When I was met with silence, she briefly sighed and changed the subject. It was like she was tossing me a seemingly plausible reason, saying, "Here, take this."
“I believe that those who are meant to manifest should manifest. Wouldn’t that be better? Why, isn’t that what you learn in mandatory education? It’s also what manifestation theorists always say.”
This was the same as in my world. In the middle school curriculum, there was the argument of a modern scholar that those who will manifest, should manifest.
When I first learned it, I was still in my pre-possessed life and a Beta with no chance of manifesting, so I just read it and moved on. To think it would come back to me like this, now that I’m Han Sol.
Come to think of it, there was a rationale they always pushed for why people should manifest. It was the issue of health problems.
Won’t I get sick if I don’t manifest? It was too late to be thinking about that. Not only was I about to be outed as unmanifested, but I now had to worry about being forced to manifest.
Didn’t she say, ‘whether it’s with drugs or by using an Alpha’? Drugs were one thing, but what did she mean by ‘using an Alpha’? Using an Alpha. Don’t tell me…
“Let’s say I’m unmanifested. I’m really not, but let’s just say I am…”
Not wanting to reveal my trembling, my voice dwindled to a whisper. Not wanting that either, I forced strength into my throat.
“How on earth would you make me manifest? Please, explain it again.”
“What other methods are there? It’s either drugs or an Alpha. Do it in the way my son likes. Once your admission is confirmed, that’s for you and the hospital to decide. Mom said she won’t intervene that far.”
The way Han Sol would like it would surely be the Alpha. The problem was whether that meant simply receiving pheromones from an Alpha, or having a physical relationship with one.
I found both options nauseatingly repulsive. I didn't want to receive pheromones from some unknown Alpha, nor did I want to have a relationship. I couldn't be locked up in a bed, doing that, just to manifest. And who knew? What if the hospital treated me even more harshly?
“Ugh…”
Just the thought of it was so disgusting it made me want to vomit.
Lee Geumyeong shot me a sharp look, as if she thought I was making a scene. Did she not feel the slightest bit of pity for me? Han Jinheon saw me as pitiful.
For a moment, I buried my face in my hands and closed my eyes, slowly steadying my breathing. I tried to find calm by picturing Han Jinheon’s face in the blackness behind my eyelids.
The person I currently trusted and relied on. I was desperate for the person who gave me a sense of stability. If it has to be like this, I want it to be Han Jinheon. I want to receive pheromones from Han Jinheon. I want to manifest for the Alpha I love…
Was it because of my fear and dread that I had missed my chance? Is that why I’ve ended up in this state? Despairing over my situation, I felt a surge of emotion. I swallowed down the sob tickling my throat and asked.
“Does Father know? That I’ve been brought to this hospital…”
“He doesn’t. And he wouldn’t care. He’s the type who wouldn’t know even if you were admitted, discharged, and returned to the main house.”
“……”
“There’s no need for him to know. All that will matter to him is what your new trait is when he sees you again.”
Damn it. These are not parents.
Han Jinheon had not spoken empty words. More and more, I was desperately realizing there was a reason he had told me he was the only one in this house who thought of me, that I should trust only him.
If my possession was a dream and I could return to my days as a reader of this novel, I would want to leave a comment for Han Sol.
Treat Han Jinheon well. Even if you cause trouble, don’t stay by the side of your soul-crushing parents, stay by Han Jinheon’s side. He’s a precious person, to you and to me.
The bridge of my nose tingled, and my eyes welled with tears. My eyelids felt heavy. This wouldn’t do. I would rather douse my entire face in water than shed pathetic tears in front of this woman.
“I can’t. I need to wash my face… I’m going to wash my face.”
Lee Geumyeong didn’t stop me when I stood up. She didn’t grab me even when I strode towards the door of the consultation room. The large men, having no orders from her, just stood there blankly.
I quickly glanced at them with a wary expression, wondering if I could go alone, but I kept my feet moving diligently.
The thought that now was my chance, while they were all off-guard, struck me like a flash of lightning. I sprinted not for the bathroom, but for the entrance.
“Stop right there!”
“You’ll get hurt!”
As I broke into a full run, a few of the men shouted and began to chase me. I ignored them, reaching the door and pushing on the handle without stopping, but the result was pitiful.
Thud—.
"Ugh!”
The door was locked. The force I had exerted was thrown right back at me, and I fell backward.
My mind had already burst through the door, but my body was sprawled on the floor. After a short scream, I couldn't say anything, just blinking my eyes. My violently startled heart felt like it would leap right out of my chest, its beat intensifying.
By the time the men surrounded me, I was clutching the area around my heart, trying to calm myself.
They pulled me to my feet. When they turned me around, I saw Lee Geumyeong standing in front of the office, looking at me with an expression of utter contempt. She was clicking her tongue, her red lips twisting into a sneer.
So that’s it. There was a reason you didn’t try to stop me. I’m really and truly fucked.
***
Before long, a gaunt, middle-aged man who appeared to be a doctor showed up. With his arrival came my blood test results. The report was simple. All they needed to see was the trait ratio.
If this was all it was, I don’t know why they took three whole vials, I grumbled, picking a fight for no reason. The doctor chuckled, saying all the patients admitted here complained about the same thing. Fucking great. I hate that he’s already treating me like a patient.
“Hmm. As you can see here, this…”
CRASH!
Just as the doctor began to speak, a sharp noise rang out. I could even hear the murmuring of people. The startled doctor half-rose from his seat and turned his head toward the sound. I did the same, but Lee Geumyeong was unmoved. She simply asked with a displeased expression.
“It’s noisy outside. Is this hospital reliable?”
“Of course! It’s probably nothing. Someone must have broken a cup.”
“Does a cup breaking sound like that…? Never mind. Just explain the test results.”
Lee Geumyeong cut him off coldly, as if she had no time for small talk. The doctor, who had been trying to lighten the mood after his initial shock, composed himself and pointed to the monitor with the tip of his pen.
“So, this is the value that separates Betas and Omegas. The top is Omega, and the bottom is Beta. In our patient’s case…”
CRASH!
At the repeated shattering sound, the doctor stopped talking again. He turned his head once more toward the sound. For him, it was a second glance away from the monitor, but I had been staring in that direction the whole time.
This was a shattering sound from the hospital entrance, not the sound of a mere cup breaking. If so, there was only one thing it could be. The locked hospital door.
But that didn’t make sense. Why would the door suddenly shatter? Lee Geumyeong seemed to be thinking the same thing. A vein pulsed at her temple as she said sarcastically,
"Someone’s certainly breaking cups loudly. Does this hospital have any security measures? How can I trust you with my son at this rate?”
“Of course we do. If you look near the entrance, there’s security and… one moment. Let me go check on the situation.”
“No, aren’t there people outside? They can handle it. Don’t stop, just explain.”
Lee Geumyeong sighed in irritation and tucked a shimmering strand of hair behind her ear. The hesitant doctor stood up, deciding he couldn’t let it go. As he stepped out, saying he would just check what the commotion was, I followed him.
“You sit still.”
I ignored Lee Geumyeong’s attempt to stop me. I’m just checking, what’s the big deal? I was curious. A locked door couldn't just shatter on its own.
I stepped out of the office, navigated through the whispering crowd, and looked toward the entrance, then froze in shock. There were two doors at the entrance, an inner and an outer one, and both had been smashed to pieces.
My gaze moved from the completely destroyed doors to the glass scattered across the floor, and then to the familiar tips of black dress shoes.
My eyes traveled up from the shoes, over a familiar form, and finally landed on the face of the person I had been waiting for.
Even though I had given up, I was waiting. I believed he would come. I didn't think that man would let me be trapped in a place like this.
“Hy-hyung… Hyuuung!”
My face crumpling, I ran straight for Han Jinheon.
The men who had been in a standoff were unable to come after me, intimidated by Han Jinheon’s aura as he stared them down. Reaching him safely, I threw myself into his arms.
It’s Han Jinheon. This rough hand stroking my hair, this heat—it’s really Han Jinheon.
I lifted my head to see his face up close. Seeing him every day, I had forgotten how precious it was. I had never wanted to see this face so badly. Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Han Jinheon’s eyebrows shot up fiercely.
“I told you to stay quietly at home, and you came all the way out here for a drive.”
“A drive…? I wish that’s what it was! I thought I was going to be trapped here forever!”
“Even if you were, you could probably get out right away if you just paid them.”
“Is that supposed to be comf—? Huh…? H-hyung. Is that blood on your hand? This is blood! You’re bleeding!”
I had been so focused on confirming it was him that I hadn't noticed right away. It wasn't his left hand, which was stroking my hair, but his right hand, which had been hidden behind him, that was dripping with blood. The tattoo was obscured by it.
So that’s how this Alpha broke those doors. He must have used his fists.
“Are you okay?! Isn’t it a serious injury?!”
“It’s fine.”
“It doesn’t look fine at all! What do we do? What should we do? Let’s at least stop the bleeding here before we go, okay?”
I wanted to leave immediately, but with Han Jinheon here, I wasn’t afraid of the others anymore. As long as I was with him, I could stay in this place as long as it took, so I wanted to treat his wound first.
“I told you it’s fine.”
“Really? Are you really okay? Doesn’t it hurt? It doesn’t hurt?”
Han Jinheon shook his hand, his face showing a slight annoyance at my worrying. He was so nonchalant even as blood dripped from it, and I found it fascinating. Just looking at it made me so dizzy I could barely breathe.
________
(t/n : Hi! You can unlock more chapters on my Ko-fi. I also just uploaded a new novel, (The Guide's System) on my Ko-fi too! (◍•á´—•◍))
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