Chapter 49: Hospital
After work, I headed out for a drink with Yu Daon.
"Ugh..."
Yu Daon was shaking her head as always. If this wasn't déjà vu, what was it?
But it was what I had hoped for.
Watching Yu Daon shake her head, I asked in a hushed voice.
"Daon-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Is there anything difficult going on lately?"
"Hmm..."
Watching her ponder, I sank into my own thoughts.
This totally feels like a team leader encouraging a subordinate.
"I think I've been pretty happy lately, actually."
Yu Daon smiled faintly, shook her own glass, and made eye contact with me.
"I told you, didn't I? I've never been this happy in my life."
"Why are you happy?"
"Uh..."
Her face flushed from the drink, she seemed to think for a moment before letting out an awkward laugh.
"Well, it's not like I was very happy in the past..."
"You mean the hospital."
"..."
For a moment, it was as if Yu Daon's time had stopped.
Soon, her face turned pale, and she looked at me, her hands trembling slightly.
"How did you..."
"That's not important."
At my words, Yu Daon lowered her gaze and spoke almost in a whisper.
"Are you worried that I might be a burden to you, Jaeheon-ssi?
"That's not what I'm worried about."
"No?"
"I'm worried about you, Daon-ssi."
At my words, Yu Daon fell silent, then looked at me.
"Me?"
"Who else?"
I met her eyes.
"As I said last time, the HR team doesn't abandon its colleagues. Daon-ssi, if I were in danger, would you abandon me?"
"Of course not!"
Yu Daon shot to her feet and shouted, and the people around us fell silent, looking at her.
Was it something worth reacting to so strongly?
I quickly gestured for her to sit down and continued.
"It's the same logic. I have no intention of abandoning you either, Daon-ssi."
"..."
Yu Daon closed her mouth.
"Whether it's you, Chae-yeon-ssi, or Song A-rin-ssi, I plan to help each other as much as I can."
"..."
After a long silence, she spoke again.
"Jaeheon-ssi, how much do you know about the 'Hospital'?"
"Honestly, what I just told you is all I know."
They create and cure diseases. If you only consider the curing part, they're just doctors, but the fact that they talk about creating them is enough to mark them as insane people.
What is the Management Bureau doing? Why aren't they arresting bastards like this?
"That place... well, it's dangerous. Very."
"..."
"Creating and curing diseases isn't all there is to it. Any place where a 'Hospital' exists becomes altered into a place where humans should never enter."
"You mean it becomes another world?"
"It's different from another world. Because it exists in reality. Even the Management Bureau can't recklessly interfere; they respond by creating escape routes through manuals."
"And if you can't escape..."
"You become one of the test subjects."
"..."
"I was what you'd call a test subject at Gangseo University Hospital."
Yu Daon laughed.
"It's convenient, you know. You don't die, so you don't need things like various medications or antidotes."
She spoke without hesitation, as if it were an ordinary conversation.
"If you die, they just throw you somewhere and you come back to life. They don't even need to feed you. Even if you starve to death, you just come back to life again."
"..."
I remained silent and listened to her.
"And then I managed to escape somehow... and the Management Bureau found me."
"They told me I'd be safe if I joined... but an accident happened on my very first day, and I ended up meeting you, Jaeheon-ssi."
So the promise the Management Bureau made to Yu Daon was safety. For me, it was money.
She scratched her cheek, laughed, and then looked at me.
"I have a question."
"Am I being helpful to you right now, Jaeheon-ssi?"
I thought I finally understood.
Why Yu Daon always threw her life away like a worn-out shoe. Why she paid no mind to pain.
It was because that was all she knew how to do, and that was the only way she knew how to gain recognition.
I looked above her head.
[Name: Yu Daon]
[Age: 23]
[Specialty: Immortality]
[Talent: Regeneration (Undefined)]
[Background: Having refused death, she has experienced too many things in a short period of time. However, after meeting someone different from the countless people who used her because she doesn't die, she wishes to stake her life once more.]
[Weakness: -]
My eyes aren't very useful at times like this.
Would it really be right to tell her she's 'useful' here? She's not an object.
"...I'm always in your debt."
I couldn't tell if she was satisfied, but she smiled softly.
"...Shall we go now?"
"I'll see you home."
"Really? I always have something to thank you for, Jaeheon-ssi."
At my words, Yu Daon smiled and nodded.
Leaving the bar, Yu Daon and I walked down the street without a word.
"I think this is far enough."
At a deserted intersection, she smiled and looked at me.
"Are you sure you don't need to go further?"
"I said it's fine! Honestly, there's no one in the HR team who'd be in danger walking alone."
She laughed, hummed to herself, and started walking away.
With a perfectly steady gait, she turned around, waved at me, and soon disappeared from sight.
The next day, Yu Daon did not come to work.
*
"An unauthorized absence is crossing a line, no matter what."
Song A-rin clicked her tongue while looking at Yu Daon's empty seat.
"It happens. I'll process it as paid leave, so try calling her. Tell her to let us know if she's sick."
The Team Leader waved his hand as if it were nothing, tapped on his computer, and turned on the radio. News began to stream out.
<Next news. A residential area was completely destroyed due to a gas explosion accident at an apartment in the Gangseo area. There are no casualties, but the missing person is a 23-year-old woman named Yu...>
An address flowed from the radio. An apartment near the Management Bureau.
The gazes of all four people turned to the radio at the same time.
Without realizing it, I shot up from my seat.
"I'm going to step out for a bit."
Before the three could even respond, I got up from my seat and ran out.
The housing assigned by the Management Bureau is all near the Management Bureau, and Yu Daon's apartment was no exception.
I ran until I was breathless.
I saw Yu Daon's apartment and ran towards it.
The fires seemed to be out, as there was no smoke, and there were no firefighters or police cars around.
There were only a few people in suits nearby.
As I headed towards them, someone walked over.
A young man in a sharp suit wearing sunglasses.
"Entry is prohibited."
"Move."
"It seems you can't hear me. Entry is prohibited here."
"HR Team."
I took out my manual and showed it to the man. He looked at it and snorted.
"Really, what does an office worker like someone from HR think they're going to do here?"
"Right now, an HR team member is—"
"This is a matter we'll handle ourselves, so mind your own business!"
The man pushed me as if he were intimidating me.
"There's no time for this—"
"You're here."
A familiar voice came from behind.
The man with the sporty hair and familiar sunglasses was looking at me.
"Hello, sir!"
The man who had pushed me hurriedly bowed his head. The man in sunglasses waved his hand vaguely and then looked at me.
"Right now, our team member—"
"I know."
"—needs to go."
"Right. You go first."
At his words, the other man looked at him with a shocked expression.
"That person is an office worker!"
"He is. But I guarantee you, he's far more capable than you."
The man seemed to have his pride hurt for a moment and bit his lip tightly, but said nothing.
"Follow along. The Management Bureau will be deploying personnel too, but it will take time to prepare. We also don't want to lose someone with immortality and regeneration abilities."
"..."
"Just buy time. You have the beads, right?"
"I do."
"Then go."
As soon as he finished speaking, a van slid in as if skidding.
The window rolled down, and a familiar person looked at me.
"Get in!"
"Team Leader?"
It was the Team Leader.
Behind him, Song A-rin and Jang Chae-yeon were huddled together.
The man with sunglasses gave a slight nod to the Team Leader, and the Team Leader also bowed his head in greeting.
"You've received the location?"
"I have."
"Please drive via the safest route."
"Sure."
After their brief exchange, the man looked at me.
With a grinding sound, the door opened. Without a moment to hesitate, I got into the back of the van.
"I'll say it again, just buy time."
"Wouldn't it be fine if I just went in first and rescued her?"
The man laughed, seeming amused.
"Now that you say that, it might just work. Go on, then."
As he waved his hand, the Team Leader stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle started moving.
In the roaring vehicle, Song A-rin pulled out a gun from the back with a familiar expression.
"Here."
She handed the gun to me.
"You don't need a big one anyway, right?"
She handed me the pistol I always used, then looked at Jang Chae-yeon, who shook her head.
"I don't need one."
"Wasn't going to give you one anyway."
I looked at the Team Leader, who was driving.
Sensing my gaze, the Team Leader looked at me through the rearview mirror.
"What."
"...How did you know?"
At my question, laden with multiple meanings, the Team Leader sighed and answered.
"Hey, I've been with the Management Bureau for over 20 years. Like it or not, you gain experience over time."
With fantastic maneuvering, the van sped through the alleyways.
"..."
Will she be okay?
As I was lost in thought, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"...She'll be fine."
It was Jang Chae-yeon.
"I'll help."
"...Thank you."
"Ugh! White-Hair here just can't stop making moves whenever there's an opening!"
Song A-rin cut in irritably and slapped my back with a loud pang.
"Don't chicken out! It's not like White-Hair or I haven't done this kind of thing a time or two."
"Thanks for the encouragement."
"It's not encouragement, okay? I'm just giving you advice because you look too stiff."
After passing through a zigzagging road, a massive hospital soon appeared in sight.
When was this place here? I'd never seen it before.
As I stared blankly at the hospital, Song A-rin tapped my shoulder and spoke bluntly.
"Hey, aren't we going?"
"We're going."
Opening the back door, the Team Leader spoke confidently.
"They shouldn't have spotted us."
"Team Leader—"
"If I go, I won't be any help. It'll probably just have the opposite effect."
"..."
The Team Leader waved his hand at me.
"In terms of the organizational chart, you have the most authority after me, right? So go in and do well."
"...I'll be back."
"Alright. I'll wait here. I won't leave until you come back, so if you want me to live, come back quickly."
I bowed to the Team Leader and got out of the car.
Jang Chae-yeon, standing empty-handed as always, and—
"...What."
Song A-rin, with a shotgun on her back and pistols holstered on both hips.
"It's nothing."
I shook my head and looked at the hospital.
A sinister-looking hospital, and next to it, a sign bearing the Management Bureau's logo came into view.
[WARNING!]
[This is the last path you can return to. Turn back now.]
I took a step forward. Another sign with the Management Bureau's logo appeared.
[From this point on, turning back is impossible. Proceed forward with a steady pace. Do not look back under any circumstances.]
Soon, the hospital entrance appeared.
A worn-out sign appeared.
[Welcome to Gangseo University Hospital. Here, doctors and nurses who will satisfy you are waiting, and all preparations to help you are complete.]
The manual automatically opened.
[Manual for Office Workers]
[Gangseo University Hospital Manual]
[0. First, we express regret for your misfortune in coming here, applaud your courage if you came of your own volition, and wish for you to safely retrieve the person you are seeking.]
[0-1. Gangseo University Hospital is divided into A, B, and C Wings. A Wing is for patient rooms, B Wing is for practice rooms, and C Wing is for the mortuary.]
[0-2. The escape probability is highest in the order of B->A->C, so we will explain B Wing first. If you are looking for someone, please turn to the A Wing section.]
Not needed.
I quickly flipped to the A Wing section.
[2-1. Entering A Wing means there is a high probability you have come here to find someone.]
[2-2. First, announce to the doctors and nurses that you are here for a visit. You must never be discovered as a Management Bureau agent. If your status as a Management Bureau agent is discovered, please refer to the suicide methods in Clause T.]
A Wing, then.
I looked at the sinister hospital and gripped my gun.
It was time to go.