Dad was in the middle of telling us about how he struggled to get a date in high school. I was about to tease him about it when—knock, knock. The abrupt sound cut through the room, sharper than it should have been.
A nurse stepped inside, her expression noticeably sour despite the polite tone of her words.
"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but it's important for the patient to get some rest. Maybe it would be best to let him sleep for a bit?"
She was irritated. Even though her words were professional, the furrow in her brows, her narrowed eyes, and the forced smile on her lips screamed something else entirely—don't make my job harder than it already is.
Dad and Sugar picked up on her message immediately. Even though I wasn't feeling particularly tired, it made sense that I should be resting after just having surgery.
"You're right, miss. We'll leave in a moment," Dad replied, offering a small nod of understanding.
The nurse kept up her strained smile. "Okay, sir, please don't take too long. Rest is important for Mr. Ahriman's recovery."
With that, she turned on her heel and left the room.
The moment she was gone, Sugar leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Looks like you won't have me around to annoy you anymore."
Dad let out a sigh, stretching his arms. "So, it's time to leave, huh? Maybe I'll continue my story another time."
They both stood up, gathering their things, and Sugar mentioned she'd come back in the evening after work. As they made their way to the door, I let myself sink a little deeper into the mattress, thinking a short nap might not be a bad idea.
Just as they were about to step out, Dad hesitated, turning back to look at me. His usual playful demeanor softened, replaced by something more sincere.
"It's fine, son. Everything's alright, okay? Just get well soon, and I'll take you hiking."
Hiking?
Dad had been here for nearly an hour, never once bringing up my condition. Instead, he'd spent the time cracking jokes and sharing old stories, trying to keep the mood light. But that didn't mean he didn't care. If anything, it showed how much he did care—choosing to be himself rather than let the weight of the situation bring him down.
I actually preferred it that way.
"But there's no forest or mountain spot to hike in Liac," I mumbled under my breath.
He had already stepped outside.
Guess he didn't hear me.
Or so I thought—because, a second later, both he and Sugar peeked back through the doorway.
"Oh, you're right," Dad admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Then maybe… um… we'll plan something else when you get out of here. Right, Sugar?"
"Yup," she agreed.
Dad flashed me a warm smile, and this time, they really did leave.
The room fell into silence.
It didn't bother me.
Both Sugar and Dad were good people. The type who cared about others regardless of their relation to them. People like them were rare—endangered, even. The kind the world didn't deserve.
A bitter thought crossed my mind.
In a fucked-up world like this, people like them aren't needed.
6:15 P.M. – About 19 Hours After the Accident
The sunlight streaming through the window had shifted from golden-orange to a dim glow, slowly fading as darkness began to take over. Shadows stretched along the walls, swallowing the room inch by inch. Soon, the overhead lights would have to be turned on.
I was lying on my bed when a nurse walked in and informed me that a group of people had come to see me.
…Huh?
Her words caught me off guard.
Other than Sugar and Dad, there was no one who would come to visit me. There were a few others I was somewhat close to, but I knew for certain that they wouldn't have heard about my accident.
Maybe it was them.
Monica and the other two siblings briefly crossed my mind, but the thought was dismissed just as quickly as it came. There was no chance that it was them. They hated me too much to even show up at my deathbed, let alone visit me at a hospital.
Instead of wasting time guessing, I simply waited.
~
A few minutes later, The door opened, and the man at the front stepped inside with a practiced ease, like he belonged here. The two younger men followed, their expressions unreadable. The people standing in front of me were neither family nor friends.
They were complete strangers.
A group of three—one middle-aged man and two younger ones who looked like they were in their late twenties or early thirties. They were all well-dressed, the kind of clean-cut professionalism that made it obvious they were wealthy. The two younger men stood slightly behind the middle-aged one, as if they were here just to accompany him.
Everything about them screamed that they belonged to the high-rises at the center of Liac.
People like them never interact with people like me unless they need something.
My stomach turned. Wasn't everything that happened today enough?
The middle-aged man took a step forward, speaking first.
"You're Ahriman?"
His voice was firm, but polite.
"Yes…" I replied cautiously. "Sorry, but I don't think I know you."
I really had no idea who they were, but it was obvious they were here for me. That alone made me wary. My past experiences had taught me that people like them never showed up without a reason.
The man gave a slight nod. "Oh, my apologies. My name is Tom Dixon. You see, yesterday, one of my company's vehicles was responsible for the accident involving your taxi."
His tone remained formal.
So that's what this is about.