Chapter 11: Homecoming
I woke up to the smell of antiseptic in my nose. A soft, white light blinded my eyes.
I tried to move. A deep, dull ache shot through my entire body, pinning me down. I wasn’t in the boiler room anymore. I was in a bed, with clean sheets.
"You’re awake."
The voice was calm, familiar.
I turned my head, slowly. Min-Soo was sitting in a chair next to my bed. He looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes.
"The infirmary," he said, answering the question I hadn’t asked. "I found you this morning in the basement hallway on level 6. You were... in bad shape. The healers have been working on you for hours."
There was a silence. I didn’t know what to say. He had warned me. I had been stupid. I had insulted him. And still, he was here.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Like I got hit by a truck," I managed to say, my voice hoarse.
He gave a small, sad smile. "That’s a pretty accurate description, from what I saw."
I looked at him. He looked worried. Genuinely worried.
Guilt hit me harder than any punch from the night before.