***
Jung Woo-jin, the doctor in charge of Kim Do-hyeon, was a veteran with sixteen years of hospital experience.
He could remain composed in the face of almost anything.
After all, the modern world was home to all kinds of superhumans collectively known as the Awakened.
A patient awakening suddenly after spending an extended period in a coma wasn’t entirely unheard of in the medical field.
Jung Woo-jin had studied plenty of such cases during his residency and had even encountered similar situations several times in the field.
But this case was different.
‘……Is this even possible?’
Jung Woo-jin furrowed his brow as he examined the test results.
Kim Do-hyeon’s physical condition was astonishing.
Of course, it wouldn’t be accurate to describe his condition as good.
His muscles had atrophied considerably after lying motionless for so long, and his joints’ range of motion remained far below normal.
Objectively speaking, his condition was anything but good.
However—
The situation changed when he was compared to other patients.
Most patients who had spent a similar amount of time in a coma were incapable of even sitting up on their own after awakening.
Even combat-type Awakened—those who primarily relied upon their bodies—required at least two weeks of rehabilitation after spending so long bedridden.
Yet this patient had climbed out of bed, opened the door, and walked into the corridor under his own power.
Immediately after awakening, no less.
“To be perfectly honest, I’ve never seen a patient like you in my sixteen years as a doctor.”
Jung Woo-jin set down the chart and looked at Kim Do-hyeon.
“You awakened, didn’t you?”
It was a direct question, but he had no intention of interrogating him.
Instead of answering, Kim Do-hyeon nodded.
That was the end of it.
Jung Woo-jin didn’t press him any further.
The Awakened rarely disclosed their abilities carelessly.
After all, their abilities were both their property and their lifelines.
That was common knowledge.
“Congratulations. It appears you’ve acquired an extraordinarily powerful ability.”
His words contained sincere congratulations and admiration, but Kim Do-hyeon couldn’t bring himself to answer.
He silently continued organizing his thoughts.
‘This isn’t good.’
The condition of his body when he had first opened his eyes.
And Jung Woo-jin’s reaction now.
Combining the two led to a single conclusion.
‘It seems I was in a coma for quite a long time.’
Anxiety surged within him, and Kim Do-hyeon cautiously spoke.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”
“Of course. Ask anything you’d like.”
“What year, month, and day is it?”
“July 28, 2048.”
A brief silence followed.
‘……Three years.’
The hand resting on the bed unconsciously clenched the sheet.
“Are you all right?”
“……Yes. I’m fine.”
In truth, he wasn’t fine.
But there was no reason to reveal his agitation in front of the doctor.
‘I arrived exactly three years later than I intended.’
It was an error that had occurred during the process of reversing space and time.
Both Isabel’s sword cleaving spacetime and Kim Do-hyeon’s magic circles holding the rift open had been flawless.
However, interfering with space and time was an act that defied all common sense. He understood that a discrepancy of this magnitude had been unavoidable, but—
‘……This is irritating.’
That was his honest opinion.
Mages were beings who calculated and predicted.
Even the smallest variable inevitably became a significant source of stress.
Yet a variable of three entire years had emerged.
It was an unwelcome situation, but there was nothing he could do about it.
‘It has already happened.’
He wouldn’t dwell upon it.
He needed to focus on what he had to do and what he was capable of doing now.
Complaining wouldn’t turn back time.
More importantly—
“We’ve contacted your family. They said they would come to the hospital immediately.”
Nothing had happened to his family.
That meant he could still set things right.
A gap of three years.
It was by no means insignificant.
But he still had a chance.
The feelings he had never conveyed to his family. The mistakes his foolish past self had made.
He could correct all of them.
***
Additional examinations were conducted.
From blood tests to detailed medical imaging, the hospital performed every available test to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
The results showed no abnormalities.
If anything, Kim Do-hyeon was remarkably healthy.
It was difficult to believe these were the test results of a patient who had spent three years in a coma.
Several more rounds of commotion passed before—
BANG—!
The closed door flew open, and a middle-aged man and woman looked around the hospital room while gasping for breath.
A moment later—
The middle-aged man, Kim Tae-su, spotted Kim Do-hyeon sitting on the bed.
Kim Tae-su rushed toward him as though flying and grasped his hand.
“Do-hyeon!”
Warmth flowed from that large hand.
At that moment—
Kim Do-hyeon’s mind went blank.
The thoughts that had never stopped racing for fifty years came to a halt.
Calculations, analysis, judgment—everything he possessed as an Archmage became meaningless before that warmth.
Only one thought remained.
‘……Father.’
The father within his memories had embodied the familiar image of a man carrying the weight of his entire household.
He had been rather stoic and rarely revealed his emotions, so Kim Do-hyeon couldn’t say they had shared a particularly close relationship back then.
There had even been times when Kim Do-hyeon resented his father’s decisions and argued with him.
But now he understood.
It wasn’t that his father had chosen not to reveal his feelings.
He had been unable to.
If he showed weakness, he feared the entire family would become anxious. No matter how exhausted or overwhelmed he was, he had been forced to endure in silence and keep moving forward.
‘Responsibility. As the head of the family, he must have had no choice.’
His father had been far more responsible and warmhearted than Kim Do-hyeon, who had always stubbornly forced his own way through everything.
He had always tried to talk with his family and spend time with them.
Whenever they gathered for dinner, he listened carefully to what everyone had to say. If any of them had a problem, he tried to solve it in his own way.
All while neglecting himself.
With no one to lean upon, he had been forced to endure everything in silence.
How difficult must it have been?
Kim Do-hyeon couldn’t even begin to imagine.
His chest ached, but he didn’t cry.
He wanted every moment of his life with his family to be filled only with joy and happiness.
That was why—
Noticing Kim Tae-su carefully examining his condition, Kim Do-hyeon smiled brightly and spoke.
“Please don’t worry too much. I’m really fine.”
“Are you sure? If anything hurts, don’t hide it from us. You have to tell us.”
Kim Do-hyeon lightly raised both arms in response to his mother, Yoon Seo-young.
“I’m completely fine. Even the hospital said it was a miracle.”
Only after seeing the relief on his parents’ faces did Kim Do-hyeon turn his gaze elsewhere.
Toward the entrance of the hospital room.
A young girl stood silently behind his parents.
“Kim Ha-eun.”
“……What?”
“Your brother woke up after three years, and you’re still going to stand all the way over there?”
Kim Ha-eun’s eyes trembled violently.
It was obvious that she was flustered because she didn’t know what to say.
Her reaction was understandable.
Even in his memories, Kim Ha-eun had never been particularly good with words. She very rarely revealed her emotions.
So Kim Do-hyeon approached her first.
“Have you been doing well?”
“……More or less.”
“You must be in your final year of high school now.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you still doing well at speed skating?”
“I’m maintaining my level.”
“If you can maintain your level, getting into the university you want should be easy.”
“……I’m reconsidering university.”
“Why?”
“No particular reason.”
Kim Ha-eun answered impassively.
It appeared as though she truly had no particular reason.
However, Kim Do-hyeon didn’t miss the brief tremor that had passed through her eyes.
‘That’s a lie.’
It didn’t make sense in the first place.
Kim Ha-eun possessed extraordinary talent in speed skating.
Even before Kim Do-hyeon had fallen into another world, articles had been published calling her a prodigy. She had begun skating simply because she loved it, and her outstanding results had been nothing more than a natural by-product of that passion.
Yet someone like Kim Ha-eun intended to suddenly give up skating?
He would sooner believe that those dwarven bastards had given up alcohol.
The reason she was offering such an absurd excuse was also easy to guess.
‘It must be because our family can’t afford it.’
Competitive sports required a great deal of money.
Equipment maintenance, skating-rink fees, travel expenses for competitions—none of them were cheap.
Meanwhile, Kim Do-hyeon had spent three years lying in a hospital bed in a state little different from a vegetative one.
His family had never been wealthy to begin with, so their livelihood must inevitably have been pushed to the brink.
Ha-eun had been forced to give up because she feared that attending university would burden their parents even further.
Kim Do-hyeon understood how she felt, but he didn’t say anything else.
She was absurdly stubborn, though he had no idea whom she had inherited that from.
No matter how many times he told her that she could continue speed skating, she wouldn’t listen to him right now.
“If…… you ever change your mind, tell me.”
Kim Do-hyeon carefully raised a hand and stroked Kim Ha-eun’s black hair.
“Stop it. I’m not a little kid.”
By Earth’s reckoning, Kim Do-hyeon was twenty-eight years old, but he had lived for another fifty years on the Rodinia Continent.
It was only natural that Kim Ha-eun seemed like a very young child to him. Her thoughts and choices made him feel both proud of her and deeply apologetic.
Perhaps that was why—
Despite Kim Ha-eun’s complaint, he continued stroking her hair with a smile.
“……You’re acting strange. It feels like you’ve become a completely different person. Are you sure you’re really okay?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You act completely differently now.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah.”
When he thought about it, that was only natural.
He had experienced far too much on the Rodinia Continent for his behavior and manner of speaking to have remained unchanged.
However, explaining everything would undoubtedly make the atmosphere uncomfortable, so Kim Do-hyeon brushed it aside with a casual answer.
“I just had an unusual dream.”
“A dream?”
“Yeah. A very long dream.”
Yoon Seo-young, who had been watching quietly, joined the conversation.
“It must have been an extraordinary dream if it changed my son completely.”
“Was I really that different before?”
Kim Do-hyeon was slightly shocked.
He knew he had been somewhat immature, but he had believed he lived a reasonably normal life.
Kim Ha-eun’s response was brutally decisive.
“Of course. You were a complete troublemaker.”
Kim Do-hyeon looked at his parents in disbelief, but their answers were no different.
“Your father agrees.”
“Your mother agrees too.”
“Why?”
Yoon Seo-young answered immediately, as though she had been waiting for him to ask.
“There was the time you nearly burned down the house because you said you wanted to conduct an experiment when you were little. And then there was…….”
As more embarrassing stories from his past threatened to emerge, Kim Do-hyeon hurriedly interrupted her with an awkward cough.
“Ahem…… Couldn’t we kindly describe that as an unusually strong sense of curiosity and inquiry?”
Yoon Seo-young burst into laughter at his shameless answer.
“Now that I see you like this again, you’re definitely our son.”
“There’s no doubt about it.”
Kim Tae-su nodded with a smile on his lips.
“Are you saying I used to be this brazen and shameless? Impossible.”
As Kim Do-hyeon denied his past, Kim Ha-eun nodded with conviction.
“Now I’m certain. You’re definitely my brother.”
“That’s right.”
“Definitely.”
His parents immediately agreed.
Even with his entire family ganging up on him, Kim Do-hyeon wasn’t offended.
Instead, he smiled brightly.
It was a familiar, harmonious family conversation—the kind he had missed so desperately.
“I just woke up after three years. Are you really going to treat a patient like this?”
“Don’t you remember coming to my hospital room and teasing me while eating fried chicken when my appendix burst?”
A memory from the past abruptly flashed through Kim Do-hyeon’s mind.
In the end, he raised both hands in surrender.
“Fine. Everything was my fault. I’m merely reaping what I sowed.”
His family simultaneously burst into laughter at his exaggerated declaration of surrender.
“Bwahaha!”
“Hoho!”
“This is a hospital. A hospital. We need to be quiet.”
Kim Ha-eun cautiously admonished her family.
“Pfft.”
The boisterous laughter gradually subsided.
It had been an insignificant conversation.
One could even call it mundane.
Yet the affection in their gazes warmed his heart and filled his chest with emotion.
Amid feelings too profound to describe with a single word, Kim Do-hyeon became certain of one thing.
‘I’m glad I came back.’
To Kim Do-hyeon, a life with his family was more precious than anything else in existence.
***
A week flew by after his joyful reunion with his family.
Having completed the discharge procedures, Kim Do-hyeon pushed open the hospital entrance and stepped outside.
“Ahhh……! This feels great.”
Kim Do-hyeon stretched his body. Kim Ha-eun stood beside him.
Unfortunately, Kim Tae-su and Yoon Seo-young couldn’t accompany him for his discharge.
On the first day, they had abandoned their work and rushed over because their son had awakened. But they couldn’t do that every day.
With their livelihood already under immense strain, they had no other choice.
In fact, Kim Do-hyeon had used Recover whenever he had the opportunity and accelerated his discharge as much as possible precisely because of his family’s financial circumstances.
‘I’m not even sick. There’s no reason to remain hospitalized while paying for it.’
Thanks to his consistent use of Recover, he had regained the physical condition of an ordinary adult man.
It was only a natural result from Kim Do-hyeon’s perspective, but Kim Ha-eun looked more than a little astonished.
“Were you really bedridden for three years?”
Her reaction was perfectly understandable.
He had spent three years lying motionless. Ordinarily, his muscles would have stiffened to the point where even everyday activities became difficult.
Yet after only a week, he was walking around without any apparent difficulty.
Naturally, a question followed.
“Did you…… awaken?”