[Chapter 152]
[Lee Yoojung (3)]
He tossed and turned all night.
Nevertheless, his mind was unusually clear unlike other times.
It wasn't because he was worried, but because he was so excited he couldn't sleep.
"─Yucheon hyung."
[Uh... Yes, Eunha.]
"It's a bit awkward to talk over the phone, so come to me as soon as you have time today."
[...I'll come right away!!]
Still, keeping a cool head.
Eunha tried to maintain his composure as much as possible.
Then he called Lee Yucheon.
On the other end of the phone, Lee Yucheon suddenly made a clattering sound and immediately answered loudly.
And around lunchtime that day, Lee Yucheon came in carrying something in both hands.
"...You came?" "Yeah... Did you sleep well? Are you not hurting anywhere?"
"I'm fine... But what are all those things?"
"Huh? This? No... Last time I saw your hospital room looked too empty... So I brought various things. Of course, I also brought foods you'd like..." "I don't think all that will fit in the refrigerator." "...I'll bring a refrigerator later. No, two should be enough, right?"
"...Who are the people behind you?" "It was too much for me to bring alone so I got help from people at home. Father also prepared various things..."
"..."
There was a brief commotion.
Eunha was at a loss for words looking at the people who came in following Lee Yucheon.
The line seemed to go on endlessly.
The hospital room was instantly filled with the items they brought.
Lee Yucheon seemed to realize he had gone too far and made an awkward expression.
"Should I... take it all back?"
"...Yeah. I'll just gratefully accept your feelings."
"Pupu."
"...Leave some of the food."
"Okay, got it. I'll select things you'd like." "And I want to talk to you alone hyung, so the people who came with..."
"Everyone out! Wait outside!"
"..."
Rumble.
It was a chaotic scene.
Even Eunha who was trying to maintain his composure momentarily lost his mind.
Anyway, though the hospital room became somewhat messy,
Eunha who was left alone with Lee Yucheon soon opened his mouth towards him.
"─Yucheon hyung."
"Yeah..."
Gulp.
Lee Yucheon swallows.
Seeing his Adam's apple move, Eunha could tell he was nervous.
Well, it's understandable.
Though he probably guessed to some extent since Eunha called him,
He was still afraid that completely different words than he expected might come out of Eunha's mouth.
Of course, even Eunha himself would surely have felt the same way.
Therefore─
"─Let's treat Yoojung, with the Elixir." "...Eunha...!!"
Eunha immediately got to the point.
Lee Yucheon's eyes opened wide and sparkled, and he shouted Eunha's name loudly in an emotional voice.
Eunha smiled bitterly.
"Let's talk to Alice Hospital and set the treatment time for the soonest, fastest time possible."
"...Thank you!! Really thank you! I don't know how to express my gratitude, but I, no, Luminous will never forget this favor for the rest of our lives."
Lee Yucheon who was on the verge of tears.
He showed a flustered appearance then suddenly fell to his knees on the floor.
Lee Yucheon bowed his head until it touched the ground.
"Everything I have, everything I'll have in the future...! I'll give you anything you want! If you tell me to hand over the group, I'll give it all to you! Really, really thank you...!!"
"Get up. How can a direct descendant who should stand above others be like this in front of me? And I don't need those things so you keep them."
"Eunha..."
At this moment, Lee Yucheon representing Luminous Group laid down everything before Eunha.
But Eunha said he wouldn't take even one thing,
And at the same time grabbed Lee Yucheon's hand and helped him up from the floor.
Lee Yucheon seemed moved by his attitude.
"Rather, I think I'm the one who's indebted. Thank you, really."
"...Huh? What do you mean..."
"Just, there's something like that."
But Lee Yucheon wouldn't know.
How moved he is right now.
Thank you for protecting Yoojung all this time.
I'll really do well from now on.
Rather, the person who wants to bow right now is Eunha himself.
Gratitude towards Luminous Group for bringing Lee Yoojung into the world and taking care of her.
Probably he would never be able to turn Luminous Group into an enemy for the rest of his life.
Eunha suddenly thought.
"But in exchange for using the Elixir, there's something I want to ask of you hyung." "What is it? Tell me. I'll do anything."
Meanwhile,
Eunha savored the happy and grateful feelings to the fullest before speaking.
Lee Yucheon quickly nodded.
What Eunha wanted to ask Lee Yucheon was─
"─There was someone I originally planned to use the Elixir on." "..."
"That person is in critical condition now. We don't know how long it will take until the next Elixir can be made, so..."
"I'll do it! I can do it! Whether it's magic potions or anything good for the body, I'll do everything I can to keep that person alive until then!"
"...Thank you."
"We have a lot of things gathered for Yoojung, so I'll send those first."
Even though he hadn't finished speaking,
Lee Yucheon answered immediately.
He seemed quite excited.
It was understandable.
Eventually Eunha also smiled and was about to discuss what needed to be done.
"To treat Yoojung with the Elixir, we need to set a surgery schedule and consult with the hospital doctors..."
Right at that moment,
The door flung open.
Eunha and Lee Yucheon's gazes naturally turned that way─
"─What did I just hear?"
""...""
"What? You said there's only one Elixir? But you're saying you'll use the Elixir to treat someone else instead of my mom?"
""...""
"If there wasn't only one Elixir, what the hell is this?"
With a vicious face,
On Taeyang raised the veins in his neck.
☆
"─Hyung, you should go now. Let's talk again later."
After grasping the situation,
Lee Yucheon accepted Eunha's words without saying anything.
With a hardened face, he bowed his head deeply to On Taeyang as if apologizing, and left the hospital room like that.
Meanwhile, On Taeyang didn't even glance at him once and kept glaring at Eunha.
"Speak. What's going on here?"
On Taeyang growled.
His voice was full of anger as he put strength in his eyes.
Nevertheless, Eunha─
"─I'm sorry. I have no excuse to you. We decided to use the Elixir not on your mother... but on someone else."
In as polite a tone as possible,
Eunha laid out the words he had been organizing since the night before.
"But we can make the Elixir again. It will take some time... but I promise the next Elixir we make will definitely be given to your mother. And until then, we'll use every means possible..."
"Noh Eunha─!!"
"..."
"Stop spouting bullshit. In the end, you're saying you won't save my mom! You said it yourself? Mom's condition is not good... if we don't use the Elixir right now, we don't know what will happen!"
"..." "But now you're changing what you said like this? Huh? Telling my mom to hold on until then? If this isn't bullshit, what is it? Answer me."
It was expected.
That On Taeyang's reaction would be intense.
Eunha quietly looked at On Taeyang who was getting angrier and raising his voice.
"Why don't you say those words to the guy who just left too?"
"..."
"What? You can't say it to him...? Because he's a direct descendant of Luminous Group? But I'm nothing so... you're going to pretend there was no promise like this?"
While Eunha was keeping silent,
On Taeyang snorted and blabbered.
Eunha was surprised for a moment that On Taeyang knew Lee Yucheon's identity.
Thinking back, On Taeyang had attended a gathering of direct descendants last summer.
He may have seen Lee Yucheon from afar there.
Anyway, perhaps because of that─
"─What did you receive? What did you receive to hand over the Elixir you said you'd give to my mom to that bastard!?"
On Taeyang's hostility was considerable.
He denounced Luminous Group and poured out curses about Lee Yucheon.
"─So if you don't have power, it's okay to be treated like this? You guys are really dirty bastards. Hey... does it feel good to make a fool out of people? Huh?"
"..."
"I said speak!!!"
Crash.
On Taeyang threw the flower vase on top of the refrigerator to the floor.
Then he suddenly grabbed the flower vase next to it.
"Why─!! Did I kneel to you, whyyy─!!!"
"..."
On Taeyang swings his arm.
The flower vase flies.
Seeing that, Eunha closed his eyes.
He had no intention of avoiding it.
He was prepared to accept it.
Because─
─It's not like I don't understand On Taeyang's feelings.
Eunha felt sorry towards On Taeyang.
Of course, even so,
He had no intention of giving up his resolve to save Lee Yoojung.
If he could save Lee Yoojung's life with one flower vase,
He would gladly take the hit.
It was when Eunha thought that.
─Whoosh!
"..."
When Eunha opened his eyes,
He was surrounded by wings of flame.
Peeeeee!!
Fire Chicken who had been just watching until now protected Eunha.
The familiar that instantly transformed into a bird of flame wrapped him with its huge wings and cried fiercely.
Then it criticized him through the Pass connected to Eunha.
Don't do foolish things, it said.
Yeah... I'm sorry.
Eunha reached out to the wings covering his eyes.
Only then did the sparks scatter.
Fire Chicken who had covered its entire body in flames returned to its original form and sat on his shoulder.
"Pupu."
It pecked Eunha's cheek once,
Then stared at On Taeyang who was gritting his teeth.
"Yeah... I guess it's nice to have money to spare? The familiar protects you on its own!"
"Pupu pupu!"
On Taeyang points his finger.
He grabs whatever objects are nearby and drops them on the floor.
Seeing him rampaging unable to control his anger, Eunha─
"─I'm sorry about this. But I won't change my mind."
"...!" "You should go back now. No matter how angry you get or protest, nothing will change."
When he decided to save Lee Yoojung,
Eunha didn't even think about getting an apology from On Taeyang.
His apology was just a one-sided notification.
Because he knew he had chosen a path he couldn't turn back from.
Even if he makes a second Elixir, surely─
─I'll never be able to turn On Taeyang's heart again.
Even if he was indebted to him, he would also harbor resentment towards him at the same time.
Even if such a person is brought into the party, the party wouldn't function normally.
Therefore, Noh Eunha─
─I have to give up on On Taeyang.
That's what he was thinking.
That he would completely abandon trying to recruit On Taeyang into the party.
He decided not to have any lingering attachments anymore.
Nevertheless, the reason he promised On Taeyang the second Elixir was─
"I'll do my best as much as I can. So no matter what you say to me, I have no intention of handing over the Elixir." "..."
"That's how it is, so I'm sorry but please go back now."
It was purely for moral reasons.
And it was just to take responsibility for the promise he made to On Taehee and On Taeyang to help in every way possible.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Even that thought, if you go deeper─
─If Yoojung finds out later, how heartbroken would she be. If she learns that someone who was supposed to be treated with the Elixir first couldn't receive treatment because of her...
Surely the Lee Yoojung he knew,
She would clearly be distressed at surviving at the cost of someone else's life.
Moreover, in this life─
─Yoojung doesn't know anything.
She's pure, innocent, and soft-hearted.
And kind, gentle, and considerate of others.
From what Eunha directly confirmed,
And according to what Lee Yucheon told him, Lee Yoojung's heart must be very delicate.
He couldn't let her be hurt.
As a result─
─I absolutely don't want to see Yoojung sad.
At this moment, Lee Yoojung occupied the foundation of Noh Eunha's thinking.
Everything was about Lee Yoojung.
"─If you're going to cause any more trouble... I won't just stand by either." "..."
"Before I use force to knock you down and throw you out, leave on your own two feet."
On Taeyang tried to put his hand on his sword.
He manifested his internal mana.
Noticing that, Eunha created an oppressive atmosphere.
"...Kuk...!"
On Taeyang couldn't withstand the pressure and removed his hand from the sword.
He withdraws his internal mana.
As Eunha also withdrew the pressure─
"─I hate people like you the most."
"..."
"I'll never forget this. If you appear before my eyes again, then I really... won't let you off."
"I'll see you at the academy after I'm discharged." "..."
On Taeyang threatens while grinding his teeth.
Nevertheless, Eunha nonchalantly saw off On Taeyang leaving the hospital room without caring.
"Pipi pipi!" "Yeah, I'm sorry for staying still... And thank you for helping."
"Papa papa!"
"Yeah, I know..."
Saying to take care of his body,
It pecks his head and face with its beak.
Eunha was scolded by Fire Chicken.
☆
A few days later, Alice Hospital.
The lights came on in Alice Hospital's VIP dedicated operating room.
""""..."""""
To maintain confidentiality, information about the surgery was not disclosed to anyone except those involved.
But the moment the medical staff finish the surgery and leave the operating room,
By then, the secret they were hiding will already be revealed to the world.
"─Well then, let's begin. We will now use the Elixir."
A miracle drug that will surely rewrite medical history.
That day, all information about the Elixir was disclosed.
However, information about the patient treated using the Elixir was never revealed.