Chapter 378: Taking a Break (3)

Even the one-and-only Kang Jin-Ho thought his heart nearly jumped out of his mouth.

'What should I use as my excuse?'

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

I stopped by to see if you're sleeping well? I wanted to see you one more time before leaving?

Before all that, though, what was he supposed to say about how he managed to slip past the nurses undetected?

Kang Jin-Ho felt cold sweat drops trickling down his forehead.

“Ahwuuoom…”

Fortunately, though, Choi Yeon-Ha closed her eyes again and rolled to the side. It seemed... she was merely babbling in her sleep.

“Hah…” Kang Jin-Ho couldn't hold it anymore and sighed softly. He quietly raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat off his brow. This must've been the first time since his return to the modern era that his heart raced so fast.

'And I wasn't this surprised when the tunnel collapsed all around us, too...'

Kang Jin-Ho mused that being next to Choi Yeon-Ha had gotten him involved in some crazy things, then tapped her pressure point. He confirmed Choi Yeon-Ha was in a deep sleep, then carefully placed his palm on her abdomen.

'I'm kind of leery about this...'

Kang Jin-Ho did treat someone in a similar manner before. However, that was right after his return to the modern era, when his awareness of modern conventions was still out of whack. He must've acclimatized splendidly since then, because Kang Jin-Ho was worried about how long he'd have to eat the dreary prison food if someone caught him in the middle of this scene.

He hurriedly withdrew his hand, then went over to the doorway to check if it was locked before returning to the bedside. He already knew checking the lock was useless since anyone with a key card could assess the room, anyway. Perhaps that was why his anxiety level refused to go down?

'Whatever. Let's finish this quickly and get out of here.'

Since Kang Jin-Ho was worried about such things, should he take that as proof of finally becoming a commendable citizen of the modern era? Or was such a mindset a lame attempt at fooling himself?

Kang Jin-Ho pressed his palm on Choi Yeon-Ha's abdomen and carefully drove his essence qi into her.

“Mm…” Choi Yeon-Ha moaned weakly when the flow of warm energy entered her. There was no danger of her waking up since Kang Jin-Ho had put her to sleep, but her body still responded instinctively to the sudden changes happening to it.

Kang Jin-Ho's expression hardened as his level of concentration went up even higher.

His qi entering Choi Yeon-Ha's dantian began rushing toward her head next. Kang Jin-Ho closed his eyes and concentrated and soon... sensed dark and turbid qi densely filling her head and its surroundings.

'What an odd thing this is...'

Modern medicine had advanced to reach heights unimaginable back in the past. The wonders of modern medicine meant patients that couldn't be saved in the past had a great chance at making a full recovery these days.

Not just in terms of treating external injuries, modern medicine was also far superior in treating internal injuries as well. Even then, there were some areas of the human body the miracles of modern medicine still couldn't touch, but the martial arts could. Kang Jin-Ho found this so mysterious and odd.

'If you think about it, martial arts should be seen as something mysterious and physics-defying?to modern?common sense, too...'

In the past, the concept of body and mind being one was accepted as a matter-of-fact. Humans were creatures of qi, and so the theory went, physical or mental ailments were caused by one's qi going haywire.

Maybe the difference had to do with how each field approached its subjects?

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly.

'Her condition is worse than I thought.'

The turbid qi in Choi Yeon-Ha had been stuck near her head for too long and even began affecting her vital qi. Her condition was worse than it seemed on the surface. Kang Jin-Ho was tempted to praise her for keeping a brave front despite how serious her condition actually was.

Thankfully, though, Kang Jin-Ho didn't detect any other issues besides the turbid qi in her. He gently roused his qi and began sucking in the turbid qi pooled around Choi Yeon-Ha's head.

Death qi and demonic qi were two types of energy that Kang Jin-Ho enjoyed handling the most. The turbid qi in Choi Yeon-Ha writhed and moved according to Kang Jin-Ho's will as if it was his in the first place.

After sucking out every drop of that turbid qi out of Choi Yeon-Ha's head, Kang Jin-Ho withdrew his hand and wordlessly stared at her. He noticed a hint of pink in her cheeks and thought she looked far better than before.

'I'm sure this will do the trick...'

Choi Yeon-Ha's condition wouldn't suddenly improve overnight because all of her turbid qi was gone. However, it'd still be a sizable improvement compared to before, and she should return to her old self soon enough.

After saying a silent goodbye to Choi Yeon-Ha, Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly left through the window. Kang Jin-Ho landed back on the hospital's roof and looked up at the starless night sky. That pitch-black darkness seemed to settle his mind simply by staring at it.

'If only I could've done the same back then...'

Kang Jin-Ho squeezed his eyes shut.

Eliminating Choi Yeon-Ha's turbid qi was nothing to him. Her health and condition not being life-threatening certainly helped, but there was another factor to consider. Tonight proved Kang Jin-Ho had gotten much stronger than back then...

If only he didn't hesitate...!

What if he didn't get put off by the prospect of dealing with more annoying things after getting stronger... Wouldn't he be able to achieve far more? All those matters he had to turn a blind eye to because he didn't have the necessary power... Wouldn't he have been able to deal with them?

Kang Jin-Ho slowly bit down on his lip. The darkness of the skies acted like a canvas as his mind drew a picture of a face he missed a lot lately. If only he had steeled his resolve sooner! He could've saved Sister Yi's life.

'Am I... living as I am supposed to?'

No one could tell him that. Kang Jin-Ho stared at his own hands. He needed to become someone capable of accepting the hands of those reaching out to him. And... He should also become someone capable of reaching out.

However, he couldn't do that lately after various incidents kept happening around him. He knew that was no excuse, though, and thought he needed to reflect on this properly.

'Right. Roll up my sleeves a little more.'

Kang Jin-Ho stared at the skies for a little while longer before lightly jumping off the hospital's roof.

***

“Mm...?” Choi Yeon-Ha shuddered awake at the unexplainable coldness. “Argh... Doesn't this hospital have heating?”

She quickly sat up, only to get hit in the face by uncaring cold winds.

“Ng?”

She finally noticed one of the windows was wide open, and the cold winds were rushing inside from the opening.

'That's weird. I thought I closed all the windows before going to bed last night, so how?'

That couldn't be, though? She distinctively remembered closing all the windows, so how...?

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head in confusion. She was sure of closing the windows, but one of them was clearly left open. Since her room was located on the top floor, the likelihood of someone opening the window from the outside was non-existent. This didn't seem to make much sense...

'Could I have opened it while sleep-walking?'

If not, maybe a nurse opened it? Choi Yeon-Ha slipped off the bed and walked up to the window to close it.

“Mm... The morning sun feels nice…”

A gentle smile spread on Choi Yeon-Ha's face as she enjoyed the morning sun's blinding rays entering through the glass. For some reason, she... felt great today. In the last few mornings, Choi Yeon-Ha would always wake up feeling heavy, bloated and anxious, probably as a result of not getting a good-enough sleep. However, she felt great this morning, as if she had finally enjoyed a relaxing sleep.

Improved moods meant even her head was clear. The sudden bouts of anxiety and fear were nowhere to be found, too.

“This is so weird…”

Choi Yeon-Ha tilted her head. Her condition improving was great news, but not knowing why could be a problem. If getting better literally overnight was possible, she wouldn't have been so worried until now.

“Could it be...?”

No, that was not possible. Choi Yeon-Ha quickly shook her head.

What she thought up of just now was utter nonsense. Talking to Kang Jin-Ho briefly last night couldn't have been the catalyst for her to get better, now could it?

'But that's the only thing I can think of...'

Choi Yeon-Ha had been receiving shots of sleeping medication every day, so that couldn't have been it. The only change in her daily schedule in the last few days was Kang Jin-Ho's visit. But that couldn't have...

“...I must be crazy.” Choi Yeon-Ha rubbed her cheeks hard. “Totally lost it. A helpless nutcase!”

Eventually, though, Choi Yeon-Ha chuckled helplessly. Perhaps due to her improved mood, she could finally see the reality before her eyes.

Vigorously rejecting something wouldn't make it untrue. And it was about time Choi Yeon-Ha accepted the fact that she had fallen for Kang Jin-Ho.

“Hnng~.”

Choi Yeon-Ha turned and headed to the mirror. But the reflection greeting her back was unfamiliar. A face with no make-up, framed by messy bed hair, and a pale complexion, to boot!

Thankfully, though, hints of glow in her cheeks meant she didn't look sickly, at least!

“Yup, this much is already a top-tier, isn't it!”

Choi Yeon-Ha, seemingly her confidence fully restored after all the turbid qi was sucked out of her head, smiled confidently and turned around to exit her room.

“Hi! Sister, are you there?”

“Miss Choi?” The nurse was taken aback by the sight of Choi Yeon-Ha walking out of her room for the first time of her own volition. “You must be in high spirits today, Miss Choi! Were you going on a stroll?”

“No, but can you help me schedule a meeting with my doctor?”

“May I ask what for?”

“I'd like to get discharged.”

“Miss Choi? You wish to get discharged today?”

“Yes. I didn't need any extra treatment, anyway. That means I don't need to stay here as an inpatient, right? Besides, I was supposed to be discharged earlier but insisted on staying here longer, didn't I? Doesn't that mean I can leave whenever I want?”

“Well, technically, that is true, but... In that case, how about talking to our section chief when he's doing the morning rounds, Miss Choi?”

“Ah! That's a good idea. Okay, I'll do that. Thank you!” Miss Choi smiled brightly and waved her hand while stepping back inside her room.

Nurses watched the door close, then began whispering to each other.

“Her mood seems to have improved, doesn't it?”

“I thought she was suffering from depression? Did it worsen to manic depression?”

“...Gotta say, though, celebrities are really something else, aren't they? I thought she was an angel from that smile alone!” The nurse tutted softly, prompting her colleague to tilt her head.

“I thought you didn't like Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Well, yeah. She's, like, a stuck-up b*tch, right? Now that I saw her smiling face up close, though... I can't even be jealous of her anymore. I'm telling you, I don't think she's a human being like us.”

“Yeah, you're so right. I read in gossip columns that famous actors were trying to ask her out all the freaking time! She must have a boyfriend, right?”

The nurse shook her head. “Nope, she doesn't. If she did, he should've visited her already.”

“He might be trying to avoid the public's eye, you know?”

“Every time I was in her room, I tried to see what she was doing, but I never saw her using her phone. And no, it's not like she puts the phone down when I'm in the room, but... It's like she was treating her phone like a watch! It was totally discarded on the table, you see?”

“Why would she do that?”

The nurse tutted again and looked down on her colleague. “Have you ever seen a girl with a boyfriend?

not

glued to her phone? KaTalk or whatever app she uses to chat with her boyfriend, the normal thing would be for her to spend 24/7 on the phone.”

“...Wow. You're right.”

“Choi Yeon-Ha is famous for being an aloof, ice-cold beauty, right? Most men probably can't even measure up to her standards, anyway. Besides, you know how curt she is, don't you? No wonder she's still single.”

“Really?” The nurse's colleague tilted her head and glanced back at the doorway to Choi Yeon-Ha's room.

'Weird. She didn't seem like a bad-mannered person, though...?'

Then again, one shouldn't judge a book by its cover alone, anyway.

***

“Forget it!”

Choi Yeon-Ha glared at her reflection in the mirror and shook her tightly-clenched fists.

“This doesn't suit me! Definitely not! I'm not even a lead in a romance manhwa, so what the heck am I even doing!”

She was Choi Yeon-Ha! Wickedness formed half of her, while the other half was filled with pure grit!

Even if she was a total noob in romance, Choi Yeon-Ha shouldn't be blushing and getting all faint-hearted from some guy! That was just not her style!

“I’m not lacking in any aspect, am I!”

Becoming a princess pining for love was definitely not in her future plans. A woman should have pride, after all!

Choi Yeon-Ha was South Korea's premier actress and the most beautiful woman in the country, at least by her own estimation. Who cared about what other people thought about that! Besides, wasn't the health of her bank balance quite robust? And... Well, even if her academic records could be better...

“Who cares! Good looks can make up for anything!”

Academic records didn't put food on the table. Good looks did! In any case!

No matter what the yardstick was, Choi Yeon-Ha was undoubtedly a top specimen. Having confirmed that fact in her mind, Choi Yeon-Ha clenched her teeth.

“Meandering like this will only hurt my pride!”

With a clearer mind came the monster named 'pride' worming its way into her heart. The problem with this situation was that her pride was now acting up in a weird way.

“How dare he not fall for me when I tried to seduce him! Aren't you a man, too?! I'm going to bet my pride now!”

While Choi Yeon-Ha was fiercely glaring at her reflection and shouting, “I’m gonna make him fall for me! You can do this, Choi Yeon-Ha!” the section chief entered the room and had to bear witness to this weird scene.

He stopped his rounds to stand there and seriously ponder if it was okay to discharge Choi Yeon-Ha so soon.