Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Doctor's Offer
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Are you a doctor?
I cut ties with the protagonist.
I sacrificed half my connections to get the money.
And then I walked home.
Whenever I felt like I was dying, I swallowed a pill.
After the pills ran out, I took a painkiller.
[9 hours 56 minutes]
The painkiller's effect lasts unusually long.
There was still a lot of time left even after I got home.
Effective enough to skip a day's injection.
I don't know why the painkiller is so much more potent than the regular medicine.
"My head hurts."
My head aches even when I'm just lying still.
My body was exhausted.
To the point where it was hard to even lift a finger.
My mind was exhausted, too.
It was a struggle just to think.
But sleep wouldn't come.
It felt like I'd drunk a whole pot of coffee.
I wanted to shut my mind off, but unfortunately, it wouldn't switch off so easily.
"You must be feeling good, though?"
The doctor asks.
He was wearing a black gown.
The doctor's face was obscured by shadows.
"Well, I feel good because of the medicine, but... why are you in my house?"
"Your house...? Hmm, the door was open, so I assumed it was an invitation to come in."
"Oh. Then could you please close it?"
"I already have."
Here was half of the connections Yoo Seo-ah possessed.
The doctor I could meet when buying the medicine.
Or was he a pharmacist?
Anyway.
"By the way, Doctor, since you're here, could you give me some sleeping pills?"
"I'm not here to sell medicine today."
"Then why did you come?"
If he's not a drug dealer, isn't he just a trespasser?
For some reason, he was remarkably confident for someone who'd just barged into another person's home.
My mind was too numb to argue.
Well, a doctor should be a trustworthy person.
"You don't have the money to buy medicine anyway, do you?"
That was true.
Just a day ago, I didn't have a single penny.
"I have money now. A friend gave it to me."
"A friend?"
"Han Si-hoo."
Hearing my words, the doctor paused as if lost in thought.
Then he spoke again.
"If I recall correctly... didn't you say you'd never ask a friend for help? Last time Si-hoo offered to help, you made up excuses to chase him away, didn't you?"
"I had to buy medicine."
"Still, it's strange to just go and borrow a huge sum of money like that."
"I didn't borrow it, I received it."
Borrowing and receiving are two different things.
It would have been awful to have to pay back the money after being cut off.
In that respect, you could say the protagonist is certainly merciful.
"Received?"
"I received it and was cut off. He said he never wanted to see me again."
"Aha... Is that so."
The doctor said, sounding intrigued.
He then bent down and lifted my body off the floor.
-Thud.
"Ugh."
He forced me into a chair.
"Now, sit here and let's have a frank conversation."
"I just want to sleep..."
"It would be better for your health to stay awake. It's been a while since I've had to go this far."
With that, he pulled another chair right in front of me.
What's he planning to do, sitting across from me?
Barging into my house was bad enough, but now he was acting even more bizarrely.
Isn't this incredibly rude?
Even for a doctor.
My head hurt too much to think deeply.
"[You cannot lie.] Do you understand?"
"Ah, yes."
For a moment, the doctor's tone seemed to intensify.
Sitting face to face like this, it felt like I was being interrogated.
"Where did you go today?"
"I went to the Academy."
"To meet Han Si-hoo?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To borrow money."
I don't know why he's asking the same thing again.
Didn't I just tell him that?
"Have you no pride?"
Pride?
Ah, I guess your pride would be hurt if you were the first one to bow your head after a fight.
I understand what he means, but...
I don't really care about that kind of thing.
"I had to buy medicine."
"I thought your affection for Han Si-hoo was quite remarkable. It seems that's all meaningless now, is it?"
"...Affection?"
Just because I read a bit of the book, there's no way I'd feel affection for the protagonist, right?
I'm not Yoo Seo-ah, and I have no reason to like him romantically.
Ah, of course, Yoo Seo-ah did like Han Si-hoo.
I know because I inherited a large portion of her memories.
Because of that, I think some feelings for Han Si-hoo might have lingered, but they disappeared after I took the medicine.
"I don't have any affection for him."
"......"
"There's no way I would, right?"
It's just common sense.
From my perspective, it's obvious.
"Has her brain gone bad?"
"What?"
"It's nothing. [Let's stop here.]"
What do you mean, nothing?
He just insulted me, asking if my brain had gone bad.
It's absurd that he thinks I didn't hear him.
No matter how numb my mind is, I can still think at a basic level.
"So, why did you come to my house? At this late hour."
"Are you that curious?"
"I think most people would be."
"It's a long story..."
The doctor trailed off, pausing.
He seemed to be debating whether or not to explain it to me.
"...Still, I'll explain. We might be seeing each other often from now on."
"O-often?"
Does that mean I'll have to come buy medicine frequently?
I don't want my body to get so bad that I need medicine that often.
It's scary.
I could see a future where the price of the medicine skyrockets, and I can only afford a single day's dose at a time.
"Are you worried about seeing me often? Aren't you prepared to do anything as long as you can get your medicine?"
The doctor seemed strangely offended.
"I don't think I'd go that far."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"If I said I'd give you a day's worth of medicine if you got on your knees and licked my shoes, would you do it?"
"Should I do it now?"
Honestly, no matter what I did, I'd still feel good.
Honor doesn't put food on the table.
I don't care if my image is tarnished a little.
As long as I can use the medicine, I'm satisfied, regardless of what others think.
Besides, a single day's dose costs a fortune. Of course I'd do it.
"No. My shoes will get dirty. Don't do it."
"Yes..."
I was rejected for an unexpected reason.
Of course, I'd also dislike it if someone offered to lick my shoes.
Not because my shoes would get dirty, but for other reasons.
Common sense says that anyone willing to lick someone else's shoes can't be normal, right?
You shouldn't associate with strange people like that.
"Alright, how about this?"
"Yes?"
"I'll give you a year's supply of medicine."
A year of happiness?
It sounds like a dream, but it's impossible.
I don't have any money.
If I'd known this would happen, I would have asked Han Si-hoo for more.
"I don't have that kind of money..."
"Instead, in exchange for that, Miss Seo-ah, you will go and kill Han Si-hoo."
"......Huh?"
For a moment, I couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Can you do it?"
Another unexpected condition.
Killing Han Si-hoo.
This was what the Yoo Seo-ah in the novel did when she was on the verge of death.
It seems this was all because of this doctor.
This damn doctor was the reason the protagonist had to watch Yoo Seo-ah die right in front of him.
Did he make them fight by offering medicine like this?
In truth, the fight between Han Si-hoo and Yoo Seo-ah wasn't even a real fight.
Yoo Seo-ah was already dying, and Han Si-hoo wasn't ruthless enough to easily draw a blade on someone he knew.
He just had to watch Yoo Seo-ah fall apart before his eyes.
After that, Han Si-hoo lost his mind a little.
The novel begins with that protagonist enrolling in the Academy's High School Division.
A protagonist burdened by a tragic past.
The premise was that behind the protagonist's unique personality lay such painful memories.
But I have no intention of creating such a troublesome backstory for him.
"To reiterate, Miss Yoo Seo-ah, you are to kill Si-hoo. Ah, and it would be better to provide you with a lifetime supply of the highest-grade medicine, not just a year's worth."
"A life...time supply?"
"Can you do it?"
"Umm..."
There's no way I can kill him.
The protagonist isn't weak.
Does he even know this novel has hundreds of chapters?
The protagonist doesn't die.
Even if a villainous side character tries to kill him, they'll never succeed.
I'd be lucky not to suffer a dog's death in return.
What's the point of a lifetime supply of medicine if that lifetime isn't very long?
Picking a fight with the protagonist is a good way to die young.
Is there a way to get the medicine without fighting the protagonist?
"I'll give you time to think. I know it's hard to think because of the painkiller."
"How did you know I took a painkiller?"
"A doctor knows his patient."
"I see."
"In any case, think carefully about whether you can kill Han Si-hoo. He's your only friend, isn't he? Ah, though I suppose he isn't your friend anymore."
How insulting.
I should have made at least one more friend.
Then I could have borrowed more money.
I had my answer to the question of whether I'd kill Han Si-hoo.
"...Will you really give me the medicine?"
"A doctor does not lie."
"For life?"
"You'll be able to freely use a larger quantity of medicine than you do now, for the rest of your life. I give you my word of honor."
Pledging his honor to me, someone who couldn't care less about it.
Still, the doctor seems to value his honor, so I suppose it's a promise I can trust.
"Then of course..."
I have to kill him.
I was about to say, but I closed my mouth.
A wise person doesn't speak carelessly.
Thinking it over, I realized I was misunderstanding something.
Will he give me medicine while I'm trying to kill Han Si-hoo?
Or not?
The doctor talked about the reward for killing Han Si-hoo.
He never said anything about supporting me until I killed Han Si-hoo.
I almost mistakenly agreed to kill him.
"So..."
Just as I was about to ask if he would provide medicine until I killed Han Si-hoo,
"I understand. That's enough. Seeing you hesitate tells me you haven't completely lost your mind."
"......"
The doctor came to his own conclusion and cut off my question.
"Seeing that you still have some feelings for Han Si-hoo... it must not be an overdose... Is the medicine that good? You've shown restraint for someone who enjoys it so much."
The doctor said, holding up a glass vial from the table.
I couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or to me.
The liquid inside the vial sloshed around.
Restraint?
[8 hours 11 minutes]
I can see this, so I'm able to use just the right amount at the right time.
Because I know when the effect will wear off.
"Well, anyway. I'll lay you back down on the floor, so just get some sleep. I'll come see you again soon."
"What about the sleeping pills?"
I called out to the doctor as he was about to leave.
Apart from feeling good, I really wanted to get some sleep.
"You won't need them."
"Huh?"
-Thwack.
I felt an impact on my head.
Strangely, my eyes closed on their own.
Just what you'd expect from a doctor.