Doctor's Corruption Plan #2
Jihyeok! Over here!
Adele called out, waving her hand from a distance. Even though it was well past midnight, her cheerful demeanor lifted my spirits as well. I quickened my pace and flashed her a grin.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It's fine. I only waited ten minutes. But... hold on a second..."
Adele leaned in and sniffed around me, tilting her head in confusion.
"That's strange...?"
She started sniffing again, and I felt a twinge of unease.
"What's wrong?"
"You smell like perfume. Women's perfume..."
Ah... I thought she'd sensed demonic energy or something. That startled me.
"There was a secretary in the conference room. We worked together long after the meeting ended."
".... Is that so?"
"You don't suspect me, do you...?"
When I put on a genuinely hurt expression, Adele frantically shook her head.
"I would never suspect you! Why would you think that?"
"If that's the case, then fine. Now give me my present. You said you'd give it to me today."
I held out one hand toward her, and she let out a cute sigh.
"Jihyeok. I can't give you the present today."
"Why not?"
"Silvia unnie is acting strange. She needs your counseling."
Of course she would. Adele had probably picked up on the awkward atmosphere around Silvia. But what did that have to do with the present? Maybe she thought giving a gift would lighten the mood during a serious conversation?
I decided to play along.
"Counseling? Are you sure I'm the right person?"
"Only you can do it, Jihyeok. Even if every believer from our planet offered to counsel her, I'd still choose you."
What a heartwarming thing to say. Love welled up inside me.
"Then shall we find a quiet place to talk?"
"Ho, a hotel is out of the question... If we go there, you'll definitely do something perverted..."
Who said anything about a hotel? I let out a dry laugh and silently took Adele's hand, leading her to a cocktail bar with private rooms. There, I listened to her story.
Silvia had been in a low mood since morning. After exchanging an awkward greeting with Adele, she had gone out to exercise. Even after returning in the evening, she avoided conversation, and when Adele pressed her, she only dodged the questions.
"It feels like unnie keeps avoiding me... It really hurts..."
Adele leaned her head against my shoulder, her voice nearly breaking into sobs. I gently stroked her arm as I spoke.
"I don't know exactly what's going on, but... perhaps she's feeling lonely."
"Lonely?"
"Yes. Lately you've been spending a lot of time away from home to meet me, haven't you? She might be feeling lonely because of that."
In the current situation, it was better to keep Silvia and Adele together. As long as Silvia had feelings for me, the awkward atmosphere would persist, and their relationship would only drift further apart over time. Besides, I needed time to corrupt the Doctor, so I should leave Adele at home for now.
"But Silvia unnie also stays out late because of her workouts."
"She's probably doing that because she's lonely and wants something to occupy herself."
"Is that it...?"
"I'm not certain. But it's a strong possibility."
Adele turned her head slightly and looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with worry, as if seeking an answer on what to do. I smiled gently and continued.
"How about this? Spend the next few days with Silvia. Whatever she does—exercising or anything else—go along with her."
"Huh...? Wouldn't that be too bothersome for her...?"
"If she were the type to find it that annoying, you wouldn't trust and follow her so much."
"That's true, but... would it really be okay? I'm worried Jihyeok might miss me..."
Look at that confidence. Though, she wasn't wrong. It would be hard not seeing her every day.
"I'll miss you, of course, but if I focus on clearing my backlog of work, time will pass quickly. I'll use this chance to go on an overseas business trip and catch up with several partner companies."
"Then... okay. I'll try doing as you said."
"Shall we make one promise? While you're with Silvia, don't mention me at all. Spend time that's completely just the two of you."
"Not even texts or calls?"
"Those are fine. Just avoid them while you're with Silvia. Limit it to before bed, or during baths."
Adele pouted. She clearly didn't like the idea of only contacting me briefly. But her concern for Silvia must have been greater, because she soon nodded.
"Got it... But we'll talk for a long time before bed."
"Of course. Promise?"
I held out my pinky in front of her nose. She smiled bashfully and hooked her finger around mine.
Now, the more Adele stayed by Silvia's side, the more guilt Silvia would feel. The sociable Adele would keep approaching her warmly, and if they ended up fighting in a fit of anger, that would be ideal. I'd also told her to avoid mentioning me so it would seem like something had happened between us, though I wasn't sure how effective that would be. It would be good if Silvia took this opportunity to push harder toward me, but even if she didn't, it was fine. Right now, the most important thing was corrupting the Doctor. Buying this much time was already satisfying enough.
@@
The Doctor found herself quite fond of the girl named Marcela standing before her. Despite her young age, her understanding of future science was remarkably advanced. A so-called genius. During their conversation, she had proven so knowledgeable that it reminded the Doctor of Jihyeok. Honestly, she seemed like an even more talented individual than Jihyeok. If this weren't Tyrat's base, and if Marcela weren't his subordinate, the Doctor would have wanted to recruit her into headquarters.
Her personality was likable too. There was no pretense in the way she looked at the Doctor, and she maintained a consistently warm demeanor. Moreover, she seemed to deeply respect the Doctor as a scientist.
'Such a kind child... why would she follow Tyrat...'
The Doctor didn't know what circumstances had brought her here, but seeing how Marcela referred to Sehwa as "queen," it was clear she was genuinely loyal to this place. Perhaps she had been brainwashed. Or maybe she wasn't even human to begin with.
With that thought, the Doctor pushed her musings aside and took a sip of coffee.
"Did that help?"
Marcela answered with a bright smile.
"Yes, it helped a lot. Thank you, Dr. Cash."
Honestly, the Doctor felt guilty. She worried that the future science information she'd shared might be misused. She had wanted to mix in some lies while answering, but Marcela was far too sharp for that. Perhaps she had just burdened humanity with a great weight.
"I see..."
As if sensing the Doctor's inner conflict, Marcela spoke softly.
"Don't worry. Until you give me permission, I won't use any of the new scientific knowledge I've gained—no matter what happens. I only asked because I wanted to study."
Of course the Doctor wouldn't grant permission, but how could she trust an enemy's words? The Doctor let out a long sigh, her mood sinking, and Marcela continued.
"I know you don't trust us. So I won't ask you to believe me."
"....."
"Thank you so much for today. I was thinking of heading back now... Do you need anything? I can bring it for you."
Anything she needed... Communication devices like a phone were obviously out of the question. The Doctor weakly shook her head.
"Nothing."
"What about food you want to eat, or clothes and underwear? Should I bring some fruit?"
Marcela's worried expression and tone suggested she was the type who would feel guilty if she didn't offer something in return. If that was the case, the Doctor decided to use this opportunity to ask about Yuria.
"No... I'm fine. But there's something I'm curious about. Could you answer it? I answered your questions too."
"Hmm..."
"It's driving me crazy being here without knowing anything... Please..."
"Are you really that frustrated...? What should I do..."
Marcela fell into thought. The Doctor didn't rush her and waited patiently. After a while, Marcela spoke with a look of firm resolve.
"I'll answer just one question. I can't answer everything."
Meaning she wouldn't answer anything too difficult. The Doctor's expression brightened. Even though Marcela seemed completely under Sehwa's control, the fact that she was willing to grant this request gave her hope. Hope for finding a way out.
"Alright. I'll ask right away. Is Yuria being held here too? Her full name is Yuria Elenar."
"That's..."
Just as Marcela was about to say something, the door burst open with a bang, and Sehwa walked in. The Doctor tensed up, worried that she had overheard their conversation. But contrary to her fears, Sehwa approached Marcela with a calm expression and stroked the back of her head.
"Time's up. You can leave now."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
"And the Doctor? Did she behave well?"
The Doctor's eyes darted around. She could tell that Sehwa's question was related to that "bad thing." Before they had started discussing future science, Marcela had recorded something in her notebook after the Doctor had been evasive...
The Doctor didn't know what the "bad thing" was, but she hoped Marcela would let it slide.
'Please... please...'
Perhaps the Doctor's desperate prayers had reached her. Marcela answered in a nonchalant tone.
"She answered all my questions properly. Not once did she hesitate."
She was covering for her... It was unexpected, and the Doctor was grateful. If she could get closer to Marcela, she might be able to use her to plan something. Or so she thought...
But then the Doctor realized her mistake as she listened to the conversation that followed.
"Really?"
"Yes..."
Sehwa silently plucked the first joint of her pinky finger. Bright red blood welled up on her hand. At the sight, Marcela's face flushed, and her entire body trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
".... Haa... haa..."
Breathing heavily, Marcela was asked again by Sehwa.
"Really nothing happened?"
".... Ha, once... once she didn't listen..."
Thump! The Doctor's heart pounded violently. Why was she confessing so easily all of a sudden? It seemed to happen after seeing the blood... Did the blood have some kind of addictive, drug-like quality? Or was Marcela some kind of vampire-like monster? Whatever the case, the current situation was pure despair.
"You lied, didn't you?"
At the low, ominous voice, Marcela dropped to her knees on the floor.
"I'm sorry... I was wrong... Please forgive me... I'll never do it again...! I swear...!"
Marcela rubbed her hands together pleadingly toward Sehwa, her gaze fixed on the droplet of blood that was about to fall from her finger. After briefly considering Marcela's punishment, Sehwa seemed to decide to let it go and flipped her finger, letting the blood drop to the floor.
Plop.
At the faint sound of the blood droplet hitting the ground, Marcela buried her face in the floor like a bitch in heat and began licking up the blood, completely disregarding any sense of dignity.
"Hek...! Heek...! Hek..."
Marcela licked the floor wet with her tongue. Watching her vulgar display, the Doctor's body trembled weakly. Sehwa approached the Doctor and held out her finger in front of her eyes.
"What do you think when you see this?"
Another droplet of blood began to form. The Doctor looked away from the finger.
"Get that away...!"
"Do you want to taste it?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Who would want something like that... Ah!"
The Doctor clamped her mouth shut. Sehwa had pressed her bloodied finger against the Doctor's lips. With a disgusted expression, the Doctor quickly wiped her lips and shouted angrily.
"Lee Sehwa! You've really gone insane!"
"Insane...? That's hurtful. You'll have to be punished first. Marcela said she disobeyed once, and since you're clearly the one who made her lie... I'll apply the charge of insolence and make it twice."
"Twice...? What? What are you going to do?"
"You sure have a lot of questions... Marcela clearly said that if you didn't listen, something bad would happen. I'll show you now."
Sehwa smiled and called out to Marcela, who was still licking the floor.
"Marcela, begin."
Marcela staggered to her feet and turned to look at Sehwa. Then she answered in a weak voice.
"Yes... Your Majesty..."