Jeigan leaned forward beside the hospital bed.
"Jinha… are you okay now?"
"How are you feeling?"
Jinha slowly opened her eyes and looked around.
"…Where am I?"
"You're in the hospital," Jeigan replied quickly. "You lost consciousness earlier."
He looked worried.
"Please tell me… how are you feeling now?"
Jinha took a slow breath.
"I feel a little better now."
She turned toward the doctor.
"Thank you, doctor."
The doctor shook his head calmly.
"Don't thank me."
He pointed toward Jeigan.
"You should thank him instead."
"If this boy hadn't been here today, you might have lost your life."
"He gave you proper CPR at the right moment, and your lungs started working normally again."
Jinha's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh… I see."
She looked at Jeigan with a grateful smile.
"Thank you so much, Jeigan."
The doctor adjusted his glasses.
"Alright, you two can talk now."
"I'm going to check on my other patients."
"You'll be discharged from the hospital this evening."
"Thank you, doctor," Jeigan and Jinha said together.
The doctor left the room.
Silence filled the hospital ward.
Jeigan lowered his head slightly.
"I'm sorry, Jinha."
"Please forgive me."
"This all happened because of my soul."
"I feel like it's my fault."
Jinha shook her head immediately.
"You don't need to apologize."
"I was the one who wanted to touch your soul."
"So none of this was your fault."
"The mistake was mine."
Jeigan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Oh… okay."
"Let's forget about all that."
He looked at her.
"You're hungry, right?"
Jinha nodded.
"Yes… very hungry."
Jeigan smiled.
"Alright."
"I'll go get something for you to eat."
"You should rest for now."
"Okay," Jinha replied. "But come back quickly."
Jeigan nodded and walked out of the room.
Jinha slowly leaned back against the pillow.
Her mind was still racing.
What exactly happened to me earlier…?
That feeling…
Her eyes trembled slightly.
Now I understand why no one wants to make a deal with his soul…
What exactly is his soul?
Or… is it even a soul at all?
A memory surfaced in her mind.
She had once read something in an ancient book.
A devil's soul.
A soul so powerful that anyone who tried to control it would risk losing their life.
People who attempted to make deals with that soul often died… and the devil would take over their bodies to continue living.
But Jeigan's soul felt completely different.
It was even more terrifying…
It felt as if an entire universe had collapsed on top of her mind.
Jinha clenched her fists.
No…
I need to find out the truth.
Who… is Jeigan really?
Suddenly—
Knock. Knock.
"Can I come in?" Jeigan's voice came from outside the door.
Jinha snapped back to reality.
"Y-Yes… come in."
Jeigan entered the room carrying a small food tray.
"Here," he said gently. "I brought something for you to eat."
Jinha smiled.
"Thank you, Jeigan."
"You're welcome."
Jeigan opened the food container.
"Wait, I'll open it for you."
He suddenly noticed something.
"Jinha… your hands are shaking."
"How will you eat like that?"
He hesitated slightly.
"If you don't mind…"
"I could feed you."
Jinha blushed faintly.
"…Alright."
"You can feed me."
Jeigan smiled awkwardly.
"Okay then."
He lifted a spoon.
"Open your mouth."
"Ah—"
Jinha took a bite.
"Mmm…"
"It's tasty."
Jeigan chuckled.
"Here, have some more."
"Ah—"
"Aum."
"Ah—"
"Aum."
After a few bites, Jinha looked at him quietly.
"You're a really kind person, Jeigan."
"You barely know me, yet you took such good care of me."
"And on your very first day at the university… so many problems happened because of me."
Her expression became slightly sad.
Jeigan shook his head immediately.
"No."
"That's not true."
"It's just my responsibility."
"I can't leave someone alone when they're in pain."
"Anyone else in my place would have done the same."
Then he paused.
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"And honestly…"
"It doesn't even feel like we just met today."
"It feels like I've known you for many years."
Jinha looked at him in silence.
For some reason…
Her heart began beating faster again.