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Chapter: 22
The moment I saw blood, I froze in shock.
“Mr. Siheon… did you cut your finger on the edge of the letter?”
“Are you okay?!”
I asked over and over in alarm, but Yang Siheon didn’t answer.
He simply stared at the bloodstained letter beneath the car’s interior light.
“…It’s fine. This isn’t anything worth making a fuss over.”
After a moment, his tightly pressed lips finally parted.
His tone was calm, but somehow that only made it sound colder.
“But… why is there blood…?”
As I muttered and reached to examine the letter, Yang Siheon pulled the hand holding it behind his back.
Then, wearing a bitter smile, he carefully unfolded the letter for me.
My eyes widened in horror.
“That’s… a box cutter blade?!”
There was a razor blade hidden inside.
It had been placed so that anyone opening the letter carelessly would inevitably cut themselves.
Apparently, when he’d just folded and unfolded the letter, sheer bad luck had caused the blade to tear through the envelope and spring out.
“Why would anyone do something like this…? No, forget that. Let’s go disinfect the wound at the clinic first.”
“It’s not a serious cut.”
“Even so.”
Ignoring his attempt to refuse, I practically dragged him with me as we hurried to Baekmyodang.
A little later, inside the treatment room…
“Disinfectant… gauze…”
I hurriedly took out the medical supplies.
Then I carefully examined the wound on his finger.
“Fortunately, it isn’t deep enough to need stitches. Can you move your finger? Your tendon looks fine too. Oh, right. Have you had a tetanus shot?”
I was flustered with worry, but the person actually injured didn’t seem shaken in the slightest.
As I wrapped a bandage around his finger, I discreetly studied his expression.
“Weren’t you surprised, Mr. Siheon?”
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”
“It isn’t? Were the Fallen targeting you and doing things like this?”
“It’s not that.”
He lowered his eyes before continuing.
“…It’s just that some fans are difficult to understand. They probably even stole a restaurant employee’s uniform to get in.”
Then he quietly added,
“I knew something like this would happen today. Though I didn’t expect you to be the one holding that letter.”
“You knew this would happen?”
His voice remained completely matter-of-fact.
“I dreamed that a fan hid a razor blade inside a letter.”
“A dream?”
“Yes.”
Siheon nodded.
As the treatment room light reflected in his eyes, his light brown irises looked almost transparent.
“I see the future through my dreams. It’s one of the sheep divine beast’s abilities. Though these days, because of my insomnia, I hardly dream at all.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
Childhood memories surfaced—counting one sheep, two sheep, trying to fall asleep.
‘A prophetic dream… That’s incredible…’
Only then did I finally understand what he’d said earlier—that his insomnia had to be cured for the sake of all the divine beasts.
If someone could foresee the future, it would undoubtedly provide a tremendous advantage in war.
At that moment, Siheon lightly rubbed the finger wrapped in bandages and shrugged.
“Anyway, don’t worry too much. I’m used to it.”
Used to it.
That phrase struck my ears painfully once again.
“You shouldn’t become used to something like this.”
I looked straight at him.
My voice came out lower and firmer than I’d expected.
“Right now, you should be sad, shocked, hurt… and angry. Isn’t the fact that you’ve become used to it proof that something’s wrong?”
For an instant, his gaze wavered.
But a gentle smile quickly covered the expression.
“Yeonhee. Let’s stop here for today.”
“Wait…”
“I’m a little tired.”
His voice remained gentle but resolute as he cut me off and turned away.
Through the window, I watched his car drive away.
Even after he’d left, I remained standing by the window for a long time.
“…”
There had been many nights when I couldn’t fall asleep either.
Throughout that Chuseok holiday when my mother disappeared, I stayed awake all night.
Even after they found her body, sleep refused to come for a long time.
‘I couldn’t believe my mother’s bed was really empty. It felt like her warmth was still lingering there… I would crawl beneath the blankets and cry until I ended up staying awake all night.’
Being alone in a dark room with your eyes open was far lonelier and crueler than most people imagined.
Remembering that emptiness made me feel even more sorry for Siheon.
Tap. Tap.
I took out my phone and selected the number I’d just saved.
After hesitating for a while, I finally sent him a text.
Yang Siheon
If you can’t sleep, it’s okay even if it’s the middle of the night. You can come to Baekmyodang for acupuncture anytime. Or if you’d rather, I can just keep you company and chat.
I had just finished showering and was drying my hair when his reply arrived.
Yang Siheon
Haha, how could I possibly contact my doctor in the middle of the night?
A few seconds later, another message came.
Yang Siheon
Still, thank you. Just hearing you say that means a lot.
After reading his messages, I slowly lowered my phone.
And I silently prayed that, just for tonight, Siheon would be able to get a little sleep.
The next morning.
For once, I couldn’t keep my mind on my patients during clinic hours.
Today was the day I was supposed to meet Aunt Soonmi at her café to receive my mother’s diary.
‘What could be written in it?’
‘Something about Mom’s bloodline? The secret of the divine beasts? Or maybe clues about the Fallen…?’
‘Ah! What if Aunt already opened it? How am I supposed to explain it? That it was a novel Mom was planning to write?… No. With Mom’s personality, there’s no way she’d suddenly decide to write fiction.’
One thought led to another.
As soon as I finished my morning appointments, I hurried toward the traditional hanok café nestled at the foot of Bukhansan.
The moment I opened the café door—
“Aunt, I’m he—”
Crash!
A deafening noise assaulted my ears.
Glass cups shattered across the floor.
“Oh dear!”
Aunt Soonmi had dropped the tray she was carrying, sending it crashing to the ground.
Iced coffee splashed onto a nearby customer’s shoes.
“Seriously?! My brand-new sneakers!”
It was a young couple.
The woman lifted her foot with a scowl while the man let out an irritated sigh.
My aunt repeatedly bowed in apology.
“I’m so sorry. I’m truly sorry… I’ll pay for your shoes.”
“Of course you should! This is so annoying! You can’t even buy these anymore! What are you going to do about it?”
“Our date’s ruined. We’re never coming here again. I’m leaving a review too.”
I stood there in stunned silence, watching.
Seeing my aunt bowing her head to customers young enough to be her children tore at my heart.
Once the angry customers finally left, the air inside the café became even more bitter than the aroma of coffee.
“Aunt… are you okay?”
I found a mop and carefully wiped the wet floor as I asked.
“I’m fine, I’m fine… Yeonhee, leave that and go sit down. Let’s have lunch first.”
Forcing a smile, Aunt Soonmi returned to the counter.
A little while later, she brought over freshly made sandwiches.
But strangely, instead of looking at the appetizing food, my eyes kept drifting to her hands and expression.
The fingertips holding the tray were trembling ever so slightly, and her face was twisted as though she were enduring pain.
“Aunt… do your hands hurt?”
As she set the tray on the table, she flinched for a moment before smiling as though nothing were wrong.
“Eat first, Yeonhee. I’ll explain while you eat.”
“…Okay.”
Reluctantly, I took a bite of the sandwich.
As I chewed, I looked at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
She let out a long sigh before dropping a bombshell.
“You really can’t fool your eyes, can you? You’re right. Actually… because of this, I’m thinking of closing the café.”
Startled, I nearly dropped my sandwich.
“W-What?”
Instead of answering, she held out both hands.
Every knuckle had become swollen and enlarged, and both hands were puffy.
“My hands used to ache if I worked too much, but lately, even lifting something a little heavy sends a sharp pain through them. The orthopedic doctor said it’s osteoarthritis.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You just saw what happened. I dropped the tray. If it had been hot coffee instead, someone could have been badly burned.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why hide it?”
“I didn’t want you worrying about me. The hospital said there isn’t much they can do. Since it’s degenerative, a complete cure is difficult. In the end, they said my only real option is to stop working.”
Her shoulders slumped.
I quietly let out a trembling breath.
This café held so many of my childhood memories.
And so many memories of my mother as well.
We used to come here often to visit Aunt Soonmi, drink tea, and chat together.
The thought that this place would disappear was unbearably sad.
“…”
Osteoarthritis.
A degenerative disease that causes chronic joint pain and deformity.
When it affects the hands, it causes pain and swelling, especially morning stiffness that makes the joints feel rigid.
As time passes, the finger joints become enlarged and may even change shape.
‘Just as I thought… even with my spirit sight, the flow of vital energy is weak.’
I gently took Aunt’s hands and carefully examined them from every angle.
What orthopedic medicine called “degeneration” appeared to me as vital energy whose flow had almost come to a halt.
‘But it hasn’t stopped completely. There’s still a chance for recovery.’
Then a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
If I infused a little of my spiritual energy into her…
Perhaps Aunt’s hands could move freely again.
Even if every other doctor said it was impossible, I couldn’t give up.
“Aunt… before you close the café, please let me treat you just three times.”
I held both of her hands tightly.
She looked at me with surprise.
“Yeonhee, honestly… you’d just be wasting your effort.”
“Just three times. Only three. After that, you can decide. It won’t be too late then.”
She searched my eyes for a long moment.
Then, as if she had no choice, she smiled softly.
“…All right.”
That smile was so warm it almost hurt.
I released her hands and quietly gripped the Myoan Stone.
Then I made a solemn promise to myself.
‘Don’t worry, Aunt. I’ll make sure I heal you.’
