noveltune Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Ryu Seo-ha’s older sister, Ryu Jeong-ah, collapsed due to a cerebral hemorrhage while working part-time at a cafe. It hadn’t even been 3 months since she left the quarantine zone.
There was a major surgery. They almost missed the golden time due to issues with getting consent for surgery on a minor. Somehow her life was saved, but 5 years had passed without her regaining consciousness.
Hwaaa......
A sacred light that was calming just to look at gently enveloped Ryu Jeong-ah’s gaunt body. The rate of mana consumption seemed to subtly indicate the severity of the patient’s condition.
The first noticeable change was that her skin, which had been dry due to rapid weight loss and malnutrition, began to regain its luster. The intubation marks on her neck that had just been removed and the surgical scars on her scalp also disappeared.
The skill level of ‘Healing Light’ has increased.
Her body, which had been so emaciated that you could feel the bones just by touching it, was slowly but surely regaining its former vitality. Her severely thin body gained a healthy amount of weight, and the bedsores that couldn’t be completely prevented despite careful attention disappeared without a trace. He could feel the damaged brain cells and blood vessels being repaired. The previously unknown language disorder and hemiplegia symptoms as well.
The skill level of ‘Healing Light’ has increased.
Her hair, which had been cut short due to management issues, grew long and spread out on the bedding. Her breath, which had sometimes made him anxious, being as faint as if she were dead, now grew stronger as if it had never been weak.
“...Jeong-ah noona.”
Ryu Seo-ha called his older sister’s name as he withdrew his slightly trembling hand. Hoping for her tightly closed eyelids to lift. But Ryu Jeong-ah’s eyes didn’t open immediately. Just as his expression was about to become serious...
Drrrng─, Phooo.
The sound of loud snoring was heard.
“Mmnya..... Chicken.....”
The tension dissipated completely at the sight of her peacefully smacking her lips as if eating something in her dream. It was such a typical behavior for his older sister.
“Pfft.”
Someone among the medical staff who had been watching the situation tensely inadvertently let out a laugh. When he turned his head, he saw a resident quickly managing his expression and bowing his head.
“Congratulations. To think you could actually heal brain damage.....”
“It’s amazing. Looking at her now, who would think she was a patient who had been bedridden for 5 years?”
“I’ve lived long enough to witness such a sight.”
The medical staff who witnessed the miracle poured out words of congratulations and admiration in unison. Still, just to be safe, they decided to run a round of detailed tests. Though judging by the snoring and sleep talking, she seemed to be fine.
Ryu Seo-ha wanted to follow along in case his sister woke up during the process, but he eventually decided to wait quietly in the VIP room. The medical staff dissuaded him, saying it would be difficult to control the entry of reporters even near the general examination rooms.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Choi Gang-hu’s calm words strangely touched his heart. As if acknowledging not just that moment, but the past 5 years, the emotional struggle. Perhaps it was because he had become overly sentimental, immersed in relief.
“If I had known about such unfortunate circumstances beforehand, I would have provided support at the group level.”
“Although it’s late, I also feel a great sense of responsibility as a government official.”
Director Choi Jun-wan and Director Hwang Munseok each added a word, as if not wanting to be outdone. Even knowing it was empty words to gain favor, he felt bitter inside. Because everyone had turned their backs on him when he desperately needed help.
After lingering a bit longer, they left citing reasons like shareholders’ meetings and handling the Eastern Branch situation. Saying they would wait for his call. I should consider it as them having shown enough sincerity, given how busy they are.
“Aren’t you leaving, Mr. Choi Gang-hu?”
Rather, it was strange that Choi Gang-hu seemed to have no intention of leaving at all. If it was Gangseong Group’s shareholders’ meeting that Choi Jun-wan was attending, he should go too. Even if he could arrive quickly with the [Spatial Jump] skill.
“Are you perhaps telling me to leave?”
Sure enough. The young doctor suddenly exhibited the eccentric behavior of kneeling before him.
“What are you...”
“His face... My brother’s face was torn off. Please heal him!”
With tears streaming down, he was clearly not in a rational state. Most likely, he had recently experienced quite a shocking incident. It was understandable, and he felt pity.
But he couldn’t just readily agree to such an abrupt request. His identity would have been revealed by now, and this would become a frequent occurrence in the future. Setting a wrong precedent would encourage everyone to come running.
Even a healer couldn’t save the whole world. With his own situation being precarious, he shouldn’t button the first button wrong out of momentary sympathy. To avoid endlessly losing his already scarce time, if nothing else.
“I’m sorry about your situation, but treatment requests will be accepted through official procedures in the future.”
“That, that madman suddenly appeared and tore off my brother’s cheek!”
Suddenly appeared? Did the terrorist have a spatial skill? That’s as rare a category as healing.
“You must have been very shocked. If there’s no immediate danger to life, you should start with skin regeneration treatment at the hospital...”
“I heard you healed my brother’s face in the dungeon too! Just once, please help just one more time!”
In the dungeon too? Pausing at the unexpected statement, Ryu Seo-ha recalled the psychiatrist who had injured his cheek with a fragment of the mana measuring device.
“Is your brother perhaps a psychiatrist? The one caught in the popup dungeon?”
“Yes, yes. The part that was treated then was torn off even more horribly.”
“No, who on earth would do such a thing.”
“That madman, surely...”
The other person’s eyes suddenly became hazy as he was about to say something. His voice gradually faded too. He looked like he had been affected by some kind of mental skill constraint. So that’s why he seemed unstable.
“Have you reported it to the police?”
When he quietly asked, the doctor took a deep breath like someone who had just woken from a nightmare and made a serious expression. It was an exaggerated expression as if acting, but it was likely a side effect of being affected by a mental skill.
“We couldn’t identify a suspect...”
He probably showed the same behavior at the police station. If I use [Sanctification], I could free him from the influence of the mental skill. But if rumors spread that I healed him like this...
“Tell me you’ll heal my brother right now. Or you’ll regret it.”
When he showed signs of hesitation, the doctor’s eyes suddenly turned vicious. Even uttering words close to threats. His emotional fluctuations seemed too severe, even for an unstable state.
“Regret?”
Ryu Seo-ha slowly backed away, distancing himself from the doctor.
“I heard it’s common abroad. Imprisoning healers and using them as slaves to produce potions.”
The doctor’s eyeballs rolled and glinted as he rose from his seat, clearly abnormal. Ryu Seo-ha quickly reached out to press the call button near the bed headboard.
“Ugh.”
But just before his fingertips could reach the button, his arm suddenly bent. Looking down, he saw a large syringe stuck in his forearm. Even though the seemingly insane doctor was quite far away.
The feeling of an unknown drug flowing through his veins was chilling. He immediately tried to nullify it by deploying [Sanctification], but before that, a bracelet-like mana control device popped out of thin air and clamped onto his wrist.
‘Invisibility...!’
Only then did Ryu Seo-ha realize that another awakened person had sneaked into this hospital room, and he hurriedly grasped a knife, but before he could take any action, his vision went dark.@@@@