Chapter 27 – Magic Boy (5)
“Gasp…!”
The moment my eyes snapped open, I gasped for air.
Has the air I always breathe ever tasted this good?
‘Oh!’
So clean! The air I was breathing now had no trace of the stench of blood or filth… Huh?
“He’s alive!”
“It’s a miracle!”
“His heart completely stopped…?”
“Thank goodness!”
The noisy voices around me pulled me out of my own world.
‘What’s going on?’
I was lying on a pristine white bed, surrounded by people I assumed were doctors and nurses.
All wearing expressions of disbelief.
“Where…?”
“Elmolance University Hospital!”
The doctor answered my question briskly.
“…I’m alive?”
“Yes! Miraculously!”
“…”
I was killed by Choi Kang-min, transformed into Magic Boy.
Miraculously alive?
‘No way!’
The hell I experienced was far beyond what modern medicine could heal.
Even if I’d been rushed to a hospital and survived, my limbs shouldn’t be intact like this.
The doctor continued, explaining the situation.
“Mr. Kang Moon-soo, you suddenly collapsed in Room 1906 and were unconscious for nine hours.”
“Oh…”
Room 1906.
That word made me realize why I was miraculously alive.
‘I woke up from the dream!’
But I couldn’t fully relax.
“And just moments ago, your heart stopped.”
“My heart?”
“Yes. We performed CPR, but after 20 minutes with no effect, we were about to give up when your breathing returned, and you woke up.”
“…I see.”
Chills ran through me. The fact that I nearly died for real, not in a dream!
Still,
Flop.
Thanks to the doctor’s words, I could finally let go of my tension.
‘I’m alive… I’m alive…’
There was a crisis, but I survived, didn’t I?
I relaxed my shoulders and sank into the soft bed.
I really thought I was going to die.
The pain and terror were so vivid, it was hard to believe it was a dream.
Just recalling it made my arms tremble.
“Is your arm uncomfortable?”
“…A little.”
I couldn’t say it was because of a vivid nightmare.
Was it really a dream?
It was too real.
“It’s likely an aftereffect of your heart stopping. Not just briefly, but for a full 20 minutes. We’ll need detailed tests, but it’d be stranger if your body was fine. Your survival is truly a miracle, Mr. Kang Moon-soo.”
“A miracle… is it?”
A miracle.
Escaping a hopeless situation, targeted by a monster who could lift a truck with one hand, must be a miracle.
“Any other discomfort besides your arm?”
“…I’m hungry.”
“Haha! That’s a good sign. It means your metabolism is active! Unfortunately, it’s 5 a.m., so there’s not much to eat.”
“Shoot.”
“If you’re okay with porridge from the convenience store—”
“How’s the payment?”
I was already worried about hospital and treatment fees.
“All costs will be covered by Mr. Choi Kang-hoon. Oh, and I’ll pay for the porridge.”
“What? Why…”
“When a patient dies in front of me, I’m depressed for days. This is my thanks for lifting my spirits.”
“Really…?”
The reason was absurd. A doctor who saved a patient’s life thanking me?
He gave me a warm smile and turned away.
“Rest.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you.”
Left alone in the spacious room, I stared at the dark hospital ceiling.
Blank-
I tried hard not to think about anything.
But,
‘That guy…’
I couldn’t help but think of Choi Kang-hoon.
…It wasn’t about the hospital bill.
Though I couldn’t meet him due to lacking an ID, Choi Kang-hoon in the dream was living a deeply despairing life.
And Choi Kang-min said it himself.
While trampling me like a bug in the body of an innocent boy—
‘Don’t think about it.’
I cleared my mind again.
At that moment,
Slide-
The door to my private hospital room opened, and a doctor in a pristine white coat walked in.
“Thank you for saving my life—huh?”
The doctor had brought porridge warmed in a microwave, placed on a tray.
But emerging from the darkness, it was a completely different person.
“I’m glad you’re awake.”
“Oh! Hello.”
It was Vice Director Seo Hye-joo.
She set up a patient tray table over my waist as I lay in the hospital bed, placing the porridge and utensils on it.
“Eat before it gets cold.”
“Thank you. But…”
- Seo Hye-joo
I remembered her name. I just couldn’t guess why she was visiting me at this early hour.
‘Don’t overthink it.’
I wasn’t in a state to waste mental energy on unimportant issues.
I decided to ask directly.
“Dr. Seo Hye-joo.”
“Vice Director? The real Vice Director would be very disappointed to hear that. I’m a department head.”
“Oh… I’m sorry, Dr. Seo, Department Head. I mistook you for someone else.”
I assumed she was the same as the ‘Seo Hye-joo’ from the dream, who was a Vice Director.
“You’re wondering why I came to see you, right?”
“Yes.”
“I was too shocked.”
“Shocked…?”
“Your symptoms were identical to Choi Kang-min’s.”
“…I see.”
Dr. Seo was Choi Kang-min’s attending physician.
It made sense immediately.
“And I was shocked a second time when I heard you suddenly had a heart attack within a day, and a third time when you came back to life after 20 minutes.”
“I’m sorry for unintentionally startling you so much.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m actually grateful.”
“To me?”
“Yes. Because of you, I see hope. Hope for treating my patient, Choi Kang-min.”
“Oh…”
Come to think of it, that made sense.
She was in charge of a patient with less than 100 days to live. My recovery from the same symptoms must have shown her a ‘possibility.’
“I act calm, but I’m extremely anxious.”
“Because of Choi Kang-min?”
“Yes. He’s a very important patient to us. He’s the son of a significant shareholder in Elmolance. We can’t ignore that.”
“Oh!”
It was similar to the dream.
The difference being that in the dream, he wasn’t the son but the shareholder himself.
“When the Director and Vice Director gave up on him, I saw it as a chance for advancement. But it wasn’t an opportunity—it was arrogance.”
“I see.”
I didn’t want to think about ‘Choi Kang-min’ at all right now, so I just nodded along, pretending to listen.
“How did you wake up?”
“I don’t know.”
I really don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t have gone through that hell!
“Let me rephrase. Can you help me?”
“I’m sorry, I start work tomorrow.”
Work! What a thrilling word!
Despite the struggles with my aptitude, I secured a great job(?) with food and lodging guaranteed for at least a year.
“Once a week.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m not asking for free help.”
“…Hourly pay?”
I had no choice!
***
A loud voice woke me from a deep sleep after eating warm porridge.
“Bro~~!”
“…Kang-hoon?”
I was slightly irritated, still fatigued, but seeing his red, rabbit-like eyes melted my annoyance away.
‘Let’s think positively.’
It means he was that worried about me. Definitely not because of the hospital bill.
“I’m so glad! I thought something terrible happened!”
“I’m fine.”
I made it back alive, didn’t I? And the real Choi Kang-hoon isn’t in prison.
That’s enough.
“I’m really sorry! I put you in danger by asking for your help!”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No way! They said you showed the same symptoms as Big Bro! You must’ve caught it trying to help!”
“Hm… That’s not entirely wrong.”
I met the reckless Choi Kang-min in the dream.
“Exactly! You’re amazing, Bro!”
“I failed, though.”
I failed to persuade him and was toyed with by his power, like a bug with its legs and wings torn off by a kid at a playground.
“Still amazing!”
“…Thanks.”
His sincere praise slightly restored my dignity, which had plummeted to rock bottom.
“Oh! And Dad said to tell you he’s sorry!”
“It’s already fine.”
“He said you’re the first person to affect Big Bro’s brainwaves. There was a lot of technical jargon I didn’t understand, but the doctor must’ve explained it well to Dad.”
“I see.”
Good that the misunderstanding was cleared up.
“So Dad said he’d cover a ton of treatment costs as an apology. Just give him your bank account number.”
“My account? No need for the hassle… Wouldn’t it be better to just pay the hospital?”
“Huh? Oh! I already paid your hospital bill! Dad meant the treatment costs for Big Bro!”
“Even though I failed?”
“They were thrilled because you gave them hope!”
Hope.
It must be the effect of Dr. Seo’s optimistic explanation.
“Hup!”
I forced myself to sit up.
“Bro, you’re moving already?”
“I’m fine. Besides, I’m meeting the swim coach tomorrow. I need to tidy up the house first.”
“Oh, right! I’ll help with the house!”
“No need.”
“You’re a patient! Don’t refuse!”
“…Fine.”
The more I looked at him, the more pitiful Choi Kang-hoon seemed, so I let him do as he pleased.
‘Does he know?’
That his half-brother sees him as an obstacle, a nuisance.
“Kang-hoon.”
“Yeah!”
“…Never mind.”
I wanted to warn this innocent kid that Choi Kang-min didn’t even think he was worth visiting.
“Huh? What, what?”
“Just called you.”
“Yeah!”
But I swallowed the urge rising in my throat.
‘He’s a dying man anyway.’
Besides, badmouthing someone else’s family wouldn’t benefit me. I had no way to prove my claims either.
“Bro, you can’t just leave. You need a doctor’s diagnosis and permission to be discharged.”
“Really?”
“Really! It’s the law.”
“…”
I didn’t know, never having been hospitalized. My father never even got the chance to be discharged.
Ding-dong♪
Choi Kang-hoon pressed a call button by my bed that looked like a doorbell.
(Patient, how can we assist you?)
A nurse’s voice came through the speaker immediately.
“I want to be discharged. Please let us see the doctor.”
(Please wait a moment.)
Everything proceeded smoothly under Choi Kang-hoon’s lead.
“You’re good at this.”
“I’ve been here a lot to see Big Bro. You pick it up naturally.”
“…I see.”
Not long after the call, the doctor arrived.
“You’re already getting discharged?”
“Yes. I can’t leave my house empty for long.”
I lightly moved my limbs to show I was healthy.
“Hm… Still, you should get a checkup.”
“Will it take long?”
I couldn’t help but be wary, remembering the endless tests in the dream.
“Not long.”
“How long exactly?”
“…”
“…”
“…If it’s quick, about eight hours—”
“No way!”
I knew it!