I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

“Uh?”

She looked at me as if something was strange.

She tilted her head, still seeming not to understand.

“This is Si-Hoo’s room, right? Huh? Or is it not?”

She kept checking the room number, confused.

She was gripping the paper bag in her hand tightly.

What should I do in this situation?

It feels tiresome to explain.

[2 hours 11 minutes]

I guess I could have slept for another hour.

I’m feeling a bit tired.

If I use the drug, I’ll wake up.

“I’m sorry! It seems like I came to the wrong place.”

She apologized with a slightly dazed expression.

I can always hang out with Si-Hoo later.

Are there people who cling to others even during vacation?

That must be annoying.

“Ah, um.”

“You moved dorms, right? You’re the new person…”

“Well, the thing is.”

I didn’t know how to explain.

My head wasn’t working well.

This must be happening because the drug’s effect was wearing off.

“Pardon?”

I did just arrive recently.

I’m probably going to enroll in the academy soon.

“Si-Hoo is still sleeping… If you give me the gift, I can pass it on to him for you.”

Is this the best I could do?

Now that I’ve said it, it sounds a bit off.

The girl stared at me blankly, as if in a daze.

Was she disappointed because her plan had gone wrong?

Normally, Si-Hoo would have come out to greet her.

He probably would have started chatting while receiving the gift.

Maybe he’d even ask her to rest a bit at the dorm.

Or they might have gone outside to talk for a bit.

It’s the typical story of a heroine visiting the protagonist’s house.

But right now, I’m here.

Sorry for still being alive.

“Ah…?”

She looked like her brain couldn’t keep up with the situation.

My mind wasn’t working well either, so explaining was difficult.

If she asked me questions, I could answer them.

But I wondered if she was imagining something on her own.

The longer the silence lasted, the more it felt like the misunderstanding was growing.

“Ah, uh. Well, uh… this is.”

She spoke while looking at the gift.

Did she want to explain why she was giving it?

“This is… well, last time, um…”

Her ears turned red.

She was cute, but I still had no idea what she wanted to say.

She said it was a thank you for something that happened before.

Now I’m curious about what that event was.

“I’m sorry!”

Saying that, she ran towards the stairs.

Leaving the gift behind.

-Thud.

The door closed.

I have no idea anymore.

I put the paper bag on the table.

I wasn’t particularly curious about what was inside.

Maybe it was just some snacks.

As long as I can use the drug well, nothing else matters.

[2 hours 8 minutes]

Should I just wake him up now?

Not using the drug when I have it is like having delicious food in front of me and not eating it.

Right now, I’m pretty hungry.

But still, a person should know how to control their hunger.

Of course.

If I were at home, I could use the drug whenever I wanted.

I left some of the drug at home.

I need to bring it.

“…Haha.”

I laughed, unable to believe it.

Since when did I start living thinking only about the drug?

The drug, of all things…

Of all things?

No, drugs are a good thing.

They exist for treatment after all.

[2 hours 7 minutes]

Time is passing incredibly slowly.

I want to use the drug.

Thinking about it makes me feel like I need to use it more.

I’m already wide awake.

But I still have two hours left of its effect.

It’s too early.

My mood isn’t even that bad.

They say using too much of it isn’t good.

I’ll hold out just a little longer.

But I think I’ve already held out long enough.

Damn it.

[1 hour 30 minutes]

As soon as it hit 30 minutes, I opened my mouth.

I think I’ve waited long enough.

“Si-Hoo.”

Can I use a bit of the drug?

Just tell me where you put it, and I’ll use it myself.

I’m in a bit of a bind without it.

Sorry to wake you after such little sleep.

“Si-Hoo?”

You got a present.

It’s from a friend, so you should open it.

Wake up.

“…Huh?”

“Sorry for waking you.”

“Seo-Ah?”

“Yeah?”

Han Si-Hoo sat up, his eyes half-open.

I felt bad for interrupting his rest.

I know how miserable it is not being able to sleep.

I know it very well, but I still need to use the drug.

“…Ah, it’s morning. 7 o’clock.”

Even though he just woke up, he quickly shook off his drowsiness.

Does one of the protagonist’s abilities include shaking off sleep?

It’s hard to immediately bring up the drug.

Let’s start with something else.

“Someone dropped off a gift for you.”

“A gift?”

“Yeah.”

“For me? When?”

Just a little while ago.

“A girl with long black hair in braids. Is she a friend?”

“…It’s Yeon-Hwa. She’s a friend from the academy.”

I’ve heard the name Yeon-Hwa before.

My memory is hazy, but I’m sure she’s one of the heroines.

“She knocked on the door, so I answered and took it for you.”

“Oh, I see. If you’d woken me up, I would’ve gone myself.”

“You were asleep, so I didn’t wake you. I left the gift bag on the table.”

Should I ask what happened?

No, it’s probably meaningless.

As the protagonist, he must’ve helped someone, like a protagonist should.

“You sure have a lot of close friends.”

And you’re getting gifts, too.

I’m a bit envious since I don’t have many close friends.

Do friends just naturally form in the academy?

“Well, um.”

I don’t have many friends.

Actually, I only have one.

And even that one disappeared and came back.

Would you count the doctor as a friend?

No, that’s not really the case.

“Seems like I don’t have anyone other than you. Haha…”

No one.

How pathetic.

Yoo Seo-Ah’s social circle is a mess.

I guess that’s what happens when you hole up in the slums.

Si-Hoo stayed silent, maybe as a sign of agreement.

Sorry for being such a pathetic friend.

“Do you think I’ll be able to make friends at the academy?”

“…Of course. You’re kinder than me, so you’ll make a lot of friends.”

Si-Hoo answered.

His expression looked a bit odd.

“And that gift… I received it because I helped her with a small issue before. It doesn’t really mean much.”

Why does it sound like he’s making excuses?

It doesn’t really matter.

Gifts?

For someone like Si-Hoo, he’ll keep getting them in the future anyway.

That’s not something I care about.

Let’s just get to the point.

“Yeah, anyway, Si-Hoo.”

“Huh?”

“Can you give me some of the drug?”

[1 hour 25 minutes]

I should get it soon.

“Oh, yeah.”

Si-Hoo reached up to the high shelf and pulled out a box.

Inside were several pens.

They weren’t pens but syringes shaped like pens.

“You can only use one at a time.”

“Yeah.”

There was even a paper with instructions.

So this drug is produced systematically.

When you open the tip of the pen, there’s a sharp needle.

It doesn’t really matter where you inject it.

This is my first time using it in front of Si-Hoo.

Well, I guess it’s fine.

He’ll probably see it a lot in the future anyway.

-Squish.

This is new.

A new experience.

Yeah.

[6 hours 23 minutes]

“…Ugh.”

Too little.

There’s too little time.

It’s not that it doesn’t work.

My mind is elevated.

Objects come into focus again.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

I do feel much better.

But it’s not exactly a great feeling either.

It’s different from the one the doctor gave me.

“…Sorry.”

“Why?”

“Sorry. Just.”

Si-Hoo apologized.

Is he apologizing for not giving me a better drug?

I know where the good stuff is.

I know very well.

It’s at home.

“Si-Hoo, I want to go outside.”

I want to bring back the drug I left at home.

“Outside?”

“I can go alone, it’s fine…”

I don’t want to trouble you any more than I already have.

I’ll take care of my own stuff.

“No.”

Si-Hoo firmly refused.

“Why?”

“It’s too dangerous. You don’t even have a basic means of communication.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, right. Seo-Ah, did you lose your phone? You haven’t been responding to any calls.”

“A phone?”

His voice sounded a bit reproachful, like he was disappointed I hadn’t been answering.

But was there any way for me to get calls?

If I had a phone, I wouldn’t have struggled my way all the way to the academy just to find Si-Hoo.

“Did I have one? A phone?”

I think I did.

I remember having trouble charging it, so I didn’t use it much.

“What?”

“Oh, um. I think… I sold it? Yeah.”

His tone is scary.

Please don’t get mad.

[6 hours 12 minutes]

When I get scared, time flies by faster.

This isn’t good.

I do remember talking to Si-Hoo on the phone before.

I must have sold it because I needed money.

Still, I should’ve kept the phone until the last minute.

Well, I was desperate for money.

“I see.”

Si-Hoo looked gloomy.

Is it because I sold the phone he bought for me?

“Anyway, can I go out?”

“No.”

“I want to go home.”

I need to get the drug.

The one I just took isn’t ineffective, but it doesn’t feel as good as the one the doctor gave me.

I want to bring back the drug I left at home.

Even though the doctor gave it to me for free, it’s too valuable to just leave behind.

“…Why do you want to go home?”

Is it bad to go back to my own house?

It’s my home.

Even though academy students live in dorms, we’re still allowed to go out, right?

“It’s just… I have the drug I used to take there.”

“The drug?”

“Yeah, I bought it with money, so it’d be a waste not to…”

It was expensive, too.

Its effects are definitely better than what I’m using now.

“…Home is too far. Unless you’re in a normal condition, sorry.”

So he won’t let me go if it’s far.

I guess my house is pretty far from the academy.

But the important thing is the drug at my house.

If Si-Hoo won’t let me go, then someone else has to bring it.

Who could go instead?

As I think about who could go, there’s only one person.

“Ah, um, Si-Hoo, could you go to my house for me?”

“Huh?”

“There’s a vial on the table at home. Could you bring it? It’s better than the drug here… Please.”

It’s not like I’m feeling awful now.

It’s just that the current drug isn’t as good as the one I used to take.

The pen-like syringe isn’t bad.

It’s convenient to use anywhere.

But right now, I need the drug the doctor gave me.

Si-Hoo knows where I live very well.

Better than anyone else.

He should be able to bring the vial without any problem.

Unless someone robbed my house, it should still be on the table.

The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes, even though it’s unlikely anyone would steal it.

Still.

“Could you bring it for me?”

Even thinking about it again, the drug I just used seems too weak.