* * *
“Mr. Taehwan, why are you just standing there…? Ah! Jaehee!”
A middle-aged woman with a warm expression entered the room behind him.
Her voice rang clearly in my ears—I recognized her immediately.
It was my caregiver.
She gasped in shock when she saw me awake and rushed to my bedside, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“You’re awake! Thank goodness… I was so worried!”
“…Yes, um… I’m glad you’re okay too.”
I replied instinctively, though I was still struggling to understand what was happening.
But the tension from being in an unfamiliar place began to ease.
Everything about my situation—the sudden change of surroundings, my body’s condition—was unsettling, yet hearing her voice and feeling her warmth calmed me.
“Why weren’t you in the isolation room? When they only found a monster’s corpse there, I was so scared something had happened to you! Luckily, a Hunter found you quickly, but still… I nearly had a heart attack.”
“…Ah.”
“They said you weren’t injured, but are you sure? Do you feel any pain anywhere?”
“No, I… I think I’m fine. Nothing hurts.”
“Thank goodness! But just in case, you should still get checked. It’s lunchtime, so I’m not sure if your doctor is in, but I’ll go find them! And I’ll call your family too! Just wait here, okay?”
She patted my back firmly before rushing out.
She was gone before I could stop her.
I stared blankly at the door before shifting my gaze to the man still standing there.
Arms crossed, he had been watching me in silence the entire time.
His lips were pressed together, his expression conflicted.
“…”
Our eyes met again.
I wasn’t sure what expression I had on my face.
But… it had to be pathetic.
The name my caregiver had just called him.
The face my fingertips remembered.
He looked unbelievably mature now, but traces of his younger self were still there.
The emotions surged, close to breaking into a sob.
He stepped toward me. One step. Then another.
His height made it easy for him to close the distance.
He reached out and grasped my hand.
That familiar warmth.
That familiar touch.
And at that moment, I knew for certain.
“Jaehee… You can see me?”
This man was Im Taehwan.
My childhood friend.
And I had finally, finally seen him again.
“Jaehee, can you move your legs? Yes, good. Now the other side.”
It wasn’t a dream.
The hospital I had been staying in had suddenly been engulfed by a dungeon.
I had been forced to evacuate.
And then, in the isolation room, I had regained my sight.
I had stood up and walked.
Everything had really happened.
“Your vision is normal. Your lower body responds properly. The toxins in your system are completely gone. It seems your awakening enhanced your physical abilities, allowing your body to either neutralize or expel the poison entirely.”
I had awakened.
Those strange ‘lines’ I saw.
The way I used them to slice through monsters and tear through space itself to walk through the hospital corridors.
It had all been real.
A newly awakened Hunter achieving an impossible level of skill, as if they had been granted some beginner’s blessing.
A phenomenon known as “Beginner’s Luck.”
“Some of your recent fevers were actually Awakening Fever. I never imagined something like this could happen, but as of now, your physical condition is excellent. You’re in perfect health.”
Surprisingly, the one who saved me at the scene was ‘Gray Coat.’
So the man I saw in the hospital corridor wasn’t just a hallucination.
Upon learning that a civilian facility—specifically, a hospital—had been integrated into a dungeon, ‘Gray Coat’ cleared an A-rank dungeon’s mid-boss in just an hour, when it could have taken up to two days.
Then, without hesitation, he turned back and ran straight to join the rescue team.
Thanks to that, the hospital was discovered in less than half a day, and everyone managed to escape the dungeon safely—including me, who was found and protected by the Hunter ‘Gray Coat’.’
“The authorities will be visiting you soon, Jung Jehee. Until then, please focus on resting. This situation is unprecedented, so it’s best to be cautious. Besides, you’ve been through a lot. We’ll start rehabilitation training after hearing from the authorities.”
It all felt like something out of a movie—so unreal that I still couldn’t believe it. My stomach churned uneasily.
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
“One last thing, Jung Jehee. Congratulations on regaining your health. Truly.”
“…Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, doctor.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything! As expected of the ‘Miracle Child’!”
Hahaha!
The doctor laughed heartily before leaving my hospital room.
Watching his retreating figure, a surge of unexplainable emotions welled up inside me.
I stared blankly at the closed door when, suddenly, my caretaker entered my field of vision.
“Jehee, did you really awaken?”
“I… I think so.”
It still didn’t feel real. I had given up on becoming an Awakener when I was around ten years old.
After that, I gave up on a lot of things in life.
And yet, somehow, I ended up achieving my very first dream.
More than that—it wasn’t just any Awakening.
It was an Awakening that returned everything I had once given up on.
However, I couldn’t see the ‘lines’ right now.
Did I even have an ability?
I was still skeptical…
“Then… can you see me now?”
“Yes, I can see you.”
“Oh dear, if I had known, I would’ve at least put on some makeup. My first impression must be terrible.”
“You look lovely. Please, don’t trouble yourself. Just be comfortable, like you always have been.”
“You’re the lovely one, Jehee. That’s probably why you’ve been so blessed.”
I flushed red with embarrassment.
Blessed, huh?
Did I really do anything to deserve a blessing?
I wasn’t exactly free, but I had lived a relatively comfortable life.
I was in this luxurious VIP hospital room, receiving care from excellent medical staff and a kind caretaker.
“Still, on such a joyous day, why did Taehwan leave so early? He should be glued to your side right now.”
Tsk. The caretaker clicked their tongue, making me feel a little down.
Just as they said, Taehwan wasn’t here with me at the moment.
‘Jehee. Don’t tell me… you can see me?’
When he asked that, my heart pounded in my chest.
I nodded, suppressing the overwhelming emotions, and Taehwan replied,
‘I see. Hold on. I have something urgent to take care of. I’ll be back soon.’
Without any hint of excitement, he simply stated that and left.
And he still hadn’t returned.
I had wanted to see his face more clearly… to reach out and touch him.
But now, all I felt was regret.
“He must be busy. Maybe he had to leave some unfinished work behind because of me…”
“That’s true. Even while waiting for you to wake up, he was constantly getting calls. What about your family?”
“They’ll be here soon. They said they’d come right after work. The kids will be coming too.”
“They must be so happy. If they still managed to finish work before coming, they’re truly devoted. As expected of your mother, Jehee.”
“…You think so?”
“Of course. Just thinking about what happened still makes me shudder. Even in that situation, you prioritized others over yourself. You’re so young, yet you’re truly remarkable.”
“You stayed with me too, didn’t you?”
“Well, that’s… That’s my job!”
I laughed.
Sure, taking care of me was their job, but that was an exceptionally dangerous and urgent situation.
Even though I had chosen to stay, they didn’t have to remain by my side.
Thinking back, the reason ‘Gray Coat’ was able to find me—stranded in an unusual location—so quickly was because my caretaker had informed the rescue team about my presence.
If not for them… I might not be here, celebrating this moment.
“By the way, do you know what happened to the one who saved me? The ‘Gray Coat’ Hunter? Did he return to his guild?”
“Oh! I haven’t checked yet… Would you like to listen to the radio? Or maybe TV would be better?”
“TV! I want to watch it!”
I must have gotten too excited at the thought of seeing it with my own eyes instead of just hearing it.
My caretaker chuckled as if finding me adorable, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.
— The dungeon gate is closing!
But I quickly forgot my embarrassment.
It looked like the raid had only just ended.
The massive, white-flame gate leading to the dungeon was crumbling.
— Haah, at last, ‘Sanctuary of the White Flame’ has come to an end. What a long and grueling battle it was.
— When the ‘Gray Coat’ Hunter left in the middle of the raid to rescue the hospital’s people, we weren’t sure how things would turn out. But thankfully, everything was resolved safely!
— Despite the sudden departure of the ‘Gray Coat’ Hunter, the ‘Sun’ Guild persevered, believing in him and pushing forward. And in the end, the ‘Gray Coat’ Hunter proved himself worthy of their trust. This outcome was only possible due to the deep mutual faith they had in each other.
— Let’s hope that trust remains strong, leading to even more positive results in the future. So, when will the internal footage be released?
— The ‘Sun’ Guild has stated that they’re working to make it available as soon as possible…
‘Gray Coat’ had already left the scene.
The only ones remaining were the Sun Guild members.
However, as the key figure behind the dungeon’s clearance, he kept appearing in the broadcast’s footage.
Because of that, I was quickly able to confirm—
‘I really did see him with my own eyes…’
* * *
