Hello everyone, SleepyTime here. Some of you might recognize this novel from Wook’s Teahouse before the whole site was taken down, and yes, I’m the original translator who uploaded this novel there. At first, I’m just going to let this novel gather dust in my drive since I don’t have the time to upload 90++ chapters, but due to some of my readers that still wanted to read this novel, I decided to post it in SoR. Hope you all enjoy it, thank you.
Chapter 3
by SleepyTime“Uh, I’m dying…”
Haon was sprawled on the bench in the waiting room of the examination room. Haon, who was sitting as if he could almost be considered lying down, made a sound as if he were dying.
If there is a lethal dose for alcohol, he seemed to have just consumed it right before that point. Honestly, he didn’t really know how much he drank. There were sporadic memories, he couldn’t really remember anything.
It seems that Siyun somehow managed to get us back to his room, and when I opened my eyes in the morning, I was already in Siyun’s room.
If Siyun hadn’t been there, he might have woken up on the street. Or maybe he’ll wake up in the police station due to someone’s report.
But it didn’t necessarily make him feel grateful to Siyun. Siyun was the one who make him drunk in the first place, so he just did what he was supposed to do.
Moreover, the one who fed me so much didn’t show up early in the morning. As a senior guide, I know that he has a lot of places to look for and is busy, but from the perspective of touching down at the entrance to the afterlife, there was a lingering resentment.
Moreover, the culprit had gone out early in the morning. As a senior guide, he know that Siyun has a lot of places to be and is busy, but as someone who’s at the edge of the afterlife, he was filled with resentment.
Hyeon Siyun, you jerk. If I ever drink with that bastard again, I’ll become a dog, Bark, bark.
Haon, who had forgotten that he had already become a dog dozens of times, cursed again with meaningless promise.
“Mr. Park Haon, please come in.”
“Yes…”
He got up reluctantly at the call of the examination room staff.
As he entered the examination room, he felt the medical examiner, who was in charge of the examination, look at him and hesitate. He knew that his appearance was a mess because he couldn’t wash properly and came in a hurry. Haon felt embarrassed and absentmindedly scratched the back of his head, starting to talk about things that were not asked.
“I was sleeping, and suddenly they told me to come for an examination…”
“Oh, yes. I urgently contacted you because there are some additional points that need to be confirmed.”
“Ahhh, yes. I see.”
He answered the examiner’s words plainly, but curses lingered in Haon’s mouth.
He woke up to the sound of the examination room calling early in the morning. What on earth needs to be checked so urgently this early? Thanks to that, Haon had to rush to the examination room, barely wetting his face, let alone curing his hangover.
“First, we will proceed with a simple blood test.”
“I didn’t know I would have this kind of test today, and I drank a little yesterday… Well, more than a little… Actually, I drank quite a lot. Is it okay…?”
Haon answered in a babbling manner, revealing unsolicited information. The medical staff hesitated with a doubtful expression.
“As long as you didn’t drink to the point of death, it should be fine, right…?”
“It feels like I drank to the point of death yesterday…”
“…”
“…”
The medical staff seemed to lose words at Haon’s response, and Haon also remained silent in response to the awkward reaction. He wanted to justify that he didn’t drink on his own accord, but the more he thought about it, the more embarrassing it became, so he couldn’t say anything.
An awkward silence followed. Haon scratched his flushed cheek in embarrassment.
“Well… anyway, since you’re not dead, it should be okay. Probably…”
“Haha, I guess so?”
“Um, that’s right…?”
The answer wasn’t even remotely certain. Haon recognized that there was no point in asking any more questions, so he shook his head soullessly.
“Then, please go over there and proceed with the blood test, and come back afterwards.”
Following the direction pointed out by the medical staff, another nurse who was waiting greeted Haon.
“Please sit down and give me the arm for blood collection.”
When he obediently held out his arm as instructed, the medical staff was impressed by Haon’s forearm.
“Wow, the veins are very visible, maybe because your skin is so fair. It must be nice!”
“Thank you…?”
Whether having visible veins was a compliment or not, he wasn’t sure. Haon expressed gratitude awkwardly, and in the meantime, the nurse quickly inserted the needle into Haon’s forearm. She was so professional that it didn’t even hurt.
As the piston was pulled, the bright red blood filled the syringe. After drawing two vials in a row, the blood collection was finally over.
Throughout the blood collection process, the nurse continued to exclaim, “The veins are really visible. It’s good, so good”, and Haon awkwardly thanked her each time. Somehow, it felt like an unexpected advantage that he unintentionally discovered at the hospital at the age of 29.
“Is the blood collection done?”
“Yes.”
Leaving the blood collection room and returning to the examination room where he first met the medical staff, Haon was guided to a room with a bed this time.
“Please lie down here. Which arm do you usually use?”
“I’m ambidextrous… When writing, I use my right hand, and when eating, I use my left hand.”
“Oh, then would you please give me both hands?”
As instructed, he extended both hands, and the nurse placed a silver metal bracelet on each wrist. In an instant, it felt like he was being shackled, and Haon’s forehead wrinkled.
“What is this…?”
“This is an electronic stimulation wristband that uses electronic stimuli to determine the frequency of the guide force inside the body. Please stay still. We will send out the special ability frequencies of the espers within the center to see if there is a match. It might tingle a bit~ If it’s too painful, let me know.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The medical staff gave a brief explanation and disappeared somewhere. It was a novel experience to undergo this kind of examination, as an esper before Haon had never done such test before. He felt a strange sensation as he wonders if the guides he had been working with all this time had undergone similar examinations.
Unable to move his hands and required to stay still, Haon absentmindedly stared at the ceiling and eventually closed his eyes. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but as he peacefully closed his eyes, drowsiness gradually overcame him.
And just as he seemed to be drifting into a light nap…
Bang!
He abruptly opened his eyes at an unexpected loud noise.
What is that sound? Startled, Haon widened his eyes and looked around.
Thunk!
This time the sound rang louder than before. It meant that the roar was getting closer. Haon, forgetting the medical staff’s warning not to move, quickly got up from his seat and rushed to the door.
‘Uh, it’s stings.’
Ignoring the medical staff’s advice and moving around freely seemed to have intensified the current. The stimulation felt much stronger than before, making Haon’s arm tremble. Despite the discomfort, he furrowed his brow and carefully observed the situation outside.
Is it an esper’s rampage? …Could it be a monster attack?
Haon was on high alert, but to be honest, he wasn’t sure how to deal with a dangerous situation now that he had lost his abilities as an esper. Nevertheless, regardless of the current circumstances, his body, honed in the field for a decade, reassured him. With some time to spare, Haon, reassuring himself that he wouldn’t just die here, swallowed his dry saliva.
“Where is that bastard?!”
Haon tilted his head at the loud swearing. Something was strange. A rampaging esper usually has lost their sanity and is no different from a monster. Thus, it was unusual for them to articulate curses in this manner. Even if it were a monster, most of them, excluding a few types, didn’t know how to speak human languages.
As the two scenarios he thought become unlikely, his curiosity grew. Wondering what was happening, Haon cautiously peeked his head outside, only to be met with a surprising sight.
It was Cha Yugeon, that bastard who constantly picked fights with him. A real bastard who never missed an opportunity to provoke Haon. But now, it seemed like his sanity had completely crumbled, he has gone crazy.
“You can’t behave like this here.”
“This is a hospital!”
“Is that guy here? Where is he right now?!”
“Has that crazy guy really lost it?”
Cha Yugeon, this lunatic, didn’t listen to the medical staff trying to restrain him. Perplexed by the disturbance in the hospital, Haon found himself muttering curses unintentionally. Cha Yugeon turned his head upon hearing the sound.
When Cha Yugeon spotted Haon, his eyes widened, and then he menacingly glared. In an instant, he pushed aside the medical staff and charged towards Haon.
“What the hell is this lunatic doing…? Ugh…!”
Unexpectedly grabbed by the collar, Haon looked down at Cha Yugeon’s hand and recoiled as a strong current surged through the electronic stimulation wristband. The intense shock, like his arm was being struck by lightning, spread from his wrist to his entire body. Despite the unexpected agony, Haon exerted all his strength to break free from the grip on his collar.
However, Cha Yugeon didn’t back down; instead, he tightened his grip on Haon’s collar with even more force.
“It’s you, you bastard!”
Cha Yugeon’s roaring voice filled the hospital room.