"Are you experiencing any discomfort, patient?"
"My head and chest are killing me."
"That's likely because your guardian struck you for about thirty minutes earlier."
"…"
The doctor and nurse glanced at me with pitying eyes, but I honestly felt wronged.
Who could have predicted that Choi Hyena would claim to be my wife there…?
"Let's start with another comprehensive examination."
"…Okay."
Supported by the nurse, I headed to the examination room, where I spent the next hour being shuttled in and out of a giant machine, undergoing tests I'd never even heard of before.
After about an hour of tests, I was on my way back to the examination room when I ran into Choi Hyena again, her face set in a sulky expression.
"…I was wrong."
"Hmph."
Thankfully, no fists flew.
Choi Hyena simply turned and walked into the examination room, her back view looking no different than usual.
Only then did I feel relieved enough to follow her inside.
"Thank you for your hard work with the tests."
The doctor, a familiar face, greeted us in the awkwardly tense examination room.
Despite his approachable appearance, he was actually the hospital director.
*Why is someone like him examining me personally?* The idiotic question vanished the moment I remembered Choi Hyena and her background sitting beside me.
"Firstly, regarding your four-day unconsciousness after being rescued from the Gate, it seems you used too much mana in a short period."
I had already suspected as much.
No matter how quickly I could replenish my mana thanks to the application's buff, my body's durability was ultimately no different from that of other magicians.
Constantly replenishing more mana than I could handle could actually be detrimental.
"Would you take a look at this?"
The doctor pulled something from the drawer.
It was a blue model that looked like a nervous system.
"This is Kang Hyunwoo's mana circuit."
"What the hell, give it back!"
*Thwack!*
"Sorry. Please, continue."
"Ahem… The test results show that Kang Hyunwoo's mana circuit is generally weakened. As I explained earlier, it's partially due to using so much mana in a short period, but it's also because you haven't been a magician for very long, so your mana circuit hasn't fully stabilized."
An X-ray-like image of my body appeared on the monitor on the desk.
"As you can see, your mana circuit is quite weak, so it's best to refrain from using magic for the time being."
"…"
"Answer me."
"…Yes."
I had no choice but to yield to Choi Hyena's threat.
What would I have left if they took away my magic?
I felt like I was losing my identity.
"Don't worry too much. Your recovery is excellent, so your mana circuit will be even stronger than before in just a week. Think of it like a newborn's soft bones."
I exited the examination room after hearing the doctor's not-so-helpful consolation.
Being a VIP ward, there was no one in the hospital hallway.
Choi Hyena and I were suddenly left alone.
I felt the awkwardness rising through the roof.
"…Do you have anything to say?"
Choi Hyena was the first to break the silence.
"…Sorry?"
I quickly apologized, fearing I'd have to stay in the hospital for another week if I got hit again, but Choi Hyena's reaction was lukewarm.
As if that wasn't the response she wanted.
"…Thank you?"
I was living luxuriously in a private room in the VIP ward, receiving treatment from top-tier medical staff.
It was the kind of luxury I could only afford by taking out a loan, given my current bank balance.
"…I'm leaving."
"Huh?"
Again, that wasn't the answer she wanted. Choi Hyena spoke with a pouty voice and walked away.
Despite having the experience of a 3-person 1-spirit combination, I still couldn't understand women's hearts.
***
Even after regaining consciousness, I couldn't be discharged immediately.
The doctor advised me to stay in the hospital for at least a week to monitor my progress, but I didn't particularly mind.
Firstly, being a VIP ward, the nurses were all incredibly attractive.
I've never experienced it myself, but I imagined the flight attendants of major airlines were at least this attractive. Thanks to them, I enjoyed getting shots and tests.
Moreover, the hospital was practically a hotel, so nice that I often wondered if living here wouldn't be so bad.
I was enjoying a staycation that rivaled any vacation when someone came to visit.
"Hyena told me everything."
It was Choi Youngok.
"I sincerely thank you for saving my granddaughter."
Her uncharacteristic politeness conveyed genuine respect rather than mere formality.
"Yeah, well…"
I didn't offer any false modesty, like it wasn't a big deal or that I just did what anyone would do.
I couldn't deny the fact that I'd gone through hell to save her, and I didn't want to diminish my own efforts in that situation.
"Would you formally visit our family after you're discharged? We have many things prepared for our benefactor."
"I'll look forward to it."
Choi Youngok wrapped things up more quickly than expected and left.
Was it consideration for the patient?
Anyway, now that it seemed like everyone who was going to come had come, I decided to enjoy the rest of my staycation and lay back on the plush hospital bed.
The meals were surprisingly satisfying for a hospital, and I felt good knowing that this kind of life would continue for a while.
But my good mood was shattered the next day by an unexpected visitor to my room.
"Nice to see you?"
"…"
Hanlael, the tower master of the Gray Magic Tower, had come to visit me.
"What brings the tower master here…?"
I was technically a magician affiliated with the Gray Magic Tower.
In broadcasting terms, it was as if the president of the broadcasting station visited a newly hired staff member who had been hospitalized.
I couldn't help but swallow hard and sweat profusely.
It was a conditioned reflex, instinct.
Moreover, her dark eyes, which made it impossible to guess what she was thinking, made me even more confused.
"What do you mean? I'm obviously here for a visit."
She knew that wasn't what I was asking, but she acted that way anyway. I didn't know whether to call her shameless or admire her as an excellent socialite who knew how to hide her true purpose.
"Let me start by expressing my gratitude."
Even though I was flustered, I had to do what I had to do.
I bowed respectfully.
"I probably would have died there if the tower master hadn't helped me. Thank you so much."
Of course, I could have escaped using the matching app.
If Hanlael hadn't saved me, I would either be in the dungeon or by Iris's side right now.
While meeting Iris after a long time would certainly be a good thing, the amount of time I'd need to develop the strength to clear a B-rank Gate on my own was immeasurable.
As someone who had a lot to do on Earth, I couldn't possibly welcome that situation.
"No need to worry about it. I only worked for the compensation, after all."
"Still…"
"Alright, alright, don't worry about it anymore! I even bought you some energy recovery drinks on the way?"
I received the box Hanlael handed me. It occurred to me that even tower masters bring energy drinks when visiting the sick.
"…?"
The moment I checked the box and its contents, I couldn't help but doubt my eyes.
"Tower master…? What is this…?"
"Hehe, it's holy water I received from someone I know. It was made directly by a bishop, so the effects are guaranteed."
That wasn't what I was asking.
Why was holy water in the box she'd handed me like an energy drink?
Holy water refers to water imbued with divine power.
It's specialized in purifying evil things related to demons. If I had just one bottle of holy water during the Wendygo possession incident, I could have removed the Wendygo from Choi Hyena's body without having to have sex all night.
*She's giving me this as an energy recovery drink?*
Well, I guess it would recover my energy!
It was water with divine power directly embedded in it for healing wounds, so it would be stranger if it didn't have any effect.
Moreover, the more powerful the person who makes the holy water, the higher its price skyrockets. If it was made by a bishop-level priest, the price per bottle would definitely be too high to even mention.
"…"
But there were eight bottles of it.
Even for a tower master, giving this kind of gift for a mere hospital visit would be too much of a burden.
However, the person who gave the gift didn't seem bothered at all.
"I'll return this."
I bowed politely and handed her the box containing the holy water.
The sweeter the fruit, the more danger it entails.
This seemed like a poisoned apple to me rather than a simple gift.
"You can take it."
"No, it's too much of a gift for me."
"Hmm…"
Hanlael, who had been given back her gift, stared at me with an expression and smile that I couldn't understand.
What was that? Was she giving me the evil eye for rejecting her gift?
In some ways, since it was a gift from the company president, should I have just accepted it, even if it seemed like a poisoned apple?
*…Should I take it back now?*
I'd never had a social life besides part-time jobs, so I didn't know.
"Then, how about this?"
Just when I felt like my complicated head was about to explode, Hanlael handed me a piece of paper.
I quickly scanned it, but no matter how I looked at it, it was a contract.
"Actually, I'm interested in you, Hyunwoo."
"…I have two girlfriends already."
"Really? But did you know? The more women a man is coveted by, the more attractive he is."
"…"
This woman was no joke.
Never get caught up in her rhythm.
"It wouldn't be bad to be in a romantic relationship with Hyunwoo, but that's not what I'm proposing right now. Would you take a look at the contract?"
With a slightly uneasy feeling, I looked over the contract again. It read as follows:
Hanlael (hereinafter referred to as 'A') and Kang Hyunwoo (hereinafter referred to as 'B') hereby enter into a research cooperation agreement as follows.
1. Contract Period: From xx/xx/xxxx to xx/xx/xxxx. 2. Workplace: Hanlael's personal workshop (negotiable) 3. Job Description: Physical examination and research cooperation to discover the source of B's special talent. 4. Working Hours: Mutually agreed upon 5. Wage: A must accommodate B's desired conditions to the greatest extent possible.
·
·
·
"Research cooperation agreement?"
"Why do you think I spent my precious time saving you, Hyunwoo?"
"…Wasn't it because of Choi Youngok's request?"
"Well, that had a certain degree of influence, but the decisive factor was that your past actions piqued my interest."
Hanlael handed me a document that she had taken out of nowhere.
It was my elementary school report card.
"A child who was judged to have no talent in the magic examination he received in the fifth grade of elementary school created a circle in just one week, and reached the 2nd circle in another week. If you wrote a novel like this, you'd get criticized for being unrealistic, wouldn't you?"
That was something I was acknowledging as well.
If that's how I felt, how much more would it be for the tower master?
"What do you want?"
"Exactly what it says in the contract."
Hanlael handed me back the box of holy water that I had given her.
"I want to study you."
In whatever way that may be.
Very rarely, a blush appeared on Hanlael's face.