After my last class of the afternoon, I called the number for Juyeon that was saved on my phone.
-Hello?
Her voice came through the moment the call connected.
“Hello, Ms. Han.”
-Hehe, hello. Did your classes just end?
“Yes. I was wondering if I could come see you now.”
-I’m in the infirmary, so come on over!
“Okay. I think it’ll take me about ten minutes.”
-Alright, see you then.
I headed toward the infirmary at a leisurely pace.
“It really feels fine, though.”
The sensation in my hand, wrapped in bandages like some edgy teenager, was perfectly normal.
I’d even used my mana to examine it internally and couldn’t find any issues.
Most of all, it made no sense that a healer as skilled as Juyeon couldn’t cure frostbite in a single session.
“Of course, she’s always been better at buffs than healing…”
Even so, she was beyond A-rank and on the verge of becoming Korea’s first S-rank healer.
Her healing might seem lacking compared to her buffing abilities, but that just meant she was still skilled enough to run circles around most other healers.
“Come to think of it, that’s strange.”
Thinking about it, the bigger question wasn’t why she couldn’t heal the frostbite at once, but why Juyeon was even here.
Healers at large hospitals or government agencies.
Those positions were usually filled by retired hunters.
People who had retired due to age, or those who were too afraid of fighting to stand on the front lines.
The demand for healers was so high that they still earned high salaries, but the difference in pay compared to hunters active on the front lines was enormous.
At a minimum, it was several times less; at most, it could be tens, even hundreds of times less.
And considering Juyeon had been working for a major American guild, the difference was probably in the hundreds.
That’s why I couldn’t understand it.
I’d heard her former guild had offered her triple her original salary to get her to stay.
“Was she homesick…?”
It had been about seven years since Juyeon left Korea.
She hadn’t returned once in all that time, so I’d assumed she was adjusting well…
“No, that still doesn’t make sense.”
Even if she was homesick, becoming a university healer wasn’t the answer.
The moment Juyeon set foot in Korea as a free agent, all the major guilds would have been drooling over her.
“Hmm… could it be?”
An ominous thought suddenly struck me.
“She’s not sick or anything, is she…”
As I’d considered, being a non-combat healer was a second choice for retired hunters.
Could it be that seven years of hard work in a foreign guild had taken a toll on Juyeon’s body?
If she chose to be a university healer in preparation for her retirement as a hunter…
“No, that can’t be it.”
I shook my head violently, trying to banish the dark thought.
I knew it wasn’t entirely impossible, which only made me hope more desperately that it wasn’t true.
The ominous feeling quickened my steps.
Soon, I arrived at the medical wing.
I bounded up the stairs, taking two or three steps at a time, and knocked on the infirmary door.
“Come in!”
I opened the door carefully and saw Juyeon, dressed in a white coat.
Her smile was as bright and warm as ever, which put me at ease for a moment.
“Hello, Ms. Han.”
“Hoho! Yes, come on in.”
Juyeon greeted me with a happy expression and patted the chair in front of her.
I walked over calmly and sat down.
“Let’s have a look at that hand, shall we?”
“Ah, yes.”
The bandages on my hand were unwound.
Seeing that the knot she had tied was completely undisturbed, the corners of Juyeon’s lips curled up.
“You listened well, didn’t you? Aww, what a good boy.”
Han Juyeon suddenly reached out and stroked my head.
“……”
This feels a little strange.
Being treated like a child… I can’t tell if I like it or not.
“Any numbness or strange sensations?”
“No, none at all.”
“That’s a relief. And the skin… doesn’t seem to have any problems either.”
“Then…”
I was about to ask if I didn’t need to come back anymore.
“Still, you never know! Let’s have you come in every day this week!”
“…Ah, okay.”
As I answered, my face falling, Juyeon pouted.
“What’s wrong… Do you hate seeing me that much?”
I quickly waved my hands, denying her words.
“No, of course not. I was just hoping to be declared fully healed soon…”
At that, Juyeon’s pout vanished as if it had never been there. She put on a stern expression and scolded me.
“The human body is incredibly delicate. Even if you feel fine now, aftereffects can linger. That’s why we have to be extra thorough. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I’ll wrap it up again.”
Once again, my hand was covered in bandages.
It was inconvenient, but… I just stayed quiet.
This had its own advantages, like Yujeong or Jeonghee feeding me my meals.
Yesterday, I’d even used it as an excuse to have some wild sex.
As I watched her meticulously wrap the bandage, strand by strand, my eyes fell on a place they shouldn’t have.
As she leaned forward, the collar of her coat parted, revealing her cleavage.
The moment I saw the deep valley formed by her voluminous breasts, which seemed impossible to hide no matter what she wore, my gaze kept drifting back to it against my will.
“Ugh…!”
Two emotions collided within me.
The guilt and excitement of looking at my sister-in-law’s chest—though strictly speaking, she wasn’t that anymore.
The fact that I was even having these thoughts proved I was well and truly messed up.
I managed to tear my eyes away and asked her a question.
“Um… may I ask a personal question?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“As far as I know, you’re an active A-rank hunter. An outstanding one at that, who even received a massive offer from a foreign guild…”
“Hehe… It’s a little embarrassing, but yes, that’s right.”
“Then why are you working as a healer here?”
The question that had been nagging me.
I wondered what kind of answer Juyeon would give.
“Hmm, well…?”
“……”
The bright smile that had graced her face moments ago turned a little dimmer.
“You see, I was working in the United States for seven years…?”
“…Yes.”
“But during that time, I lost something incredibly important.”
Her next words sent a dizzying sensation through my entire body.
It felt like I was in a constant, terrifying freefall from a staggering height.
I asked again, my voice trembling.
“That… thing you lost…?”
“Hehe…”
The small laugh that escaped her lips seemed tinged with loneliness.
A hollow emptiness, a sense of loss, clung precariously to the corners of her smile.
“It was something very important. As precious as my own life…”
Her smile was as pitiful as that of an abandoned woman, her answer endlessly bitter.
My racing heart stopped in an instant.
It felt as if my stalled heart had plummeted, crashing to the floor.
All the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place.
Why she had been panting so heavily after healing a simple case of frostbite, and why she’d told me to come back all week, as if she couldn’t trust her own skills.
“Ms. Han…”
The precious thing Juyeon said she had lost.
For a hunter, there was only one thing as precious as their life.
The ability that made them a hunter.
I didn’t know what had happened, but… Juyeon must have lost her powers.
Of course, seeing her use Cure meant she hadn’t lost everything… but she must have lost a significant portion.
If so, it made sense why Juyeon would choose to be a university healer.
With the power she had left… being a healer was all she could do.
She had plenty of money, but she was always an active person who hated being cooped up at home.
Or maybe… she was just trying to do something, anything, to keep her mind off it.
“There, all done.”
Juyeon finished wrapping the bandage and straightened up.
“Why the long face? Are you in pain?” she asked, her expression full of concern as she noticed my darkened mood.
It was so like her to be worrying about others even in a moment like this, and yet, it was heartbreaking.
“That… thing you said you lost.”
“Hm? Oh, that…?”
“Can you get it back?”
At my question, Juyeon wore a strange expression and let out a quiet laugh.
“Hehe… I’m not sure about that. Maybe if I try hard enough…?”
It’s possible if I try.
To me, those words sounded like it would be incredibly difficult, but not entirely impossible.
That was enough.
As long as it wasn’t impossible—no, even if it were, I would have tried.
“Ms. Han.”
I took her hand with my good one and held it tight.
“I’ll make sure you get it back.”
Juyeon meant a lot to me.
Sometimes she was a friend, sometimes like a little sister, and sometimes she was the one who comforted me when I was lost in despair.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch a person like that lose her powers and fall into misery.
“You’ll help me get it back…?” Han Juyeon asked, her expression bewildered.
I nodded confidently and held up my bandaged hand.
“You healed this hand for me, so I’ll help you get back what you’ve lost.”
I still didn’t know what the problem was, or how to get her powers back.
But whatever it was, I would do it. I would succeed.
“Will you really help me?”
Had my bold declaration given the weary Juyeon some strength?
A faint smile bloomed on her lips.
“Then can you promise me? That you’ll help me get back what’s precious to me.”
She held up her pinky finger.
Whenever Juyeon talked about promises, she would always insist on linking pinkies.
“Yes, I promise.”
I answered without hesitation, linking my pinky with hers.
We did the whole routine: stamp, copy, and laminate it for good measure.
It was nothing more than a childish game, but my resolve was firm.
I would get back what Juyeon had lost.
“Hehe… you promised, okay?”
…But why did I suddenly feel a chill?