Graduate(18)
Song Seon-young, who had been in a coma for as long as I had, was not in good shape either.
Her face was hollow with sunken cheeks.
Compared to her, who was left with nothing but bones, I was in very good shape.
"...Hello?"
I spoke first.
'Darn! Did my brain stiffen like my muscles?'
I should have introduced myself first, but I carelessly greeted her as if I already knew her.
How strange would Song Seon-young find me?
"Hello."
Fortunately, she neither ignored nor found my greeting suspicious and accepted it without a hitch.
However, that's where it stopped.
"......"
"......"
An extremely awkward atmosphere, like we had just met for the first time.
It was natural.
Our meeting was in a dream, and the 'Song Seon-young' who shared memories with me was a fictitious existence. The female student in front of me now was the 'real Song Seon-young.'
And this was our first encounter. We may have passed each other a few times in the school corridor, but that was it.
There was nothing else between us that could be called a connection.
'Calm down, Kang Moon-soo.'
A dream is just a dream.
If I dwell on the dream and hesitate, I can't move forward.
Never.
"I don't know if you know me, but I'm Kang Moon-soo, the one who caused a stir in the school with the rare aptitude of being a shaman."
"I know."
"...You're Song Seon-young, right? I heard from the doctor that there's a classmate who has the same symptoms as me."
The doctor never told me that.
'What am I doing?'
I didn't understand why I was trying so hard to continue the conversation with lies.
There was no meaning to it.
"I heard it too."
"I see..."
"......"
"......"
Although I wasn't shy, this was as far as I could go in a conversation with a fellow student from the same school.
I couldn't figure out what else to say. It was also hard to stand still in the middle of the hospital, holding onto a patient who was struggling like this.
"......"
Song Seon-young just stared at my face with curiosity.
What was she thinking?
How did she see me?
It was a time of choice.
"...This is a busy intersection where people pass by, so I feel self-conscious. Do you want to go to the hospital rooftop? I heard it's decorated like a garden up there."
I didn't want to keep holding onto Song Seon-young with meaningless conversations. It was also difficult to stand still for a long time in her poor physical condition.
If she refuses to accompany me, it's over.
I'll part ways without any lingering feelings!
"Okay."
However, she obediently accepted the proposal of a boy she had just met, who was only a fellow student from the same school.
'Could it be...?'
My heart started pounding.
My once cold heart began to beat warmly again.
* * *
The rooftop of a concrete building without a roof is a special place for us, filled with various meanings.
Ding! Slide-
We quickly moved to the hospital rooftop using the elevator.
"Wow! They thoroughly blocked it off with iron bars. So patients can't commit suicide."
Iron bars and surveillance cameras were installed without gaps on the rooftop railing.
They perfectly prevented any unsavory incidents.
"That's true."
Song Seon-young, who glanced at the rooftop beside me, agreed.
"Let's sit on that bench."
"Okay."
Whatever the reason, her following me here meant she was willing to have a longer conversation.
I boldly decided to ask a question that might sound a bit strange.
"Well-"
"Are you good at swimming?"
As soon as Song Seon-young sat on the bench, she asked me a question first.
Swimming.
This also has a significant meaning for us.
"I used to only know how to dog paddle, but now I'm good at it."
"...How?"
"I learned it from a pretty girl with an aptitude for swimming in a dream."
It's true.
The swimming skills and knowledge I learned from her still linger in my head.
"How pretty was that girl?"
"She was tall and slim, as if she could be a swimsuit model."
"Like me?"
"Yes, it was you."
"......"
"......"
We looked into each other's eyes and were probably thinking the same thing.
'It wasn't just my dream!'
However, it was hard to believe that two completely different people could have the same dream, as it was a phenomenon that couldn't be scientifically explained.
So, I decided to test it once more by asking a question.
"How do people look to you?"
The same question I had asked shaman Yoo Il-am.
"Mannequins."
"Do they still look like that now?"
"Um... no. Now, people don't repeat the same actions."
"...What about me?"
"Mr. Shaman?"
"What do I look like to you?"
Our conversation began to mix dreams and reality.
No.
It flowed naturally.
"A person. But I don't see you as a man."
"I see!"
And it naturally cooled down!
* * *
"I've always thought, no, believed that I jumped off the school rooftop. But... don't laugh."
"I won't laugh."
"Actually, I just fainted in front of the wall because I was scared to die..."
"Who told you that?"
"The doctor did."
The conclusion was drawn because there was no physical trauma to my body.
I couldn't blame the doctor who diagnosed me like that. At the moment when two completely different people shared a dream, we had already transcended the realm of science.
"Disregard it. Yoo Il-am's claim is more persuasive, isn't it?"
"Right. He came too. He said he treated me? And then he asked my parents for the treatment fee. It was really infuriating!"
"Did you give it to him?"
"Of course not. My dad is a doctor too. Like you, who believes in science, he firmly believes that there is no disease that can't be explained medically."
"I see. Good for you. Yoo Il-am couldn't answer my question."
"What question?"
"Mannequins."
"Aha! He was a scammer."
After knowing the fact that we shared a dream, we exchanged conversations comfortably.
Not as lovers, but as friends!
'It can't be helped.'
I know exactly why Song Seon-young liked me.
It was because I appeared as the 'only man' in the world. So, there was no need to worry about choosing.
But what about now?
Looking around, there were plenty of healthy-looking men.
And women too...
'I must not have fully woken up yet.'
Unlike Song Seon-young, who quickly adapted to reality, I needed a little - no, a lot of time.
"Mr. Shaman."
"What?"
"I'm going to be a model. That's what I decided."
"But that was..."
"It was a dream. Now it's reality."
"I can no longer treat the people around me like mannequins."
Could she handle the countless gazes pouring from all directions if she ignored her aptitude and became a model?
She said she couldn't.
I persuaded her.
'No.'
I shouldn't say anything weak to her, who has finally made up her mind.
"I'll support you."
I promised while persuading her.
"Mr. Shaman, don't worry about the promise we made in the dream."
"Still..."
"I'm confident I can do better than swimming."
"Alright."
Naturally, the feeling cooled down again. It must be just my mood?
"But first, I need to rebuild my messed-up body."
Song Seon-young playfully shook her skinny wrist with a smile.
Her drooping arm.
Right now, she looked more like a supporting actor in a zombie movie than a model.
"My mom said she would help me, crying and hugging me. And my dad, a plastic surgeon, goes without saying."
"I see..."
Isn't it happiness just to have a safe family?
"Mr. Shaman."
"What?"
"I don't trust that scammer who lies every time he opens his mouth, but I trust you. I've experienced it myself. You'll definitely become an amazing shaman."
"Thank you."
I don't plan on becoming a shaman like Yoo Il-am.
"I'm cold. I'll go first."
Song Seon-young brushed her shoulder and stood up.
"Take care."
"...Hey, Moon-soo."
"Yes?"
She stopped and turned around as she was leaving.
"Will you continue to live in the house we saw in the dream after graduation?"
"I probably will. I don't have the money to move to a better house."
"I see. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
We, who met in a dream, parted in reality.
* * *
What I said to Song Seon-young in the dream also applied to me.
If I don't like my aptitude?
I can find another job.
It's a very simple yet difficult task.
It's also proof that P's aptitude test has a significant impact on human life.
'But before that.'
I had to do something about the convenience store part-time job that directly affects my livelihood.
"Oh! Moon-soo! You're safe!"
"Yes. How have you been?"
"I'm always the same. Haha!"
The store owner, who still greeted me warmly as I stumbled to the convenience store with my unsteady steps.
"But, Moon-soo."
"Yes?"
"I'm really sorry."
"......"
The convenience store owner, who loved games more than women, apologized to me.
'It can't be helped.'
Since it was an expected development, I accepted it calmly.
"It's okay. Really."
"I heard about your accident from your homeroom teacher, but I couldn't wait indefinitely without hiring another part-timer."
"Yes. I fully understand."
It was natural for me to be fired.
I couldn't go to my part-time job for more than two weeks. Due to the nature of a convenience store, someone has to manage it every day.
'It's a big deal.'
The reality of having to find a new job already darkened my vision.
Fortunately?
I had a lot of time because I was about to graduate from high school. I had given up on going to college long ago.
"Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to your diligent and honest work, I could enjoy playing games with peace of mind."
As always, the conclusion was about games.
He's always been like that.
"I'm also grateful for the time. Thanks to the store owner who got confused about his main job, my income was quite good."
"Aha! It's not a confusion. My main job is gaming. Ask anyone on the street if they know my name."
"I know. You're famous."
"Really! Believe me!"
"I do trust you. Weren't you the good-looking man with the indecent exposure incident that you showed me in the newspaper?"
"Indecent exposure... No, that's not..."
"Store owner, thank you for your convenience in many ways, and I wish your virtual reality gaming business continues to do well."
"It's already doing well. You're just not aware of it."
"I'll get going now."
I turned my body, listening to the nagging of the popularity-obsessed store owner with one ear.
"Anyway, thank you. And come visit sometimes! I'll give you something."
"Yes. I'll visit often."
Ding~♪
At that moment, a customer with an exotic atmosphere entered the convenience store.
'What a unique outfit.'
The pointy witch hat and black cloak reminded me of a witch, and the short gothic skirt and black fishnet stockings kept drawing my gaze down.
'Is she really a witch? In this day and age?'
It's not my place to say since my aptitude is a shaman.
"Welcome!"
"......"
"Uh, this is a big problem. Where did I put the translator? Grr..."
The store owner started sweating and rummaging through the drawers under the counter because the customer didn't respond to his greeting.
In the meantime,
"So, it's you."
"Excuse me?"
"Unexpected. I thought you'd look more extraordinary."
"What...?"
The customer approached me, making clicking sounds with her high-heeled black boots, and whispered very softly.
Her voice reminded me of a creepy yet beautiful devil.
'Who on earth is she?'
I couldn't see her face because of the deep witch hat, but the slightly visible slim jawline and plump lips hinted at a beautiful woman.
"Did you not know?"
"......"
"Interesting."
"Excuse me... I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person."
"I'll see if I can interfere again next time."
"Excuse me?"
Ding~♪
The customer, as whimsical as shaman Yoo Il-am, left the convenience store dragging a big bag.
'She came to the convenience store to meet me? What am I?'
I couldn't understand it.
"Ah, I left it here! I didn't use it, so it's in this corner- Huh? Where's the customer?"
"She left."
"Oh, no..."
"Store owner, I'll get going."
"Alright. Come visit often."
"Yes."
Ding~♪
Let's take this opportunity to find a plausible job while defying the fate of aptitude.
'Song Seon-young is doing it, too.'
I, who defeated the human dolphin Song Seon-young in swimming, can do it.
...Wouldn't that make sense?
It wasn't easy.
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