March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 129

“That… not needing to wear a patch…”

“Exactly. If this continues, Mr. Lee Sehwa will also be able to lower a fever by taking fever reducers, and get drunk if he drinks alcohol. Just like other people live.”

Sehwa’s lips slowly parted like a blooming flower. The medicine works without a patch? Like other people? He had lived his whole life with this body… Was it suddenly possible to return to normal?

“Let’s see, the medicine you’re taking these days… it’s just what the psychiatrist prescribed, internal medicine, and supplements, right? And you get a detailed examination every two weeks.”

“Ah, yes…”

“Actually, since last month, the speed at which your body absorbs medication has seemed to change little by little with each examination, so the doctors in charge have been discussing it daily. Then, just in case, I looked into the side effects of A7…”

The military doctor displayed a complex-looking chart in the air. He had seen it so often that he could roughly guess what each character on it meant.

“Although there are very few practical cases, there were notable side effects.”

A small hologram floated beside the chart. Various colored cells vigorously wriggled within blood vessels, and at some point, a white one grew enormous and began to gobble up other nearby cells. In the midst of that, new cells appeared and swelled up… Anyway, they were making a complete mess inside the body.

“To put it simply, when such a powerful antidote enters the body, my body loses its ability to judge things on its own. Like this hologram. All systems, including immune function, collapse.”

“But in Mr. Lee Sehwa’s case,” the military doctor said, bringing up the cross-section he had initially displayed.

“Unlike others, your constitution was a bit… twisted, shall we say, from the beginning, wasn’t it? But then we poured A7 into it, and as a result, it’s like we flipped something that was already flipped, making it face forward again.”

Saying he was lucky, the military doctor let out a sigh mixed with laughter.

“Of course, considering the circumstances that led to the pouring of A7, it’s not something to call luck, but anyway, taking A7 seems to have turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Mr. Lee Sehwa. At least, looking at this result.”

Sehwa, bewildered, just looked around at the various results the military doctor had shown him. Yes, he was more bewildered than happy. So what would happen now? Wouldn’t it be a big problem if he ended up in an ambiguous state where neither the patch nor the medicine worked?

“There’s nothing to worry about. The predicted results aren’t bad, so first, we’ll gradually reduce your reliance on the patch. It’ll be tough, but there will be frequent complex tests, and we’ll draw a lot of blood. We might even ask you to do it three or four times a day, so be prepared.”

“That’s fine, but…”

“Why is it fine? Getting tested is so draining.”

Still, the military doctor belatedly added, “We can’t guarantee 100%, so don’t get too excited.”

“Even if your constitution has changed, the fact that Mr. Lee Sehwa’s body is in poor condition and remains unchanged, so you must focus on recuperation. If you reduce patch usage, you might become weaker than you are now. The baby will be born in a few days, so shouldn’t you be healthier in the future?”

Sehwa wiggled his fingers and nodded vigorously.

They decided to take Haerim out in three days. Although it was a bit off from the usual time for coming out of the incubator, fortunately, there was nothing wrong with the baby. No, she was perfect.

The nurses he knew well would compliment him every time they saw him, saying the baby was so strong, wondering who she took after. No matter how good the equipment and programming were, they couldn’t compare to natural talent, and they said Haerim’s development and health were excellent, so she probably wouldn’t get sick much even when she grew up. The nurses probably said that without much thought, just to comfort him, who was weak, but at times like that, Sehwa couldn’t help but think of ‘someone’ other than himself.

He hadn’t expected Gi Taejeong to come to mind while hearing about his own body. Today, too, his thoughts of him, which had surged unexpectedly, felt like a heated iron piercing his heart. Still, since Haerim wouldn’t be sick thanks to resembling that person rather than him… that one thing seemed fortunate.

“You’ve decided to share a room in the protective ward you’re currently staying in, right?”

“Yes. And I’ve been thinking… as I mentioned before, it might be good to start preparing for discharge soon.”

Seeing the military doctor’s eyebrows shoot up immediately, Sehwa fumbled for the excuses he had prepared.

“I think living only in the protective ward is worse. I keep feeling lethargic… And the counselor also recommended living outside the hospital.”

The counselor had often given such advice in sessions before, but what truly made him decide to move was Haerim. He didn’t want to show the child, who had come into the world after much hardship, only the scenery of the hospital. He knew that newborns wouldn’t remember their infancy, but that’s how a father’s heart was.

So he decided to take a firm stance and discharge himself. It was true that General Oh Seonran and the doctors in charge were overly protective, and at this rate, he felt he wouldn’t be discharged for a long time. General Oh Seonran, who had initially opposed it, eventually gave permission when Sehwa mentioned wanting to practice living a normal life.

“Understood for now. But if any abnormal symptoms appear along the way, it’s absolutely not allowed. And if the results are bad when you come for check-ups after discharge, you’ll have to be hospitalized immediately.”

“I’ll do that.”

Sehwa nodded readily.

“Is there anything you want to do once you’re discharged? Why are you in such a hurry? You could just relax and spend General Oh Seonran’s money freely.”

The military doctor asked, tidying up the hologram and charts.

“……ice cream…”

“Huh? Ice cream?”

“Yes, I want to eat ice cream.”

He didn’t know why. He should be doing something more constructive. Thinking about how to make a living in the future, or studying how to be a good father… He had a mountain of things to do, but strangely, that thought suddenly came to him.

He wanted to eat the 3,000 won chocolate ice cream he had once eaten. And in this winter, too. He wanted to eat it all standing on the street, then hang the empty plastic bag from his wrist, greet “I’m home,” and be sucked into some tomb-like warm place.

He had been incredibly busy these past few days.

Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s bankruptcy filing had caused great indignation among most of the elders. To have siphoned off everything behind the scenes and then claim he had no money to compensate. His relatives were the same. These bastards still had a long way to go before they came to their senses.

There were also hyena-like individuals sniffing around for scraps, but naturally, the main plaintiffs in the damages lawsuit were those who had suffered greatly from Kim Seokcheol’s dog-like behavior. Even those who had initially suggested settling things amicably, considering their respective reputations, now charged in with fury. It would have been strange if their eyes hadn’t spun at such a blatant lie, showing no sincerity.

Thanks to that, Gi Taejeong also had to move quickly. This time, he had to definitively take down Lieutenant Colonel Kim. At the same time, he had to figure out a way to open the neglected air route of House 2. He needed to restore it just enough to defend the airspace and transport supplies, without completely erasing the traces of the fire. Damn it. Today, he’d tell that bastard Kim Seokcheol to get his recovery medicine later.

“I will proceed as you instructed. And, uh… Major General.”

Warrant Officer Choi, who had been grinning uncharacteristically all along, saying he felt good seeing the guys who used to ignore him get screwed, suddenly acted awkward.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

The bear-like man glanced at Lieutenant Park as if asking for help. Lieutenant Park sighed, “Hmph,” and shook his head as if to say, “I don’t know.” Oh, really. Gi Taejeong narrowed his eyes. These bastards, they get promoted a bit and immediately start slacking off…

“General Oh Seonran’s side has requested the dispatch of security personnel.”

He was about to coldly freeze his face, thinking he had been too lenient lately… when an unexpected story came out of Warrant Officer Choi’s mouth.

“Who? General Oh Seonran?”

“Yes.”

The only person they would request security for from him could only be… Lee Sehwa, of course.

Why? Gi Taejeong couldn’t even utter the name and just bit his inner lip. Sehwa was staying in the largest hospital in the country, a place even generals would rush to when ill. Moreover, General Oh Seonran himself was personally protecting him… so a request for additional personnel? Has something happened? Had he missed something? Was it someone other than Lieutenant Colonel Kim trying to make a move? That couldn’t be. He couldn’t have been unaware of Lee Sehwa’s movements, no matter what else he didn’t know.

“Report properly. Why would General Oh Seonran request security, of all things?”

“Ah, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s just… this afternoon, they’re… taking him out of the incubator, yes.”

Warrant Officer Choi’s tongue also stumbled several times when mentioning Sehwa and the baby, as if it wasn’t rolling smoothly.

“Ahem, so… they said that by showing we’re also paying attention, Lieutenant Colonel Kim won’t be able to approach Mr. Lee Sehwa recklessly after his discharge. Especially since Lieutenant Colonel Kim is already full of venom.”

It was a somewhat flimsy excuse. Of course, it was better to be overly cautious about Sehwa and the baby, but there was no need to involve him to show off their power. It would be more pressuring for Lieutenant Colonel Kim if the Oh family brought in their private personnel, and he knew they were already doing that. Really, why, specifically?

“How about you go yourself, Major General?”

“What?”

Lieutenant Park rummaged through the briefcase he had placed on the floor. Inside was a black uniform, usually worn by the honor guard.

“We’ve replied that if Mr. Lee Sehwa recognizes our people, he might feel uncomfortable, so we’ll wear different uniforms and cover our faces. Please wear a hat and a gas mask, and just in case, a voice changer. No one will recognize you with that.”

Gi Taejeong let out a long sigh through his nose and stood with his legs akimbo. He was so dumbfounded he didn’t know where to begin pointing out the flaws.

“Warrant Officer Choi.”

“Only one person from our side will go out dressed like this.”

Lieutenant Park, who had been watching Warrant Officer Choi’s actions from behind, reluctantly added.

“General Oh Seonran has also agreed to this.”

“Are you calling that a proper statement?”

A bodyguard whose face was covered and whose voice was disguised? Wouldn’t that be an ideal condition for Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s side to approach disguised as well? They couldn’t be unaware that the situation was more dangerous now than during the trial preparations… He couldn’t believe General Oh Seonran had accepted such conditions.

“No matter what, Major General, you are the one who can protect Mr. Lee Sehwa perfectly, more than anyone here. General Oh Seonran had no objection to that part.”

Lieutenant Park checked his wristwatch.

“The scheduled time is in four hours.”

Perhaps afraid of what they had done without permission, Warrant Officer Choi’s hands trembled as he handed the honor guard uniform to Gi Taejeong.

“Major General, this might be the last time. After this, General Oh Seonran won’t allow you, no matter what happens.”

“……”

“No one, no, Mr. Lee Sehwa will absolutely not know, so just go and see Mr. Lee Sehwa and the baby’s faces.”

Gi Taejeong looked down, his gaze fixed on the unfamiliar uniform and gas mask placed before him.