10 – The Weight of a Hero (1)
“Everyone, don’t be surprised! Today, an incredible guest has come to visit us!”
A terrestrial entertainment program shooting site. As one corner concluded, the host focused everyone’s attention to move on to the next.
“Now, let me introduce! A rising star these days! Arna Cristindotir from Han Yul Military Academy!”
The main host pointed far away.
Oooooh─!
Simultaneously, enthusiastic cheers erupted throughout the shooting site, and soon a girl stepped onto the stage.
A face with heavier makeup than usual. Hair with lots of curls. Even flashy hair accessories.
The girl with a fully adorned blonde hair spread her charm widely towards the cameras.
“Hello. I’m Arna Cristindotir, a member of the combat department at Han Yul Military Academy.”
Clap, clap, clap.
As if it was a promise, all the audience members sent thunderous applause.
The host continued.
“Oh. Your Korean is really proficient. I heard that Ms. Arna is from Iceland.”
“Yes, that’s correct. But, in reality, I spent much more time in South Korea.”
“Oh, really? Was it perhaps at a military academy during your youth?”
“Yes, I spent my entire youth in South Korea.”
Wow─
The audience collectively sighed in amazement.
The host then began reading from the script.
“So, is there a special reason why you chose to live in Korea, leaving your hometown Iceland?”
“….”
No matter which broadcast program she appeared on, this question was inevitable, a nearly fixed inquiry.
As always, Arna looked at the main camera with a tender expression.
“The reason I left my hometown and came to South Korea is… the influence of Kang Yoori, who was once a world-renowned hero, was more significant than anything else.”
Oh─!
At the mention of the name Kang Yoori, every audience member perked up.
The world’s first S-rank Awakened, a source of pride not just for South Korea but for the entire world.
In this tumultuous world teeming with monsters and demons, Kang Yoori became everyone’s hope.
“Oh, what a nostalgic name! Kang Yoori was truly an amazing hunter. So, how were you influenced by Kang Yoori?”
“I had a connection with Kang Yoori from a long time ago. To be precise, it happened when I was young, back in Iceland.”
Fifteen years ago, the A-rank monster that turned the entire Iceland upside down, Arna losing her family there, and the world’s hero Kang Yoori appearing miraculously to defeat the monster.
Arna recounted every detail of her past without omission.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Thanks to Kang Yoori, I could be saved. Even in the despair of losing my family, I could find hope.”
This wasn’t just a scripted line for the broadcast. It wasn’t lip service to highlight Kang Yoori’s nationality or promote South Korea.
Her admiration for Kang Yoori was sincere. That sentiment had remained unchanged even now, as an adult.
The existence of Kang Yoori was a dream and an object of admiration for Arna.
“So, that’s why I came to South Korea. To become a hero like Kang Yoori, to be everyone’s hope.”
***
“I heard you recently faced a monster again! Defeating that huge monster all by yourself! Truly, it’s Arna!”
“Alone? No. You have the wrong information. At that time, I received help from other combat students.”
“That’s enough! Thank you for Arna’s good story. Let’s watch a short video!”
“Look at that heavy makeup.”
Hanyul Military Academy Hospital, even there, in a single-person room.
I sat on the patient bed, leisurely watching a variety show.
*Crackle.*
With a 500ml beer can.
*Glug glug—*
But that didn’t last long. The hospital door creaked open, terrifyingly coinciding with my attempt to open the beer can.
Emergency room guardian angel, Choi Soeun, entered with her neatly tied military-blue long hair.
“What are you doing right now…?”
Choi Soeun furrowed her brows as soon as she entered. She spotted the beer can clenched in my hand.
“Um…”
Just to clarify, consuming alcohol during hospitalization is strictly prohibited. Depending on the circumstances, one might even be forcibly discharged upon discovery.
Of all times, it had to be now. I hadn’t even taken a sip yet.
Should I at least offer some explanation?
“My friend gave it to me just now.”
“You don’t have any friends.”
“….”
Why sprinkle salt on a fresh wound? I lost words in the face of her scolding.
Is it okay to treat a patient like this? She’s supposed to be a nurse. Where did the warm love and volunteer spirit go?
“Was that… for drinking?”
“No. I haven’t even opened it yet.”
“Then let me borrow it for a moment.”
Gulp gulp.
Choi Soeun snatched the beer I bought and started drinking in my place.
Drinking during duty. One might see her as a worse person than me.
It was the moment her Red Cross badge on her right arm lost its significance.
“Ah, now I feel a bit alive.”
“Is it okay? You’ll smell like alcohol.”
“I used mouthwash, it’s fine.”
Actually, at this late hour, it shouldn’t be a big problem. There’s no separate lecture, and it’s not even regular working hours.
“So, what’s going on at this hour?”
“I came to check vital signs.”
Choi Soeun took out a thermometer from the medical cart she brought with her.
Beep.
She pressed the thermometer into my ear. It hurt a lot.
“What’s the temperature?”
“41 degrees.”
“For real?”
“Kidding. It’s 37 degrees.”
Dare you lie to a patient? As a nurse, I couldn’t find a trace of ethical consciousness that should be upheld.
This person had the audacity to recite the Nightingale Pledge in the auditorium. The ethics of a military medic suited her well.
“Don’t do this to others. I also live by the lines I have to uphold.”
“You keep those lines so well that the community showers you with praise.”
The community app beloved by Hanyul Military Academy students, Every Hunter.
If you carefully examine the popular posts, there’s always one name that appears. That is the name of the military medic Choi Soeun.
All the posts related to her were nothing but gossip.
Complaints about rude treatment, accusations of being a sycophant to her father, and nothing but criticism.
“Your popular posts are no different.”
By the way, I’m also one of the regulars in popular posts.
Usually, there are memes of me getting slapped by Arna.
“I wish we weren’t on the same line. To be precise, I’m the one being ridiculed, not receiving curses like you.”
“Oh, yes… So you must be happy….”
Thud.
Choi Soeun let out a deep sigh and sat on the edge of the bed.
What’s this? Sitting on someone else’s bed without permission?
Where did she learn such manners?
Oh, come to think of it, it’s a hospital bed. Not my bed. Well then, I’ll allow it.
“You know, there’s something I want to ask.”
“What is it.”
What question is she trying to ask? I can’t quite grasp it just by looking at her expression. She had a face without any emotions.
In an instant, Chae Soo-min’s gaze turned to the TV.
There, scenes from Arna’s past interviews were playing.
“Do you, by any chance, like Arna?”
“….”
What a ridiculous question. Do I like Arna? What on earth could have given rise to such a misunderstanding?
If anything, the normal question should be whether I dislike her.
After all, I’ve always been the third-rate villain who tormented Arna.
Let’s answer the question first.
“I don’t like her.”
“Really?”
“Why do you think I would like her?”
This time, I wanted to ask. What did she see that made it seem like I like Arna?
“….”
Chae Soo-min couldn’t provide a clear answer to my question. Just a slightly complicated expression. A look that suggested she didn’t really know herself.
“Are you jealous, perhaps?”
“What…?”
“Well, the only possible answer in this situation would be that.”
When planning the character Shin Yoon-seong, I had set up relationships not only with Arna but also with other characters.
Chae Soo-min was one of them.
Shin Yoon-seong had harbored unrequited love for Chae Soo-min for a long time. However, Chae Soo-min never opened her heart to Shin Yoon-seong.
In other words, their relationship was a problematic one in terms of romance.
Of course, they had recently settled their relationship.
There was no reason to cling to Chae Soo-min anymore. He decided to cleanly give up on her.
But as a result, an unintended situation unfolded.
This time, it was Chae Soo-min trying to understand my feelings. Something she had shown no interest in before.
Was this truly jealousy?
“Jealousy? Probably not.”
“No?”
“Yeah, I can prove it.”
Chae Soo-min subtly shifted her hips and approached me.
“…”
“…”
A very close distance, as if our noses might touch or not. We stared intently into each other’s indifferent pupils with expressionless faces.
Continuing on…
Swoosh─
Choi Soeun reached out her arms and embraced my shoulders. A faint scent of alcohol and sweet blueberries blended and seeped into my nostrils.
“See, it’s not jealousy after all. Nothing is fluttering, right?”
Until the moment Choi Soeun hugged me, she didn’t flinch a bit. There was no tremor in her voice, not even a change in the sound of her breath.
I was the same. My heartbeats remained unchanged, and I couldn’t sense any warmth in my body. Perhaps if we measured the temperature now, it wouldn’t be the same 37 degrees as before.
Ultimately, we felt nothing for each other. No emotions, no affection, no urgency.
Just like strangers.
Drrr─
“Hey….”
In the moment of silent embrace, the door to the hospital room opened. A visitor had arrived.
“Oh…?”
The person opening the door was the blonde girl, Arna Kristindottir, who had appeared on the TV screen just a while ago.
“aaahhh…! S-sorry…! I, I intruded without noticing…!”
Arna covered her face with both hands and hurriedly left the hospital room.
She ran away just because she saw a man and a woman hugging? Arna, wasn’t he a foreigner?
Where did the American mind go?
Arna has no manners does she not know to knock and ask for permission before entering. 😐
That’s a school clinic xDD???