Vol 5 Chapter 31

To be precise, it was the same as saying there had been no change at all...

'Maybe I should get a proper check-up after all this time.'

He remembered that his leg had been aching frequently lately as the temperature dropped below zero and cold winds blew. If he had to sit here bored like this anyway, he thought it might not be a bad idea to get one as the doctor suggested.

As he recalled his long-term hospitalization days, he suddenly remembered that there was a mini hologram computer function available for limited use next to the patient's bed. He hadn't used it before, so he had forgotten about it until now.

He immediately got up and found the button attached to the head of the bed, pressing it carefully. A hologram screen popped up, proving that his blank state until now had been foolish.

After rummaging through the drawer to find a wireless keyboard, he slowly moved his left hand instead of his plastered right hand to press the VT-net access button. As soon as he connected, the main screen of a major portal site appeared, moving dizzily and displaying a welcome message. As he was thinking about what to look at while stopped there, various news articles flew by three-dimensionally in front of his eyes.

[[Sports] BAG defeats SAP 3:1, advancing to the quarterfinals... ]

[[Society] Multi-level marketing gang that fled with 800 billion won arrested after deceiving people with promises of big money... ]

[[Science] Will the virtual world recognized by the brain affect reality? ]

[[Entertainment] Model Kan returns after a long hiatus, breaking his tentative break from activities with B.M cover... ]

He was about to scroll down after skimming through them when the cursor touched the [Entertainment] article. Suddenly, a photo attached to the article popped up large on the screen.

'...What's this?'

In the photo, a man whose face wasn't clearly visible was standing with his back turned, wearing only pants on his bare upper body. With his hands tucked into his waistband as if about to lower his pants, he was looking at the camera with his head slightly turned, smiling in a strangely suspicious manner.

After blinking a few times and examining the photo closely, there was an explanation that it had been taken for a magazine cover. As he was a model, the man's bare physique in the photo looked flawless, but that wasn't what caught Kapros's attention.

'It feels like I've seen this somewhere before...'

The bridge of the nose slightly visible under the hat, the chestnut-colored hair cascading like chocolate, and the lips smiling with just the corners turned up like a painting... All of it somehow felt like someone he had seen before. The overall facial expression and contours were eerily familiar.

But there was no way he could have seen a celebrity appearing in such news...

As he was thinking this, suddenly there was a knock. Then a nurse entered, opening the door and drawing back the curtains that had been closed all night, greeting Kapros.

"Good morning, Mr. Kang Mu-heon. The weather is lovely today, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

The nurse, smiling cheerfully, paid no attention to Kapros's awkward response and turned her gaze to the photo he had been looking at.

"Oh, this is Kan!"

So this person's name is Kan? The name sounded completely unfamiliar. Then he must really not know this person...

"I saw him once before, and he's much prettier in person."

In the photo, the face wasn't visible, so it was impossible to confirm if the description of "pretty" fit. However, the nurse didn't seem to expect an answer and continued talking while lightly manipulating the hologram screen floating by the bed.

"Kan came here for a charity event a few months ago. I heard he often did donation events, mainly for the long-term care ward and children's ward. I happened to have the chance to take a photo with Kan then, and it's now my number one treasure. I still have it, would you like to see?"

"..."

Once again, Kapros missed the timing to respond that it was okay, having been lost in thought. The nurse cheerfully rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small card wallet.

"Here it is. It came out really well, didn't it? Maybe because he's a model, his face was really so small. I don't know if it's okay for a person to be this criminally beautiful. Don't you think?"

Kapros, who had been squinting and forcing himself to look at the photo, opened his mouth wide in surprise a moment later. The nurse, not noticing his reaction, continued speaking.

"At this time, Kan's hair was a light color. It's not silver or gold, but the subtle color is really pretty, isn't it? I guess this is what they call pearl color."

Even without her saying so, Kapros could recognize that the tall man standing in the middle of the people in the photo, smiling as if he had some scheme, was Kan. Surprisingly, the man was someone Kapros knew.

Although he was wearing sunglasses that covered his eyes, there was no doubt. The assassin with purple eyes who used to cover his face. Lucrecian, whom he hadn't seen since they parted ways long ago, was in that photo.

'How is this even possible...'

Kapros could only blink in disbelief. He wondered if it might just be someone with a similar appearance, but it didn't seem likely that there would be two people in this world who could smile that uniquely mischievous smile, like a cat that had stolen fish.

He was so busy alternately looking at the magazine cover photo still on the computer screen and the photo the nurse had shown him that he barely heard her continuing words.

"Oh my, look at me. I've got a call, so I must go now. Is there anything uncomfortable about your hospitalization?"

"No, I'm fine."

Even after the nurse, startled by the call from her electronic nameplate, had left, Kapros couldn't completely shake off the shock for a while.

"Sigh..."

As he turned his gaze back to the monitor with a sigh, an article suddenly caught his eye. Kapros's downcast eyes snapped open.

[[Game] THE MIST (Saturn Co., Ltd.), Fourth video update finally released! A fantasy world that's renewed day by day... ]

'What?!'

He immediately searched and entered THE MIST's official homepage. However, the hospital computer, which was less powerful than the one he used at home, seemed to struggle connecting to the website flooded with traffic, moving sluggishly and stuttering. Feeling frustrated, he unconsciously tapped the bed railing with his fingers, staring intently at the screen.