Chapter 114 |
Ha Sungyoon was a pretty decent doctor.
He went through all the necessary steps as quickly as possible and became a doctor. As a member of the medical community, he got promoted step by step, thereby demonstrating Ha Sungyoon’s abilities without reservation. He was able to smoothly obtain a professor position.
Always smiling, but not easygoing. Kind to patients, yet gently firm with the medical professionals he taught. With neatly combed hair and half-rimmed glasses, Dr. Ha Sungyoon, a figure who inspired confidence with just a glance, was beloved by many patients.
He was a pretty decent doctor.
A pretty decent person.
“…Sir.”
Except, he couldn’t afford to be a good person anymore.
“There’s something I failed to mention earlier.”
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“The day you first coughed up blood, your heart stopped.”
“…….”
“You dⁱㅌd once.”
Ha Sungyoon gazed intently at Lee Jaehun, who didn’t even look back at him.
He—Ha Sungyoon—liked the achromatic colors of the otherworld. They resembled his own grayish-white hair and slow, reddish eyes. It might sound absurd, but Ha Sungyoon liked the otherworld in his own way.
“You definitely did.”
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That was why he smiled.
“…But you’re alive now.”
“…….”
Only then did Lee Jaehun turn to look at Ha Sungyoon.
“…….”
His expression showed no surprise whatsoever.
Ha Sungyoon believed their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by others. Given the distance and everyone’s exhaustion from the sudden nighttime incident, no one would have the energy to eavesdrop. Furthermore, Dr. Ha Sungyoon enjoyed a considerable degree of trust within the group.
Lee Jaehun’s gaze swept over their surroundings before returning to Ha Sungyoon. Perhaps he had come to a similar conclusion, as he calmly opened his mouth.
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“It could have been a simple cardiac arrest.”
“I didn’t take any measures to revive you. This isn’t a hospital, so there’s no equipment. And it’s not a subway station, so there’s no AED. I didn’t even perform CPR.”
“That sounds rather irresponsible, coming from a doctor.”
“Because I couldn’t risk reviving a monster.”
“…….”
“Isn’t that right?”
Lee Jaehun blinked slowly in response, but he didn’t avert his gaze. His expression remained unchanged.
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Ha Sungyoon touched his earlobe.
“…I wasn’t implying that you are currently a monster.”
“No need to be so dramatic.”
“It saddens me that you misunderstand my sincerity.”
He continued.
“But, isn’t that right?”
The noise Ha Sungyoon had heard when he pressed his ear against Lee Jaehun’s chest was too artificial to be human. The sound of twisting organs, the squelching, dismal sound of moving muscles. The sound of a waterway blossoming within. The sound of blood.
And a silent, solitary heart.
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“It was like a scene from a zombie movie.”
A stopped heart did not mean instant death. Ironically, even after cardiac arrest, there was a chance of resuscitation if the heart restarted within three minutes. Of course, if it went beyond 3 minutes, even if you survived, you would not be alive.
Moreover, despite the blood still flowing in his body, Lee Jaehun’s body cooled rapidly. Even if his body had been dunked in ice water, it wouldn’t have cooled this fast. Ha Sungyoon had been suspicious of Lee Jaehun’s condition, and thus, he’d stepped back. He had no intention of performing CPR.
What guarantee was there that the revived man wouldn’t be a monster?
“Are you angry, by any chance?”
“About what?”
“That I gave up on you midway.”
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“You should have given up sooner.”
“That’s my last remaining shred of conscience.”
Ha Sungyoon smiled as before.
“You don’t seem human, sir.”
Just like how he hadn’t denied being a monster a moment ago.
“I’m curious. Were you made this way? From whom did you learn such selfless devotion? Was that person also a survivor of the otherworld? Or was it people?”
“Why are you curious about that?”
“The day of your death intrigues me.”
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When.
“And how.”
Will this man dⁱㅌ?
Because one thing was certain: it’d be a death far beyond what he’d already witnessed.
“…Why Jung Inho?”
At Ha Sungyoon’s question, Lee Jaehun looked at him with disbelief. Unlike his previous dismissive demeanor, he now looked slightly annoyed and tired.
It was the face Ha Sungyoon had first seen at the hospital.
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“What did you just say?”
“I’m curious why you chose Jung Inho among the available options for the next one, whatever it is.”
“…….”
“Isn’t it too late to feign ignorance now?”
Ha Sungyoon’s gaze landed on Jung Inho, who was looking around.
“After teaching him everything you know. If he develops a self-sacrificing spirit as strong as yours and becomes just as powerful.”
“…….”
“Will you dⁱㅌ then?”
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“What…”
“Did someone tell you to do this?”
He looked at Lee Jaehun again.
“Did that person also dⁱㅌ after leaving you behind?”
Ha Sungyoon was no longer a good person. No longer a good doctor either.
Because he suspected too much, he desired. He was driven mad by his desires. Because that alone wasn’t enough, he prayed fervently and persevered. Ha Sungyoon was no longer a good person or a doctor, but in the end, he would find what he sought.
Wasn’t his devoured eye telling him as much?
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“What did you inherit from him…? What did you inherit to become this strong? Or this weak? Why are you crazy? Where did it all begin? Why did that person choose you?”
“…What nonsense are you spouting, Mr. Ha Sungyoon?”
“Lee Jaehun, there’s someone who drove you to this madness. Isn’t there someone who bequeathed everything they could to you?”
A man in uniform appeared in Ha Sungyoon’s vision.
Black? Navy blue? Wearing a belt? Quite tall. Broad shoulders and thick hands. He wanted to see the design on the man’s forearm more clearly, but it was blurry.
However, one thing was certain: that man and Lee Jaehun were different people.
“Is that person dead?”
“…….”
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Lee Jaehun, who had been staring at him with an impassive gaze, formed a twisted smile.
“He is dead.”
“…….”
“He dⁱㅌd the happiest death in the world, smiling.”
Lee Jaehun seemed angry.
“You asked why Jung Inho. It’s simple. The world chose that creepy b⋏st⋏rd. He’s the protagonist. Why should I teach someone else when there’s a chosen one?”
The world. Protagonist. Chosen one.
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Teach.
“Everything wants Jung Inho to survive. I’m just sticking to him and doing everything I can.”
“…Wants him to survive?”
That was a curious story.
“I don’t know what you ate or touched wrong, but… it seems you’re seeing some pretty strange things. It’s quite unpleasant.”
“…….”
“I’d like to remind you once again that I’ve been out of my mind for a while now.”
With that, Lee Jaehun pressed his temples near his eyes with the hand not gripping the pipe. He seemed to have a headache, but judging by the discontent filling his eyes, he would likely head to check the statue soon.
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Well, Ha Sungyoon had gotten what he wanted for now.
“Excuse me.”
“…….”
“You seem very tired. You should rest soon.”
Now, all that remained was to wait.
If he followed these people, he would get what he desired most.
* * *
“…….”
Shⁱt.
‘What the hㅌll did I just say?’
Mentally checked out, Lee Jaehun quickly began some self-reflection.
Honestly, he was truly, incredibly exhausted. Nothing he did worked, and every plan he concocted went sideways. Chicks were chirping at him from all directions, and he was starting to wonder if this was their final evolutionary form. The Pokémon he’d tried playing with his niece, who had grabbed him by the collar, popped into his mind unbidden.
Lee Jaehun realized that the more time passed, the less control he had over his own d⋏mn mouth. He should have just bolted when Ha Sungyoon, with his wide, unblinking eyes, started creeping closer. But he couldn’t stand the blatant provocation and had to open his big mouth, and now he was losing his mind.
He pressed a hand to his eyes as dizziness washed over him, and then two nearby chicks started chirping again.
“Ah, ahjussi… Should we take a break? You look really unwell.”
“…You should stay away from me….”
“Hey, a pharmacy. Should we go to a pharmacy, ahjussi? Even now, at a pharmacy…!”
“Don’t.”
You’ll dⁱㅌ if you go there.
‘What the hㅌll are these newly hatched chicks babbling about?’
Lee Jaehun looked around and called out to a specific, creepy b⋏st⋏rd who came into his sight. As the protagonist approached, looking puzzled by his gesture, Lee Jaehun spoke.
“Take these two with you. Ask Senior Associate Kang or something.”
“…They’ll probably like you more, though.”
“Do you really think you should be saying that, knowing what a mess I am?”
He muttered in exasperation, and the protagonist frowned.
“It’s not like you’ve done anything yet. There’s no need to… distance yourself already. You haven’t committed any crime.”
“The problem is, I’m about to.”
With that, Lee Jaehun grabbed the two students by the shoulders and shoved them towards Jung Inho. Park Dahoon cautiously shuffled away, while Park Dayoung grabbed Lee Jaehun’s clothes with a wronged expression before letting go. As expected, they were fools who couldn’t refuse an adult’s command.
“If you don’t want to see me kill someone, keep people away from me. Whether they scream or bleed, tell them to stay away. Do you understand?”
“…Very well. I understand.”
Finally, Jung Inho, his face screwed up in a grimace, led the two students away soothingly. Lee Jaehun could read clear anger in his gait, but the previous wariness was completely gone, which was even more maddening. Oh, my beloved plans.
Lee Jaehun wiped his eyes again and scanned his surroundings with a blurry focus.
‘…So, what can I salvage?’
He didn’t quite understand what Ha Sungyoon had abruptly said to him, but the most certain thing was that those stark white eyes could see something. And judging by the recent remarks, it was related to Lee Jaehun.
Moreover, it seemed he had seen a period from Lee Jaehun’s past life.
‘Why?’
He was so flustered by having his biggest secret unexpectedly exposed that he’d blurted out nonsense, but in any case, Ha Sungyoon seemed to be perceiving Lee Jahun’s past life as a person in his current life. He seemed to think it was someone who had taught the Lee Jaehun of the setting how to survive.
At that point, Lee Jaehun couldn’t help but mutter.
“I’m going to dⁱㅌ at this rate.”
Shⁱt, what the hㅌll is the problem?
What the hㅌll is the problem that’s creating settings I don’t even know about?