“That’s a lie.”
Kang Yujun narrowed his eyes.
“I’ve never heard of congenital analgesia being among awakening side effects. You’re lying to reassure me right now, aren’t you?”
“It’s true though.”
“Really? Then let’s do a test.”
Kang Yujun instantly snatched Lee Kanghyun’s right arm. It was an uninjured spot.
“What are you doing?”
When Lee Kanghyun tried to pull his arm away in disgust, Kang Yujun gripped his arm even more firmly.
“Stay still. You said it doesn’t hurt.”
His fingers pressed firmly on the inside of Lee Kanghyun’s arm, the softest part of the flesh. Then he began pinching.
At first gently, gradually applying more pressure while observing Lee Kanghyun’s reaction. But Lee Kanghyun didn’t even bat an eyelash.
‘Does it really not hurt?’
At that, Kang Yujun’s insides gradually burned up. Rather than being reassured by the fact that Lee Kanghyun couldn’t feel pain, it approached him as an even greater anxiety. Since he doesn’t know pain, he won’t spare his body, and what if something really terrible happens? Being S-rank made it unlikely, but in the off-chance his ability didn’t activate, he would just die.
Kang Yujun unconsciously put strength into his grip. It was when he was thinking he wished Lee Kanghyun would at least scream if it hurt.
Crack.
A sound like bone twisting came.
“Ah…!”
Startled, Kang Yujun let out a short gasp and immediately released Lee Kanghyun’s arm. His face turned deathly pale. No, why is this… He had applied strength, true, but not enough to break bone.
“Kanghyun. What do I do… I’m sorry, I must be crazy.”
Kang Yujun didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t touch it in case touching would hurt more, but he couldn’t just leave it either, and he fidgeted restlessly. Seeing that sight, Lee Kanghyun let out a sigh involuntarily.
“It’s fine.”
Lee Kanghyun said indifferently and rotated his arm once. His regeneration activated and the twisted arm returned to perfect condition in an instant.
His expression didn’t change at all and he was calm. However, inwardly he was breaking out in cold sweat.
‘The bones must have temporarily weakened from the drug’s side effects… I didn’t get caught with anything suspicious, right?’
Fortunately, Kang Yujun was in a dazed state, consumed by guilt over having hurt Lee Kanghyun’s arm, so he didn’t notice anything.
“Really… it doesn’t hurt?”
Kang Yujun asked in a trembling voice.
“Yeah. Just feels a bit stiff. Hey, control your strength. An S-rank twisting someone’s arm with full force like that.”
Lee Kanghyun shamelessly cornered Kang Yujun. Fortunately, Kang Yujun nodded and muttered that he understood. At that reaction, Lee Kanghyun avoided eye contact for no reason. He felt a bit sorry for deceiving an innocent guy.
However he interpreted it, Kang Yujun carefully held and rubbed Lee Kanghyun’s arm. It was unbelievably gentle for the hand that had just caused an accident.
“So… you really didn’t feel pain, so you used your body so recklessly like that?”
When Lee Kanghyun nodded, Kang Yujun let out a deep sigh.
“Haaa….”
He sat down weakly in the chair beside Lee Kanghyun’s bed.
“It doesn’t hurt so it’s fine—that’s your logic?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. I’m perfectly healthy.”
“No. It’s not fine at all.”
Kang Yujun shook his head. His eyes were full of worry and pity.
“Kanghyun. Just because you can’t feel pain doesn’t mean your body doesn’t get hurt. Your flesh still tears and bones still break.”
“That’s true. But it heals quickly.”
“That’s the problem. Because it heals quickly, you don’t think about taking care of your body. You throw yourself into danger first. What if you get hurt so badly you can’t even regenerate?”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be so overconfident?”
“You’re S-rank too. Have you ever run out of mana and couldn’t use your ability? You haven’t, right? I’m the same.”
“…Okay, let’s say that’s true. But seeing your arm get cut off and your flesh melt with your own two eyes—is that really nothing to you? Is your mental state okay?”
To Lee Kanghyun, Kang Yujun’s sermon sounded strangely irritating.
If I sacrifice one arm, I can catch an S-rank monster instantly. Something that would take five hours can be finished in 5 minutes. So is there a reason to go through that suffering just to avoid getting hurt? That’s not taking care of yourself, it’s just being stupid.
He hated pain, but he hated annoying things more.
He wanted to snap back immediately. Who are you to interfere? Why are you objecting to my efficient choice?
However, Lee Kanghyun found all of that just annoying. He knew too well that saying such things would only result in unnecessary emotional expenditure.
“Got it. I won’t do it anymore.”
Lee Kanghyun raised his hands in a surrender gesture.
“I’ll do as you say. I’ll take care of my body, and I won’t do it anymore from now on.”
He spoke as sincerely as possible, pretending to be genuine, but contrary to Lee Kanghyun’s intention, Kang Yujun completely deflated. It seemed obvious that it was a soulless answer.
“Hey, you really.”
Kang Yujun, as if he no longer had the energy to be angry, dry-washed his face with a helpless expression.
“Never mind. Talking to you is worse than talking to a wall. Just… rest.”
Kang Yujun weakly got up, opened the hospital room door, and left. Fatigue and disappointment oozed from his retreating figure.
Lee Kanghyun, left alone and empty, looked down at his hands awkwardly.
He saw through that I wasn’t reflecting. Kang Yujun wasn’t fooled.
He must not have acted properly.
Lee Kanghyun sighed while fiddling with the IV line.
***
Standing alone in the corridor, Kang Yujun felt complicated.
“Ha….”
Can’t feel pain?
It was hard to believe. But there was evidence. Yeah, it was better this way. Kang Yujun hoped it was true.
If it was a lie, it meant Lee Kanghyun had endured the pain of flesh melting and bones twisting while maintaining that calm expression. That was too horrific.
Even if he can’t feel pain, still. Lee Kanghyun, who hated blood, fighting so recklessly wasn’t normal.
At that time, Lee Kanghyun had fought as if a screw was loose somewhere.
It was too unsettling to just leave alone. It felt like he was missing something, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
It seemed he needed to keep Lee Kanghyun nearby and watch over him. However, Lee Kanghyun was someone who couldn’t be controlled.
Then he needed a solid mechanism. He needed justification to hold Lee Kanghyun so he couldn’t escape, and to monitor and protect his every move.
Kang Yujun seriously pondered. What should I do?
Just then, the hospital room door opened with a creak.
Lee Kanghyun, who cautiously opened the door and looked around examining his surroundings, locked eyes with him.
He couldn’t even laugh. I knew it. Lee Kanghyun was running away again.
“Where are you going?”
Lee Kanghyun’s eyes rolled around. It was too obvious he was spinning his head to lie.
“Uh… bathroom.”
“There’s a bathroom inside the room.”
“I’m stuffy, so a walk.”
“You? A walk?”
Kang Yujun scoffed. What nonsense about a walk. When normally he absolutely never gets up from bed.
“You were trying to slip away before I came, weren’t you?”
At this point, Lee Kanghyun, realizing excuses wouldn’t work, began to be shameless.
“No, I’m all healed, so there’s no need to stay in the hospital. The hospital bill is a waste too.”
“So you’re going to leave without a word?”
“I was going to leave a text. Really.”
Enough. Kang Yujun swallowed the sigh that wanted to escape. As expected, talking with Lee Kanghyun was a waste of time.
It was an obvious lie, but Kang Yujun didn’t press further.
“Fine. Let’s just go home. I’ll handle the discharge procedures.”
Lee Kanghyun’s eyes widened.
He seemed unable to follow Kang Yujun’s sudden change in attitude.
“You’re not angry?”
He asked carefully. Kang Yujun found it fascinating that Lee Kanghyun was reading the room.
“You’ll do whatever you want anyway no matter how angry I get. So I’m going to do things my way too.”
Lee Kanghyun looked at Kang Yujun with an uneasy gaze.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s go home. I’ll give you a ride.”
Kang Yujun took the lead. Lee Kanghyun felt uneasy, but for now, followed behind him at the fact that he was escaping the hospital.
Inside the car was very quiet. Kang Yujun, gripping the steering wheel, just drove silently, and Lee Kanghyun, sitting in the passenger seat, stared blankly with his gaze fixed on the scenery quickly passing by outside the window.
Lee Kanghyun’s expression was peaceful. Unlike that, his mind was noisy.
‘Please, let’s hurry up.’
Normally, Kang Yujun chattered endlessly, which was tiring. He had wished every day that he would just shut up. However, the silence that came after this fight-that-wasn’t-a-fight was driving Lee Kanghyun crazy. He felt like he’d die from awkwardness.
Should I try talking first? But he had no idea what to say.
Lee Kanghyun had no friends and didn’t know how to placate an angry person.
In the end, Lee Kanghyun could only hope they’d arrive quickly.
Contrary to Lee Kanghyun’s earnest wish, the car only stopped in the apartment’s underground parking garage after driving for quite a while. During that time, Kang Yujun still hadn’t said a word, and the socially inept Lee Kanghyun also didn’t say a single word.
