Timeless Love || Jinx (Manhwa)

Chapter 27: Things get better, after all

Seoul, Korea, 20XX

Seven months later

"Kim Dan! Come on, you have to wake up, sleepy head... You'll miss the sunrise!"

"Kim Dan, please, just eat the meat. It'll be good for you."

"Kim Dan, I am a fool in love with you."

"Kim Dan!"

Dan woke up from his daydream, feeling that particular voice fade into the oblivion of his mind as he sat up in that hospital chair, shifting his eyes between the door right in front of him and the envelope in his hands.

His life had changed a lot since he came back to where he was supposed to be.

His grandma's health improved since his return thanks to the new treatment he and his uncle could afford together. As of the latter, he tried to visit at least one weekend a month to take care of his mother and, even if their relationship wasn't close, they spoke once in a while to catch up.

Dan didn't knew he had cousins back in Busan, even less that one of them already had a child, thing that quite surprised him. They were the same age, how did she handle it? But he wasn't in any kind of moral place to judge her and her maternity choices: he had planned of parenting a child with a noble not even a year ago.

As of his job at the hospital, the things that he had learned in Joseon turned out to be more useful than what he thought! The techniques he used with Jaekyung, the random advice from the town's doctor and herb merchant, the lessons from the maids, all of it worked just as well with his modern patients and their modern problems.

He even made a few acquaintances in the hospital and, even if he was still figuring out the whole "socializing outside of work" thing, he was confident he could handle it. If he could make friends in the medieval era of his country, despite one of them stabbing him in his sleep, nothing stopped him from doing it again here. He hasn't seen Min-Jun or the female doctor in this time, but it was probably for the best. He still hoped they were okay, despite everything.

He started to use his free time to go out more whenever he wasn't with his grandma or doing chores. He stopped drinking that much and instead went to spend some free time at the park, museums, and other things that he didn't do before his unplanned trip to the past.

The situation with the director of the hospital had only worsened after he returned. Sometimes it seemed that he was getting even for the months he was absent, getting more uncomfortable with his staring, his inappropriate comments and even getting to the point of touching him, only stopping because the doctor in charge of the therapy area happened to walk around that day.

Only one thing stayed the same: the presence of Jaekyung in his mind. He didn't remembered how his voice sounded anymore and his face had faded in most of his memories. It was sort of expected: the medical examiners from the army did told him that he might suffer from a temporal amnesia after the trip, but that it shouldn't last for more than a few months.

The few memories he could recall entirely from the experience were mostly tainted with nostalgia, and the only thing he had to cling on to the happiness he felt was the bracelet that rested in his wrist at all times, only taking it off to do massages, shower or sleep.

He missed him greatly every day, and even if he tried go on dates with other guys, spend time with them, get to know them, his heart wouldn't make space for anyone that wasn't him. Jaekyung got married, he even had a child, why can't he move on too?

Sometimes moving on is hard when your heart knows you were with the right person at the wrong time.

He had talked about it on the mandatory therapy he was given from the government. Well, maybe not all of it, but enough of what had happened to give his therapist some light in the situation. He talked about the shock of traveling back there, his recurring dreams and how staying for such a long time away from everyone affected him to some extent. He was constantly told that the reason of his temporary amnesia was just his brain protecting itself from the experience, just like the other soldiers, but that it would come back eventually.