I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

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“This is a decent place. Though customers are few.”

We arrived at a cafe near the factory.

It was an unmanned cafe.

There were no employees, but everything was neatly organized.

The structure was set up with small tables placed between long sofas.

There was enough space for several people to sit, but only two of us were using it.

“Well, there’s a lot to talk about…”

The doctor brewed a cup of coffee.

And an orange juice.

“If we’re going to have a conversation…”

He brought the cups filled with drinks to the table.

The coffee was placed in front of the doctor.

Orange juice was set in front of me.

Plop.

A pill mixed into the juice.

“The spoken word is more comfortable.”

The pill dissolved away.

It vanished without a trace.

I drank it.

It has a strange taste for orange juice.

It tasted fine.

I sipped it continuously.

Oddly, my throat felt hot.

[393 hours 53 minutes]

“This is a medicine that helps control abilities. They often give it to young Awakeners who cannot regulate their power.”

“…Ability control?”

[393 hours 52 minutes]

I checked the time.

It hadn’t decreased much.

“How does it taste?”

“It’s delicious.”

[393 hours 52 minutes]

The time isn’t dropping.

I can speak freely now.

Impressive.

The doctor is amazing.

I fell silent.

I just swallowed my drink in silence.

What should I say now?

I’m happy at this moment.

But when I think about what the doctor has done, I wonder if all of this is his fault.

Thus, I think, the doctor should die.

The doctor…

I tried to make a knife, but it didn’t work.

Is it because of this ability control?

What a scary drug.

If I secretly give it to anyone, will they lose their power and be at my mercy?

Is there such a万能药?

Well, honestly, I don’t really want to kill him.

It just feels like an obligation to do so.

“Why…”

“Huh?”

“Why did you come now?”

What could be the reason for the doctor’s appearance?

“Why do you dislike me?”

I have many questions to ask.

I gulped down more of the drink.

“Eh?”

He dislikes me.

There’s no way he would have done this to me otherwise.

There must be some reason.

“I like you, Doctor.”

It seems the medicine is working well.

It’s making me say things I wouldn’t normally say.

I’m feeling quite good.

The doctor has no response.

“…Ah.”

It seems the doctor realizes something.

He takes the cup with the orange juice.

“Haha, oh my.”

He sniffs it and smiles.

Is something wrong?

“I gave you the wrong drink. This… is alcohol.”

“Alcohol?”

I’ve drunk more than half of it.

No wonder it felt different.

“I didn’t mean for a minor to drink.”

“Heh.”

Drugs are fine, but alcohol?

What kind of nonsense is that?

“Hahaha.”

That’s funny.

It’s a funny joke.

[393 hours 51 minutes]

It’s alcohol.

It seems to have little effect on time.

“So, why do you dislike me, Doctor?”

The doctor’s expression is hard to see.

It’s like there’s some filter, hazy or shadowy.

It’s almost always like this.

Is this some kind of brainwashing or suggestion?

“I feel pain when I use medication over there.”

Should I go closer and check his expression?

I’m not intoxicated.

There’s no way I could be.

I stood up and moved.

I walked across the table to the sofa where the doctor was sitting.

I’m only slightly swaying.

“You ordered me to give you a weaker drug on purpose.”

The drugs used in the laboratory were all strange.

Some were overly effective, some were too weak.

There were times when I left some that were losing their effect unattended.

“Or not.”

I sat beside the doctor.

It’s plush.

“I thought you were a good person, Doctor. Why do you…”

I’m saying whatever comes to mind.

“I don’t dislike you. I like you.”

He pets my head.

“…Huh?”

Oh, he likes me?

I can’t follow the flow of the conversation.

I don’t even know what I’m saying.

It feels like it’s been ages since I heard someone say they liked me.

When was the last time I heard that?

I really can’t remember.

No one has told me they liked me.

“Umm…”

Even if it’s a compliment, it feels good.

I feel happier.

I think it might be true.

Maybe there’s love deprivation, and I easily latch onto kind words.

Perhaps it’s because I have no parents or friends.

“It might be better to talk after sobering up. I didn’t expect there to be alcohol in the orange juice bottle.”

This is a big deal.

I’m feeling really good.

I might be able to forget about all the bad stuff with the doctor.

Did my brain get fried?

“Ahaha.”

It fried a long time ago.

I’m just satisfied with this state.

Isn’t there no real issue?

Or is there?

[393 hours 46 minutes]

I have an abundance of time.

Honestly, I can’t feel bad.

I’m happy.

“Your hair has grown longer.”

“Indeed.”

“Ah, right. And my eyes look a bit strange.”

I push my hair aside to reveal my eyes.

My right pupil looks odd.

Vertical pupil.

“And I can hardly move my body, and something feels off when I talk…”

There are too many strange things.

“What’s wrong? I can see and hear strange things, I can’t think well, and my memory feels off…”

Something feels really off.

What should I do?

Will I survive if I go to the hospital for treatment?

I think Researcher A had that concern too.

There are doctors at the hospital.

The doctor is right next to me.

“I don’t know anything except for how to use medication…”

What should I do?

“It’s probably too late for treatment.”

I felt like he was still asking for treatment.

“It’s not too late.”

“Really?”

“Don’t worry.”

How does he plan to treat me?

Is there a method?

“Is that really true?”

I don’t know if I can trust him.

Last time he said it was medication for treatment, but nothing got treated.

He just wanted to use more drugs.

Is it unknown?

Maybe if I use it continuously, it’ll actually heal.

Have I not used enough?

“…What’s good?”

The doctor checks something on his phone.

“What kind?”

“Could you call out a number? Something appropriate.”

“A number?”

[393 hours 45 minutes]

“45?”

“Ah, okay. Then…”

“Eh?”

What?

“I’m going to send a text.”

To whom?

“To someone who will treat Seo-Ah. I have to inform her about the patient’s condition.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The beneficiary who owes Seo-Ah a debt. I told her I would treat Seo-Ah.”

“Debt…”

What debt are you talking about?

Most of my memories are stuck in the laboratory, so nothing comes to mind.

“At least, they should remove that scar.”

“Ah.”

That’s a relief.

I didn’t want to show my scar when I met my friend.

Friend?

My memories are hazy.

What happened?

I know Han Si-Hoo really disliked me.

I felt like I was going to die.

Maybe it was a dream.

[393 hours 31 minutes]

Some more time has passed.

Just being able to leisurely sit in a cafe is nice.

And knowing I can heal from my pain makes it even better.

“Can I expect something?”

“Yes.”

I feel like we’ve grown closer.

“Just a little more juice…”

“Oh, that’s all for now.”

“Ah…”

The doctor pushes the cup aside.

I felt like I could drink just a little more.

“Can I lie down?”

“Yes.”

Wow.

“A knee pillow… heehee…”

The sofa was long enough for me to lie down.

My head felt dizzy so I just laid down.

Is it because of the alcohol?

Weirdly, my head feels hot too.

“You can sleep if you want.”

“…I don’t want to.”

I shouldn’t close my eyes anywhere.

If I wake up back in the laboratory, it wouldn’t be strange.

Being sent away while soaked in medicine, I don’t know where I’d end up.

My view starts to distort.

I’m confused about where I’m lying.

Am I really lying on the sofa, or am I laid out on an experiment table?

I also feel confused about who is by my side.

It should be a friend, right?

Is it Si-Hoo?

Is the doctor Si-Hoo?

No, that’s not it.

Right.

He’s a researcher.

Was I just in the experiment room, lost in delusions?

My vision isn’t functioning.

“Ahaha.”

I feel good, but it’s strange.

My mind is hazy.

I smile widely.

[393 hours 20 minutes]

*

A day out with a friend.

It’s my first outing with a friend.

A friend who called out a name for the girl who was only referred to as a Saint.

Han Si-Hoo.

It’s an outing just for the two of us.

Of course, it’s not just to waste time.

Thanks to the last incident of escaping the research facility, we discovered the corruption in the munitions factory.

If the Saint has ties to both the laboratory and the factory, it could be a big help for Han Si-Hoo.

“This shouldn’t look too strange.”

I fix my outfit while looking in the mirror.

Several pieces of clothing I hadn’t planned on wearing.

White clothes that match my long white hair.

It feels just like the Saint.

Is it too eye-catching though?

Maybe I should go for something else.

After trying on various outfits, the appointment time draws near.

“Okay. Let’s just go with this.”

A gray hoodie.

I decided on a casual outfit.

It’s not good to stand out too much anyway.

I stepped out onto the street.

There was no gathering attention from people’s gazes.

Certainly, it was an appropriate outfit choice.

The place I arrived at after leaving the house was a cafe.

Si-Hoo should be arriving soon.

“I’ll have a cafe latte, please.”

I order something randomly first.

-Ding.

A message arrived.

I made my way to the reserved seat and sat down.

I prepared to read it with the hope it’s from Si-Hoo.

What arrived was a peculiar link.

I hesitated because I didn’t know who sent it.

“Is this spam?”

I heard that you shouldn’t open these carelessly.

-Ding.

Another message arrived.

This time it was a photo.

It was a brightly smiling girl.

The white lab coat looked familiar.

What was her name again?

Seo-Ah?

A promise made in the past came to mind.

-So if you stay in the lab for a month… you’ll heal it all, right?

-Yes. I saved you from dying, didn’t I? If I can cure severe drug addiction.

-I’ll do it.

-Good choice. It might hurt a bit, but I heard you’re immune to the drug, right? You just have to hold out for a month.

-Yeah.

Looking back, I know the state back then.

There’s no way I could last more than a month.

I thought I had probably died a long time ago.

I ponder who sent the text.

Could it be someone intending to threaten me?

Someone who would do this…

I hesitated and clicked on the link.

A video started playing.

A 45-minute recording from a security camera.

Noticing the date shown on the screen was half a year ago.

It captured a girl sitting in a chair.

“-Ah, you got here first.”

At that moment, Si-Hoo entered the cafe.

I hurriedly turned off my phone.

I would watch the video later.

A video sent by someone who I don’t even know what they want.

“Ah, hello, Si-Hoo.”

Today is just a distraction.