After almost two weeks, the day Jin-Woo had been waiting for finally arrived. He will finally be discharged today. Even though he had long been fully recovered, thanks to his system's daily rewards. He stayed for a longer time to recuperate better, away from the suspicions of other hunters and authority.
As he dressed and packed his belongings, Jin-Woo found himself reflecting on his time in the hospital. It had been a strange mix of rest and introspection, but one constant had been Lee Joo-Hee. Her frequent visits had made his recovery more bearable, her presence always comforting, though she'd often tease him, making his time in the hospital far from dull.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts, and a nurse stepped in, holding his discharge papers. "Mr. Sung, everything is in order. You're free to leave whenever you're ready."
"Thanks," Jin-Woo replied, signing the papers with a smile. The nurse nodded and left, leaving him to finish up.
As he stepped out of the room and into the hospital lobby, Jin-Woo spotted Joo-Hee waiting for him, leaning casually against a pillar with a playful smile on her face. "The great Sung Jin-Woo finally graces us with his presence outside the hospital walls," she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm free, so stop that..." Jin-Woo replied with a grin, with an embarrassed blush, walking up to her. "You missed having someone to pester, huh?"
Joo-Hee crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "Well, training every day was rather boring and repetitive, you know. And... what would I do without my favorite patient?"
"Don't worry, Nurse Lee. I'll give you a full report on all the ways you've 'helped' me," Jin-Woo teased back. "I bet you'll miss bossing me around."
She laughed, falling into step beside him as they walked toward the hospital exit. "Just remember to take it easy, Mr. Sung. The gates aren't going anywhere, and neither is your body if you keep pushing too hard."
Jin-Woo rolled his eyes, but smiled. "I get it, Omma," he teased, the term rolling off his tongue in a playful tone.
Joo-Hee shot him a mock glare. "Omma? Oh, so now I'm your mother? Just for that, I should add an extra week to your rest period!"
They both laughed as they stepped outside, the fresh air filling Jin-Woo's lungs for the first time in what felt like ages. It was good to be out, and even better to be bantering like this.
As they neared the street, Joo-Hee's expression softened, and she glanced at him with a teasing glint in her eye. "Now that you're all recovered, I guess I don't have an excuse to visit you anymore," she said with a dramatic sigh, feigning disappointment while giving him a sideways glance.
Jin-Woo blinked, caught off guard. His face flushed slightly as he stammered, "You can still visit, you know. At my apartment. Jin-Ah's there too—she'd love to see you. So, uh… yeah."
Joo-Hee chuckled at his sudden flustered response, her eyes narrowing in playful suspicion. "Oh? So it's me you want to see, huh? Not Jin-Ah?"
Jin-Woo opened his mouth to respond but found himself at a loss for words, his ears turning pink as he struggled to defend himself. "No, I mean... of course I want to see you too, but—"
Joo-Hee burst out laughing, unable to keep up the act any longer. "Relax, Jin-Woo. I'm just joking with you." She gently nudged his arm. "But you know, it's nice to hear you admit it. So, I'll keep it in mind."
He scratched the back of his neck, still flustered but grinning. "Yeah, well... thanks for visiting me. I mean it."
Joo-Hee smiled warmly, the teasing fading into something softer. "Of course. We've already shared a life-and-death situation, so what's a simple visit compared to that?"
As they stood by the curb, a cab pulled up. Jin-Woo opened the door but hesitated for a moment, turning back to Joo-Hee. "You'll visit, right? Not just for Jin-Ah."
Joo-Hee smirked. "We'll see, Mr. Sung. Keep that charming attitude up, and maybe I'll show up just to keep you in check."
With a wave and a final smile, Jin-Woo slid into the cab. As it drove off, he glanced out the window, watching Joo-Hee grow smaller in the distance. His heart felt lighter than it had in weeks, and though he was eager to dive back into his training and the dangers of the gates, the memory of her laughter stayed with him, echoing softly in his mind.
Joo-Hee stood on the sidewalk, hands tucked into her pockets, watching as the cab carrying Jin-Woo disappeared into the distance, swallowed up by the chaotic flow of city traffic.
The familiar sounds of honking cars, distant chatter, and the hum of the urban sprawl filled the air around her, but her mind was elsewhere, drifting somewhere between relief and a strange sense of longing she couldn't quite put into words.
'Almost two weeks, huh?' she thought, letting out a slow breath. It had only been days since Jake had transmigrated into this world, taking on the role of Lee Joo-Hee, and yet, so much had changed. 'Well, I have somehow grown accustomed to this life. I'm also quite close to Jin-Woo now.'
Becoming Jin-Woo's close companion had been part of the plan, but even so, the naturalness of their bond surprised him. They had developed a comfortable rhythm—teasing, joking, but also sharing moments of genuine connection.
But even as he reflected on how well things were going, something tugged at the edge of his consciousness, an odd sensation he hadn't felt in days. Suddenly, a sharp pang pierced through his mind, disrupting his thoughts and causing him to stop mid-step.
_______________________
[Quest: Strengthening Bonds. +30 EXP, +3 Intelligence. gained.]
_______________________
Joo-Hee blinked in surprise, staring at the glowing message. "The heck…? This is the first time in days that this thing has responded and sent a new notification, aside from those constant proficiency updates. I almost forgot it was even there."
For the past few days, she had been training—practicing with the sword and developing her skills—but no system notifications or new quests had appeared during that time. She had even begun to wonder if something had gone wrong with it.
'So it's not broken after all. Sigh… If only this system were half as good as Jin-Woo's. Then maybe I'd have my own inventory and personal shop to speed up my growth,' she thought with a growing concern for her well-being in this world.
The faint blue glow of the notification faded, leaving her standing on the sidewalk with a mix of amusement and mild irritation. "So... any follow-up quests, system? [Strengthening Bonds] can't be the last one, right?" From the very beginning until now, Joo-Hee had tried all sorts of things to trigger more quests—simulating commands in her head, reenacting emotional moments, even outright begging the system to respond—but all of it had failed.
At one point, she'd even felt hopeless. And yet... it seemed the system had been keeping track of her growing relationship with Jin-Woo, rewarding her for something as simple as friendship. Or maybe she was just being 'delusional'.
Still, it was strange how the system seemed to take note of even the most subtle shifts. The quest rewards—extra experience and intelligence—felt almost symbolic, as if the system acknowledged that emotional connections were just as important as physical strength. Jake couldn't help but laugh softly at the thought. Who knew building friendships could literally make me smarter?
She thought it was absurd—her quest was plain and borderline useless. But it's not like cursing the system would make it any better. So she sighed and, once again, searched for other ways to grow stronger.
After all, she had zero combat experience. She was just someone who had inherited fragmented memories from the dead, with healing as her only practical skill.
"Sigh... who knew transmigration wouldn't be as rewarding as the stories make it seem? I really am one unlucky soul."
Walking quietly through the dimly lit streets, she reflected on how this world was both beautiful and cruel. A world she once fantasized about—until she learned that books and reality were nothing alike.
Jin-Woo's brief departure from the hospital had stirred something within her. It wasn't just the end of a hospital stay—it felt like the start of something new. For both of them.
Though she wanted to witness the story with her own eyes, a creeping fear whispered that her system might eventually become the death of her if it stayed still.
Still, she thought:
"Maybe changing the story is the only way now. I can only be selfish for a little while... sorry, Hae-In."
There was still much to do, and the road ahead would be far from easy. But for now, a rare sense of peace settled over her—a calm before the storm.
"Bye, Jin-Woo," Joo-Hee murmured softly, her voice carried away by the evening breeze. "You better take care of yourself... or this whole world might just crumble in despair."