Chapter 57, Part 2: A Crossroads (2)

The next morning.

Thirty minutes before the start of my major class, Anatomy and Physiology.

I placed my bag on the desk and walked straight toward Lee Min-ho's gang.

There was something I wanted to ask Lee Min-ho.

I wanted to clear up the doubts about yesterday's horrific stabbing incident.

I knew the probability of Lee Min-ho being the culprit was low.

There didn't seem to be any significant connection between Lee Min-ho and the injured patient.

Of course, there might be a relationship I was unaware of, but it was unlikely.

However, Lee Min-ho's actions during the incident were enough to raise suspicion.

There was also a high possibility that Lee Min-ho knew more information than I did.

"Lee Min-ho, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Who's this? A doctor without a license?"

It wasn't Lee Min-ho but his left-hand man, Bae Tae-sub, who sneered.

Lee Min-ho, with his arms crossed, just looked at me silently.

He was tall with a complexion as white as flour.

His eyes held both a strong and gentle image simultaneously.

Lee Min-ho was a handsome man, but his face was expressionless.

Without an expression, it was impossible to read his emotions.

The Lee Min-ho I remembered was always expressionless, occasionally showing only disdain, contempt, or annoyance.

I suddenly wanted to ask him, "Do you even know what happiness is?"

"Bae Tae-sub, I didn't talk to you, so can you shut your mouth?"

"What? Just because you came in as the top student, you think you're something? What do your parents do?"

I clicked my tongue at Bae Tae-sub, who suddenly asked about my parents' jobs.

His question perfectly illustrated the level and true nature of the people in this gang.

Elitism and a sense of superiority.

It was the same with Lee Min-ho and his gang.

I found it childish that they acted this way, even as college students, but it was inevitable.

People become childish when their weaknesses are exposed.

Lee Min-ho and his gang thought they were the smartest and best in the world.

Naturally, I, who had entered as the top student with a perfect score, was a thorn in their side.

A wound they couldn't ignore.

So, it was natural that they couldn't stand me.

By the way, I also had my weaknesses.

Sometimes, because of them, I acted childishly.

"Alright, this isn't your time to speak."

"Min-ho, but this Im Ma-in keeps talking..."

"Shut up and stay quiet."

Lee Min-ho, who had silenced Bae Tae-sub with his presence, stood up.

Since Lee Min-ho seemed willing to talk, I left the classroom and headed to the building's rooftop.

The rooftop was spacious, and a few male students were smoking.

None of them seemed to be from my department.

"So, what did you want to talk about that you had to call me out here? Do you want to play a fun detective game with me?"

Lee Min-ho asked aggressively.

He seemed to already know why I had called him out.

He wasn't emotionless, just perceptive.

However, the condescending tone in his words about a "detective game" irritated me.

Why was finding the person who brutally stabbed someone considered a game?

"That's harsh. Someone almost died in a horrific way. And both of us were at the scene."

"That's an inefficient answer. Isn't there something else you want to ask me?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Lee Min-ho's lips.

"Are you related to the victim in any way? Or are you the culprit?"

I asked directly.

With Lee Min-ho, it was more effective to get straight to the point rather than beat around the bush.

"I can see you're hoping I'm the culprit, but I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"..."

"I have nothing to do with yesterday's incident. When I arrived at the restroom, the man was already lying on the floor, bleeding."

Lee Min-ho's expression was indifferent, and his tone was casual.

He also mentioned that he had already been questioned by the police and that they were tracking the culprit.

"Already tracking the culprit?"

I asked, surprised.

"You should remember. Two men caused a disturbance at the bar."

"It would be stranger if you didn't. The kitchen auntie even came out to stop them because they were shouting so loudly."

I nodded, recalling the disturbance from yesterday.

After hearing his story, it made sense.

"One of them was the victim, and the other was the culprit. It seems one of them couldn't control their anger and committed the crime."

If the police were already tracking the culprit, they must have some leads.

This meant Lee Min-ho was not the culprit.

I carefully examined Lee Min-ho's hands during our conversation, and they were unharmed.

If he had stabbed someone with a knife, his hands would have been injured.

Of course, he could have worn gloves, but I didn't see him wearing gloves when I met him in the restroom yesterday.

'At least that's a relief.'

I finally felt a bit better.

My worry that Lee Min-ho could be the culprit was just that—worry.

However, even if Lee Min-ho wasn't the culprit, there were still questions.

In fact, what I really wanted to ask was the next question.

"I have one more question."

"Go ahead."

"You were the first to find the person lying in the restroom, right?"

"So?"

"Why didn't you do anything and just left the restroom?"

The person who had been stabbed was lying on the floor.

The restroom floor was covered in blood, creating a gruesome scene.

How would a normal person react in such a situation?

They might freeze in shock.

They might call for help.

They might immediately call 119 or 112.

But Lee Min-ho's reaction was completely emotionless. He just walked out of the restroom and returned to his table.

It was an extremely abnormal reaction.

This was why I initially suspected him.

"Why? Should I have jumped in to save the person like you?"

Lee Min-ho asked coldly.

"At least you should have reported it, right? Told someone around you."

"..."

"You're a medical student, not a doctor yet. No, even as a human being."

"..."

"How could you just walk away from such a scene?"

The more I spoke, the more agitated I became.

I was a person with a broad understanding, but I still couldn't understand Lee Min-ho.

Despite my intense questioning, Lee Min-ho remained unfazed.

He didn't even blink, making it impossible to gauge his thoughts or emotions.

"Because it was a hassle."

"What?"

"It was a hassle. Whether a stranger lives or dies has nothing to do with me."

Lee Min-ho's answer was cold, and I felt a burning anger.

"Is that something a human being should say?"

"Your way of thinking is what I can't understand. How can you live in this world?"

"..."

"According to global death statistics, on average, two people die every second. Hundreds of people die while we're talking."

"..."

"So, what's the difference between someone dying far away and someone dying in front of me? Should I suffer just because someone else dies?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Stop making excuses."

I growled.

"The person in front of me could be saved. Depending on what I do."

"That's your opinion. Even if you save someone, what do you get out of it? If there's no benefit, there's no need to act."

I was speechless at Lee Min-ho's cold response.

His way of thinking was completely different from mine.

We could spend a million years together and still not understand each other.

"Anyway, I had a hard time because of your statement that you saw me at the scene. Remember what happened yesterday and today."

For the first time, an expression appeared on Lee Min-ho's face.

It was a mix of annoyance and displeasure.

I watched as Lee Min-ho walked back to the classroom, feeling as if I had been hit hard.

Until now, I thought Lee Min-ho was just an arrogant, elitist, and unpleasant person.

But that wasn't the case.

A new type of human that would be talked about in the future.

A psychopath.

Lee Min-ho was a psychopath.

* * *

After realizing that Lee Min-ho was a psychopath, I was momentarily troubled.

I could see that he would attack and restrain me without any scruples in the future.

Of course, as someone who had experienced a time loop, I knew various things and the events that would happen in the future.

I wouldn't be easily defeated by Lee Min-ho.

Still, the fact that he was a psychopath who would stop at nothing was unsettling.

"Why are you so spaced out, unlike you?"

After the Anatomy and Physiology class ended, Shin Cheol-woo, who sat next to me, asked.

"Still affected by what happened yesterday?"

"It's not that. I have a lot on my mind."

"Thinking too much is bad. I told you before, right? The brain is a monster that consumes 25% of the body's energy."

"..."

"Feeling drained from worrying or stressing is not a coincidence. That's why you need to think moderately."

"I've been thinking about going on a diet because I feel like I've gained weight. A brain-calorie-burning diet."

"Wait, there's a bit of a misunderstanding there... Thinking doesn't help you lose weight. That's because..."

"It's a joke, a joke. Why do you get so serious when it comes to the brain?"

I chuckled.

As if he was afraid of not becoming a renowned neurosurgeon in the future.

Shin Cheol-woo was already serious about the brain even as a medical student.

Anyway, his four-dimensional way of speaking helped ease my troubled mind.

'Well, it's not surprising that Lee Min-ho is a psychopath.'

In the future, I would have to deal with many psychopaths in the medical field.

Pharmaceutical company employees who force ghost surgeries.

Doctors who cover up medical errors and accidents.

And even my arch-nemesis, Kang Tae-sub, whom I would have to defeat.

I had already dealt with one psychopath before.

It was none other than Professor Myeongtae, whom I had helped in high school.

He was also a psychopath, like Lee Min-ho.

He saw patients as mere means to satisfy his own ego.

I had no reason to fear the psychopaths who would stand in my way.

Before the time loop, I might have, but after the time loop, I knew how to be cunning.

"Im Ma-in, can you come to the department office for a moment? Someone is looking for you."

A teaching assistant stood at the front of the classroom, calling for me.

"Who's looking for me? I don't have anyone who would come looking for me."

I tilted my head and approached the teaching assistant.

I was bewildered by the fact that someone was looking for me and had even come to the department office.

Maybe Professor Yang Sun-jae wanted to hear my answer about going to the U.S.

But there was no need for him to come to the department office for that...

"You'll see when you get there."

Following the teaching assistant, I arrived at the department office, where a middle-aged woman was sitting on a sofa.

She was clearly the person looking for me, but I didn't know who she was.

No matter how hard I tried to remember, she was someone I was meeting for the first time today.

"Are you Im Ma-in? Nice to meet you."

The woman stood up from the sofa and greeted me warmly.