DP Side Story Episode 18
by BrieDeep Pivot Side Story, Episode 18
- SIDE STORY_IF Amnesia Extra
[Lieutenant]
[I’m heading to the store now]
[Do you need anything?]
11:13 AM
[Should I grab some pudding?]
11:18 AM
[Are you still at the store?]
[I’m almost done here.]
11:51 AM
[Yes]
[I also got the rosé sauce you like]
[Let’s have pasta for dinner today]
11:52 AM
[Come quick]
[I miss you]
11:53 AM
[I’m done now.]
[I’ll head over soon.]
1:28 PM
[Yeon-woo]
2:11 PM
[Local News. Around 12:10 PM today, a collision occurred at the intersection near the Yeonseon-dong Sports Center between a 25-ton dump truck and a sedan. The driver of the sedan is an A-rank Awakener affiliated with the government. They received emergency treatment at a nearby hospital and are currently being transferred to the Center…]
Accidents always strike without warning.
He had no idea why he’d turned on the local radio that day—something he never listened to. Maybe it was meant to happen this way.
So that he wouldn’t hear about your accident too late. So that he could run to you right away.
Ignoring the greetings of staff members handing him updates, Seo-joon, pale and stricken, sprinted down the corridor of the Center.
“Seo-joon.”
From the other end of the hallway, Hee-min spotted him and came over. Seo-joon steadied his hazy vision, bracing himself against the wall with trembling hands. The lights in the corridor were too bright—it suddenly became hard to breathe.
“Where’s Yeon-woo?”
Startled, Hee-min grabbed his arm to support him.
“Don’t worry. Yeon-woo’s okay. Just a few minor bruises, nothing serious.”
In moments like this, it’s best to start with the important part.
“Where is he now?”
Good news should come first. The bad news after.
“Just hear me out a bit more. There’s a slight issue with Yeon-woo, just a tiny— Seo-joon? Hey, Ji Seo-joon! At least let me finish—!”
Unfortunately, Hee-min never got the chance to fully explain the bad news before Seo-joon slipped away.
When Seo-joon burst into the hospital room and threw the door open, Song-hee turned to look at him, her face marked with startled confusion. Cheong-oh and Yeong-gyo, who had been standing around Yeon-woo’s bed, wore similar expressions.
“Yeon-woo.”
Through the gap between the people stepping aside, Cha Yeon-woo came into view. Contrary to Seo-joon’s worries, Yeon-woo looked completely fine, sitting up with his back against the headboard.
Seo-joon let out a breath of relief, still pale. As he approached, he grabbed Yeon-woo’s hand without hesitation. The moment Yeon-woo saw him, his pale blue eyes trembled and then darted away, flickering in every direction.
“Are you okay? How’s your body feeling?”
“…”
“Yeon-woo, I was really so scared—”
“Um…”
Avoiding Seo-joon’s gaze, Yeon-woo gently pulled his hand away, murmuring with a fearful expression.
“Wh… Who… Who are you?”
Seo-joon’s mouth fell open in shock. He wasn’t fine after all. Cha Yeon-woo only looked fine on the outside.
“Yeon-woo…?”
“I’m sorry. I-I… don’t really… know who you are…”
Yeon-woo hid his hands under the blanket. Seo-joon reached to hold them again, but grasped at air—his hand fell limply onto the sheets.
“Is… is there a patient named Cha Jeong-woo in this hospital too?”
Turning his body away from Seo-joon, Yeon-woo looked desperately at Hee-min. Glancing awkwardly at Seo-joon, Hee-min replied.
“Yeon-woo, like I mentioned earlier, this isn’t a hospital. It’s the Awakener Research Center. Jeong-woo’s in a different room.”
“Awakener… Research Center…?”
His pale blue eyes shook pitifully, darting left and right in confusion. He clearly didn’t understand what was being said. His gaze wandered between Cheong-oh, Yeong-gyo, and Song-hee before settling on Hee-min—the only one wearing a doctor’s coat.
“Then… um… I-I’m really okay now, so could I be discharged?”
In a voice on the verge of tears, he added softly, I’m really sorry, but I don’t have any money, doctor…
He tugged gently on the sleeve of Hee-min’s coat.
“I’ll definitely pay the hospital bill next month.”
Watching him—refusing to even turn his head Seo-joon’s way—Seo-joon felt a chill of despair, as though he had just lost something irretrievable.
“At the time of the accident, it seems the shock caused a temporary bout of confusion.”
Hee-min said this while looking over the chart. Seo-joon listened calmly, though only outwardly—the inside of him was a mess of anxiety.
“So, you’re saying… something’s wrong with Cha Yeon-woo’s head. He’s claiming he’s a high school junior right now.”
Hee-min gave a faint laugh and shook his head.
“It’s not anything serious. He had a mild concussion. It’s called Transient Global Amnesia—usually resolves within a day, or at most, a few days.”
At that last part, Seo-joon’s face visibly eased. A long sigh of relief slipped from his still-pale lips.
“Sounds like Yeon-woo’s last memory stops around junior year of high school. That’s way before his Guide evaluation. Even I don’t remember much from then, and neither does Cheong-oh… obviously, you wouldn’t either.”
Just as a bit of relief began to settle on Seo-joon’s face, it abruptly froze.
Cha Yeon-woo has temporary memory issues. His memory only goes back as far as before his Guide certification. Naturally, he doesn’t recognize anyone from the Center—or Seo-joon.
…That can’t be.
Impossible.
His and Yeon-woo’s first meeting wasn’t after Yeon-woo’s evaluation. The first page of their shared history began when twenty-two-year-old Ji Seo-joon met thirteen-year-old Cha Yeon-woo.
So how could Yeon-woo not remember him?
There’s no way he could have forgotten what even Seo-joon remembers now.
Seo-joon looked at Hee-min with a grave expression. Hee-min noticed the look—as if Seo-joon had something to say—and nodded, prompting him to speak.
“…Yeon-woo can’t not remember me.”
The words escaped him in a daze. Hee-min frowned slightly—then suddenly widened his eyes.
“Oh… right! Yeon-woo’s known you since he was a kid. Then this really doesn’t make sense.”
Even Hee-min, who’d been trying to reassure him, grew serious.
“Memory loss due to concussion usually progresses in reverse chronological order. It shouldn’t cause selective loss about a specific person…”
“I’ll go talk to him more.”
“Y-yeah, go ahead. I’ll go back upstairs and double-check the test results. Oh, and can you tell Yeon-woo that Jeong-woo can’t have visitors today?”
Hee-min turned slightly just before heading out in a rush.
“…Yeon-woo’s going to be okay, Seo-joon.”
Clutching the soft foods and medicine prepared for Yeon-woo, Seo-joon walked toward the room, trying to calm his nerves. As he stepped in, Yeon-woo—sitting alone on the bed—quickly averted his gaze.
Click.
The door closed, leaving only the two of them inside.
“Cha Yeon-woo, I’m sorry, but Jeong-woo’s undergoing treatment right now, so visits won’t be allowed until tomorrow.”
Words couldn’t express how conflicted Seo-joon felt. He pushed down his anxiety and tried to speak calmly.
“And don’t worry about the hospital bill. We’re not charging you for anything.”
He meant to reassure him, but Yeon-woo still looked scared to the point of pity.
“From now on, I’ll be the one taking care of you.”
Seo-joon glanced at Yeon-woo, who still refused to look his way, and pulled a small table beside the bed.
“You haven’t finished the tests yet, so let’s stick with soft foods for now.”
He set the spoon and bowl, scooped up a bit of the steaming food, and blew on it. From the side, he felt a stare. When he turned his head, blue eyes—caught watching him—darted downward in a flash.
“…Let’s start with the meds.”
Seo-joon offered a paper cup with pills inside and watched Yeon-woo’s fingers tremble as he reached for it. When their hands brushed, Yeon-woo flinched and pulled away.
“…”
From the side, Seo-joon could feel the sting of his stare, but when he turned, Yeon-woo averted his eyes again—blatantly, awkwardly. From that overly obvious reaction, Seo-joon realized something.
He definitely remembers me.
“Yeon-woo.”
“Y-yes…?”
Startled by his name, Yeon-woo answered with a jump. His ears were bright red, as if someone had tugged hard on them.
Seo-joon stared straight into his widened eyes with a composed face.
“What did Dr. Kang tell you? From start to finish—tell me everything.”
“I-I was evaluated as a Guide when I turned twenty… and I got assigned to No-name… I guided No-name, and now the Gate is gone…”
His words were scattered, but Seo-joon understood enough.
“S-so… it’s a historic discovery… for humanity, and Awakener medical research… never-before-seen…”