Chapter 3: Hope (2)
The ride was quite smooth, perhaps because it was a famous celebrity’s or an illegal luxury van.
Harmu’s house was in a villa complex quite far from the mansion. Many buildings were old and run-down, seeming very old.
Harmu looked at Jin-woo.
“This is your first time in a place like this, right?”
“It’s a nice place. Old and cramped, though.”
“Ha, if you can’t even say that…”
Jin-woo chuckled.
This much was a great place. There were many times when he was grateful just to have a roof over his head.
At least there were no cockroaches the size of a house.
No bats that devoured fire and light.
‘It’s a nice place.’
Children were running and playing in the alleys, and mothers were laughing and talking to each other.
A small truck was selling fruits in the corner of the alley, and students were seen snacking at a nearby food stall.
Harmu, who got out of the car, went to get her younger sister.
Jin-woo leaned against the van and waited for Harmu.
Since Harmu was an indispensable talent, he thought it would be good to make a good impression on her younger sister.
Jin-woo was nodding and thinking that way.
Harmu approached, pushing a wheelchair. In the wheelchair sat Harmu’s younger sister. Not only was she blind, but she couldn’t walk properly either.
Jin-woo tried to greet her casually. However, the moment he saw her face, his body froze.
Unlike typical half-elves with diverse hair and skin colors, she had the appearance of a pure-blooded elf with blonde hair and white skin.
When elven blood was strongly inherited, such an appearance appeared even among half-elves.
It wasn’t her appearance that made him freeze.
Jin-woo had seen that girl before.
There was no way he could forget.
The old memory struck the back of his head as if it had risen.
‘Her eyes were gouged out… And in that state, she seems to have been roughly used.’
‘…Tell me exactly.’
‘The eyes were gouged out about 3 years ago, it is estimated. Since she was alive until recently, in this state, she must have… suffered a lot.’
Needless to say, he had talent in magic.
After instantly acquiring a 7th-grade mage license from a 9th-grade mage, he moved to the Investigation Bureau.
It was the first case he commanded on-site.
The scene inside the factory gave him a strong trauma. And the corpse of the girl, the only one with warm remnants of life, was something he could never forget.
If he had found out faster, if he had started the investigation sooner, he might have been able to save her.
‘As of now, we control this place.’
‘What? Who will investigate the scene if not our Investigation Bureau? The culprit is still…!’
‘8th-grade detective of the Investigation Bureau? Withdraw immediately. That’s an order.’
Without even conducting a proper investigation, the case was transferred to another department.
After that, no one mentioned the case. There was no news of the culprit being caught.
That’s when distrust in the Magic Association began to sprout.
That girl was in front of Jin-woo’s eyes.
Jin-woo barely managed to exhale his clogged breath.
“Sis?”
Harmu was at a loss for how to explain.
Jin-woo quickly organized his surging emotions and spoke faster than Harmu.
“…Hello? I’m Lee Jin-woo. I’m studying under Ms. Harmu.”
“Ah, yes. That… Ah, hello?”
“Sorry for dropping by unexpectedly. I also wanted to do volunteer work, so I asked the teacher.”
Although a new contract had been signed, initially, the contract was for a home tutor, so it wasn’t a lie.
Harmu looked at Jin-woo, who had quickly switched gears and become a polite model student, with a dumbfounded expression.
Was it hypocrisy?
For a young master who always had unpredictable words and actions, he was extremely normal.
“I’m…”
“You’re Aina, right? I know from what the teacher told me.”
Aina shyly smiled and nodded.
He knew her name.
He had heard it from Harmu, but he knew it even before that.
A single on-site photo and the name written in the report.
Destruction was not far away.
It always approached people from close by, eating away at them, and it just rushed in like a collapsing dam when it piled up.
“Ah! Let’s get in first.”
The interior of the vehicle was spacious, with more than enough room for the wheelchair to fit in. Harmu moved Aina to the seat. She sat next to Aina and stared at Jin-woo.
She seemed to be wary.
Jin-woo talked to Aina without showing any signs.
“Really?”
“Yes, I dropped out of school and now I’m studying at home.”
“Same as me. I’m also learning from my sister.”
A strong will could be felt from Aina.
Although her body was disabled, there was no trace of despair or darkness.
That’s probably how she endured in that hell.
Jin-woo looked at her wrist.
“That bracelet…”
A small charm made of red knots was attached to the bracelet, and it contained magical power.
A kind and warm energy could be felt.
“My sister made it for me. She said with this, she can find me anytime, anywhere.”
“…Ahem, it’s an experimental work.”
When Harmu said that, Aina held the charm attached to the bracelet and smiled.
Harmu seemed somewhat embarrassed.
Jin-woo knew that bracelet.
It was the bracelet Aina was gripping tightly until just before she died. She gripped it so tightly that her hand couldn’t even be opened. It was covered in so much dirt that it looked almost black.
All documents related to Aina were disposed of, so Jin-woo didn’t know that Harmu’s younger sister was Aina.
The Magic Association treated all related matters as confidential.
Jin-woo leaned deeply against the seat backrest.
‘Harmu, Aina, and Dr. Kim Jin-han.’
A very strong ominous smell was emanating.
Jin-woo was not yet properly prepared. However, he couldn’t let this matter slide. If he couldn’t even solve the problems around him, it would be impossible to prevent the destruction.
Aina moved her lips and opened her mouth.
“Do… Do you like books by any chance?”
“Yes, I like them.”
Harmu felt conflicted as she looked at Aina’s shy expression.
She wanted to tell Aina about the true nature of Lee Jin-woo, but seeing Aina smiling and talking, she had no choice but to remain silent.
Aina had been in her room since she was young, so she had no friends. Let alone friends, Harmu was the only one she could talk to.
The image of her practicing by talking to a doll came to mind.
Aina must have been imagining all along.
What kind of conversation she should have with a child her age, how she could approach them.
‘Still…’
Although Aina, who was clumsy in relationships with others, made some mistakes, the arrogant young master unexpectedly laughed it off.
He listened to her well and wittily kept the conversation going when it was about to end. The conversation and atmosphere didn’t feel awkward at all.
Harmu thought she knew Jin-woo’s true nature well.
Maybe it was a pretense?
However, strangely, it didn’t feel like an act.
Squeeze!
Harmu clenched her fists tightly.
Aina’s condition was getting worse, and it was unknown how much longer she could live.
She had visited large hospitals and famous doctors, spending a huge amount on treatment, but there were no results. But Dr. Kim Jin-han was different.
“Sis?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry too much.”
Harmu hugged Aina.
Jin-woo watched them with a small smile.
Shortly after, they arrived at their destination.
It was a bit far from the special residential area. There were quite a lot of people, lining up to receive groceries or get treatment.
There were many beastmen and orcs, and humans could also be seen.
Getting out of the car, they approached a tent in front of the building.
A middle-aged man in a doctor’s gown saw Harmu and Aina, smiled kindly, and waved.
‘It’s Dr. Kim Jin-han.’
It was the real, living Dr. Kim Jin-han, not the brutally dead corpse.
“Hello? Dr. Kim.”
“Oh! Harmu, you’re here. Hmm? Aina has become even prettier!”
“Hello?”
They greeted each other as if meeting an old acquaintance.
Jin-woo quickly scanned the surroundings. The building was old but clean. It had the appearance of a neighborhood clinic. There were boxes stacked in front of the tent, containing groceries and medical supplies.
Volunteers were smiling and carrying luggage or helping with meal distribution.
The boxes had a corporate logo that Jin-woo also knew.
‘It’s from Hancheon Group.’
It was a company that owned several large hospitals and was also famous in the pharmaceutical field. This was probably around the time when Dr. Kim Jin-han began to stand out.
“Hmm, that person is…”
Dr. Kim Jin-han looked at Jin-woo.
Jin-woo met Dr. Kim Jin-han’s eyes.
“I’m Lee Jin-woo. I’m Aina’s friend.”
“What?”
At Jin-woo’s words, Aina looked startled.
“I came to volunteer.”
“Oh! I see! Haha! You’re admirable even though you’re still young! Your parents must be proud.”
“Well, they would be if they were alive.”
“Ah, um, that… I’m sorry.”
When Dr. Kim Jin-han apologized with an embarrassed expression, Jin-woo shrugged.
Harmu cleared her throat and spoke.
“There are many patients.”
“Hmm? It’s alright. Other doctors have come, and many volunteers have come to help. It’s become much more comfortable. Moreover, there are no urgent patients today, so it’s relatively leisurely.”
Dr. Kim Jin-han said that.
His eyes and expression seemed sincere. He seemed to consider treating patients as his mission.
Jin-woo looked at Dr. Kim Jin-han for a moment, then approached him.
“These, are they supported by Hancheon Group? It seems like you’re receiving regular support… The situation is better than I thought.”
“Haha! That… Jin-woo. You’re quite precocious.”
“I am. Magical medicine is quite expensive, so this isn’t a donation but support, right? A portable mana meter… It’s something you can only see in large hospitals.”
Despite Jin-woo’s somewhat rude attitude, Dr. Kim Jin-han didn’t get angry but looked at Jin-woo with an admiring gaze.
“Young master.”
Harmu called out to Jin-woo in a small voice, but Jin-woo didn’t pay attention. Opening boxes, holding medical supplies in his hands and examining them – to anyone’s eyes, he looked like a cheeky third-generation chaebol.
“Let’s go inside. It’s difficult to examine Aina here.”
Dr. Kim Jin-han said that and stood up.
Jin-woo approached Aina.
Aina felt Jin-woo coming in front of her and tensed up slightly.
“Aina, this may be a rude request, but…”
“Yes. Sp-speak.”
“Would it be okay if I observe the examination?”
When Jin-woo said that, Harmu, who was next to him, abruptly grabbed Jin-woo’s shoulder.
Then she came close and whispered quietly.
“Young master, if you came to volunteer, go over there and carry some luggage.”
“Why would I do such hard work?”
“Sigh, so you didn’t come to volunteer after all. What is your purpose?”
“I’m going to think about that from now on.”
It was a small conversation that only the two of them could hear.
Aina gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and raised her head.
“I! That…”
Everyone looked at her as she exclaimed.
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke as if she had made up her mind.
“If… If you talk casually… It’s okay to observe.”
“What?”
“Because… We’re friends…”
Silence fell for a moment.
Harmu’s mouth gaped, and Jin-woo blinked. Aina’s face turned bright red.
“Hahaha!”
Dr. Kim Jin-han laughed loudly.
As attention was focused on him due to his laughter, Aina’s entire face turned completely red.
She lowered her head to cover her face, but she couldn’t hide her pointy ears sticking out.
It even gave the illusion that heat was emanating from her.
Jin-woo looked at Aina.
She was fidgeting her fingers, waiting for Jin-woo’s answer.
“Right. It’s a bit awkward for friends to use honorifics. Aina, let’s go in.”
“What? Ah, no, uh, okay.”
Jin-woo pushed the wheelchair and followed Dr. Kim Jin-han into the hospital.
Harmu stood frozen in that spot for a while.
“…Huh? What?”
For some reason, she felt wronged and had a strange feeling.
