I Became the Drug-Addicted Childhood Friend

Chapter 50

A long, long day has come to an end.

Just being with Shihu was nice.

There weren’t any special gains, but it felt like we had grown closer.

I felt really good.

Ding.

That was before the message arrived.

I don’t know who is messing around with my annoying past.

It’s a past I’ve forgotten.

It’s all over.

I still haven’t watched the video.

There’s no need to.

No matter what happens to her, it’s not my fault.

I tried my best to keep my promise.

I did everything I could to get her out of the lab, but I just failed.

It’s not my responsibility.

I know I’m not living up to the name of the saint.

But that’s just because of my white hair and the treatment I received, which earned me that title.

It doesn’t mean anything.

“...Ugh...”

It’s annoying.

This is why I hate meeting people.

It’s really bothersome to get pestering texts too.

I don’t understand why someone is doing this.

Still, I guess I need to check.

What could the message be?

This time it’s a photo instead of a link.

“A photo of Shihu...?”

It shows two people in academy uniforms.

Shihu and a girl wearing an eye patch beside him.

They’re captured in a photo, eating together.

“...Huh?”

I play the video.

It shows a girl sitting in a chair.

It’s the same person.

In fact, I didn’t need to confirm the video.

She looks just like the girl in my memories.

I just want to deny it with all my might.

I think if I deny it hard enough, it will disappear.

“Why is she with Shihu...?”

It’s been about two months since I met Shihu.

Honestly, we’re not that close.

We’re definitely not close enough to dig into the past.

We had just started to get to know each other.

Ding.

- Shihu is friends with Seo Ah.

“Friends?”

I send a reply.@@@@

-Who are you?

Who could it be?

Someone who would do something like this.

Why are they bringing this up now after so long?

How do they know about Shihu’s past?

I hate it.

I don’t even want to think about old times.

Still, there are things that need to be confronted head-on.

Avoiding everything won’t solve anything.

“Yeah, I could just... watch the video.”

I really don’t want to see it.

The video was recorded six months ago.

It’s a miracle that she was still alive back then.

She should have died long ago.

Especially since it’s related to Shihu, it makes things even worse.

My head feels confused.

The thing I hate most is bringing up the past.

I see the girl sitting in the chair, Seo Ah.

There’s a single chair in an empty room.

It doesn’t look like a place where experiments are conducted.

“There’s no sound.”

Being a surveillance camera, that’s a given.

I should at least be thankful that it’s a video with color.

After a moment, a person who looks like a researcher comes in.

The researcher gestures for her to follow.

Seo Ah follows him.

And then she disappears from the screen.

Nothing but the chair is visible.

I feel an inexplicable anxiety.

“What’s going on...”

The camera angle is awkward.

It doesn’t show the whole room, which is frustrating.

Something is happening out of the frame.

There’s blood splattered.

From the direction the researcher took Seo Ah.

And it stays that way.

It takes about three minutes of video playback before something changes.

It seems someone is walking back.

A shadow of a person appears.

Seo Ah comes back into view.

Covering one eye with her hand, she stumbles as she looks for the chair.

“Uh...”

After feeling around, she finds the chair.

She struggles to sit down because the chair is positioned awkwardly.

With her head lowered, she sits down.

And then nothing happens.

I can’t tell what has happened to her.

They must have sent this video on purpose.

But why?

“No way.”

The video is from six months ago.

Even if she’s not dead, there’s no way she’d be sane.

My mind is spinning.

“...Ha, ha. This is so annoying.”

I still can’t figure it out.

Why was Shihu friends with a drug addict like her?

I don’t understand.

Hmm.

Should I change my hairstyle first?

Into a bob.

Good.

I’ll make it as similar to Seo Ah as possible—no, but if it’s too obvious, wouldn’t they notice?

Let’s cut it to a moderate length.

And while I’m at it, I’ll bring up Seo Ah’s story naturally.

Shihu has a lot of girls around him.

But it doesn’t seem like he has any special feelings for them.

Was it because of Seo Ah?

What could the sender of the message be thinking?

Are they trying to make me feel guilty?

Of course,

it’s sad.

But there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Should I just ask on the phone?”

Let’s do that.

Ring.

I dial the number that sent the message.

I think to myself why I didn’t think of this sooner.

I should have done this much earlier.

Ah.

They picked up.

“Hello?”

A girl’s voice?

“Who are you to send me this?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Huh?”

“Who are you, and why should I...?”

But wait, is this someone I can trust?

They seem to know everything and sent videos and photos.

Maybe it could be a good opportunity.

The voice is oddly flat.

Who could this be?

It could just be voice modulation or something.

“...Where do I need to go?”

“Okay, but... Ha... is she really alive?”

“I got it. I’ll do my best... but where did you get the videos and photos? Do you have more?”

“You’re... an insider from the facility, aren’t you?”

I don’t know who it is.

But they’re probably trying to capture me.

The title of the saint is really easy to target.

But if I’m with Shihu, wouldn’t it be okay?

That’s what I think.

Even if I get caught, wouldn’t Shihu find a way to save me?

“Okay. I understand. I just have to go save her.”

It’s amusing.

I can’t help but smile.

The call ends.

Did they laugh?

I don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s entertaining.

Anyway, it’s good.

Now I have a solid reason to get involved with Shihu.

Is this some kind of trap?

It could be.

Are they trying to capture me?

Ding.

A text arrives with the address.

I need to go outside the city.

It’s quite a distance.

Well, that’s good.

I feel happy that I might get to travel with Shihu.

Will another opportunity like this come again?

Even if it’s true that Seo Ah is alive, I guess I can figure that part out.

Ah, my mood has improved a bit.

It’s been about two weeks since I last used the drug.

It felt good to use it after such a long time.

“Hmm... what should I say to Shihu?”

Let me think.

I need a good excuse.

“I’ll just say I found some documents while I was raiding a government facility? That sounds good. Yeah.”

Let’s go with that.

“I heard there’s a girl who looks like your friend... and then... hmm... yeah. That sounds good.”

I want to stick with Shihu for as long as possible.

It’s too hasty to just go straight to the address.

Hmm.

As I think about it more, I come up with a plausible plan.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

Perfect.