I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

Si-Hoo!

He turned his gaze towards the direction of the shout.

It was a girl with silver hair.

Just how amazing must her hair be if it sparkles even in the dark?

Maybe because she was still young, her thoughts were shallow.

Instead of joining the attack, she’s just calling out names.

If she had launched a sneak attack, I might have died right there.

No matter how sensitive my senses are, my physical abilities can’t keep up.

Unless Si-Hoo is deliberately letting me live…

“But what’s that? A monster?”

A monster, you say?

“Is it a person? Why is its magical power black?”

She pulled out a sword as she spoke.

Just because the color of magical power is a bit dark, it’s treated as a monster?

I get it.

It’s true that monsters have been written about as having black magical power.

They also said people enhanced by special drugs had black magical power.

I’m using a drug, not a monster.

“Lena, just wait a bit.”

“Huh? You’re not fighting? I came to help!”

“I’m in the middle of a conversation.”

“Really?”

Lena.

I can’t remember her full name, but it was longer.

Lena had been close to Si-Hoo even before the main story started.

She’s the heroine that feels like a little sister.

A lively character.

“Ah, is that it? Got it. I’ll be quiet.”

I’m not sure what “that” means, but it seems like she decided to stay out of it.

I can see more people from the Academy continuing to come this way.

It’s probably because of Si-Hoo.

The doctor won’t be able to stop all the interlopers.

Just look at how he already missed one.

I need to finish this fight as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, I’ll never be able to kill Si-Hoo.

That thing is a monster.

An unkillable monster.

Si-Hoo is a monster.

It’s only accepted because he’s the protagonist.

From someone else’s perspective, he’s nothing but a monster.

From the standpoint of a good citizen, there shouldn’t be beings like that.

It’s better for humanity to just kill him from the start and be done with it.

My murderous intent is igniting.

But in truth, I had murderous intent first, and I attached reasons afterward.

Even without a reason, I would want to kill Si-Hoo.

Ah, does that mean I’m the monster?

If I want to kill someone without any reason, that would mean I am.

“…My head hurts.”

My head aches.

It’s absurd that even that transforms into pleasure.

I need to fight and win quickly.

I adjusted my grip on the sword with my left hand and prepared to attack Si-Hoo.

“Seo-Ah.”

“Why?”

“I’ll get you the medicine.”

That was an unexpected statement.

“Huh?”

“I’ll somehow bring you medicine, so let’s not fight. Put that down.”

“Medicine? How?”

I lowered the sword I had been holding to the floor.

It seems there’s room for conversation.

If there wasn’t, I would be trying to use the skills that the protagonist uses instead.

“I’ll find it somehow. Just wait.”

Is he serious?

If that’s the case, about half of my reasons for fighting will just vanish.

I still wanted to kill Si-Hoo in front of me, but I’m not someone who can’t control that kind of impulse.

“Umm.”

But how on earth would he get the medicine?

It’s already not the level of medicine provided by a regular hospital.

I doubt he can get it.

I feel like the medicine I’m using right now can only be obtained through a doctor.

He did say he made it himself.

But maybe Si-Hoo could seize the doctors in his organization and take the medicine?

Perhaps he could find another way to manufacture it?

Because he’s the protagonist.

A protagonist can achieve whatever goal they set.

“I can get it. Won’t you give me a chance to make up for my mistakes?”

He said with a determined glint in his eyes.

If it’s something a protagonist would say, it feels reliable.

“Make up for…”

Why exactly am I here?

To get the medicine.

I came here to kill the protagonist.

If I can’t kill him anyway, wouldn’t it be better to side with him?

In the end, justice will prevail.

Here, justice is the protagonist.

But the victory itself isn’t my concern.

What matters is whether I can keep taking the medicine.

“We have no reason to fight. Please put down what you’re holding.”

Why does he keep telling me to lower my sword?

He’d just block every attack anyway.

“Are you really going to get the medicine?”

“Yeah. If that’s what you want.”

“Umm…”

The doctor said he’d provide me with essentials, including a place to live.

Even if Si-Hoo brought me the medicine, the fact that I have no money wouldn’t change.

The 5 million won that’s in my account isn’t even mine.

I have no steady income.

[80 hours 33 minutes]

What happens if I use up all that time?

I’d just become a beggar.

“Then can you give me a place to live… and food?”

Even I find it ridiculous that I’m asking this.

Still, I’ll try to rely on the kind protagonist.

“Of course, as much as you want.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

My heart swayed.

As I talked, my desire to kill Si-Hoo began to fade away.

Why is it fading?

It must be because of the abilities the protagonist possesses.

A cheating passive ability that removes all debuffs.

Later on, things like divine power and elemental magic will come up in the story.

The effects of the medicine have little impact on my judgment right now.

In fact, this might be the moment I can truly call sober.

[79 hours 53 minutes]

Time really flies by at a filthy speed.

It’s probably because I have made a sword using the power of the medicine.

I want to enjoy the effects of the medicine for as long as possible.

“Are you really going to get it?”

“I could swear. So let’s go together.”

I’m really conflicted.

If I can’t kill the protagonist, then it seems right to be on his side.

“I… won’t you abandon me?”

“I’ll never abandon you.”

“We’re friends, right?”

“Yes.”

There was certainty in the protagonist’s words.

Looking at Si-Hoo brought back memories of Yoo Seo-Ah from long ago.

He had told me to trust him whenever there were problems back then.

And strangely enough, he always brought solutions.

The same feelings Yoo Seo-Ah had come rushing back.

“I’ll trust you.”

–Thunk.–

I dropped the sword I was holding.

The dark, ominous sword vanished the moment it touched the floor.

“Good job.”

“Ahaha.”

It feels nice to be praised.

This is a brand-new feeling.

It seems positive interaction with others gives a rush of pleasure.

“Now, do you want to remove that magical power wrapping around you? You’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

I wiped off all the magical power surrounding my body.

It was as easy as dusting off dust.

[79 hours 52 minutes]

Thanks to that, the speed at which the medicine wears off has drastically decreased.

I should feel good for at least another 80 hours.

I wouldn’t want to waste the effects too soon.

“Did I do well?”

Just as I was about to shine a smile,

–Whoosh.–

Something pierced through my body.

A blade.

“Huh?”

–Thud. Thump.–

It kept trying to tear my body apart.

Why was I stabbed?

I clearly said it was okay.

I lost strength and fell.

Thud.

My head hit the dirt floor.

“Just like I thought, it’s Si-Hoo. He really made me let my guard down just by talking!”

Lena, who had been standing behind me, said.

I didn’t even notice when she got closer, but thinking back, that was her type of ability.

It was hard to sense from the start.

“LEna!-”

“What, what is this? This wasn’t supposed to happen?”

It seems Si-Hoo is saying something, but I can’t hear it well.

I tried to open my eyes, but my vision is blurring.

I’ve been betrayed.

After making me feel at ease for a while, what the hell is this?

Well, to begin with, saying he’d get me the medicine was ludicrous.

I was enchanted by the protagonist’s abilities and got fooled.

What a bad dude.

I need to kill him.

To be played for fools from the beginning.

How could I fall for such an obvious trap?

“Hahaha.”

Laughter erupted again.

I still find it enjoyable.

Even the feeling of dying comes at me as an enormous rush of pleasure.

Instinct to survive and emotions induced by the drugs are fighting against each other.

“Haaack, cough.”

Blood flowed from my mouth.

Is this what it feels like to enjoy some extravagant wine?

I tasted blood mixed with the earthy scent.

I never expected this would happen.

The medicine was always right.

Si-Hoo made me feel at ease and then betrayed me.

He said he wouldn’t abandon me, right?

He called me a friend, didn’t he?

Didn’t he say it was okay?

Though we had cut ties.

There was no way a guy like him would ever consider me a friend.

Who would want someone like me, a drug addict with a shaky mind, as a friend?

I fully understand it.

If my job involved sitting around all day in a daze, I wouldn’t want to be a friend either.

No hope of living like a human being.

That must be how Si-Hoo sees me too.

Then I should just die.

[56 hours 25 minutes]

The effects of the medicine wear off at a terrifying speed.

Of course, it’s natural when blood is pouring out of my body.

Thankfully, I still can’t feel any pain yet.

The medicine is great.

“Ugh, cough, hack.”

I can’t even laugh anymore.

Breathing is becoming difficult.

How did it come to this?

The characteristic mental state when the effects of the medicine wear off is returning.

Oh medicine,

Please give me a knife.

A black dagger appeared in my hand.

Who should I stab?

Should it be the protagonist, Si-Hoo?

Or should it be Lena, who stabbed me from behind?

Who should I attack?

Of course, it’s me.

In the story, Yoo Seo-Ah should be dead by now.

Trying to escape from that massive flow is the problem.

I want to live somehow, even while dying.

It’s not the protagonist’s fault; my existence as someone still alive is the mistake.

After all, this is a world in a story, so why worry about it?

If I close my eyes and open them again, I’ll return to the world I was in originally.

Wouldn’t I?

“Ah.”

I tried to stab my neck, but someone grabbed my hand.

Since they’re not letting me die, what’s the problem?

If you’re going to kill me, then do it decisively.

Are you trying to save me now?

[22 hours 8 minutes]

Every second that passes takes away chunks of time from me.

I created a sharp spike from my broken right hand.

It doesn’t even need to take the form of a knife anymore.

Somehow, I brought the spike down to my neck, but my arm was grabbed again.

“Ugh…”

It’s strange that I still feel pleasure even in this situation.

What kind of pain will I endure when the effects wear off?

I don’t even have medicine I can take additionally.

Even if I had brought it, I’d have come up short.

I feel blood flowing from my abdominal wound.

I realize with my head that this is a serious situation, but the emotions I feel are nothing like it.

An unprecedented pleasure envelops me.

I want to die.

Someone’s grip keeps holding me back from moving.

It seems they’re trying to keep me alive by all means.

“Sorry, cough, for this.”

I begged the one who stopped me while spitting blood.

I must have done something wrong for this to happen, right?

It’s been strange since I started living on medicine.

I’m surely in this situation because I did something very wrong.

I would ask for forgiveness even if I did nothing wrong, just let me die.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

I mumbled, spitting blood in between.

Someone is still holding onto me.

I can hear voices in the vicinity.

There are no words I can understand.

“Please kill me. I’m sorry.”

Why do they want to keep me alive so pathetically?

Do they want to play with me like a toy?

Is it that enjoyable to see me suffer?

[Consumed.]

There’s no time left.

Truly.

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