Chapter 1. I'm Back.

‘Am I really... back?’

A ceiling made of white plaster.

That’s the answer to my question.

The unique wave pattern etched into the plaster, familiar yet unfamiliar, is proof that I’ve returned to my original world.

Click.

It took a great deal of effort to finally move one finger.

I have no sense of how long I’ve been lying here.

‘If my muscles have atrophied to this extent... I must have been lying here for at least a few months.’

There’s no need to rush.

The experimental magic ultimately succeeded, and I’m back.

Even if there are lingering effects from the car accident, it doesn’t matter.

I now have mana as my weapon.

With that resolve, I felt more at ease, and my mood became much more relaxed.

‘To think I was really hit by a truck and ended up in another world.’

It’s a story no one would believe.

Or, maybe it was all just a dream I had while lying in a hospital bed?

‘...No, that’s not it.’

I can feel the flow of mana so clearly at my fingertips.

Things I couldn’t see before are now more familiar to me than anything else in this world.

Click.

I twisted the flow of mana, which had been gently swirling, with my still uncooperative fingers.

My body will heal on its own if I just wait, but it feels too precious to waste time.

‘First, I need to get up.’

I’m not sure how long I’ve been lying here, but I can feel the flow of mana in my body being blocked in various places.

Even some of my nerves are damaged.

They must have been unable to save everything during the surgery after the car accident.

‘I’ll have to treat this slowly.’

I could force the mana to reconnect the nerves, but if I rush and end up with mana poisoning, that would be even more troublesome.

Since I’ll need a recovery period anyway, I can take my time to heal.

***

Sniff.

How long have I been crying?

After shedding tears for a long time, my mother finally stopped, and the rest of the family followed.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Now that you’re awake, everything is fine.”

“...Did the hospital bills come out to a lot?”

In truth, the hospital bills were what worried me the most when I woke up.

Since it was a car accident, there might have been insurance or compensation, but the most terrifying thing about a comatose patient is that there’s no telling when they’ll wake up.

It must have felt like pouring water into a bottomless pot, not knowing when it would end.

When the topic of money came up, my parents’ expressions hardened.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just focus on getting better and getting up. Got it?”

“How long have I been lying here?”

“Six months.”

The answer came from my younger brother, who is quite a bit younger than me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“It’s vacation right now.”

“Not summer vacation, I guess.”

Judging by the family’s winter clothing.

“Can’t you tell? It’s obviously winter.”

An entire summer and autumn of my 26-year-old life have disappeared.

But I still have the memories of the 60 years I spent in another world.

‘...Well, it’s not a loss.’

***

“Wow, this is unbelievable! I’ve never seen anyone recover so quickly while working as a rehabilitation trainer.”

“I guess it’s because I’m still young.”

I awkwardly responded to the rehabilitation trainer’s comment, but it was genuine.

Of course, the power of mana played a role, but it was a completely different sensation for me, who had been accustomed to an elderly body.

‘This is what youth feels like.’

When I first woke up in a young child’s body in a completely different world, I thought it was just a dream.

It took quite a while to adapt to the body, which felt unnatural like wearing clothes that didn’t fit, and even after adapting, I still felt a sense of awkwardness.

Even after living for 60 more years, the feeling that it wasn’t really my body never went away.

‘This is my real body.’

It’s a silly thought, but it feels like I’m finally wearing clothes that fit perfectly.

The sensation of every part of my body is so vivid; I doubt anyone else could understand how exhilarating it is.

You only realize how precious something is after you’ve lost it.

“From this level, I think you can start outpatient treatment next week.”

“They said I need to continue rehabilitation for three months.”

It’s only been two weeks since I started rehabilitation.

Isn’t this too fast?

It’s a good thing that I can save on hospital fees, but...

‘If I stand out too much, it could be dangerous...’

People might not suspect magic, but a protruding nail is bound to be hammered down.

“Still, your progress is so good that it should be fine. You seem to be able to walk without any trouble... right?”

“...I’m doing pretty well.”

If I had to quantify it, I’d say I’m about 70% healed.

I can walk on my own and even do some light jogging.

Considering that, it makes sense to think about outpatient treatment.

“Still, just in case, we need to continue follow-up tests. Especially for the leg that had surgery. There might be aftereffects.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

***

Once the decision was made, there was no reason to hesitate.

Waking up from a coma after six months did attract some attention, but it quickly died down.

The discharge procedures went faster than expected.

“Goodbye to this place.”

“Why? Did you get attached already? Are you sad?”

“Imseul!”

My brother got a slap on the back, but the heavy atmosphere lightened up a bit.

“Have you packed everything? I’ll take the car, so come down to the front gate with the kids.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

Dad left the room first, carrying a bag in one hand.

I, feeling the most relieved, turned back to look at the room one last time.

It felt like a place where I had spent 60 years, not just six months, and I felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

“...Ha. Nostalgia, my ass.”

Click.

I closed the door as if I would never return.

“Shall we go home now?”

Mom smiled slightly and held out her hand.

And I finally got to hold the hand I had missed so much.

After 60 years.

***

My room, which looked the same as it did six months ago, felt a bit unfamiliar.

When I decided to come back, I had some anxiety.

What if I had died?

If I had entered another body in that world, would I have ended up taking over someone else’s body when I returned?

Or would I have wandered as a soul, or even disappeared completely?

“It’s a relief that I made it back safely.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

My sister came in and sat on the bed.

“Why?”

“Mom said she’d come in to see if you needed help... But they usually say it takes a few months for rehabilitation. Isn’t it too early for you to be discharged? Are you really okay?”

She had been grumbling, but she seemed worried.

“I’m fine, that’s why I was discharged. I’ll still need to go to the hospital for a while.”

“...That’s a relief. By the way, I moved your computer to my room while you were in the hospital. Do you want it back?”

“Did you take it to play games?”

If that was the reason, I was planning to bring it back.

“I’m a senior now. I took it to listen to online lectures.”

“Then it’s fine. Keep using it.”

“Really? You won’t change your mind later?”

She had a purpose in coming.

Seul smiled and left the room.

“Did you come to help?”

“Do you need help?”

“...No.”

“Haha, I thought so.”

Mom! Oppa says he doesn’t need help!

Seul shouted and went to her room.

The room felt a bit empty because the computer was missing.

“Sunwoo.”

“Yeah?”

This time, it was Dad, who had parked the car and come home late.

“Does it feel empty without the computer?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Seul took it... Do you want to go buy a new one this weekend?”

I need a computer since I’ll be staying at home for a while.

Not just to pass the time, but also to catch up on what’s been happening over the past six months.

But I hesitated to answer.

‘It’s expensive...’

Dad seemed to notice my concern.

“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll take care of it.”

“Then... I’ll just get a used one.”

“A used one?”

I never bought used electronics, especially sensitive items like computers.

But 60 years is enough time to change what’s important to you.

“I’m not going to play games, just use it for internet searches. I don’t need a high-end one.”

A low-spec one is fine.

I don’t want to burden my parents anymore.

“Here, take it.”

“Why the card?”

“To buy the computer. And for any other needs.”

“...Okay.”

It’s a bit embarrassing to use my parents’ card at 27, but I have no choice.

I’ll have time to repay them later.

I firmly believed that.

***

For dinner, Mom made doenjang-jjigae.

I missed it so much that I almost cried just from the smell.

It wasn’t awkward to pick up the chopsticks, even though it had been a while.

‘Maybe my body remembers.’

It was a guess, but it seemed plausible.

I adapted to this world faster than I expected.

It even made me wonder if the time I spent in the other world wasn’t just a dream.

If the flow of mana wasn’t still visible in front of my eyes, I might have believed it was all a dream.

“Here, Sunwoo. Try this.”

A piece of grilled mackerel was placed on the warm rice, which had a hint of purple from the black rice.

It was the thick, tender part in the middle, which most mackerel lovers prefer.

“I’m fine. I’ll eat it.”

“No, Mom wants to feed you. Just eat.”

I could sense a slight awkwardness from Seul and Dad, but I didn’t mind.

It might not last long, but I thought I could enjoy this luxury for a bit.

The combination of the soft mackerel and the fluffy rice was perfect.

“By the way, how’s Dad’s company?”

“Huh? Oh, the company? ...Haha, the factory is always the same.”

Wait, his reaction seems a bit off.

We didn’t often talk much during meals, but it wasn’t a cold atmosphere.

I was just curious about the recent news, but both Mom and Seul seemed a bit uneasy.

‘Is something not going well?’

Dad runs a small industrial plant.

It’s not big, but it has a good reputation in the industry because he’s been running it for a long time.

Of course, that’s the situation I know from six months ago.

“Is something wrong? Is the plant having trouble?”

“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of it...”

“Honey.”

“Ah, cough. Anyway, you don’t need to worry about anything else. Just focus on getting better. Got it?”

“...Yes.”

Dad said he would take care of it.

That means something is definitely wrong.

‘Should I call the uncles...?’

I wasn’t very interested in the plant, but I knew the people who had worked with Dad for a long time.

They were like brothers to him, and we always saw them during family events and holidays.

I think I should get my phone activated before buying a computer tomorrow.