episode_0313

“Huh… Huuu…”

It felt like I had just come out and swallowed a whole bowl of boiling soup.

That’s how much heat was inside my body.

The strange thing was that even though my body was boiling so hot, my body actually felt cold.

Is this what it feels like to be kicked out in short sleeves and shorts in a weather where the biting wind blows?

I couldn’t help but groan as my body continued to tremble.

I don’t know if it was because of the very thick blanket placed on top of my body, or because of the residues of all the doping agents that might still remain in my body, but my body felt particularly heavy.

It was so heavy that it was difficult for me to even lift a finger.

As I was experiencing the sensation of being pressed by scissors, I suddenly remembered the past.

Although I am born with a healthy constitution and have never caught a cold more than once a week, even though other people may catch it once a week, I have only been seriously ill once in the past.

So… if I remember correctly, it must have been a while after I started living at the orphanage.

At that time, a new type of flu was spreading widely in Korea, and unfortunately, I caught the new type of flu.

Even in the case of the new flu, it was highly contagious, so I was confined to a small isolation room where the only visitors were doctors and nurses, and I had to suffer for a week.

‘Actually, even though pain comes second…’

The fact that I was truly alone now hurt even more.

The situation was very similar to back then… but the difference was that I wasn’t lonely at all now.

It wasn’t because I had taught myself how to overcome loneliness.

So rather than that… it was largely thanks to the occasional touch to my face or body.

A hand that is tightly filled with feelings of concern for a person named ‘Yoon Soo-hyun’, not another person.

Every time it passed by my body from time to time, my mind became very calm, and even the chills that had made my body tremble seemed to subside.

That’s why I became curious again.

I wonder who is the owner of this touch I feel right now.

‘also···.’

Are you going to cheer me up?

There is a possibility that it is Reiko and not Chiyo, but considering the things Reiko usually shows, I honestly couldn’t imagine Reiko doing such a strange thing.

Plus… you might be busy.

That’s because I, who gave them a feeling of security like soup just by existing, will now be away from the front lines, so there will definitely be quite a bit of confusion as a result.

Reiko, who was in a position to lead the group, had a duty to calm the confusion of those people.

So, there was a high probability that the owner of this touch that I could feel right now was Chiyo.

‘Still, he takes care of me just because he’s my boyfriend…’

That kid has a rough mouth, but he actually has a good personality.

It won’t work.

If you just get up and leave, you should save more.

*****

While Su-hyeon, who was drifting between unconsciousness and consciousness due to the side effects of all kinds of doping drugs, was thinking about such things alone, there was someone who sighed while looking at him lying with a serene face on a makeshift hospital bed made by organizing the inside of the camping car.

“Haa···.”

It’s already been a week today.

This meant that today was already a week since Su-hyeon, who barely succeeded in defeating the enemy, collapsed and did not regain consciousness.

Since he is such a strong man, I thought he would quickly get up and leave…

Even though it’s been over a week since I collapsed, I’m still unconscious.

Actually, if I think about it, I didn’t even know that this was natural.

That’s because even though it had been a week since Su-hyeon’s treatment began, his body was still full of bluish bruises and wounds that looked like cuts from sharp objects.

It takes a week for most of the bruises and wounds to recover, but he still looks this miserable.

That’s why I couldn’t believe it even more.

The fact that I faced such a monster while wearing a body like this…

To be honest, she thought Su-hyeon would run away in the middle.

There was a very strange aspect to his movements, and if you took advantage of that point, it wouldn’t be a problem to take out even a single part of your opponent’s body, even if the opponent was very strong.

So, as I watched his situation becoming increasingly disadvantageous, I thought that he would soon give up and run away…

Contrary to her expectations, Su-hyeon did not even consider the option of running away.

Even though her bones creaked and let out bursting sounds, and her overworked muscles twitched like crazy… Suhyeon did not back down even once and stayed in front of her.

How on earth was that possible?

If you think about Su-hyeon’s condition at that time, it would have been a miracle for her to be able to stand because of the blood flowing out so much from the wound…

Even though he said it right away, he actually already knew.

The reason why Soo-hyeon did not hesitate to move forward even in such a situation.

That was probably to keep the promise he made to her.

The words that said he would protect her no matter what.

It must have been a struggle to keep those words.

Is it because we already know that fact?

Every time I thought of Su-hyeon swinging a sword while wounded, I felt uneasy.

Should I say that a corner of my chest feels strangely sore?

Even when Reina and that child were seriously ill, I was anxious, but I don’t think I felt this way…

A feeling I felt for the first time in my life.

So, I couldn’t get used to that feeling any longer… In the end, I couldn’t hold on any longer today and had no choice but to get up from my seat.

There are still some areas where I need to apply medicine, but it’ll probably be okay.

If she leaves, the person who waited for that moment will immediately join Suhyun’s side and fill in the remaining space.

Sure enough, as soon as she got out of the camping car, a sound that sounded like a squirrel running away, hiding among the grass and only watching humans passing by, flowed into her ears.

It’s not reliable, but it’s still reassuring.

It must have been at the moment when I was trudging along while listening to that sound.

“···Matriarch.”

Mai, the head of the security team who was in charge of the safety and control of the entire group in place of the fallen Su-hyeon, approached her.

“What’s going on?”

I was wondering if something had happened to the family members, so I asked him, but what I got back was a very cautious voice.

“Could you please give me a moment? I have something I want to ask.”

There’s something I want to ask…

From what I’m saying, it doesn’t seem like there’s any problem with the group.

Then what on earth are you trying to ask?

Regardless of those questions, I nodded obediently because there was nothing more important than close communication with the security team leader in charge of the group’s safety at a time when Su-hyeon’s absence was becoming increasingly severe.

“Then, shall we change seats?”

“I will guide you.”

As I naturally followed Mai, who had set herself up as a guide, I ended up in front of the van that was used for transportation.

Judging by the fact that there was no one around, it seemed like he had made some preparations in advance for this moment.

So I couldn’t help but become even more curious.

I was wondering what on earth they were going to do to talk about this.

“That…”

“Say it.”

Even though he asked for time first, he seemed hesitant for some reason.

I added that with the intention of telling him to speak comfortably, but… did those words become a catalyst?

Mai erased any sign of hesitation from her face and instead opened her mouth with an expression that showed some kind of determination.

“A man named Suhyun. How long are you going to leave me like that?”

“···?”

What about Suhyeon?

“What does that mean?”

“I… I think now is the opportunity. It would be impossible to reveal the secret of the man’s mysterious ability now…”

What on earth am I listening to?

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The head of the family is strange.

The head of the family she knew was a person who prioritized the family’s interests above all else…

“Don’t say nonsense.”

“Ha, but…”

“Are you telling me to repay a favor with vengeance?”

After talking to each other in this way, I was once again confident.

Before I knew it, something more important than family lineage had developed within the matriarch.

And the reason why that happened… is none other than that man.

A Korean-born man named Yoon Soo-hyun.

“Sorry. My thoughts were short.”

What if you don’t know the cause? What if you already know the cause?

The solution also had to be simple.

‘Just get rid of it.’

What if that man just disappears?

Of course she will be very angry at first, but in the end, she will return to being the ‘head of the family’ she knew.

Because the ‘Arisugawa Reiko’ she knows is that kind of person.

That was why I bowed my head calmly in front of the head of the family, who had an angry look on his face as if he had been stabbed.

And then, as soon as night fell… I quietly got up and headed to the camping car that the man was using as a hospital room.