Chapter 5: The Monster and the Child

Having hung up the phone with Aunt, I immediately started the car. Less than five minutes later, I arrived at the specialized center hospital, conveniently located just behind me.

‘I needed to keep that man, the child’s so-called father, separated from them. That’s why I deliberately had him taken to a general hospital, while the child was transferred to the center’s own facility.’

Ascending the emergency stairs to the fifth-floor pediatric ward Aunt had mentioned, I heard a clamor echoing from a distance.

“f*cking hell, can’t you hear me? I’m their father!”

“Sir, I understand that, but as I’ve repeatedly explained, the patient’s condition is currently unstable, making visitation impossible.”

“What’s the big deal? I just want to see my own kid!”

“If you wish to visit, please return at a later time.”

“Visit? What f*cking nonsense! A parent wants to see their own child’s face, and you call it a ‘visit’? Get out of my way right now, damn it! I’ll report every single one of you!”

The air was filled with curses and shouts, sounds rarely heard within the sterile walls of a hospital. Though the doctor’s voice could be heard, attempting to de-escalate the situation, the man ignored him completely, spewing harsh words and growing louder with each breath. I strode towards the commotion. In the surrounding rooms, nurses appeared overwhelmed, struggling to calm the frightened children.

“Damn it! I suppose this is all due to some ‘Guide protection’ crap, but you bastards, whether you call yourselves Espers or Guides, you’re all just monsters anyway—”

CRASH!

“They said it wasn’t a serious injury.”

“Ugh…”

“So, it was only his arm that got hurt. I really should have broken his leg as well.”

In truth, a surge of pure rage made me want to snap his neck then and there. This man, who dared to call himself a father, not only beat his own child but now had the audacity to visit the very child who was suffering because of him.

I didn’t recall the man’s face distinctly, but he seemed to recognize me, for he recoiled as if he’d seen a monster the moment our gazes met. I hadn’t even used my ability or laid a hand on him this time, yet the man was utterly petrified.

“N-no, I was startled. C-can a p-person just carelessly s-startle others like that in a h-hospital?”

“As you said, I’m not a person. I’m a monster.”

“Ah, no, that was just me being a bit angry… Ah, anyway, there are children here, so we shouldn’t be loud—”

“If you’re not a monster.”

“Huh?”

“If you’re a person, not a monster, then perhaps it’s fine to cause such a commotion in a place like this?”

My voice, cold and flat, made the man visibly tremble.

“Uh, oh, ahem, I, I suppose I was a bit in the wrong there. I-I’ll just be quiet. I’ll handle myself, so perhaps you should go take care of your own business…”

“Because my business is right here.”

“Uh, uh? Here? Why are you—with this bastard—H-hic!”

I had merely raised my hand, yet the man staggered, on the verge of collapsing.

“Why? Afraid I’ll actually break it?”

“I-if you have something to say, l-let’s just talk first, okay? Don’t—”

“Yun Junseo!”

The man’s words were cut short by the doctor who had been wrangling with him just moments ago. He was a man I had often relied upon since my awakening as an Esper, and, as usual, he wore a white gown emblazoned with the name ‘Park Junyeong’ across the chest.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Indeed. How long has it been? And yet, after all this time, you return only to break down the hospital door?”

“My apologies.”

The man’s gaze darted between the doctor and me, and as if realizing he was out of his depth, he subtly stepped back.

“I will compensate for the damage.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright. Kid, you really haven’t changed, have you? Still so stiff.”

In truth, the doctor had remained much the same. While other physicians from the research lab were invariably cool and detached, this particular doctor, who specialized in treating children, had always possessed a remarkably warm and amiable disposition.

“What brings you here?”

“I came here on business, for this room.”

“Ah, you’re here for them too? That little one is certainly popular.”

The doctor peered into the hospital room, a puzzled expression on his face.

“How is the patient inside?”

“Condition?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to hear about their mental state, or their physical condition?”

“The latter, first.”

The doctor cast a fleeting glance at the man standing behind him, then lowered his voice as he spoke.

“Aside from torn lips and bruised cheeks, their entire body is… utterly beyond words. From what I can tell, it’s a complete mess of bruises, old and new. A total mess.”

Once again, the thought crossed my mind that I truly should have broken his leg too. While the details remained hazy, the memory of the child’s incredibly small body in my arms was still vivid. To think such a fragile form had been reduced to such a mess.

“Can I not visit now?”

“I’ll let you in once that man finally leaves. But he hasn’t shown the slightest inclination to go since you arrived.”

Even now, the man showed no sign of departing.

“Well, that aside… What exactly is your relationship with them?”

“…I believe it’s victim and perpetrator.”

At my hesitant reply, the doctor’s expression only deepened in perplexity.

“What kind of incident is this? Who is the victim, and who is the perpetrator?”

When his persistent questioning finally led me to admit it was an assault, he appeared quite taken aback.

“That arm… you didn’t, by any chance, do that, did you?”

I nodded silently.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve never used your ability on a civilian before. You’re not the type to get agitated, so what happened?”

“There were some circumstances.”

“Somehow, I think I already understand those circumstances, even without you explaining.”

The doctor clicked his tongue briefly, then cast another glance at the man, who was still leaning awkwardly against the wall.

“Are you going to stay here continuously?”

“Yes.”

“Then, may I go complete my rounds and return?”

“Please do so.”

“Alright, thanks. I’ll be back shortly.”

Once the doctor had departed, I shifted my attention back to the man.

His body was gaunt and withered, his face deeply hollowed and haggard—far too aged to be the father of a ten-year-old. Even the faint, tell-tale scent of alcohol wafted from him.

‘He doesn’t seem like a simple alcoholic. Heroin? Cocaine?’

“W-what are you looking at?”

His eyes met mine, and he visibly recoiled. A sigh escaped me. The man was even more pathetic than I had imagined. And there was only one way to deal with this type of person.

“Let’s do it.”

“W-what?”

“Let’s have that conversation you mentioned earlier.”

****

CLANG!

Lost in old thoughts, I was jolted back to reality by a sharp sound.

“Ah…”

My brow must have furrowed without me realizing it, as the child’s hand trembled slightly.

“I’m, I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. Don’t apologize for things like this.”

Thankfully, this time it wasn’t the floor. I picked up the fork from the white plate and handed it back to them, but the child merely held it still, doing nothing. A generous amount of food remained before them, yet they didn’t spare it a glance, sitting with a listless expression.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“I finished…”

“Already?”

“I’m full…”

‘Full after barely eating that much?’

I knew, of course, that children generally ate less than adults, but all the child had consumed so far was half a pancake, a tenth of an omelet, and half a cup of milk.

‘Does it not taste good?’

“Is it not to your liking? Should I order something else?”

The child shook their head vigorously.

‘They won’t grow tall eating like that.’

Suddenly, I remembered that the man, despite his wretched appearance, had been tall. I hoped, if nothing else, that this trait was genetic. Honestly, the child was far too small. Nowadays, even eight-year-olds were said to be 130 cm tall, but this child was barely over 100 cm.

I was about to tell them to eat more when I recalled the doctor’s recent admonition.

‘Vitamins A, B, C, D, fat, iron, calcium, zinc—all deficient. Protein… how in the world does it come out like this? Ugh, damn it, in all my years as a doctor, I’ve never seen such a shitty chart. That crazy bastard, how did he treat that kid, goddammit!’

It was the first time I’d heard the doctor swear. His eyes, as he looked at the chart, were truly menacing.

‘Don’t force them. Gradually increase the amount of food they like. Otherwise, it could actually make them sick.’

Silently, I took the child’s plate. As I ate the half-eaten pancake and omelet, the child’s eyes widened, watching me. While I finished the remaining food, the child continued to stare at me, their gaze filled with wonder.

For a physical Esper with an extraordinary appetite, seven to eight servings were not a difficult amount of food, and it was easy enough to clear all the plates except for the pancakes. I had emptied seven out of about ten plates when I looked up, finding the child staring at me, mouth agape.

“Why? Want some?”

I speared a pancake topped with whipped cream and offered it with my fork. The child, initially startled, quickly took it into their mouth and chewed. And in that moment, my mind was flooded with bewilderment.

The child was, quite simply, joyful. Immensely so.

After eating breakfast, the child watched TV in the living room before falling asleep again. They had fallen asleep at 8 PM last night and woke up at 9 AM this morning. I’d heard children slept a lot, but did they usually sleep this much?

Just in case, I picked up my phone. No matter how I thought about it, they had been sleeping too much since last night. Remembering the instruction to call if anything seemed odd, I dialed.

– Children naturally sleep a lot.

The answer was disappointingly brief.

“But they sleep too frequently.”

– That’s because they use a lot of energy. In children’s cases, they usually expend it all at once and then suddenly get drained.

‘Expend energy? On what? All they’ve done so far is eat breakfast.’

Normally, a boy this age would be screaming and running around, but the child barely spoke, let alone screamed.

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

– Hmm. Why?

“Their activity level isn’t high.”

– Ah! Haha. Yes, that would be true.

To my serious question, the doctor burst out laughing instead.

– Yun Junseo, Jaeseong wasn’t raised in an ordinary way, was he? I told you at first, didn’t I? You shouldn’t treat them like other kids.

I already knew that. I hadn’t expected a child who grew up in such an unusual way to be like other ordinary children.

– Do you think energy is only used physically? There’s something else, you know. Another way to expend energy.

“Is there something other than physical stamina?”

– Yes, there is. Something that has nothing to do with you! M-e-n-t-a-l-l-y. Mentally, I mean. Since they couldn’t throw tantrums like normal children, it’s probably hard for them to constantly read the room and be cautious.

‘So, being with me is so taxing that they fall asleep so quickly?’ The doctor’s brief explanation made immediate sense, but as the previously incomprehensible aspect was resolved, an unforeseen worry arose.

“Are you saying being with me is stressful?”

– Ah. Don’t misunderstand. It’s just that they haven’t adapted to the new environment yet, it’s not actually because you make them uncomfortable. If they were scared of you or disliked you, they would never be able to sleep so defenselessly. I told you, it will take some time.

‘Is that really true?’

– Anyway, don’t worry too much.

“Yes. Thank you.”

– Kid, don’t mention thanks. When I first heard you were suddenly taking them on, I nearly fainted. But seeing you call out of worry, I guess I don’t have to fret. Jaeseong will grow up just fine, even without you worrying so much.

Even though I was talking right beside them, the child was sound asleep. I ended the call and gently moved their body, which had been leaning against the sofa, onto my lap. The child truly looked peaceful in their sleep. On the TV across the sofa, the cartoon the child had put on was still playing. It was a very ordinary cartoon, featuring heroes in colorful uniforms.

“Help me, Glow!”

“Wait for me, I’ll save you soon. Friends, I need your strength.”

I think there was something similar when I was this age.

The cartoon, which I hadn’t watched in over ten years, was childish and clumsy, but honestly, it wasn’t bad. It was a strange experience. To be with someone, not alone, on a weekend morning. The fact that it was just the child and I, quietly at home, felt awkward and unusual, but it wasn’t bad at all.