The plane didn’t come as quickly as expected. First of all, departure itself was impossible. The SS-class espers had to have a meeting, and since the diplomatic management departments had gathered, they needed to talk as well. Still, thanks to them preparing a separate small waiting room, I could be there alone.
It was a place at the end of the hospital corridor. Through the large window, I could see a bit of the research building. I was quietly looking at it, thinking that Ryu Heegang was inside there.
The waiting room, not a hospital room, seemed like a space used by staff, and it even had phone chargers equipped. I plugged the charger adapter into my cell phone. My phone had just died. Soon a blue light came on. I’d thought it might have broken as the plane collided here and there, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
‘Did the novel get uploaded?’
My heart pounded. If it was uploaded, what would the content be? Could I get information about other organizations besides Suo Weiqian and Wuxin? I had such thoughts, but then I also thought, what would I do even if I found out?
I kept squeezing and opening my palm-sized phone. I was still curious. But I didn’t want to read it right now.
In the end, I put down my phone and just leaned my body deeply into the sofa. The old-fashioned recliner that was there instead of a bed was on the hard side. Still, I felt like this was good enough.
‘Let’s not get too used to good things. They’re not mine anyway.’
A sense of alarm rang in my heart that I shouldn’t get too accustomed to S-class treatment. Because I wasn’t really S-class. Even as I thought in my head that where would there be real and fake, I suddenly realized.
I’m fake. Because everyone thinks so.
My self-esteem hit rock bottom. All the things I’d been proud of for being able to show a little wit became embarrassing. I closed my eyes tighter. The feeling of having fallen to the floor didn’t improve easily.
* * *
It was another damn abandoned hospital dream. Still, it wasn’t from a CCTV perspective. This time too, I could wander around various places in the abandoned hospital like a ghost. People couldn’t recognize me. I didn’t have any desire to know more, but I still kept moving without stopping my steps. Because staying still made me feel even more eerie.
There weren’t many people today. Just a few people with X marks were busily moving around. The smell of medicine, acrid smoke, and musty mold mixed together. It was fascinating that moonlight shone brightly even in such a worst-case space.
I approached close to the broken window. I felt like the moon beyond the window was unreasonably close.
‘It’s incredibly huge.’
I tried to capture the moonlight in my palm like that girl had done. But nothing pooled in my palm. It felt like even light passed through.
‘What on earth was she?’
It wasn’t a face that should be here, but on the other hand, she also seemed too familiar with this space. I wonder if I’ll be able to see her again. I left the window and walked down the corridor.
This hospital peculiarly had no doors. As if someone had forcibly destroyed them. Thanks to that, it was nice because there was a lot I could see while passing by.
After looking around various empty patient rooms, I entered where a person in a protective suit was heading. Someone was half-lying on a patient room sofa with their arm rolled up. Those fingers thin like bamboo, those thin ankles, and that outfit were familiar.
‘It’s Suo Weiqian!’
I approached close to him. He was lying comfortably, then opened his eyes wide.
{Those damn bastards. They ruined my whole body. They messed it up so badly that it’s not getting better easily.}
The person who appeared to be a doctor put his hand in his gown pocket and shook his head.
{Just maintaining this state is a miracle. You should be grateful to the Alliance Leader-nim.}
{That old man, he got me addicted to this medicine. Vicious bastard.}
{That’s why you’re still alive, Chairman.}
{Who said otherwise?}
Suo Weiqian lowered the arm he’d rolled up. Suo Weiqian was in danger of dying? I hadn’t heard such a story. Suo Weiqian got up from his seat and took slow steps.
{Where is the Alliance Leader-nim? I should pay my respects.}
{He’ll return soon.}
The Alliance Leader is coming? I opened my eyes properly and looked at the front of the patient room. It would be useful to know the Alliance Leader’s face.
{Where did the gentleman who doesn’t go anywhere go today of all days?}
{VENT came to visit, so he just went downstairs for a moment.}
VENT. As expected, one of the two unknown groups was VENT. Then I just needed to find out the white-haired gunman’s group now.
{Those VENT bastards feel unpleasant.}
The doctor smiled emptily, then suddenly greeted the air. There was nothing in the air. Certainly nothing was visible to my eyes. Yet Suo Weiqian also awkwardly smiled and offered a greeting.
{Alliance Leader, welcome. I’m glad to meet you before leaving.}
“Suo Weiqian, you’re completely ruined. There’s no time.”
It was a very thick and low male voice. He spoke Korean. Was he around mid-50s in age? His profound voice had a blurred pronunciation. Suo Weiqian mumbled at his words and continued.
{I know. If you just give me a little time…}
“You must decide quickly.”
{But…}
“There is no blessing for those who hesitate. Only death awaits.”
The Alliance Leader said that. Then the doctor and Suo Weiqian greeted simultaneously. As if greeting someone who was leaving. Though to my eyes it was still empty air. Suo Weiqian continued speaking.
{I’ll keep it in mind. Please go in, Alliance Leader.}
“Don’t make rash moves.”
It was a voice quite far away. I passed by them and looked at the corridor. But there was nothing in the air.
I looked at the corridor of the abandoned hospital where broken glass and medicine bottles rolled around. I couldn’t find any traces. When I turned around, Suo Weiqian and the doctor had disappeared.
I was alone in the abandoned hospital. I looked around in all directions. I didn’t see people in protective suits either. In the emptily vacant place, there was only moonlight and a bit of wind.
* * *
When I woke from a short sleep, there was still no one in the waiting room. I recalled Suo Weiqian, the Alliance Leader, and the doctor I’d seen in my dream. Judging from their conversation, it seemed Suo Weiqian had received more severe punishment from the Association than what we knew. Because of that, Suo Weiqian was dying. Because death wasn’t far away, did he have no choice but to keep making extreme choices?
The hospital that appears in dreams and the four organizations are connected. But the problem was that it was a dream. A dream connected to my unconscious. Why did they appear there? I recalled the words Jeong Sanghyeop had spat at me.
Don’t become a dog and run away.
He was watching me in the hospital in my dreams. Why was I there? Could I have some connection with them? Really, was someone holding my leash and dragging me along?
I looked at the phone I’d thrown aside. I felt uneasy thinking the real-time serial novel I was reading might also have some connection.
As time passed, more people seemed to die, and incidents kept falling into a maze. Those things tormented me and made things difficult. The weight of people’s deaths was too heavy. I let out a sigh. When I turned on my phone, various alarms came. What stood out was Nam Ihyeon’s contact.
Hey, are you okay?
Are you crazy, why did you follow there
Why aren’t you answering
Are you in the hospital? Are you hurt?
You can’t keep trying to stay only in hospitals just because you said hospital food is delicious
Is Chinese hospital food delicious?
He’d sent one message every hour or two. They were mainly content worrying about me, but the tone was all so truly Nam Ihyeon-like that I laughed. I sent a reply.
Not really hurt, planning to return soon
After writing a plain reply, I looked at the rest of the notifications. Among them, the most noticeable one was naturally the serialization notification from the novel application.
[Notification] <I’ve Been Possessed by a Real-Time Serial Novel> Chapter 18 has been uploaded.
[Notification] <I’ve Been Possessed by a Real-Time Serial Novel> Chapter 19 has been uploaded.
While I couldn’t check my phone, two chapters had been uploaded. Like belatedly informing me of information it hadn’t even told me about during important moments. I wanted to know the next content, yet I didn’t want to know. I felt somewhat resentful, yet at the same time curious.
While I hesitated with my finger for a moment in dual emotions, the phone rang. It was Nam Ihyeon.
“Hello.”
—Hey, are you okay?
“Yes, I’m okay. I’m not really hurt either.”
—I heard you were caught by Suo Weiqian. You went through a lot. Having a private audience with a Class 1 international criminal.
“Yes. But well… I didn’t do anything.”
That was all I could say. Because I really hadn’t done anything. Even now, all I could do was sit alone in the waiting room prepared by the Association and talk on the phone with Nam Ihyeon. No one looked for me. Because I wasn’t needed. I felt like I was getting smaller and smaller.
—Just coming back alive from that bastard is amazing. What’s with this whining about whether you did something or not?
“…!”
—You’ve been going around with Kim Haewon, so now you talk like Kim Haewon. Annoyingly.
Nam Ihyeon spoke as if he was truly dumbfounded. I felt like I’d been slapped in the face by someone. Just surviving is amazing. Weighing achievements like whether you did something or not is strange—it felt just like he was comforting me.
—You went through a lot. Don’t think about other things, just come back safely. I’ll buy you something more delicious than hospital food.
Suddenly, I felt like tears would leak out. I said “Yes” briefly and hung up the call. I vigorously wiped my moist eyes. Because I tried not to cry, it felt like tears came out more. The moment I sniffled, the waiting room door opened.
