By Zephyria Lee Hyun-muk, who easily cleared away all the debris, found two or three intact medicine bottles, but after a quick glance at their contents, he soon threw them away. Instead, he rummaged through a medical cart in the nearby corridor and found a bundle of sterile gauze and appropriate disinfectant supplies. Yohan, who placed the precious medical supplies in his backpack, asked anxiously, gripping the strap tightly.
“What kind of medicine were those you threw away earlier?”
“Thyroid hormone medication and diabetes medication. Why, do you need them?”
“Ah, no….”
Neither would be of any help to Yohan in his current state. Before falling into the Abyss, he was in good health and had no chronic illnesses. Finally, Lee Hyun-muk, having cleared the debris, nodded. Where he pointed, there was something like a small elevator metal door.
“It’s a dumbwaiter… a device used to transport medicine from the preparation room. So, the preparation room or the pharmacy must be right below this.”
Yohan’s face lit up at Lee Hyun-muk’s words. He felt a surge of hope that with a former doctor accompanying him, they wouldn’t get lost this time and could find the medicine properly. As Yohan followed Lee Hyun-muk, who had finished his business at the outpatient pharmacy, he cautiously asked,
“By the way, during the time you were… corrupted, do you have no memory?”
“I’m still corrupted now.”
The answer came back with little enthusiasm, but Yohan was tearfully grateful for it nonetheless. Lee Hyun-muk, understanding what the other wanted to ask, paused for a moment before replying slowly.
“It feels like I had a nightmare I can’t quite remember. That’s why I didn’t know why I was in this hospital either….”
Normally, even when corrupted, one doesn’t lose their reason or memory. Therefore, Lee Hyun-muk’s words sounded as if his current state of Corruption was far beyond ordinary, reaching a very severe level. Yohan felt a sense of melancholy as he walked, as if Lee Hyun-muk represented his own future. Still, he decided to focus on the fact that he could get medicine to treat his leg for now.
Yohan hesitated for a moment at the stairs leading down to the first floor. His leg condition was not good. He gripped the dusty railing tightly and slowly moved his feet. Lee Hyun-muk glanced at Yohan, who was descending one step at a time like a turtle, then looked down the lower floor, and walked back up. Then, he scooped Yohan up.
“Ugh!”
Yohan let out a strange cry. While he had been too distraught to react properly before, this time he was startled to be lifted while fully conscious. Lee Hyun-muk descended the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and slowly set him down. Yohan’s face was flushed, whether from his pounding heart or the fever.
“The first floor is fine, but I don’t know when the one on the third floor will come down, so stay right behind me.”
Sensing that there was a strong monster on the third floor as well, Yohan quickly scurried behind Lee Hyun-muk’s back. He kept glancing back at him.
Generally, Awakened individuals, especially those of higher rank or who were Dealers or Tankers, tended to have sturdy builds. Their senses and strength were incomparably superior to ordinary people, making them akin to human weapons. Hiding behind the broad, strong back of Lee Hyun-muk, a Dealer renowned for his strength, felt secure.
He worried about another monster attack, but fortunately, there were no significant attacks until they reached the pharmacy preparation room. The door was locked, just like the other one, but with a little force from Lee Hyun-muk, it was ripped open with a groaning sound.
“Th-there’s….”
Yohan whispered in admiration, holding his breath lest he attract the attention of other monsters. Compared to the outpatient pharmacy earlier, an incomparably larger number of medicines were neatly stored inside the cabinets. Yohan’s eyes sparkled with renewed hope.
As Lee Hyun-muk strode towards the cabinets where the medicines were stored, Yohan quickly took out his flashlight to help. Lee Hyun-muk then casually waved his hand.
“I can see well enough without it, so go find anything useful.”
“Understood!”
He answered spiritedly, yet Yohan couldn’t help but glance at Lee Hyun-muk. In the pitch-black darkness without a flashlight, it was surprising that Lee Hyun-muk seemed to be distinguishing the medicines so well. After searching every corner with his flashlight, Yohan found a seemingly useful kit labeled “[Spil kit]” and some physiological saline. He stuffed other useful-looking items into his backpack until there was no more space.
“Here.”
Lee Hyun-muk handed over the boxes of medicine he had brought. Yohan eagerly clutched them to his chest, but Lee Hyun-muk muttered ominously,
“…I wonder if the contents are still intact.”
“Is it because of… the expiration date? I’ll try taking even old medicine. It’s only been a month, after all.”
Lee Hyun-muk remained silent in a peculiar way, gazing at the medicine Yohan desperately held. Yohan, feeling increasingly anxious, earnestly hoped the medicine was still in good condition. With a wistful look at the countless piles of remaining medicine, he left the preparation room.
Fortunately, there were no other monster attacks until they left the hospital. As soon as they exited through the emergency room, they headed straight for their shelter.
On the way back, Yohan worried about what would happen if Lee Hyun-muk’s condition suddenly worsened. Wouldn’t it be better to entrust his treatment to a doctor’s hands rather than treating himself? Fortunately, Lee Hyun-muk, after unexpectedly embracing Yohan again, brought him back, and although it was a bewildering experience, he seemed fine for now.
“Leg.”
At Lee Hyun-muk’s request, Yohan took out the medical tools brought from the hospital from his backpack, quickly sat on the floor, and rolled up his pants. He turned on his flashlight again to help with the treatment, but Lee Hyun-muk said,
“I can see well in the dark anyway, so turning off the flashlight might be less mentally painful.”
Only then did the joy of being able to treat his wound fade. Yohan looked at the wound, from which pus and discharge were flowing, with a frightened expression. The thought of pouring disinfectant on it sent shivers down his spine.
“…It’s going to hurt a lot, isn’t it?”
Seeing Yohan already on the verge of tears, Lee Hyun-muk blinked. “Hmm,” he said in a calm tone.
“Want to hold the backpack?”
So it was going to hurt a lot! Yohan, now even more scared, hugged the backpack tightly. And as expected, what followed was a time of arduous pain and hardship. Yohan, who wailed as the pus was lanced and the inflammation scraped away, asked with a stuffy nose,
“Is… is it all over?”
But when he looked up, for some reason, Lee Hyun-muk was staring blankly at his own hands. Seeing his reaction, which seemed both flustered and dazed, Yohan instinctively became frightened and shouted,
“I’m hungry, let’s eat! Food! I have to take medicine too. You can’t take medicine on an empty stomach… right?”
Only then did Lee Hyun-muk snap back to attention and slowly raise his head. He looked at Yohan with eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
“…You.”
A spark of something flashed in his eyes, but it was brief. Soon, his dark eyes settled back into their usual calm gaze. With a faint, self-deprecating smile, he reached out and grabbed Yohan’s ankle as he tried to slip away.
“You need to bandage the wound. And disinfect your injured hand if you don’t want to go through this again.”
Lee Hyun-muk said calmly and finished bandaging the wound neatly with gauze and bandages. For some reason, Yohan felt like he had something else to say, but no further words followed. After finishing the treatment for his hand, Yohan cautiously rummaged through the piled-up food. He neatly opened and laid out a can of ham and a can of corn, the last of their emergency rations.
“You worked hard today, so eat a lot.”
His stomach rumbled at the sight of food. Unlike the Madman who ate ham with his bare hands, Lee Hyun-muk held the utensils Yohan gave him properly. There was no sign of madness in his quiet, even meticulous, way of eating. With his leg properly treated, Yohan ate the delicious food with a much lighter heart. After the meal, Lee Hyun-muk gave him instructions on taking his medication.
“…Take this three times a day, and disinfect the wound once or twice. Naturally, keep water or dirt away from the wound.”
“I will, definitely.”
Yohan nodded vigorously. Although it was a place where the sky was always dark and reddish-black, day or night, Yohan now had a wristwatch he had found during his explorations. Then Lee Hyun-muk said,
“If it feels strange, don’t take it. I tried my best to pick out proper medicine, but my memory isn’t complete, so I’m not sure. …The medicine might not be in good condition.”
“R-right! You chose well, and the medicine must not have gone bad!”
In fact, Yohan had seen Lee Hyun-muk pause and ponder, trying to recall things, while searching for medicine. However, he swallowed the pills quickly with a positive mindset. After taking the antibiotics, painkillers, and fever reducers, he already felt a bit better.
“And what is this medicine?”
Yohan, still excited about organizing the supplies from the hospital despite his aching, tired body, tilted his head and asked. He looked at the boxes of unidentifiable small bottles and colorful pills, and Lee Hyun-muk replied slowly.
“Narcotic painkillers, like morphine.”
“Morphine?!”
Yohan exclaimed in surprise. Even someone as far removed from drugs as he was had a vague idea of what morphine was.
“Morphine from opium, from poppies? Isn’t that a drug?”
“It’s a place where even that drug becomes desperate, so it’s good to keep it with you.”
Agreeing with Lee Hyun-muk’s words, Yohan carefully put the bundle of morphine into his backpack with trembling hands. If a festering wound from a mere prick could hurt this much, he would need powerful painkillers if he sustained a more serious injury.
As soon as he finished organizing his belongings, sleep washed over him. His fever was rising, and his eyelids felt heavy, but he rubbed his eyes and endured. Then Lee Hyun-muk grabbed Yohan by the scruff of his neck and laid him on the makeshift bed made of padding, saying,
“Sleep.”
“But… I want to talk a little more….”
This time, he was lucky to meet a lucid Lee Hyun-muk again and receive treatment from him. But he didn’t know when he might turn into a Madman again after waking up. Meeting Yohan’s earnest gaze, Lee Hyun-muk silently sat down by his head. With the stage set, Yohan, having nothing to say, stammered before finally opening his mouth.
“I wish there was a way to cure Corruption.”
How wonderful it would be if he could stay with a lucid Lee Hyun-muk all the time. Such thoughts did not leave his mind. Lee Hyun-muk, looking at Yohan, who was already half asleep, had a blank expression. He reached out, covering Yohan’s eyes, and said,
“…It’s the same for me.”