The article in Chapter 12 was a wordy uproar, but its intention was simple. 'Hey, let's at least see the face of that Production-class B-rank Hunter!' It had been over two weeks since he was hospitalized, so why wasn't he giving a single interview? The newspaper's ulterior motive—stop shielding him—was laid bare.
They had even announced a follow-up article, claiming to have secretly interviewed several raid team members. [A raid team member who was with Mr. A at the time said this: "Thanks to him, Healer B survived too. But the guild has only been hushing it up until now...."]
In the next paragraph, the reporter excitedly pressed about Healer B. ["So you're saying Healer B couldn't do anything at all in the dungeon?" The raid team member couldn't answer the reporter's question....]
Han Chasu raised his gaze slightly. When their eyes met, Baek Dam grinned.
Han Chasu was certain. The Healer B mentioned here was Baek Seon.
And that Baek Dam was absolutely furious that his younger sibling had been mentioned.
"Ah, the article was taken down the moment it went up, so don't worry. The bastard who posted it won't think of posting again, either."
That is, unless he wants to lose both his hands.
It was terrifying how he said this with a bright smile.
"...I don't think it was the Guildmaster who beat the reporter half to death."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Just saying."
Han Chasu averted his gaze slightly and muttered. Even so, a corner of his heart grew cold. 'It's a fortunate fluke, but thank goodness Baek Seon is alive.' If he had died, saving Jeong Seoheun might have been for nothing. Because Baek Dam cherished his younger sibling just as much as Jeong Iheun did. He would have immediately dug in, demanding to know what had happened.
In any case, the problem was the lunatics obsessed with their younger siblings.***Fortunately, thanks to those lunatics obsessed with their younger siblings, the controversy died down quickly.
"The bastard who gave the interview is crazy too. Was keeping his mouth shut that hard?"
The one who came to visit him today wasn't Jeong Iheun, but I Jinryeol. Grumbling all the while, he diligently slurped away at the vegetable juice.
Han Chasu didn't know why he'd bought it if he was going to drink it all himself. Han Chasu glanced at the more-than-half-empty juice box, then turned his head away.
"What about what I asked."
"Is that the only thing you have to say to me?"
Feeling an odd sense of disappointment from him, Han Chasu tilted his head. He'd already greeted the man earlier. What more did he want... Ah.
"If it's the lifetime contract, it's over there. Take it with you."
The contracts stacked on the table had already surpassed seven copies. It was because Jeong Iheun had brought a newly updated contract every time he visited.
"While you're at it, I'd appreciate it if you could tell the Guildmaster that an eighth version isn't necessary, either."
I Jinryeol's eyes turned hollow. He let out a deep sigh and pulled something out from behind his back.
It was the cell phone Han Chasu had requested.
"Here. It's done. Take it."
Han Chasu didn't know why the man looked disappointed, but he accepted it anyway and immediately turned the phone on. The bright screen light scattered across his face.
I Jinryeol, watching Han Chasu swipe through the screen, clicked his tongue.
"There won't be anything about that reporter."
Han Chasu, who had been glancing at the current affairs section, fixed his gaze on I Jinryeol. As if asking whether he hadn't been looking for that, I Jinryeol shrugged his shoulders.
"It wouldn't do anyone good if it spread. Same goes for the hospital."
Indeed, there was a high chance the hospital had desperately tried to keep it hidden. Han Chasu quickly understood.
After I Jinryeol left, Han Chasu remained alone and organized his thoughts. 'It's about time I left the hospital.' The desire for discharge, buried in solitude, had been rekindled because of the reporter.
The one who had kept him in solitude and the reporter. People with different intentions. But their target was the same. Namely, Han Chasu himself.
The problem was his current situation. How was he supposed to respond to anything while cooped up inside a hospital?
On top of that, the one currently 'protecting' him was the original story's protagonist.
A time bomb who would turn on him the moment Han Chasu's misdeeds were revealed.
He couldn't endure the anxiety of not knowing when he would be found out while staying by his side. Having possessed a villain, he had to protect his own body himself.
So there was only one answer. 'Let's go home. Go and find a diary, a notebook, anything that could be a clue.' Right now, he had far too little information about the original Han Chasu.
He needed to narrow down, even roughly, who might try to kill him. For that, he had to find traces of the past.
"Alright, then...."
Time to be discharged.
Before he knew it, Han Chasu looked around the hospital room he'd grown fond of and bid it farewell.
The clean, delicious meals were at an end, too.***"Excuse me? Discharge?"
The reaction was unexpectedly fierce.
For a moment, Han Chasu wondered if his attending physician was secretly a Hunter.
"...Yes."
It was because he'd never seen a doctor jump that high in a place like this. 'Does he have springs attached to his thighs?'
Han Chasu looked at the doctor with suspicious eyes. In his previous world, there had been quite a few like this. Usually people trying to delay their discharge dates....
A shout pierced through his thoughts.
"Patient, it's only been a little over two weeks since you woke up!"
The doctor's face was strict, if not resolute. His hand thrusting the chart was aggressive.
"Look here. Just two days ago you suddenly complained of a headache and collapsed. But now what, discharge?"
That was because of the penalty.... But he couldn't say that honestly. Instead, Han Chasu used Baek Dam as a shield.
"An S-rank Healer has officially certified that further treatment is meaningless."
It just so happened that Baek Dam came by every day to perform meaningless healing on him.
"He said there's nothing left to treat, and that using healing skills is useless."
When he relayed Baek Dam's words, the doctor's pupils shook. Watching that, Han Chasu calmly continued.
"You can't exactly say an S-rank Healer is wrong, can you?"
"No, that's not it. As you know, you are a special case, patient. So, your injuries have fully healed, but you're not fully recovered, are you?"
Fully healed but not fully recovered. What on earth was he talking about.
When the situation failed to go his way, the doctor began rambling incoherently. Han Chasu generously listened to all his nonsense.
Roughly summarized, it went like this.
"Are you saying I should just keep staying hospitalized because my body is too frail and I might suddenly collapse at any moment?"
"You don't have to put it that way. It's merely a suggestion to prioritize safety above all."
Han Chasu's eyebrows formed a sharp ridge. 'What a ridiculous excuse.' To expend resources on personnel who could no longer function was meaningless.
Who had made such a sucker's judgment was obvious. 'It must be Jeong Iheun's influence.' Was he going to confine him until he signed the lifetime contract?
'I thought he'd given up since he hadn't come for the past few days....'
After Baek Dam caught the reporter lurking outside the window, Jeong Iheun's momentum had wilted considerably.
The man who had pestered him to sign the contract every day had abruptly cut off his visits.
Whether it was due to some strange sense of responsibility or because he was busy with other matters, Han Chasu neither knew nor cared.
It was more comfortable in many ways that he didn't come. 'Every time that guy comes, I have nightmares.'
A terrible dream where he, having failed to save Jeong Seoheun, was captured by Jeong Iheun and dragged into a cave.
Fortunately, he woke up before being tortured, but it was obvious he still felt wretched.
"Patient, how about undergoing one more examination first and thinking it over again? If you collapse again after going home."
At the doctor's awkward voice, Han Chasu focused again. He shook his head.
"Then I'll receive outpatient treatment at that time."
"Th-that's...."
"In any case, I understand what you're saying, doctor. I'll speak separately with the Guildmaster."
"Ah... hahaha. Thank you for understanding."
With a superficial smile, the doctor said he was busy and scurried away with his tail between his legs.
Left alone, Han Chasu scratched his head and let out a long sigh.
Speak separately with the Guildmaster, his foot.
"As if that bastard would ever let me go."
At the end of his casually thrown gaze lay the thick lifetime contract still unsigned.
A contract whose very existence was oppressive.
To entrust his neck for life to a guy who could strangle him at any moment.
From the perspective of someone who knew the original story, it was nothing but spine-chilling.
The moment Han Chasu's misdeeds were discovered, that thing would be highly likely to become not a lifetime contract, but a body abandonment waiver.
"As expected, it's best to disappear as quickly as possible."
It was a situation where even someone trying to kill him had appeared.
He wanted to hide his whereabouts and escape the swirling turmoil as soon as possible.
Having finished his deliberation, Han Chasu slowly opened the hospital room door.
He could see Hunters with sturdy builds standing at both ends of the wide corridor.
They were professional security Hunters specially hired by Jeong Iheun. Reinforcements added after the reporter had been caught the other day.
Han Chasu examined them closely, then closed the door and leaned his back against it. 'I'll have to try it once.'
Nothing could be gained without taking a risk.
"Huu...."
His gray pupils hid beneath thin eyelids. [ Presence Dilution (A) ]
"Hm."
Along with the tension of tensing and releasing his body, the air surrounding him grew faint.
The moment even the faint breathing echoing through the hospital room faded, revealing silence. [ Shadow Curtain (C) ]
A hazy curtain covered him, and his solid form vanished instantly.
But the opaque presence didn't last long.
"Kukh!"
[ Warning! ] [ Penalties will be incurred for actions that do not match your cover identity! ] [ The penalty will be determined randomly. ] [ You have contracted the status ailment 'Hemoptysis'! ]
His stomach quickly burned.
Han Chasu's body writhed in pain that felt like thick blades scraping downward.
It was good that he'd tested it before using it in actual combat. 'Using two at once drains stamina quickly, too.'
Han Chasu staggered, struggling to gather his collapsing body.
It was the moment he was looking at the mouthful of blood he'd vomited onto the floor and worrying about the cleanup.
"I'm coming in, Mr. Han Chasu."
Along with a gentle voice, the firmly closed door swung wide open without hesitation.
"……."
"……."
Under the icy silence, only the sound of undried blood drops dripping was crystal clear.
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