Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 99

“Dungeon Sickness… a cure? You mean this potion?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’d like to propose that the Daewoon Group distribute this cure.”

Jiwoo nodded slowly.

The moment the business proposal left Jiwoo’s mouth, Chairman Seo’s kindly smile disappeared, and his eyes sharpened.

“Why should I believe you? Do you have any proof that this is really a cure?”

“There are two cases that can serve as evidence. My younger brother suffered from Dungeon Sickness for a long time, but he was recently declared fully recovered. And…”

Jiwoo placed the potion on the table before continuing.

“The child you’ve personally supported through your foundation, Kim Mina, has also overcome Dungeon Sickness.”

The instant Mina’s name was mentioned, Chairman Seo frowned.

“…How did you know I was her sponsor?”

“There aren’t many people in this country who could secretly provide that kind of support.”

At Daewoon Hospital, paying enormous medical bills wasn’t enough to get access to a VIP suite.

It was the kind of place where even if you took a waiting number a year in advance, there was no guarantee you’d ever be admitted.

‘Heeseong only got in because of unbelievable luck.’

Even then, it had taken six months before his admission process was complete because of the waiting list.

But Mina had been moved straight into a private intensive-care suite thanks to the support of an anonymous benefactor.

“So I was right… It really was you, Chairman.”

“Hmph. Were you trying to trick me into admitting it?”

“Ah, no! That wasn’t my intention at all. I just… wanted to thank you.”

Jiwoo bowed her head deeply.

After hesitating for a moment, she continued.

“You remember when I said I was visiting a younger friend in the hospital? That child was Mina. I met her in a dungeon, and… I keep thinking that if I’d managed to save her just a little sooner, she never would have gotten Dungeon Sickness…”

“That’s not true at all. Plenty of people are exposed to Gates for long periods and never get sick.”

“Yes… that’s true.”

“And my decision to sponsor Mina had absolutely nothing to do with you. It was pure coincidence.”

Chairman Seo finished the last of his Ssanghwa tea as he firmly made his point.

He had only learned about Mina after receiving the report on the mutated A-Rank Gate.

After his grandson Kangwoo suddenly joined the Emergency Disaster Response Team, Chairman Seo had become interested in the very first Gate Kangwoo became involved with. After learning about Mina’s circumstances, he’d decided to sponsor her himself.

Business was business, and personal matters were personal.

Chairman Seo picked up one of the glass bottles Jiwoo had brought.

The liquid shimmered with different colors depending on the light. It certainly looked mysterious, but nothing about it seemed particularly special.

“Hmm… So this is truly a cure for Dungeon Sickness…”

“I know you’ll be skeptical. It’s strange enough that someone who’s only a low-ranked healer would possess something like this.”

Jiwoo bit her lip.

If necessary, she had been prepared to tell Chairman Seo about her Second Awakening.

But Chairman Seo slowly shook his head.

“No. We can verify its effectiveness in due time, so I have no reason not to believe you for now. But…”

He placed the bottle back on the table and looked at Jiwoo.

“If this really is a cure… then why are you showing something this precious to me?”

The world’s only cure for Dungeon Sickness.

People had tried to develop a treatment before.

But because of the unique nature of Dungeon Sickness and its connection to Gates, creating such a cure required unimaginable amounts of money.

Even researching the disease’s cause required expensive mana stones and dungeon materials.

A medicine so valuable that it was impossible to put a price on it.

And not only did the hunter sitting before him possess it…

She could apparently produce enough to distribute it to the public.

“You understand that revealing something like this to the world would be an incredibly dangerous gamble for you.”

“That’s exactly why I came to see you, Chairman. Because I believed you’d help me.”

“Haha… And why would you trust someone you’ve only met a handful of times?”

Chairman Seo laughed heartily.

He didn’t seem offended that she’d said she trusted him.

If anything, he looked pleased.

Seeing that reassured Jiwoo.

“Well… first, because of everything you’ve done for Mina.”

After another brief hesitation, Jiwoo continued.

“And also…”

“Also?”

“Because you’re Mr. Seo Kangwoo’s grandfather.”

 

***

 

 

Jiwoo trudged along.

Normally she’d walk all the way home for exercise, but today she didn’t have the energy, so she planned to take the bus.

Looking toward the distant bus stop, she grabbed her curly hair with both hands.

‘Aaaagh! Why did I have to bring up Kangwoo?!’

I should’ve just said I respected Chairman Seo!

The regret came too late, but at the time, she’d been completely sincere.

If it had been anyone else, she probably never would’ve revealed the potion.

The most important things to Jiwoo were Heeseong’s safety and her own.

But when she thought of the other person as Kangwoo’s only family, the walls she’d carefully built around herself naturally came down.

And every time she compared the now-healthy Heeseong and Mina to the patients still lying in hospitals, painfully waiting for death, the guilt grew until she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

‘Still… I wonder if bringing up Kangwoo was really the right decision. Things have already been awkward between us lately.’

Since leaving the dungeon, Jiwoo hadn’t contacted Kangwoo first even once.

Whenever she went out, she’d tell him she already had company and refused his close protection.

She also stopped inviting him over for dinner like she used to.

Once she openly showed her discomfort and deliberately avoided him, Kangwoo stopped appearing before her.

…Well, aside from secretly watching over her.

[010-xxxx-xxxx]

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

When she took it out, an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Don’t ‘hello’ me.”

“Huh?”

Startled, Jiwoo pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the number again.

“Hey, what’s your problem? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

“Whose number is this?”

“Does that matter? I’m asking why you’ve been ignoring me!”

The person on the other end shouted.

A voice she could never forget—for all the wrong reasons.

It was Kang Jaegyu.

Jiwoo pouted.

“Why should I answer? I clearly warned you last time not to show your face around me—”

“Damn it, I know! But when someone talks to you, at least make an effort to listen first—!”

“Then send me a text!”

Since it was only over the phone, she wasn’t scared at all.

Jiwoo shouted right back at him.

Perhaps surprised by her aggressive response, Kang Jaegyu fell silent for quite a while.

Then…

“…Just clear some time.”

“Huh?”

“Clear your schedule. Sometime next week.”

“Why would I?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to. Stop calling me!”

Click.

Jiwoo hung up without a moment’s hesitation.

‘Not a chance! Like I’d fall for whatever you’re planning!’

From Jiwoo’s experience, when someone suddenly contacted you out of nowhere and asked to meet, there were usually only two possibilities.

They either wanted to borrow money…

…or sell you insurance.

Normally she’d at least meet them before turning them down.

But considering who it was, she had no desire to be that considerate.

‘You really thought I’d just go along with it? Dream on!’

She immediately blocked the number that had just called.

Then she headed cheerfully toward the bus stop.

It was packed with people.

It was rush hour, and it was so crowded there was barely any room to stand.

[Route 3403]

The bus Jiwoo needed appeared in the distance.

Just as she pushed through the crowd to board—

“KYAAAAAAH!”

Right in front of her, a student was shoved into the middle of the busy road and fell onto the pavement.