Episode 603. The Culprit Was Lee Hoyeon.

Saint Baek Ahyoung.

Along with Im Sol, she was a representative Korean ability user recognized worldwide.

Just as Im Sol was recognized in the field of magic, Baek Ahyoung was unrivaled in the field of healing.

[If there’s even a breath left, I can force them back to life.]

Whether their entire body was covered in blood, whether parts of their limbs were blown off, or whether their magic circuits were completely torn apart.

She saved every patient she took on.

If she had used that power to make money, Baek Ahyoung might have become the world’s richest person.

But she didn’t chase after money.

Her criteria for choosing patients weren’t fame or wealth.

People who would die immediately without her help.

Baek Ahyoung treated those kinds of people.

That’s how she earned the epithet ‘Saint’.

“Ah, ahhh…”

“Take slow, deep breaths. It’ll be over soon.”

Most of the patients Baek Ahyoung met were critically ill.

Lately, the frequency had only increased.

Hwaaahk-

She channeled magic into the woman whose face had turned pale blue.

Checking the woman’s insides, Baek Ahyoung furrowed her brow.

‘…This person’s magic circuits are also a complete mess.’

Recently, patients of this type had increased drastically.

The cause was the magic of the Underworld.

It was the result of people forcibly absorbing the Underworld’s magic, claiming they were investigating black pillars or gates to the Underworld.

While talented individuals could comprehend the magic, there was a very high chance their human bodies couldn’t withstand it.

Baek Ahyoung had been receiving countless patients like this recently.

They were a nuisance to the ER, difficult to treat and time-consuming.

“The emergency treatment is finished. I’ve stopped the magic circuits from tearing further. The medical team will take over from here.”

“Yes! Saint-nim. The next patient is scheduled to arrive in 30 minutes.”

“Understood. Hoo. I’ll go rest in my office for a bit.”

Baek Ahyoung gave a slight bow and left the ER.

This was the 8th emergency patient just today.

She needed a little rest too.

After Baek Ahyoung left, the remaining staff murmured in amazement.

Even working alongside her, they were always impressed by her abilities.

“Someone like her used to work as the school nurse at the Academy… That was truly unbelievable.”

“She’s genuinely devoted to helping others. A blessing for the Academy.”

“Yeah. I think so too. I even heard she does volunteer work on weekends on top of this job.”

“…The Saint-nim is truly amazing. I should emulate that attitude towards life.”

Like her epithet ‘Saint’, she had a kind personality and excellent work performance.

She was beautiful, and on top of that, highly skilled – there was no way anyone could dislike her.

Even as she headed off for a brief rest, Baek Ahyoung seemed to invigorate the ER.

‘Maybe I really should quit this job.’

Baek Ahyoung collapsed onto the office sofa and took off her blood-stained gloves, tossing them into the trash bin.

It might have looked gruesome to an onlooker, but Baek Ahyoung, performing the action, had a girlish face.

Baek Ahyoung had one worry.

She had too much work and couldn’t see Lee Hoyeon.

She was working for their future married life, but ironically, her work prevented her from seeing Lee Hoyeon, making it a case of misplaced priorities.

“Ugh. There are still so many patients…”

However, Baek Ahyoung’s innate disposition couldn’t be changed.

She felt pure joy and fulfillment in helping and saving others.

Even though she considered quitting the ER job, she couldn’t bring herself to do it when she thought of the emergency patients waiting for her.

Baek Ahyoung pouted and checked her smartwatch.

She had forwarded all non-essential notifications.

The important thing was a message from her darling.

Knock knock.

Just as she was checking her smartwatch.

A knock echoed through Baek Ahyoung’s office.

“Yes. Who is it?”

“Ahyoung-ssi. I just came to see your face.”

“Eek!”

A beautiful voice that made her heart skip a beat.

Baek Ahyoung belatedly glanced down at her smartwatch.

• Honey: You seem incredibly busy. I’ll try to visit you today.

She had missed the most important message.

Baek Ahyoung jumped up from the sofa and hurriedly opened the door.

The person she had been waiting for stood before her.

“It’s been a while, Honey.”

“H-Honey…”

Seeing Lee Hoyeon’s smile after so long made her heart flutter.

When Lee Hoyeon opened his arms, Baek Ahyoung buried her face in his chest as if it were a promise.

His firm chest stood steady, easily supporting Baek Ahyoung’s weight.

“I haven’t seen you in two weeks, and look at those dark circles. You must be exhausted if you’re this busy.”

Lee Hoyeon gently brushed under Baek Ahyoung’s eyes.

Her dark circles were deep, showing just how tired she was.

He had come while the medical team was here, deciding to take a moment to visit, and it seemed like the right decision.

Seeing her so happy made him feel good too.

“Honey… sniff… I missed you so much.”

“Mhmm, mhmm. Come here.”

Their gazes met with warmth, and tender hands caressed Lee Hoyeon’s face.

Chuup- Smack.

The two naturally kissed.

Baek Ahyoung stood on her tiptoes, pouring two weeks of longing into the kiss.

As the brief kiss ended, a thin thread detached between their lips.

“Honey… sob… I was so lonely.”

“…I missed you too.”

Baek Ahyoung, who had been about to melt into Lee Hoyeon’s embrace like flowing water, suddenly noticed the clock on the wall.

[7:13 PM.]

There were only 5 minutes left until the transfer of the patient poisoned by the Underworld’s magic.

If she didn’t stop now, she’d be late.

Snapping back to reality, Baek Ahyoung blinked and looked at Lee Hoyeon.

Lee Hoyeon also sensed the sudden shift in her demeanor.

“Ahyoung-ssi. Do you still have work to do?”

” Sniffle… Honey. I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. I haven’t seen you for two weeks because of my work, either.”

“Ah, but… um, I really should quit this job…”

“Just a moment. I’ll come back after your work is done…”

Lee Hoyeon reluctantly sent Baek Ahyoung, looking crestfallen, back towards the ER.

*

While Lee Hoyeon’s primary reason for visiting the medical team was to see Baek Ahyoung, even briefly, his second reason was Moon Surin.

Her father, a man who had been a Demon, Moon Sungmin.

He had come to see him.

“…If you’re busy, it’s okay not to see him today.”

“No, no. Since Father-in-law’s condition has improved, I should pay him a visit.”

Lee Hoyeon said so while stroking Moon Surin’s shoulder.

Honestly speaking, he didn’t have a good impression of Moon Sungmin.

He was only going now because Surin noona wanted to see her father and asked him to come along.

‘Of course, he’s a pitiful person… Tsk.’

Moon Sungmin, who lost his wife to a Demon, was so obsessed with revenge that he abandoned his daughter.

It was obviously wrong, but he couldn’t imagine how desperate Moon Sungmin must have been back then.

“Noona, please reconsider what I told you.”

“Hmm… You mean find a professional manager? But would that be okay for the Academy…?”

“Of course, it’s fine. Nowadays, even large guilds have managers. If worse comes to worst, I can recommend someone.”

Lee Hoyeon nodded as he looked at Moon Surin.

He wanted to alleviate the burden on Moon Surin, who was suffering because of the insane Academy.

‘The Academy is rotten to the core… I’ll need to borrow strength from the outside.’

If there was no one trustworthy around, he’d just assign Rebecca or Scarlet, who were practically unemployed anyway.

Learning the job is secondary; what matters is trust.

Those two would definitely work for the Academy’s benefit.

While lost in thought, they arrived at the hospital room.

It was a VIP room located deep within the medical facility.

Knock knock-

Moon Surin, who knocked politely, opened the door to the room.

Inside, a middle-aged man sat on the bed, surrounded by machines monitoring his health.

He, who had been staring blankly into space, gave a faint smile upon seeing his daughter and the man she brought.

“Surin-ah. You’re here.”

“Yes. Father. I brought Hoyeon too.”

“It’s been a long time, Father-in-law.”

Lee Hoyeon bowed his head.

As Surin noona’s father, he had to show proper respect.

“Now that Father’s treatment is complete, I came with Hoyeon to pay our respects. It felt like the right thing to do.”

“…I see. Surin-ah. Would it be alright if I spoke with Student Hoyeon alone?”

“With Hoyeon…? You said that last time too.”

“Yes. This will be the last time. Please, Surin-ah.”

Moon Surin glanced subtly at Lee Hoyeon.

Bringing him here was her own selfish desire.

But was it okay to be greedy again?

Lee Hoyeon smiled faintly at Moon Surin, who looked apologetic.

“I’m fine. Surin noona. It’s not difficult for me.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll wait outside for a moment.”

After Moon Surin, relieved, stepped outside.

Lee Hoyeon stood still, looking at Moon Sungmin.

He continued to gaze at Lee Hoyeon wordlessly even after Moon Surin had left.

‘But what is he going to say? I don’t really have anything to hear.’

He wasn’t going to attack him now, and he had already heard the part about paying for his crimes and asking him to take good care of Surin noona.

Moon Sungmin, maintaining the silence for about a minute, suddenly spoke.

“I will be leaving soon.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t truly understand what I had done. Over a hundred people lost their lives because of me.”

Lee Hoyeon, who was about to say, ‘What on earth are you talking about?’, closed his mouth.

He wanted to hear what he had to say.

“They were all innocent people. The images of the grieving families I saw on the news are still vivid. However, if I were to face legal judgment, Surin would be harmed because of this old man. My very existence has become a weakness for Surin.”

He seems to grasp his situation better than I thought.

“Therefore, I intend to live the rest of my life atoning alone.”

Srrr-

Moon Sungmin’s figure, bowing his head towards Lee Hoyeon, began to blur.

“There was one thing I wanted to say to the man my daughter loves. …I’m sorry. Please take care of my daughter, Surin.”

Short-range teleportation, something Lee Hoyeon had seen Moon Sungmin use several times when chasing him.

Lee Hoyeon sighed and spoke.

“No wonder recovery took so long… You were waiting until you were fully recovered, weren’t you?”

His body wasn’t in a state of just having finished treatment.

This guy had planned from the start to tell only him the truth and disappear quietly.

To avoid being a hindrance to Surin noona. As a father, he didn’t want to burden his daughter even in his final moments.

“Haa…”

Lee Hoyeon spread a rune barrier within the hospital room.

Just in case loud noises were heard, he needed to be thorough so Surin noona wouldn’t worry.

“What Father-in-law said isn’t wrong. Many innocent people died. It’s also true that you must atone and pay for your crimes for the rest of your life.”

“…”

He understood that Moon Sungmin carried a heavy burden.

Lee Hoyeon himself had felt like running away countless times.

But abandoning everything and running away would only make him a loser.

Opening the Eye of the Mind (心).

Lee Hoyeon lightly raised his hand, and at the same time, Moon Sungmin’s body became distinct.

He had stirred Moon Sungmin’s magic internally.

This was different from the past Lee Hoyeon, who couldn’t stop Moon Sungmin’s escape right before his eyes.

“…Nnngh?!”

Moon Sungmin winced, unable to control the suddenly tangled magic.

It might hurt a little, but he couldn’t let him escape.

“And you should have said that to Surin noona, not to me.”

He understood the sentiment.

Since he felt guilty towards Surin noona, he probably couldn’t say it directly.

However, Lee Hoyeon, having seen Moon Surin up close, knew.

She hated her father, yet she missed him at the same time.

She needed Moon Sungmin’s presence.

“Pay for your crimes by Surin noona’s side, Father-in-law.”