I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: SemiPickle

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After the accident, the perpetrator said, ‘I was too drunk to think straight.’

It seemed like news I had heard at some point.

What trash.

It’s strange that being drunk becomes a reason for a reduced sentence.

You should take responsibility for your actions.

Isn’t it similar with drugs?

But I didn’t take the drugs on purpose.

While it’s true that I injected every syringe I could find, I wouldn’t have done it if I were clear-headed like I am now.

I know.

That’s right.

“Yeon-Hwa, could you move for a moment?”

Han Si-Hoo made a subtle expression as he looked at me.

That girl still seemed wary of me.

“You said it was dangerous, right? Something about 1,700 or whatever. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Dangerous?

I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“It’s fine.”

“…Be careful.”

With those words, Yeon-Hwa left the room.

What does she want me to be careful of?

Now, it’s just Si-Hoo and me.

Something feels off.

Anyway, I should say what I need to say.

“Um, Si-Hoo. Thanks. I think I don’t need the drugs anymore. I’m all better now.”

[Paused]

Am I really better?

The word “paused” feels like there’s a chance it could resume later.

As long as I don’t take the drugs, I’ll be fine.

Since I have no intention of using them, it should be okay.

“I’m sorry for attacking you. I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again. I’m sorry.”

I know this level of apology isn’t enough.

I’ll find a way to make it up someday.

“I’m normal now. I won’t be a burden anymore.”

Han Si-Hoo didn’t react much to my apology.

He just looked at me with a cold expression.

Is he really angry?

Well, I did try to kill him, so of course.

He doesn’t seem like he’s going to easily accept my apology.

“It’s fine.”

The tone feels different.

It’s not like usual.

Han Si-Hoo extended his hand.

For some reason, his hand moved closer to my neck, but then stopped.

“…For now, stay away from me. I’m in a weird state.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a skill side effect. Right now, I might attack you. Sorry. Don’t come any closer.”

Han Si-Hoo spoke with his eyes closed.

If he’s saying it like this, something must be going on.

“Yeah. I’ll come back later.”

There must have been a price to pay.

This world is particularly harsh when it comes to healing.

External injuries can be healed quickly, but that’s it.

If you don’t heal quickly, even that becomes difficult, and internal injuries or invisible illnesses are beyond the scope of what an Awakener can heal.

That’s generally the case.

I’ve heard that sometimes there are extraordinary healing Awakeners who can ignore those limitations, though.

But Han Si-Hoo isn’t particularly known for his healing abilities.

He seems to be all-in on combat.

Yet, he managed to make Yoo Seo-Ah better.

He mentioned a skill side effect.

I think it’s related to his purification skill.

“Wait.”

He spoke with his arm covering his eyes.

It seems like he shouldn’t look at me.

“Wait… Where were you just now?”

“I was downstairs in the medical room.”

“Oh, I see. With who?”

“With the doctor.”

“…Doctor?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Now that I say it, something feels off.

Did Han Si-Hoo hate the doctor?

There’s clearly some misunderstanding.

The doctor is a good person.

“Doctor Lee Yu-Ram?”

“Huh? No.”

“Then who?”

“Someone you’ve seen before. When I first came to the Academy… Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him since then.”

Han Si-Hoo lowered the arm that was covering his face.

“…Who?”

“You know, the person who used to give me drugs.”

“The doctor was with you?”

“Yeah. If there’s some misunderstanding with the doctor, maybe you should clear it up…”

Misunderstanding?

What am I talking about?

There must have been a reason to be hostile.

Suddenly, I don’t know why I’m thinking so positively about the doctor.

I haven’t even taken any drugs.

[Paused]

“…Ah, I see.”

At some point, Han Si-Hoo had opened his eyes.

He seemed to be checking the injection marks on my arm, then sighed.

“Then, no matter how many times we repeat this, it’ll be the same.”

“Huh?”

“It’s obvious. Thinking we can go back to the way things were is a delusion, isn’t it? Isn’t that right? Shut up?”

Scary.

Is he talking to himself?

It’s the first time I’ve seen Han Si-Hoo muttering like this.

“No matter how much purification is done, one dose of the drug brings everything back.”

“I don’t need the drugs anymore.”

I have no intention of taking them.

Even if the doctor offers me drugs.

“The drugs the doctor gave me until now, I don’t need them anymore. I’m not in pain, so I don’t have to use them.”

I’m rambling.

“Anyway, so you can relax-”

Han Si-Hoo didn’t respond.

He just came closer and extended his hand.

A handshake?

“Gahk.”

He grabbed my throat.

I couldn’t get his hand off me.

Just as I started to feel dizzy, Han Si-Hoo let go.

He gave me a moment to catch my breath.

“Ah, hah…”

He seems really angry.

Those are the eyes of someone truly disgusted.

I’m realizing how terrifying Han Si-Hoo is as an enemy.

I didn’t expect him to be this furious.

Is it because of the skill side effect?

He did say he might attack me.

Or did I say something wrong?

Was it the mention of the doctor?

[Paused]

“Wait, stop.”

He strangled me again.

With one hand.

If Han Si-Hoo is fine, everything else seems like it could return to normal.

But such convenient things don’t happen.

The price for restoring the completely broken Yoo Seo-Ah.

If Han Si-Hoo breaks instead, everything will be fine.

It clicked.

I remembered what kind of skill “purification” is.

“Hahk, hah, hah…”

I gasped for breath, feeling dizzy.

My vision started to turn white.

“I should have done this from the start.”

Han Si-Hoo looked at me with a blank face, as if this was nothing special.

I’m paying for my sins.

It’s probably for living like trash.

“I’m sorry.”

I should apologize.

Han Si-Hoo didn’t respond.

I’m not even sure if this is really Han Si-Hoo anymore.

He looks similar to how I was when I was on drugs.

He must have had a hard time dealing with me in that state.

Han Si-Hoo must have been struggling.

“If you had just disappeared on your own, none of this would have happened.”

That’s true.

Yes, that’s right.

“Aren’t you still scared of Han Si-Hoo? Even though you’re sticking to him like that?”

I was just starting to get scared.

“And the doctor is still a close friend?”

He’s not exactly a friend, but he’s a good person.

Right?

“Didn’t you say this hurt?”

He poked my stomach.

“Ugh?”

“Tell me, what kind of stuff did you do to get a wound like that?”

A question Han Si-Hoo would never ask.

An action Han Si-Hoo would never take.

“Did you sell your body? Even if not that, it wouldn’t be surprising if something happened to you.”

For a moment, my mind went blank.

“N-no. That’s not…”

It was the first time anyone asked me such a blunt question.

But I understand.

The environment, the situation—it’s all a mess.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he had those thoughts.

“It’s really not.”

I haven’t fallen that far.

-Thud.

“Gah.”

It hurts?

It really hurts.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

I was kicked in the stomach.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the floor.

Drugs.

If I had drugs, it wouldn’t hurt as much.

It’s been a long time since I felt such sharp pain, I’m not used to it.

No, I don’t need drugs anymore.

[Paused]

I only used them because I was running out of time.

There’s no reason to take them now.

But it hurts.

I don’t like pain.

Why did he hit me?

I don’t understand.

“-Wh-what are you doing?”

That’s not my voice.

Yeon-Hwa, who had gone outside, had returned.

“Did you hit her?”

She looked confused.

Whether it mattered or not, Han Si-Hoo only kept his eyes on me.

I should explain.

*Cough.*

I coughed repeatedly until I could speak.

This is a misunderstanding.

It really is.

If I had spoken sooner, I could’ve explained somehow.

Most of the injuries on my body were self-inflicted.

It wasn’t a big deal.

But it really hurts.

It feels like something’s broken.

I don’t want to be hit anymore.

***

I can’t understand the situation.

I don’t know what’s happening.

Weren’t they friends?

Did Si-Hoo really hit that girl?

Well, sure, she did try to kill him first.

It’s understandable to be angry.

Even I felt angry enough to want to kill her.

But Si-Hoo didn’t seem angry at all.

I wondered if their friendship was so special.

I thought whatever happened between them, they would work it out on their own.

“I-I’m really not.”

Tears welled up in Yoo Seo-Ah’s eyes.

Was it because she was in pain, or because she was sad?

I don’t know what she’s denying.

“I didn’t sell my body.”

What is she trying to explain?

“There’s no way I did that. Really, I’ve never done anything like that.”

She spoke urgently.

A girl from the slums.

If a girl who grew up in a place like that did something dirty, it wouldn’t be surprising.

That’s how I had been thinking.

But seeing Yoo Seo-Ah right in front of me made me realize something was terribly wrong.

A girl our age is saying such things?

What?

She has to explain that she didn’t sell her body?

What is this?

Is this hell?

A typical girl wouldn’t be in this kind of situation.

When I only saw her smile, she seemed like an ordinary kid.

“I’ve really never done that.”

I had been filled with disgust because she tried to kill Si-Hoo.

Now that the anger is subsiding, I can see Yoo Seo-Ah more clearly.

Scars that look like she was slashed, visible under her sleeves.

A bunch of needle marks.

I thought she deserved it.

Even her dorm room was a mess, with syringes scattered everywhere.

I only thought of her as a filthy addict.

A piece of trash willing to kill even her own friends.

I believed it was all her own doing, and I was only disgusted.

But now, seeing Yoo Seo-Ah curled up in pain, it’s clear.

She couldn’t have wanted this.

“Stop…”

Si-Hoo didn’t seem normal either.

His eyes were shaking.

As if something unexpected had happened, he stepped back.

His expression was unusual.

He tried to cover his eyes with his hand.

Si-Hoo didn’t seem quite right.

He kept talking about strange numbers, rambling incoherently.

Even so, when Yoo Seo-Ah showed up, he left the room to let them talk.

I thought they could sort things out.

But now, I have to stop this.

I just don’t know how.

My mind is frozen in the face of this unexpected situation.

Crack.

“Si-Hoo?!”

Si-Hoo grabbed the sword that had been leaning against the bed.

He discarded the scabbard.

He was holding the blade instead of the handle.

Blood dripped from his hand.

“Ah. That feels better.”

“What-what are you doing?”

Self-harm.

I could see the sharp edge digging into his palm.

“Sorry. Could you take Seo-Ah out of here?”

With his other hand, he was still covering his eyes.

“I’ll try to get a grip somehow.”