OL Ch 21

Chapter 21

His vision blurred. It would clear up briefly before darkening again, repeating this cycle over and over. Each time he slipped into complete darkness, someone shook him awake. Hayun groaned quietly and tried to resist, but it was futile.

The sounds of hurried footsteps, metal clinking, and wheels rolling grew louder as the blanket covering him was abruptly pulled away.

“Patient, wake up.”

“…..”

“You need to stay awake now. You must not sleep. Guardian, please keep the patient conscious until the doctor’s rounds. If they try to fall asleep, continue waking them up.”

“But… even though I’ve been trying to rouse him constantly, it seems like the sedatives are making it difficult for him to fully awaken.”

“The patient needs to stay awake. Otherwise, they’ll have to keep receiving sedatives, which isn’t ideal.”

“I understand, but with my child’s condition being what it is… It feels heartbreaking to disturb them.”

“But staying awake and eating regularly will speed up their recovery.”

Hayun recognized the voice. Struggling, he slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the sound.

“…Mom?” His own voice sounded unfamiliar to him. He quickly closed his mouth and anxiously scanned his surroundings, but everything appeared blurry, possibly due to tears welling up. Panicking, Hayun rapidly blinked his eyes.

“Patient! Patient, please calm down!”

The nurse firmly grabbed Hayun’s arm and addressed him with conviction. His eyes finally focused properly. It felt like he had abruptly woken from deep sleep and sat up quickly. As he stared wide-eyed without moving, the nurse adjusted his bed to prop him upright.

“The patient is drowsy because of the sedative.” The nurse continued talking briskly as she busied herself around the room. She explained that although Hayun wasn’t combat personnel, since he’d been attacked by a psychic monster, they administered sedatives periodically to prevent any sudden outbursts or accidental use of his power while asleep or upon waking.

Hayun quietly nodded. He’d never misused his ability before, but he’d heard about what happened to doorkeepers who passed through unauthorized gates.

According to government records, teleporters often suffered similar side effects. Instead of getting sliced by gates, parts of their bodies would sometimes get left behind during teleportation.

As the nurse checked his blood pressure, Hayun noticed that his legs were restrained to the bed with ropes. They weren’t tied too tightly; he could move freely within the confines of the bed, but there wasn’t enough slack for him to lower his legs off it.

Esper telekinetics instinctively tried to escape when faced with danger, but using unstable powers was dangerous for patients themselves. While burning down or freezing over the hospital room was unlikely, they risked tearing their own bodies apart or disappearing from their beds and falling onto busy streets below.

Hayun was initially startled to see his ankles bound by restraints but quickly accepted it as necessary precautions.

‘Is it due to the sedatives? I feel sleepy yet calm.’

After checking on Hayun and performing other tasks, the nurse left the room. The unusually thick door closing made Hayun realize this wasn’t a regular hospital ward. This facility likely specialized in treating espers.

Considering how badly the raid had gone, there must have been numerous injured espers. Moreover, noncombatants like himself would have shared quarters without any issues. Yet, here he was alone.

An ominous feeling briefly crossed Hayun’s mind, but he pushed it aside as he watched his mother adjust the blanket covering him.

“Even if you close your eyes like that, you can’t sleep.”

“…..”

“Wait until the doctor arrives. He mentioned he’d be delayed since he had to check on patients in critical condition first, but he should still be here before lunchtime.”

“Mom…”

“…..” 

Lee Inyeong, Hayun’s mother, kept her eyes tightly shut and sighed deeply, suppressing her emotions. Seeing this, Hayun patiently waited for his mother to compose herself. When Lee Inyeong looked back at her son with her feelings under control, Hayun spoke up again.

“How are you doing, Mom? And Dad? The twins?”

“…We’re okay. When the early morning alarm sounded, we thought we would die because there was no proper response. However, the security guard quickly lowered the protective barrier as if he anticipated this situation. At that time, people were furious and demanded to reopen it, thinking they would otherwise perish, but it turned out to be the right decision.”

There was a designated shelter within the apartment complex, but by the time residents tried to evacuate, it had already reached full capacity. Being an older building, the shelter’s capacity was insufficient compared to the number of households. Each year, discussions arose about improving the shelter, but they consistently fell through due to the prevailing belief that being located in central Seoul made them relatively safe from monsters. Additionally, expanding the shelter would have required using part of the underground parking lot area.

Moreover, there was significant resistance as the underground parking lot would be unusable during construction.

In any case, Hayun’s family couldn’t evacuate, and they chose to stay indoors with all curtains closed. This was done to prevent flying monsters from spotting them and crashing through windows. However, it inadvertently protected them from psychic-type monsters’ attacks.

“Despite always complaining about our old apartment, wanting to move here or there, ours is truly the best. Chaos reigned everywhere, but our apartment remained untouched.”

Hayun nodded at his mother’s words. It wasn’t surprising, as Seo Iju and Hayun had meticulously selected this apartment complex. They prioritized factors like minimal gate traffic nearby and suitability for installing protective measures.

Hayun suddenly recalled Seo Iju and swallowed hard, feeling as if he had swallowed thorns. He gently gripped his blanket and cautiously asked:

“Mom, what about Mookyeong?”

As soon as he posed the question, tears welled up, driven by guilt for prioritizing his own family over Baek Jinha and Seo Iju’s well-being. Despite Hayun’s struggle to hold back his tears, his mother hesitated before speaking. It seemed as though his mother was waiting until he could pour out everything without interruption, perhaps hoping to distract himself from his own distress.

“Was he badly hurt?”

Yes, given the immense effort he exerted, it was impossible for him to emerge unscathed. This outcome was expected. However, Mookyeong was an exceptional esper, and as long as there was a breath left in him, they would have done everything to save him.

“Why aren’t you answering me, Mom?”

“Mookyeong…”

“….?”

“Mookyeong hasn’t woken up yet. His condition is severe, so he remains unconscious. Mom couldn’t find Seo Iju and Baek Jinha, so I came here to check on you.”

“Mom, is something wrong with Mookyeong?”

“No, not at all. It’s just… just that he can’t open his eyes yet. Since he was involved in combat, he’s been placed in a distant ward, making it difficult for visitors.”

His mother continued by explaining how visiting would be challenging even if Mookyeong woke up immediately.

“If you eat well and recover quickly, I’ll take you to see him. Otherwise, it won’t be possible.”

“Mom, is Mookyeong seriously hurt? This is frustrating. Please tell me honestly.”

“It’s always ‘Mookyeong this, Mookyeong that’! Focus on yourself first! You only opened your eyes after four days! Your father and I took turns waiting for you to wake up!”

Hayun’s mother rolled up Hayun’s hospital gown sleeve and shouted, “Look at yourself!”

Hearing this, Hayun lowered his head to examine his exposed arm. The veins were all ruptured. Given the current state even after four days, it must have been much worse when he was first brought to the hospital.

“That’s why… Mom and Dad waited for me, but Mookyeong didn’t.”

“Wait…”

Hayun bowed his head, tears now streaming down his face, though he couldn’t tell when they had started falling. Baek Jinha and Seo Iju were both gone. Now, Mookyeong only had him left. Of course, he did have other relatives, but none as close to him as Baek Jinha or Seo Iju had been to him.

“Mom, I’m sorry, but I need to be there for Mookyeong.”

His mother swung her hand at Kim Hayun, overcome with emotion, but it dropped limply before reaching him. He embraced his mother, only able to press his body against hers due to his weakened state.

“I promised my teacher that’s what I would do.”

“…You’re my son.”

“Yes, I’m Mom’s son.”

“Don’t sweet-talk me. If you just quietly eat and say you’ll get better, who would say anything? Do you really have to upset your mom again by saying you’ll go to Mookyeong? Looking like this!”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

Contrary to the harmonious relationship between Seo Iju and his mother Lee Inyeong, the relationship between Mookyeong and Lee Inyeong was not good. It was because they both thought the other had taken Hayun away from them.

After suffering a severe injury and barely opening his eyes, he immediately asked for Mookyeong, which must have stirred intense emotions. Hayun felt relieved that he had been administered sedatives; otherwise, he would’ve been too distraught to focus on anything else.

Hayun hugged his mother tightly and cried for quite some time. Despite feeling numb from the medication, tears continued streaming down his face uncontrollably. Eventually, showing signs of dehydration, he received fluids via IV drip.

When the doctor returned once the IV bag emptied, he brought protective gear and another hunter with him. After briefly examining Hayun, he gave his diagnosis. The doctor wasted no time leaving the room, but the hunters accompanying him stayed behind.

One of them let out a long sigh and put down the file they were holding. The folder contained various documents proving their affiliation with different government agencies: intelligence operatives, researchers from institutes, personnel from Hayun’s familiar center, even someone from this very hospital.

And on the last page was a familiarly written directive for official business.

The hunters—agents representing multiple fields—asked Hayun about what had happened at his home after escorting his mother outside the room. Considering he was both underage and noncombatant, they didn’t expect him to know much. They planned to keep it brief, asking only a few questions, and brought along the identification papers to reassure him protective guardian.

Hayun spoke sparingly. Not only did he not have much information, but Seo Iju’s dying words also weighed heavily on his mind.

Hayun briefly recounted the events of that day: someone had visited their home, initially presenting as a woman; later, a man’s hand appeared on the intercom monitor.

“Sensing something was off, Teacher instructed us to evacuate immediately. Mookyeong and I quickly escaped through the emergency exit. However, there was an explosion aboveground just as we were heading for the underground shelter. Realizing it would be risky to get trapped down there, we decided to come back up.”

“That was quite a dangerous call! You didn’t know what was happening upstairs, and you…” The man glanced at some documents, likely having done his research beforehand. He probably wanted to point out Hayun being a teleporter. Teleporters’ abilities are challenging to assess with standard tests, so they’re generally categorized based on factors like distance, weight, and volume they can transport.

As Hayun was not a teleporter but rather a doorkeeper, he could only move objects weighing between five to seventy kilograms by hand. However, they believed that even if Mookyeong weighed slightly more, Hayun should still be able to transport him through the door. Of course, Hayun could transfer multiple people at once, except for Mookyeong. The issue solely pertained to Mookyeong’s inability to pass through.

To explain this, Hayun would have had to reveal that Mookyeong was one of his pieces. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to disclose it. Public perception regarding pieces wasn’t favorable, and he had managed to conceal this aspect even during his time with Baek Jinha and Seo Iju. Although it felt like hiding behind self-deception, there was a significant difference between acknowledging and remaining silent about such matters.

“He said not to use the door due to potential dangers above.”

“Who? Baek Mookyeong?”

“Yes. He said there might be something above.”

The agents exchanged glances. Despite Baek Mookyeong’s exceptional abilities, his young age and lack of judgment were undeniable factors mentioned subtly. Hayun silently clutched his blanket tighter.

After asking a few more questions, they stood to leave. As they reached the door, Hayun inquired about Mookyeong’s condition. They informed him that he was recovering faster than expected, not as severely injured as initially thought.

However, considering Mookyeong was a combat-type exposed to psychic monsters’ powers, combined with Hayun still being a patient himself and not his immediate family, visiting Mookyeong would likely be difficult.

His mother’s advice to eat well and focus on recovery wasn’t just lip service. Although his condition wasn’t as serious as he feared, that was inconsequential. The important thing was that Mookyeong remained unconscious.

With no other choice, Hayun had to concentrate on recovering. He took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings. Strangely, there were no [doors] visible anywhere.

He wondered if this place lacked overlapping doors like their family home, but for some reason, it left him feeling uneasy. Hayun untied the bandages around his ankles and stood up. His legs felt weak, causing him to sway, but since the hospital room was small, he managed to reach the window without much difficulty.

Hayun diligently peered outside.

There was not a single [door] in sight, nowhere at all.