I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

“Really. I haven’t used the medicine yet.”

Twenty-one minutes.

I’m getting desperate.

“So just give it to me.”

The syringes have fallen on the floor, and the one I was about to use is lying there too.

You could assume that I’ve used the medicine more than twice from the scene, but I say I haven’t.

I don’t use drugs so recklessly.

“Honestly, I promise I was going to use it, but I haven’t yet.”

I’ve never broken a promise.

Even though it looks like I was overusing the drugs, that’s not true.

“…Sorry. I can’t.”

“Why?”

“For your sake.”

That’s not for me.

Han Si-Hoo doesn’t believe me.

What on earth do I need to do to make him trust me?

I feel anxious.

“You’ll treat me like a monster anyway, right? Does it really matter? Whether I use less medicine or more?”

I think I messed up big time.

In my rush, I made a verbal blunder.

Han Si-Hoo’s expression hardens a bit.

“No, that’s not true. …Because we’re friends.”

How can he say something like that?

If we’re friends, he should just give me the medicine when I ask for it.

“…I really haven’t used it.”

Seventeen minutes.

My emotions are out of control.

My wrist starts to throb.

I can feel the effects of the medicine wearing off.

“Oh, I just have to wait, right? So when can I use it? I can wait about 5 minutes.”

“Sorry.”

“Even if you say I’ve already used it, it’d be okay just once. Please, can you just let it go? Huh?”

Let’s assume that I have used a lot of medicine.

Even so, one time should be fine.

There shouldn’t be any problem at all.

I’d think it’s right to grant a friend’s request like this.

“Let me use the medicine.”

You have it, right?

You said you’d give it to me when I need it.

“Sorry.”

“Just once.”

Seventeen minutes.

Suddenly, the doctor’s words about the possibility of the medicine being more addictive than the one I used before come back to me.

Yeah, the drugs are addictive.

“Just calm down for now.”

At least give me a tranquilizer.

I don’t have time.

“Oh, haha.”

I’m trying to calm myself, but it’s not working.

My heart is racing uncontrollably.

Ten minutes.

Before I know it, only ten minutes are left.

Why is time disappearing so fast?

“It hurts; this really hurts. I need to use the medicine.”

I grab Han Si-Hoo’s collar in a desperate state.

Han Si-Hoo’s eyes shake.

This is really dangerous.

I need that medicine.

I reach out for the bottle of medicine Han Si-Hoo is holding.

Thud!

My fingers touch the medicine bottle, but I can’t grasp it.

The bottle falls from Han Si-Hoo’s hand.

The medicine bottle falls.

Down.

Down.

To the floor.

Crack.

There’s even a clink sound.

The glass shatters.

The liquid inside spills out onto the floor.

Happiness is flowing away.

My mind goes blank.

“Oh.”

This isn’t what I wanted to do.

The blue liquid trickles onto the floor.

I can’t process the information coming into my field of vision.

Seven minutes.

Shards of broken glass scatter everywhere.

The blue medicine is on the floor.

Why is it on the floor?

My mind is blank.

For a moment, I feel like I’m frozen in place.

“W-wait. I’ll get something to clean it up.”

Han Si-Hoo says that as he heads toward the entrance.

He looks very flustered.

Two minutes.

Five minutes are gone?

It must have hardly been a minute.

Time has evaporated at a terrifying speed.

I need that medicine.

I have the syringe.

The medicine is on the floor.

Let’s assume I somehow put the medicine into the syringe.

With these trembling hands, I can hardly make the injection.

The blue medicine that pools on the floor catches my eye.

Would it have any effect if I just drank it?

I’ve never tried this medicine before, but I think it might work.

I kneel down and pick up a shard of glass.

There’s a little bit of the medicine pooled there.

I drink it.

Glug.

The medicine brushes my tongue and travels down my throat.

It has a slightly sour taste.

Vinegar scent?

It feels like my throat is burning.

One minute.

Time keeps ticking down.

Why?

Was the amount too small?

Should I really grab the syringe?

No, even if I have the syringe, it’s going to be hard.

What should I do?

When Han Si-Hoo comes out of the room, he will stop me from taking the medicine.

How should I use it?

It’s all pooled on the floor.

I tried to scoop it up with my hands, but that didn’t work.

That’s to be expected.

That’s not enough with what’s on my fingertips.

There’s only one way.

I tilted my body down and licked the drug pooled on the floor.

It’s hard to lick up.

Feels like glass pieces and dust are mixed in.

I still feel nauseous.

I feel like a dog.

One minute.

At least the time hasn’t decreased any further.

That’s a relief.

That was close.

“Yoo Seo-A!”

Han Si-Hoo pulls me up by the back.

Glass shards fall from my arms.

Blood oozes from my palm.

As I crouch halfway down on the floor, something’s smeared on my arms too.

I was poked by the glass shard.

Three minutes.

I think I hear Han Si-Hoo saying something beside me.

Something still feels lacking.

But I’ll hold on.

I’m someone who knows restraint.

This isn’t addiction or anything.

I just had to try it because there was no other choice.

Han Si-Hoo leads me somewhere.

I didn’t intend to drink more medicine anyway.

Taking a lot of medicine at once could kill me.

The doctor said even water can have a lethal dose.

What about drugs, then?

Especially in a situation where I can’t measure the amount like this, I need to be extra careful.

I’m not an idiot.

I can’t just down all the medicine recklessly, knowing it could reach a lethal amount.

I don’t want to swallow glass shards either.

I spat out the small shard of glass that was in my mouth.

Something thick and salty clung to my tongue.

Metallic taste.

Am I bleeding?

In any case, I didn’t swallow any glass.

Probably.

Fifteen minutes.

Time has risen a little.

I can think rationally again.

Is the effect of the medicine slowly coming on?

I feel weird.

I don’t remember what happened a moment ago.

There was blue medicine, but…

“Oh.”

There’s blood on my hands.

Since it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t seem like my blood.

It must be someone else’s blood.

Who else is here?

Han Si-Hoo.

Did Han Si-Hoo get hurt?

“I’m sorry.”

I tried to apologize while smiling.

There’s a saying that you can’t spit when you’re smiling.

But the reaction is strange.

It doesn’t seem like Han Si-Hoo’s injury is my fault.

I look down at my hands.

It keeps oozing.

It was me who got hurt.

Can I not even remember what I just did?

Where are the bandages?

If there’s bleeding, the effects of the medicine wear off faster.

I know that from past experiments.

Thirteen minutes.

Ah, damn it.

I think I need to take a bit more medicine.

The rate at which time is falling is getting faster than the rate it’s rising.

Where’s the medicine?

There’s still some spilled medicine on the floor.

I have to go back.

“Let go of me.”

Han Si-Hoo grabs me.

“Hey, I need to use the medicine.”

Fear.

I can’t understand the will to stop me from using the medicine.

If I don’t take it right away, I’ll actually feel like dying.

“I want to use the medicine.”

“I’ll give it to you, so wait.”

“Okay.”

Since I pleaded earnestly, it worked.

He truly acts like a protagonist.

At least he shows a bit of mercy.

Eleven minutes.

I’ve calmed down a bit.

Ten minutes.

I still can’t calm down.

My heart is racing fast.

I try to force my mind to settle.

But that’s not going to happen.

Taking medicine will make me feel happy.

Originally, I should have been happy without taking any medicine.

Why am I in this ridiculous situation?

Is it because Han Si-Hoo isn’t giving me the medicine?

In the end, the blue medicine flowed out onto the ground.

How happy would I have been if I could have put all that amount into the syringe and used it?

The medicine bottle shattered.

Peaceful days have vanished.

I believed.

I thought he would give me the medicine.

It’s just that Han Si-Hoo doesn’t believe me.

He doesn’t see me as a friend.

At best, I’m the subject of his control.

It may be a situation that leads to misunderstandings about my overuse of drugs, but still.

“Here.”

Glug.

I swallowed the pill that Han Si-Hoo brought.

Forty-three minutes.

The effects of the medicine filled me again.

“Thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude.

Even though he’s not a friend, he takes care of me like this because he’s a good person.

That’s all I can say.

As time passes, everything around me feels warmer than usual.

I feel happy again.

It feels like I can see the clear blue sky.

“…Ahaha.”

A rose is in my hand.

Isn’t that wonderful?

It’s red.

It looks like a bouquet I could give as a present.

I think it would be nice to tie it up with a ribbon.

Oh, I just remembered I received one.

From Han Si-Hoo.

It was in my pocket.

When I place it in my hand, it really looks like a bouquet.

The ribbon is stained with red petals.

“Where did the flowers go?”

Only my blood-stained hands and the blood-stained ribbon remain.

I’m losing my mind.

I’m becoming more and more of a mess.

Forty-one minutes.

Han Si-Hoo is checking the syringes with the medicine while talking to someone.

He looks urgent.

Is he trying to give me more medicine?

Forty-one minutes is a bit tight.

Now the ribbon is slipping from my hands.

Is it melting or falling to the ground?

It’s hard to tell.

Is it because I drank the medicine?

Even though it’s not for drinking.

I feel blood coming from my mouth.

“Ah… ha.”

It feels like I’m getting happier, but…

My head hurts.

I pick up the syringe that was on the floor.

I failed to fill it with medicine, but there’s a little bit left.

Even if the needle is damaged, I just stick it in.

Thud.

One hour eighteen minutes.

Even if I say I haven’t used it, no one will believe me.

So let’s just say I did.

I no longer have the confidence to persuade anyone.

I wouldn’t believe me either if I were Han Si-Hoo.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

I just keep poking it.

It’s fun.

Time doesn’t increase any further, but…

The syringe is originally for single use.

Recycling is dangerous.

Stab. Crack.

While stabbing, the syringe broke.

It’s weaker than I thought.

Now my head really hurts.

Han Si-Hoo finishes his call and runs over here.

Thud.

With a slight thud, I fall to the side.

Get up.

I’m not weak, so I can do it.

Plop.

I try to get back up but fail.

Han Si-Hoo happens to catch my head, so there’s no thud sound.

One hour nine minutes.

Han Si-Hoo is beside me.

I think he’s asking if I’m okay.

Thud.

Is it the medicine?

Eleven hours twelve minutes.

This is a tranquilizer.

My consciousness is fading.

What does Han Si-Hoo think of me?

Why doesn’t he want to give me the medicine?

If I think about it, I’ll find the answer.

I’ll picture my objective self.

Syringes scattered on the ground.

Shattered medicine bottles.

Unraveling bandages.

Liquid leaking from a syringe.

What is that?

A serious addict.

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