Episode 3
Children are fragile beings who get fevers even from the smallest things.
‘I don’t know what makes him so sure, but he’s clearly mistaken.’
The healer snorted inwardly.
“……”
Shin Jae wasn’t unaware of the healer’s hostility, but since it wouldn’t do any good to clash with their only healer, he chose to let it slide once again.
“I’m leaving the child in your care.”
“Yes, yes. You can go now.”
The healer replied lazily to the end, practically shooing him out.
Shin Jae wiped the sweat from the child’s forehead once before reluctantly leaving.
Hwan glanced coldly at the healer, then followed Shin Jae when he was called.
Once they were far enough from the infirmary—
“Are you really going to just leave things like that?”
Shin Jae laughed good-naturedly.
“Healers are valuable assets.”
“He doesn’t seem like he’ll take proper care of the kid.”
“Hmm… if you’re that worried, why don’t you check on the child from time to time?”
“Ugh.”
“‘Ugh’? What’s with that reaction?”
Shin Jae tousled Hwan’s hair roughly, still laughing.
“I’ll be back in the morning. Stay home quietly until then. I won’t be long.”
“…Yes.”
Hwan watched as Shin Jae walked toward the people waiting for him.
“If you’re that worried, Hwan, maybe you should look after the kid.”
“…Tch.”
Hwan clicked his tongue, pulling out another cigarette.
It was a troublesome thing to hear, but even if Shin Jae had said it casually, Hwan couldn’t ignore it.
Shallow, ragged breaths escaped.
Heat pooled in her head, her eyes burning as if boiling from the fever.
Disjointed memories surfaced in her tangled mind, unclear in time or place.
“It’s your fault! If you hadn’t made me have that child, I—!”
Where had she heard that before?
Was it something said to Ah Yoon’s body, or from a much older memory? She couldn’t tell anymore.
‘Maybe because my lives were so similar.’
Even before being possessed, she had been abandoned to an orphanage at a young age.
“Hic…”
Tears streamed from her swollen eyes, red from crying too long. She curled up tightly, sniffling.
No matter how she tried to stop, her breath came out in rough wheezes.
Just then, a sharp tingling sensation struck her from the crown of her head.
“Ah!”
Startled, she opened her eyes wide—just in time to see a translucent window appear in the air.
[Local Server: Korea, Channel: Seoul. User Lee Ah Yoon is awakening!]
[Congratulations, Lee Ah Yoon, on your Awakening.]
Awakening?
Now?
Before she could process it, another window popped up—larger this time.
True Name: Lee Ah Yoon (李峩尹)
Type: Specialized Class
[User Lee Ah Yoon is a Specialized-Class Awakened. Your specialized ability: —- (Unmanifested)]
Just then, the curtains were yanked open roughly.
“What the hell—kid’s still lying here like a lump when I’m already in a bad mood.”
A man approached, voice brimming with irritation.
“Get up already.”
“Ah!”
The man grabbed her and yanked her upright so suddenly that her arm hurt.
Her feverish head spun, and something was thrust before her eyes.
“…?”
A pill.
“Take it.”
Wh—what should I do?
She froze in panic.
‘I… I don’t know how to swallow pills…’
“What are you doing? Swallow it, now!”
Tears welled up in her already sore eyes.
“Unbelievable. Even too stupid for this?”
Terrified, she snatched the pill from his hand.
‘I have to swallow it.’
Just thinking that made her throat tighten—but she had no choice.
The man hadn’t given her any water, so she had to swallow it dry.
With trembling hands, she placed the pill in her mouth.
She clamped her lips shut and tried hard, but the pill stuck stubbornly to the back of her tongue.
‘Wh-what do I do?!’
It was so bitter!
She couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Uweh!”
Her queasy stomach revolted, and she gagged.
“Hey, you little—!”
The man shouted, but she had already vomited the pill back up along with stomach acid.
“Ughh…”
She kept crying—it hurt too much. But the man didn’t look the least bit sympathetic.
“You filthy brat…!”
His hand swung upward. She flinched hard, bracing for impact.
‘It’s coming!’
She shut her eyes tight, preparing for the blow—
‘…Huh?’
But the hit never came.
‘What?’
She peeked her eyes open—
And saw an unbelievable sight.
“You piece of trash—what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
It was the young man from before—Hwan—gripping the other man’s arm tightly.
“Let go of me!”
Instead, Hwan twisted his arm sharply.
“Arghhh!”
A chilling crack echoed as the man screamed.
‘Hic!’
She curled up in fear.
The man twisted and shouted,
“Let go! You think you can touch me, you dog of Shin Jae? Do you even know who I am—!”
“You in a hurry to die?”
“Aaaagh!”
“Hiccup.”
Her tiny hiccup escaped before she could stop it.
“!”
Hwan blinked—he had momentarily forgotten she was there.
She covered her mouth with her chubby hand and shook her head rapidly.
It meant she’d stay quiet—she promised.
Hwan clicked his tongue again and shoved the man away.
“Ugh!”
The man stumbled, barely catching himself, his face flushed red with fury.
“You! How dare you do this to me!”
Spit flew as he ranted, nearly frothing at the mouth.
“I’m a healer, a healer! Do you know what happens if I leave this guild?!”
Hwan’s jaw clenched tight.
‘He’s… a healer?’
A man who’d raise his hand to a three-year-old because she couldn’t swallow a pill was a healer?
Just then—
“What’s all this noise?”
A familiar voice spoke up. A man with warm brown eyes appeared.
“What’s going on here?”
“What’s going on?” the healer shouted. “Your damn mutt broke my arm! What are you going to do about it?”
“What?”
The man turned to Hwan, asking silently for an explanation.
Hwan answered curtly.
“He was hitting the child.”
“When did I—! You lying bastard—!”
“Enough.”
The brown-eyed man raised a hand, and a strange pressure filled the air.
The healer fell silent at once.
“Little one, can you tell me what happened?”
He looked at her gently.
“Did this man hit you?”
“Wait a second!”
Before she could answer, the healer shouted again.
“Is that what matters right now?”
“Mr. Jang Dae-won.”
“If you’re going to take his side, maybe I should reconsider staying in this guild!”
“!”
Her mind raced.
‘In the novel I read…’
Healers were indispensable on the battlefield—but there were very few of them.
Not only was training one difficult, but awakening into the healing class was incredibly rare.
‘And this man is the guild’s only healer.’
Which meant… right now, the guild’s only healer was threatening to quit—because of her.
‘W-what do I do?!’
Panicking, she tugged at the brown-eyed man’s clothes.
“…Hm?”
“Ah, ahn mada-ttuh-yo. (I-I wasn’t hit.)”
She explained desperately through her babyish speech.
“Ajoh-ssi ga na appa-seo yak muh-guh-hen-de, na u-wek he-ttuh-yo. (The man gave me medicine ‘cause I was sick, but I threw up.)”
“Mr. Jang Dae-won.”
The brown-eyed man’s gaze moved to the vomit on the floor.
He frowned.
“You didn’t seriously give her a pill, did you?”
“Well, I—”
“I thought I told you to take good care of her.”
No!
The tension in the room rose again.
I panicked and cried out—
“Dda-dda-uh-ji ma-rah-yo! (Do-don’t fight!)”
Thump!
“!”
“!”
The air rippled faintly as soon as I spoke.
“What… was that?”
Both men’s eyes turned to her.
“Um…”
Then someone peeked through the door into the chaotic infirmary.
“What’s going on here?”
“The woman who came with you last night just woke up and is asking for the child. What should we do?”
“Perfect timing. Let her in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man stepped aside—and moments later, a pale, worn-out woman entered.
“Ah Yoon!”
“Thun-them-mi!” (Teacher!)
Teacher?
How was she here?
The woman—Teacher Eun-ah—rushed over and scooped her into her arms.
“My poor Ah Yoon. Why were you crying, hmm?”
“Thun-them-mi…”
Then it hit her.
In the novel, when explaining how rare healers were, it had mentioned examples of the existing ones.
‘And one of them was…’
Choi Eun-ah.
Her eyes widened in shock.
‘Teacher Eun-ah is a healer!’
At that moment, another translucent window appeared.
[system] A Specialized-Class Awakening Quest has been generated.
You have recognized a budding healer.
Use your unique ability ‘—-’ to accelerate her awakening!
Upon success, your unique ability ‘—-’ will fully awaken.
W-what does that even mean?
‘So… Teacher Eun-ah is a healer, and I can help her awaken faster?’
But how?
“Ttheon-them-mi…”
She looked up at Eun-ah, eyes trembling.
“Yes, Ah Yoon. Tell me, sweetheart.”
And before she could stop herself, she whispered—
“Ggah-ttheong-he joo-se-yo…? (Please… awaken?)”
