NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
Chapter 12 – How to Treat a Miracle (3)
—–CROW—–
‘Aha.’
It seemed someone was watching from a place outside Seong-ho’s view. Seong-ho chuckled and stepped aside from the doorway.
“It’s not really a disturbance… Come in if you’re not going to stand there and talk.”
As soon as Lim Chan entered, he bowed deeply again.
“I’m so sorry, I’m only now thanking you. For helping Ji-hyo, I’m truly, sincerely, *sniff*, th-thankful. I, I will definitely repay this kindness, somehow, I will.”
Lim Chan continued, tears welling up again mid-sentence. Watching a grown man cry wasn’t a pleasant experience. Seong-ho shifted his gaze uncomfortably and offered Lim Chan a seat.
“Please, calm down.”
They couldn’t have a proper conversation like this. Fortunately, Lim Chan composed himself after a moment. Then he held out something he had brought.
“Th-this is a small token of my gratitude… preserved food I received as extra rations for working here.”
He checked the contents; it was filled with various canned goods.
“I didn’t call you here for this.”
Lim Chan chuckled awkwardly at Seong-ho’s reply.
“I didn’t misunderstand your intentions. I just really wanted to give this to you… It’s nothing much, but please accept it as a token of my appreciation.”
It would be rude to refuse after he said that much. Seong-ho nodded and accepted the food. Immediately after, Lim Chan’s expression turned noticeably gloomy.
“And besides that… there’s something I need to tell you.”
He wondered what was wrong, then…
“They’re going to lock me up?”
“Yes, yes… in the basement… As soon as Choi Ji-young suggested locking you up in the basement, everyone got excited…”
Lim Chan continued, trembling slightly. He seemed shocked that the hospital staff would even consider such a thing.
‘What’s so surprising about that?’
Seong-ho wasn’t surprised; he had expected it.
“What was Choi Seung-jo’s reaction? Did he try to stop them, or did he agree?”
“While I was there, he didn’t actively object or dissuade them. Rather…”
“Rather?”
“…He seemed relieved that someone else had brought it up first. At least, that’s how it seemed to me.”
“Hmm.”
“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry. You wouldn’t be going through this if it weren’t for helping Ji-hyo…”
“It’s not your fault, there’s no need to apologize.”
Seong-ho cut him off firmly.
“And this was within my expectations, so it’s not a big problem.”
“Yes…?”
Instead of answering Lim Chan’s question, Seong-ho asked another.
“By the way, are you sure you should be telling me all this? You’re part of the hospital staff.”
“Well, that is… I… I just thought it was the right thing to do… and you helped me… I wanted to repay your kindness…”
Lim Chan stammered, as if his thoughts were jumbled. Seong-ho accurately pinpointed his intentions.
“You want to leave with me, don’t you?”
Lim Chan’s eyes widened.
‘I was originally planning to approach this more carefully.’
Lim Chan had a child to protect. There was a good chance he wouldn’t want to leave for the dangerous outside world. However, seeing him come to Seong-ho and reveal the hospital staff’s intentions changed his mind.
‘He’s chosen my side over the hospital.’
It seemed he had decided to rely on Seong-ho’s ability, even if it meant betraying the hospital staff he had been with. And fortunately, or unfortunately…
“Actually, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me. It would be reassuring to travel with someone who has medical knowledge, and that’s why I requested a private conversation.”
Seong-ho had already decided to take Lim Chan with him.
‘I can’t just leave him here.’
There was a high risk of him going down the drug addict route again if something happened to his daughter.
‘His medical knowledge would be a valuable asset.’
Moreover, Lim Chan was an Awakened. While not a flashy combat type, his ability was even more valuable.
‘With Lim Chan’s ability, we can solve the upcoming food shortage.’
Seong-ho had plenty of reasons to recruit him.
‘The only downside is that his daughter comes with him…’
In this world, a young child was close to a burden. They couldn’t fight zombies, carry heavy loads, or travel long distances easily. If the child started crying in the middle of the road, it would be a living hell.
Nevertheless, Seong-ho had tentatively decided to accept Lim Chan.
‘The advantages outweigh the disadvantages.’
The inclusion of a child was a price he was willing to pay. Of course, he didn’t need to explain all of this to Lim Chan.
“Was I wrong?”
Seong-ho pressed for an answer, and Lim Chan, who had been clenching his jaw, replied, his hands tightly clasped, “It’s shameless of me, but… you’re right. Seeing how the hospital staff were talking, my mind was made up.”
Lim Chan’s voice became harder and lower.
“And as you know, my daughter isn’t immune. If it weren’t for your power, she could turn again at any time… If you take us, father and daughter, with you, I will serve you with all my heart, I really will, I’ll do my best. My experience will definitely be helpful. If you’ll just allow my daughter to come along…”
It seemed he was nervous that Seong-ho might ask him to abandon his child. Seong-ho had already accepted the disadvantages of taking the child with them.
“In return, so to speak, do me a favor.”
“A favor? What kind of…?”
“What else could I ask for in this situation? Betray the hospital staff.”
Even though he had anticipated their actions, it didn’t mean he wasn’t annoyed.
‘I don’t want to just disappear quietly.’
Seong-ho waited for his answer, and Lim Chan replied with a determined expression.
“…I will. Just tell me what to do, and I won’t disappoint you.”
Lim Chan was a man who would do anything for his daughter. He had already expressed his desire to follow Seong-ho. Betraying the hospital staff meant nothing to him.
* * *
In the afternoon of the day of the incident, Lim Ji-hyo woke up. She regained consciousness as a human, not a zombie, despite having shown symptoms of fever.
Choi Seung-jo, having witnessed the miracle with his own eyes, formally requested Seong-ho to treat the other infected. Seong-ho set a few conditions.
– *Regardless of whether I stay or not, I want the two weeks’ worth of food and emergency medicine I requested as soon as the treatment is finished.*
– *And please gather all the infected, as well as the other members of the hospital, in one place.*
Choi Seung-jo, having no other choice, accepted Seong-ho’s demands. However, he postponed the actual virus extraction until after the mutation symptoms appeared. This was to identify any potential immune individuals. If anyone else awakened their abilities, it would only benefit the camp.
But it turned out to be a wasted wait. None of the infected in the hospital camp were immune.
In the end, on the evening of the second day after infection, as the sun began to set, all 15 infected, excluding Ji-hyo, began to develop fevers.
“Mr. Seong-ho.”
Choi Seung-jo, who had placed two backpacks in a corner of the emergency room, called out to Seong-ho nervously. Seong-ho, who had been leaning against the wall, stepped forward. The gazes of everyone in the crowded emergency room were fixed on him. Some of them looked at him with suspicion.
Rumors of him curing Ji-hyo had spread throughout the hospital, but some of those who hadn’t seen it firsthand were skeptical. However, no one spoke up. This was thanks to Lim Ji-hyo, who was clinging to Lim Chan’s leg and looking around curiously.
‘Let’s wait and see.’
‘If he’s a fraud, it’ll eventually come out.’
‘I won’t let him get away with playing with people’s lives.’
Amidst the gazes filled with various emotions, Seong-ho approached the beds. Due to Seong-ho’s demands, the infected were gathered in the spacious emergency room. Their arms and legs were tied as a precaution.
Seong-ho examined the faces of those occupying the beds. Some were barely conscious, while others had already lost consciousness and were lying limp. White steam was rising from their bodies. The emergency room was hot and stuffy, even with all the windows open.
Seong-ho gulped unconsciously.
‘This is mutation.’
He had been too frantic to observe closely when treating Ji-hyo, but seeing more than ten people suffering and emitting steam from their bodies was shocking. It was a scene beyond common sense, something he had never seen before.
But at the same time, it was something he knew.
– *Infected individuals who began to develop fevers often fell under the illusion that they were burning. There was no way to explain the abnormal heat unless they were spontaneously combusting.*
– *A wave of hot air washed over me as soon as I took a step inside. I knew immediately. There was a pre-transformation infected person here.*
The sentences he had glanced at were now vividly playing out before him. The sense of dissonance, the moment when what had been a fictional story became reality. Strangely, that dissonance pulled him even deeper into this world. He felt like his detached body and mind were being sucked into a vortex. A sense of unease washed over him, as if he was drifting further away from his original world.
“Mr. Seong-ho?”
This wasn’t the time to be lost in thought. Seong-ho reached out to the person lying in the nearest bed.
*Flash.*
A familiar virus marble formed in his hand along with a bright light. He pocketed the marble, curling his fingers slightly, and moved to the next person.
*Flash.* *Flash.*
The breathing of those he touched calmed down noticeably. The steam, the most visually striking pre-mutation symptom, also disappeared. The murmuring around him grew louder. Then, the families, lovers, and friends of the infected rushed towards the beds.
“J-Ju-seong!”
“My son, my son…!”
“Ms. Yeong-hye…”
They confirmed the condition of their loved ones with their own hands and eyes. The emergency room was now a sea of tears. Since the outbreak, they had only experienced the pain of losing their loved ones. But today, the warmth they thought they had lost returned to their embrace.
They rejoiced at the miraculous moment.
“Th-this is a miracle!”
“Oh, God! Thank you, thank you!”
And amidst the cheering crowd, Seong-ho stumbled. He immediately steadied himself by grabbing the side of the bed and searched his pocket.
[Fortune Cookie]
‘I just used my 10th ability charge.’
And he was about to use his 11th. Seong-ho knelt by the bed as a precaution. His body was already trembling, but…
‘I have to keep pushing my limits when I have the chance.’
Seong-ho gritted his teeth and used his 11th ability charge.
“Ugh…!”
His vision went dark again.
“M-Mr. Seong-ho?”
“Mr. Seong-ho!”
People, sensing something was wrong, tried to approach him, but Seong-ho, regaining his vision, firmly waved them away.
‘If I use my ability to the limit twice in a row, I’ll definitely pass out.’
It wasn’t a guess, it was a certainty. So, instead of pushing himself further, he tore open the packaging of the Fortune Cookie he had been holding. He broke the cookie in half, and a small piece of paper fell out. It wasn’t the time to check it, so he pocketed the paper and shoved the cookie into his mouth.
—–CROW—–