Jin-ah finished reading the sheet with her mouth slightly open.
"So this is my Status… This is so cool."
She was about to open her mouth to ask a thousand questions, when suddenly her phone's ringtone went off.
"Huh?" She blinked, looking at the screen.
When she saw the name of the person on the screen, her heart sank into her stomach. And right away, the smile on her face vanished.
She only had two really important people in her life. Her mother, who'd been in the hospital for years. And her older brother, a hunter who always ended up hurt in dungeons.
It wouldn't be strange if one day he simply didn't come back. Just like what happened to their father.
That's why, whenever the nurse from the hospital called her, Jin-ah couldn't expect anything good.
She took a deep breath to calm herself down as she pressed the button to answer.
She listened in silence to the words on the other end of the line. Her lips trembled a little, then she nodded weakly, even though the nurse couldn't see her.
"I understand. I'll go right away."
When the call ended, she jumped up from the bed and bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry, Sir Aegis. I have to go. Jin-woo oppa got into an accident in a dungeon again. He's back in the hospital."
Silence filled the room for a few moments. Yuu looked into her eyes and smiled softly. Her family really did seem important to her, something Yuu liked.
"Then let's go together."
"Eh? B-but… wouldn't that be a bother for you?"
Jin-ah hesitated a little as she asked that.
"Not at all."
"I see. Then…"
Once Jin-ah quickly changed into more proper clothes to go out, he extended his hand and firmly took hers.
...?!
Jin-ah looked down at where their hands met, and just as she was starting to process the warmth of his hand, the walls of her room vanished in an instant, and the ceiling light was replaced by a sun in the sky.
"We're here."
"W-wow, that was fast."
They were standing in front of the hospital, feeling the touch of the fresh air mixed with the comforting warmth of the sun that was beginning to sink into the horizon.
It was the first time Jin-ah had experienced instant teleportation. Well, if she didn't count the time Aegis literally kidnapped her through a portal and took her to his castle.
She glanced at him sideways with an accusing look and a pout on her lips. That was a kidnapping, whether he admitted it or not!
Though it's not like she actually disliked being taken there.
Shaking her head, Jin-ah quickly walked with him into the hospital. After asking at the reception desk, they were given Jin-woo's room number. They took the elevator and went up to the second floor.
When she opened the door, she saw the nurse who had called her earlier.
"Don't worry, Sung Jin-ah-ssi. Fortunately, his wounds were already treated by a healer hunter before he was brought here. All he needs now is to rest for a few days to recover the lost blood."
"Ah… thank God…" Jin-ah sighed in relief and thanked her with a bow. Then she went in with Yuu following behind her.
On the bed was her brother. A slim-looking young man, his body wrapped in bandages in several places. Jin-woo was awake, but as soon as he saw her walk in, he scratched his cheek with a finger and let out an awkward laugh.
"I ended up like this again…"
He looked embarrassed to let himself be seen in that state.
"Oppa! How many times have I told you to be careful?! You always end up the same. You should quit being a hunter already!"
Jin-woo turned his eyes away, his expression gloomy.
"I know. But if I don't, who else is gonna pay the bills?"
Jin-ah pressed her lips together, because she knew that at the end of the day, her brother carried the whole weight of the family. He was the only one working to cover the expenses of their sick mother in the hospital.
That's why, even though she wanted to scold him more, in the end she only let out a soft sigh.
At that moment, Jin-woo shifted his gaze and noticed someone else in the room.
Standing near the door was a young man with a firm and imposing bearing, with shining white hair and deep golden eyes.
Jin-woo froze. He definitely wasn't an ordinary person. A hunter, maybe. One who was far too powerful. Even though he didn't give off a hunter's aura.
'What's someone like that doing in my hospital room?'
Jin-woo turned his gaze toward his sister.
"Uh… this is… my… friend."
Jin-ah had completely forgotten something pretty important. How was she supposed to introduce a strange guy she'd brought with her to her brother?
So she introduced Yuu with a nervous smile. Then, lowering her voice a little, she leaned toward him.
"Umm… how should I introduce you exactly?"
After all, until now she only knew him as Aegis. And she believed that wasn't exactly the kind of name he'd use when introducing himself to people who didn't know his true identity.
(You can call me Yuu. A hunter from Japan.)
The voice echoed directly in her head.
Telepathy? Jin-ah blinked in surprise.
Then she repeated out loud what he told her, introducing him to her brother.
"And this is my older brother, Sung Jin-woo."
"A hunter from Japan..."
Jin-woo had never heard of anyone with that name, nor had there been any recent news of an S-Rank Japanese hunter with that name.
So he figured it must be a not-so-well-known hunter, but much stronger than the ones he knew from the hunters' association he'd interacted with. That's what his instincts told him.
Even so, Jin-woo smiled and extended a friendly hand.
"Nice to meet you, Yuu-ssi. How'd you meet my sister?"
Before Jin-ah could come up with a decent excuse, Yuu answered with a smile.
"We met in a video game."
"Huh?"
Jin-ah was so startled she almost choked on her own saliva.
A video game!?
Sure, she played sometimes, but not that much. Between classes, studying, and the grades she had to keep up, how was that supposed to sound good in front of her brother?
"A game?" Jin-woo raised an eyebrow and looked at her with surprise. "You play video games, Jin-ah?"
(Hahahaha… your face looks so funny right now. Let me record this for the memory.)
The faint echo of Yuu's laughter resonated again in her head.
Where'd you pull that camera from all of a sudden?!
Jin-ah pressed her lips together when she saw him taking pictures of her. She wanted to pinch him right then, but she couldn't do it in front of her brother.
In the end, she nodded with a sigh.
"Yeah. I met him in an online game a while ago. And… well, since Yuu wanted to visit Korea, he took the chance to come meet me."
Jin-woo watched the two of them for a moment.
He didn't seem convinced by his sister's explanation. But as her older brother, he knew her well. She wasn't the type of girl who'd get involved in something that could hurt her life or her family.
Besides, that strange guy didn't give him a bad feeling. Quite the opposite, actually. He looked calm and pleasant. So he didn't ask any more questions.
After a few minutes of chatting, Jin-ah and Yuu left the hospital.
Jin-woo, for his part, was already pretty recovered thanks to the healer in his party. Even so, he had to stay at least one more day in the hospital to fully recover. That's why he couldn't go home.
"So, shall we?"
Yuu asked that while they stood in front of the hospital entrance.
Jin-ah let out a small sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there was determination in her gaze.
"Alright, I'm ready. Since I've only seen it in movies, I wanna see what a zombie apocalypse world is really like."
"Heh. Then let me show you."
Yuu smiled with satisfaction and took her hand in his.
In the very next instant, the two disappeared under the sunlight.
The people walking on the street didn't even lift their heads. It was as if their brains had automatically accepted that it was normal, or maybe, they simply couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
×××
You can read 15 advanced chapters on my Patreon.
patreon.com/OlwinMoriarty