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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The first thing that caught my eye was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Was this… not my home?
My body didn’t have proper strength.
The warm body temperature I felt on my hand.
Slightly turning my head and looking down, I saw Ye-na sleeping while holding my hand.
One by one, the memories before I lost consciousness began to return.
I was pretty sure I had taken an Egeon bullet that flew towards Si-hwa during the class representative tournament…
This place definitely seemed like a hospital.
I regretted my action as I brought my hand to the wound area.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped my mouth due to the unexpectedly intense pain.
Perhaps my trembling was transmitted directly to Ye-na, as she opened her eyes without letting go of my other hand that she was holding.
“…Are you awake?”
Ye-na asked about my well-being as she slowly sat up.
“Yeah. Where is this?”
“Serim General Hospital.”
But for a regular hospital, this was a very luxurious hospital room?
Looking around, I realized that I was using a very spacious room alone.
“Are you sure it’s a general hospital?”
“…It’s a VIP room arranged by Yoon Ha-rin.”
Ha-rin…
The image of her screaming came to mind.
She must have been very shocked…
“What happened to the finals?”
Ye-na quietly moved the chair she was sitting on to my bedside.
“…Choi In-wook.”
She called my name while placing her hand on my forehead.
“The finals were canceled due to your accident.”
“…I see. What about the student who shot this at me?”
I had to find out where he got this from.
It definitely wasn’t something a student could obtain…
Ye-na was silent for a moment.
“…Ye-na?”
“Park Min-seok was taken in for investigation for possession of Egeon. He’s probably being interrogated right now.”
“So in the end, we don’t know where it came from.”
“…Yeah.”
Ye-na, who had been staring at my face, turned her head to look out the window.
Seeing her expression that seemed like she didn’t want to talk more about the incident, I decided to ask another question.
“How long have I been hospitalized here?”
“3 days.”
…I had been lying down for a long time.
“Do you happen to know when I can be discharged?”
“They recommended staying hospitalized for at least four more days and then checking the progress before leaving.”
Ye-na told me while stroking my head.
I felt a sense of discomfort at her strangely affectionate touch.
…The words the primordial spirit had told me came to mind.
That all the women who had ties with me had inherited memories.
In other words, the Ye-na in front of my eyes right now was the Ye-na who knew everything.
What expression should I make?
Why are you by my side right now even though you remember everything?
What kind of person am I in your eyes right now?
“…Ye-na, how long have you been here?”
I could guess that she had been active in the academy’s medical team, but after being transferred to the hospital, there was no need for her to stay here.
“All 3 days.”
I couldn’t help but be surprised at Ye-na’s answer.
“Then since I collapsed, you’ve been here continuously…?”
“Yeah. I’ve been by your side the whole time.”
She answered in a calm voice as if it was nothing.
“No. What about the academy? Your part-time job?”
Feeling like her life pattern had been ruined because of me, I wanted to tell her to go out right now.
I didn’t want to burden her any further.
“…Shh.”
Ye-na brought her index finger to my lips as if telling me not to say anything.
“Don’t worry. Choi In-wook. I’ll take care of my own affairs.”
Ye-na, who removed her finger, caressed my cheek.
“You just. Focus on your health. Instead of worrying about me. That’s helping me.”
“But…”
“I was about to leave anyway since I was reaching my limit. But I’m glad I got to see you regain consciousness before leaving.”
Ye-na got up from her seat and started gathering her things.
“…Choi In-wook.”
As she rummaged through her bag pocket, she reached out her hand to me.
“Here. It’s nothing much. But take it.”
What Ye-na handed me was a candy containing various vitamin ingredients.
“Don’t worry about other things and focus on recovering for now. Okay?”
I nodded at her words as if she was coaxing a young child.
“If you need anything, press the bell next to you and a nurse will come.”
“Thank you. Ye-na.”
Realizing that I hadn’t properly thanked her, I expressed my gratitude to her as she walked away.
“I’ll come again, so wait for me.”
With those words, Ye-na left my hospital room.
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After Ye-na left, I calmly organized my thoughts.
First, I needed to think about the primordial spirit’s words again.
They said my marriage was necessary to stop the world from being destroyed.
Although I couldn’t confirm it, my hypothesis was likely to be correct with a high probability.
[Your child will grow up to be the key to preventing Earth’s destruction.]
Otherwise, the spirit wouldn’t have given me the ability to impregnate someone.
If this premise was true, then theoretically, marrying the strongest woman would be the best judgment to avoid destruction.
Then, the person who naturally came to mind was…
Si-hwa.
The image of her, who showed devastating prowess in this life as well, came to mind.
Amazing…
The skills she demonstrated in this final match were truly remarkable.
It was probably the strongest 1st-year performance since the Hunter Academy was established.
However, if this was true, the primordial spirit would have ordered me to marry Si-hwa.
There would have been no need to give me options or return the memories of Ye-na and Ha-rin.
In other words, it seemed to be a signal that it was okay even if it wasn’t someone as strong as Si-hwa.
Then, if we consider the level that would be acceptable, there would be a common denominator among the three of them…
Was it the S-rank?
The only commonality that came to mind among the three completely different individuals in terms of environment and personality was the S-rank.
Creak.
Speak of the devil.
No. Honestly, I didn’t even say it out loud, just thought about it, but the one who opened the door and entered was Si-hwa with red, bloodshot eyes.
“…Choi In-wook.”
“Si-hwa…”
She came right up to the bed and hugged me tightly.
Although the wound area where her chest touched was stinging, I couldn’t bring myself to push her away and endured the pain by gritting my teeth.
“Why did you do that?”
She raised her head from my embrace and looked into my eyes.
“You should have just let me get hit. Why did you do that? You fool.”
My arms had no strength, but I reached out and wiped the tears that had welled up in her eyes.
“I knew what it was. How could I let you get hit by that?”
Even if I went back to that moment again, I would have made the same decision.
I had no regrets about my action.
“…We’re over, you said.”
Si-hwa gripped the bed railing with a sobbing voice.
“After doing this, you want me to give up on you?”
“To forget about you and meet someone else?”
“How could you. How could you, Choi In-wook.”
A stream of tears flowed down her cheek.
“Don’t cry. Si-hwa.”
I wanted to hug her if I could, but my body wouldn’t move as I wished.
“I… I can’t give up on you. No, I won’t. Choi In-wook.”
She clenched her fist tightly as tears dripped down.
“Did you hear who did this to you?”
“Well, it was Park Min-seok…”
“No, I mean the source of that bastard’s item.”
While Ye-na didn’t tell me anything, did Si-hwa know something?
“Listen carefully. Yoon Ha-rin is…”
As Si-hwa continued talking, I felt my pupils dilating.
That can’t be.
Ha-rin couldn’t have done such a terrible thing.
“Si-hwa. No matter how dazed I am, this kind of joke isn’t funny. It’s a lie, right? Ha-rin is not that kind of person.”
I tried to deny it and turn her words around, but Si-hwa shook her head.
“…Think about it logically. Is Egeon a rock you can find lying around in a neighborhood park?”
…She was right.
It definitely wasn’t something an ordinary person… No, a hunter trainee who hadn’t even graduated from the academy could possess.
To be able to provide such an item, it would be difficult without the support of at least a large corporation or the government.
Shocked by Si-hwa’s story, I felt my head going blank.
“…That’s impossible. Why would Ha-rin…”
Seeing me unable to say anything with a shocked expression, Si-hwa held my hand, worried about my health condition.
“…I knew it was too stimulating for you in your condition, but I felt like I had to tell you.”
“No… Thank you for being honest with me…”
Honestly, the mental damage was immense, but I thought it was a hundred times better than not knowing.
“Can I… be alone for a bit?”
I was very grateful to Si-hwa for coming all the way here, but right now, I needed time to be alone.
“…Will you be okay?”
Si-hwa looked at me with anxious eyes.
But more than that, I needed time to be alone right now.
I didn’t have the energy to care about others.
“Please.”
At my serious words, Si-hwa nodded and got up from her seat.
“Take good care of yourself. I’ll be waiting at the academy.”
With those words, Si-hwa opened the door and left the hospital room.
As soon as she left, I grabbed my hair.
The story Si-hwa told me was something that shouldn’t have happened.
It wasn’t the Ha-rin I knew.
My head throbbed with complicated thoughts.
Cigarettes… I needed cigarettes.
But I didn’t have the energy to leave the hospital room right now.
Giving up on going out, I blankly stared at the hospital ceiling.
Why are you doing this, Ha-rin?
Why on earth…
And after some time had passed, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“…In-wook.”
I saw Ha-rin’s slightly haggard appearance.
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