ALL NOVEL Chapter 272
Chapter 272. Connection
The moment Min So-yeon’s curse was lifted, and her stamina drastically dropped.
From the statement that she would become a vegetable or slip into a brain-dead state.
“What if we give her more herbs? Or even a potion?”
“That’s pushing it. Unless it’s a potion powerful enough to revive someone who’s dying, it’s better to give up.”
“Damn….”
Even with Kabuum’s excellent herbs and the existing potions, they could only extend the patient’s lifespan.
Restoring her to a state where recovery was possible proved challenging.
In the end, Min Yu-ri had to give up on treating her sister here.
“Though I’ve said that, I hope for your sister’s swift recovery as well.”
“…….”
“That would raise the value of this body, as Desa, on Earth.”
With those words that could be taken as either sincere or a joke, Desa was once again dragged by the Hero Department officials.
He was locked up in the underground prison where Jerry had been previously confined.
Before leaving the hospital, Yang Ji-cheol greeted Yoo Ji-han in the lobby.
“We plan to arrange a meeting with the other patients and Desa soon.”
“Please let us know when you have good news.”
“Yes! If Ji-han ever needs Desa again, just tell me. I’ll prioritize Min So-yeon in all treatments.”
Nodding respectfully, Yang Ji-cheol exited through the hospital’s front door.
As Yoo Ji-han quietly observed his retreating figure, he noticed Chilla clinging to the glass door.
“Chirp! Captain! How did it go?”
“They said treatment is difficult for now.”
“The atmosphere feels heavy. Chirp….”
Chilla’s tail and ears drooped with the unexpected results.
“What about the master? Chirp?”
“She’s probably still in the hospital room.”
Right after the no-treatment ruling was declared.
Min Yu-ri stared blankly at the floor until people exited the hospital room.
“Chirp! Did you know? Long before I met the master, she dreamed of treating her sister!”
“I know.”
With just a witness’ testimony that Min So-yeon had been attacked by the Giant Cat Monster.
Min Yu-ri spent years obsessively hunting the Giant Cat Monster as a hero.
Chilla, who had been with her through it all, understood Min Yu-ri’s feelings toward her sister very well.
“I’ve already knocked down tens of thousands of cats. Chirp. But I haven’t gotten a single clue.”
“…….”
“But ever since I met you, everything has changed.”
Min Yu-ri stopped her obsessive hunt for the Giant Cat Monster.
She joined Sweet Fun to seek ways to restore her sister.
And today was the day she achieved the most meaningful results toward that goal.
“Chirp! I believe the master’s sister will wake up soon!”
“I’ll definitely create better opportunities.”
“Then, Captain! You need to return to the hospital now. Chirp. The master needs you.”
As Chilla waved her arms, urging him to head back to the hospital.
Unable to refuse her insistence, Yoo Ji-han turned and boarded the elevator once more.
When he arrived at the floor where Min So-yeon was hospitalized, he saw Kim Si-hu and Lee Mi-a sitting on the sofa.
“You’re here, hyung.”
“Ji-han. Should we leave soon?”
Lee Mi-a glanced furtively at the tightly closed hospital room door.
They were considering leaving quietly to give Min Yu-ri some space.
“I’ll just say hello and come back.”
Yoo Ji-han opened the closed door and stepped inside the hospital room.
Min Yu-ri, who had been left alone in the room, was quietly observing her sister with her back to the door.
“Yu-ri.”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m okay! I’m really sorry about earlier.”
Her voice returned to its usual tone, contrasting sharply with the excitement from moments ago.
Yoo Ji-han spoke while facing her back.
“I know you must have been hopeful; I apologize.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Ji-han.”
“Still.”
“Regardless, the chances have increased compared to before, right? So-yeon might recover.”
“…….”
“If we can find an extraordinary herb, there may still be a chance. You know, the one you mentioned initially about the medicinal herb turning into a monster….”
He recalled his previous words to recruit Min Yu-ri into Sweet Fun.
Yoo Ji-han nodded in recollection.
“Then you remember the promise I made back then?”
“Yes.”
——I’ll add one special condition to the recruitment offer I made to you.
——If you join Sweet Fun, the entire guild will actively cooperate to find a way to restore Min So-yeon.
Min Yu-ri remembered his promise as well.
The very reason she managed to save Desa, who was on the brink of death, was all because of that.
“I’ll find another way, as I said.”
“Alright. But, Ji-han.”
“Yes?”
“Can I take a vacation starting tomorrow? I’ll spend about a week with my family.”
“Yes. Feel free to rest as long as you need.”
“Everyone has their personal schedules… You can go back now.”
Even until the end, Min Yu-ri tried to turn her back on Yoo Ji-han.
To which Yoo Ji-han responded.
“Before that, just look over here for a moment.”
“……No.”
“Why not?”
“…….”
“If that’s the case, I’ll just move ahead.”
Yoo Ji-han took slow steps closer to Min Yu-ri.
At that, she covered her face with both palms.
“I-I’m fine. So….”
“Don’t lie.”
With a face that seemed on the verge of tears.
How could she so calmly claim to be alright?
“Let go of this.”
As Yoo Ji-han grabbed her wrist and pulled her hands away from her face.
Tears that had been barely held back spilled from her damp eyes.
Yoo Ji-han watched the tears drop down her cheeks and chin.
“It’s okay to cry when you’re sad.”
“Hoo, hoo…!”
Min Yu-ri clenched her eyes shut and wept quietly.
In front of her sister, who had been in a comatose state for years, these were her second tears.
“We’ve been through life and death together; we’re close enough to accept that much.”
Yoo Ji-han gently embraced her frame.
Until her tears finally dried up completely.
*
[[Hero Column] The Troublemaker Returns Alive.]
[Heroes who returned from Kallem to Earth!]
[France holds a grand parade for the returning heroes…….]
[Regarding the 10 different worlds the heroes have reached.]
…….
…….
When Yoo Ji-han’s party departed for Kallem, it was winter.
When he returned to Korea, it was early spring, with the cold easing slightly.
And as of early spring, searching for the keyword “heroes” led to an overflow of related articles.
Most of them focused on heroes who had returned from other worlds to Earth.
“Did those people really go to another world?”
“Wow, I wonder what that other world was like! I’m really curious.”
“I can’t live without air conditioning.”
“There should at least be fans over there.”
The citizens’ interest in them was as immense as the attention given to astronauts.
Among the overseas heroes who returned to Korea, some even received large welcome ceremonies.
The ones that garnered the most attention were undeniably the Rank 1 Heroes.
And…….
[Watanabe Yosuke praises Hero Yoo Ji-han.]
[Yoon Do-ha from Dice: “If it weren’t for Yoo Ji-han’s party, I wouldn’t have made it back.”]
[Sweet Fun — writing a new history as a small guild.]
[The first guild established by a different race: Sweet Fun…….]
The names of Yoo Ji-han, as mentioned directly by the Rank 1 Heroes, and his party’s guild name, Sweet Fun, spread widely through the media.
The heroes who accompanied him were all notable individuals as well.
But at this moment, there was no one in Korea who received as much attention as Yoo Ji-han.
“Thank you for your hard work, Jang Sa-im.”
“Haha… I somehow managed it.”
While Yoo Ji-han’s party was absent, it had been Jang Sa-im managing various tasks for the guild.
After news of his monster disposal company, Mongdang, being taken over by Sweet Fun spread, he had been busy dealing with numerous inquiries alongside the staff Yoo Ji-han had hired.
“But what am I supposed to do with all this?”
The volume of inquiries had soared to levels that were impossible to manage after Yoo Ji-han’s party returned to Korea.
Jang Sa-im felt greatly troubled by the piles of unread emails and incessant phone calls.
“If I tackle them all one by one, I’ll have to pull an all-nighter.”
“Just ignore them all!”
“Huh? Are you serious about ignoring all of this?”
“I’m planning to hire more people soon. They can handle it then.”
“Oh, that’s quite a relief.”
Jang Sa-im sighed in relief at Kim Si-hu’s response, indicating he would increase manpower.
“Lee Mi-a! Have you been in touch with Current?”
“I’ll meet her at 5.”
“If you need anything, let me know. I’ll go accordingly.”
Lee Mi-a had an arrangement to meet Lee Hyun-jae from Keroes’ management department.
He was the same person who had offered recruitment proposals before Yoo Ji-han departed for Kallem.
In a situation where there was a lack of excellent personnel, he planned to bring him on board immediately if possible.
As he processed work that was piled up for a while, Yoo Ji-han left the office with Kim Si-hu.
“Hero Academy feels much quieter now.”
The office of the Hero Academy was in use for free, and Yoo Ji-han sensed that it had become noticeably quieter than before.
“It seems a number of dropouts occurred.”
“Really?”
Unlike Yoo Ji-han’s party, who successfully graduated early from the Hero Academy.
Some parties that had entered alongside them had dropped out due to low evaluations.
Kim Si-hu subtly mentioned the news he heard from an associate.
“You know, that one who always picked fights with your brother?”
“Moon Kyung-jin from the Knife Guild?”
“I heard that Moon Kyung-jin’s party dropped out with the lowest scores. Apparently, he stopped attending classes altogether at some point.”
“Hmm….”
Upon hearing that Moon Kyung-jin had left the Hero Academy, Yoo Ji-han narrowed his eyes.
He seemed too proud to drop out before graduation.
“On the contrary, Go Mina’s party received very high evaluations. She’s likely to graduate at the top.”
“I expected as much from Mina.”
Yoo Ji-han nodded.
Go Mina’s party consistently received good treatment at the Hero Academy, having trained under her oversight and frequently appearing in promotional videos alongside James Kang’s party, which had historically received high praise.
“How about Min Ju-yong’s party? The one that was always stuck to Yu-ri?”
“Oh, they dropped out too.”
“Those guys as well?”
“They probably dropped out around the same time as Moon Kyung-jin’s party.”
Two parties who frequently hung out together dropped out of the Hero Academy nearly simultaneously, signaling something suspicious.
‘Not that I’m too curious about it.’
But he cut his thoughts about them short.
The impact and weight difference had grown too vast for any comparison at this point.
‘More importantly, I want to contact Angels Garden soon.’
The indestructible paper that was said to be in the treasury of Angels Garden, a guild from the UK.
Yoo Ji-han wanted to examine it closely.
‘Since it’s considered a treasure, they probably won’t hand it over easily. In that case…’
If he approached through Yoon Do-ha, who has ties with Angels Garden, it might be doable.
Or he could ask for help from Watanabe, who has broad connections.
It was at that moment when Yoo Ji-han was deep in thought about this.
Bzzz!
His mobile phone vibrated.
It was a call from Nam Ho-yeol, the blacksmith, who had an appointment to meet a few hours later.
“What’s up?”
—Ji-han! Is it okay if my wife joins us when we meet later?
“Oh! We would welcome her. I’ve wanted to greet her for a while.”
—Well, I need to tell you something in advance…….
“What is it?”
—My wife is actually not human.
“Excuse me?”
—She’s a vampire.
“……Really?”
Upon hearing that Nam Ho-yeol’s wife was not human but a vampire, both Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu, who was on the call, looked surprised.
“May I ask how old is your wife?”
—36.
“At that age… Do you happen to know someone named Kazimir?”
—Huh? That person is probably a vampire who came from the same world as my wife?
“I thought so.”
It seemed that the people he knew were somehow interconnected.
Yoo Ji-han thought to himself that Korea indeed felt like a small country.