Beyond The Control

Chapter 38

Thanks to a good navigation app, fortunately I didn’t get lost or wander around. I arrived home after about an hour by subway. Even though I had only stayed out for one night, it somehow felt like I was returning after a very long time.

After resting a bit, I went to see my sister in the afternoon as promised. When I arrived at the hospital with cookies my sister likes, it was just past 4 o’clock. The hospital lobby was quite busy with many people, probably because many come to visit on weekends like me.

Passing through them, I pressed the button for the elevator reserved for odd-numbered floors. Although I barely manage to come once a month, using work as an excuse, my steps towards the hospital room were steady. It made sense, as my sister had been here for over 5 years now.

I greeted the nurses at the desk warmly and entered the room. As if she had been eagerly waiting after receiving my call, my sister smiled brightly as soon as she saw me.

“Welcome, little brother.”

I carefully hugged my sister, who spread her arms wide. Then I discreetly examined her face. Thankfully, her complexion looked better than when I last saw her.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m in great condition today. I even took a short walk this morning.”

“That’s good.”

Soon, my sister’s gaze turned to the shopping bag in my hand.

“I told you not to bring anything.”

“Your words and expression are totally different. Your eyes are dripping with anticipation.”

“Shh. You’re supposed to keep such thoughts to yourself, little brother.”

Her playful gesture of putting her index finger to her lips made me chuckle.

Still only in her mid to late twenties, young as she was, my sister was battling an illness that required a heart transplant. Due to various symptoms caused by blood stasis, loss of appetite, and paroxysmal dyspnea, it was impossible for her to live alone.

At times, even walking a few steps from the bed was difficult, but my sister never lost heart or despaired. Just like when she worked tirelessly to support me, or when she used to ruffle my hair and smile brightly, she maintained the brightest and most cheerful smile of anyone in the world.

But her inner feelings couldn’t possibly be at ease. While she greeted me with utmost joy when I visited, she couldn’t hide her apologetic feelings. No, even if she didn’t show it, I couldn’t help but notice the look in her eyes and expressions that appeared from moment to moment.

Seeing my sister like this made my heart ache. Looking at her pale, bloodless face and wrists so thin they seemed like they could snap, I couldn’t help feeling complicated emotions. From the moment I learned about my sister’s condition, I had only one wish for her. I hoped she would stay by my side for even one day longer, no matter how much money it cost.

Keeping our deep inner feelings hidden, we siblings started our usual storm of chatter.

The main topic was naturally related to my work. While talking about whether everyone was doing well and if there was anything special going on, Song Ji-hyeok’s existence came up. Maybe it was my imagination, but my sister’s tension seemed to rise a bit more.

“I showed the picture of you and Esper Song Ji-hyeok to people in the ward and bragged a lot. Is he handsome in person too? Better than in the picture?”

“He looks the same to me.”

“He must be rea~lly handsome then. Usually people look less attractive in photos or videos, right?”

Is that so? To my eyes, he looks about the same. Still, I nodded along since my sister said so.

Her condition must really be good today, as my sister kept chattering non-stop. Even that was something I was grateful for. There had been times during our conversations when she suddenly suffered from chest pain, or severe breathing difficulties forced me to leave the room after just 3 minutes.

Days like today were rare, so I stayed by my sister’s side longer than planned. We ate cookies together, watched TV for a bit, and I only got up to leave after watching her eat an early dinner.

“Rest well, sis. I’ll come again next time.”

“Okay. Take care on your way back.”

I left the room with a heavy heart, leaving behind my sister waving her hand. Seeing the elevator stopped at the basement, I took the stairs for exercise. Soon reaching the first floor, I was striding across the lobby when I heard an unexpected call.

“Lee Su-hyeon?”

I reflexively turned my head at the familiar name. An unexpected figure was standing where my gaze fell. It was Song Ji-hyeok’s cousin.

“It is you. I wasn’t sure at first.”

He approached with a broad smile. With his well-groomed hair, black glasses, and coat of the same color, he gave off the impression of a popular Korean language teacher from school days. As I awkwardly shook his outstretched hand in greeting, he spoke again.

“Are you here to visit someone?”

“Yes.”

“Me too. If you don’t have other plans, would you like to have a coffee?”

As I thought before, Song Ji-hyeok’s cousin looked like a polite elite but was surprisingly sociable. I had no other schedules, and there was no particular reason to refuse, so I left the hospital alongside him.

There was no need to go far, as there was a cafe right next to the hospital. We sat facing each other, each with a cup of vanilla latte and hot Americano in front of us. As always, Jung Seok-hoon was the first to break the silence. Pushing up his glasses, he began with a gentle smile.

“I heard you made a pair contract with Ji-hyeok. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t particularly surprising that he knew. As I said, because Song Ji-hyeok is such a valuable person, even the news of making a one-year contract was reported quite prominently.

“Just a moment.”

He suddenly opened his wallet and took out a business card. With an expression suggesting I should take it, he added a word.

“Actually, I work at the Awakened One Center.”

Looking down at the card I received, it was true. The words “Korea Awakened One Center” and the symbolic emblem were prominently displayed, and his position and name were printed in the bottom right corner. My pupils involuntarily dilated at the words indicating he wasn’t an ordinary employee, but the team leader of the Guiding Research Team.

It’s known that the center’s research teams are divided into various fields and work tirelessly. It’s no exaggeration to say that they handle the most crucial tasks at the center, such as predicting dungeon generation areas or dungeon break times, and developing alternative drugs for guiding.

To have secured the position of team leader in a place said to gather the most talented individuals. And he still looks young. As I looked at Jung Seok-hoon with an expression of respect and admiration, he was still wearing that seemingly kind smile.

The difference from before was that my trust in him skyrocketed with just one business card. As if living up to my expectations, Jung Seok-hoon asked a question as comfortably as a counselor.

“Isn’t it difficult giving guiding to Ji-hyeok? I would think it’s not easy because of the rank difference.”

“It’s fine. There’s no problem at all.”

Hearing my words, Jung Seok-hoon slightly raised his eyebrows as if surprised.

“…No problem at all?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t get headaches or feel nauseous after finishing?”

“No.”

“There are guides who complain of after-effects even with just one rank difference, it’s really fortunate that you’re fine.”

Then he brought up an unexpected figure as an example.

“Tae-hyeok had a hard time because he couldn’t quickly find a guide with high matching rate or good compatibility. Ah, Tae-hyeok is Ji-hyeok’s older brother, you know him, right?”

“Yes.”

I recalled the moment we encountered each other in the hallway of the barbecue restaurant. Thinking about it again, Song Tae-hyeok had an impression that truly suited the word arrogance.

“I hope you’ll let what I’m about to say go in one ear and out the other… You’ve probably noticed, but the relationship between those two isn’t very smooth. Tae-hyeok cares for Ji-hyeok in his own way, but he’s really clumsy at expressing it.”

I recalled Song Tae-hyeok’s face again. He cares for his brother in his own way? He seemed like someone with an ingrained attitude of looking down on and disregarding others.

“Anyway, please take good care of Ji-hyeok. Even though he acts grumpy and prickly on the outside, he’s sensitive on the inside.”

“Yes…”

“He has a need for recognition, so if you praise him a little for doing well and encourage him, he’ll try to do even better. And would it be possible to exchange phone numbers?”

“Of course.”

I immediately handed my unlocked phone to Jung Seok-hoon. After making a call to the entered number, I saved his number under the name “Song Ji-hyeok’s cousin”. He also saved my number and made a final request.

“If anything happens to Ji-hyeok, please contact me anytime. I’ll tell you everything about guiding-related questions too, Su-hyeon.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

We stood up after finishing our fairly long conversation. Jung Seok-hoon offered to drive me to my destination, but I wasn’t shameless enough to readily accept and get in his car. Thanking him for his offer alone, I headed to the bus stop near the hospital.

When I put my hand in my pocket, I felt Jung Seok-hoon’s business card. While I’m familiar with some desk staff at the Awakened One Center, I rarely even encounter employees from the research team. Somehow, I felt reassured, like I had gained an unexpected ally.