Leave the Hero's Ex-Girlfriend Alone! - Chapter 23
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Leave the hero’s ex-girlfriend alone!
EP23
I arrived in Korea on the fastest flight I could catch.
Since the damage from being stranded on that desert island amounted to nothing more than bruises and scrapes, I decided to get a thorough checkup once I reached Korea.
“I can go alone, you know.”
“How are you going to get there, limping like that?”
He’d trailed after me through the entire exam, and Alpha stuck to my side right up until the moment we went to hear the results.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Not at all.”
Yet his phone buzzed and went silent dozens of times in his pocket.
It had to be calls from the Association, but he kept pretending not to notice with grim determination.
In the end, he followed me right into the consultation room.
“Your kneecap is fine, and your ankle is just a mild sprain.”
The doctor peered at the monitor as she spoke.
“I heard you were stranded on a desert island, so you’re very lucky to be in this condition. Your overall health looks good, too.”
“Oh, yes. I managed to get out after a single day.”
“People can get badly hurt when they’re swept up by the waves. Considering that, your condition is… actually quite good.”
At the doctor’s words, Zero came to mind.
It must have been him who wrapped his arms around me in the middle of that massive wave.
‘So I owe my life to him.’
After that, the doctor went over the precautions and the course of treatment.
“There may be lingering effects, so I’d recommend staying in the hospital for a while.”
Taking the doctor’s advice, I decided to stay for a few days.
But what I’d asked for was an ordinary six-bed ward, not this extravagant private room.
A glittering chandelier hung from the ceiling, there was a spacious bed big enough for two people to lie down with ease, and a sofa and table sat there even though there was no one to entertain.
“I was under the impression I’d requested a six-bed ward…?”
“Oh? There must have been a mix-up.”
What kind of outside pressure would it take to cause a mix-up like this?
“This is a waste of taxpayer money.”
“It’s not taxpayer money.”
“Then what is it?”
“…I don’t know.”
Alpha avoided my eyes.
People who suffer damage or injury at the hands of villains receive support from the Association.
Ordinary individuals could never shoulder the cost on their own, not when the damage is on the scale of a natural disaster.
So I’d assumed the treatment would be fully covered, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
I could tell at a glance who was behind this.
“Only lie about what’s worth lying about.”
Alpha scratched his cheek, looking sheepish.
If it wasn’t taxpayer money, there was no reason to turn it down.
“Well, I suppose it’s not bad to enjoy a little luxury for once.”
The plush bedding was quite satisfying.
I changed into the patient gown lying on one side of the room.
I hadn’t expected Alpha to pull off something this cute while I was gone.
“What’s all this?”
“Oh, these are the ones that symbolize good health.”
When I came out after changing, thousands of flowers surrounded the bed.
I buried my face in my hands, overcome with despair.
Whenever I was admitted to the hospital, he tended to play some elaborate prank.
I think it had been that way ever since my shoulder injury eight years ago.
‘At least I won’t have any idle thoughts, thanks to this.’
But I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.
Knock, knock.
Just then, the door opened and a nurse walked in, smiling brightly.
But the moment she took in the state of the room, her face showed obvious bewilderment.
“P-patient, I’m going to take your temperature.”
“Yes…”
I pushed my way through the flowers and lay down on the bed.
Just then, something behind the nurse kept moving.
“I’m just going to put this in your ear for a moment.”
The nurse approached with a bright smile and took out a thermometer.
Just then, that guy craned his neck and spoke.
“You’ve been looking a little feverish since earlier…”
This is all your fault, damn it… I’m so embarrassed…
I swallowed the words I couldn’t spit out and trembled.
A cold sweat beaded on my brow as I waited impatiently for the reading to finish.
The moment the thermometer slid out with a beep, that guy couldn’t hold back and stepped right up beside the nurse.
“What’s the number?”
The nurse chuckled and said,
“36.8, normal. No need to worry.”
I let out a sigh of relief at that, but that guy tilted his head and muttered,
“Is it really normal? Look, your hands are still trembling.”
I had no idea when he’d moved, but there he was, standing right beside me.
Alpha caught my wrist lightly and gave it a playful shake.
His eyes were half-smiling, yet a trace of real worry flickered across them.
That… somehow made me even angrier.
“It’s your fault! When you go and do something this pointless!”
I pounded that guy’s shoulder with my clenched fist.
Alpha yelped, “Ow, ow,” but didn’t dodge at all. Instead, he wore the face of someone struggling to hold back a laugh.
His eyes curved long, and one corner of his mouth lifted slyly.
Even as she stepped out, the nurse kept a subtle smile on her lips that seemed to say, “How cute~ Is this a lovers’ quarrel?”
The door closed with a soft click, and the room fell quiet again.
After that pointless tug-of-war with Alpha, my whole body went limp and my eyelids grew heavy.
Hospitals really were strange.
Had someone sprayed sleeping gas into the air? No matter how much I slept, the drowsiness kept rolling in.
“I’m going to rest now.”
“Good call.”
That guy rested his elbow on the edge of the bed and stared at my face for a moment, then tucked the blanket up to my chin.
“There.”
Satisfied, Alpha smiled, turned, and walked over to the sofa.
“Aren’t you going home?”
I poked my head up just a little and asked.
He wasn’t seriously planning to stay here all night, was he?
“I’ll head out in a little while.”
He lay half-sprawled on the sofa, eyes closed.
It wasn’t his usual playful self. He looked worn out.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t once seen him sleep properly since that day.
He was pretending to be fine, but he had to be exhausted.
Even so, he was here, keeping watch by my side.
Suddenly, my heart began to tingle.
I gently clutched at my chest.
When it still wouldn’t settle, I thumped my chest hard, thump, thump.
Startled by the sound, Alpha shot up from his seat.
“What? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
I raised a hand to stop Alpha from coming closer.
“No, it’s nothing. I think it’s arrhythmia.”
I pressed my palm to my forehead, despairing.
What am I going to do…?
* * *
When I came to, it was the middle of the night.
As I dimly opened my eyes, what came into view were small star stickers stuck to the ceiling.
Fluorescent paint glowed faintly, sparkling just like a child’s bedroom.
…What’s that now.
I blinked only my eyes from beneath the blanket pulled up to my chin and let out a sigh.
When did he stick those up there?
A snort of laughter slipped out.
The situation was absurd, yet strangely funny. Sheer exasperation.
I carefully pushed myself up from the bed.
The rustle of the blanket spread through the quiet night air.
When I turned my head, what caught my eye was that guy, leaning back against the sofa.
Arms folded, head tilted slightly forward, shoulders rising and falling with each breath, he had fallen asleep.
“Still not gone…”
He’d said he’d leave soon.
I slid off the bed slowly.
The moment my toes touched the floor, a faint chill seeped through my skin.
The sofa was only a few steps away.
Close enough that I could reach out and touch it.
And yet those few steps felt strangely far.
‘When did it start…?’
I had drawn a thin line inside my heart.
A line I’d drawn to promise myself I wouldn’t cross it.
Pad, pad.
I stopped right in front of that line.
My breath rose all the way to my throat.
My fingertips trembled a little, and something dull throbbed in my chest.
My heart leaned over that line before my body did.
‘…What’s wrong with me.’
I quietly scolded myself.
That it was foolish, that it might just be a moment’s confusion.
But my toes pushed against the floor and kept going.
My hair stirred, and my breath wavered faintly with tension.
In the end, I crossed the line I had drawn, on my own.
I came up to the front of the sofa and looked down at his sleeping face.
The face that had always been full of smiles now looked peaceful.
His breathing was slow and warm.
I reached out and gently rested my hand on his forehead.
With my fingertips, I brushed Alpha’s loose hair back up.
“…You really are a bad guy.”
Just when I start to feel okay, you show up in front of me, and when I’m ready to hate you, you don’t even give me the time to.
I exhaled and leaned down slowly, so slowly.
Right before my eyes, his eyelashes trembled precariously.
My lips went dry, and without thinking I wet them with the tip of my tongue.
Something in my chest, maybe my whole body, was quietly trembling.
I closed my eyes.
Tap.
A tingling sensation spread from the edge of my lips like an electric current, leaving a light ache in my heart.
I steadied my breath and stepped back.
As if nothing had happened, I returned to the bed.
But my heart stayed right where it was, and for a long while, it didn’t come back.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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