Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Penny
Chapter 40
The moment I saw the word "Penalty," the nightmare of that day resurfaced.
No, no way. It couldn't be.
It's supposed to be random, so what are the chances of getting the same penalty again...?
A burning sensation surged from within, abruptly halting my thoughts.
I tried to sit up, but my body, completely drained by fatigue, refused to move.
"Ugh! Cough!"
Still slumped over the desk, I coughed violently, vomiting up what felt like bile.
The clammy wetness against my face was accompanied by a sharp, metallic stench of blood.
Barely managing to squint open my eyes, I was met with a world dyed crimson.
Hey, you fucking System! You're going to evaporate all the blood in my body! What did my hardworking red blood cells ever do to deserve this?!
I wanted to roll around on the floor in a frenzy, but even if there hadn't been anyone around, I lacked the strength to do so.
Unlike last time, my stomach burned fiercely and I felt utterly drained. A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me—could something be seriously wrong?
The System hadn't displayed its usual message assuring me that the penalty wouldn't harm my body.
Am I really going to die...?
My Original Intent Score is still only 78 or 79... isn't a terminal illness as a penalty going too far?
Extreme terror drenched my body in cold sweat, and my hands began to tremble violently.
As I mentally hurled every curse imaginable at the System for turning a perfectly healthy person into a terminal case in an instant, all because I hadn't grasped a single concept, the System finally offered an explanation:
This is a Blood-Coughing Penalty that will not harm your body.
The penalty applied was solely "Blood-Coughing." The Project Grand Prize's physical condition is due to their own negligence.
...Well, I had been skipping meals for days, claiming I had no appetite, and surviving on bread and energy drinks.
The "Physical Condition Management" category has been newly added to the Original Intent Score System.
And the new category popped up right away.
Life just got even harder to live.
This damn System! I told it to ease up on the restrictions, and it just adds more!
Barely able to lift my hand, I struggled to write "119 in Blood" on the desk with my finger.
That Ryu Jaehee bastard! He said he was going to the convenience store, but did he go to some factory to make the food himself? Why is he taking so long?
As my eyes began to close, I faintly heard the sound of someone entering the password and the door creaking open.
"Hyung, I brought some food—Aaaah!"
A thudding sound was followed by Ryu Jaehee's ear-splitting scream.
As expected of the main vocalist, his vocal projection was obscenely loud.
"Hyung, Eden Hyung! You're still alive, right? This isn't a murder case, is it? Hyung, answer me! Sniffle..."
As he shook me, sobbing, I coughed up blood. Ryu Jaehee recoiled in horror, dropping his hands.
What kind of idiot asks if it's a murder case while shaking a person like that? What if I had actually been stabbed, you Kim Dobin-like moron?
With great effort, I tapped near the "119" written in blood. Ryu Jaehee noticed and immediately started whining.
"119? What's that? I can't understand this dying message!"
Whether it was Ryu Jaehee's idiotic remark that made my blood boil, or the System trying to screw me over, or perhaps to remind me of the quest's importance, I coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Gurgling, I spat the blood pooling in my mouth and forced out the words with my last ounce of strength:
"Call 119, you fucking idiot..."
Dying messages can freeze and die...
[Profanity detected.]
[Original Intent Score -2]
As pain washed over me, my vision went dark.
Damn it. If I wake up on my debut day again, I'm going to tear that System bastard apart.
Hearing the sniffling, I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Blinking through the blurry vision, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Turning my head slightly, I spotted Ryu Jaehee beside me, sobbing uncontrollably.
Damn it, he looks like he's on his deathbed. Anyone would think he's counting down his final days.
"How long... has it been?" I croaked, my voice raspy.
Please don't tell me I've been unconscious for days and missed our comeback broadcast. If that happens, my Original Intent Score will drop by at least 20 points. Will it reset completely... again?
The terrifying thought made my hands tremble. Ryu Jaehee's tear-choked reply finally stopped the horrifying visions.
"Hic, Hyung... it's only been five minutes since you were rushed to the emergency room... Manager Hyung is still on his way, but it's a relief you woke up so quickly..."
Five minutes? Seriously? No wonder there wasn't even an IV drip in my hand.
Ryu Jaehee sighed in relief and scrubbed the dried blood off my face with a wet wipe.
"Eden, are you okay?" Manager Hyung asked, rushing over and pressing his hand to his forehead when he saw my condition.
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy with the comeback just around the corner. Hajun's fever spiked to 38 degrees, and I just dropped him off at the emergency room."
"Emergency room? Is it that serious?"
"All the local clinics are closed for the night. But didn't you have something like this happen before? They said there was nothing wrong then."
"Yeah, that's right... sigh..."
I suppressed the urge to bolt out of there and anxiously waited for my turn.
Relatively stable, I was a low-priority patient in the emergency room, where critical cases were being rushed in.
"Excessive caffeine intake, sleep deprivation, and nutritional imbalance," the doctor diagnosed.
I blinked at the diagnosis. "Does coughing up blood happen with caffeine overdose?"
"Bleeding isn't a typical symptom of caffeine overdose, but..."
Apart from fatigue from sleep deprivation, my body was remarkably healthy. The decision was made to give me an IV drip and discharge me.
At this point, do I really have to accept that this is a penalty with no actual physical consequences?
No, but how could I cough up that much blood and have nothing wrong with me?!
After being moved to a shared two-person room in the general ward and hooked up to an IV drip, Ryu Jaehee, his eyes red from crying, started scolding me.
"It's because you're pushing yourself too hard! I told you to drink energy drinks in moderation, eat properly, and not be so picky with your food...!"
"You're one to talk! You're just as picky as I am, and you got scolded right along with me. Besides, Jun was the one who told us to eat properly, not you. You should get your memory checked while you're here. And..."
I sighed, watching the IV drip steadily.
"How can I not stay up all night when I have a mountain of work? Our comeback is just around the corner, and I can't skip practice. Pushing myself was the only option, you idiot."
I checked the text from Manager Hyung, who had gone back to Gyeon Hajun after getting the all-clear from the doctor. Hajun had the flu—the flu!
This is a disaster. Our comeback is in two days, and now Hajun has the flu too.
We'd practiced so relentlessly that I could have gone on stage immediately without making any mistakes. But performing while sick would be unfair to both the fans and myself.
As I rubbed my throbbing temples, Ryu Jaehee, looking strangely moved, declared with unwavering resolve, "I'll be your slave for the time being, Hyung. There's a convenience store on the first floor—should I grab something from the hospital's?"
"No, go back to the studio, clean up the blood, and air it out. Oh, and send me photos to prove you cleaned it properly. You know the password, right?"
The last thing I needed was Yongcheol Hyung discovering my blood-soaked studio and freaking out. I'd be relying on that place for the next few months.
"...He's actually going to be my slave."
Ten minutes later, Ryu Jaehee scratched his head vigorously and trudged out of the hospital room.
Knock, knock. The door swung open.
"Eden Hyung! Are you feeling okay? Yehyeon Hyung couldn't come because he's taking care of Hajun Hyung, so I came as the representative!"
Kim Dobin entered the hospital room, carrying a box of the most popular get-well drinks and my clothes. He froze when he saw me lying in bed, still wearing bloodstained clothes and hooked up to an IV drip.
"Hyung... how much time do you have left?"
Is that otaku kid trying to play a terminal illness game with me? I thought, incredulous. But I didn't have the energy to get angry, so I decided to humor him.
"Until all the leaves fall from that tree," I replied, pointing to the tree outside the open window, where I'd opened it to let in some fresh air.
Of all the trees I could have pointed to, I'd chosen one with bare, skeletal branches.
Just as the last leaf clung precariously to its branch, a gust of wind swept it away.
Simultaneously, the final drop of sap fell with a plop.
"Hyung, are you going to die now...?"
"Dobin-ah, let's just stick to the first verse."
"Yes, sir!"
Kim Dobin nodded and then timidly added, "But Hyung, are you really okay?"
"No."
As a dull ache began to creep into his stomach, he opened the drink set Dobin had brought as a get-well gift and gulped down a bottle of aloe juice.
"Then when will you be discharged?"
A nurse entered the room and removed the IV needle.
After she left, Dobin helped him change out of his bloodstained shirt into the clothes he'd brought. He gestured.
"Now. Pack my clothes and the drink box. Text Jaehee to meet us at the dorm instead of the hospital."
"Huh? Now? Why are you getting discharged so soon?"
"Because I'm all better."
"But you just said you weren't feeling well."
"Something's come up that makes me need to leave quickly."
It's all because of you four leaving Gyeon Hajun with Seo Yehyeon.
As I dusted myself off and stood up, Kim Dobin muttered, sounding slightly unnerved, "Is this Hyung some kind of superhuman?"
I was still suspicious that the Blood-Coughing Penalty the System had implanted in me was causing me to cough up blood, but there was no need to tell Kim Dobin that, right?
What if he started thinking we were the same kind of people? This was my reality, after all.
"I shouldn't have bought this. I paid extra for it at the convenience store."
"Just give it to Jun."
I snapped at Kim Dobin, who was slowly closing the open box.
"Hurry up! We're in a rush! Why did you let Seo Yehyeon take care of you? You should have said you'd handle it yourself!"
"Yehyeon Hyung said I'm a main dancer and shouldn't risk getting infected..."
We covered our faces with masks and hats and checked out of the hospital. Fortunately or unfortunately, no one recognized us.
Fuck, I need to stop freaking out and calling 119.
The moment I saw the amount on the receipt, all thoughts of panicking vanished.
As Kim Dobin and I stood side-by-side, waiting for Manager Hyung, a Status Window flashed before my eyes:
Use Random Ticket? Yes/No
The Random Ticket I'd earned by completing all the Weekly Quests last time materialized before my eyes.
I wasn't thrilled about being forced to use it when I didn't want to, but based on past experience, I was confident it wouldn't give me a useless item. Without hesitation, I selected "Yes."
Item 'Panacea Potion' acquired!
Please understand that potion items are packaged in bottled water due to public perception.
A Samdasu bottled water rolled to the floor. For an item, it was remarkably... underwhelming.
I peeled off the label that read "Panacea" and pondered.
If I drink this, will I stop coughing up blood?
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny