M 129

“So… you mean I won’t need to wear the patch anymore…?”

“Literally that. At this rate, Mr. Lee Sehwa, your fever will go down when you take antipyretics, and you’ll get drunk when you drink alcohol. Just like how other people live.”

Sehwa’s mouth slowly opened like a blooming flower. The medicine works without the patch? Like other people? He had lived his whole life with this body… Is it possible to suddenly return to normal?

“Let’s see, the medications you’re taking these days are… just the ones prescribed by psychiatry, internal medicine, and supplements, right? And you’re getting detailed check-ups every two weeks.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Actually, since last month, we’ve noticed that the rate at which your body absorbs medication has been changing slightly with each test, so the dedicated doctors have been discussing it daily. Then, on a hunch, we looked into the side effects of A7…”

The military doctor pulled up a complicated-looking chart in mid-air. He had seen it so often that he could roughly guess what the characters positioned where meant.

“Although practical cases are quite rare, there were some noteworthy side effect symptoms.”

A small hologram floated up next to the chart. Various colored cells were vigorously wriggling inside blood vessels, but at some point, the white ones grew enormously and started devouring other nearby cells with a crunching sound. Meanwhile, new cells appeared and greatly inflated their bodies… Anyway, they were making quite a mess inside the body among themselves.

“To put it simply, when an overly powerful treatment is introduced, the body loses its ability to judge things on its own. Like this hologram. The entire system, including immune function, collapses.”

“But in Mr. Lee Sehwa’s case,” the military doctor said, bringing back the cross-section he had first shown.

“Unlike others, your constitution was… how should I say, twisted from the beginning? But then we poured A7 into it, so as a result, it’s like we flipped what was already flipped, making it face forward again.”

The military doctor exhaled with a mix of laughter and a sigh, saying it was lucky.

“Of course, considering the circumstances that led to the administration of A7, I shouldn’t say it’s lucky, but anyway, it seems that taking A7 has turned into a blessing in disguise for Mr. Lee Sehwa. At least when looking at these results.”

Perplexed, Sehwa  just looked back and forth at the various results the military doctor had displayed. Yes, he was more bewildered than happy. So what’s going to happen from now on? Wouldn’t it be a big problem if he ends up in an awkward state where neither the patch nor the medication works?

“There’s no need to worry that much. Since the predicted results aren’t bad, we’ll start by gradually reducing your dependence on the patch. It’ll be tough, but there will be frequent complex tests, and we’ll be drawing a lot of blood. We might ask to do it three or four times a day, so be prepared for that.”

“That’s fine, but…”

“Why is it fine? Getting tested is such an exhausting thing.”

The military doctor belatedly added not to get too excited because they couldn’t guarantee 100%.

“Even if your constitution has changed, the fact that your body is in poor condition remains unchanged, so you need to focus on recuperation. You might become weaker than now when we reduce patch usage. The baby will be born in a few days, so shouldn’t you become healthier from now on?”

Sehwa nodded vigorously while fidgeting with his fingers.

They had decided to take out Hae-rim in three days. Although it slightly deviated from the usual timing for leaving the incubator, fortunately, there was no problem with the baby. No, he was perfect.

The familiar nurses praised him, saying the baby was very strong, wondering who he took after. They said that no matter how good the equipment and programming were, they couldn’t match innate qualities, and Hae-rim’s development and health condition were excellent, so he probably wouldn’t suffer from minor illnesses much even when he grew up. The nurses probably said this without much thought to comfort Sehwa, who had a weak body, but at such times, Sehwa couldn’t help but think of ‘someone’ other than himself.

He didn’t expect thoughts of Ki Tae-jeong to arise while hearing about his own body. Today too, his unexpected thought felt like a hot iron piercing his heart. Still, it seemed fortunate that Hae-rim wouldn’t be sick because he took after that person instead of himself…

“You’ve decided to stay in the same room in the current protective ward, right?”

“Yes. And I’ve been thinking… As I mentioned before, I think it would be good to start preparing for discharge soon.”

Seeing the military doctor’s eyebrows shoot up immediately, Sehwa fumbled out the excuse he had prepared.

“I feel like staying only in the protective ward is making things worse. I keep feeling lethargic… The counselor also recommended staying outside the hospital.”

Although the counseling room had often given such advice before, it was thanks to Hae-rim that he really decided to move. He didn’t want to show only the scenery of the hospital to the child who had come into the world after such hardship. He knew the baby wouldn’t remember the newborn period anyway, but that was how a father’s heart worked.

So he made the bold move of saying he would be discharged now. It was true that General Oh Seon-ran and the attending doctors were being overly protective, and at this rate, it seemed like he would only be able to be discharged much later. Even General Oh Seon-ran, who was initially against it, finally gave permission when Sehwa said he wanted to practice living a normal life.

“I understand for now. But if any abnormal symptoms appear during the process, it’s obviously not allowed. Even after discharge, if the results aren’t good when you come for check-ups, you’ll have to be admitted immediately.”

“I’ll do that.”

Sehwa nodded readily.

“Is there anything you want to do after being discharged? Why are you in such a hurry? Just rest comfortably while General Oh Seon-ran spends money lavishly.”

The military doctor asked while organizing the holograms and charts.

“…Ice cream…”

“Huh? Ice cream?”

“Yes, I want to eat ice cream.”

He didn’t know why. It would be better to do something more constructive. Like considering how to make a living from now on, or studying to become a good father… Even though there were piles of things to do, strangely, that thought suddenly came to him.

He wanted to eat the 3,000 won chocolate ice cream he had eaten sometime before. And in this winter, no less. He wanted to stand on the street, eat it all, dangle the empty plastic bag on his wrist, and then be sucked into somewhere as warm as a grave, saying “I’m back” as a greeting.

***

The past few days had been incredibly busy.

Colonel Kim’s bankruptcy filing had caused great indignation among most of the elders. After stashing away everything he could, he claimed he couldn’t afford compensation because he had no money on hand. His relatives were the same. These bastards still had a long way to go before coming to their senses.

There were some hyena-like guys looking around for scraps to eat, but of course, the main force behind the damage claims were those who had suffered greatly from Kim Seok-cheol’s antics. Even those who had tried to proceed amicably considering each other’s face now came at him angrily. It would be strange if their eyes didn’t roll at the lies that showed no sincerity at all.

Thanks to this, Ki Tae-jeong also had to move quickly. This time, he had to get rid of Colonel Kim for sure. At the same time, he had to think of a way to open up the neglected sky route in 2-Hwan. To recover it just enough to defend the airspace and transport supplies without completely erasing the traces of fire. Damn. Today he should tell that bastard Kim Seok-cheol to give the recovery medicine later.

“I’ll proceed as you instructed. And, um… Major General.”

Warrant Officer Choi, who had been grinning inappropriately all along saying he felt good seeing the downfall of those who used to ignore him despite the tough work, suddenly acted awkwardly.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

The bear-like guy glanced at Captain Park as if asking for help. Captain Park just shook his head as if to say he didn’t know, swallowing a sigh. Hmph. Ki Tae-jeong narrowed his eyes. These bastards got a little promotion and immediately started slacking off…

“General Oh Seon-ran’s side has requested the dispatch of security personnel.”

As he was about to cool his expression thinking he had been too lenient lately… unexpected words flowed from Warrant Officer Choi’s mouth.

“Who? General Oh Seon-ran?”

“Yes.”

The only person there who could be the subject of a security request to him was… of course, only Lee Sehwa.

Why? Ki Tae-jeong couldn’t even utter that name out loud and just chewed on his inner lip. Sehwa is staying in the largest hospital in this country, where even Generals would rush if they fell ill. Moreover, with General Oh Seon-ran personally protecting him… A request for additional manpower? Did something happen? Did he miss something? Is someone other than Colonel Kim trying to make a move? That can’t be. He wouldn’t have missed Sehwa’s movements of all things.

“Report properly. Why is General Oh Seon-ran requesting security for something other than other matters?”

“Ah, it’s not something to worry about. It’s… this afternoon, from the incubator… Yes, they’re taking him out.”

Warrant Officer Choi’s tongue didn’t roll smoothly when mentioning Sehwa and the baby, stumbling several times.

“Ahem, so… They said we should show that we’re also paying attention, so Colonel Kim won’t dare approach recklessly even after Lee Sehwa is discharged. Colonel Kim is already quite agitated as it is.”

It was a somewhat flimsy excuse. Of course, it’s better to be overly cautious when it comes to Sehwa and the baby, but there was no need to involve him to show off their power. Rather, bringing in people privately employed by the Oh family would feel like more pressure to Colonel Kim, and he understand they’re already doing that. Really, why, bother?

“How about you go in person, Major General?”

“What?”

Captain Park rummaged through the briefcase he had put on the floor. Inside was a black uniform mainly worn by the honor guard.

“We’ve replied that we’ll wear a different type of military uniform and cover our faces in case Lee Sehwa recognizes someone from our side and feels uncomfortable. Wear a hat and gas mask, and also use a voice modulator just in case. No one will recognize you that way.”

Ki Tae-jeong let out a long sigh through his nose and stood up crookedly, leaning on his leg. He was so dumbfounded he didn’t know where to start pointing out the problems.

“Warrant Officer Choi.”

“We agreed that only one person sent from our side would go in this attire.”

Captain Park, who had been watching Warrant Officer Choi’s actions from behind, chimed in as if there was no other choice.

“General Oh Seon-ran has also agreed to this.”

“You call that an explanation?”

A security guard allowed not only to cover their face but also to use voice modulation? Isn’t that perfect conditions for Colonel Kim’s side to approach in disguise? They must know it’s more dangerous now than when preparing for the trial… It was hard to believe that General Oh Seon-ran had accepted such conditions.

“More than anyone else here, you, Major General, are the one who can protect Lee Sehwa perfectly. General Oh Seon-ran had no objection to that part.”

Captain Park checked his wristwatch.

“The scheduled time is in 4 hours.”

Seemingly scared of what he had done without permission, Warrant Officer Choi held out the honor guard uniform to Ki Tae-jeong with trembling hands.

“Major General, this might be the last time. After this, General Oh Seon-ran won’t allow you no matter what happens.”

“…”

“No one, or rather, Mr. Lee Sehwa definitely won’t know, so just go and see Mr. Lee Sehwa and the baby’s face.”

Ki Tae-jeong stared blankly at the unfamiliar clothes and gas mask placed before him, with his eyes lowered.