episode_0020

Usually, only early in the morning, so was it crowded like this at the hospital? There were truly a lot of people at the hospital.

Outside, there was chaos due to the protest of the self-defense group that the teacher had just mentioned. Inside, it was chaotic with patients’ complaints and medical staff running around busily. Thanks to that, without realizing it, I lowered my head a bit more and flipped my hood deeper.

It felt like bugs were crawling all around.

Voices. Voices. Men. Women. Adults. Elderly. Children. Spitting sounds. Shoes sliding on tiles. Carts being pulled. Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Next patient. Next patient. Ding-dong. So many sounds. My vision blurred and my sight shook.

Is Jin okay?

Seeing that he didn’t immediately rush out to break someone’s jaw, he must be fine for now. Admirable. Maybe even enviable. He might seem pitiful. Breathing a bit fast. Sounds. Please don’t talk to me. Ignore me. A world without focus. Drifting away, narrowing down, swaying, the half-blurred view moving too quickly is dizzying.

“Haah… Haah….”

“We’re here.”

“…Huh? Uh…”

When Jin tugged my hand and raised his head, we saw a brown door under the signboard saying ‘Patient Ward B’.

This was a place we always visited for rehabilitation programs. Although it was the same lobby, it had plenty of facilities for cultural activities, so not many people gathered here. Everyone came for free medicine, so it was natural.

I was fine with that. There are too many people on Earth. Excessively many. Thoughts like these kept coming incessantly. No, this isn’t right. I shouldn’t think like this. Human lives are precious. You shouldn’t kill. If you die, you won’t come back. So, different thoughts. Healthy thoughts. Positive thoughts.

“Maybe, after it’s over… Auntie will give us a ride, right…?”

“……”

“Ow ow… No, s-sorry.”

As expected, as soon as I mentioned Auntie, my hand was tightly squeezed.

It hurt a lot. Thanks to that, my tangled mind cleared up a bit. Why did I come here again? Oh, right. Rehabilitation program.

The rehabilitation program we participated in was originally established for the smooth return of fire victims to social life. However, the actual participation rate was abysmally low, and the main purpose was to obtain a certificate for Jin’s disability status and the understanding that came with it.

Jin has a disability.

He finds proper physical activity difficult and is emotionally quite unstable.

So, even if he skips classes or shows uncooperative behavior, or even if he hurts someone inadvertently, please understand generously.

You may find it hard to believe, but Jin is truly a kind child.

He’s just a girl who wants to spend ordinary days with the person she loves. She didn’t kill because she wanted to. There was no other choice. It’s not bad. Neither I nor Jin are bad at all. So, please don’t look at us with those eyes. Don’t stare as if we’re bugs. Don’t look down on us like that. Don’t tremble and run away. Please. Please…

“…Ugh!?”

“……”

“Ji… Jin?”

“Aren’t you going in?”

“I-I’ll go in. Sorry, it’s too crowded….”

Startled by the incredibly loud noise, I looked at Jin, but he had an extremely composed expression. But seeing him already pulling one leg back, the result was obvious when I hesitated. I quickly turned my head and made excuses. Understanding Jin gestured silently, he put his leg back in place. Get a grip, me.

“Hmm?”

“……”

“U-umm….”

“Let’s sit over there.”

“Uh, o-okay….”

Inside, there were only two people as usual.

They were children. One was a girl sitting in a wheelchair with her head bowed. The other was a boy with long hair sprawled out in all directions like a mess.

What was his name again? I couldn’t quite remember.

From the start, it was impossible for Jin to converse with others, and I wasn’t particularly interested in doing so either. Considering his age, he probably wasn’t a fire victim.

“Sigh… um, well….”

“Jin, we haven’t even started yet. Let’s just take attendance and rest. Okay?”

“I don’t want to. I’m sleepy. Tired. I’ve been enduring all day. So sleepy….”

“Ahaha….”

Once Jin realized there was no one watching, he returned to his usual indifferent state.

Perhaps from Jin’s perspective, those kids were considered more like small pebbles than actual people. Whether this should be considered fortunate or not, who knows.

Normally, there was someone named ‘Ms. Ji-hye’ in charge of the program.

Even in front of the growling Jin, she remained strangely calm, simply checking attendance and letting the time pass by, allowing things to go smoothly.

“Well then, while we wait, would you like to read a picture book together?”

“A picture book? A new story?”

“Yes. It was back there on the rear seat.”

Despite being immersed in drinking every day, the teacher’s strength was her punctuality. Seeing her stern face made me wonder if she was pushing herself too hard… but perhaps that was just evidence of her strong sense of guilt. So, I had nothing to say.

“The title is ‘Splish-Splash with Mud Wolf.’”

“Where… Ah. There are many other animals.”

“They’re all friends in the same forest. Mud Wolf was made of mud, but they all played together harmoniously.”

However, Mud Wolf had one concern.

Unlike his forest friends wearing leather clothes, his mud body would crumble upon contact with water. Consequently, whenever everyone swam to escape the heat, Mud Wolf had to stay far away.

None of his friends saw this as an issue.

Rather, they worried that Mud Wolf might be sad due to excessive concern. It was not strange; it was different. If we all looked the same and could only do the same things, how boring would life be? There were friends who bravely comforted him.

“Mud Wolf truly understood his friends’ kind hearts. However, a lingering regret remained in a corner of his heart. So, secretly, he practiced a little every day. On rainy days, he cautiously dipped his feet outside the cave, trying to get used to the water.”

“Then Mud Wolf wouldn’t be able to walk.”

“Yes. So he was very careful. Just a bit. But it wasn’t because he was afraid of getting hurt. He couldn’t bear to see his worried friends looking at his appearance and thus couldn’t move forward.”

“His forest friends were honest… but he was too fearful.”

“That’s right. One night, when nobody was watching, Mud Wolf stumbled and fell heavily.”

“…And then?”

“Under the continuous rain, Mud Wolf’s body gradually crumbled. Even if they tried to pick him up, his hands scattered in the rain before falling apart. Trying to cry belatedly led to the same result.”

“Poor thing….”

“The next morning, his forest friends found that the stream where they usually played had turned into muddy water. However, due to the intense heat, nobody paid attention and jumped in without hesitation. But you know what? Unlike before, instead of hearing splish-splash sounds, they heard howling sounds.”

“Mud Wolf!”

“Yes, exactly. Our Jin is indeed smart.”

“Of course, as always, his forest friends thought that Mud Wolf was watching over them from somewhere. So, without much worry, they played joyfully. Howling. Overwhelmed by the happiness of playing together for the first time, they didn’t realize the true meaning of being with Mud Wolf.”

“Thank goodness. Mud Wolf’s wish came true. Everyone is happy.”

“Right. Since everyone is happy now. Shall I continue reading? The Mud Wolf in the Forest…”

“Sorry, sorry~ Am I a bit late~?”

It was precisely at that moment when I was about to reread the picture book.

With a loud bang, the door swung open violently. Jin, leaning on my shoulder and completely engrossed in the picture book, paid no attention, but even the children who were far away were startled and turned in that direction.

“Phew… We have a new friend today, but the kid is causing a bit of trouble, so I’ll just…”

“Uh… Uh… Yes?”

“Oh, sorry for the late introduction. Nice to meet you, everyone. Until we find the next volunteer to replace Ms. Lee Ji-hye, I will be temporarily in charge here. My name is Lee Ye-rim.”

The unfamiliar woman I saw for the first time awkwardly shook hands with a forced smile.

No, that part itself was fine. The bright red hair and the peculiar butterfly-shaped mosaic embroidered on her shabby ceremonial robe could be overlooked. After all, Jin didn’t really care about any of that. But the problem was—

“I told you to let go, you damn brats!!!”

“Ahhhh!?”

“Ugh… Ugh, we need backup here!?”

“Huh, it’s already untied?”

“Is this damn commie bitch trying to escape?! I told you to untie her immediately!!”

—From outside, a person flew in and crashed into the inner wall of the chapel.

It was like watching Jin kicking a soccer ball with great force earlier. But what was even more absurd was the fact that the seemingly ordinary girl who had almost killed someone was the perpetrator.

“Yes, yes. Get ready within 3 minutes and charge in. Make sure to bring the tranquilizer gun. Yes.”

“Are you ignoring me right now?! Hey, commie girl. You said you’d send her home soon… But, but how dare you leave a person stuck in that damn kennel?”

“It’s not a kennel, it’s an isolation ward. And my name is Lee Ye-rim. It’s okay to confuse me with Chris oppa, but I don’t like being called that way, Eunyu.”

“My name is Yugi! Don’t just mix our names together without permission!!”

I had a bad feeling about this.

It wasn’t because of the unfamiliar person I had just met. Jin, who had been waiting patiently to turn the page or keep waiting, stood up without a word. Before I could stop him, he walked forward. His target was obviously the orange-eyed girl who had just burst in through the door.

…Let’s make sure to ask Auntie to ensure she comes back on time from now on.

Although it seemed already quite late, filled with belated regret, I decided to sprint to try to stop Jin somehow.