NOVEL WEB Chapter 10 - The End of Childhood Narrative (1)
Chapter 10 – The End of Childhood Narrative (1)
‘…Administer the medication! Nurse Choi, what are you doing?! Hurry! This patient is critically injured!’
‘B-but doctor. This patient’s wounds have already completely healed.’
‘What?! That’s impossible…’
So noisy.
I frowned at the faint voices of a man and woman reaching my ears.
How much time had passed?
My eyes opened to the pleasant touch of sunlight.
“……”
For a moment, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
I muttered the classic line appropriate for this situation.
“An unfamiliar ceiling…”
As I uttered the words I’d always wanted to say at least once in my life.
Pfft
Huh?
I heard the sound of someone trying to hold back laughter.
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t trying to laugh at you. You just suddenly said something funny.”
A young nurse wearing a uniform with white and pink hues was standing beside me.
Only then could I look around. The pungent, sharp smell of disinfectant and the patient gown with green and white patterns…
‘So I’m in a hospital.’
Yu Mihee, whom I’d seen before passing out, must have brought me here.
“Just a moment, I’ll change your IV.”
As I watched her replace the bag of fluid, I spoke up.
“Excuse me, what about the person who brought me here?”
“Hmm? Oh, you mean that impressive lady? The hero from the Association…”
I nodded.
“She was also seriously injured. She received treatment while you were unconscious, and now she’s recovering.
Being an Awakened, she recovers faster than civilians, so she’ll be discharged soon.”
“I see…”
“Oh, and the doctor was surprised when he saw you. You were in a condition where death wouldn’t have been surprising,
but your body was healing and regenerating at an amazing rate. He said you probably awakened a survival-specialized ability at the moment your life was in critical danger.”
“Ah, that’s fortunate.”
Thank you, adaptability, for working overtime even when I was unconscious.
“Very fortunate indeed. I shouldn’t be saying this to a patient, but you’re amazing.
So young, and a male at that, with a unique ability… You must have incredible potential?”
“Uh…huh? What?”
Why is she emphasizing ‘male’ here?
I tried to question this oddity, but,
“Well, get some rest now. I’ll come back in the evening~”
The nurse smiled brightly, patted my head, and quietly left.
…Anyway, I can finally catch a breath.
I rubbed my back against the soft bed and covered my eyes with the back of my hand.
‘Didn’t it say that the Descendant of the Brand evolved to B at the end?’
‘Shit, nothing’s working out…’
Among gamers, I’d occasionally heard that sometimes, depending on specific situations, environments, or actions, abilities that theoretically could never be upgraded would strengthen.
‘Who would’ve thought it would evolve.’
A phenomenon I’d never seen even once while gaming…
And now I’m seeing it?
I chuckled inwardly at the absurdity, then shook my head to clear my thoughts.
‘Lamenting over what’s already happened won’t change anything. What matters is what happens from now on.’
I looked at the message window and alarm icon that had been flashing conspicuously for a while now.
“With this much commotion, I’m a bit afraid to check… Huh?”
Just then, I sensed a small presence through the crack in the door.
Peek…
‘??’
A single strand of fluttering hair swayed like foxtail grass.
‘What’s with that cartoon-like silly hair effect?’
As I tilted my head, not understanding the situation,
Peek…
A little girl, who looked about 6 years old, poked her head out.
With chubby cheeks that hadn’t lost their baby fat and large, bead-like eyes that sparkled as she stared intently.
‘What is this heart-harmful creature?’
The girl, who displayed such cuteness that anyone would clutch their chest and go ‘Ugh, my heart!’, soon came running pitter-patter
Plop
She placed a lollipop on top of the blanket I was covered with.
“…Huh?”
“…Gi…gift, no…gift”
Her tongue seemed to get tied as she spoke in a lisping voice, followed by unintelligible babbling.
Then she scurried back to the door crack, peeking out with just her head.
‘…So this is why father said having a daughter would be so cute.’
Heh, the kid is damn cute.
The strange life form known as my younger sister at home is completely and utterly disgusting in comparison.
I gazed at the girl with inner contentment as I picked up the candy.
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
When I responded with a smile, her face turned bright red, and she grinned broadly while hiding herself, leaving only her silly hair visible.
‘But this… it’s not like, drugs, right?’
I briefly suspected it because I’d eaten so many drug-flavored candies from that bitch Han Aejeong, but upon inspection, it was just an ordinary candy, which made me feel guilty inside.
“Hana~ Hana, where are you?”
I heard a voice calling for someone.
Oh, this voice.
“There you are, Hana. Mom was worried.”
A woman with blue-tinted short hair smiled and patted the head of the fluffy-haired girl called Hana.
“But this room is… oh my!”
The woman with a surprised expression, no, Yu Mihee, smiled at me.
“You’re awake? Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Are you okay, Mihee?”
Yu Mihee chuckled at my words and said,
“Call me auntie. It feels strange hearing that from someone the same age as my daughter.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she continued,
“Siwoo, let me introduce you. This is my daughter Hana. As I mentioned earlier, she’s 8 years old, the same age as you.”
“Oh, your daughter?”
Good heavens, that child who looks a head shorter than me is supposed to be 8 years old like me? She looks more like 5 or 6 no matter how I look at her.
Yu Mihee, or rather, auntie, smiled and walked forward holding the child’s hand.
“I told Hana that you’re her lifesaver. She probably came to thank you.”
Oh, I see.
I looked at the girl again and smiled brightly.
‘….’
I swallowed my laughter as I watched her turn bright red and hide behind one of her mother’s legs.
‘Wait a minute… Hana?’
“Excuse me, is your daughter’s surname also Yu?”
“Huh? Oh, you might not know. In most countries, including Korea, children take their mother’s surname. So naturally, her name is Yu Hana. But why do you ask?”
I see, so she’s Yu Hana…
Is she really THAT Yu Hana?
After gaping for a moment, I quickly examined the girl.
[Due to the target’s low rank, you can see all information except for some parts.]
▼
[Name: Yu Hana(8)]
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Stamina: 1
Mental: 2
Special Ability: 5
Potential: 3
◈Unique Ability
-X-
[Latent Abilities: Electronic Device Charger, Charging Agent, etc….]
[Opening Condition: Can be known when using the Magnifying Glass item]
◈Characteristics
-X-
[Latent Abilities: Girl of Perseverance, Penetrating Body, Human Generator, etc….]
Physical Constitution and Traits
Ordinary Mediocrity (C-)
[Latent Ability: Hardworking Mediocrity]
▲
‘Oh my god…’
I couldn’t help but be shocked. The girl before my eyes was someone I knew well.
‘Wow, this kid is Gu Mihyang’s rival, Yu Hana? Really?’
A living witness who showed the reality of a talentless person who was completely overshadowed by Gu Mihyang in the middle of the story and died miserably.
It was indeed Yu Hana.
As I was surprised, a hypothesis in my mind connected like puzzle pieces.
‘I see. Originally, Yu Mihee would have died at Han Aejeong’s hands, but she managed to escape and become Ma-in.
Considering how the kids around here gossip about Yu Hana being an orphan, she must become someone from an orphanage at this point.’
Her father probably passed away a while ago.
Yu Hana had briefly mentioned it.
‘So is this world one where Gu Mihyang is active as the protagonist?’
The five playable characters didn’t exist simultaneously.
If you started with one character, the narrative would revolve solely around that character, and the others wouldn’t appear.
Most supporting characters remained the same, but depending on the protagonist, some would be added or disappear.
Among them, Yu Hana was a supporting character who could only be seen when playing as Gu Mihyang,
She was a device designed to make Gu Mihyang’s achievements stand out.
‘Hmm, then the main story…’
“Are you having a headache? Should I come back later?”
As I was clutching my forehead and groaning, I saw the concerned woman looking at me.
“Ah! No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.
Oh, by the way, what about Changsik… I mean, the kidnapped children?”
She smiled and said,
“Don’t worry. Thanks to you defeating Acrea, we were able to rescue them safely.
They’re all under the protection of the association now.
They’ll probably be sent to certified orphanages nearby.
Children with families will be returned after their situations are verified.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that Changsik would be safe.
“So, I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”
“Talk?”
The woman nodded with a serious face and returned after entrusting Hana to a nurse who was walking outside.
Then she closed her eyes
Woong!
A blue barrier expanded just enough to envelop the two of us.
“Is this a gi barrier? So you have gi-related talents as well.”
“Yes, a little. My chosang value isn’t very high, so it’s difficult for me to perform proper martial arts.”
The lady cleared her throat and said,
“The Acrea you defeated was completely pulverized. Even the Association investigators said it appeared to have been killed instantly by tremendous destructive power.”
“…”
“Even if they say you’re a revenge ability user, which only makes up 10% of awakened ones, it’s hard to believe such results came from a young child. An orphan who’s never received professional training showing that kind of power? Most people would shake their heads and call it a lie.”
“I barely made it there in time, so I don’t know exactly what you did. But that aura, so powerful it sent chills through my entire body… it must have been you.”
The lady looked at me with complicated feelings.
“This is troublesome…”
As she said, the fragment of power I showed then would require at least a B+ rank high-tier hero to barely demonstrate.
No, considering the compression of power gathered through my authority after activating the omen…
“A top-tier hero…”
That means it could even be seen as A+ rank.
Of course, that was only for a brief moment.
“I reported to the Association that Acrea was killed by an unknown person. They seemed a bit embarrassed, but they judged that was more plausible than saying you did it.”
“If I were acting in my official capacity, I should interrogate you to understand your true power or identity, but…”
“I won’t ask you anything.”
“What?”
“The main reason I came to you was to thank you.”
“If it weren’t for you, I would never have seen my daughter again, and Hana would have become an orphan.”
The lady quietly took my hand in hers and bowed her head.
“Thank you so much. For saving us. For preventing Hana from suffering the trauma of losing not just her father but her mother too. I will definitely repay this debt.”
I felt embarrassed and flustered.
“N-no, I was just trying to save myself too, it’s nothing.”
She shook her head and said,
“I had hoped you would escape alone. I was relieved when I saw you getting away, but you came back. And you risked your life to save not just me but all the kidnapped children.”
“You deserve to be called a hero.”
[Yu Mihee’s affection for you has reached (MAX)]
“Ah, this is embarrassing.”
I waved my hands dismissively, trying not to show my reddening face.
The lady stroked my head and said,
“Now it’s my turn to repay the favor. So I want to make you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Yes, would you consider becoming my adopted son?”
? Adopted son?
“By adopted son, you mean… your son?”
“Yes. If you leave the hospital as things stand, you’ll be sent to an orphanage. But I want to take responsibility for you myself.”
Hmm… it’s certainly not a bad offer, but…
For a moment, I thought of Madam Noh, who always nagged me but loved me more than anyone else.
‘Indeed, she’s the only mother I have.’
‘I’m sorry. Adoption seems difficult.’
‘I see…’
The lady made a disappointed face.
Well, in Korean, you should listen until the end.
‘Instead, would you become my guardian?’
‘Huh? Guardian?’
‘Yes, rather than adoption, a guardian who supports and takes care of me. It might seem like a mere formality, but I think I’d prefer that arrangement.’
Yu Mihee stared blankly at my words.
With a light smile,
‘If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. So we’re essentially becoming family now?’
She gripped my hand more firmly.
‘I’m looking forward to our future together, Siwoo.’
Looking at her sincere and gentle eyes, I once again recalled my mother’s face.
‘…Yes! I look forward to it too, ma’am.’
Don’t worry, mother.
This unfilial son.
I will definitely return.
So please wait just a little longer.
Then I too smiled at the lady.