TFSG 19

Chapter 19

‘Hyung!! Big bro!’

A scene clearly reflected on the water’s surface. A small, beautiful boy appeared.

‘Ah, hyung! Just once, please? Switch the order of who goes out and let me go instead, yeah?’

His jet-black hair was tied up, and his eyes were blue.

It was my uncle, Heuk Birang.

‘…No. I have a reason I must go out today. I can’t switch.’

And then another boy, who also looked young, appeared.

Wow, he was handsome even as a kid. Heuk Birang was good-looking too, but this one was on another level.

‘You’re going to see that noona, aren’t you? The eldest hyung said so. What was it again… Ah! First love! You’re trying to run off because you’re smitten, I know it.’

Dad paused for a moment before laughing. It was completely different from his usual sleepy, resigned, almost indifferent expression now.

He had a face as gentle as the spring sun.

‘Is it that obvious? That’s not good.’

The dad in front of me slowly closed his eyes. For some reason, he couldn’t open them again.

Even though the scene was changing.

Maybe that’s why he couldn’t see it.

‘What is this… is it related to the illness?’

As the scene shifted, someone else appeared.

Lavender-colored hair.

Long, flowy hair, a slender silhouette, a pale white face. A rounded belly—clearly pregnant.

I blinked.

‘Is that… me? No, no.’

She looked similar to my adult self, but far more beautiful. The beautiful woman smiled at me.

It felt like she was looking straight at me, even though that couldn’t be.

The woman gently stroked her pregnant belly and smiled, as if she were blissfully happy.

“It would be nice if the name had ‘Yu’ in it.”

Ah… that person…

I slowly closed my eyes too.

It seemed like it was time.

When I opened my eyes, Dad was in front of me.

We were both still soaking wet.

Drip. Drip.

Water drops fell.

Something had changed. A look of shock was frozen on Dad’s face. I grinned like I had expected this reaction.

“How’s that? My treatment?”

My first ability is healing myself. As long as the injury isn’t fatal, I can recover completely.

The second is, after diagnosing someone, I can figure out the ingredients and combinations for medicine.

If it’s a disease I’ve treated before, I can even automatically make the medicine using water, as long as I have the ingredients.

…and the third ability, one I’ve told no one about.

To heal or improve incurable diseases, even those without medicine.

It’s an incredible power.

‘But it’s too dangerous to tell anyone about it.’

Why don’t I use this convenient ability more often?

‘Because the cost is too high.’

Both the patient and I have to be immersed in fairly clean water, and I must pay a price.

That price is my lifespan.

‘So of course I can’t use it recklessly.’

When I first discovered this ability, I checked my own lifespan.

It looked like a large tree made of water. If I thought about the patient’s illness and how much I wanted to heal it, the leaves on the tree would tremble.

Just now, before using the power, I checked it again.

And when I thought about completely healing Dad…

‘Almost all the leaves fell off.’

It shocked me. That had never happened before.

That meant death.

‘I can’t completely cure him with my power.’

So instead, I compromised—just showed enough of an improvement to prove my ability.

That’s why I asked if he remembered anything. Because surely some memory must have returned.

I saw it too, briefly.

‘Though I never expected I’d see Mom’s face…’

We were still in the water, and I was dangling from Dad’s hand.

“…What exactly are you?”

Dad’s dazed expression was fun to watch.

He had been acting like a completely resigned man just moments ago.

“No matter how talented someone from the Heuk clan is… there’s never been anyone with abilities like this.”

He must be very shocked.

I grinned, bringing my index finger to my lips.

“Shhh, it’s a secret. Business secret.”

Dad flinched.

He seemed to flinch the moment I made that gesture. Was it my imagination?

“I proved my ability, didn’t I?”

“…And what use is proving it to me?”

“Help me.”

I pointed to the building on the west side.

“I want to go there. The Heuk clan’s main house.”

I’d already calculated the benefits I could gain from making this man an ally. And the price I’d have to pay.

“I want to be recognized. I don’t want to grow up being abandoned.”

“….”

I gave up on appealing to emotion a long time ago. No one ever listened anyway.

“If you help me, every now and then… I’ll heal you.”

I tried to persuade him.

“I’m still young, so I can’t do much now. But once I grow up, I’ll be able to heal more.”

Sorry, Dad. Please forgive this lie. But I swear on my name—I’ll heal you completely.

‘If… if I really get to go home this life.’

Then I won’t need this body anymore.

Right before I return using the treasure—if I use all my remaining life on Dad…

‘I’ll be able to heal him.’

An incurable disease. I could heal it this way.

I looked up at my dad with shining, determined eyes.

“Help me.”

…Was that still not enough?

Just then, silence was broken.

“…What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

“Your name.”

A gentle or perhaps indifferent voice pierced my ears.

“You said you’re my daughter.”

Soaking wet, Dad brushed his hair back and gazed softly at me. His expression was unreadable.

“Bi-Yu. Heuk Biyu.”

You know… my name.

I heard you and Mom each chose one character for it. That was the only story I ever heard about my parents.

But still.

I wish you wouldn’t remember just that part.

We’re going to be separated anyway, and maybe it’s better that way.

Dad shifted position and lifted me by both armpits.

“…Feels like I’m possessed. A doctor this young…”

His soaked face came closer.

“I’ve met countless doctors and pharmacists in my life, and many powerful ability users in the clan tried to treat me boldly…”

“…”

“You’re the first to show any real improvement.”

In the original story, my dad was someone who died before the main heroine fully awakened her power.

Maybe if the heroine awakens her ability early, there’ll be another way to help him without me.

She’s also a total cheat character.

I looked up at Dad and suddenly said,

If it’s a disease where memories fade day by day… will there come a time when you forget what I said today too?

“…And actually, I came from another world. Just my soul.”

Though there was slight improvement, the illness would still continue. He might forget everything by tomorrow.

If he was going to forget anyway, I could be more at ease with him.

So I said something I didn’t really have to.

“…Were you also assigned here because you’re sick?”

As expected, he didn’t seem to believe me at all.

Which makes sense, realistically.

I simply smiled.

“I’m not crazy. My power is real! You saw it.”

I vaguely told him that using this ability takes too much energy, so I can’t do it often.

That wasn’t a lie.

Even now, my vision was flickering a bit.

‘One more reason to raise the heroine well.’

Raise Heuk Ayan kindly and use her to help treat this man.

“…Alright. I’ll help you.”

I felt his approaching hand and grinned.

“I’ll give you what you want.”

Got him.

And the moment his hand touched my forehead, I had the strangest thought—

That maybe… his hand was gently patting me.

‘Wow… I’m really imagining things now…’

My small eyelids gave in to sleep and closed deeply.

Well, it worked. I guess I can rest a bit now.