Guest Ch 27

Mixed Perspectives, Misdirected Emotions (4)

*

“You brought a patient!”

The Doctor was aghast the moment he saw me. His arrows of criticism flew toward both Lee Yiseon and Black Foot who had dragged me around, a man who couldn’t even use one arm properly and had a bandage around his neck.

“Let’s use some common sense, both of you! What if the wound worsens? Why are you making him walk around outside in this sandstorm?”

Black Foot seemed displeased by that remark.

“Even the kids with amputated legs and prosthetic limbs, or those with injured eyes wearing eye patches, are busy guarding the walls. Isn’t it a bit much to fuss over a dislocated shoulder and a scratch on the neck?”

His words seemed laced with sarcasm, like, ‘It must be nice being the Prophet, getting special treatment even for injuries far less serious than what others suffer.’

I thought about how to get used to being hated and how to avoid it from the start. I chose the latter. If someone harbors ill will toward me, I’m the one who suffers. I decided to prevent that from happening from the outset.

“I’m fine, Doctor.”

Ah, wait. Didn’t they say it’s weird to speak formally here? I hesitated because I’d never spoken informally to someone older than me. Okay, let’s think of this place as a foreign country. In English-speaking countries, people call even older individuals by their first names, right?

…What nonsense. This is still Korea, after all. How can I speak so informally in a language with such extreme levels of honorifics? Despite the awkwardness, I corrected my tone.

“I-it’s fine.”

The Doctor seemed about to add something in response but then stopped. He sat me down in a chair and brought out a small pair of scissors.

“I’ll change your bandages. Let me know if it hurts.”

“Yes… Ah, I mean, uh-huh….”

“Also, try not to use your neck too much. Your vocal cords are injured. If you develop nodules, there’s no one here to treat them, so save your voice. Got it?”

The scratchy feeling in my throat whenever I spoke, it was because my vocal cords were injured.

I nodded in understanding. The Doctor unwrapped the bandages tightly wound around my neck. He tossed the gauze, dirty with blood and medicine, into the trash, then cleaned the area around the wound with disinfectant. Though the wound hadn’t fully healed and still stung, it was bearable. After examining the wound, the Doctor applied new ointment and covered it with clean gauze. He also checked the condition of my shoulder.

“The neck wound will need to have the staples removed sometime next week. Your shoulder doesn’t seem to have any major problems either. But don’t use it too much. It looks like you injured a muscle. Luckily, it’s not a major muscle.”

I’m glad it wasn’t a dislocation like Black Foot said.

I cautiously rotated my shoulder and nodded. It was fine when I moved it, but when I increased the range of motion, I felt a sharp, tingling sensation.

“I’ve already arranged for you to soak in a herbal bath. The captain will give you the details. Alright, treatment’s done.”

Before I could even ask what a herbal bath was, the Doctor cut me off. The Doctor, having skillfully finished my treatment, turned to look at Lee Yiseon and Black Foot.

“Now, shall we hear why the three of you came here together?”

As the Doctor took off his glasses, Black Foot, who had been sprawled lazily on the sofa, spoke.

“The atmosphere with the wild dogs was really strange. It’s like the calm before the storm. I think they might be preparing to gather forces and attack our fortress.”

At those words, the Doctor visibly tensed.

“It’s because of the Prophet, right?”

“Probably. Wolf Fang knows what kind of power this Prophet has.”

“Really? What kind of power?”

“Precognitive dreams. They’re pretty confident about it.”

The Doctor wasn’t shocked by this revelation. Instead, he seemed unsettled that the outside forces had identified and prepared for this ability before them. As insight and situational awareness are basic skills for the people here, the Doctor quickly grasped the situation after hearing just a few words from Black Foot.

“Have the wild dog factions formed an alliance?”

Black Foot raised his eyebrows, indicating that was correct. The Doctor stroked his chin thoughtfully before turning to Lee Yiseon.

“I heard our walls have been weakened from previous attacks. Do you think we can withstand a coalition assault?”

Lee Yiseon answered without hesitation.

“We can’t.”

I was the only one whose heart sank at that answer. He said so easily that our fortress might be attacked and breached because of me. I was already distressed over the casualties among the Garrison and Stand-ins that had occurred because of me while I was captured by the wild dogs. And now, there was a chance of an even larger invasion.

Even though Lee Yiseon knew I was anxious, he responded calmly.

“That’s why I’m thinking of contacting Eastern Fort.”

The Doctor and Black Foot’s eyes widened. It didn’t seem like there was frequent contact with Eastern Fort unless there were special circumstances. The Doctor asked Lee Yiseon.

“Will Eastern Fort help us?”

“We have to make them help.”

“How?”

“There’s no way they would refuse a profitable deal.”

“True. There’s no group as calculating as them.”

“So, I need to contact them in advance to see what they need. I’ll organize my unused contacts today. Once it’s all set, Doctor, you’ll be responsible for managing the communication channel.”

Lee Yiseon looked at me. His expression wasn’t as cold or intimidating as before.

“In the meantime, I’ll think about how we can use Woo Hyunho’s precognitive dreams.”

Just the fact that I didn’t have to talk about s3x anymore allowed me to let go of the mental burden. I cleared my cluttered thoughts and asked the Doctor about what I could do.

“I want to check more information about the Prophet. Is there any record besides the notes you showed me?”

“Hmm, let’s see… besides the notes, what else do I have?”

The Doctor’s face lit up as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh right! I remember something I hadn’t organized yet. Hold on.”

The Doctor stood up and walked over to a bookshelf in a small room. He ran his fingers along the books and items on the shelf, checking them, then gestured to Black Foot.

“Lend me a hand, will you?”

Black Foot looked visibly annoyed. But the Doctor handled him with surprising ease.

“If you help me, I’ll give you a candy.”

At that, Black Foot got up instantly. The Doctor patted him on the head as he approached without a word. Black Foot, who usually acted so carefree and would scratch his ears or pick at things when asked for help, seemed to be easily swayed by such simple bait.

The Doctor took out a stack of photo albums from the bookshelf. Even though the photo albums in Black Foot’s arms must be quite heavy, his sinewy forearms didn’t waver at all. Even as more albums were added, he didn’t complain or say that it hurt or was difficult. It was unexpected to see him just waiting there quietly.

I think I misunderstood Black Foot as someone who was temperamental and blunt.

“People are unnecessarily nice.”

Right, kinder than expected…

I looked back at Lee Yiseon, who had voiced a similar sentiment. The comment about being unnecessarily nice wasn’t directed at Black Foot, but at me.

“Were you talking about me?”

“Yeah. You’ve got a look on your face like you want to be friends with Black Foot.”

“Hmm, so you can read minds too?”

“You wear your emotions on your face.”

“It’s probably because you’ve got too much of a poker face. Where I come from, having a personality like mine is normal.”

“I’ve met many Prophets before, but it’s rare to meet someone as kind to others as you.”

“It’s not like there’s a reason to dislike them.”

“You never back down from what you say.”

“It’s not like I’m saying anything untrue.”

“I can’t tell if you’re strong or weak. You don’t seem to be intimidated by Black Foot, so I guess you’re strong.”

“You’ve been analyzing me unnecessarily since earlier.”

“It’s fascinating. Not many people like Black Foot. They find him exhausting because he does whatever he wants, but you’re seeing the good in him.”

There’s no need to focus on someone’s flaws. I found it amazing and cool that Black Foot, despite his small frame, had such incredible strength. But, is that enough to call it ‘needlessly nice’?

“You’re the one who’s needlessly meddlesome. Why do you care if I’m nice or not?”

Even though I mimicked his tone, Lee Yiseon didn’t waver.

“Just be nice in moderation.”

“You should meddle in moderation too.”

“You’re making me want to tease you.”

“Why would you bully a nice person? That’s mean, really.”

“Because that’s how you get smarter.”

“I manage my own business just fine.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Isn’t being nice without any losses a good thing? Why would I need to be more clever?”

If you put it that way, it’s not that I’m nice, it’s just that you guys are selfish. We don’t interfere in each other’s lives, and we only accept each other based on abilities. Because of that, the people who defended the wall with us died, and we didn’t even take time to mourn.

“Is this the picture?”

“No.”

“Then what about this one?”

“Hmm, no.”

In the room, Black Foot and the Doctor continued their meaningless back-and-forth. Luckily, the two of them didn’t seem to care about me and Lee Yiseon.

I turned fully toward Lee Yiseon and smiled brightly.

“Should I act clever with you?”

The look in his eyes changed when he saw my smile. Watching Lee Yiseon get emotionally rattled became amusing. A man who was usually indifferent about everything became strangely sensitive when it came to me. It was so obvious.

Why does his poker face only break in front of me? It makes me want to tease him. I think I’m starting to understand why he wants to tease me.

“I want to use the herbal bath the Doctor mentioned earlier. It’s too much trouble to ask about where it is and how to use it, so help me out. What do you think?”

He pursed his lips. He acts like he hates bothersome tasks, but now that he’s trapped by his own words, out of pride, he can’t even say ‘no.’ He’s acting clever, but he doesn’t even know how to use me. Is he an idiot or just simple-minded?

“Tsk, so that’s what you think being clever is.”

In the end, I was the one being treated as an idiot or a simpleton. He even sighed, calling it pathetic, which made me snap back emotionally.

“Then how about you attend to my bath?”

“Woo Hyunho, are you stupid?”

“Are you going to argue with a fool about taking care of his own business?”

“You should think of it as advice.”

“It’s meddling.”

“Ha, I wasn’t trying to start an argument with you.”

“Fine, then I’ll act more clever and later betray this place and join the wild dogs, alright?”

“If you want to betray us, go ahead. It just means you have nothing left to gain from us. But of course, that’s not going to happen.”

I couldn’t even laugh at his shameless confidence. He looked at me like I was a child who didn’t understand, no matter how much he explained.

“I’ll even help you with your bath. I want to show you how cute your so-called cleverness is when you act out.”

His expression was one of magnanimity, as if I should be grateful for his generosity. Instead of feeling absurd or annoyed, I started to worry. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Lee Yiseon, who was smirking at me.

…I started to wonder if I should shot myself in the foot.

“Wow, I finally found it!”

The Doctor, who had been half-ransacking the bookshelf with Black Foot, waved at me excitedly.

“Come over here, Prophet!”

Lee Yiseon also nodded toward me.

“What are you doing, aren’t you going to take a look?”