The Mist Vol 5 Chapter 26

Vol 5 Chapter 26

It was someone he hadn't expected at all. Yu-wan... no, Jin Je-hwan was standing there with a cool expression Kapros had never seen before. He instinctively tried to call out the name, but frowned as the sound wouldn't come out properly, accompanied by a pain as if his throat was being torn. His head hurt as if someone was hammering it.

Feeling dizzy, he put his hand to his forehead and felt something tightly wrapped around it. A bandage?

"Then I'll call the doctor once more, so please take care."

The taxi driver said to Je-hwan before turning to leave, pushing the curtain aside as he went. Only then did Kapros realize where he was.

It was the emergency room, with its white, spacious area, partitions set up here and there, intense lighting, sounds of babies crying and painful groans, people bustling about, and a dizzying array of white gowns.

'So it was a hospital...'

As he narrowed his eyes to see more of the outside, Jin Je-hwan expressionlessly pulled the open curtain shut. The world Kapros had been looking at was cut off again in just a few seconds. As Je-hwan approached closer, casting a large shadow, it became difficult for Kapros to look up at him.

"Why are you here..."

Kapros moved only his lips, trying to speak without using his voice as much as possible. Je-hwan seemed to understand and spoke.

"Last time... I thought your condition wasn't good, so I went to check on you again."

'Ah... he means when I threw up from indigestion...'

"I was waiting outside when the taxi arrived. And you were in it."

His voice carried the usual weight with each word, but the intensity seemed a bit different from usual. Je-hwan, who had been looking down at Kapros's expression, slowly knelt down and sat by the bed, reaching out his hand to touch Kapros's face.

For a moment, remembering a similar situation at Jeong Seung-jo's house just before losing consciousness, Kapros stiffened and looked at him. Je-hwan exhaled deeply and withdrew his hand.

"There's killing intent in your eyes."

It was a calm statement, but only then did Kapros realize he had reflexively clenched his fist and released it in surprise. However, what surprised him even more was when he looked at Je-hwan's face again, who was quietly observing him.

'Huh...'

The two eyes that he had thought were just quietly expressionless as usual were now as calm as the depths of the sea. Looking into them gave him the feeling of being swallowed by the deep sea, not knowing what might approach. Je-hwan quietly raised the corners of his mouth without blinking those calmly shining eyes. His already distinct features that made him look like an actor gave off a different charisma with just that expression.

"Tell me who it was."

The hand that had briefly withdrawn came close again, gently caressing between Kapros's neck and shoulder. Suddenly reminded of the pain he had forgotten, Kapros gritted his teeth and glared at him as if to say 'What are you doing?', to which Je-hwan's eyes curved slightly.

"Who left these wounds on your neck."

Then the hand that had brushed down his clothes stopped on top of Kapros's limp right hand. Following his gaze to his own hand, Kapros was surprised to see his strangely swollen fingers and back of the hand.

"Who crushed your hand."

And then, with eyes that had become eerily calm once more, Je-hwan finished his last question in his usual slow manner.

"Who on earth was it..."

That face didn't look like the person Kapros knew. As Kapros stared, forgetting to speak, Je-hwan's eyes rippled like bubbles boiling in water, seemingly frustrated by the lack of response.

"I think it's fine not to know anything about you, but not this time. Answer me."

Only then did Kapros exhale deeply and open his mouth.

"I appreciate your concern, but it's all my business... and it's already over anyway."

Even speaking in short bursts left him breathless and aching all over. His head and body were throbbing so much that it felt embarrassing to try to find a spot that hurt more than others.

"Was it someone you know?"

Kapros just clenched his mouth shut. Silently indicating his refusal to answer, Je-hwan suddenly broke his expression that had been like the calm before a storm and gripped the bed railing so hard it might break.

"When I saw you there, how...!"

"Has the patient woken up?"

Swoosh!

A tired-looking doctor, accompanied by a robot assistant, hurriedly pulled back the partition and entered. He looked alternately at Je-hwan, who was kneeling with his head bowed by Kapros's side, and Kapros, and made a slightly strange expression. However, the taxi driver who followed him in paid no attention to the situation inside and approached Kapros.

"Young man. I'm so glad you've woken up. I've already received the taxi fare from this young man, so I should be heading back now. I came here while working..."

The taxi driver, who had looked clearly surprised when Kapros had gotten into the taxi earlier, spoke with a kind smile.

'Ah...'

"Thank... you."

Kapros bowed his head slightly in gratitude. He couldn't help but be truly grateful to that taxi driver. Although Je-hwan had paid the fare, Kapros said he would personally express his gratitude later, but the taxi driver adamantly refused, saying it was only natural. He gave Kapros his business card, saying he would help testify if Kapros was thinking of going to the police, and then disappeared.

The doctor, who had been waiting behind, approached after the taxi driver left and began to ask various questions.

"Does your head hurt a lot?"

Kapros remembered something hitting his head hard when he fell to the floor at Jeong Seung-jo's house. He nodded, recalling that he hadn't been able to hear well due to a buzzing sound and had even seen blood.

"You can't move your middle and ring fingers, right?"

At those words, Kapros tried to move his right hand, but only felt pain and couldn't move it, so he nodded again in agreement. This made him inevitably recall by association the place where he had struck and escaped until his hand became like this.

'Jeong Seung-jo...'

What had happened to Jeong Seung-jo after he left? Was this feeling he was experiencing now worry? Or anger? He clenched his molars and lowered his head.

"There are many wounds on your feet as well, but those are relatively minor abrasions. Your shoulders and back aren't too severe either. However, you'll suffer for a few days. But... your neck..."