I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

I cut off ties with the protagonist.

I sacrificed half of my connections to get the money.

And then I walked home.

Every time I felt like I was about to die, I swallowed a pill.

When I ran out of pills, I took painkillers.

[9 hours 56 minutes]

Painkillers last unusually long.

Even after arriving home, I had plenty of time left.

The effect was strong enough to skip a shot for a day.

I don’t know why painkillers work better than regular drugs.

“My head hurts.”

Even lying still, my head ached.

My body was exhausted.

To the point that even moving a finger was difficult.

My mind was also tired.

It’s hard to even think anymore.

But I can’t sleep.

It feels like I drank a ton of coffee.

I wanted to turn my mind off, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t shut down easily.

“You must be feeling good though?”

The doctor asked.

He was wearing a black coat.

I couldn’t see his face because it was too dark.

“Yeah, I feel good because of the drugs… but why are you in my house?”

“Your house…? Hmm, the door was open, so I thought it was an invitation to come in.”

“Oh. Then could you close it, please?”

“I already did.”

Half of Yoo Seo-Ah’s connections are here.

A doctor you can meet when buying drugs.

Or is he a pharmacist?

Anyway,

“By the way, doctor, could you give me some sleeping pills while you’re here?”

“I’m not here to sell drugs today.”

“Then why did you come?”

If he’s not selling drugs, isn’t he just trespassing?

For some reason, he’s acting very confident after barging into someone else’s home.

I’m too dazed to question him.

Well, at least he’s trustworthy as a doctor.

“You don’t have money to buy drugs anyway, right?”

That was true.

Until a day ago, I didn’t have a single penny.

“I have money now. A friend gave it to me.”

“A friend?”

“Han Si-Hoo.”

The doctor paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought after hearing my words.

Then he spoke again.

“If I remember correctly… didn’t you say you wouldn’t ask your friends for help? Last time Si-Hoo offered to help, you made up excuses to turn him down, didn’t you?”

“I had to buy drugs.”

“Still, it’s strange to borrow hundreds of thousands of won like that.”

“I didn’t borrow it. I got it.”

There’s a difference between borrowing and receiving.

Getting cut off and still having to pay him back would’ve been awful.

In that regard, I could say the protagonist was quite generous.

“You got it?”

“Yeah, and then he cut me off. He said he never wanted to see me again.”

“I see…”

The doctor said, sounding intrigued.

Then he bent down and lifted my body from the floor.

-Thud.

“Ugh.”

He forced me onto a chair.

“Now, let’s sit here and have an honest conversation.”

“I just want to sleep…”

“For your health, it’s better if you stay awake. It’s been a while since I’ve gone this far.”

He said as he dragged another chair in front of me.

What’s he planning to do while sitting across from me?

It’s already a problem that he entered my house at will, and now he’s doing something outrageous.

Isn’t this too rude?

Even if he’s a doctor.

My head hurt too much to think deeply about it.

“[You can’t lie.] Do you understand?”

“Ah, yes.”

For a moment, the doctor’s tone seemed intense.

Sitting face to face like this felt like I was being interrogated.

“Where did you go today?”

“I went to the academy.”

“To meet Han Si-Hoo?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To borrow money.”

Why is he asking the same thing again?

Didn’t I just say this earlier?

“Don’t you have any pride?”

Pride?

Ah, I guess it does hurt your pride to bow down after fighting.

I understand what he’s saying but…

I don’t really care about that.

“I had to buy drugs.”

“I thought you cared deeply for Han Si-Hoo. Does that mean it’s all meaningless now?”

“…Care?”

Is he implying I care for the protagonist just because I read the novel?

I’m not Yoo Seo-Ah, and there’s no way I’d like him romantically.

Oh, but Yoo Seo-Ah did like Han Si-Hoo.

Since I inherited a large part of Yoo Seo-Ah’s memories, I knew that.

I guess there were still lingering feelings for Han Si-Hoo, but they disappeared after taking the drugs.

“I don’t have any feelings for him.”

“……”

“There’s no way I would, right?”

That’s common sense.

From my perspective, it’s obvious.

“Is your brain fried?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. [Let’s stop here.]”

What do you mean, “never mind”?

He insulted me, asking if my brain is fried.

Does he think I didn’t hear it? How ridiculous.

Even if I’m dazed, I can still manage some basic thoughts.

“So why did you come to my house this late at night?”

“Are you really that curious?”

“Most people would be.”

“It’s a long story…”

The doctor trailed off, as if he were deciding whether or not to explain.

“…But I suppose I’ll tell you. We might be seeing each other more often in the future.”

“Seeing each other more often?”

Does that mean I’ll have to buy drugs frequently?

I don’t want my body to deteriorate to the point where I constantly need them.

That thought scared me.

I could already envision a future where drug prices skyrocketed, and I could only afford a day’s supply at a time.

“Are you worried about seeing me often? Weren’t you willing to do anything for drugs anyway?”

The doctor seemed somewhat offended.

“I don’t think it’s that extreme.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“If I told you to kneel down and lick my shoes for a day’s supply of drugs, would you do it?”

“Should I do it right now?”

Honestly, no matter what I did, I’d still feel good.

Honor doesn’t feed you.

I don’t care if my image gets tarnished.

As long as I can use the drugs, I’m satisfied.

Besides, a day’s worth of drugs costs over 100,000 won.

Of course, I’d do it.

“No. It would dirty my shoes. Don’t do it.”

“Okay…”

I was rejected for an unexpected reason.

I’d probably also hate it if someone licked my shoes.

Not because my shoes would get dirty, but for other reasons.

There’s no way someone who tries to lick another person’s shoes is normal, right?

I shouldn’t associate with such a strange person.

“How about this instead?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll give you a year’s supply of drugs.”

A year of happiness?

It sounds like a dream, but that doesn’t make sense.

I don’t have the money for that.

I should’ve asked Han Si-Hoo for more when I had the chance.

“I don’t have that kind of money…”

“In exchange, you’ll kill Han Si-Hoo.”

“…What?”

I couldn’t understand what he just said for a moment.

“Can you do that?”

Once again, it was a condition I hadn’t considered.

Kill Han Si-Hoo.

That’s something Yoo Seo-Ah did when she was on the verge of death in the novel.

So this was all because of this doctor.

He was the one who made the protagonist witness Yoo Seo-Ah’s death right in front of his eyes.

By offering drugs in this way, he pushed Yoo Seo-Ah to fight Han Si-Hoo.

In fact, the fight between Han Si-Hoo and Yoo Seo-Ah wasn’t even a proper fight.

Yoo Seo-Ah was already dying, but Han Si-Hoo wasn’t cold-hearted enough to easily hurt someone he knew.

He simply had to watch Yoo Seo-Ah crumble before him.

After that, Han Si-Hoo became mentally unstable.

The novel started with Han Si-Hoo entering the high school division of the academy, burdened by his tragic past.

A protagonist with a painful history hidden behind his unique personality.

That was the setup, but I don’t feel like creating such a hassle for myself.

“To clarify, I’m asking you to kill Han Si-Hoo. Oh, and it wouldn’t be just a year’s supply; I’ll make it a lifetime supply of the best quality drugs.”

“For life?”

“Can you do it?”

“Hmm…”

I probably couldn’t kill him.

The protagonist isn’t weak.

Does this guy even know how many hundreds of chapters the novel has?

The protagonist doesn’t die.

Even if the villain tries, there’s no way it’ll work out.

If I’m lucky, I won’t end up dying in vain myself.

Even if I get a lifetime supply of drugs, what’s the point if my life isn’t that long?

If I go against the protagonist, I’d just die early.

Isn’t there a way to get the drugs and not fight the protagonist?

“I’ll give you time to think. I know it’s hard to think clearly because of the painkillers.”

“How did you know I took painkillers?”

“A doctor knows their patients well.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Anyway, think carefully about whether or not you can kill Han Si-Hoo. He’s your only friend, isn’t he? Well, not anymore, I guess.”

That’s insulting.

I should’ve made more friends.

Then I could’ve borrowed more money.

I already know the answer to whether or not I’ll kill Han Si-Hoo.

“…Will you really give me the drugs?”

“A doctor doesn’t lie.”

“For life?”

“You’ll be able to use more drugs than you can now, for the rest of your life. I swear on my honor.”

Swearing on honor to someone who doesn’t care about it.

But since the doctor seems to value his honor, it should be a trustworthy promise.

“Then of course…”

I should kill him.

I almost said it but stopped myself.

A wise person doesn’t speak carelessly.

Come to think of it, am I misunderstanding something?

Will the doctor still provide drugs while I’m trying to kill Han Si-Hoo?

Or not?

The doctor only mentioned giving drugs after Han Si-Hoo was dead.

He didn’t say anything about support until then.

I almost rashly agreed to kill him without realizing that.

“So…”

I was about to ask if I’d still get the drugs while I was trying to kill Han Si-Hoo,

“I understand. That’s enough. Since you’re hesitating, your brain isn’t completely fried yet.”

“……”

The doctor decided for himself and dismissed my question.

“It seems you still have some feelings for Han Si-Hoo… so it’s not an overdose… but you do seem to like the drugs. Considering that, you’ve shown some restraint.”

The doctor said, lifting the glass bottle that was on the table.

I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or to me.

The liquid inside sloshed around.

Restraint?

[8 hours 11 minutes]

Because I can see this, I know exactly how much I can use.

I know when the effects will wear off.

“Well, anyway. I’ll lay you back down, so you can sleep. I’ll be back to see you soon.”

“The sleeping pills?”

I called out to the doctor as he was about to leave.

Despite the good feeling, I still wanted to sleep.

“You won’t need them.”

“Huh?”

-Thud.

I felt a shock to my head.

Strangely enough, my eyes naturally began to close.

As expected, he’s a doctor.