In any case, because of that whole series of events, I ended up spending about two days living a fairly leisurely recuperation life in a private hospital room. There was nothing to do but eat, sleep, and devour the newspapers and books Han Jaeyeong brought me all day long. Since being born as Jeong Daon, this was the first time I’d spent a day doing nothing but eating and sleeping, so it felt oddly novel. Of course, it was noisy with Lee Pyeonghwa beside me, doing something that was half nursing, half surveillance.
Same as in the army… Is she the type who enjoys group life with people her age?
If it were me, having come all the way to New York, I’d probably be out sightseeing instead. She really had a curious personality.
“Come to think of it, it looks like they’re going to recognize our basic military training as completed. I heard that yesterday while being questioned at the embassy.”
“That’s good, then.”
I would’ve been annoyed if they’d made us redo training from the beginning just because we went missing during basic training, so it was a relief they were going to count it as completed. Then again, regardless of what actually happened, the responsibility for failing to properly manage recruits who were technically still soldiers lies with the government.
If only organizations were always that reasonable.
“And…we also talked about Seunghui.”
Lee Pyeonghwa’s face darkened as she said that.
Naturally, the Korean side wanted statements to investigate the circumstances of the incident. I was left out since the hospital wouldn’t release me, but Han Jaeyeong and Lee Pyeonghwa were more than enough. As a result, Lee Pyeonghwa gave testimony related to life in the unit, and it seemed that brought Lee Seunghui back to her mind.
“What did they say?”
“They told me that since a mana overload happened as a side effect of taking illegal drugs, the entire training unit will be investigated.”
“That makes sense. They need to find out who brought in and distributed the illegal drugs.”
“...You really do think the culprit was inside our unit.”
“It’s stranger to think it could’ve been brought in from outside.”
The person who handed the drugs to Lee Seunghui must have been someone within the unit. The problem was that some time had passed, giving them time to erase traces, and that Lee Seunghui hadn’t been particularly close to anyone, so there might not even be witnesses…
“Even if the government can’t find them, I will.”
“...You sure are confident, at least.” Lee Pyeonghwa shook her head, then fell silent for a moment as if hesitating, before continuing, “You know, Seunghui wasn’t close with the other recruits…and it’s not like she had a personality that made it easy for just anyone to approach her. If someone really did give Seunghui those drugs, the only ones who could’ve done that would be…me, or…”
“You already proved in the dungeon that you’re not the culprit.”
“…Which leaves only Choi Jisu.”
At that, I looked up from the newspaper I’d been reading with mild surprise and turned to Lee Pyeonghwa.
She frowned. “What’s with that reaction?”
“I just didn’t expect you to say that name yourself.”
As I’d said in the dungeon, I’d long since put Choi Jisu at the top of my list of likely suspects.
As Lee Pyeonghwa said, Lee Seunghui had basically been treated like a problem soldier among her peers and didn’t have a personality that mixed well with people her age. Lee Pyeonghwa took care of her out of responsibility, but there had been someone who oddly stuck close to her.
That person was Choi Jisu.
Lee Seunghui had a prickly side, so I’d thought she wouldn’t easily take illegal drugs just because someone offered them. Still, I hadn’t expected Lee Pyeonghwa herself to name Choi Jisu as a suspect. She’d even defended Choi Jisu when I provoked emotions using a monster in the dungeon.
“You said she wasn’t that kind of person.”
“...I just realized I wasn’t in a position to judge people so lightly,” Lee Pyeonghwa said while pouring juice into the empty cup on the table by the bed. “Honestly, from the first time I saw you, I found you annoying, you know? I just approached you first to try to be friendly, but you looked at me like I was some bug stuck in honey.”
That was a statement that could easily be misunderstood. I don’t think I’d gone that far…probably.
“So I’m reflecting on myself now. You only really know people once you’ve been through things with them.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. If it’s about helping you during the dimensional stranding, that was Han Jaeyeong anyway—”
“Hunter Han Jaeyeong told me. They said they were originally planning to interrogate me first during the dimensional stranding, but thanks to you stepping in, they were spared the trouble. They said it was you being considerate toward me?”
“No, that’s—”
“So…I’m sorry about what I said last time, about being disappointed in you just from watching the news and all that. I don’t think like that anymore.”
“…”
As she said that, Lee Pyeonghwa’s ears were bright red.
…Han Jaeyeong, what kind of nonsense have you been spreading?
While I sat there speechless in disbelief, Lee Pyeonghwa stood up. It seemed she couldn’t stand the awkward atmosphere she’d created herself and was trying to flee.
“Visiting hours are about to end anyway, so I’ll come again tomorrow. You should sleep early too.”
With that, she really did dash out of the hospital room.
Since this was a hospital, visiting hours were forbidden after 6 p.m. Thank goodness. At least I wasn’t left alone in that suffocatingly awkward atmosphere with Lee Pyeonghwa.
“Seriously…”
I couldn’t even remember when I’d said something like that, but thinking back, I recalled sneaking out of the barracks once and getting scolded by Lee Pyeonghwa. To remember something like that and go out of her way to apologize…
Is she an idiot?
I hadn’t even remembered it myself.
I shook my head. No matter how I think about it, that dungeon party was a bad combination.
From now on, I should probably avoid those three people as much as possible.
Just when Lee Pyeonghwa left and the hospital room finally became quiet, and I thought I might get some rest…
Bzzz! My phone vibrated.
Come to think of it, Lee Pyeonghwa might have gone back to the hotel, but the noisiest person was still left.
When I answered, a face filled the entire screen.
“Daon! Did you eat?”
Of course, it was Jeong Dajeong. Not in person, just a video call, but still, I wasn’t sure whether to praise his devotion for calling according to the U.S. time difference.
“Are you calling as soon as you wake up? Isn’t it 7 a.m. there right now?”
“I called before work. So, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. All I do here is eat and sleep anyway.”
“That’s a relief.”
After we returned to Earth, Jeong Dajeong had really been calling at all hours. Considering I’d gone missing during basic military training and then suddenly turned up in the U.S., it made sense he’d be shocked.
The first time he saw me through the screen, he couldn’t speak for a while. His eyes were dark—no, bluish—as if he hadn’t slept from worry.
“Daon, you—are you really okay? I’ll go to New York right now, so—!”
“No, don’t come. I’m going back as soon as I’m discharged anyway. It’s a waste of money and time.”
“How can you say that so coldly?! Don’t you think about how I feel at all, little sister?”
“…It’s fine even if you don’t come. I’m not injured. I’m going back to Korea soon anyway, and it’s a waste of money and time. Don’t you have to go to work?”
“Just because you phrase it differently doesn’t make it any less cold! I can’t even tell what the difference is!”
Jeong Dajeong’s venting went on for quite a while after that. In short, he’d been extremely worried during basic training and felt hurt that I spoke so matter-of-factly…or something like that. Honestly, I’m not sure. Understanding Jeong Dajeong’s way of thinking completely might be harder than inventing a new incantation spell.
Even today, Jeong Dajeong on the other side of the screen let out deep sighs. “So how many days do you have to stay in the hospital? Ever since you awakened, it feels like nothing good has happened.”
“But you got a nice house and a car. Isn’t that something good?”
There was even a defense spell worth tens of billions on that house. Still, Jeong Dajeong shook his head. “We can just move back to the old house for all I care. I just don’t want you to be in danger.”
The surprising thing was that this really was how he felt. Living with a burden like me in a capitalist society, he must have gone through all sorts of hardships.
“Meoww!”
Right then, Leo’s cry came through the speaker. He must have recognized my voice.
“Leo’s doing well, right?”
“Yeah. He still seems to hate me, but he won’t leave my side.”
“As he should.”
I ordered him to protect Jeong Dajeong. Judging by the sound of his cries, he was complaining about when I’d come back. Seeing that Leo was fine was a relief; it meant nothing had happened on Jeong Dajeong’s side.
“Grr?”
The wolf that had been lying quietly at my feet perked up its ears and raised its head at Leo’s familiar voice.
I stroked the puzzled wolf and said, “Anyway, I’ll hang up now. It’s time for you to go to work. It’s night here, so I’m going to sleep.”
“Oh, okay. You must be tired. Then go sleep soon. And don’t wander around and get caught up in another incident.”
“What kind of curse is that?”
“Seriously, just don’t move from your hospital room. Got it?”
"...Got it."
“Good. That’s a nice attitude. Contact me if anything happens!”
With that, Jeong Dajeong finally ended the call. The call was a bit shorter than usual, but honestly, today’s quota of awkward sweetness had already been more than enough.
Lee Pyeonghwa was just too strong.
The wolf scratched its ear with its hind leg as if the noise had bothered it.
He said to contact him if anything happened, but knowing Jeong Dajeong, he’d definitely call again tomorrow morning New York time anyway. It was annoying, but…
It doesn’t feel bad.
Having family who put me first like this, even after nearly twenty years since being reborn, felt newly…embarrassingly warm. Not all blood relatives are so devoted to caring for someone.
I called the wolf, which was sitting neatly at my feet, “Come here.”
“Grr?”
Leo could shrink his body to the size of a kitten, but the wolf, perhaps because I summoned it into this world after my mana had abnormally amplified, maintained the size of a large dog. With its size reduced like this, it wasn’t much different from a big dog; just looked like a gray-furred puppy.
Plop! I grabbed the wolf’s chubby cheeks and stared straight into its green eyes. Leo had evolved enough to convey his thoughts to me, but the wolf hadn’t reached that level yet. So when giving complex commands, I had to hold its head like this, make eye contact, and hammer the order directly into its mind.
“There are two C-rank dungeons nearby. You can find them, right?”
The wolf nodded.
“Bring back the monsters’ hearts from the dungeons.”
So, I wasn’t lying when I said I wouldn’t move from here.