Chapter 68

[ (Confidential) I feel like I'm going to die ]

This time, it wasn't a conversation.

It was a private post, like something posted on a personal blog.

At first, I read it thinking, "What's this?"

But as the text kept appearing, I became more and more serious.

[ ... Lately, my heart flutters like a live fish. It's also suffocating, as if a vigorous man is gripping it. When it gets bad, I feel like I can't breathe. But I haven't gone to the hospital. I'm scared. Of getting closer to death. ]

A series of dark and dry sentences.

The narration in a melancholic voice was so strong that I almost wanted to mute the system.

[ ... Sometimes, I hear good news. From the news. They say coffee is good for the heart. That's a relief. These days, I drink coffee like water. ... I've turned a cozy new café in the neighborhood into my studio. When I go there, the Ferris wheel turns. It turns every day without rest. ]

A cozy café with a Ferris wheel.

I knew it was Amuse. If it was used as a studio, it would be the Shinchon branch, not the Heungdeok Station branch.

After reading the entire "Letter of Misfortune," I could only think of one possible "misfortune."

'Something happens or an accident occurs at our café?'

The author might clutch his heart and collapse.

Or he might make the worst choice out of despair.

Or he might vent his anger on someone else and cause trouble.

Either way, it would be a misfortune.

For our café, for innocent victims, and for the author.

'I have to stop it. No matter what.'

I didn't take my eyes off the author. He was sitting in a position that made it easy to observe him, with his back to the kitchen.

Then, Choi Pil-su spoke to me.

"Boss, customers are starting to come in. Would you like to have yours first?"

He was talking about the cold brew.

"No, I'll be in the café all afternoon. Let's taste it together when it gets a bit quieter."

"Sure, let's do that."

I didn't have time to taste it.

I was too busy watching that customer.

He would type away on the keyboard, then suddenly put his hand on his chest. Each time, my heart would sink.

'Ugh...'

I couldn't take my eyes off him.

It was almost at the level of an obsession.

I couldn't force him out.

That wouldn't solve the problem.

I didn't know when the "misfortune" would come—today, tomorrow, or a few days later.

While watching him with anxiety,

Ding— my phone rang.

[ Shin Yujin: Big brother, I'm going out for lunch! ]

My cute and kind sister, who only calls me "big brother" when she gets money.

[ Shin Yujin: I just checked the lunch money. ]

[ Shin Yujin: Why did you send so much? ♥ ]

Today, the amount was large, so the heart service was added. I checked on the author and then replied.

[ Shin Yewon: Eat well and take care. ]

[ Shin Yewon: Buy your friends something too. ]

[ Shin Yewon: Don't be stingy with food. Eat a lot and gain some weight. ]

[ Shin Yujin: Hee, thank you, big brother. ]

[ Shin Yewon: Sure. ]

Indeed, spending money is the best.

After finishing the call, I checked on the author again, and he was nervously pulling at his long hair.

'No! Relax! Relax! Please!'

But then, I got another text from Shin Yujin.

[ Shin Yujin: By the way, big brother. ]

[ Shin Yujin: I'm really going to pay for my meals now! ]

[ Shin Yujin: While eating, I talked to my friend in cardiology about what happened earlier. About arrhythmia? ]

But?

[ Shin Yujin: My friend said that not all chest pain is arrhythmia. ]

[ Shin Yujin: Among those who come thinking they have arrhythmia, one or two actually have panic disorder. ]

[ Shin Yujin: The opposite is also common. ]

Panic disorder?

[ Shin Yujin: So, you should get checked by both cardiology and psychiatry, not just one. ]

[ Shin Yujin: I don't know who it is, but please tell them that. ]

Oh, really?

I didn't know I had such a capable and lovely sister... The effect of spending money is clear!

[ Shin Yewon: Thanks, my doctor sister is great. ]

[ Shin Yujin: ㅇㅋ I've paid for my meal! ]

Hearing that, an idea came to me.

A way to watch over this person without being so anxious.

I said to Park Jung-ho,

"Jung-ho, if you notice anything strange about him, please let me know right away. I'll be in the back room."

"Sure!"

I tore a piece of memo paper from the counter and went into the back room, locking the door.

Of course, I couldn't treat him.

But there's no truth that "Eagle Eye" can't uncover.

Swish, swish—

I wrote down the diagnosis.

A diagnosis with a 0% error rate.

*

A little later.

I approached the author's table with a water bottle.

'Phew...'

Was this the agony of a creator?

Even from a distance, I could feel his pain.

His hair was a mess from pulling at it, and the neatly arranged documents were scattered everywhere.

"Ugh..."

And on the white screen he was staring at,

Blink—

Blink—

Blink—

The cursor, motionless.

Well, he had been revising for three years.

Now, even he probably didn't know what was right and what was wrong.

'...How must his heart have ached.'

To avoid disturbing him, I greeted him politely, like a top hotel employee.

"Sir, would you like some more water?"

The author turned his head sharply and nodded weakly.

I poured the water and asked him casually,

"Sir, have you ever experienced your heart suddenly beating fast...?"

What was it again?

Ah, like a live fish!

"Like a live fish jumping, or feeling suffocated as if a vigorous man is gripping your heart, have you ever felt that way?"

"Yes? How did you know?"

The author answered, more surprised than ever.

"I wasn't trying to peek. I just noticed you kept touching your chest."

"Ah... Lately, I've been feeling that way. Do you know anything about it?"

Fortunately, he didn't take my question as rude.

I had expected that.

Someone who worries so much about their health but is too scared to go to the hospital would welcome health advice, wouldn't they?

"Ah, I have a friend with heart problems."

I answered kindly and sat down opposite him, naturally. I planned to gradually guide the conversation and share the diagnosis results.

But then,

──Korororororororo!

A white fox jumped and ran wildly on the documents on the table.

'Why are you doing this, Coco?'

I wondered why she was acting like this.

But I quickly understood the situation.

'Oh... Do you smell money there?'

Coco and I had been together for a while, and we were getting to know each other well.

──Korororororororo!

I put on my nail clippers and leaned comfortably on the table. With a smile, I said in a calm tone,

"Sometimes, heart problems can be related to mental issues."

It was time to turn "misfortune" into "fortune."

Fight or flight

Coco perked up her ears.

Then she buried her black eyes and nose in the scattered documents.

──【Alternate Space Workbench: Advanced】is enthusiastic about sensational and materialistic stories.

──【Alternate Space Workbench: Advanced】is distressed by fragmented scenes and desires a complete story.

──【Alternate Space Workbench: Advanced】is enraged, unable to turn the page of the script.

Got it, got it.

Just wait a moment.

There's an order to things, isn't there?

I turned my attention back to the author.

He had already closed his laptop and was ready to listen to me.

"......Mental issues?"

I began slowly.

"I have a friend who experienced something similar. His heart would suddenly beat very fast, and he would have trouble breathing, thinking he might die."

The author listened to me without a single interjection or change in expression.

"He couldn't go to the hospital. He said he couldn't bear to hear that he had a heart problem."

He nodded slightly.

While he didn't agree openly for the sake of his dignity, I knew he felt the same way.

"I could understand. It's scary to be diagnosed with heart disease, honestly. There might be surgery, or they might put a device in your heart."

"Y-Yes, that's true."

The author stroked his chest as he replied.

His sharp and sensitive eyes now looked pitifully droopy.

I felt bad, but I had to tell a somewhat shocking story to make him believe me.

"One day, he collapsed."

"Really?"

The author clenched his shirt at his chest.

If he really had arrhythmia, it must have been a terrifying gesture.

'It's okay. Everything is fine now.'

I knew the truth, so.

I smiled and continued the story.

"He collapsed not at home but at a movie theater. You know, at the ticket counter?"

"Y-Yes! What happened