I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend-Chapter 73

"Pull yourself together, we need to make a happy ending."

The fake Han Shihu sneers.

"Disappear!"

The Saintess shouts.

Boom.

The world bursts open.

The appearance of the fake Han Shihu vanishes, and the scenery changes.

"Now, the real memories will appear."

Here, Seo Ah will be visible, the Saintess mutters.

A house comes into view.

It’s the house where Seo Ah used to live.

The sound of rain pouring down.

Seo Ah is sitting on the concrete yard, getting drenched in the rain.

"Seo Ah—"

"Wait, you can’t just talk to me like that."

"Why?"

"We’re replaying the memory. If we interfere, it could distort the memory itself. Maybe we should just watch and not interfere."

The Saintess also wanted to see the real Seo Ah’s memories.

This time, the goal isn’t to destroy the memories.

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She watches from a distance, observing Seo Ah.

The rain doesn’t stop.

Seo Ah stays seated.

She’s waiting for Han Shihu.

Even though she knows he won’t come.

"Ah..."

Seo Ah smiles.

"Ah ha... ha..."

Then silence again.

She stays in the rain for a long time.

"Let’s go to the next memory..."

"Wait, just wait a moment. Maybe I can talk to her—"

Seo Ah turns toward them.

"Shihu?"

She saw him.

The Saintess steps back, as if unsure of what to do.

Han Shihu runs to Seo Ah.

"Shihu?"

Seo Ah greets him with joy.

"Yeah."

"Are you back? Really?"

No.

It’s not real.

It’s just a memory.

No, if I can twist the memory and create happy ones, wouldn’t that be a good thing?

"Yeah."

It’s a lie.

"Ah, ha, hehe. I’m so glad. Ah... thank you. You must be busy!"

Slowly, Han Shihu begins to understand what’s going on.

It was right after he entered the academy.

When Seo Ah had asked him to go stargazing with her.

"No."

"Well, should we go inside? It’s cold if you get wet."

You’re the one...

Han Shihu follows Seo Ah inside the room.

"I knew you’d come. That’s right. I believed you. You’re staying with me, right? Huh? You haven’t started hating me. I know."

The words "I believed you" hurt so much.

Of course, there were reasons why they couldn’t be together, but the reason they couldn’t be was also for Seo Ah’s sake...

This is right.

This is the right choice.

"Did you come back because you were worried?"

"Yeah."

That's right. It had to be this way.

"You must be busy. You have plans... I know there's something else."

"Huh?"

"Anyway, with the weather like this, we can't see the stars. We’ll do it later. It's fine, we can just hang out later."

This is how it should’ve been.

I should have gone to Seo Ah.

I should’ve done this for real.

As I was wondering what more I should say, the scene changes.

Boom-!

It bursts open.

We shift to another memory.

"Ah, did you want to talk more?"

The Saintess approaches.

"It’s because Seo Ah almost made eye contact with me."

"...Right."

"And don’t mistake these memories for real life. Just like the weird version of you showed up earlier, something strange might appear... these memories could already be distorted."

Anyway, it's another new memory.

Isn’t this a good thing?

If I could turn all the bad memories into something good.

If I could change all the memories that disappointed Seo Ah.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

This time, it's Seo Ah’s house again.

I stop as I try to enter the room.

Seo Ah is staring at herself in the bathroom mirror.

A suffocating silence fills the air.

How many minutes have passed?

Seo Ah mutters something.

Han Shihu gets closer, trying to listen.

"...Help me."

But there is no one to help her.

"It's hard..."

Han Shihu wants to approach her immediately.

But he suppresses the impulse.

He wants to scream that he can help her.

But that would just be a lie.

This is just a memory.

It’s not real.

"You’re the one who can help me, right?"

Who can help her?

Seo Ah speaks to herself.

To something beyond herself.

"Please..."

She says in a small voice.

Muttering quietly, but it can’t be heard.

"Really? You’ll help me?"

Then, suddenly, her voice rises.

She asks with a hopeful tone.

"That’s right... ahaha..."

The Seo Ah in the mirror doesn’t respond.

A staring contest with her own reflection.

And silence.

Seo Ah stands there for a long time.

She almost looks like she’s fallen asleep standing up.

Then, she opens her eyes again.

"Ha..."

She sighs.

And looks at the mirror.

"I’ll try... I’ll try to make it work..."

"Huh?"

She makes eye contact with the Seo Ah in the mirror.

She recognizes Han Shihu’s presence.

"Han Shihu?"

Seo Ah rushes out of the bathroom.

Han Shihu couldn’t possibly be here at this time.

"Ah, yeah. Seo Ah."

The Saintess quickly moves aside.

Seo Ah doesn’t notice her.

It’s better if the Saintess doesn’t get involved in the conversation. It would complicate things.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

Seo Ah looks around the room.

The used drugs.

The syringes.

There’s a lot of stuff Han Shihu shouldn’t find out about.

"What... when did you come in? Did... did you see it? Huh? Why are you..."

Han Shihu wonders how to respond.

Should he say he’s looking through her memories?

"Yeah, that's right. Han Shihu, Han Shihu, listen up, I don’t know why you're here, but—"

Seo Ah starts speaking rapidly, as if the situation is urgent.

"Listen carefully! Seo Ah can’t use these drugs anymore. Do you see the syringes and the bottles? Seo Ah’s in a drug addiction state, but she can still be saved. I’m trying, but I’m reaching my limits."

"Huh?"

This isn't the line I expected.

"You came back because of Seo Ah, right? Huh? Find a way as quickly as you can. You're the protagonist, you can do it."

"Protagonist?"

"You have to save Seo Ah. Our childhood friend is dying, ugh, damn it, it hurts like hell. Anyway, save her somehow. I was going to come find you, but Seo Ah didn’t want that."

This doesn’t sound like Seo Ah’s memory.

It doesn’t sound like something she would say.

I’ve heard of dissociative identities before.

This situation feels like it’s linked to that.

"You need to be here. If I were a protagonist like you, I’d have saved her by now. Oh, you should quit the academy quickly. All those people are bad."

It’s like she’s sharing a perspective with Han Shihu.

It’s strange, speaking with knowledge of the future.

These are words that Seo Ah at this point couldn’t have said.

Has the memory been twisted?

It’s possible.

It’s something the Saintess warned me about.

"What are you saying?"

"First, the doctor, that bastard... The academy and the government-related stuff... Oh, I can’t even remember it now. Damn, is this a hallucination? No, it can’t be."

"Seo Ah?"

Han Shihu calls her name.

"No, I’m not Seo Ah... Ah, what was it... Anyway, I’m not. Seo Ah’s sleeping right now."

"Sleeping?"

"I put her to sleep. It’s pitiful. I’ll take the pain for now. If I do that, Seo Ah will be fine... I’ll help, so go quickly and get a proper doctor."

Seo Ah sways, clutching her head.

She looks like she's in pain.

"Are you okay—"

"Go quickly. I can’t last much longer... I’m being consumed. The drug’s effect is too strong. Hurry. I don’t want to stay like this either."

Seo Ah urges him.

"When this is all over... then I won’t be needed anymore. Then you and Seo Ah can just live happily together."

"You, what are you..."

There’s someone else there besides Seo Ah.

Han Shihu knows that much.

At the same time, there’s a sense of determination to protect Seo Ah.

It’s someone unknown, but it’s still Seo Ah.

An incomprehensible situation.

"Ah, if you want to distinguish me from Seo Ah, ask if you can see a number in front of you. If you can, it’s me. If not, it’s Seo Ah. Got it? Got it?"

"Yeah, got it."

Seo Ah had once mentioned there being something like a timer in front of her eyes.

Han Shihu feels overwhelmed by the excessive amount of information.

He doesn’t know what’s going on.

Boom-!

The scene changes again.

This time, it's the house again.

The Saintess steps back, and Han Shihu approaches Seo Ah.

The house is a mess.

Seo Ah is using drugs.

She’s filling a syringe with the substance.

"Ah, Shihu?"

"Yeah."

"You found a way, right? I’m sure I said... I thought you could do it."

No, I haven’t found a way.

I’ve just been jumping between these memories.

This isn’t real.

"Sorry."

He apologizes.

There’s no way to help.

It’s from the past.

"Huh? You couldn’t find a way? Am I supposed to keep living like this? Ahaha. It’s fine. It’s not that bad. Seo Ah didn’t get addicted for no reason."

No matter how much the memories are changed, the truth doesn’t change.

Han Shihu couldn’t help Seo Ah.

"Sorry..."

"You didn’t do anything because you didn’t like Seo Ah. You could’ve found a way. Or, was it me you didn’t like? Sorry, for being an outsider. Didn’t you trust me?"

"I..."

"Seo Ah’s asleep again. I’ll use the drugs instead of her. She’s afraid of the syringe. One addict is enough for me."

Seo Ah’s hand holding the syringe trembles.

There are a lot of wounds on her hands.

The mirror in the bathroom, which was fine in the last memory, is broken.

Did she break the mirror?

"Who’s that—"

Seo Ah looks behind Han Shihu.

White hair is visible.

The Saintess cannot be noticed.

They need to move to the next memory.

Boom!

The scene changes again.

Still, it’s inside the house.

But now, the interior is even more dilapidated.

The lights don’t work.

It’s dark outside.

But vaguely, the outline is visible.

Seo Ah is bound by chains and ropes.

She’s tied to a metal structure.

Seo Ah is trapped in her own house.

Why? Who tied her up?

A key is lying far away on the floor.

The key is for unlocking the rusted padlock on the chains.

"Seo Ah?"

Han Shihu approaches her.

"Hey, if you go recklessly..."

The Saintess tries to stop him, but it’s too late.

Han Shihu is already checking on Seo Ah’s condition.

He doesn’t know who tied her up, but now he understands the nature of the chains in Seo Ah’s house.

"Ugh?"

Seo Ah reacts to Han Shihu’s appearance.

She’s awake.

Seo Ah is disturbingly awake, sharply aware.

"Are, are you okay? Who did this?"

"Medicine, quickly, give me the medicine."

"Where is the medicine?"

"I threw it away. Seo Ah threw it. Over by the sewer next to the house. Hurry. I’m dying. I didn’t know it would hurt this much."

Seo Ah threw away the medicine herself.

Han Shihu thinks he knows who tied her up.

It was none other than Seo Ah herself.

There was a sentence in her journal about throwing away the medicine.

Was that from that time?

"It was a mistake. Medicine. Some medicine. The key’s over there. Unlock it. I’ll go get it. Aaah, it hurts..."

This is just a distorted memory.

It’s a memory altered by Han Shihu’s intervention.

He wishes it didn’t happen for real.

"12 minutes have passed. Ah. It hurts. Ugh... hurry, hurry. I can’t breathe, hurry, agh."

The timer shows minus 12 minutes.

Seo Ah has barely held on until this point.

"Medicine, medicine, drugs, anything."

"Let’s skip ahead."

Han Shihu can’t watch any longer.

The Saintess agrees.

Han Shihu can’t help the Seo Ah in this memory.

Boom!

The next memory.

Still, Seo Ah is tied up.

Her mouth is open, craving the medicine.

"...This memory is the same?"

Han Shihu asks the Saintess.

"No, this is definitely a different memory... Maybe it’s because it’s such a traumatic memory... Let’s move to the next one."

Boom!

The same place appears.

Seo Ah is still tied up.

Boom!

Seo Ah is still there.

There are signs of her struggling.

A little bit of bodily fluids and blood are flowing.

Boom, boom, boom...

Han Shihu skips through the memories about a dozen times, but it’s still the same place.

The nightmare never ends.

Seo Ah is still tied up, her face frozen with drool.

There’s liquid pooled on the floor as if it came from her body.

"...This..."

The Saintess says in a trembling voice.

"I’ve been focusing on the most intense memories... but how long has she been like this..."

Normally, the gaps between memories are long.

But the intensity of the pain was so high that this happened.

Even so, usually, there are only two or three repetitions before moving on to a different memory.

Something went terribly wrong with Seo Ah.

"Still here..."

She’s been trapped here.

Of course.

No one came to save her.

Han Shihu’s at the academy, and now, no one else.

It was reckless from the start.

Even if she didn’t use the drugs, she couldn’t get out alone.

She threw the key far away.

Boom.

The memory shifts again.

Seo Ah is still in the same place.

"Then, who came to save Seo Ah...?"

The Saintess asks.

If no one comes to save her, Seo Ah will die in a miserable state.

But Seo Ah hasn’t died.

Someone must have saved her.

Who?

Han Shihu isn’t the one.

He thinks he knows the answer.

Boom!

The Saintess tries again to shift the memory, but only the painful memories of Seo Ah repeat.

The same place.

The same figure.

"3..."

For a moment, Seo Ah mutters.

She speaks with a despairing smile.

"3 o’clock..."

Now it’s minus 3 hours.

She tried to kill herself a long time ago, but failed.

She realized that a person couldn’t die just from biting their tongue.

She believes at least 30 years have passed.

The timer is lying.

That’s how Seo Ah feels.

Until someone comes to save her, 30 hours.