window felt a bit idle, so Jin-Woo pulled out his phone.
'...'
There were a staggering number of messages and missed calls, too many to even consider replying to one by one. He scrolled through the list of missed calls and texts, then closed the window.
'If it's urgent, they'll call again on their own.'
Having given up on responding, Jin-Woo opened a web browser. But then—
'Whoa!'
Without thinking, he had clicked through to the portal's news page, and he slapped his forehead.
[A flying monster spotted over downtown Seoul?] [Where is the flying monster heading?] [The Hunter's Association fails to respond. Citizens' safety at risk?]
The internet news sites were plastered with photos of Kaisel. From his neighborhood all the way to this hospital. The distance was considerable, but since Kaisel could fly over in an instant, he had figured nobody would make a fuss about it.
'Got photographed a lot in a short time.'
The one small consolation was that he himself, riding atop Kaisel, had barely been visible in the shots. When he summoned Kaisel yesterday, he had been resolved not to care about other people's gazes — but seeing it become a topic of discussion gave him an odd feeling.
'Well, of course.'
Anyone who saw a monster floating in the sky would have their heart skip a beat. Jin-Woo scrolled through the anxious articles and decided he needed to be more careful going forward.
'No point in scaring people on purpose.'
After all, wasn't the initial reluctance about the necromancer class precisely because of the difficulty of bearing other people's stares?
'Man, if a winged lizard gets this much buzz, the reactions when I Goliath-fy Iron Fang will really be something.'
While he was thinking this, his phone began to vibrate. Buzz-buzz. Buzz-buzz.
'Who is it?'
An unfamiliar number. Jin-Woo stepped out of the hospital room to take the call.
"Hello?" —Hunter Sung Jin-Woo.
An elderly man's voice — low but not gloomy. Jin-Woo recognized the owner of the voice immediately.
"Chairman?" —Yes. This is Ko Geon-Hee of the Hunter's Association. 'The chairman is calling?'
What would make the chairman of the Hunter's Association personally place a phone call? Seeing people milling about in the hospital corridor, Jin-Woo moved to a quieter spot and asked.
"What is this about?" —You must have heard the news by now. 'News?'
Jin-Woo tilted his head, then realizing that wouldn't get him anywhere, he asked again.
"I'm not sure what news you're referring to..." —Have you not seen the news at all?
Wow, word travels fast. Jin-Woo admitted it frankly.
"I'm sorry about that. I'll be more careful going forward." —Excuse me?
Hearing the confusion in Ko Geon-Hee's voice, Jin-Woo realized he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
'This isn't about Kaisel?'
If not that, what else would make the news... the Double Dungeon, the Red Gate, clearing an A-rank Dungeon, the 'Orb of Greed,' and so on. When he thought about it, there were far too many things.
"...What's going on?" —It seems you really haven't heard anything. "I just came from somewhere that was hard to reach."
This was no lie. Ko Geon-Hee's voice, which had been showing surprise, dropped a little lower than usual.
—Hunter.
From experience, Jin-Woo knew this meant the real substance of the conversation was about to begin.
—Would it be all right if I came to see you in person?
Jin-Woo's confusion grew even greater than when he had first picked up the phone.
'Not only does the chairman call personally, but he's coming to meet me in person?'
How serious an issue would have to be for him to take such action personally? Still. Jin-Woo glanced toward the hospital room where his mother was.
'I can't very well summon the chairman here.'
It might give rise to unnecessary talk about his mother's situation.
"I'll come to you." —Would you? "Yes."
That was more convenient for him as well. After quickly arranging a meeting, Jin-Woo said goodbye to his mother, telling her he needed to step out for a moment, and left the hospital. Having stayed only in the Demon Castle where the sun never shone, facing the sunlight made his eyes itch. Jin-Woo squinted.
'Annoying, but maybe I should just summon Kaisel?'
After a brief moment of deliberation, Jin-Woo smiled faintly and headed toward the taxi waiting for a passenger.