The month of being hospitalized passed faster than I thought.
It’s the first time I’ve been apart from the Astria continent for so long since meeting it again. When I felt like I would be consumed by anxiety, Chris’s presence, always by my side when I was awake, prevented that.
When I was with Chris, I could avoid returning to my former self. Chris, who had adventured with ‘Rain’ in the Astria continent, was holding onto ‘Lee Seulbi’s existence here too.
With Chris, I gradually put effort into overcoming my permanent disability too.
Through this hospitalization, I learned that there are clearly distinct stages even in spinal cord injuries. My body, which wasn’t completely paralyzed in the lower half, was at a lower stage of injury than I thought.
Rehabilitation training makes daily life a bit more comfortable. Of course, that doesn’t mean leg function fully returns.
Still, it’s different from my past self who blocked my eyes and ears with an ‘I don’t care’ attitude. To live in the Astria continent, I need to pay attention to my real body condition too.
Anyway, Rain and Lee Seulbi are a community of fate.
Bae Merong and Cherni, who occasionally visited the hospital room, gave me joy too. Their banter together was quite fun. I rarely saw them together when running buses there since they came in shifts.
Deathly Death came to visit once too. Although I’ve never actually run a dungeon with him, I could clearly tell he was the Fighter of Chris’s party from that sharp impression.
He said he respects me. He burned with fighting spirit saying he would catch up someday.
Hmm, am I a person worthy of such respect?
A being that has intruded into an alien world.
Just a being that only adds noise to a well-functioning world, a being that doesn’t matter if it’s gone.
The lack of sense of reality that always troubled me.
But these days, I was feeling a bit of sense of reality even in this world outside the Astria continent.
Color was returning to this world too.
* * *
Woong.
“Finally discharged.”
“It was suffocating.”
I complained lightly in Chris’s private car.
The ‘Astria continent’ is waiting.
Rain wants to run and play.
Rain, wait just a little. I’ll let you out as soon as we get home.
Lee Seulbi can be happy only if Rain is happy.
For that, I need to play Astria Online.
When I was swelling with anticipation towards the world I would return to after a month’s time.
Woong woong.
“Ah.”
Chris’s private car started heading towards a place I didn’t know.
This is clearly the way to downtown.
My place is in the poor neighborhood on the outskirts of the city; why are we going downtown?
I felt a bit anxious.
“Chris unnie…? Where are we going?”
“Rain’s home.”
“My home isn’t this way.”
“Huhuhu.”
Chris just smiled meaningfully.
At her smile, I felt dizzy.
Did I sign the contract wrongly?
Were there poisonous clauses I didn’t notice?
Am I going to be trapped in a capsule 24 hours a day and used for gold farming from now on?
Lee Seulbi, get a grip.
This world is much more dangerous than the Astria continent.
Contracts, guarantees, debts. There are traps everywhere.
In this dangerous world, you always need to be alert.
No matter how kindly Chris unnie has treated me so far, you always need to be suspicious of everything.
I’m manpower that can earn a lot of gold, so she might have treated me to use me for a long time.
But, can I run away?
I’ve already signed the contract, and my legs don’t move?
While calming my anxiously beating heart, I tried to appeal my uselessness.
“My body is weak so I won’t be able to work long. If you push me hard, I’ll break down soon. The maintenance costs will be higher.”
“…? What on earth are you talking about?”
Chris made a puzzled expression.
This is a genuinely confused expression.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the worst case.
“Phew.”
I quietly sighed in relief and wiped my chest.
Chris’s private car entered a luxury apartment complex.
“Wow.”
It’s my first time seeing such a luxury apartment in real life. Is this the kind of place called something Palace?
The Han River is nearby. If you live in a place like this, you can see the Han River right out the window. Is this the apartment with the ‘Han River view’ I’ve only heard about?
Chris supported my body and helped me get out of the private car.
Whirr.
I operated the electric wheelchair and followed Chris, who was leading the way, into the apartment.
We took a large, clean elevator and went up to a high floor.
My head is still full of questions.
Why on earth did Chris bring me to a place like this?
I know to some extent that she’s rich.
She lives in this apartment and had something to do before taking me home. I could make that much of a guess.
Beep.
Chris, who stood in front of a large front door, manipulated the hologram that appeared above it, then brought me in front of it.
“Now, can you bring your eyes close to this screen?”
“…?”
Although still full of questions, I obediently followed Chris’s words.
Beep.
[Iris information registration complete]
Whirr.
The sound of the door lock opening was heard.
“From now on, when opening this door, just bring your eyes close like just now.”
“Aha.”
Is this the common door lock these days. It’s certainly different from my home that still used old-fashioned keys in the same way as decades ago.
It seems to be a method that recognizes a person’s iris information and unlocks the lock.
But, was there a need to register my information on Chris’s home door? I won’t come here alone anyway.
“Wow…!”
It’s big. So spacious.
How many pyeong is this house?
Including unseen areas, wouldn’t it be over 100 pyeong? (tl/n: korean pyeong is equivalent to approximately 3.31 square meters, so basically 331m²)
The structure of the whole house doesn’t come into view at once. For me with a narrow range of activity, it’s almost like a playground.
The luxurious interior and spacious inside caught my eye.
As we fully entered the house, a living room as spacious as several of my single rooms combined came into view.
The ceiling is high. Outside the wide veranda window, the view of high-rise buildings unfolds. There’s also a soft sofa placed in front of the veranda window.
Are those modern art works hanging on the wall? I don’t know much about art but they look expensive. A large hologram system and audio system are installed in the center of the living room. So this is the hologram TV of this era.
My eyes widened at the luxurious environment I was seeing for the first time.
Chris pulled my wheelchair towards the veranda.
The view of the Han River seen through the window is fantastic. The river water is flowing gently, and bridges and high-rise buildings are spread out like a painting above it.
Even if I saved money for a lifetime in Astria Online, could I buy an apartment like this?
I stared at the Han River with my mouth open. Chris was standing next to me, holding the wheelchair handle and smiling brightly.
To express my impression in one word.
“A house like this must cost several billion won…? Chris unnie is really rich…”
“This is where you’ll live from now on. The contract said it would solve your housing issue, right?”
“…?”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
The house where I’ll live?
I looked around urgently. It’s a proper house where people live, equipped with state-of-the-art furniture and electronics.
“Ahh…! Isn’t this Chris unnie’s house!?”
“It’s my house. And from today, it’s your house too.”
Shake shake.
I shook my head and carefully pulled my wheelchair back.
“Ra-Rain!”
Chris hurriedly approached me and grabbed my wheelchair.
“Well, um. I’m sorry. My head isn’t working well yet.”
I tried to organize my confused thoughts.
Chris unnie’s house? My house?
Living together. That is, cohabitation.
“Ah, goodbye! You don’t need to see me off! I-I think I can take a taxi home!”
I tried to quickly leave this place by operating my wheelchair.
I’ll go to my shelter.
Whirr.
But my wheelchair wheels spun in the air. Chris had lifted the wheelchair with my body with.
Wow, she’s strong too.
Soon she put down the wheelchair and only held my body.
Caught in Chris’s clutches, I could only close my eyes tightly and entrust my body to Chris’s hands.
“Ehihit.”
Chris let out a strange laugh and carried me somewhere while walking.
“Now, this is where Rain will live. This penthouse structure can be used like two households, big and small.”
“Oh.”
As we turned around a pillar, a living room quite smaller than the one I saw earlier came into view. There was also a room connected to it.
“It’s a waste for unnie to live alone, right? I can’t even properly use half of this wide space. I’ll definitely protect your privacy. You can live like when you lived alone. O-of course, if Rain is okay with it, unnie can visit Rain’s room too! Rain can come visit unnie’s room too.”
“Aha.”
Hmm, should I see it as a boarding house form? With this separated structure, it might be less burdensome.
“Rain. I’m sorry for bringing you without explanation. Still, won’t you live here?”
Chris looked at me with slightly anxious eyes.
No matter how spacious the house is, even if it’s a separated space, it’s close enough that Chris’s breath would reach if I fell over.
It’s essentially cohabitation.
But she said she would definitely protect my privacy. She won’t invade my living space without consent.
“If Rain collapses again, if unnie is late even by any chance. When I think of that, my chest feels tight and I’m so anxious.”
Her aching heart and warm feelings flowed into my chest simultaneously.
Her affectionate heart wanting to watch over me closely.
Why? We’re just game friends.
Why does she think of me this much?
But, even a shred of doubt melts away like snow at her kind heart.
Even though I’m a Lee Seulbi full of lies who can’t show her deep inside yet.
Even though I’m a Lee Seulbi with a broken body who can’t do anything properly alone.
“If someone like me is okay with you.”
If Chris can gain happiness because of me.
If I can lessen the debt in my heart even a little by that.
I nodded with a hardened expression, looking up at Chris.
“Please take care of me.”