Huiyeong's eyes went wide with shock. His lips moved soundlessly, but no words came out.
"However, it may only be temporary. Since you've just experienced a major traumatic event, this could simply be your mind's reaction to it. For now, shall we run a brain scan? It's all right. You can recover."
The doctor deliberately avoided saying anything too definitive, choosing his words with extreme care, making Huiyeong frown.
"So... what? You're saying it's amnesia or something?"
That couldn't be right....
There weren't any missing memories. There was only this insane world and the body of some kid he had never seen before.
"Hm... It's different from that. I'll explain everything slowly as treatment progresses. So it's perfectly natural that your common sense differs from ours. Please don't stress over it too much. If there's something you don't know, ask without hesitation. And if you doubt something, you're welcome to verify it yourself."
Finishing his explanation quickly, the doctor politely excused himself, saying they'd speak again later. He called the Center employees over as if he had something to discuss, and the entire group filed out together.
Huiyeong noticed that the doctor had intentionally avoided explaining why their bodies had switched, but figured an educated doctor probably had his reasons. Ignoring the papers rustling to the floor, he pulled the blanket over himself and collapsed onto the bed.
Honestly, even if the doctor had explained everything now, he doubted this flimsy body could have handled it.
Ah... that doctor's actually pretty impressive.
Guess I owe him an apology for calling him a quack.
Completely exhausted, Huiyeong closed his eyes, listening to the now-quiet room as he tried to sort through the tangled mess in his head.
No...
Come to think of it, there was no way a doctor could explain something this bizarre.
Right.
Who could medically explain a soul suddenly ending up in another world and another body?
Trying to explain something impossible naturally led them to conclude that he was insane.
Feeling reassured, his body relaxed even further.
For now...
Yeah, for now...
I'll pretend to listen to the doctor while I look for a way back.
They did say there are people with weird powers.
His eyes suddenly snapped open.
Right.
Either I'm crazy...
Or the whole damn world is.
One of us definitely is.
And I know I'm perfectly sane.
So the world's the crazy one.
Thinking about it calmly, he couldn't help letting out a hollow laugh.
Ha... fuck....
Me?
Mentally ill?
You're the lunatics, you crazy bastards.
How the hell does it make any sense that two men fooling around somehow heals people and gives them superpowers?
Common sense, damn it.
Huiyeong smiled.
Whatever.
No matter how this hopelessly broken world kept turning, it had nothing to do with him.
All he had to do was return to the world where his common sense actually meant something.
Back to his original body.
Granted, his original body had been in critical condition after getting stabbed.
Maybe Ryu Gwantae had really died, and he'd awakened in this pathetic body.
But he decided not to think about something so complicated right now.
There were already too many immediate problems to deal with.
Besides, dwelling on the worst possibilities had never been his style.
The employees cautiously opened the hospital room door and froze when they saw Huiyeong lying there with his fist clenched, smiling to himself.
...Why is he smiling again?
I'm actually getting scared now....
Noticing the strange looks they were giving him, Huiyeong let out another long sigh.
Whatever....
If I have to cuddle some kid just to stay alive, then so be it.
It's not like anyone's actually telling me to cross the line.
I'll just think of it as raising a kid.
Hold his hand.
Give him a hug.
That's all.
The explanation about sexual Guiding had shocked him so badly that merely holding hands no longer seemed like a big deal.
Huiyeong's life had never been an easy one.
Having seen more than enough of both the good and the ugly, the mind of a man approaching fifty was far sturdier than most.
Holding hands and hugging someone...
He'd never done anything that embarrassingly sentimental in his life.
But if it meant surviving...
What couldn't a person do?
"Fine. Go on. Tell me the rest. What's this Guiding thing supposed to be?"
The employees' faces instantly brightened.
They'd been seriously worried about Huiyeong's intense aversion to Guiding, and after hearing the doctor's assessment of his condition, they'd almost given up on taking him to the Center immediately.
Seeing his attitude change so drastically reignited their enthusiasm.
Let's skip the physical contact explanation for now.
He clearly has a strong aversion to it.
Han Shinyul will handle that himself.
Originally, persuading a Guide to accept Guiding was the Esper's responsibility.
The employees only needed to make sure nothing serious happened.
Getting Huiyeong safely to the Center came first.
Without saying a word, they exchanged meaningful glances.
Completely unaware of the ridiculous conclusion they had reached, Huiyeong half-listened as they chattered away with their explanations.
Yeah...
No need to rub lips together or anything.
Holding hands is enough.
He thought far too optimistically.
***
The stab wound healed painfully slowly.
This damn body was young and healthy-looking, yet ridiculously weak.
Moving even a little left him breathless and dizzy.
Unable to adjust to such a miserable physical condition, Huiyeong grew increasingly irritable.
Of course, lacking the strength to do much, all he could really do was complain.
Compared to the life he'd once lived—over six feet tall, built twice as solidly as most men, roaming dangerous streets without a care—this body was the complete opposite.
The fact that he'd managed to sprint around in panic on the very first day he'd awakened here now seemed like nothing short of a miracle.
If someone told him to run now...
There wasn't a chance in hell he could.
On top of that, no matter how much he slept, he always woke up feeling sore.
As if someone had pinned him down and folded him in half while he slept.
Every morning his muscles ached.
Sometimes...
He even felt like someone was watching him.
Sleep paralysis?
Guess a weak body really does attract every kind of weird problem.
He frowned.
Seriously.
There wasn't a single thing about this body he liked.
The one saving grace was that his brain appeared perfectly normal.
When they told him the MRI showed nothing unusual, he'd been overjoyed.
See?
I told you I'm not the crazy one.
It's this world.
Even though the doctor explained that patients with similar symptoms sometimes showed nothing abnormal on MRIs or CT scans...
Huiyeong ignored him completely.
He only focused on finding a way back to his original world.
Even after accepting that this really was another world altogether, he stubbornly searched for information about the gang he'd belonged to.
Turns out...
This damn world had long since wiped out every gangster and street thug thanks to its righteous superpowered heroes.
Apparently, after monsters began appearing and throwing the world into chaos, governments had eradicated organized crime to prevent even greater disasters.
As a result, not only had gangs disappeared, but even premeditated crime had become extremely difficult.
Huiyeong also asked people to search for any records of Ryu Gwantae—his original identity.
After confirming that no such person had ever existed...
All he could do was hope to find a way back to his original world as soon as possible.
His psychiatric treatment had settled into a long-term plan.
The stab wound in his abdomen had finally healed enough.
His discharge date was just around the corner.
Walking slowly back toward his room, Huiyeong's emotions grew complicated.
The closer discharge came, the more anxious he became.
How different would the outside world really be?
The fact that ordinary people casually used superpowers like movie protagonists wasn't even the biggest issue anymore.
When they'd told him that strange things called dungeons appeared without warning, spewing monsters into the world...
He'd nearly fainted from shock.
From everything he'd heard...
The outside world sounded like a bizarre hybrid hell where monsters poured out nonstop while everyone shamelessly made out with whoever they pleased, regardless of gender.
Seriously...
Unbelievable.
After barely managing one slow lap around the hospital as exercise, he returned and opened the door to his room.
Among the crowd of unfamiliar faces inside, he spotted several familiar ones.
The Center employees who'd been visiting him regularly.
"What is this? Why'd you drag so many people here?"
"Ah, Mr. Huiyeong! You went out for a walk. Was it tiring?"
"Yeah... damn near killed me. Anyway, who are all these people?"
Seeing Huiyeong breathing heavily with a pitiful expression, Assistant Manager Seong spoke sympathetically.
But Huiyeong's irritated tone immediately snapped him back to attention.
"Ah, well... the hospital says you're almost ready to be discharged. We've come to help with the discharge process and show you to your special housing."
"Really? Could've given me a heads-up instead of barging in all at once...."
Assistant Manager Seong laughed awkwardly.
Well...
Of course we'd have preferred to take things slowly and wait until you were feeling better...
But there's someone who's probably about to cause one hell of an incident....
He glanced toward Han Shinyul, who stood towering over the other employees.
Once the others had finished collecting Huiyeong's signatures on all the authorization forms, consent forms, and identity verification documents needed for discharge, Assistant Manager Seong hurried off to finish the paperwork.
Watching the crowd rush in only to rush back out again, Huiyeong stared after them with tired eyes.
Wondering what he still needed to prepare before leaving the hospital, he slowly walked into the bathroom.
Even after everyone else had left the room...
Han Shinyul remained behind, silently watching Huiyeong.
Then he followed him into the bathroom.
Huiyeong frowned at the large man who had suddenly come in after him.
"What?"
At the question, Shinyul smiled softly.
His eyes curved into crescents, long eyelashes fluttering.
His relaxed, unhurried manner...
His naturally commanding presence...
The handsome face framed by his high nose and faint smile...
The instant Huiyeong saw him smiling for no reason, his expression darkened even further.
Instead of answering, you're just standing there grinning like an idiot....
Watching those shining golden eyes, Huiyeong vaguely remembered the foreign-looking man he'd met on the first day he'd awakened in this body.
Before he could think further...
The huge man strode directly toward him without saying a word.
Pure instinct took over.
Huiyeong shot one hand up, grabbed a fistful of Shinyul's silky black hair, and kicked him hard in the shin.
It was a solid kick.
Yet Han Shinyul didn't even grunt.
Still smiling, he suddenly made an expression of realization.
"Ah."
Then—
Thud.
He calmly dropped to one knee.
Still letting Huiyeong hold his hair, he tilted his head back to look up at him.
"You didn't like looking down at me? You could've just said so. You're pretty feisty, Sleeping Princess."
"W-What the hell is wrong with you, you psycho?"
Even with his hair firmly clenched in someone else's hand, Shinyul kept smiling happily.
Huiyeong could only stare at him in complete disbelief.
They remained frozen like that for a while.
Then hurried footsteps echoed outside the bathroom.
"Shinyul? Shinyul? Are you in here? You promised you wouldn't cause any trouble...!"
Assistant Manager Seong and Assistant Manager Shin rushed inside.
The moment they saw the scene in the wide-open bathroom, both instinctively covered their mouths.
...Huh?
Wait.
Who's causing trouble here?
The instant he saw the employees, Huiyeong tightened his grip on Shinyul's hair and shook him.
"So what's this one supposed to be?"
"Mmm... Princess's husband...."
"Is he mentally ill?"
Huiyeong looked toward the employees as though asking the world's most obvious question.
He was genuinely trying to sound polite.
Unfortunately, his naturally rough and aggressive tone hadn't changed in the slightest.
Who?
The person pinning an S-rank Esper to the floor by grabbing his hair?
"You heard the old man."
"Ah...."
The employees looked back and forth between the baby-faced youth insisting he was a man in his forties and Han Shinyul, the Center's biggest troublemaker.
Unable to think of anything to say, they simply shut their mouths.
"Is he from the psych ward next door? Take him back. He's way too young to be this damn crazy."
Huiyeong let go of his hair with a rough shove, pushing Shinyul's head away.
Shinyul didn't budge an inch.
He merely watched Huiyeong's hand leave him with obvious disappointment.
"Uh... well...."
The employees only made awkward noises.
No one answered.
Huiyeong lightly poked Shinyul's handsome forehead—the man was still kneeling exactly where he'd been—and urged them again.
"What're you standing around for? Get this thing out of here."
"Wow, Princess... you're seriously sexy."
...The hell did this bastard just say?
"Kid, how old are you?"
"You want to know?"
"You're young, and you've already learned to talk back. And what's with all this 'Princess' crap? Huh?"
"Then tell me your name. I'll call you by your name instead."
Still smiling lazily, Shinyul gently took hold of the hand Huiyeong had been using to poke his forehead.
His grip was unbelievably strong.
No matter how Huiyeong tried to pull away, his hand wouldn't move.
Completely ignoring Shinyul's whining request to tell him his name, Huiyeong snapped at the employees.
"Who the hell is this guy, and why does he keep hanging around me? If he's got something wrong with his head, throw him in the psych ward."
The employees exchanged glances.
Wow...
Han Shinyul's actually acting like a sly fox.
Seriously.
Live long enough and you'll see anything.
Well...
He did learn a lot at the Center.
He spent years watching Espers expose their soft bellies and play innocent in front of their Guides.
True enough.
As they whispered among themselves, they suddenly stiffened.
"Uh... well... he...."
"Still not letting go? You muscle-headed lunatic. Stop standing there and call his doctor or something!"
"N-No... he's...."
He's your matching Esper, Mr. Yu Huiyeong....
Assistant Manager Shin mumbled so quietly it was barely audible.
Huiyeong's eyes widened.
"...What?"
"I have to fool around with him?"