102. My Buff is a Drug
102. My Buff is a Drug
"Ha-yoon. Ha-yoon. Wake up."
"M-mm... mmm...."
When he shook her awake, Seo Ha-yoon came to, blinking up at Hye-yong's face.
"Huh? H-how did I collapse...?"
"You fainted when you saw my blood."
"Ah."
The jumbled memories came crashing back.
It had been a long time since she'd fainted at the sight of blood.
"It's worse than I thought."
"Yeah...."
"Does it happen if you watch it on video too?"
"It's a little better, but... if I keep watching, it's the same."
Just as I'd figured.
If it happens even with videos, it's psychogenic.
Hye-yong organized his thoughts.
First off, there had to be a trigger that made Seo Ha-yoon this way.
'She knew she had that kind of constitution, so she wouldn't have chosen the path of an Awakened if she'd always fainted at the sight of blood. It must have happened after she got the Synchronization Procedure.'
He decided to ask if his guess was right.
"Ha-yoon."
"Yeah?"
"When did you start getting anemic like that at the sight of blood?"
"That..."
Seo Ha-yoon started to recall the past.
It was shortly after she'd undergone the Synchronization Procedure.
— Mom, Dad!
— Ha-yoon!
— Our daughter, it's been so, so long! How have you been?
— Yeah. For me, it's barely been a few days, remember?
Seven years and two months.
Over those years, Seo Ha-yoon's family had gone through quite a lot of changes.
— Say hi to your little sister. This is Seo Ha-yan.
A five-year-old sister she'd never met had been born.
— Say hi to Hindung-i too!
And there was a pet dog she'd never seen before.
At first, everything—her parents' aged faces, the new little sister and pet—felt awkward, but Seo Ha-yoon was so kind and sweet-natured that after about two months of living together, she got used to it all and blended right in with her new family.
The incident happened a week before she was supposed to start school.
— Waaaaaaaah!! Unnieeee!!
— Ha-yan!?
Hearing her cute little sister Seo Ha-yan's cries, Seo Ha-yoon rushed out in a panic of worry.
What she found was a scene of gruesome slaughter.
— Mreeeeeeow....
The chicks Seo Ha-yan was raising in the yard had run afoul of a stray cat, their little bodies torn apart and dying horribly.
The spray of fresh blood made Seo Ha-yoon's mind go blank.
Uh... what am I supposed to do about that...?
I-I should chase it away, right?
She'd just grabbed the broom next to her and was about to swing it when she heard furious barking from behind.
— Woof!! Woof woof!!!
In her rush, Seo Ha-yoon had left the front door open, and the Jindo dog Hindung-i had bolted out as well.
— Waaaaaaaah!!
Hindung-i, who'd come running at the sound of Seo Ha-yan's crying, lunged at the stray cat that was busy chewing, tearing, and relishing the chicks.
Normally, the cat would have dodged with feline agility, but as luck would have it, it stepped on a chick's corpse, slipped, and got caught in Hindung-i's jaws.
— Mreeeeeeeow!!
— Grrrrrrrr...!!
The cat was pinned under Hindung-i and started getting mauled.
— Uhhh...?
In what might have been the most bewildering moment of her life, Seo Ha-yoon could do nothing but stand there frozen.
Hindung-i, usually so gentle, had for some reason turned extremely vicious.
— Mreeeeeeeeeow!!!
— Waaah! Waaaaah!! Unnieeee!!
Watching the cat cry out, spraying fresh blood and helpless against those savage teeth, her little sister screamed even louder.
— Grrrk, grrrrrr!!
The louder the screams got, the fiercer Hindung-i became, until it began literally tearing the cat apart....
— Uhhhhh...?
In this surreal situation, Seo Ha-yoon's mind went completely white. She couldn't even form the thought that she had to do something—she just stood there and watched.
The world seemed to be pulling away.
She began to feel utterly detached from the space around her, and an extreme dizziness started to set in.
— Aaaaaagh!! Ha-yan!! Ha-yoon!!
— Honey! Ha-yoon, Seo Ha-yoon!! The broom, give me the broom!!
— Ah.
Her parents, who had come home at some point, discovered the carnage in the yard and rushed in.
— Stop, stop it! You beast! Stop it!!
Her father snatched the broom from Ha-yoon's hands and started whacking Hindung-i with it. Thwack. Thwack.
— Grrrrrrrr!
— Mreeeeeeeeow!!
Thwack, thwack!!
— Waaaaaaaaah!! Daddyyyy...!!
It felt like having severe seasickness while standing on wobbly gelatin.
The chaos of sounds mixed together and ejected Seo Ha-yoon's consciousness from the world.
— Haah....
She had passed out right then.
— Ha-yoon? D-dear! Ha-yoon is!!
— Ha-yoon!!
When she opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed.
Ever since that day, Seo Ha-yoon had developed a constitution where she'd get dizzy and faint at the mere sight of blood.
"Uh...."
Hearing that, Hye-yong felt like his brain had just taken a trip to another galaxy for a second.
'What am I supposed to say here?'
Was the story a little... trivial? Or maybe too ambiguous to form such an intense trauma as hemophobia?
He was so dumbfounded that his situational coping skills momentarily short-circuited.
"That... must've been pretty horrible."
"Now I just think of it as a little incident, but... for some reason, the hemophobia never got better so...."
Okay, let's just forget this story fast.
And start the work.
Hye-yong decided to explain things to Ha-yoon first.
"So in the end, you fainting at the sight of blood is psychological, right?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"Looked at another way, that means if you set your mind to it, you can fix it."
"It works like that?"
"Of course it does!"
Hye-yong lightly patted Ha-yoon's right shoulder as he continued.
"First off, I have a buff that helps you feel at ease."
"Ah. You mean the one from before, right? Comfortable Feeling!"
"Yeah. That's the one."
Of course, the buff Ha-yoon was going to receive was no ordinary one.
[ Comfortable Feeling ]
Comfortable Feeling Effect Level 3
Dizziness Resistance Level 10 (Hidden Output)
Exclusive to Seo Ha-yoon (Hidden Output)
He'd set it to Dizziness Resistance since he didn't know the exact nature of Seo Ha-yoon's symptoms.
But he figured this would be enough.
"First off, you're always tense when we go into raids, right?"
"Yeah."
"If you put your mind at ease, things might be different."
The goal was to gradually lower the Dizziness Resistance until she could endure without the buff.
If it was psychogenic syncope, this method would definitely cure it.
He cast the buff on Seo Ha-yoon.
"How is it? Feel a little more at ease?"
"Yeah. I think the buff is working."
Even though he'd simply changed her mood, color was already returning to Seo Ha-yoon's face.
"Then get up. Let's try this again."
Hye-yong, who'd been sitting and observing Seo Ha-yoon's condition, stood up first and offered her his hand.
Seo Ha-yoon took it and stood up.
"Yeah...!!"
She was still anxious, but Seo Ha-yoon had willpower.
'Good. I like that attitude.'
Hye-yong put the same distance between them as before, keeping the situation identical.
"So, should I make it bleed again?"
"Yeah, but... is it really okay to keep doing this? Doesn't it hurt?"
"I'm fine. This kind of thing heals fast with a bit of stamina stat buff."
"But still...."
"It's fine, it's fine. Who can't handle a little sting to help a friend out?"
Seeing Hye-yong smiling as he brought the knife to his own finger, a pang of guilt sprouted in Ha-yoon's heart.
'Going that far for me....'
She had to repay him somehow.
By showing Choi Hye-yong, who worried about her, that she'd overcome this with strength!
"Okay, do it!!"
Seo Ha-yoon would never know, for the rest of her life, that Hye-yong barely felt any pain thanks to a Pain Reduction buff.
"Here I go."
Stab!
He pierced the wound that hadn't even healed yet, and blood dripped out once more.
'B-blood, blood, blood...!'
Drip... drip...
'Ah...!'
The dizzy feeling hit her again.
'Huh?'
But this time, strangely enough, it was bearable.
Drip... drip...
'It's unpleasant but... not so much that I can't control my body.'
Could just being a little more at ease really make this much of a difference?
'Maybe I really can do this.'
Gulp!
She swallowed once and tried her utmost to stay composed.
She was dizzy.
Nausea was starting to rise.
She wanted to stop looking.
Those thoughts kept coming, but she felt it was plenty bearable.
'I can endure it! I can do this! If it's just this much!'
Choi Hye-yong was right in front of her, bleeding like that to help her—she couldn't give up at this level.
Seo Ha-yoon stared fixedly at the blood drops falling from Hye-yong's finger and the little puddle of blood they formed.
'Looks like Dizziness Resistance is effective.'
Hye-yong shouted with deep satisfaction.
"Seo Ha-yoon, you got this!! You're doing great!! That's how you get used to it!!"
"Yeah!! I'll do my best!! I won't run away!!"
After shouting that, Ha-yoon thought to herself.
'Just getting a buff that makes my mind feel at ease, and I'm this different...'
'It's amazing. I never even thought about trying this before.'
'Just knowing it was psychological really helped me improve this much.'
'Hye-yong is amazing. The moment Hye-yong started caring, I got so much better.'
'He knows more about my condition than I do. Even though it's my problem, I didn't really understand it...'
[ Comfortable Feeling ]
Comfortable Feeling Effect Level 3
'Ah. The buff is being renewed.'
Right as she was thinking that, the buff refreshed, and gratitude welled up inside her like a spring.
'Aw, Hye-yong... I'll definitely repay this kindness!'
Ha-yoon probably thought he was renewing the buff to encourage her, but the reality was a little different.
[ Dizziness Resistance Level 8 (Hidden Output) ]
Hye-yong had lowered the Dizziness Resistance by 2 levels to make it harder for Ha-yoon to endure.
'Endure it. You've got to endure, Ha-yoon. It may be tough, but hang in there!'
Going from Level 10 to Level 8, she'd feel the difference quite noticeably.
"Hng..."
Sure enough, Seo Ha-yoon immediately started struggling.
"Haa, haa...."
Her breath came in short gasps, and she rubbed her sweaty palms against her uniform.
Her blinking grew faster.
Her body began to sway slightly.
Even so, she was still holding on until the end.
"Ha-yoon, fight it!! Keep your head on straight!!"
"Yeah, yeah!!"
With him cheering her on like that, she didn't want to show a pathetic side!
Hearing Hye-yong's encouragement, the struggling Seo Ha-yoon steeled her focus.
Hye-yong lowered the Dizziness Resistance by another level and renewed the buff.
Stab!
At the same time, he stabbed his thumb again so more blood would come out.
"Haa, hahk... nngh...!!"
The color drained completely from Seo Ha-yoon's face.
Hye-yong counted to ten and resolved to lower the buff's performance again.
With the heart of a lion pushing its cub off a cliff.
Of course, he didn't know if that was a true story or not, but right now, Seo Ha-yoon needed to be pushed hard.
'Ten.'
He renewed the buff.
Drip, drip, drip...
Dizziness Resistance Level 6.
"Nnnngh...."
Seo Ha-yoon visibly lurched.
"Don't fall over, Ha-yoon!! You've got to overcome it!!"
At his encouragement, she pulled herself upright once more.
'I have to repay him. I have to repay him. Hye-yong, who's bleeding in person, is having a harder time than me. I can't collapse!!'
Seo Ha-yoon stood there awkwardly, pressing hard on her own knees just to keep her posture.
She's watching it, glaring at it.
The blood dripping from Hye-yong's thumb.
And the puddle that was spreading wider as it pooled.
Seo Ha-yoon, who at first had fainted instantly at the sight of even a little blood, was now, just by gaining a bit of Dizziness Resistance, firmly facing down the blood.
"Seo Ha-yoon, you're amazing!! Just keep it up!!"
He counted another ten seconds there, and this time, he decided to remove Dizziness Resistance entirely.
With Dizziness Resistance gone here, she'd be almost exactly back to her normal state.
If she managed to endure that, you could safely say Seo Ha-yoon's hemophobia could be fully overcome.
Just how long could Seo Ha-yoon hold out?
'Phew. I'm nervous.'
In the end, Hye-yong cast the buff—with Dizziness Resistance removed—on Seo Ha-yoon.
".....!!"
Her whole body trembled violently.
The result of completely removing what little Dizziness Resistance she'd had was immediately apparent.
Anxiety crept into Seo Ha-yoon's eyes at once, and she began to shake.
"Ha-yoon, I believe in you. I believe you can overcome this!!"
"Hnhhh. Nnngh...!!"
Even with an expression that said she could barely hold on, Seo Ha-yoon clenched her teeth.
The will to keep her consciousness and remain standing seemed to reach Hye-yong almost tangibly.
'I don't want to betray his trust....'
'He's going that far for me.'
'Even if just because I'm grateful to Hye-yong and feel sorry, I'll overcome it!'
Even though the Dizziness Resistance was gone, Seo Ha-yoon was still facing the blood.
Staggering, wobbling.
She was in such a precarious state that it was impossible to know when she'd collapse, but she was clearly holding onto her senses, standing there and staring at the blood.
"Sixty seconds! I'm going to count sixty seconds, Ha-yoon!!"
Sixty seconds.
Did that mean she only had to hold out for sixty seconds?
'Let's do this. We're doing this.'
She wanted to just collapse right then and find relief.
But with just sixty seconds, she felt like she could do it.
"Sixty!"
"Fifty-nine!"
"Fifty-eight!"
Time seemed to move slowly.
But still, the spirit of 'let's do this' kept her enduring somehow.
"Forty-two!"
Just a little more.
"Twenty-nine!"
It's nearly there.
Once it's halfway, it's practically done.
"Fourteen!"
"Nngh...."
Her body suddenly lurched violently, and she dropped to her knees.
"Oh, Ha-yoon...?"
But her eyes were still fixed on the blood Hye-yong was shedding.
"D-don't stop."
"Ah, okay. Then, from ten."
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
'Just a little more...!'
Seven.
Six.
Five.
'Just a little more, and I can endure.'
Four.
Three.
'A-and now...!!'
Two.
"One...."
Thud!
The moment Hye-yong said the final count, Seo Ha-yoon, who had been on her knees, toppled over sideways.
Hye-yong stopped the bleeding with a buff and went over to check on her condition.
As he carefully cradled her head in his hands, she turned her head toward him.
"Hehe... I held on."
Ha-yoon still hadn't fainted.
"You did well, Ha-yoon! I knew you could do it!"
"Training... hasn't even been an hour since we started, and I'm already this much better. I was an idiot. I should've just tried sooner instead of thinking I couldn't."
"Well, it's all fine now that it worked out."
"It's thanks to you, Hye-yong... if you hadn't told me, I never would've thought of this at all... thank you, thank you so much."
Well then, be grateful.
Hye-yong felt extremely proud.
There was a twinge of regret—if he'd known it would progress this easily, he would've done it way sooner—but right now, the pride from having half-resolved Seo Ha-yoon's biggest issue was far greater.
Even if she wasn't completely cured yet, the fact that she could endure this much gave him hope that she could certainly be fully healed.