Page 9 of Doubts of the Egoist (Egoist #3)

“Can you see me?” Doctor Klor leaned in, examining Kuon’s eye through an ophthalmoscope. His deep, cinnamon scent wafted through the dim room; an odd smell for a hospital.

“Foggy, but yes,” Kuon replied, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. “How… how does it look?”

“It’s fine, healing. It’s only been two days, so maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial.

No alcohol, cigarettes, physical work, or intense sports.

Wear sunglasses outdoors and in bright rooms, avoid dusty places, and take your medication exactly on time every day, including eye drops.

Sharpness and clarity of your vision may fluctuate.

It’s normal, so don’t worry. In about a year, if your vision isn’t completely restored, and it probably won’t be, we’ll consider a simple laser correction.

Meanwhile, do not swim or rinse your eyes with tap water.

Use only sterile solution, and avoid rubbing your eyes.

Always wash your hands before gently swabbing your eyelids, understand? ”

“Uh-huh…”

“If you experience any discomfort, pain, irritation, or new symptoms, come in right away. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a week.”

Kuon couldn’t stop staring at the doctor’s face above the blue scrubs.

The image, though indistinct, was the most colorful thing he’d seen in a year.

Klor’s features looked blurred in the faint light filtering through the Venetian blinds.

Still, seeing anything other than darkness was addictive; he could make out the doctor’s strong jaw and intelligent eyes.

Klor looked serious, yet kind and reliable.

His demeanor suggested that he either had children or often worked with them.

“That’s it.” Dr. Klor pushed away on his white rolling stool and got up. Kuon followed, turning his head to track the doctor as he went to the desk and scribbled something on a slip of paper with a golden pen. “Here’s a memo and your prescriptions.”

“Thank you,” Kuon said, unable to stop gawking.

When Klor turned around and their eyes met, the doctor chuckled. “That’s okay. Take your time. Everyone stares at first, so I won’t jump to the conclusion that it’s love at first sight. But… would you like me to give you something more interesting to look at?”

“S-sorry, I’m good.” Kuon rubbed his temple, feeling like an idiot. “It’s just been a while.”

He pocketed the prescription with a nod and an awkward smile, put on his wraparound sunglasses, and pulled the door open as the final orders caught up with him.

“No computers, smartphones, TV, or even books, you hear? Keep the blinds shut. And…” Klor hesitated.

“Try to avoid anything that could spike your blood pressure. At least for two weeks, you hear?”

Kuon nodded and closed the door behind him.

Forbidden to go into the doctor’s office, Yugo leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Irritation created a tangible orb of dark, malevolent energy around him.

Occasional passersby, sensing danger, cast wary glances at him and quickened their pace.

In the crowded corridor, the rows of bolted beige chairs on either side of his knees remained empty, as if people subconsciously avoided his company.

If Kuon hadn’t been nervous before, now his pulse doubled, deaf to the doctor’s orders. His heart bounced in his ribcage then rose to his throat, freezing there, forgetting how to beat at the sight of that handsome face and those cold, piercing eyes.

Yugo hadn’t changed. People say time and memory color the truth, but even though Kuon’s vision was distorted, and Yugo’s silhouette doubled from one side, he still looked much more handsome than Kuon remembered.

His fingers twitched. To keep himself from lifting his hand and reaching out to touch Yugo’s cheek, he hid his hands in his pockets as the doctor’s toothless teasing surfaced in his head.

Fuck… Heat caught his ears, and Kuon averted his eyes, feeling embarrassed for no reason, as if Yugo would assume the same thing if he stared a moment longer. He quickly turned on his heel to avoid staring.

He wasn’t ready for this, so he trained his eyes on the colors and shapes surrounding him, hoping to calm down.

His chest felt full of dumb elation, and he struggled to say if the reason for it was his restored vision, or Yugo’s idiotically handsome face meeting him with the clear disapproval of a five-year-old suffering sugar withdrawal.

The dark brown floor, beige walls, and soft, golden light—everything was bland yet entrancing as if he were seeing those plain things for the first time in his life.

“What did the doc say?” Yugo followed him like a dark thundercloud. Kuon knew this wasn’t how he had imagined their visually paired reunion, but couldn’t help but run away before his chest blew up like an over-inflated balloon.

“Everything’s fine. The next appointment is in a week.”

“What now? Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Iron fingers dug into his biceps as Yugo forced him to turn around.

Their eyes met. A stupid, uncontrollable grin stretched Kuon’s lips as he studied the man through his vague, distorted vision. Even in this warm weather, Yugo wore a black suit and a crisp white shirt. His crimson tie drew Kuon’s gaze, and he couldn’t stifle a chuckle. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“Huh?” Yugo frowned and looked down at himself, but finding no fault in his appearance, pierced him with a long, warning stare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Kuon tried to keep his face straight, but it was slipping.

For some reason, he found it funny that Yugo wasted so much money and effort on clothes that failed to make him look like a businessman.

The high-quality materials and the impeccable cut from the best Italian tailors couldn’t burn the gangster look out of the Black Duke.

“Nothing at all. I’m just glad to see you. ”

Yugo’s astonished expression made Kuon feel self-conscious again.

He twirled on his heel and stormed out of the building, fearing the slipping merriment would get out of control, or that he’d say something even more embarrassing.

His partially restored vision injected new hope, energy, and confidence into his veins—a confidence he hadn’t felt in months.

Filling his chest with the freshness of the summer morning, he hooded his eyes and offered his face to the gentle sunlight.

The boundless blue, more saturated and deeper than he remembered, filtered through his sunglasses and short lashes.

Maybe it was because of his glasses, but that hardly mattered right now.

As he breathed in this immense freedom, he realized how empty and dull his life had been without this color.

In his impenetrable darkness, he’d dreamed of seeing that pristine sky at least once more.

For a second, he thought he was absorbing that celestial expanse, consuming it, filling his empty shell with that blue, infinite calmness, when a throaty, soft voice called out to him, shattering the illusion of seclusion, “Kuon?”

He turned around.

Kristina was smaller than he’d imagined.

Her build and complexion resembled those of an adolescent rather than an adult.

She looked no older than seventeen. Her bright blue eyes, the same color as the sky above, watched him curiously.

Long platinum hair cascaded over her slender shoulders.

Kuon blinked and turned his attention to the child holding her hand.

A six-year-old girl gazed up at him with large blue eyes, grinning wildly.

With her light hair and pale skin, she was a smaller version of her mother.

Nelly squeezed the hem of her summer dress in her fist as she rocked from heel to toe.

“Hi, Kuon!”

“So, this is what you look like.” He crouched down in front of the girl. “Hi, Nelly. It’s nice to finally see you.” He patted her head before getting up and looking at Kristina. “Both of you.”

Kuon tilted his head, observing the pair with a tender expression, a wandering smile playing on his chapped lips.

He liked what he saw, that was clear as day.

Razor-sharp jealousy slashed through Yugo’s self-control, and he didn’t even bother to hide the lethality in the glare he directed at the woman and her child.

Kuon had spent less than a minute with them and had already paid more attention to them than he had to Yugo during their long walk out of the hospital.

Oblivious to him and his foul mood, the woman stood on her toes and reached for Kuon’s sunglasses with her fingertips. “Let me see.”

When Kuon didn’t back away, Yugo saw red. The woman dared to touch what belonged to him, and Kuon didn’t try to stop her. Wanting to break this idyll, he squared his shoulders and took a few steps to stand behind Kuon.

The little girl was the first to notice him.

She pressed her lips together and wrinkled her nose, small furrow s streaking her round chin.

The woman scowled, dropped her hands, and straightened up.

Her eyes lost their sparkle as she studied Yugo with a long, cold stare.

She crossed one arm over her chest and pushed the girl behind her with the other.

Kuon turned around and gave Yugo a puzzled look, radiating confusion. “Do you know each other?”

Kristina’s “Yes” contradicted Yugo’s “No.”

“We’ve met, but we don’t know each other,” Yugo clarified, staring at the woman.

“What’s going on?” Kuon frowned.

Giving Yugo the evil eye, the girl pouted and ratted him out, “He bullied Mommy!”

“Shut up, Pipsqueak. I didn’t,” Yugo growled. He grabbed Kuon’s elbow and shoved him toward the parking lot. “We’re leaving.”

“What are you doing?” Kuon followed him for two steps, trying to wrench his arm out of the grip. Ignoring the resistance, Yugo hauled him to the black SUV with tinted windows and opened the front passenger door for him.

“Get in. I don’t have all day.”