Vol 2 Chapter 8

"That boy... he would be your junior, wouldn't he?"

"Yes. He's from Suun High School too."

"It seems he originally learned archery and entered that school as a special talent student, but due to circumstances, he said he's not doing it anymore."

At that moment, Un-o's words, "I used to do archery before kendo," flashed through Kapros's mind again.

Kapros abruptly stood up. Then, he quickly spoke to his master, who was looking puzzled at his disciple's sudden haste and trying to support him.

"I'd like to leave early today, if I may."

"What?"

Park Un-o, for some reason, Kapros felt he shouldn't let him quit like this. With that level of concentration, he could become anything, but at just nineteen, his surroundings were eating away at his talent. A trained body and the strong mind supporting it. Both were too precious to give up now, making Kapros grit his teeth.

'I don't know about anything else, but I can't let him give up and disappear because of external factors.'

As he took off his upper dobok (traditional martial art uniform), Kapros calculated how quickly he could reach the hospital if he walked as fast as possible.

"Haa... Haa..."

He left immediately and came to the hospital, relying on his cane. Just that much movement had left him breathless.

This hospital, where Un-o had headed before, was also where Kapros had received his rehabilitation treatment. Judging by the throbbing in his leg, he had clearly overdone it. Ignoring the gazes of people around him, Kapros headed to the hospital counter again.

"What brings you here?"

The staff member cautiously asked Kapros, who was drenched in sweat.

"I came for a hospital visit, but I forgot the room number. Is it possible to find it with just the guardian's name?"

As Kapros spoke expressionlessly, she tapped on the hologram LCD computer in front of her for a moment and then nodded.

"If they've allowed external visits, it's possible. What's the name of the person you're looking for?"

"Park Un-o."

"Mr. Park Un-o. ...Yes. He's registered. They've allowed visits."

He was there. There couldn't possibly be two people with that name, so Kapros sighed with relief at finally finding him and asked again.

"Where should I go?"

"Room 1504."

"Room 1504... Thank you."

Without taking a moment to rest, Kapros got into the elevator again and pressed the button. He knew the 15th floor well. It was the floor where long-term patients usually stayed.

Long-term hospitalization. It was something Kapros had experienced and knew well too.

In the ward full of long-term patients filled with an endless sense of despair, it was almost impossible to find a sense of hope. Many diseases are researched and treatments developed, but those empty spaces are usually filled with new illnesses and incurable pains. Like his leg, for instance.

With a bitter feeling, Kapros stepped onto the 15th floor. The corridor was quiet and empty, with no ordinary people visible except for the occasional passing staff member. Kapros stood in front of room 1504, barely managing to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the nameplate.

'Room 1504 Park Un-yeon'

Un-o and Un-yeon. At a glance, he felt he had come to the right place.

The nameplate was blinking green. It meant visitors were freely allowed. Slowly, he raised his hand to the door and knocked on the closed door.

Knock knock.

There was no sound from inside. Kapros waited for a moment, then knocked again, knock knock knock. Again, only silence returned. After waiting for a while with no response, he finally carefully turned the doorknob. Just as he was about to peek through the slightly opened gap and ask if anyone was there...

"Don't come in..."

Kapros stopped at the small voice.

A girl was sitting up, leaning against the hospital bed next to the window with bright white curtains drawn. On the small chair beside her was a simple luggage bag, probably brought by her family, but now it seemed they had stepped out for a moment as no one was there.

The moment the girl's head turned towards him, Kapros regretted opening the door rashly, thinking he should have just waited outside. The atmosphere inside the room was white and bright, but the girl wouldn't be able to feel it. Her eyes were thickly bandaged.

"Who are you?"

Kapros looked at the surprisingly thin and haggard girl, then sighed.

"I came to see... Park Un-o."

It was a polite statement meant to reassure her as much as possible, but the girl stiffened and trembled in surprise.

"Did you come... to collect money?"

Money? While Kapros was taken aback by this unexpected situation, the girl retreated, clutching her blanket tightly.

"O-oppa isn't here right now... Oppa..."

"No... Wait."

Realizing from those words that the girl was certainly Un-o's younger sister, Kapros quickly spoke.

"I'm from the kendo dojo where Un-o was learning. I didn't come because of money."

As he hurriedly explained, the girl finally stopped moving and cautiously asked back.

"Kendo?"

For some reason, Kapros felt he shouldn't mention that Un-o had quit kendo. He decided to quickly change the subject.

"Um, well... Ah... But where is Un-o?"

Looking at that unpacked luggage bag over there, it meant that someone who had been here together had left before even tidying up and closing that bag... Even if he didn't know where the other family members were, Un-o seemed to be in financial difficulty, so he probably couldn't afford to hire a caregiver. This hospital was quite expensive for using a private room, as its facilities were excellent.

Kapros guessed that the person who had been here and left was Un-o or his family member. Meanwhile, the girl, who seemed to have finally gained confidence in his identity, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Are you really from the kendo dojo?"

"Yes."

"Then why did I hear the sound of dragging feet? Are you injured somewhere?"

"..."

Kapros was momentarily at a loss for words at that sharp question. Had she heard that subtle sound in such a short time and judged his condition? It was no ordinary hearing.

"...A little."

"I thought so... Oppa went downstairs for a moment. He'll be back soon if you wait a bit."

As Kapros had guessed, Un-o was here. As he finally relaxed and leaned on the cane in his hand, he saw the girl smiling gently from beneath the bandage covering her eyes.