Chapter 13: Jungle 1
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The week after he was hospitalized, even though she had said she would only visit on weekends, his mom went to the hospital every day. He already had a nurse, so there wasn't much of anything his mother had to do. She became his conversation partner.
She was watching a TV soap, and he was watching it with her while he balanced and tuned his muscles. It was an effective exercise to sense tune his muscles. He even learned to harden his muscles like rocks, but there was still more to learn.
Knock. Knock.
Somebody was at the door.
"Who is it?"
The door opened, and Mr. Jang came in with an unexpected person standing behind him. She was holding a bag of fruit. Looking at Somin, Junhyuk scratched his head. Why did she have to visit when his mother was here? It would create a misunderstanding.
Indeed, Haejung's eyes were beaming.
Junhyuk shook his head and said:
"This is my mother."
"Nice to meet you. I am Mr. Woogun Jang from ST Capsule's Strategy Planning Department."
"Oh, my goodness! You are his company superior."
Haejung smiled brightly when Somin introduced herself:
"Nice to meet you. I am his new coworker, Somin Jeon."
"That explains it."
"Here."
Somin handed the bag of fruit to Haejung, who took it with a smile.
"Please take your seats. I will quickly peel some fruit."
"We are fine."
Haejung took Mr. Jang by his wrist and sat him on a chair. Somin looked around and took a seat. Haejung washed the fruit and brought them out with a fruit knife.
Somin offered to peel:
"I can peel them."
"I can't let a guest peel! Wait a minute."
She had a lot of experience being a housewife, and she peeled the fruit with quite the skill. Junhyuk turned to look at his guests. He wasn't expecting them.
"Miss Somin Jeon, to which department did they assign you?"
"I've been assigned to the Strategy Planning Headquarters."
"That's the nucleus of the company. You are something!"
Junhyuk looked surprised, and Mr. Jang calmly explained:
"Among the new employees, Miss Somin Jeon and Mr. Janho Kim have been assigned to the Strategy Planning Headquarters."
Of course, Jangho would have been assigned to that department since he was at the top among new employees, but Somin's assignment was unexpected.
Mr. Jang pushed an envelope toward Junhyuk.
"You've been assigned to the advertising department."
He already knew, hearing it from Eunseo. He took the envelope. Mr. Jang smiled at him.
"As soon as you're fully recovered, you should report to work. You've earned a paid vacation for your first month with the company."
"Is that right?"
Junhyuk grinned. For his first month, he was getting paid without reporting to work. He felt good about that. His mom brought a plate full of fruit.
"Have some fruit while you talk."
Haejung's eyes were beaming toward Somin.
"I will go out for a few minutes," she told Junhyuk.
"OK."
Haejung went out, and Mr. Jang stabbed a piece of fruit with a fork and ate it.
"According to the rescue team, the fact that both of you survived is a miracle."
They both had fallen from a scary height, and both of them survived. It could be called a miracle. If it weren't for Junhyuk's power, Eunseo would've surely died, and if it weren't for Artlan's muscle technique and training, which taught Junhyuk how to harden his muscles like rocks, he too would've been dead.
He couldn't do it before the accident and started to master Artlan's technique because of the fall. That fall had been a blessing in disguise.
Artlan could withstand swords. Junhyuk was not at that level yet, but he learned how to minimize damage.
"I was lucky. While falling, I hit a tree that absorbed the shock from the fall."
"Is that so? It was pure luck."
Somin stabbed a piece of melon and gave it to Junhyuk. Looking at this sight, Mr. Jang laughed.
"I am sorry. I should've known."
Junhyuk ate it in just one bite.
"That it would taste better coming from Miss Somin Jeon than from you?"
"Ha-ha-ha, is that right? I should've known."
Somin's face reddened, and Mr. Jang laughed even louder. Mr. Jang ate more apples and chatted. Then, he got up.
"Somin, are you staying here?"
"No."
Somin got up and Junhyuk said:
"I will see you off."
"It's OK. Recover quickly and report to work."
Mr. Jang tapped on Junhyuk's shoulder and went out of the room. Somin followed him, but before she went out she said:
"Take care of yourself."
"I will see you at the company."
Somin left, and, after a while, his mother came in. She stared intently at Junhyuk and said:
"Who is that young woman?"
"She is just a colleague. During the new-employee training, she was in my section."
"Is that right?"
If he let her question him, she would ask too many question, so he continued:
"She is in a different department from mine. I won't see her often."
"Right. She is pretty."
Junhyuk already knew that Somin was pretty, but he had nothing to gain from agreeing with his mother on that point. In any case, he had been thinking about Eunseo and not Somin lately, while he was in the hospital.
At the moment of the accident, he ran with all his might. He had never used all of his energy, even for a short while, for someone in his entire life. His only thought had been of saving her when she fell.
He thought about her often, even though he didn't have a relationship with Eunseo. Every time he thought about her, he felt he was reliable.
---
Junhyuk trained every day until Friday, but he wasn't satisfied yet. He tried to harden his muscles, but he couldn't harden them like when he fell from the cliff.
He still had a lot to learn and sighed.
That day, he had already sent his caregiver away and was alone. His mother had slept there on weekends, but, this time, he had also sent her away.
He told them to summon him at same time as before, so they would summon him around the time when the evening news was on TV. He ate his dinner. Only two hours were left before being summoned.
He vowed he would survive like last time, but there was no such guarantee. Death was not uncommon in the Dimensional Battlefield.
He had activated his power. That's why he had survived before, and who knew what would happen this time. In the blood-filled battlefield, having ten seconds was like gold, but he couldn't just rely on his power.
When he made his force field, he had to wait two minutes before he could make another. Could he not face many deaths during those two-minute intervals? He tried practicing making his field last longer, but couldn't. He was also unable to shorten the time interval.
However, now, he could make a field anytime he wanted to, and it helped. After he returned to the Dimensional Battlefield, he would check to see if he could transfer the field to another person.
If that was possible, it would help out a lot whenever he was with Artlan and Vera.
He prepared to calm his mind for the Dimensional Battlefield when someone knocked at his door.
"Come in."
There was no one left to visit him at this time, but the door opened, and a man wearing a suit came in. Junhyuk looked at him with curiosity.
He stepped aside, and Eunseo, who was on a fully automatic wheelchair, came in. She looked at the man as he closed the door behind him.
She fixed her glasses. Even though she was on a fully automatic wheelchair, she still looked haughty.
She looked at him with that air of superiority.
"Are you well enough to move around?"
Eunseo tapped on her wheelchair.
"This is a newly made, fully automatic wheelchair. They used procedures used in capsules to make this. It doesn't cause bedsores or put pressure on the pelvis. I feel like I could do some work sitting on this."
Junhyuk realized the powers that ST Capsule had. Did it only take them one week to make that wheelchair?
"How is the project going?"
Eunseo laughed bitterly.
"It's still in the clinical trial stage. It will take at least half a year."
He felt sorry she had to stay paralyzed for at least half a year.
"I should not have let you walk down by yourself. I am sorry."
Eunseo shook her head.
"It was my decision. Don't talk about it anymore."
Eunseo looked at Junhyuk and said:
"I heard, Mr. Jang came for a visit and gave you the assignment papers."
"Yes, I got assigned to the advertising department."
Kim Eun Seo stared at him calmly and continued:
"If you want to transfer, I could make it happen."
Junhyuk looked at her quietly. She looked around the room and muttered:
"You could transfer to Strategy Planning Department."
That was the department where she worked. Junhyuk asked cautiously:
"Then, I don't have to work as a model?"
"No, you still have to work as a model."
Junhyuk thought for a moment.
"Then, I want to transfer to Strategy Planning Department."
Eunseo stared at him for a while.
"It's a place for the elite. It's not a problem to transfer you there, but it's not an easy place to adapt to."
"I will do my best."
Eunseo fixed her glasses.
"OK. I will have you transferred. Work hard."
"You can count on me."
Junhyuk answered with confidence, and she laughed at him. She moved her hand over the guidance system of her automatic wheelchair. The wheelchair turned around, with her back facing him.
"Thank you."
It was in a really low voice, but his senses were highly developed due to his time spent in the Battlefield of Dimensions, and he could still hear her.
Eunseo gathered herself and said:
"Open the door."
Wearing their black suits, the men outside opened the door, and, as she went out she said:
"Take care of yourself. I will see you at the company."
"Are you getting discharged?"
She tapped her wheelchair and looked at him.
"I have this. I don't have to be in a hospital anymore," she said and went out.
Looking at her leave, he smacked his lips. She said she didn't have to be in a hospital, but she still had a cast around her thigh.
She should rest just like him, but she was already going back to work. He felt sorry.
"Then, I can see her again!?"
He had a lot to prepare for by transferring to Strategy Planning Department, but being able to see her again made him smile.
"It all depends on whether I can come back."
Junhyuk smiled and looked out of the window. It was already getting dark outside, and he could see the stars in the sky, which was rare. The sky was clear that day, and he could see a lot of them.
"The sky must still be purple over there."
Junhyuk stared at the sky quietly. He forgot to tune his muscles and fell asleep. An alarm bell woke him up, and he pulled out his cellphone.
Soon, it would be time for him to leave. Junhyuk lay on his bed quietly and relaxed. How many hours had gone by?
He saw the lights.
In an instant, he had gone over to the Dimensional Battlefield once more.