He vividly rembers the day his sister, Choi Rona, fell into a sleep from which she could not be awakened.
Choi Cedric went to dungeon that day after receiving an urgent request for support. When he hesitated, worried about Rona being alone, she slapped him on the back and laughed.
“It’s okay, just hurry up and go, I don’t want anyone whining about my brother not being there when needed.”
“I’ll buy bungeoppang
1 when I get back.”
“……Then get it with whipped cream.”
Those were the last words Choi Cedric heard. When he returned, Choi Rona had already fallen into a deep sleep. Neither the cause nor treatnt is known. He tried everything, but nothing worked.
The intermittent seizures robbed her of even the most restful dreams. Whenever he saw her moaning in pain, it was hard for Choi Cedric to bear the thought of his own uselessness.
At least she hadn’t had a seizure ever since he’d brought the Blue Celaeno Flower…….
He spent Christmas alone with Rona in her hospital room. He placed the unwrapped present on the bedside table and gazed at his sister’s peacefully sleeping face.
Hurry up and wake up. You have to get up quickly.
He didn’t dare utter the words, afraid to imagine those tightly closed eyelids might never open again.
But now … she said there’s a cure for Rona?
The hope he had been trying to suppress until now made his heart pound. A glimpse of hope tasted so sweet.
“How? What should I do?”
“There’s just one problem, we have to send her sowhere else.”
“….yes?”
Choi Cedric showed a wary expression without realizing it. Lee Sein displayed a gentle expression as if to reassure him.
“I will explain it in detail. A new treatnt has been discovered. I’m planning to invite a healer from abroad who uses a new treatnt thod.”
“Then there’s no need to send Rona sowhere else, is there?”
“We need the dical facilities. Rest assured. She won’t be travelling far, she’ll be staying in a hospital with good facilities. You won’t be able to see her for a while, but once she’s out of intensive care, you’ll be able to visit.”
“…….”
“Cedric, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to proceed straight away. What do you think?”
He should accept.
At least that’s what he thought in his head. He had to do whatever it took to heal Rona, who hadn’t woken up in a long ti.
But the sense of discomfort that kept nagging at him weighed heavily on his tongue.
“……Cedric?”
Lee Sein smiled softly, studying his expression. Did Lee Sein always smile like that?
He couldn’t tell. Why does it feel so uncomfortable?
After hesitating, Choi Cedric could only offer a delayed answer.
“It’s just so sudden … I’ll have to think about it and tell you later.”
“Okay, you must be troubled. Take your ti to think. It’s a really good opportunity to heal Rona.”
“……Yes.”
Choi Cedric bowed his head and turned to leave, but before he could step outside, Lee Sein, who had moved closer, spoke again.
“Oh, right. Cedric.”
“Yes?”
It was an insignificant comnt, as if it were just a passing comnt, but her eyes were directed straight at Choi Cedric. Choi Cedric saw a gleam in those eyes that resembled a gemstone.
“You’ve been to the library. Did you get the book you were looking for?”
“…..”
When he didn’t answer, Lee Sein closed the door.
Krak.
Choi Cedric left the guild leader’s room and headed for Choi Rona’s hospital room. The sight of his sister’s face seed to calm his troubled mind.
He walked through the deserted corridor and into the darkness of the hospital room. As he reached for the light switch, he saw the darkness inside stir.
An intruder.
“Who’s there?”
He asked sharply, but the other person didn’t answer. Click. The room lit up.
“Aaahhhh! My eyes.”
The intruder groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. Choi Cedric imdiately grabbed him and tried to subdue him.
“Uh, you……?”
But he stopped moving when he saw the face exposed under the bright light. It was soone he’d t at the last camping trip. A mber of Kwon Rieul’s family.
“Eek, are you okay?”
He unconsciously stretched out his hand to help Kwon Seokmin up, but stopped.
This hospital room is equipped with a double lock. No one is allowed in except for himself, Lee Sein, and the assigned healers.
“How did you get in here?”
Choi Cedric looked at Kwon Seokmin with a wary expression.
Looking at it, the way he was dressed was odd. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in days, his beard was overgrown, and his clothes were a ss. For so reason, he was wearing a shackle with a broken cord on his left ankle.
“I ca to give New Year’s money to a good child.”
Kwon Seokmin grinned and said sothing whose aning was unknown.
***
The pawn shop Lee Chorok told about was deep in an alley in Jongno District, 5th Street.
“Oh! It’s over there.”
I pointed to the signboard in front of . The surrounding restaurants were already closed and the alley was dark. This was written on a sign that was flashing so brightly that it hurt my eyes:
We will serve you with kindness.
Safe pawn shop open 24 hours a day
Nothing seems to be safe at the point where you need to write that it’s safe in your own words.
“Wow. I’ve seen this a lot in noir movies!”
“Yichan-ah, don’t say that.”
“Why?”
“In movies like that, soone always dies or sothing bad happens.”
But the pawnshop indeed looked like sothing out of a noir movie.
While we were having this conversation, my eyes were drawn to a sign next to the pawn shop.
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