Chapter Text
Welcome, Player.
That was the last thing that Jinwoo remembers before he lost his consciousness as his body bathed in a bright blinding light.
Eyes snapped wide open, and the first thing Jinwoo saw was a white ceiling. Then his nose caught the scent of disinfectant and antiseptics, and then the sensation of a hard mattress behind his back.
What's going on...? The last time he remembered was that he...
He...
Flashes of a dark, ancient temple, a terrifying wide grin of a holy statue that is far from a god, blood, sweat,tearsthatundeniabledominatingaurathatcommandsfearandbloodshedand then a gigantic sword falling on his head to deal with the final blow—
Jinwoo clasped a hand over his mouth just before he heaved up what's left inside his stomach.
He quickly sat up, heart beating quickly in his ribcage as dry, heavy breathing escaped through his nose while his eyes looked around.
He's... in a hospital.
Was it a dream, then?
It couldn't be. It all felt so... real.
The door slides open, startling him.
A middle-aged nurse wearing pale scrubs walked in, his dark eyes perking up as soon as they landed upon Jinwoo's. The nurse has short black hair, which was the typical appearance of a Korean male, pale skin and long lashes beneath a pair of dark-hued eyes. He carried a calm and edgy air, but there was something that particularly struck Jinwoo that the male seemed nice.
"Oh, hey. You're awake." he said good-naturedly with a smile. His voice is very soft-spoken but friendly and polite. "Nice to see you finally up after four days of rest."
"...Three days?!" Jinwoo exclaimed in shock and disbelief.
The nurse nodded in affirmation, pointing at the calendar atop the table next to Jinwoo's hospital bed. "You were here after the White Tiger guild and the inspectors reached the scene, from what I've gathered. You, along with two other patients who arrived here shortly before you."
Two patients...?
It must've been Miss Juhee and Mister Song... Jinwoo thought, his shoulders sagging softly in relief.
"So now, you'll be in my care for a bit. My name is Kim Dokja." the nurse beamed.
Dokja? As in only child?
The confusion must've been visible on his face, because Dokja added, "As in reader, technically. But I'm an only child too."
Then he smiled, "Mind if I check your vitals if you're feeling good at the moment?" He jabbed a finger behind him, his smile a bit strained and silently exasperated, and maybe a little bit annoyed. "The front desk got a message a while ago about two gentlemen from the Monitoring Division who'd like to question you ASAP."
Jinwoo sputtered, "O-Okay, sure."
Dokja smiled and reached for the stethoscope around his nape, and leaned close enough to invade Jinwoo's private space. The older male instructed him to show his chest, and albeit shy, the Hunter did just that.
The chestpiece was cold to the touch as Dokja creased his eyes in concentration of following Jinwoo's heart rate. Then he checked up his blood pressure, all while conversing with Jinwoo like they were friends getting along after a long while.
"E-Class Hunter?" Dokja hummed, smiling thoughtfully. "Sounds like you have a tough time."
Jinwoo sheepishly nodded, his expression a bit downcasted "It's... okay."
Dokja rolled his eyes, almost as if he wasn't even believing the other's words one bit. "Okay? I'm pretty sure low wage and high risk for every dungeon isn't close to okay. I've heard plenty from a friend of mine whose cousin is trying to drop out of school after getting ranked. I don't know how you can deal with it when you could've died anytime."
There was a pensive silence before the nurse felt like he was stepping out of his boundaries. "Sorry, I think I was a bit too far on that topic." Dokja winced, looking sincerely guilty. "It's your job, so I shouldn't pry much into it."
But Jinwoo didn't feel like that. Actually, he was surprised that Dokja had accurately summed everything up.
"No, it's okay, hyung." he admitted, smiling a bit more relaxed than before. "I just thought that being a Hunter is better than any job since it's the only thing I actually can do."
Dokja laughed, and cheekily grinned. "Don't worry. You're stuck with me, so you can add tolerating me a few times as one of the things you can do from now on. I'll tear your ear off from talking about webnovels for sure." he stood back up, giving the male in bed a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "But in the meantime, rest up for a bit before those damn inspectors come in, okay?"
Jinwoo laughed, the natural curls at the edge of his lips lifting up with a warm sensation blooming in his chest. "Okay, hyung." he smiled.
"I'll be off now." Kim Dokja said with a friendly grin as he stood up towards the door, opening it as he glanced back at his patient.
"I'd give it around roughly five minutes before the rabid dogs come in, so be prepared." he warned, winking cheekily.
Again, Jinwoo couldn't stop the small breathy laugh from his lips as the nurse cheekily two-finger saluted him and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Such a funny nurse he has.