However, Michelle slowed down at the next intersection… His body stiffened uneasily.
"Can't we go to another hospital?" he asked—voice low, yet laced with quiet insistence.
"Why? What's wrong with LifePoint?" Augustus asked, confusion tightening his brow as his eyes flicked toward Michelle with a mix of skepticism and concern.
"…Nothing," Michelle replied quietly, then turned the car back onto the main route.
A few minutes later, they arrive at the LifePoint hospital entrance.
"You guys go in. I've got some business to attend to," Michelle said, eyes still fixed forward, avoiding theirs.
He's been acting weird ever since we left the club... I should ask him about it. And there was something about his sister too... Augustus thought.
"Come on, Michelle. I can't carry him alone." Augustus said, attempting to coax him in.
But seeing Augustus's determination, he sighed. "Alright. I'll leave after just taking him inside."
"Haha, thank you, Michelle. I knew I could count on you."
They walked into the hospital, supporting David on their shoulders. Augustus kept glancing sideways—Michelle's eyes were darting around, scanning as if searching for someone.
Once inside, they quickly got David admitted into a general ward.
"I'll take my leave now, Augustus. Take care, David," Michelle said, standing up after sitting for a few minutes to complete the formalities.
"Even though I don't know who you are…" David said, slowly pushing himself up. "I'm really grateful you came to my rescue." His voice was serious, eyes flickering with quiet gratitude.
Before Michelle could respond—
"Yes, if it weren't for you, Michelle, I don't know what would've happened," Augustus said with a serious expression, then softened into a warm smile. "Thank you again, Michelle."
He turned to David. "David, you rest here. I'll drop Michelle off and come back."
David narrowed his eyes slightly but nodded. He could tell Augustus was acting a bit off.
Augustus stepped out of the room. Michelle and David exchanged a final, acknowledging nod before Michelle followed after.
"Michelle, do you mind if we talk for two minutes?" Augustus asked in a firm tone, his expression resolute.
Michelle furrowed his brows. "…Sure," he replied, guarded.
Augustus led him to the corner of the corridor, eyes sharp with focus. "Can you tell me… how do you know about Club Radiance?"
Michelle's expression tightened. "Well… It's nothing. Just like David, I took a loan from them, that's all," he said stiffly, clearly holding something back.
Augustus didn't want to push, but letting it go didn't sit right either.
"I know I might be overstepping… but I just want to help. I saw your reaction when they mentioned your sister. Is everything alright?" he asked gently, voice calm but hesitant.
"Haha… Thank you, Augustus," Michelle forced a dry laugh, then added, "but everything's really fine. I'll leave now. It's getting late," he said firmly, turning to walk away down the corridor.
Augustus frowned, watching his back retreat, frustration bubbling in his chest.
I'm sure he's hiding something… some burden, he thought. And just as he turned back toward David—
"Michelle!" a doctor's voice called out—controlled but urgent. Augustus barely caught it, only because he was still paying attention.
Michelle turned toward the voice, spotting the doctor quickly approaching with half-raised hands.
His eyes immediately flicked toward the spot where he'd spoken with Augustus moments ago.
Augustus ducked behind a wall, heart still.
From the gap, he saw Michelle relax slightly—relieved he wasn't spotted.
The doctor reached him. They exchanged a few brief words. But even in that small moment, Michelle's face shifted—from concern to disbelief, to restrained anger. His fists clenched involuntarily.
The doctor shook his head a few times, expression firm. Then the two of them turned and walked toward the elevators.
Augustus remained in the shadows, caught between two choices.
Should I leave him alone and respect his privacy? Or step in—knowing I might lose his trust?
The question sat like a stone in his chest. But deep down, he already knew—he couldn't just walk away.
Michelle had said everything was fine—he'd made it clear. But now? This?
His past self might have walked away, while minding his own business saying something like "If he needs help, he'll ask. It's not my place."
But not anymore. He quietly followed. From a distance, he watched Michelle and the doctor stop on the third floor, reserved for critical care patients.
They entered a room. Augustus approached slowly and peered through the small glass window.
Inside, a patient lay still on the bed, connected to machines. Their face was blocked as Michelle stood directly in the way, talking to the doctor.
And unfortunately… Augustus couldn't make out a single word either.
But he didn't need to.
Michelle's anxious expression, the fact that he had no parents, and the way he tensed when his sister was mentioned—all of it pointed to one truth.
The patient lying in that room... is definitely his sister.
Augustus concluded. And as he leaned forward slightly, mind racing, The system confirmed it.
Ding…
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Task #24
[×] – Help the one who helped you. Save Michelle, sister.
| Penalty: Michelle's trust weakens. Future collaboration and emotional support will diminish.
Some debts aren't owed in words—they're repaid in action. Loyalty returned is loyalty multiplied.
| Reward: Loyalty +1 (Michelle)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The system prompt flared in his vision, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. His gaze flicked to the glowing panel, and just as he finished reading the task.
"Augustus?..."