Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Paying the Price
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Inside the academy, in a small café.
Han Si-hoo, the protagonist, sat across from me.
To describe him, he had black hair and, as you’d expect from a protagonist, was handsome.
There was a reason so many heroines flocked to him.
[1 hour 45 minutes]
There wasn't much time.
"...You've got some nerve, showing up with a smile on your face."
Han Si-hoo spoke with a thorny tone.
He seemed angry.
For childhood friends, they didn't seem to be on good terms.
"Haha..."
Because they really weren't on good terms.
The trouble started when Yoo Seo-ah forcibly pushed the protagonist away.
She had said some pretty harsh things to drive Han Si-hoo off.
It seemed Yoo Seo-ah hadn't wanted to be a burden to the protagonist.
I could understand that sentiment.
I'm the type who hates asking others for help, too.
But this wasn't the time to worry about that, was it?
My pride would have to take a hit.
I needed money to buy the medicine.
"...Yoo Seo-ah. It wasn't that long ago you told me to get lost."
"Umm..."
"So why are you here? You told me never to come looking for you. So why?"
"I'm sorry. I was wrong."
How exactly had Yoo Seo-ah pushed him away again?
She'd cursed him out a lot.
Told him to go to the academy by himself and live a good life, I think.
It was all said to force the protagonist away, but it was also mixed with pessimism and a sense of inferiority about her own situation.
After their big fight, Han Si-hoo hadn't bothered to seek out the Yoo Seo-ah who had rejected him.
He couldn't bring himself to extend an olive branch first.
As a result, the story had developed to the point where Yoo Seo-ah died.
If Han Si-hoo had paid a bit more attention to his childhood friend's strange behavior, things might have turned out differently.
Maybe she could have lived well, taking just the right amount of medicine, like I was now.
"Th-that time... I'm so sorry for what I said. I let my emotions get the better of me... Can you forgive me?"
It felt strange, apologizing for something I hadn't even done.
It also felt like I was trampling on Yoo Seo-ah's wish to hide her poor condition from the protagonist.
But I didn't care about that.
The medicine I needed now was more important than past choices.
"Hmm? Please. I was wrong."
"Ah, fine. I get it. You can stop now."
"Wow, you forgive me? Thank you."
I could finally relax my expression.
He's the protagonist, after all.
I figured he'd forgive this much.
The protagonist may have grown up in a place like a junkyard and is a bit mature for his age, but... he's still just a middle schooler, isn't he?
Though he'll be a high schooler soon.
Anyway, it meant this was an age where mending relationships was easier than one might think.
"So... what happened to your arm?"
"Ah?"
My bandaged arm.
It was doing its part in attracting the attention of those around us.
"I got cut."
I said with a silly smile.
"How?"
"I just scraped it on a corner by accident. It's nothing, so you don't need to worry."
The bandage was just to hide the wound.
I'd punched the mirror in front of me until it was covered in blood, so of course the wound was bad.
It didn't hurt, thanks to the medicine.
If I'd walked around with the raw skin exposed, it would have drawn even more stares, right?
Still, it wasn't a serious injury like a broken bone.
It really was nothing.
"Right, so. Did you come all the way to the academy just to apologize? Or is there something else?"
"Ahaha... well."
This was harder to say than I'd thought.
Asking to borrow money is difficult even between close friends.
Besides, just a few minutes ago, we weren't on good terms.
We'd only just made up.
Or rather, we did make up, right?
Han Si-hoo is a good guy, so I believed he'd understand.
Normally, you wouldn't ask someone for money right after apologizing to them.
If I brought up borrowing money so soon after apologizing...
I might be dishonored with the reputation of someone who apologized just to borrow money.
But that was the truth, wasn't it?
I really did apologize to borrow money.
What use was honor, anyway.
Losing a bit of honor was better than dying.
"Th-the medicine I'm taking."
"Yeah."
"I don't have enough money to buy it. I came to borrow some."
"What?"
"I'll pay you back later."
I bowed my head and asked.
If it were just a small amount, I wouldn't have to go this far, but the sum I was about to ask for was quite large.
70,000 per pill.
A month's supply of the injectable medicine was 3 million.
The medicine had definitely started around 100,000, but the doctor's price kept getting higher.
He said the price went up because so many people were looking for it.
In any case, Yoo Seo-ah had already used up all the money she had saved.
Since she was short on cash, she'd sold what little she had left.
"I was wondering why you suddenly came to apologize..."
"Sorry."
"How much do you need for the medicine?"
"About five million...?"
"Huh?"
Han Si-hoo was shocked at the amount.
Was it too much?
"Ah, no, maybe four million? No, three million would be fine too."
I'd better lower the amount.
I still had some pills left, so I just needed to buy the solution.
"...Is the medicine really that expensive?"
"Yeah. He said it got expensive because a lot of people are looking for it."
"No way. You said it was like a common cold at first."
[1 hour 25 minutes]
As I continued talking with the protagonist, the time ticked away even faster.
I had to borrow the money here.
We're childhood friends, aren't we?
He'll lend it to me, right?
"I'll find a way to pay you back... so, can you?"
But could I pay it back?
It wasn't that there was no way to earn money, but it seemed difficult in this body.
The truth was, after taking the medicine, I became quite lethargic.
I'd get sleepy and wouldn't want to move.
And if I went outside, the effects of the medicine wore off faster.
My daily routine was to sit still in a corner of my room, smiling.
Well, since I said I'd pay him back, I'd find a way, right?
I could only hope Han Si-hoo would believe me.
"I don't get it. You've never had a problem with the medicine money before, have you?"
"The price really went up a lot."
"I doubt it."
He didn't seem to believe me.
He probably wouldn't believe that the price of a 100,000 medicine had jumped to several million in just a few months.
Even I wouldn't believe it.
But considering the medicine's effects, I could see how it could be that expensive.
No matter how bad I felt, just taking the medicine made everything okay.
My mind would get a little hazy, but I could stay sane.
"Well, the truth is, I'm also using a different medicine than the one I used to."
Like the one that needs a syringe.
That one's pretty expensive.
"......"
Han Si-hoo was looking at me as if I were pathetic.
His eyes held a strange hint of contempt.
"I'll really pay you back..."
What if he abandoned our childhood friendship and refused to lend me the money?
I'd have to resort to a loan shark, and that would get very messy.
The world was already an unkind place.
For now, the only person I could rely on was the protagonist, Han Si-hoo.
"You need five million, right?"
Han Si-hoo, who had seemed to be contemplating, finally spoke.
"Huh? Yeah."
Is he going to lend it to me?
He's the protagonist, after all.
"I sent it to your account."
He said, after fiddling with his phone for a moment.
I didn't have a phone to check, but I trusted he'd sent it properly.
It seemed he already knew Yoo Seo-ah's account number.
"Yeah, thanks for lending it to me..."
"I'm not lending it to you."
"Huh?"
"I'm just giving it to you, so you don't have to pay me back."
"Really?"
Was their childhood friendship that deep?
He really is the protagonist.
A smile was about to break out on my face.
"But don't ever come looking for me again. Let's not get involved with each other from now on."
"Huh?"
"Take it and get lost."
"Uhh..."
It was the moment half of Yoo Seo-ah's few connections vanished.
How pathetic must I have looked for him to tell me to get lost.
Even I would feel a certain way if someone who looked like they'd borrow money and never pay it back came crawling to me.
Did I just trade our entire childhood friendship for money?
This was no laughing matter.
This was a bit different from what I'd expected.
"What, are you flustered because it's different hearing it than saying it?"
"......"
It seemed the atmosphere was similar when Yoo Seo-ah had cast the protagonist aside.
I'm reaping what I sowed.
Still, the fact that he gave me the money even in this situation showed that the protagonist was a good person.
"Honestly... I'm disappointed in your attitude. I don't know why you need so much money. Maybe you're gambling or something... No, anyway, let's not see each other again. I'll walk you to the entrance. Goodbye."
With that, Han Si-hoo stood up from his seat.
He didn't believe me when I said it was really for medicine.
"Ahah..."
Even in such a serious situation, a hollow laugh escaped me.
Han Si-hoo seemed to be looking at me even more pathetically.
[45 minutes]
Perhaps because the mental pressure was a bit strong, the time was rapidly decreasing.
I probably needed to borrow money for transportation, too.
The atmosphere made it difficult to ask for more money.
'Could you spare a little cash? I need it to get home.'
'I can't withdraw the money from the account right away... so, some cash.'
'Can't you just get me a taxi?'
I listed a few options in my head.
No matter what I said, it would sound pathetic.
I had no choice.
"Uh, Si-hoo."
I called out the protagonist's name as he walked ahead.
"What?"
"Could you lend me a little money for transportation?"
"...Transportation? How did you even get here?"
"I walked."
"Haha, be serious. You're really taking this as far as you can go."
"......"
I understood.
To be honest, I probably wouldn't have lent the money either.
It seemed like a trick to squeeze out more money.
"Goodbye. Let's never see each other again. I mean it."
"Ah..."
After Han Si-hoo's farewell, I was left standing alone outside the entrance.
I returned the entry pass I'd been wearing around my neck to the security guard.
He'd said something like, seeing my smile, it looked like things had gone well.
I stood there blankly for a moment before snapping back to my senses.
"How am I supposed to get home?"
Do I have to walk?
[31 minutes]
That seemed impossible.
Thirty minutes was cutting it close even with public transportation.
If I took all the medicine I had on me...
There still wasn't nearly enough time to walk.
I thought I'd at least be able to get taxi fare.
Han Si-hoo had been much angrier than I expected.
Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to appease him.
"If I'd known this would happen, I would've just brought the syringe."
My predictions had been way off.
I'd also used more time than I'd thought.
And I had no money for transportation.
Borrowing from someone else wasn't an option either.
It's not like I knew anyone at the academy.
The security guard I'd briefly spoken with earlier was also nowhere to be seen.
I guess I just have to go.
Counting my pills, I started for home.
At least I'd come this way once, so getting back should be easy.
What would I do if the medicine's effects wore off?
I'd just use the painkillers.
I'd brought them just in case something like this happened.
They were quite precious, so I hadn't wanted to use them lightly, but I had no choice.
Anyway, one thing was important.
The fact that I had secured next month's medicine.
That fact alone was enough to make me forget all the other bad things.
One more month of happiness.
Unable to contain my anticipation, a laugh escaped my lips.
It would be so great if I could continue to stay sane like this.