74 – In the Infirmary

“Is… Hahyun okay?”

Wheeze- Wheeze- Kim Seonah asked worriedly, listening to the faint breathing.

She had rushed to the infirmary with Hahyun in her arms as soon as the afternoon work was over. Although Instructor Gan had immediately treated her, Seonah couldn’t help but worry, seeing the bandages wrapped around her entire upper body.

“She’ll be in pain for a few days, but she won’t even have a scar. Because she’s an Awakened.”

Instructor Gan said, closing the box containing medical equipment.

Although he spoke lightly, the injuries were quite severe. The skin on her back, where she had been whipped, was literally torn to shreds. Thanks to the Awakened’s bizarre recovery ability, even that was slowly healing, but if she had been an ordinary person, she would have died from various causes before even being brought here.

To be blunt, she needed treatment from a medical professional, but Instructor Gan had finished the treatment by applying disinfectant and bandages. It was only natural, since the person was an Awakened.

“Well, if the head or heart takes a lot of damage, even an Awakened can’t handle it, but a little whipping is no problem.”

“…I see.”

“More than that, Hahyun must have done something again. To be beaten so badly and brought in here.”

“She really is a glutton for punishment.” Instructor Gan chuckled, and Kim Seonah replied with a flustered face.

“Ah, no. She didn’t do anything. It’s just that… the last part of the pain tolerance training is always done with a real whip…”

“Pain tolerance training? Ah, there was something like that.”

It wasn’t done regularly, and it was done once in a while when they forgot about it, so he couldn’t recall it for a moment. Instructor Gan nodded at the words and approached the bed where the two were.

“It looks like it will take several hours for Hahyun to wake up… How about going to eat dinner? You’ll be called for duty anyway.”

“…I’m a little hesitant to leave Hahyun alone. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone by her side when she wakes up?”

“Haha… Kim Seonah. I think you’re misunderstanding something, this is an order.”

Order. Kim Seonah flinched at the word. Instructor Gan whispered, getting closer to her face.

“Or are you worried? That I might touch Hahyun while you’re gone.”

“It’s not that…”

“This is disappointing. I thought I had shown you some trust… Don’t you trust me?”

“Ugh!”

Thwack! Kim Seonah’s expression contorted as her hair was yanked. Instructor Gan muttered, pressing his forehead against hers.

“I granted your request to weaken the punishment, to finish a little earlier… I haven’t forgotten to grant your request to not touch Hahyun as much as possible, but if you act like that, it really hurts my feelings?”

“I’m, I’m sorry. Instructor Gan, ugh…”

“Then go and have a delicious dinner. I’ll take care of Hahyun.”

Kim Seonah, who had rolled onto the floor from Instructor Gan’s push, exhaled. But she soon straightened her posture and bowed to Instructor Gan.

“…I’ll leave Hahyun in your care.”

“Trust me.”

At the reply filled with laughter, Kim Seonah bit her lip invisibly and left the infirmary.

Slam- Watching the door close, Instructor Gan muttered.

“Hahyun, you’re really lucky. To have such a person as an ally in a place like this.”

“…Shut up. More than that, how did you know I was awake?”

“Your breathing changed. Well, I only noticed it a little while ago.”

To notice that a person was awake just by the change in their breathing, what kind of guy is this? Hahyun thought so, then suddenly gasped in pain as pressure pressed down on her back.

“Ugh…! What are you doing all of a sudden!”

“This is a punishment for telling your instructor to shut up and speaking informally. You know I’m not the type to let you off easy just because you’re hurt, right?”

“Kuh-uh…!”

Even though he was pressing on the bandages, it was incredibly painful to rub and press the injured area with his palm.

Hahyun clenched her teeth and muttered.

“I’m sorry…!”

“Good. That’s how you should act.”

At the reply, Instructor Gan removed his hand with a satisfied voice.

I’m really going to kill that bastard with my own hands someday. As Hahyun thought so, the bed shook. Instructor Gan, who had been standing, sat on the edge of the bed.

“More than that, it’s been a week, and your personality is still the same.”

“…There’s a saying that people die if they change suddenly.”

“Haha… You’ve already died and come back to life, shouldn’t you have changed by now?”

Hahyun tried to spit out curses at Instructor Gan’s words mentioning the process of becoming an Awakened, but barely managed to hold it back. As if he knew it well, Instructor Gan continued to speak with a grinning face.

“You’re slowly realizing it, aren’t you? That you can’t act recklessly like before.”

“I know that too…”

Hahyun also knew that she couldn’t act according to her personality. How many times had she suffered so much that she regretted it after lashing out according to her personality? So she was trying to maintain a somewhat compliant attitude by suppressing her personality, but she couldn’t help but burst out from time to time.

Just having a conversation with Instructor Gan right now was the limit. She felt so suffocated that it wouldn’t be strange if she exploded at any moment, but if she did that now, she would definitely suffer even more pain since she was already injured.

“If you know, that’s good. More than that, are you dating Kim Seonah?”

“Wh-what?”

“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like I don’t know that trainees are dating. Looking at the way you two are acting, I thought you were dating, but I guess you’re not there yet?”

“There’s no way that’s true!… Ow! We’re not dating or anything, ouch!”

A fist fell on Hahyun’s head as she shouted with a blushing face. The traces of Instructor Choi’s beating were still there, so the pain was felt even more intensely.

Instructor Gan said, raising his fist.

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s disgusting when you act like that.”

“Kuh-uh… Who was the one who asked about that…”

“Anyway, you’re not dating, is that what you’re saying?”

As Hahyun was protesting in a disgruntled voice, Instructor Gan, who was sitting on a wheeled chair, spun in place and said.

“Then you shouldn’t go back to the dorm today and sleep here.”

“What does me not dating Kim Seonah have to do with me sleeping here-“

“Would you understand if I said it was an order?”

“…Tch.”

At Instructor Gan’s words, Hahyun clicked her tongue and turned her head. The instructor’s orders were absolute. Trying to disobey would only result in all sorts of disadvantages.

‘…Anyway, I just have to sleep here.’

Of course, Instructor Gan could do something to her, but judging from the conversation with Kim Seonah a little while ago, there was no reason for him to touch her unless she did something stupid.

…It stung a little to think that she had obtained that right thanks to Kim Seonah’s voluntary sacrifice. Hahyun exhaled and closed her eyes.

She thought it would be better to fall asleep quickly.

She didn’t know how much time had passed since she closed her eyes like that.

She had her eyes closed, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Her posture was lying face down, so it was difficult to breathe, and the burning pain in her back made her feel like she would unknowingly groan from time to time.

Still, it was good that Instructor Gan didn’t talk to her while she had her eyes closed. She could hear the sound of him moving his pen repeatedly, sitting at his desk and doing something.

Damn it, I can’t sleep comfortably. It was when Hahyun was muttering inwardly.

Slide- She felt someone’s presence as the door opened.

“You’re here early, Kim Seonah.”

“…Yes, I was worried about Hahyun.”

Thanks to that conversation, she could tell that the person who came in was Kim Seonah even with her eyes closed.

As she approached, Hahyun slowly opened her eyes and said.

“Kim Seonah.”

“Hahyun! Are you okay?”

“No… It fucking hurts…”

She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Instructor Gan, so she had been gritting her teeth, but it hurt so much that she felt like she was going to die without exaggerating. As she was groaning and exhaling, Kim Seonah said anxiously.

“Wh-what should I do then…”

“There’s nothing you can do. To get better, I need to get treatment from outside, but Awakened don’t have medical insurance.”

In other words, it would cost a fortune. There was no government agency that would use tens of millions of won in taxes to treat Awakened, who were treated as consumables. That’s why there were quack doctors like Instructor Gan in the training center.

More than anything, they wouldn’t even allow her to receive outside treatment. As Hahyun complained, Kim Seonah gently stroked her face with her hand and said.

“Don’t they have anything like anti-inflammatory painkillers?”

“I don’t know… They would have given it to me if they had it. Or you can ask.”

Instructor Gan would never give it to her even if he had it if she asked him. As she replied in a groaning voice, Kim Seonah nodded and got up to go to Instructor Gan.

“Instructor Gan. Do you happen to have anything like anti-inflammatory painkillers…?”

“Why wouldn’t I? They’re things that can be easily obtained at a pharmacy. Of course, the infirmary has them too.”

“Then can I ask for one? Hahyun is having a hard time…”

“Are you asking with empty hands?”

“…Pardon?”

At Kim Seonah’s puzzled reply as if she had misheard, Instructor Gan rummaged through a drawer and took out a container.

“This is a container with medicine that has the effect you want. One pill of this can relieve the pain Hahyun is feeling.”

“Then…”

“But it’s a little disappointing to give it to you without any compensation.”

Hahyun, who was listening with her ears, was the first to notice the intention in Instructor Gan’s smiling face.

‘That bastard…!’

It wasn’t difficult to figure out what Instructor Gan was trying to do now. Asking about her relationship with Kim Seonah and ordering her not to go back to the dorm and sleep in the infirmary today.

All of it was to use her as a hostage to make various demands of Kim Seonah.

As a bonus, it was also to provoke her.

“…What should I do.”

Kim Seonah also realized that fact, but she replied with a composed look. There was nothing she could do if Instructor Gan had already made up his mind. It was better to finish it as quickly as possible.

“Hmm… It’s not right to ask for something excessive for just one pill… Ah, that’s right.”

As if he had a good idea, Instructor Gan raised his voice and said.

“Kiss me. Like you would to a lover.”