SWNOVELXO 56
56
Geonho was dragged to the medical center covered in blood. He insisted on not receiving treatment, but reluctantly agreed when the secretary threatened to tell the leader.
“I’ll just stitch up a little bit. Just where the bone is exposed.”
“I said I’m fine.”
After disinfecting the wound area, as the doctor in charge tried to stitch up the torn flesh with a needle, Geonho stubbornly resisted again. The secretary, who had entered the treatment room with him, barely suppressed the urge to smack him.
“This much will heal up fine after I sleep.”
“Your healing ability isn’t in full form right now. Shut up, I mean, just receive the treatment quietly.”
“I don’t need it.”
Geonho snatched the bandage from the nurse and wrapped it around his shoulder himself. Then he declared the treatment was over and tried to leave the treatment room.
“Esper Kang Geonho!”
The secretary’s face turned red and blue. Baekya Guild’s doctor stepped back, saying the two should come to an agreement, seeming used to this behavior. It appeared this wasn’t the first time Geonho had refused treatment.
“Why on earth are you refusing treatment?! Huh?! Don’t tell me you’re scared of needles?”
“As if I’d be scared of that!”
“Then why won’t you get treated?! Your bone is showing! Do you know how awful it looks?! We need to close it up quickly!”
“I said it’ll heal if you leave it alone! Why should I trust that quack?!”
The doctor just laughed and clasped his hands behind his back, seemingly used to being called a quack. Only the secretary, with rising blood pressure, held Geonho back from leaving.
“You can’t leave until you receive treatment!”
Angered, Geonho pushed the secretary hard with his telekinesis. The secretary managed to keep his balance with his sturdy lower body, but the nurse standing behind him fell over. The tray he was holding also tipped over.
“Ugh!”
The nurse groaned as his hand was cut by a sharp scalpel that spilled from the tray. It wasn’t a deep cut, but faint droplets of blood formed.
“Are you alright?!”
The secretary immediately checked on the nurse. Geonho just stood still with a deeply furrowed brow.
And at that moment, the door to the treatment room opened.
All eyes turned to the person who entered the treatment room with steady footsteps. Although just one more person had entered, it felt as if the air was being pressed down to the floor.
“Leader, what brings you here…”
The secretary, who spoke first, looked at Taebeom with a tense face. He hadn’t yet reported Geonho’s injury to him. Since it wasn’t a very serious injury, he had planned to let it slide quietly.
Taebeom scanned the messy treatment room with a cold gaze. From the doctor standing far from Geonho, to the injured nurse, and the scattered medical tools.
Boom!
Just as the secretary was about to speak again, Taebeom grabbed Geonho by the collar and threw him against the wall. In the blink of an eye, the heavy body flew like a sack.
The doctor quickly left the treatment room with the nurse. It was time to step out for a moment.
“Sit.”
Taebeom threw a chair towards the fallen Geonho. The secretary, with a stiff expression, tried to approach to set the chair upright, but Taebeom stopped him with a gesture of his chin.
“Kang Geonho.”
Geonho, who had bitten his tongue when he hit the wall, was covering his lower jaw filled with blood. However, Taebeom showed no mercy and threw a tray at his feet, urging an answer.
“Kang Geonho.”
“Yeah…”
“Sit.”
Geonho forcibly raised his body, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. The wall he had hit was cracked and dented.
“Receive treatment immediately.”
Taebeom took a step towards Geonho, who was sitting in the chair. After taking his eyes off the shoulder that had torn open even more, he looked down at Geonho’s bowed head.
“Don’t tire out multiple people.”
Geonho, his mouth closed to stop the bleeding, nodded silently. Then Taebeom gestured to the secretary. The secretary immediately called in the doctor waiting outside and started the treatment. Geonho no longer resisted.
“Return to the dormitory after treatment is finished.”
Taebeom, who had been watching the calmed Geonho, turned towards the door. He imposed a one-week ban on going out for Geonho. There were plenty of reasons.
“Stay in the dormitory until your wavelength stabilizes.”
Geonho’s lips moved slightly, but he just nodded, saying he understood. Thoughts and considerations were unnecessary. The answer allowed to him was predetermined.
* * *
Inside Baekya Guild’s dormitory. Siwoo, sitting on the living room sofa, was shaking one leg nervously. He kept glaring at the front door while biting his short nails.
As soon as he received the warning alert that Geonho’s wavelength level had risen, he had immediately contacted the secretary. Being his first time in this situation, he didn’t know who else to contact.
The secretary told the flustered Siwoo not to worry, that it was nothing serious. He said casually that there had been a small accident at the site and Geonho was just slightly injured.
“But the level rose so much…”
However, for it to be nothing serious, the level had risen by as much as 18%. It wasn’t stable to begin with, and it had almost become dangerous.
For him, an SS-rank Esper, not just an ordinary one, to get injured at the site. Siwoo worried, wondering if such dangerous monsters still appeared these days.
He kept glancing at the door, hoping the secretary would return to the dormitory quickly. He wanted to ask the secretary if there really was no problem with Geonho.
‘He’s here!’
At the sound of the door lock opening, Siwoo jumped up and looked at the front door. Thinking the secretary had come to prepare his meal again, he rushed out without hesitation.
“Secretary…”
Siwoo gradually slowed his steps as he saw the secretary entering through the inner front door. Geonho was following behind the secretary.
“Guide-nim, why are you out here?”
The secretary looked surprised to see Siwoo coming out to the entrance for the first time. It was unfamiliar to see Siwoo, who usually stayed cooped up in his room, coming out first.
“Have you eaten? You must be hungry. Shall we eat together?”
The secretary, who was smiling brightly at Siwoo, stumbled with an “Ugh!” sound. Geonho had kicked him in the butt.
“Don’t block the way.”
Geonho muttered fiercely as he walked past the secretary. However, after a few steps, he was blocked by another obstacle.
“You, you… are you okay?”
Siwoo, blocking Geonho’s path, looked up at him intently. His already large eyes were twice their normal size.
“Did you receive proper treatment…?”
Geonho’s body, bare-chested due to the heat, was bright red. Even the white bandage wrapped around his shoulder was stained with red blood.
They said it was nothing serious, but he came back covered in blood like this. Moreover, his face seemed to have been hit too, as one cheek was seriously swollen. Just how dangerous a monster had he faced?
Geonho ignored all of Siwoo’s words and turned his body sideways to walk past him. Seeing his expression, even more shadowed than usual, Siwoo couldn’t bring himself to stop him.
“You said he was only slightly injured.”
Instead, he ran to the secretary and questioned him. The thick bandage wrapped around his shoulder and his battered face were certainly not the result of a slight injury.
“That level is considered slight for us.”
The secretary scratched his forehead and led Siwoo to the kitchen with a kind smile. Siwoo chattered, asking what kind of monster had appeared. He seemed a bit more comfortable dealing with the secretary now.
“Are the other Espers alive? If he’s in this state… What about Yoo Jihan? Didn’t Ha Seojun go out with him?”
Just as Siwoo finished his questions, there was a loud ‘Bang!’ as a door closed upstairs. Caught off guard, Siwoo’s feet briefly left the floor before settling back down. He had even jumped in surprise.
“I told him to close the door gently.”
The secretary clicked his tongue and glared upstairs. He was about to go up to say something to Geonho, hands on his hips, but fortunately, Siwoo stopped him.
“Only Geonho Esper-nim was injured, so you don’t need to worry. He just had an accident due to a moment of carelessness.”
The secretary shrugged, saying there were no monsters in the country that could be dangerous to Geonho. When he went to the site, it was the monsters that were in danger. This wasn’t an exaggeration, but a fact.
“Guide-nim, more importantly…”
The secretary, who had seated Siwoo at the kitchen table, hesitated while observing Siwoo’s reaction. Siwoo waited with a serious face for the next words.
“Esper Kang Geonho has received a ban on going out. He must stay in the dormitory for the next week.”
Siwoo blinked slowly and nodded, saying, “Ah.”
“Then I’ll leave. Now.”
The secretary just lightly clenched his fist as he watched Siwoo immediately stand up. He had no valid reason to make Siwoo stay in the dormitory. After all, he was only staying until he found new accommodation.
“I’ll just change clothes and go.”
“Yes… Do as you please.”
In his heart, he wished for Siwoo to stay in the dormitory with Geonho and for the two to reconcile. But that was just his own desire. The secretary swallowed his urgent feelings with a sigh.
“Um, Secretary-nim.”
At that moment, Siwoo stopped abruptly and slightly turned his head towards the secretary. After pondering his words for a moment, he mumbled in a small voice.
Is it really okay to do as he pleases?