Chapter 59: The Unwelcome Visitor

Chapter 59

Roughly a week had passed since I began rooming with Yoon Geon-woo. In the interim, Han Seon-ho had returned to the dormitory, and Park Hyeon-seo, having successfully completed his intensive treatment, was back as well.

“So… Sogum! *Sob*… I truly missed you.”

The moment Park Hyeon-seo returned to school, he sought me out. His parents had even accompanied him, leading to an overwhelming outpouring of gratitude directed my way.

“Oh, Sogum. Thank you so much. We should have contacted you much sooner.”

“Thank you immensely for helping our youngest. We were utterly horrified to hear that our child had been so gravely injured.”

Park Hyeon-seo’s parents continued to express their gratitude, bowing repeatedly. They then earnestly invited me to visit their substantial Hanwoo restaurant, which they ran outside of school.

Although I politely and repeatedly declined, assuring them it was unnecessary, they adamantly insisted that meat would be free for life for their benefactor, practically begging me to come and eat. Left with no other choice, I promised to visit someday.

Once his parents had departed, Park Hyeon-seo cautiously surveyed his surroundings before addressing me in a hushed, conspiratorial whisper.

“Um, Sogum. Could I possibly ask you something?”

“What is it? Go on, tell me.”

“You… you’re Yoon Geon-woo’s roommate now? Is that… t-true?”

Though I was inwardly disconcerted that his question revolved around Yoon Geon-woo, I managed to respond with a calm demeanor.

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Why? Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing like that. But, perhaps, sometime later… could you arrange for me to meet him?”

“Yoon Geon-woo?”

I couldn’t fathom why Park Hyeon-seo would need to meet Yoon Geon-woo. Nevertheless, he reiterated his request in a hesitant, cautious tone.

“I don’t think I ever properly thanked him… It was Yoon Geon-woo who saved both you and me, Sogum, wasn’t it?”

Park Hyeon-seo confided that he had endured his intensive treatment by clinging to the thought of expressing his profound gratitude to both Yoon Geon-woo and me.

Naturally, there was a separate, underlying reason for his insistence.

“Actually… I haven’t told anyone about this before…”

Park Hyeon-seo’s voice caught, and he began to choke up mid-sentence. Sensing his rising emotions, I gently put an arm around his shoulder, patting it reassuringly. After a long moment, during which he silently shed tears, Park Hyeon-seo finally managed to speak again.

“That day… I remember bits and pieces. But it’s not precise. Everything’s jumbled and mixed up…”

Park Hyeon-seo began to recount the fragmented memories that had resurfaced.

“At first, I didn’t remember anything at all… It was as if everything was shrouded in a thick fog…”

“Not a single thing? So, your memory simply cut out somewhere?”

“Hmm… Sogum, I remember you drinking Cool Six and then getting a no… nosebleed… I remember that much…”

“And immediately after that, you found yourself in the medical center?”

“Initially, yes… But while undergoing intensive treatment, a few things began to surface in my mind…”

Park Hyeon-seo hesitated, letting his words trail off. I waited patiently, refraining from urging him on. Soon, he began to recount a truly shocking story.

“Sogum, you extracted the Ophedian’s poison from my body, didn’t you? I believe that’s when the ability affecting me finally dissipated.”

“Huh? But wasn’t that after the battle had completely concluded?”

“Th-that’s right… After the ability was released, I have a brief recollection.”

The detail Park Hyeon-seo mentioned was entirely absent from my own memory, as it had occurred after I had already succumbed to the Ophedian’s poison and lost consciousness.

“Yoon Geon-woo seemed to have blown off the ceiling of the training ground… The shooting range’s ceiling… it was completely gone, and I could see the sky…”

“The ceiling?”

“Yeah… I heard from Eun-i later on… Apparently, thanks to Yoon Geon-woo destroying the ceiling, Eun-i’s summoned medical practice team and rescue support team were able to enter through that opening…”

He had blown off the ceiling of the training ground, which was practically a bomb shelter? How on earth had he managed to accomplish that feat all by himself? The sheer, immense scale of Yoon Geon-woo’s power was, once again, nothing short of astounding.

“And I’m not sure if my memory is entirely accurate… but, before that, someone else might have been there.”

“Before that, you mean before the medical team even arrived?”

According to Park Hyeon-seo, when he regained consciousness, he was already sprawled face-down on the floor. The area was littered with all manner of vomit and the bloodstains of magic beasts, and Yoon Geon-woo was attempting to rouse me from my collapsed state amidst the chaos.

It was then that an unexpected, unwelcome visitor had arrived.

“Who was it?”

“I’m so… sorry… I don’t really… know who it was. As soon as someone appeared, Yoon Geon-woo… kept using his ability, and…”

Park Hyeon-seo, who had briefly regained consciousness, apparently fainted once more from the sheer impact of Yoon Geon-woo’s ability. When he next awoke, he found himself hospitalized in the medical center.

‘Who could have possibly come looking for Yoon Geon-woo?’

Prior to our entry into the boundary and the ensuing battle, I had lowered his contamination level to the 50% range through half-body guiding. Thus, it was profoundly perplexing that his contamination level had managed to surpass that crucial “save point.”

‘I had indeed thought something felt off…’

I had never believed his contamination could escalate so drastically from merely subduing an Ophedian. It now appeared Yoon Geon-woo had likely overexerted his ability, having to contend with that unwelcome visitor immediately after.

‘Yoon Geon-woo, however, refused to answer even when questioned.’

I had already pressed Yoon Geon-woo about the precise events of that day, but he had merely equivocated, claiming he was too disoriented to recall anything.

Even beyond the specific events of that day, he habitually clammed up whenever I tried to discuss anything significant. As such, my attempts to glean information from Yoon Geon-woo had been temporarily shelved.

I expressed my heartfelt thanks to Park Hyeon-seo for relaying the details of the accident the moment he was discharged.

“Thank you for telling me what happened that day. I’ll try to arrange a time for you to meet Yoon Geon-woo.”

“It’s only natural… I’m alive and well, Sogum, all thanks to you…”

After sending Park Hyeon-seo off, despite his repeated expressions of gratitude, I immediately retrieved my phone. During our conversation, I had felt a distinct intuition that the vibration in my pocket was a message from the very person I needed to discuss this matter with.

[Unidentified User (Add Friend): Glasses repair complete. As requested previously, I am leaving a message. ]

As anticipated, a message from an unidentified user, still unadded to my contacts, had arrived. I inwardly celebrated, yet simultaneously found myself caught in a peculiar mood.

‘Perhaps it would be better if this person… remained solely a cyber friend…’

A chasm of disconnect yawned between his utterly bizarre real-life speech and the extremely formal, businesslike tone of his messages. It felt less like interacting with Joo Yeo-rye, the student entangled in pink rope, and more like engaging with Joo Yeo-rye, the reporter meticulously crafting SAA campus news.

‘Well, they’re both the same Joo Yeo-rye… but the disparity is quite something…’

I promptly dialed the number Joo Yeo-rye had provided. Yet, only the persistent ringing tone echoed, as Joo Yeo-rye failed to pick up.

Just as I contemplated leaving a message, staring at the disconnected call screen, a message arrived from him first.

[Unidentified User (Add Friend): Currently unable to take calls.]

It was a terse message, almost robotic, making me suspect an automated callback. Wondering if my unannounced call had been impolite, I decided to leave a more detailed message.

[Me: Have you been well? I wanted to give you the glasses repair fee, and if you’re free, perhaps we could meet briefly?]

I made a concerted effort to avoid picturing his true demeanor as I sent the reply. I then waited for Joo Yeo-rye’s response, but for some inexplicable reason, over ten minutes passed without a word from him.

‘The speed of his replies… it’s absolutely infuriating.’

What kind of people are we? The *ppalli-ppalli* people, the people of speed, were we not?

In the lingering hope of encountering Joo Yeo-rye right away, I loitered around the general dormitory, conveniently close to the cafeteria, but it proved to be a futile endeavor. It seemed I would simply have to return to my room for today.

Just as I was turning my steps towards the Blue Wing, leaving my disappointment behind, a voice called out to me.

“…Sogum.”

It was a voice I couldn’t possibly mistake, calling out my name.

“Han Seon-ho?”

Standing before the academic building were Han Seon-ho, looking noticeably gaunter than usual, Gwon Hyeon-ju, and the remainder of the student council group.

“What’s going on here? Are you waiting for someone?”

“No, I’m not waiting for anyone.”

‘I *was* but I just eliminated them.’ The thought of the unresponsive Joo Yeo-rye vanished from my mind in an instant.

“…Really?”

Han Seon-ho tilted his head, looking puzzled. After all, there was no apparent reason for me to be at the academic building, where most club rooms and functional facilities were located.

“You’re heading to the student council, then?”

“Yes, I have some work that’s piled up.”

“Because you visited your family home?”

“I suppose so… right?”

Though it had only been about five days, seeing Han Seon-ho again brought a sense of welcome familiarity. We had been exchanging simple pleasantries since I first contacted him, wishing his grandmother a swift recovery. Thanks to these exchanges, I felt much more at ease talking to him than when we last spoke.

“Well then, be careful going in.”

I had hoped to chat a little longer, but Han Seon-ho seemed eager to leave. Gwon Hyeon-ju, standing beside him, cast a look that seemed to imply, ‘See? Their relationship really did sour,’ which made me feel rather displeased.

“Ah… Han Seon-ho. Just a moment.”

Without thinking, I grabbed Han Seon-ho’s wrist. I feared that if he got busy again, I wouldn’t have another chance to speak to him face-to-face.

*Thwack—*

Contrary to my expectation, Han Seon-ho instinctively slapped my hand away. I was startled by his unexpected rejection, and Han Seon-ho himself seemed surprised by how loud the sound had been. The gazes of the student council members all converged on us.

An awkward silence lingered. My hand, left hanging in the air, hesitated, and I found myself unable to utter another word. Just as I was about to clench and retract my hand, someone from behind seized my suspended wrist.

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