Chapter 56

Chapter 5 Inside Out (4)

***

"...Sigh. Damn my fate."

Woojin, who had been glaring at the professor's collar, let out a heavy sigh and sat back down.

"Hey, Metal."

Startled!

"What, what! I finished the treatment, so don't touch me! It's clean! I tied it up very neatly!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Just give me a cigarette."

Ian's face, which had been watching from the corner with wide eyes, twisted in annoyance.

"Damn... Old man, do you know how many cigarettes you've bummed off me? If I count them roughly, it's more than a pack. With that, you could get a fancy machine gun at the trading post for a song...."

"So, you're not going to give me one?"

"......"

Whoosh-

Thud!

"Thanks."

"Nuclear bombs can even catch ghosts. Seeing you, an old man, still alive, I guess that's true."

In the end, Ian gave in. While he could have held out and not given the cigarette, doing so would have made the old man very angry. Ian was a man who could sacrifice a single cigarette for the sake of his friend, who had been captured by a fierce beast.

Click, click

"Jaw."

"What, what now! I don't have any with filters!"

"Not that. Just a light."

Snap!

Ian, who had been about to curse, swallowed his words and took out a silver Zippo lighter from his pocket, throwing it with all his might.

Clang!

"Thanks."

"Damn. Get out and die."

Click - Puff!

Sizzle, sizzle

Woojin lit the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep drag. The venom in his face, twisted like a demon, seemed to dissipate with the smoke, and his expression was returning to peace.

"Sigh. Jaw, if you had a little more love in your life, you should grow some tobacco. They say everything happens for a reason. Maybe the reason I found you lying in the truck in the wasteland that day was to get this cigarette from you. Hmm~ It tastes especially good because I didn't pay for it."

"....Spit."

When Ian spat into the spittoon set up in one corner of the clinic, the old man chuckled as if he found the scene hilarious.

Just a moment ago, Woojin had been so angry he could have killed someone, but now he was suddenly grinning. The professor sighed, feeling exasperated.

"If there had been one more doctor in the wasteland, I wouldn't have come here. Seeking counseling from a bipolar patient, of all people."

"Don't set your standards before the collapse, you brat. Compared to someone suffering from habitual self-harm, suicide attempts, PTSD, and schizophrenia, bipolar disorder is nothing."

After making the professor speechless, Woojin handed the lighter back to Ian. As the smoke from the two men's cigarettes filled the room, and Vex, who had been hiding somewhere, quietly returned, Woojin spoke.

"‘Infection’... Professor Park, didn't you quit that game? You said it was because the replicated data of your parents made you feel guilty, and you were afraid you might rush back there again?"

"Ah. Yes, that's right. I still feel that way. But life in the wasteland isn't just about doing what you want."

The professor, with a bitter and nostalgic expression, recounted the 12-day odyssey. It was a ridiculous story. The generator breaking down, starting a concept play, meeting Old Tum, entering Turan as a conscript, surviving, meeting Charlotte and Edeorna, becoming a debt collector due to Corduro's antics, getting involved in the treasure hunt in Sector 45, and meeting the two friends who were now listening to his story with rabbit-like eyes. Even as he spoke, he couldn't believe all this had happened in just 12 days. Even if the game time flowed five times faster than real time, it was still too much.

Woojin, with his eyes closed, listened quietly to the professor's story.

"...So, that Hyde kid has taken up residence in your head. I don't know how this phenomenon is possible, but according to him, there's nothing as foolish as worrying about something that has already happened. Personally, I agree. Worrying about the past is foolish when you have enough to worry about in the future."

"Hmm... Quite an impressive... story. Infection has been an issue in the community for quite some time."

After finishing the cigarette Ian had given him and flicking the ash into the ashtray, Woojin spoke with a serious face.

"Professor Park. I have a mountain of things I want to say, but let's focus on one thing first. Do you like that ‘Hyde’ kid?"

"....What?"

Has this old man finally lost it? What is he talking about?

"What's this... some kind of narcissism or something?"

"Maybe. I listened to your story, and every time you talked about that parasite or Hyde, I felt a rather... positive vibe. Even though he's digging through your memories, uncovering your traumas, and even controlling parts of your body."

"I... did?"

Woojin frowned, looking at the professor's flustered face. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

Click, click

"Jaw."

"What now! I don't have any with filters!"

"Not that. Just a light."

Snap!

Ian, who had been about to curse, swallowed his words and took out a silver Zippo lighter from his pocket, throwing it with all his might.

Clang!

"Thanks."

"Damn. Get out and die."

Click - Puff!

Sizzle, sizzle

Woojin lit the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep drag. The venom in his face, twisted like a demon, seemed to dissipate with the smoke, and his expression was returning to peace.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

The professor, feeling flustered, was speechless. Woojin frowned, looking at the professor's flustered face. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but maybe we can live together somehow?’ And the recent memories of your new friends probably influenced you. The loneliness of living alone, which you had clung to like a second skin, had fallen away."

"....Swallow."

Woojin, seeing the professor's flustered face, frowned. He wasn't an expert in this area, but since 90% of the patients who came to the hospital were mentally ill, he had naturally become familiar with such issues.

"Yeah. We've known each other for a long time. I know a bit about you, Professor Park...."

Tap, tap, tap.

Woojin glanced at Ian behind the professor and tapped the desk. Ian, who had been listening to the conversation with interest, threw the entire pack of cigarettes to Woojin.

Click-

"You're a pretty serious case of love deprivation."

The cigarette in Woojin's mouth burned down to the end, and he flicked the ash into the ashtray. The professor felt embarrassed, as if the red sparks being flicked away were revealing his inner turmoil.

"That Hyde... At first, he was a bit rough, but after a while, he became affectionate to you, right? So, you started to expect something. ‘He's dangerous, but