Vol 8 Chapter 4

When he opened the door after hearing the answer from inside, a bitter smell much stronger than the typical medicinal scent permeating the hospital wafted out. He bowed his head in greeting before making eye contact with the man sitting behind the computer.

"Ah. It's Mu-heon. It's been a while."

The doctor raised his glasses and lifted his head while looking at the chart as he greeted him. The nameplate on the desk was engraved with the name Shin Jung-seok. He was the doctor who had continuously handled Kapros's rehabilitation therapy and examination result consultations after his accident. His friendly eyes that gave a sincere impression curved gently behind his glasses while examining Kapros.

"It's already been two years since you stopped coming in person for consultation after regular checkups... Has it been that long since we last met? You've really grown up completely."

"..."

Since the doctor had first seen him when he was in his second year of high school, Kapros couldn't say anything even if he still saw him as young, but he wasn't in a relaxed enough state of mind to go along with such leisurely conversation.

After being hospitalized for over a year following the accident, he had initially received regular checkups every two weeks even after discharge. However, as his condition gradually stabilized, the intervals between checkups lengthened to once a month, then once every two months, and after being evaluated that once every six months would be fine, he had switched to conducting simple examinations directly through his computer at home and sending the results to the hospital to receive confirmation emails.

That had been practically a declaration that his condition would neither improve nor worsen anymore, so even when he took the examination recently, he hadn't thought at all that there would be any particular results, but...

What kind of verdict did the email that arrived yesterday want to give him?

When Kapros just stared without smiling at Dr. Shin Jung-seok's words, the doctor soon awkwardly scratched his head and muttered "Still the same" before returning to a serious face.

"Right. You were hospitalized recently for contusions and fractures? You had a leg examination then too. The hospital called you because this examination's results were different compared to the same examination from a year ago."

"Different results... you say?"

His fingertips on his knee grew cold as he clenched his fist until his nails dug in. Dr. Shin Jung-seok nodded while flipping through several documents before asking another question.

"Yes. Have there been any changes in your condition over the past few months?"

"If you mean changes in my leg, there haven't been any..."

"Ah, no. What I wanted to ask about were changes in your lifestyle, or any tiny changes in your condition. If you can think of anything that's changed compared to a year ago, tell me anything."

Changes in lifestyle... Though he couldn't understand why the doctor was asking such questions, Kapros carefully tried to recall what changes there had been for him over the year.

Let's think back to a year ago. That was when he had stopped coming to the hospital directly for examinations, and also when he had taken a leave of absence from school and was living day by day doing nothing at home. And... was that when he started MIST?

'Right. MIST...'

As soon as he thought of MIST, countless experiences from the first day he logged in until now flashed through his mind.

Days when he came to trust people again, started looking back at people he hadn't looked back at, and began enjoying each day while working part-time. Thinking about it, so much had happened.

But he wasn't sure if he should mention this... After hesitating briefly, Kapros opened his mouth.

"I'm playing a game."

"A game? What kind of game?"

Seeing Dr. Shin Jung-seok's expression that couldn't hide his surprise, somehow many scenes from MIST came to mind. The huge cities, beautiful forests. The mountains and fields and many people he had walked through and seen himself. His nerves, sharpened from not sleeping properly, naturally relaxed and his stiff lips loosened slightly.

"A game called THE MIST."

"THE MIST? That's... Ah, that famous..."

Dr. Shin Jung-seok scratched his head saying he had only heard of it but had been too busy to try it, and began writing something on the chart.

"But from what I heard, that's practically a game you play with your actual body. Is it alright for you to play it?"

"There's a special capsule, so I play through that."

"Ah. Aah... Right. I think I heard about that too."

The doctor stroked his chin and nodded, then showed disbelief at hearing about the changes in Kapros's life since starting MIST.

"You're doing part-time work? And kendo at that?"

"It just happened that way."

"My goodness. I don't know what to say. Kendo... Is it really alright?"

They both knew well that he wasn't asking if it was alright simply in terms of whether it was difficult. He had been the one most concerned about Kapros's serious aversion to kendo.

Though at the time Kapros hadn't liked such concern from him at all... He quietly nodded.

"It's alright... now."

Completely encouraged while listening to Kapros's story, Dr. Shin Jung-seok asked several other questions.

"I feel good hearing only such good news. By the way, how's your psychogenic anthropophobia? Have you had no problems while working or playing the game?"

"It's been... better than expected."

"Have you gone out beyond your neighborhood into the city?"

"Three or four times..."

"This is truly unbelievable progress. Have you even traveled alone and come back?"

"I haven't done that yet."

Dr. Shin Jung-seok, who had nodded with a slightly regretful expression, underlined things he had been scribbling on the chart and continued speaking.

"Amazing. Truly amazing. I'd believe it if someone said you became a different person in a year. And this is all since starting that game?"

"Yes."

Dr. Shin Jung-seok's surprise was no different from the surprise Kapros had already felt before. He too often thought that his current self had really changed a lot from before.

"It seems you've really improved a lot mentally during this time. However..."

One of the most hated words to hear in a hospital - "however" - came out. Kapros swallowed dryly while feeling his body, which had barely relaxed, stiffen again.