I looked at Ha-yoon with anxious eyes.
I spoke with a fairly confident attitude, but I couldn’t guarantee that it would actually work on Ha-yoon too.
After finishing the dragon blood, Ha-yoon frowned slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I don’t know. Something feels weird.”
“Did the feeling in your legs come back?”
“I… I’m not sure?”
In that moment, Ha-yoon’s eyes filled with surprise. At the same time, her face twisted in discomfort.
“What’s wrong?”
“It… it hurts.”
“What?”
“My legs hurt…”
Wait a minute…
If her nerves were completely severed, she wouldn’t even be able to feel pain.
Did her nerves really regenerate?
Whether my guess was right or not, a mix of surprise and joy appeared on Ha-yoon’s face.
Even the pain in her legs seemed welcome.
“How… how is this…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
I probably wouldn’t be able to either if I were her.
She was supposed to live her whole life paralyzed from the waist down, but now, from this very moment, she had the chance to walk again.
“Ha-yoon.”
“Y-yes.”
At some point, Ha-yoon had started crying.
Just like someone witnessing a miracle.
Seeing that, I felt an indescribable pride.
And then, I realized something.
The old me—when I watched someone’s tragic story, or witnessed a disaster—could do nothing but stand by, helpless.
But now, things were different.
I could do what I wanted to do.
If I wanted to help someone, I could help them.
If someone was in danger, I could save them.
And on top of that, I didn’t even have to bear any risk.
So many thoughts filled my head.
Why did I gain this power in the first place?
Isn’t it a bit different from how other mutants came to be?
At the very least, it wasn’t power given to be used recklessly.
“Unnie, thank you so, so much…”
Ha-yoon said through her tears. I gently patted her head.
“Yeah. But in return for healing you like this, today never happened. Okay?”
“Yes. I’ll take it to the grave with me.”
“You can’t tell our parents either. If anyone asks, just say a miracle happened.”
“…Okay.”
Ha-yoon kept crying.
They say people cry when they’re overwhelmed with emotion.
She probably spent every day wrapped in despair I can’t even imagine.
But now, those days were over.
Now, she could stand on her own two feet and face the world again.
For that alone, maybe giving her my dragon blood was worth it.
I organized my thoughts.
This might actually be usable for the public good.
It’s not like drawing some blood would kill this body anyway.
I should talk to the professor and the Director of the National Intelligence Service about it.
What I was thinking was to distribute dragon blood as a treatment available to the public.
If I keep all the patent rights on my side… then I probably won’t have to worry about making a living for the rest of my life.
I’ll have to find a trustworthy pharmaceutical company, but that should be doable through the Director or the professor’s connections.
The only issue might be how it fits into the national health insurance system, but at this level… I think people would be willing to make it work.
Honestly, it would mean the end of acquired disabilities caused by accidents.
Of course, I don’t plan to be the face of it.
Just promoting it as a miraculous new medicine would be enough.
The fact that it contains dragon blood—I’d keep that a complete secret.
Branding it as something that boosts vitality and regenerates nerves should be appropriate.
There might be side effects… but that can be figured out later through clinical trials.
Also, I’ll be able to find out how effective it is when diluted.
In many ways, things were about to get busy.
After Seo-hyun left, Ha-yoon pinched her cheek with a pounding heart.
A faint pain spread across her cheek.
It really wasn’t a dream.
How could something like this have happened?
An impossible thing had just become reality.
She was still feeling pain in her legs.
But that pain—was a joyful one.
Weren’t those legs the ones that couldn’t feel anything at all before?
Tears welled up again in Ha-yoon’s eyes.
There wasn’t a particular reason.
She was just overwhelmed.
She felt like she’d never forget this day.
Ha-yoon tried to stop crying.
The nurse would come by soon to check on her.
She didn’t want anyone to see her crying.
But still, the tears kept falling.
The past few months—each day had been like hell.
Even though she was alive, it didn’t feel like living.
It wasn’t just the fact that she could never use her legs again, it was the looks of pity people gave her that made her skin crawl.
‘Don’t look at me like that.’
That was what Ha-yoon always wanted to say to people.
But she could never bring herself to say it.
So instead, she just pretended to be fine as much as she could.
Even though she really wasn’t fine at all.
That made every day feel even more like hell.
To the point where she thought maybe it’d be better to just die like this.
But maybe people aren’t meant to just die so easily.
Because life gave her a sudden miracle like this.
Ha-yoon hadn’t forgotten what Seo-hyun had said.
Just treat it like a miracle—and if anyone asks, tell them that’s what it was.
She understood all too well the kind of ripple effect Seo-hyun’s dragon blood could cause.
If word of this got out, it would create chaos.
She had no intention of putting her savior in trouble.
A few hours later, a nurse entered the room to check on her.
Even then, Ha-yoon still couldn’t calm down.
The nurse saw her swollen eyes and puffy face and asked in surprise.
“Ha-yoon. Did something happen?”
“M-my legs… suddenly, they hurt.”
“…What? Hold on. Are you saying your legs really hurt?”
The nurse gently touched Ha-yoon’s leg.
“…Ah!”
That reaction wasn’t something you could fake.
She immediately realized she needed to call the doctor.
“Wait here, just a moment. I’ll go get the doctor.”
When the doctor rushed in to check on Ha-yoon’s condition, they realized a miracle had taken place in the real world.
Her nerves had regenerated—suddenly, without any warning signs.
“Ha-yoon. Did something happen recently?”
“No. Just… this morning, something felt weird… and then… suddenly, it started hurting.”
“My goodness. There weren’t any warning signs at all… how is this even possible?”
“Doctor, does this mean I’ll be able to walk now?”
When Ha-yoon asked that, the doctor answered with certainty.
“We’ll begin rehabilitation soon. If your nerves have regenerated, you’ll definitely be able to walk once we rebuild your muscles.”
As soon as I left Ha-yoon’s hospital room, I contacted the Director of the National Intelligence Service.
–Oh, Bureau Director. What is it?
“Ah, Director? I have something I’d like to discuss with you. May I come see you?”
–What’s this about?
“It’s related to Ha-yoon.”
–I heard you went to visit her today… Did something happen?
“I’d rather explain in person.”
…All right. I’ll rearrange my schedule a bit.
“I’m on my way now.”
I rushed straight to the NIS and met with the Director in private.
“You said it’s about Ha-yoon. What happened?”
“Ha-yoon will soon be able to walk again.”
The Director’s eyes widened at my words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s one of my abilities. My blood can heal people. Though… I’m not entirely sure of the full extent of its effects. I only know it can regenerate nerves and boost vitality.”
“My god. That’s… isn’t that something that must be kept secret? If word gets out, everyone will be after your blood.”
“Exactly. That’s why… I’m planning to make sure there’s no reason for anyone to go after it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Director, by any chance… do you know a trustworthy pharmaceutical company?”
“A pharmaceutical company? Why… Wait, don’t tell me…”
“I’m planning to distribute it publicly—so that anyone can use it with ease. But I understand that will require a lot of clinical trials and procedures.”
“…I see what you’re aiming for.”
“And if possible, could you also speak with the National Health Insurance Service? I want kids like Ha-yoon to be able to stand in this world again. Even if a new drug is made from my blood, I don’t want it to be something only the rich can afford.”
“I’ll do my best to make that happen. But… are you really okay with this?”
“I am. I used to be an ordinary person who thought having lots of money would be great, but now I’m someone who could rake in money by the handful if I wanted to… So, money doesn’t hold that much value for me anymore.”
The Director looked at me with a heavy expression.
“…Thank you. Truly.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you, Director. Thanks to you quickly establishing guidelines for mutants, I haven’t had to face much human malice since my transformation.”
The Director was someone who, more than anyone, might have had reason to hate mutants.
But he didn’t.
He created guidelines for mutants and helped them integrate into society.
He didn’t unleash blind hatred toward us.
He cut off the chain of hatred before it could even begin.
And for someone like that…
Isn’t it only right that a mutant should at least do this much in return?