Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Poor Performance
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Poor Performance
"Huh?"
She stared at me, looking confused.
Still not understanding, she tilted her head.
"This is Si-hoo's room, right? Oh? Is it not?"
Confused, she kept checking the room number.
She clutched the paper bag in her hand.
What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?
It's a hassle to explain.
[2 hours, 11 minutes]
I probably could have slept for another hour.
I'm a little tired.
The medicine would wake me up.
"I'm so sorry! I think I have the wrong place."
She apologized, looking slightly dazed.
She can hang out with Si-hoo later.
Are there really kids this clingy even during vacation?
How annoying.
"Ah, excuse me."
"You must have moved dorms, right? The new person..."
"No, it's that..."
I don't know how to explain.
My head isn't working right.
This must all be because the medicine's effects are wearing off.
"Yes?"
I am new here.
And I'll probably be enrolling in the Academy.
"Si-hoo is still sleeping... If you give me the gift, I can pass it along for you."
Is this the best I can do?
Now that I've said it, it sounds a bit strange.
The girl stared at me, looking dazed.
Is she disappointed because her plan went awry?
Normally, Si-hoo would have come out to greet her.
She probably would have handed over the gift and started chatting.
Si-hoo might have even invited her in to rest for a bit.
Or at least gone out to talk for a moment.
The story that unfolds when a heroine visits the protagonist's house is always predictable.
But now, I'm here.
Sorry I'm not dead yet.
"Ah...?"
She looked like her mind couldn't keep up with the situation.
My head isn't working well either, so it's hard to explain.
If she just asked a question, I could answer.
I wonder if she's letting her imagination run wild.
The longer the silence stretches, the more it feels like the misunderstanding is growing.
"Ah, oh. That is, ah... this."
She said, looking at the gift.
Does she want to explain why she's giving this gift?
"This is... well, about that time..."
Her ears turned red.
It's cute, but I have no idea what she's trying to say.
She said it was a thank you for what happened last time.
I'm curious about what happened.
"I'm sorry!"
With that, she ran towards the stairs.
Leaving the gift behind.
-Thud.
I closed the door.
I'm done with this.
I placed the paper bag on the dining table.
I'm not particularly curious about what's inside.
Probably some snacks.
As long as I can use my medicine properly, I don't care about anything else.
[2 hours, 8 minutes]
Should I just wake him up now?
Having medicine and not using it is like having a delicious meal set out and not eating it.
And right now, I'm quite hungry.
Still, a person should know how to endure hunger.
Of course.
If I were at home, I could use the medicine whenever I wanted.
There's some medicine I left at home.
I need to get it.
"...Ahat."
A laugh escaped me out of sheer absurdity.
Since when did I live thinking only about medicine?
Medicine is just...
Just?
No, medicine is a good thing.
It's all for treatment.
[2 hours, 7 minutes]
Time is crawling by.
I want to use the medicine.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like I need it.
I'm wide awake now.
But the effects will last for another two hours.
It's too soon.
I don't feel that bad, either.
They say using too much medicine is bad for you.
Let's just endure it a little longer.
But I think I've endured enough already.
Damn it.
[1 hour, 30 minutes]
The moment the clock hit the thirty-minute mark, I opened my mouth.
I think I've waited long enough.
"Si-hoo."
Can I use some medicine?
Just tell me where you put it, and I'll use it myself.
I'm in a bit of a bind without it.
Sorry for waking you when you haven't slept much, but.
"Si-hoo?"
You got a gift.
It's from a friend, you should open it.
Wake up.
"...Ah?"
"Sorry for waking you."
"Seo-ah?"
"Yeah?"
Han Si-hoo sat up, his eyes half-open.
I feel bad for interrupting his rest.
I know how agonizing it is not to be able to sleep.
I know it all too well, but I have to use the medicine.
"...Ah, it's morning. 7 o'clock."
Even though he just woke up, he quickly shook off his drowsiness.
Does the protagonist have a 'drowsiness removal' skill or something?
It's hard to bring up the medicine right away.
Let's start with something else.
"Someone left a gift for you."
"A gift?"
"Yeah."
"For me? When?"
A little while ago.
"A girl with long, braided black hair. A friend of yours?"
"...Must be Yeon-hwa. She's a friend from the Academy."
I've heard the name Yeon-hwa before.
My memories are all a blur, though.
I'm sure she's one of the heroines.
"She knocked on the door, so I went out and got it for you."
"I see. If you had woken me, I would have gone."
"You were sleeping, so I didn't. I left the gift bag on the dining table."
Should I ask what happened between them?
No, it probably doesn't matter.
He's the protagonist, so he must have helped someone, as protagonists do.
"You really do have a lot of close friends."
Getting gifts and all.
I'm jealous. I don't have many close friends.
Do you just make friends easily at the Academy?
"As for me, well."
I don't have many friends.
Just one.
And even that one was lost and then restored.
Does the Doctor count as a friend?
No, probably not.
"I don't think I have any besides you. Ahat..."
None.
How pathetic.
Why are Yoo Seo-ah's connections like this?
It must be because she lived cooped up in the slums.
As if in agreement, Han Si-hoo said nothing.
Sorry for being such a pathetic friend.
"Will I be able to make friends at the Academy?"
"...Of course. You're kinder than me, so you'll make a lot of friends."
Han Si-hoo replied.
His expression was strange.
"And that gift is just because I helped her with a minor problem before. It doesn't mean anything special."
Why is he talking like he's making an excuse?
The meaning doesn't matter to me.
As for gifts, someone like Han Si-hoo will probably get a lot more in the future.
That's not something I care about.
Let's just get to the point.
"Yeah. Anyway, Si-hoo."
"Huh?"
"Can I have some medicine?"
[1 hour, 25 minutes]
It's about time I got the medicine.
"Ah, yeah."
Han Si-hoo took a box down from a high shelf.
Inside the box were several ballpoint pens.
Not ballpoint pens, but pen-shaped syringes.
"You only use one at a time."
"Okay."
There was even an instruction manual.
Is this medicine really produced so systematically?
Opening the tip of the pen revealed a sharp needle.
It's a product you can inject anywhere.
This is the first time I'm using it in front of Han Si-hoo.
Well, it should be fine.
He'll be seeing it a lot from now on anyway.
-Pshk.
This is new.
A new experience.
Yeah.
[6 hours, 23 minutes]
"...Mmm."
It's not enough.
The time is too short.
It's not that it's ineffective.
My mind feels uplifted.
Objects look clear again.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
I do feel a lot better.
But it's not a great feeling either.
It's different from what the Doctor gave me.
"...Sorry."
"Why?"
"Sorry. Just because."
Han Si-hoo apologized.
Is it because he couldn't give me the good medicine?
I know where the good medicine is.
I know it very well.
It's at my house.
"Si-hoo, I want to go outside."
I want to get the medicine from my house.
"Outside?"
"I'll be fine on my own..."
I can't be more of a burden.
I can handle my own problems.
"No."
Han Si-hoo refused firmly.
"Why?"
"For one, it's too dangerous. You don't even have a basic way to communicate."
"Is that so?"
"Oh, right. Seo-ah, did you lose your phone? You haven't been answering my calls."
"Ph-phone?"
His tone was slightly resentful, as if blaming me for not answering.
But did I even have a way to be contacted?
If I had a way to contact him, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble to see him at the Academy.
"Did I... have one? Me?"
I think I might have.
I think it was hard to charge, so I couldn't use it much.
"What?"
"Ah, ahh. I-I think I sold it? Yeah."
His tone is scary.
Don't be mad.
[6 hours, 12 minutes]
When I get scared, the time drops faster.
Not good.
I do have a memory of Yoo Seo-ah talking to Han Si-hoo on the phone.
It seems she sold it because she needed money.
She should have at least kept the phone until the very end.
Well, she was desperate for money.
"I see."
Han Si-hoo looked crestfallen.
Is it because I just sold the phone he bought for me?
"Anyway, can I go out?"
"No."
"I want to go home."
I need to get my medicine.
The medicine I just took wasn't ineffective, but it didn't feel as good as the one I got from the Doctor.
I want to at least bring back the medicine left at my house.
I got it from the Doctor for free, but it's expensive. It would be a waste to just throw it away.
"...Why are you trying to go back home?"
Am I not allowed to go home?
It's my house.
Even if Academy students live in the dorms, they're relatively free to go out, right?
"Th-there's medicine I used to take there."
"Medicine?"
"I paid for it, so it feels like a waste..."
It's very expensive.
And its effects will be much better than what I'm using now.
"...Your house is too far. And since you're not in a normal state, I'm sorry."
So he won't let me go out unless it's somewhere close.
My house was a bit far from the Academy.
Anyway, the important thing is the medicine at my house.
If Han Si-hoo won't let me go outside, there's nothing I can do.
Someone has to go to my house and get the medicine for me.
Who could go for me?
When I thought about who could go, there was only one person.
"Ah, ahh, then. Then Si-hoo, will you go to my house for me?"
"Huh?"
"There's a medicine bottle on the table at my house. Please bring it for me. It's better than the one here... Yeah. I'm asking you."
I don't feel bad right now.
It's just not as good as the medicine I was using before.
The pen-shaped syringe isn't bad.
It's convenient to use anywhere, which is nice.
But right now, I need the medicine the Doctor gave me.
Han Si-hoo knows where I live.
He knows better than anyone.
He should be able to bring back a medicine bottle without any trouble.
As long as no one has robbed my house, it should still be there on the table.
Since it's practically an empty house, the longer I wait, the riskier it gets.
I doubt anyone would steal it, but still.
"Could you please go get it?"
Thinking about it again, the medicine I just used seems far too ineffective.