I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: SemiPickle

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Right, pull yourself together.

Han Si-Hoo mumbled inwardly.

He kept mumbling.

He had already repeated it dozens of times.

There had never been a time when his mind and thoughts were this violated.

He ended up hurting Seo-Ah again.

Only after Yeon-Hwa took her away did he finally start thinking straight.

He couldn’t even remember what he said to Seo-Ah.

His mind was still hazy.

He needed to find a way to stop the penalty.

He grasped the blade with his bare hands, trying to wake himself up.

Maybe it was a method he learned from Seo-Ah.

There was something he had to do first.

“Doctor.”

If it’s true that the doctor infiltrated the academy, he had to be caught now.

Especially now, when most of the personnel had been dispatched outside.

There was no one to help.

The only person who could kill the doctor was Han Si-Hoo.

Where did he say the doctor was?

He was definitely nearby.

“If I just deal with the doctor.”

Then Seo-Ah will be safe.

Han Si-Hoo gripped his sword properly.

This time, he wouldn’t fail.

Was the doctor an awakener?

Probably.

He knew the doctor could teleport or use some kind of remote movement, whether through portals or something else.

But beyond that, his abilities were unknown.

He had to catch him now.

He remembered.

He had said he was in the medical room downstairs.

The academy building was sturdy, but Han Si-Hoo could break through it.

Bang!

He slammed his fist into the floor, breaking through.

With the power of his skill, this was no problem.

A path leading downstairs was created.

He jumped down to see who was there.

There were no patients in sight.

Dust was everywhere.

The lights on the ceiling flickered, sparking with electricity.

“Oh…”

The doctor admired it.

“I thought Miss Seo-Ah would come first.”

It was a relaxed voice.

As if asking why he only just arrived now.

“Doctor.”

His real name was unknown.

Where he came from, unknown.

Why he was here, also unknown.

Full of mysteries.

Han Si-Hoo barely held back his urge to attack and instead asked a question.

“Who are you?”

Gathering information was important.

He needed to find out who the enemy was.

Whether the doctor would answer was uncertain, but he asked anyway.

At the same time, he examined the doctor’s appearance.

“I am a doctor.”

It was a meaningless answer.

“Why did you mess with Seo-Ah?”

Han Si-Hoo prepared to attack.

“I never take any patient lightly. Miss Seo-Ah had no hospital to go to and no doctor to find.”

The answer came back.

“Tell me your purpose.”

In most cases, they wouldn’t answer just like that.

But the doctor seemed willing to talk.

His expression was invisible.

But it looked like he was smiling.

Shing.

The spot where the doctor stood was sliced.

But there was no damage.

“An illusion type…?”

Even the presence Han Si-Hoo felt was strangely faint.

There was no physical body.

“A hologram.”

A hologram projector was visible.

When Han Si-Hoo touched the projector, the doctor’s image disappeared.

But his voice continued.

Speakers and microphones were installed somewhere.

“I’m not particularly strong, so it would be troublesome without these precautions.”

“Where are you?”

That familiar sense of unease.

His bad hunches were almost always right.

He had to check where Seo-Ah was.

“I’m on my way to meet a patient.”

“Don’t even think about laying a hand on Seo-Ah.”

He had asked Yeon-Hwa to take Seo-Ah to a safe place.

To take her with her.

They had just left the medical room.

They should still be inside the building.

But Seo-Ah is trash.

It’s okay to throw her away.

It’s a good opportunity.

Let’s fix everything that’s been twisted because of Yoo Seo-Ah.

Shut up, just shut up.

Han Si-Hoo mumbled, trying to pull himself together.

He wasn’t in his right mind.

“Even though I had entrusted her to you as a guardian, it seems you’re not a suitable one for Miss Seo-Ah after all.”

Not a suitable guardian?

That might be true.

But it wasn’t the doctor’s place to decide that.

“My goal is to treat the patient.”

“What?”

“You’re a patient too, Si-Hoo. My ultimate goal is comprehensive treatment.”

Even Han Si-Hoo was being treated like a patient.

The doctor’s view of the world seemed completely misaligned with Han Si-Hoo’s world.

“What are you talking about?”

Nothing made any sense.

“Yes. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t understand. But right now, we’re in a wartime situation…”

The doctor trailed off.

“-Yeon-Hwa, it’s nice to meet you.”

A greeting came from beyond the speaker.

No.

Something was definitely wrong.

Yeon-Hwa had Seo-Ah with her.

Seo-Ah was in no condition to move on her own.

She was like a dying ant, crushed underfoot.

She was where she belonged.

Where is Seo-Ah?

He had to save her.

So he could crush her himself.

“Damn it. Pull yourself together.”

There had to be a way to solve the mental contamination.

There had to be a way to remove the penalty.

But first, Seo-Ah.

He had to go where Seo-Ah was.

But if he saw Seo-Ah directly…

He’d want to kill her.

It felt like part of his brain was being taken over.

Was this how Seo-Ah felt too?

It seemed like he was getting a small taste of what it was like to use the drugs.

-Bang.

The speaker made a loud noise, almost as if it was about to explode.

Thanks to that, he barely regained his senses.

“…Huh?”

“Have you ever wondered why Awakeners don’t carry guns? Why such powerful weapons aren’t used?”

The speaker’s sound quality dropped significantly.

Static mixed in.

“That’s because if you all used guns, you’d be too dangerous. They’re banned because they’re ineffective against monsters.”

“A gun…?”

Han Si-Hoo thought about what he needed to do.

Where had the gunshot come from?

The speaker had been loud, but the actual gunshot was even louder.

Someone had definitely fired a gun nearby.

The doctor.

At whom?

-Bang!

There was another shot.

He thought he knew where it was now.

Han Si-Hoo prepared to leap out the window.

Since becoming an Awakener, moving at impossible speeds has become easy.

Jumping through another window was nothing.

“Found you.”

He had most of the academy building’s structure memorized.

Han Si-Hoo leaped out the window.

***

It hurt.

The pain was getting worse over time.

Using the drug would probably make it better.

But this much, I could endure.

If I waited, it would get better.

But I’ve never really sold my body.

It’s unfair.

With Si-Hoo’s strange condition, I could understand why he’d say something like that.

But what’s not true is not true.

It never happened.

My vision was turning white.

What if I just couldn’t remember?

No, given the circumstances, I was sure it never happened.

If I had gotten paid, I would have known.

Aha.

Then I probably wouldn’t have had to go to Han Si-Hoo.

Was he asking why I came instead of selling my body?

Or did he think I made money that way before coming to borrow from him?

Now that I think about it, I still haven’t paid back the money I borrowed.

I felt like throwing up.

Honestly, I couldn’t even stand up.

I couldn’t straighten my body.

“Ah, Yeon-Hwa, it’s nice to meet you.”

I heard the doctor’s voice.

He called her by name, so he must know her?

No, judging by Yeon-Hwa’s expression, she didn’t seem to know him.

The doctor pulled a gun from his pocket.

A gun?

Why?

Bang!

The gunshot was louder than I expected, surprising me.

I didn’t know why he was shooting, but Yeon-Hwa blocked it.

Before I knew it, she had a sword in each hand, poised for defense.

This was a world where people deflected bullets with swords.

“Have you ever wondered why Awakeners don’t carry guns? Why such powerful weapons aren’t used?”

“Step back. I’ll block him.”

Awakeners wouldn’t die from an ordinary gun.

They wouldn’t even get hit in the first place.

It was unclear why the doctor was attacking Yeon-Hwa.

It didn’t make sense.

It was even harder to understand because of the pain.

“That’s because if you all used guns, you’d be too dangerous. They’re banned because they don’t work well on monsters.”

Despite that, the gun didn’t seem all that dangerous.

She blocked the bullet so easily.

Bang.

Another shot was fired.

She deflected it again.

“Of course, I know ordinary guns won’t work.”

His voice grew faint.

When I looked up at the doctor’s face, I saw a gas mask.

That’s why his voice hadn’t been clear.

I didn’t know when he had put it on.

“Ugh.”

Yeon-Hwa covered her mouth.

Her stance collapsed in an instant.

There must have been a reason the doctor was wearing the gas mask.

“So fragile.”

Yeon-Hwa collapsed helplessly.

Now I was the only one left.

I didn’t feel anything.

It seemed like he had released some gas.

I wasn’t wearing a gas mask.

But I could breathe comfortably.

“Uh, um, what’s this?”

“If you use military-grade drugs, you’ll build up some immunity. Miss

Seo-Ah is fine.”

He said it was because I took the drug.

That’s why.

The drug was really good after all.

“But it’s still not good to stay here for long. You’d better leave.”

Bang!

Immediately, the wall was destroyed.

It was Han Si-Hoo.

Blood was dripping from the hand that held his sword.

As expected, Si-Hoo’s condition wasn’t right.

“Aha, are we fighting here? You came quickly.”

Was Han Si-Hoo protecting me?

He seemed to be hesitating, caught between me and the doctor, deciding who to kill first.

Yeon-Hwa was lying unconscious on my side.

He wouldn’t attack this side, would he?

Honestly, I was worried.

Han Si-Hoo had attacked me just a little while ago.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, it was still scary.

“You can’t lay a hand on Seo-Ah.”

At least, he didn’t seem intent on killing me now.

Han Si-Hoo glared at the doctor, adjusting his grip on his sword.

“[Purification].”

It seemed the gas didn’t affect him.

Maybe that skill could even purify the air.

Its versatility was impressive.

“Awakeners’ skills, huh… It’s always fascinating how wordplay becomes reality.”

Something rolled out of the doctor’s collar.

-Bzzzz.

With a deafening noise, a flash of light erupted.

Nothing could be heard.

The light was too bright to see anything.

A flash grenade, perhaps.

There were a few more gunshots.

I felt the impact.

And then my body was pulled by someone.