Chapter 2

0002 / 0419 ———————————————-

1-1. Blackfield.

When Gang-chan regained consciousness for the second time, his nose was excruciatingly painful, in addition to the back of his head and neck.

“Mmm.”

“Teacher!”

‘Please, just ask for water instead of calling out.’

“Mmm.”

After a brief commotion, he finally felt moisture in his mouth. It wasn't water poured in, but a wet cloth placed over his lips.

So what?

As long as it could soothe his throat, which felt like it was on fire, anything would do.

“You sure recover fast, don't you? Must be from all that exercise.”

He had a sturdy build, but it was the first time he had heard it described as an "exercise body."

But why are they speaking Korean?

After managing to take in a bit of water, he felt more alert. Gang-chan tried to force his eyes open, and before long, he could move his eyeballs slightly with his eyes half-open.

It was a hospital.

Complex machines were attached to each bed.

He understood why his nose hurt. A large nozzle was connected from his nose to his throat.

“Can you see me?”

Gang-chan gave a short nod.

One woman, two, three.

Green uniforms. Bob cuts. Short hair. And tied-up hair.

Slightly under 160 cm. Small chest. Kiwi. Apple.

He instinctively noted their features.

“Some water.”

One of the women skillfully placed a new gauze in his mouth.

“Spit! I want water.”

Do they think I'm a trainee?

“Not yet.”

Again, a wet gauze was placed in his mouth. The moisture was more abundant this time, and after replenishing his water twice, Gang-chan regained his senses.

For the first time, he moved his eyeballs to look around, but his neck was restrained, making it difficult to turn his head.

“Where am I?”

“You’re awake?”

Gang-chan gave a short nod.

“Do you remember what happened?”

Do they think I'm an idiot?

“I know. Just untie my neck.”

“Can’t do that.”

The woman with the bob cut and kiwi chest answered firmly. Since there were no such facilities in Africa, he must have been moved by plane, which would have taken some time.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days.”

“Where is this?”

“Samsung Hospital.”

“Samsung, Korea?”

The woman with the bob cut looked at Gang-chan with a strange expression. She seemed to be around 27, with small eyes and a high nose, giving her a sharp look.

At that moment, a doctor in a surgical gown approached him.

“How are you feeling? Any pain?”

The doctor wore compression lenses, had droopy eyes, looked like he hadn't slept for two days, had a chubby face, and was in his early thirties.

“Can you untie this?”

Gang-chan tried to move his neck.

“We need to monitor your condition for now. It’s best to keep the brace on for a while.”

As the doctor answered, a doorbell rang.

“Good visit, your parents will be happy.”

Parents? What parents?

After the doctor left, a group of people soon flooded in.

“Chan! Our Chan!”

Perm hair. Late forties. Big eyes, slightly upturned nose, short stature. A gentle but very thin appearance. An aunt?

“Can you see me? Do you recognize me?”

Gang-chan blinked, trying to confirm the woman.

How should he react to a stranger calling herself his mother? It felt like a dream.

***

After the visit, it took another two days for Gang-chan to feel thoroughly confused.

From what he had repeatedly asked and heard, it was 2010, his name was Gang-chan, and he was a third-year student at Shinmuk High School. He had fallen from the fifth-floor rooftop of the school building, got caught in a tree, and then fell headfirst to the ground, ending up in the hospital. Fortunately, he didn't have any major bone fractures, but he had some form of memory loss and delusional symptoms.

His father was Kang Daekyung, and his mother was Yoo Hyesook.

He was an only child, did decently in school, was well-behaved, and enjoyed sports, which he did consistently.

***

“Teacher, can our son be cured?”

Yoo Hyesook dabbed her tears with a handkerchief. Beside her, the tall and awkward-looking Kang Daekyung sat with a similarly solemn expression.

“The cervical injury we were worried about is miraculously minor, which is good...”

Dr. Huh Jihwan, Gang-chan’s attending physician, looked at the computer and then raised his head.

“However, the psychiatrist says there’s no immediate solution. While memory loss is understandable, the delusions are severe. For now, the best we can do is to support and comfort him.”

Kang Daekyung patted Yoo Hyesook’s shoulder, which was lowered in despair.

***

Gang-chan followed Yoo Hyesook into a green apartment in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu. The luxury car and the surroundings of the apartment clearly indicated a comfortable lifestyle.

701.

After getting off the elevator, Kang Daekyung opened the door, and Yoo Hyesook led him to a room on the left side of the entrance.

Gang-chan entered the room and looked around.

“Do you remember? This is your room.”

Yoo Hyesook shed more tears.

“Don’t worry. You’ll feel better after a short rest. Get some sleep.”

Kang Daekyung comforted Yoo Hyesook and left the room.

The room had a bed by the window, a bookshelf and a wardrobe on the opposite wall, and a desk with a computer near the entrance.

Gang-chan looked at himself in the mirror on the wall.

‘Is this a dream? Am I dead? What’s going on?’

Come to think of it, he didn’t even like his appearance.

Sitting at the desk, he rested his head on his arms.

‘Did some dead people curse me out of spite?’

A sorcerer?

That’s ridiculous. If such a curse existed, who would die? Besides, Gang-chan had seen several sorcerers beheaded.

“Ah! I don’t know. Let’s just see how it goes. There must be an answer.”

Gang-chan started rummaging through the desk drawers.

“Does this guy not even smoke?”

What he needed most was a cigarette. Since he had started rummaging, Gang-chan decided to find out more about the owner of this body by searching through the desk and bookshelf.

He was about 179 cm tall and had a decent build, but his appearance wasn’t to his liking. His eyes seemed kind, and his nose, which resembled Kang Daekyung’s, was rounded at the tip, which wasn’t his style.

Gang-chan started flipping through the books on the bookshelf. After a few sighs from the repetitive reference books, self-study guides, and problem sets, he leaned in to read one of the books.

Except for the first and last 10 pages of the cover, the rest was filled with various notes.

– I will kill them. I will kill all the guys who torment me. –

‘This guy is something else. If you’re going to kill them, just do it. Why leave evidence?’

Gang-chan sat on the bed and decided to read it slowly.

– I gave them money again today. Despite all the exercise, my heart raced and I couldn’t breathe, so I couldn’t do it. Why? Am I really that stupid? Why do I get so nervous and can’t breathe when I’m in front of them? –

‘What? Is this about being bullied or something?’

– They all insult me because they know I didn’t take a picture of Mi-yeong. It’s cowardly. They know, and I will kill them all. –

“Phew.”

Gang-chan closed the book and threw it aside.

He suddenly felt an even stronger craving for a cigarette.

***

It took Gang-chan a whole week to adapt to this life and its culture in the apartment.

The bidet was as annoying as ever, but it took him quite a while to figure out how to use the mobile phone in his hand. Of course, the TV was the biggest help. During this time, Gang-chan tried to avoid talking as much as possible, eating and sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels to get a feel for things.

Kang Daekyung and Yoo Hyesook watched him closely, unable to hide their worried expressions.

It wasn’t until a week later that Gang-chan could properly use the mobile phone, known as a smartphone.

Of course, he had many other questions.

‘Let it be. I’ll figure them out one by one.’

But he didn’t ask. The words “mom” or “mother” wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

***

It took Gang-chan two weeks to adapt to his new life. Unlike the first week, he spent most of the second week exploring the computer and the internet, which was a whole new world for him, and he lost track of time.

While Yoo Hyesook could somewhat understand his TV watching, she was particularly concerned about his computer use.

Gang-chan, however, wasn’t bothered by this and stayed up late to explore the new world.

***

After dinner, before going to bed, Kang Daekyung sat with Yoo Hyesook, sipping tea.

“Still glued to the computer?”

“I’m so worried.”

Kang Daekyung, who had a clear sign of a receding hairline, gently ran his hand through his hair.

“Let him be. He’s back, isn’t he?”

“I’m trying to think that way, but it’s hard. His eyes are getting scarier every day, and that worries me. What do you think?”

“Hmm.”

Kang Daekyung pursed his lips and sighed deeply.

“I’ve thought about it. Sometimes when he looks at me, my heart sinks. But given the severity of the accident, it’s probably just shock. He’s back, and that’s what matters. When he was in the ICU, you said you wouldn’t care about his studies or anything as long as he survived. So let’s just be grateful. Okay?”

Yoo Hyesook nodded, showing a resigned expression.

“Shall we go to bed?”

At that moment, Kang Daekyung put down his teacup and looked at Yoo Hyesook.

“What? We have a grown son.”

“He’s back. Let’s celebrate his return, okay?”

Kang Daekyung stood up and pulled Yoo Hyesook’s hand.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Men are either kids or dogs, right? I’m a dog tonight.”

Yoo Hyesook laughed, finding it absurd.

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Are you thinking about that now?”

“I’ve been thinking about it since he came back.”

“Ugh!”

However, Yoo Hyesook didn’t push away Kang Daekyung’s hand leading her to the bed.

***

Gang-chan was at the computer.

Information on the African conflict from 2005 to 2007.

However, Gang-chan couldn’t find any special information. He couldn’t even look up French mercenary records, and searching through various name lists yielded nothing.

“Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Since he didn’t expect to find anything immediately, Gang-chan took a deep breath and slowly typed the next sentence.

Buzz.

But then his smartphone rang briefly. He understood why it was on silent, but since it was the first time it had rung in two days, he quickly picked it up. A message from “Lee Ho-jun” appeared.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

As he was about to check the message, three more messages arrived in quick succession.

Gang-chan read the messages and chuckled. Anyone could call first if they missed someone, but he couldn’t understand why someone would go to such lengths to insist on a call, and the content was amusing.

‘Did his parents not know he was in this state?’

Buzz.

“I’m busy.”

Gang-chan decided to call first. When he touched the blue phone icon, a fast tune similar to what he had heard on TV played. But soon the music stopped, and a stream of curses came through.

Chuckle.

Gang-chan couldn’t help but laugh. It was the first time he had heard such curses in nearly seven years. His squad members wouldn’t have believed it if they heard.

“Lee Ho-jun?”

“What money?”

“Hahaha.”

“Kid, it’s night. Let’s meet tomorrow. Where do you want to meet?”

“Hahaha.”

Gang-chan found it adorable and laughed. He wanted to go out and see who this kid was, but he didn’t want to explain to Kang Daekyung and Yoo Hyesook if he went out at night.

As Gang-chan laughed into the phone, Lee Ho-jun started cursing like a madman.

“Stop it and call me tomorrow.”

Gang-chan hung up and immediately turned off the phone.

“Phew. What kind of life did you lead?”

He shook his head, looking at his reflection in the mirror on the wall.

***

The next morning.

During breakfast, Gang-chan waited for an opportunity to speak.

“I’ll be out for a bit today.”

“Huh? Where to?”

Surprised that he spoke first, Kang Daekyung asked, and Yoo Hyesook stopped chewing to look at him.

“I just want to meet some friends and look around.”

“Sure! That’s a good idea. You should.”

Kang Daekyung, trying to look calm, nodded at Yoo Hyesook.

“I have to go to work, so ask your mom for some pocket money and go out for a bit.”

“Okay.”

The conversation ended there, but the excitement and worry on Kang Daekyung and Yoo Hyesook’s faces didn’t fade until the end of the meal.

When Gang-chan returned to his room and turned on his phone, over fifty messages flooded in.

“Hahaha.”

This time, he was amazed and laughed.

After the phone vibrated as many times as there were messages, he called back. But strangely, the call wasn’t answered.

“What’s going on?”

As he muttered to himself, looking at the phone,

Buzz.

A short message appeared on the phone.

Oh