I Became a Villainous Character with a Limited Lifespan - Episode 111

Episode 111

It was a face that looked a little startled, unlike usual for Seok-hyung. He tightened the scarf that had been wrapped loosely again and pulled the wheelchair back to the hospital room in a bit of a hurry.

The wheelchair that had been moving smoothly with his rushed footsteps swayed greatly and clattered. Seok-hyung, who had been worrying about Seung-hyun even with the brushing wind, was just moving his feet quickly without noticing, perhaps because he was startled.

He was curious why he was suddenly acting like that, but not enough to ask. Without saying a word, Seung-hyun just sat quietly in the wheelchair Seok-hyung was pulling and waited to arrive at the hospital room.

“…I was complacent.”

Right after returning to the hospital room, Seok-hyung sighed and slightly frowned. Since his face didn’t show much expression, it was the first time seeing him make such a face.

“It’s not that I don’t know quite a lot of people recognize the director’s face, but to make such a basic mistake…”

Seung-hyun easily figured out the reason Seok-hyung was startled. It seemed someone had recognized Seung-hyun’s face. Although he didn’t know in detail what repercussions the sight of Seung-hyun in a hospital gown and wheelchair would cause, it was sure to become bothersome.

“…I didn’t want it to be known.”

Knowing how fast rumors spread and what kind of impact it would have if Seung-hyun’s whereabouts were known, why had he overlooked this?

Seok-hyung clenched his fist tightly, blaming himself. Seeing that, Seung-hyun slowly said,

“It will be difficult to stay quietly now.”

“I apologize. I will do my best to have you discharged as soon as possible.”

Seok-hyung apologized, bowing his head deeply. He had thought this was the safest place to stably rest, but if his location was known, it was only a matter of time before Seung-hyun’s situation was revealed.

‘Director Han hated showing a weak appearance more than death.’

Although he had a face that looked like he didn’t care what happened now, the Seung-hyun that Seok-hyung knew was different. Even without considering Seung-hyun’s will, Seok-hyung also didn’t want to let others know of Seung-hyun’s weak appearance.

So the current situation was definitely bad news. Moreover, today wasn’t the first time they went for a walk. Yesterday, they went out without covering his face at all, so his location might have already been known.

“How bothersome.”

“…Don’t take it lightly. Once it becomes known that Director Han is in the hospital, all kinds of hyenas will tear apart the director’s illness.”

“……”

“Even people who only knew of the director’s existence will talk as if they know the director well.”

Seung-hyun, who had been listening indifferently, suddenly froze at a thought that came to mind. If everyone found out about his condition, even if the exact illness wasn’t known, if it became known that his situation wasn’t good…

‘Will that person also find out?’

Then would Jae-young also find out about his condition? For the first time in a while, an expression appeared on Seung-hyun’s face.

“If that’s the case…”

“…I hate it.”

Just imagining it was horrible. He didn’t want it to be known in this way. A completely ended relationship. A body that was precariously holding on as if it would collapse at any moment.

When the only lingering attachment in the life he had barely forgotten came to mind, he felt a little terrible. Seung-hyun shook his head.

“I hate that.”

“…We will have to move your location to a place where others can’t easily approach. Now that your location is known, this place is no longer safe.”

Seok-hyung said he would talk to Professor Kim, the attending physician, and left the hospital room. Left alone, Seung-hyun was lost in thought for a moment.

If it became known that he was here, how long would it take for that rumor to reach Jae-young? How would Jae-young react to that news?

If he acted like it was nothing, it would mean he had completely erased Seung-hyun from his life, so it would be a good thing, but honestly, it didn’t seem like he would be happy.

On the other hand, what if he cared about that news and looked for Seung-hyun again? It would be better if it was after he died, when there would no longer be a way to meet or even a small spark to think of hope. But if it was now when they could still meet, Jae-young was a warm person, so he might want to see Seung-hyun.

Perhaps, even though it was Seung-hyun who spit out harsh words and pushed him away, he might apologize instead. He might approach again as if he had never been hurt.

Ironically, it didn’t seem like he would be happy even if he did that. To Seung-hyun, Jae-young was a lingering attachment. A lingering attachment that made Seung-hyun, who wouldn’t care even if the world ended today, think about tomorrow, the future, and what-ifs.

‘It’s better not to meet.’

He couldn’t be sure himself how he would react the moment he saw his face. Seung-hyun began biting his nails.

This time, he would have to go to a place where no one could find him, a place where even if they tried to find him, they couldn’t enter. Even if he suddenly had a seizure and died like the Seung-hyun in the original work, a space that was so secluded and private that no one would notice seemed good.

“Discharge isn’t impossible, but…”

Professor Kim, who came after receiving an urgent call, said while gauging the two’s reactions. He was just startled because they demanded discharge without even explaining the reason.

‘It’s not impossible, but… Secretary Lee, didn’t you care too much about Director Han’s health?’

“It would be better to stay at the hospital to handle unexpected situations.”

“…We ran into someone we know on the walking trail. Since they have a loose tongue, the fact that the director is here will probably spread in no time.”

“Ah…”

It was a vague explanation, but there was no difficulty understanding the situation. After thinking for a moment, Professor Kim nodded.

“…I understand. Then I will do an overall examination, and if there are no major issues, I will arrange for you to be discharged.”

With Professor Kim’s permission, it was decided to be discharged after undergoing examinations over two days. It was following the opinion that it would be best to check thoroughly and leave safely.

Seok-hyung also immediately agreed, saying it would be good to allow that much time since it would take time to find a new residence.

‘Even if his condition is good…’

It seemed like a meaningless thing, but he didn’t care either way. Seung-hyun, who finished the simple tests first, went to bed a little early.

However, unlike usual when he would fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes as if he were hibernating, today he couldn’t fall asleep easily. In two days, he would leave this place and go to a place no one knew again.

Would Jae-young find him before that? Or would he escape faster? He couldn’t tell which one he wanted himself.

But one thing was certain. Jae-young’s face, which he thought of for the first time in a long time, was so vivid that he missed him even more.

He didn’t want to show his own appearance, but he wanted to see Jae-young’s face even once if possible. But since that couldn’t happen, Seung-hyun tried hard to shake off thoughts of Jae-young and had difficulty falling asleep.

***

“I will handle the remaining work, so you can leave now. Unless there are any changes, patient Han Seung-hyun will be discharged the day after tomorrow, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“See you tomorrow.” 

After sending everyone off work, Professor Kim sat in front of the monitor and quietly stared at the screen. It was a window showing the results of the tests Seung-hyun did today.

His condition couldn’t even be falsely called good, but there was no separate treatment that could be done anyway. All that could be done was to check if it was to the extent that a seizure wouldn’t occur right away, how fast the progression had become, and to what extent the situation could be suppressed with painkillers, so most moved on to the next screen before long.

As he was examining the results one by one like that, Professor Kim paused on one screen.

“Hmm…”

It was no exaggeration to say that all tests that existed in preparation for an emergency were done. Among them were tests that didn’t need to be done and were unrelated to Seung-hyun.

It was a test done simply because of the small possibility that the cause of the recent pheromone rampage might exist in a different part than the existing one, in addition to the pheromone levels being so poor. He thought he could pass over it without any abnormalities, but a clear sense of discomfort was felt from the image.

It was strange. He had thought the bizarre pheromone levels were just due to the broken pheromone glands, but perhaps that wasn’t the case.

“……”

If the results he was looking at weren’t wrong, it was amazing that Seung-hyun, who had experienced a rare case that was difficult to encounter even once in a lifetime, experienced it twice. It wasn’t a common case to have such an illness at a young age, and if these results weren’t wrong, this was an even rarer case.

“I’ll have to talk to the secretary when he comes. No, before that, I should test again…”

He couldn’t tell the person involved. Delivering this news to Seung-hyun, whose health was already poor, could lead to something bad happening due to excessive shock.

Although he hoped it wasn’t the case, no matter how many times he looked, only the same screen appeared. Something that was difficult to find in the black and white image but could be clearly seen was filling Professor Kim’s monitor screen.