Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 12

Billowing smoke rose, and Dongsik suddenly transformed into a plush doll.

“Wh-What?! You had a transformation function?!”

Stunned, Jiwoo stared at the now palm-sized Dongsik.

— This is pretty uncomfortable, Jiuu, nyaak.

“Huh? How uncomfortable?”

— You once said it felt like wearing full makeup, a tight skirt, and 15-centimeter high heels, nyaak.

Hiiik— Even imagining that was horrifying.

The realistic comparison made Jiwoo look at Dongsik with a hint of pity.

But the words that followed wiped that pity clean off.

— So be honored that I, in this state, am serving as your pet! Hurry and pay proper respect to the great Dongsik, nyaak!

“…….”

— Jiuu! Why are you just standing there?! Hold me politely with both hands! I can’t move on my own in this form, nyaak!

“…Right. Is that so?”

Smiling sweetly, Jiwoo gently picked up Dongsik.

Then she opened her backpack and stuffed him straight inside.

— J-Jiuu!! What are you doing, nyaaaak!!

“Our great Dongsik teacher. If I ever need to go into a dungeon again, I’ll take you out then.”

But until that day—you’re sealed!

Jiwoo snorted confidently.

— Wa-wait, nyaak! If you lock me up like this, you’ll definitely regret it! I actually brought news that would make you very happ—!

“No thanks.”

Zip—!

The zipper closed.

And so, the pitiful penguin was unable to escape and remained trapped inside the backpack.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Jiwoo arrived at the hospital, hugging the bag of tangerines as she strode up the stairs.

On the front of the tightly packed hospital rooms, only one name was written.

「Do Hee-sung」

Creak.

The moment she opened the hospital room door, a familiar voice greeted her.

“Noona, you’re here? You’re a bit late today.”

Her younger brother Heeseong waved from where he was half-lying on the bed.

Around his bed was a massive pile of snacks.

Jiu picked up a bunch of shine muscat grapes and widened her eyes.

“Heeseong, what is all this? Why so much fruit?”

“The lady in the room next door gave them to me. She said she was going out today and packed me a bunch of stuff.”

“Ah… I see…”

Feeling embarrassed, Jiwoo awkwardly placed her own bag on the floor.

If she had known, she would’ve brought something other than common tangerines.

Even after becoming S-rank, the poverty carved into her bones didn’t seem to disappear.

After a brief sibling reunion, Jiu and Heeseong sat side by side on the bed, peeling apples to eat.

“They say apples aren’t good at night.”

You know that saying: morning apples are gold, evening apples are poison.

Yet her hands peeling the apple didn’t stop.

“Noona, that’s all nonsense. They say for men, looking handsome on the outside is what matters most.”

“…Do Hee-sung. Who did you hear that from?”

“Mm… that was probably the lady from the room downstairs.”

Seriously, was there anything that lady wouldn’t say to a kid?

Jiwoo pressed her lips together.

Having stayed in the hospital for so long, Heeseong had grown closer to the middle-aged women here than to kids his age.

He was showered with affection like an idol, but the problem was… sometimes they gave him these weird, unhealthy ideas.

‘I definitely need to talk to that lady next time. What is my brother even learning from her?’

Jiwoo grumbled inwardly as she continued slicing fruit.

Neat little rabbit-shaped apple pieces filled the plate.

But then Heeseong stopped eating and nudged her urgently.

“Huh? Uh-uh-uh? Noona! Look, look!”

“Hm? What is it?”

Jiwoo followed his pointing finger.

The TV screen he was pointing at.

Breaking news was flashing across it.

[The heir of Daewoon Group returns after 10 years!]

Unable to hide his excitement, Heeseong shot up from his seat.

“They finally found him! Noona, you know, right? The heir of Daewoon Group who went missing years ago!”

“Yeah, I know.”

It was impossible not to know about Daewoon Group.

They were a major corporation producing all sorts of expensive equipment and potions.

Rumor had it the chairman had searched the entire country to find his grandson.

In the end, it was revealed that the grandson had gotten caught in an accident and ended up inside a dungeon.

“Noona, you know he has a fan club too? I bet they’re all going crazy right now!”

Heeseong franticly tapped away on his phone.

Jiwoo blinked in confusion.

‘Fan club?’

These days, famous hunters usually had fan communities.

They were so active that even Heeseong, who admired hunters, joined some of them.

But wasn’t that guy just a missing civilian?

“He’s a normal person. Why would he have a fan club?”

“Well, before he disappeared, he was the youngest awakened in history. And he was super handsome, so he was really popular.”

“But that was 10 years ago. He was still young back then.”

“Yeah, but he was really handsome.”

Repeating the same line like a parrot, he added:

“Isn’t that how everyone thinks? The lady in the next ward said pretty boys grow into handsome young men, and handsome young men grow into good-looking adults. So I brought some face masks to start taking care of my skin ear—”

“Stop!”

So that explained why aloe masks kept appearing in the fridge!

“Do Hee-sung, you don’t study, but you worry about skincare?!”

“It’s not like I can go to school anyway, so what’s the point of studying?”

“That may be true now, but once you’re discharged—”

He cut her off coldly.

“Noona… do you really think I’ll ever be able to leave the hospital? Still?”

It was a painful blow.

He had been hospitalized for years.

She paid enormous medical bills every month, but while his condition hadn’t worsened, it certainly wasn’t improving.

Still, she worked herself to the bone believing that someday, someday he would get better and walk out of this place.

Realizing he’d gone too far, Heeseong glanced at her nervously.

“Sorry, noona. I said something a bit harsh.”

“…It’s fine. Stop saying useless things and focus on your treatment.”

No matter how hard this situation was for her, it couldn’t compare to how hard it was on him.

Maybe that was why he watched hunter videos every day… Because he admired those strong, vigorous people.

Jiwoo pretended to be calm as she picked up the knife to keep peeling apples.

But once the mood dropped, it didn’t come back easily.

As he munched quietly on the apple slices, Heeseong suddenly spoke again.

“Noona… do you have a boyfriend?”

“Huh?”

“Jiwoo noona used to be really popular, you know…”

He looked more and more gloomy.

It was obvious what he was thinking.

He must’ve felt sorry for his sister suffering alone after their parents died.

His droopy expression tugged at her heart.

“If I weren’t sick, life would’ve been easier, right? Then noona could date someone like everyone else…”

“No, Heeseong. You’re getting it all wrong. Noona went on a date with a really handsome guy just recently!”

…Though it was inside a dungeon.

Jiwoo quietly avoided his gaze, and naturally he squinted in suspicion.

“What? Really? Why would a super handsome guy date you? He wasn’t a scammer, right?”

“Do Hee-seong… I’m starting to get offended.”

“What? The world’s dangerous these days! So what kind of guy was he?”

“Well… he was handsome, strong, kind, and he treated me really well…”

“So? Did he say he liked you?”

Well… he did say he loved her.

So that should count as liking her, right?

When Jiwoo nodded slightly, Heeseong’s eyes sparkled.

“What, seriously? Then did he confess? Ask you to date him?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t ask her to date him.

He asked her to marry him.

“So why didn’t you accept? If you went on a date, you must’ve liked him too, right?”

Well… because he was actually a monster?

Not knowing how to answer, Jiu hesitated.

He had one huge fatal flaw that overshadowed every one of his good points.

Her expression darkened.

In that moment, Heeseong suddenly slapped his knee.

“He was married, wasn’t he?!”

“…What?”

“He’s handsome and capable, but has no girlfriend? Guys like that are either married or gay!”

“What—who told you that?!”

“The morning drama! Everyone in our ward watches it at 7 a.m. It’s called Why Did Madam Give Cake to Her Secretary? It’s really popular—”

“Do Hee-sung. You are switching wards tomorrow.”

What were these crazy ladies teaching him?!

Jiwoo ground her teeth.

“Anyway, it’s still a shame. If noona thought he was handsome, then he must’ve been really handsome.”

“Why do you care?”

“Why not? I’d love to have a handsome brother-in-law.”

Grinning like a mischievous kid, he turned back to the TV.

A reporter was giving an update.

[In front of the Hunter Association, crowds are flooding in to see the Daewoon Group heir who has returned after 10 years.]

[He is currently undergoing emergency awakening measurements inside the Association, and it seems the procedures will be finished soon.]

Meanwhile, Jiu picked up another apple.

She had made a rabbit shape earlier—maybe a puppy shape this time?

As she was focused on this idea, Heeseong muttered while staring at the TV:

“Oh, what was his name again? Seo something… Seo, Seo…”

[The heir of Daewoon Group, Mr. Seo Kang-woo, is now exiting the Association building!]

“Right—Kangwoo! Seo Kangwoo!”

“…What?”

Thud. Roll, roll, roll.

The apple Jiwoo had been peeling dropped to the floor.

The red apple rolled across the ground, but Jiu didn’t even think to pick it up.

Her gaze was completely locked onto the man appearing on the TV.

The beautiful man, frowning slightly as if unused to the bursting spotlights.

“Kangwoo…?”

The flower-boy she left behind inside the dungeon.

Seo Kangwoo was there.