Chapter 106 Until the Day of Doom (7)
Chapter 106 Until the Day of Doom (7)
Chae-young hurriedly turned off both Eun-woo's phone and her own. Then she rushed to the storage room and yanked the landline cord straight out of the wall.
A heavy silence settled over the house again. But it wasn't peace. At least, not the same peace as before.
Chae-young steadied her trembling hands and headed back to the bathroom.
Eun-woo was still submerged in the tub, deep in sleep.
She quickly pulled him out, drying him off with a towel.
Wrapping him in a clean bathrobe, she dug out a fresh silk pajama set—one her father used to wear—and dressed him in it.
As she buttoned the pajamas one by one, she studied his face.
"......!"
Something was wrong. Eun-woo's face was unnaturally flushed.
At first, she thought it was just the alcohol. But even after the bath, his fever hadn't subsided—if anything, it had grown worse, his skin burning like embers.
Chae-young laid him on the bed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
It was scalding. A high fever.
"Eun-woo...? Eun-woo, are you okay?"
She shook him urgently, but he only groaned weakly, unable to open his eyes.
Cold sweat poured from his forehead and the nape of his neck like rain.
Chae-young rushed back to the bathroom, soaked a towel in cold water, and returned—only to freeze.
The smell of his sweat... was off.
It wasn't the usual sour, musky scent.
Instead, it was thick, cloying, sickly sweet—like overripe fruit on the verge of rotting, or an overpowering perfume.
At that moment, a lightning bolt of realization struck her.
The biggest problem in society these days.
"......Holy Medicine."
The pseudo-religious cults that peddled that drug. And the being they worshipped as a god.
"......Eun-woo."
Her heart plummeted to her feet.
She had wondered why he had returned to her in such a broken state... but it wasn't just the alcohol. She had questioned why he betrayed her for other women, but now it made sense.
Eun-woo was addicted to Holy Medicine. If left like this, he was in danger. His heart could burst, or his brain could melt. She didn't know the specifics, but the so-called doctors and experts had warned about this.
"The hospital... I have to get him to the hospital."
Pale-faced, Chae-young grabbed her phone from the table.
She pressed and held the power button she had turned off earlier. The few seconds it took for the logo to appear and the screen to light up felt like an eternity.
The moment it turned on, she frantically tapped the keypad.
She had just pressed 1-1-9 and was about to hit the call button when—
Thud.
A burning-hot hand weakly grabbed her wrist.
"......!"
Chae-young whipped her head around.
Eun-woo, who she thought was deep asleep, was staring at her through half-lidded eyes. His gaze was unfocused, but there was a fierce determination in them.
"......Don't."
His voice was strained, rough as scrap metal. His lips were cracked from dehydration.
"Eun-woo! You're burning up! You could die like this!"
Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to pry his hand off. But Eun-woo mustered every ounce of strength he had left to keep his grip on her wrist. His fingers dug in so hard they left red marks.
"No... hospital... I'm fine... special constitution... Holy Medicine doesn't... affect me..."
"What are you talking about?! You're dying!"
"I'll be... fine... just need... sleep..."
Eun-woo gasped for air, his voice barely holding together.
"No... hospital... blood test... police... the Cult... will find out..."
"......."
"If they... know who brought me here... you'll... be in danger too..."
Tears streamed down Chae-young's face.
Even now.
Even now, when he was delirious and possibly dying, Eun-woo was more worried about her safety than his own—about her normal life being destroyed.
"I don't care! None of that matters! You could die!"
She screamed.
"Please... Chae-young. No ambulance. I'll be fine. My body's different... I don't want... your life ruined... because of me... Never... call 119..."
Eun-woo's head dropped back onto the pillow with a soft thud.
He lost consciousness again, but his fingers remained locked around her wrist, stiff with tension. As if he'd rather die than let go.
"Eun-woo... Hic, Eun-woo..."
Chae-young let the phone slip from her hand.
All she had to do was press the call button. Doctors would come. An ambulance would arrive. Eun-woo could be saved.
But she couldn't ignore his desperate plea.
The only thing she could do was keep replacing the cold compress on his forehead, over and over—
Bzzzt— Bzzzt—
Just as she thought that, her phone rang again.
This time, instead of waiting for the other side to hang up, she immediately moved to block the number—
But then a thought crossed her mind.
She had been so focused on Eun-woo, the son of the cult leader, that she had forgotten—his sister was also a member of the Cult.
And suddenly, it was clear who had given Eun-woo the Holy Medicine.
Of course. Since Eun-woo hadn't answered his phone, she must have gone to his house and watched him with his sister for hours... doing those things.
"If she gave her own brother Holy Medicine... then she must have the antidote, right?"
With trembling hands, Chae-young answered the call.
[Sorry for calling so late, Chae-young.]
Gaeul's voice on the other end was eerily calm and smooth.
Like a kind older cousin checking in after a long time. But beneath that warmth lurked something blood-chilling.
But Chae-young didn't back down. Or rather, despite usually acting tough around Eun-woo, she was actually a coward at heart—but she found her courage now.
For Eun-woo.
"You drugged him."
She cut straight to the point. She had to be firm. But she couldn't stop her voice from shaking.
"You gave Eun-woo Holy Medicine, didn't you? He's burning up right now. He can barely breathe, and his heart won't stop racing! You... you did this to our poor Eun-woo, didn't you? I saw everything."
[...Holy Medicine? Me? Forced him?]
"Don't play dumb, you twisted bitch! You forced him to take it! How could you... how could you do that to your own brother and then... and then those things...!"
[...Ha... Hah... Hahah.]
A strange sigh came through the receiver. Chae-young couldn't read Gaeul's intentions and faltered.
[...Yeah, you're right. I did it. He was just too pretty... I wanted him all to myself. So I gave him a little... well, a lot. But he's asleep now, right? He must be. Otherwise, you wouldn't be talking to me like this. ...Hmm.]
"Give me the antidote."
Chae-young's voice dripped with venom.
[Antidote? For Holy Medicine... Well, yeah. There is one. ...Of course I wouldn't give my precious Eun-woo Holy Medicine without an antidote.]
"Bring it to me. Now. Or I'll call the police. I'll expose everything you've done!"
[Oh my, the police?]
Gaeul giggled.
[You know what'll happen to Eun-woo if the Cult finds out, right? They'll drag him back. Lock him in an underground cell for the rest of his life, milked dry by devotees every day.]
"......."
Chae-young bit her lip. Now she understood why Eun-woo had been so desperate to stop her from calling for help.
This woman had him by the throat.
"......What do you want?"
[Simple. Eun-woo—]
"Eun-woo? You'll never have him!"
[No, I don't need a brother who betrays his sister and doesn't listen anymore. ...I want money.]
"......Money? That's really all?"
[Yeah, just give me the money, and I'll disappear. You two can do whatever you want. Be happy together.]
"......You're serious?"
[Of course! ...Did you really think I didn't know? You two hiding in the closet like dogs in heat—you thought I wouldn't find out?!]
Chae-young stiffened as Gaeul's sweet tone suddenly turned into a shriek.
If this had been any other day, the spoiled heiress might have hung up in tears.
But Chae-young found her courage. She could never be brave for herself—but for Eun-woo, she could.
"H-how much do you want?"
[How much do you have?]
Chae-young listed the entire balance of her bank account. Gaeul fell silent for a long moment. Then, belatedly, she asked again if Eun-woo was still asleep. Probably worried he might interfere and ruin the deal.
"Just give me the antidote. I'll pay whatever you want. My dad's rich. I can give you more than you can imagine."
Gaeul went quiet, as if considering.
Chae-young held her breath and waited.
[Fine. Deal.]
"......Really?"
[Yeah. Even if I drag Eun-woo back by force, he'll just run away again. Might as well take the money and end this clean. I'm sick of him anyway.]
Gaeul's voice lightened.
Chae-young exhaled in relief. It worked. As expected, this woman didn't love Eun-woo like she did. She was just using him.
"Where do I go? I'll come get it."
[Come outside now. I'm in front of your house.]
"......In front?"
[Yeah. I'm close by.]
A chill ran down her spine. Close by? How long had she been there?
But there was no time to hesitate.
"Okay. I'll come out. But... keep your word. Once you give me the antidote, I'll transfer the money right away."
[Sure, sure. Don't worry.]
Gaeul laughed.
[Oh, but Chae-young. One condition.]
"......What?"
[Come alone.]
"......."
[No calling anyone, no tricks. You know this is illegal, right? If anything seems off, I'll dump the antidote down the drain. If you want to save Eun-woo, come out quietly. Alone. Got it?]
"......Got it."
Chae-young hung up.
Her palms were slick with cold sweat.
This could be a trap. But it was the only chance to save Eun-woo.
She closed her eyes for a moment, picturing Gaeul's face. Delicate frame. Gentle smile. It almost felt silly how scared she had been—Gaeul was just a fragile woman.
There was no way she could overpower Chae-young. Even if she tried to pull a weapon—
Chae-young got up from the bed and carefully opened her closet. Inside were all sorts of BDSM toys she had bought for her and Eun-woo's playtime. Among them was something a little too extreme for mere play.
Pepper spray.
She had heard it was something women bought in case their partner ignored the safe word during a scene.
She had never used it herself—Eun-woo had never given her a reason to—but she had read reviews. Even big, burly men dropped to their knees in tears after one spray.
There was no way it wouldn't work on Gaeul.
"O-okay. This makes me feel better."
She slipped the pepper spray deep into her pocket.
Gaeul only wanted money, so she probably wouldn't need it... but just in case.
Grabbing her wallet and phone, Chae-young took one last look at the sleeping Eun-woo.
"I'll be right back. Just hold on, Eun-woo."
She pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and stepped out of the room with grim determination.