Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 181

Chapter 181 Side Story 3

 

As expected, modern people should live like modern people and make use of modern conveniences. Nataek immediately canceled the hospital meals and sought out new food. From an online shopping mall, he filled his cart only with bread and fruits that had many reviews praising their good taste and quality, and he ordered every kind of meat stew and soup that only needed to be heated up in the microwave. Occasionally, he even ordered delivery, easily securing food supplies with just a few touches on his phone. Seeing Medeus eat much better relieved Nataek’s worries at least a little. That wasn’t to say his mind was truly at ease.

He woke up to the bright sunlight. When he tossed and turned, glancing down from his bed, he saw Medeus. Medeus had dragged the sofa bed installed against the wall—which was meant for guardians—to Nataek’s side and gone to sleep there. Looking at Medeus, curled up like a shrimp as he slept, made Nataek’s heart ache.

The bed was far too small to hold that tall height and broad frame. Even the oversized training pants that Jungyeom had prepared fell short in length, leaving Medeus’s ankles completely exposed. Slowly, Nataek reached down, pulled the blanket higher to cover him, and softly stroked the pale bangs that fell across his forehead.

“When you’re discharged, I’ll have to buy a bed first.”

No matter how he thought about it, the bed in his one-room studio was definitely too small. Even if it were just for Medeus alone, let alone for the two of them, it was far too cramped. Though Medeus had once been a soldier with a life full of roughness, he had also been a nobleman who slept in beds even in ancient times. Naturally, he would be accustomed to soft beds, yet he had spent days enduring the discomfort without uttering a single complaint. That thought made Nataek’s chest tighten even more.

Would a queen size be enough…?

Nataek looked at both the bed and Medeus’s feet, then shook his head. Even with a king-size bed, he felt as if it still wouldn’t be wide enough for Medeus. Before he knew it, Nataek was imagining the size of a bed they might both lie in together, and then once again measured it against Medeus’s frame with his eyes.

“Should I push two beds together…?”

While Nataek was debating, Medeus’s long eyelashes trembled. The first sight Medeus took in, with the sunlight behind him, was a disheveled-haired Nataek. Medeus nuzzled his cheek against the hand that touched him.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well?”

At Nataek’s words, Medeus froze for a moment.

“You’re using honorifics again.”

It wasn’t easy to suddenly change a way of speaking that had been ingrained in him for so long. Though his face was buried in Nataek’s palm and his expression couldn’t be seen, Nataek could feel from the way Medeus’s skin scrunched that he was frowning. Nataek rubbed his cheek as though petting a puppy’s head.

“I’ll get used to it little by little. Don’t be upset.”

“I’m not upset.”

Medeus raised his gaze to Nataek. The sunlight interwoven in the meeting of their eyes felt impossibly serene. Nataek playfully tapped the tip of Medeus’s nose with his finger.

“It must’ve been uncomfortable to sleep. I hope you’ll be discharged soon.”

Nataek wanted discharge to come as quickly as possible, but this wasn’t a matter that could be solved by impatience alone. With each day of hospitalization that passed, his guilt only grew heavier. Sensing Nataek’s feelings, Medeus rustled as he sat up.

“If you rush these few days and your recovery slows, then what? Don’t worry, just follow the doctor’s instructions. I feel fine as it is.”

Medeus kissed the center of Nataek’s palm with soft smacking sounds, and then, as though it were second nature, began the morning routine. He opened the window, moved the guardian’s sofa bed back, poured Nataek a glass of water, and checked the refrigerator and cabinet to think over breakfast. It was the typical image of a guardian well accustomed to hospital life.

Watching that back quietly made Nataek’s heart ache. Adjusting even to only the good things and the pleasant conveniences of modern life wasn’t simple, yet Medeus had adapted first to the hospital life. Since it was impossible to leave Medeus elsewhere alone, and Nataek himself still couldn’t leave the hospital, there was nothing to be done.

He swallowed down his burning insides together with the water Medeus had handed him. Taking back the empty glass, Medeus leaned his face close to Nataek. Nataek, as naturally as ever, tilted up his head and closed his eyes. With the soft sound of a kiss, a light brush of lips marked the real beginning of the morning.

Alongside the rustling sound, Medeus took out sliced bread. Nataek retrieved six cartons of milk from the refrigerator, placing three before Medeus and three before himself, then stuck in straws. Medeus brought over two jars of jam, tore open the bread bag, and spread out the pieces completely.

“Which one will you have?”

“Both.”

As if he already knew without needing to ask, Medeus opened the jars the moment he asked and began spreading jam. Half were covered with strawberry jam, the other half with peanut butter.

“Here, eat.”

“Thank you.”

“Again.”

“…Thanks.”

Nataek brought the peanut-butter-spread slice to his mouth. Out of the whole loaf of bread, Medeus’s share was only one piece with strawberry jam and one with peanut butter. The rest were all for Nataek. As if to make sure he noticed, one slice disappeared into Nataek’s stomach in just three bites.

“You seem to eat better here.”

This time, Medeus handed him a strawberry-jam slice with a smile. Just seeing that bright smile in response to his good appetite made Nataek’s heart pound from early morning.

As they were having a quiet breakfast together, Nataek suddenly let out a short exclamation.

“What is it?”

“Come to think of it, the soothsayer is supposed to come today.”

“A soothsayer?”

Knock-knock—.

At the same time came the sound of knocking. Medeus’s eyes sharpened as he moved toward the door. Nataek hurriedly shoved the bread into his mouth and chewed quickly.

Was it the nurse?

But Nataek’s expectation was wrong. What came instead was the boisterous voice of a man.

“Gasp! Wh-what? Why, why are y-you here?”

The soothsayer, startled by the sight of Medeus, stammered in shock. Nataek gulped down the mash in his mouth with a swallow of milk.

“Just come in! Medeus, let him in for now.”

At Nataek’s words, Medeus didn’t lower his intense gaze but stepped aside, taking on the bearing of a bodyguard watching over the hospital room. The soothsayer entered, looking stupefied, eyes darting between Medeus and Nataek in confusion.

“W-why is he here?”

“Sit down first. I’ll explain everything.”

Nataek gestured with his chin at the sofa. After listening to the entire story, the soothsayer let out repeated exclamations of disbelief.

“No, does this even make sense?”

“We managed to go, so who’s to say we can’t come back?”

“No, this just doesn’t make sense. I thought things like this only happened in movies. I mean really, this is… unbelievable.”

Still laughing incredulously, the soothsayer glanced sideways at Medeus, then back at Nataek as he asked,

“Then does he also have a character card?”

Only then did Nataek remember about Medeus’s character card. In the rush of coming into reality, he hadn’t thought of it at all and had never properly checked what was written on it. The only thing he had done was watch the process of its creation. Realizing it now suddenly made him uneasy.

Don’t tell me if it’s lost, it can’t be reissued?

“Medeus. Do you still have that card from back then? The one that came from your necklace.”

“Yes.”

Medeus searched in his pant pocket and then held out an ID card. Nataek stretched out his arm to take it.

Amazingly, the address was identical to Nataek’s, and the photo was the same as Medeus’s real face looking straight forward. But what startled Nataek the most were the six digits of Medeus’s date of birth.

“….”

Unconsciously, Nataek covered his own mouth. The first two digits showed that Medeus was born five whole years later than Nataek. As Nataek blinked in surprise, Medeus asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“A-ah… it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

Though he had expected Medeus to be younger than himself, knowing his actual age left him at a loss for words. The honorifics that had once slipped out unconsciously disappeared from his speech.

I’ll have to treat him well. Really… I truly must treat him well.

Next, his eyes snagged on Medeus’s birthday, May 3rd. Suddenly discovering Medeus’s birthday, and how close it was, left him dazed. Nataek looked at Medeus and then stared again at the ID. The season of his birth matched his gentle, puppyish appearance—warm and soft. For a brief moment, Nataek imagined Medeus walking peacefully through a grassy field, over which a puppy bounded with its large ears flopping. With a faint smile, Nataek handed back the ID.

“Don’t lose this, make sure you keep it safe.”

“Mm.”

Medeus nodded obediently and tucked the card back into his pocket.

Through the soothsayer’s visit, Nataek felt sharply aware that he really had gone to an ancient civilization. Their conversation drifted from the conveniences of the modern world to even the contents of the game.

“I swear I’ll never play that game again.”

“Come to think of it, what happened to the game CD?”

“The moment I returned to the modern world, that’s the first thing I searched for—and smashed to pieces.”

“And nothing unusual happened after that?”