Chapter 2- Slave and King (2)

A limitless dream.

The Karsharai family rebelled and cursed the king.

He was placed under a curse to continuously suffer nightmares and fail to stop it. He was mentally exhausted from this eternal loop of reincarnation that was caused by this forbidden curse.

When he would wake up, the lofty king begged God to free him from these intermittent dreams. As the irregular sleep schedule will lead to his death.

Han Seo Jin, his life in the dream.

The curse built an imaginary world.

"Your majesty, is your sleep the same as before?"

"My dream is the same as before. As time flows, there are numerous workers who work hard everyday in hopes to earn money. Those of higher status benefit from the labor of those beneath them. My life there is more humble as a slave that needs to take care of some burdens.

The king said and smiled bitterly.

"Working till the point of exhaustion is a novel experience for me that many people undergo in life. In any case, the dream is made of lies. I should stop being too immersed in the dream. I'm afraid that I will go mad from the dream's  influence. But recently, I have encountered a bad situation in the dream. I do not have the results yet, I am waiting for them."

The king was blinded by his dream self, as he recalled Han Seo Jin's cancer diagnosis.

"If you are worried, then don't talk about it yet. Words have power. Expressing your doubt with words makes me uneasy as the curse is powerful."

"... I see. I will let you know once the results are out."

"How is your awareness?"

"There is no progress in my own self-awareness. In the dream, I fail to remember anything from reality."

My self-awareness. Does Han Seo Jin realize that his world is a dream?

Realizing the dream is false would be one of the fundamental ways to overcome the curse. Registering the dream as false would significantly weaken the curse.

"Don't forget. Your majesty's imposing power, magic, divine power… neither of these affect the dream currently. However, once your majesty realizes that the dream world is a dream, your majesty shall be able to exhibit your powers in it."

The king nodded.

To use his original powers inside the dream while being Han Seo Jin, the curse would certainly be defeated to a certain degree.

The king touched his forehead.

"... once more sleep is flooding my mind."

"Don't forget your majesty… everything in the dream is a lie."

His vision blurred. The strong curse's cycle pushed him back into the dream. The king tried to endure the lull of sleep with his willpower, but he still could not resist the curse.

"Lenorjian's ruler, Arthur Leone Schulte, take a proper look at yourself and see the only truth in the dream. Please be enlightened there."

The faithful vassal's voice could be heard faintly.

"The subjugation of the curse begins…"

***

Han Seo Jin opened his eyes.

His body was cold. He was hungry but he could not move his right arm. Yet, his appetite persisted.

He struggled to get up and eat breakfast, then proceeded to go to the hospital.

The doctor calmly explained the results of the previous examination.

"End stage pancreatic cancer."

Han Seo Jin stiffened and turned pale. He pressed his lips tightly together, and his thin shoulders began to tremble. He was shocked to silence.

After a long time, he stammered the following words.

"Sir, is treatment possible? Such as an operation…"

"To be honest, surgery would be very difficult to fulfill. The cancer has already spread to the liver, stomach, and duodenum.

"Then treatment, how…"

"Listen to me son… eat plenty of tasty food, and do anything you want. You do not want to have any lingering attachments."

The doctor could not instill the hope of survival. He could only inform the patient of the truth. His calm statement blocked Han Seo Jin from hope, the wall of despair could not be broken.

Han Seo Jin stumbled back home.

He could not remember how he returned home. His mind was stunned to the point that he appeared drunk. Everything seemed to appear as a blur.

He sat in his studio, leaning against the wall. As if he had lost his spirit, he blankly watched the hands of the clock tick away.

'End stage of cancer… that has spread to the point of being incurable?'

That can't be true.

Although he lost consistently lost a lot of weight, sometimes felt that his abdomen hurt, and did not have an appetite, he should be okay more or less? Ah, he also slept a lot more.  

'This is nonsense! This can't be correct! Yes, it is possible that the examination was wrong!'

Han Seo Jin desperately denied the truth. Each time he said it, the painful and calm eyes of the doctor appeared in his mind. Seeing those eyes repeatedly made him feel suffocated from the lack of hope.

He stared blankly until the sun had set outside the window, when he suddenly rushed to take out his cell phone. His hands trembled as he searched for a certain number in his contacts.

Lim Seo Yeong.

A year ago, she had broken up with him due to not wanting a poor marriage life. They loved each other for 3 years, so after the break up he could not bare to delete her number.

He hesitated several times, and then dialed her number.

The call took a long time to connect. As the dial sound was prolonged, he grew more nervous. The number has not changed, maybe it was best to hang up and try again next time.

[Why did you call?]

At last the call connected, and Han Seo Jin grew emotional. His mind turned blank and he could not remember what to say.

[Why did you call me?]

Han Seo Jin was barely able to control the tremble in his voice, and spoke in a calm manner.

"Long time no see, Seo Yeong-ah."

[Sounds like you're doing well.]

"..."

He did not know what words to say. The relationship had ended, so why did he have the confidence to call her. Did he want to ask her for some comfort?

He barely mustered up the last bit of courage.

"Yes, I honestly…"

[Oppa, I am getting married next month.]

Instantly, his heart broke again.

He was frozen like a stone, unable to speak after hearing her words.

[I wish you happiness, but I still feel guilty about last year. And now, I will not call you from now on.]

"..."

[Even though listening to my words may hurt you, oppa, I do not want to deceive you. I sincerely loved you from the bottom of my heart. But to be honest… I was not alone. While I was with you, my beloved oppa, I was not confident in marrying you and had an affair. I'm sorry.]

"..."

[Live happily, oppa. I'm serious.]

Toot, toot, toot….  

Han Seo Jin blankly held onto the phone after he was cut off. Suddenly, his hand dropped his phone with a thump, and his face was drenched with tears.

~~~

"Has the hospital results come out? How is it?"

A coworker asked Han Seo Jin from the side. In response, he intentionally faked his smile and cheerfully replied.  

"Ah, yes the condition can be treated. Though it will be difficult."

"That's a relief, The diseases is curable, that is good news to hear. Of course, nothing is better."

"Though, the treatment fee will be quite high."

"That… do you have insurance? Did you get the real cost?"

"Due to working like a fanatic, I didn't know I could file for insurance. I regret not getting it before."

"No matter how hard you have to work to survive, you should always get insurance. Once you get sick, you will run out of money."

Seeing how Han Seo Jin arrived cheerfully at work, the coworker seemed relieved.

"Leaving work early?"

"Yes sir, I will be getting treatment from an outpatient clinic."

"Outpatient clinics do not charge as much. That's a relief. I told you to not be worried before, the weight loss was nothing critical.

Han Seo Jin smiled and thanked his coworker for his concerns and encouragements.

He found another university affiliated hospital. There, he received a close examination from a prestigious doctor and requested for treatment. Although this would cost him a lot of money, he did not care.