"We’re leaving? Right now?"

It was a hopeful prospect, but an unexpected development.
Luckily, there wasn’t much to pack.
So we’re leaving immediately?
How?

"We can get five hours out as a temporary leave. Once we’re outside, no one will come looking for us for a few hours."

"I see."

"So, let’s go."

"Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your other friends?"

Hansihu had built a lot here at the academy.
Leaving it all behind wouldn’t be easy.
There were probably many people here he felt responsible for, not just me.

"It can wait."

"...But you have so many friends."

"If they’re real friends, they’ll understand."

That wasn’t the only problem.

"But you need to stay at the academy to grow stronger. Outside, you won’t meet people, and you won’t have access to good facilities or easily obtainable items."

"I know."

"And yet, you still want to leave with me?"

If we could go back to the way things were, that would be nice.
Back then, at least there was some sense of romance in life.
There weren’t these constant hassles.

"Let’s go."

The door was open.
I could see freedom.

The only thing I really needed to take was my stash of drugs.
I had it in my hand, so I felt safe.

[32 hours 57 minutes]

Hansihu grabbed my arm, urging me to hurry.

We had plenty of time.
Everything was perfect.
My body was fine.
My legs felt a bit heavy, but I could run.

Alright, let’s go.

Thud.

Bang.

I tripped over something.
It felt like my head was going cold.
Maybe it was just the floor being cold?

I wasn’t hurt.
I just needed to get up and keep going.

I’m fine, so let’s get up and follow Hansihu home.

Thud.

Something was still catching on my legs.

Thud, thud.

It was really caught on something.
What the hell is this?

"...A rope?"

A rope was wrapped tightly around my left ankle.
It extended, tied around the leg of the desk.
Who would do something like this?

Who came into my room and tied me up?
There was no one else here but me.

That’s right.
Now that I think about it, no one else was here.
Hansihu could have just untied it for me.

"Hansihu?"

But there was no one in sight.
The door was closed.
Did he leave before me?

"Hansihu."

Where did he go?
I couldn’t see him anywhere.

I didn’t even know when the door had closed.
This situation didn’t make any sense.

[32 hours 55 minutes]

The time was ticking down at a normal rate.
So, the problem wasn’t with me.
Right?

"You said we were going home."

I liked the plan to leave officially and then escape.
Leave officially?
Now that I think about it, maybe Hansihu could get permission, but I’d been banned from leaving the academy.
Was this plan doomed from the start?

Maybe.
It all makes sense now.
I was low on drugs; that’s why this is happening.

-Stab.

[34 hours 50 minutes]

"...He’s waiting outside, right?"

He must be.
Hansihu’s waiting for me outside.
I threw the empty syringe away.

I grabbed a kitchen knife and cut through the rope tied around my ankle.
I was free.
I didn’t remember when or why I had tied myself up.

"Is this outfit okay?"

I asked Hansihu, but there was no answer.
We had free time anyway.
A t-shirt and shorts should be fine.
I was still wrapped in bandages.

I opened the door to leave.

But it wouldn’t open.

"The door’s locked."

It was locked from the inside.
No one could have locked it but me.
Did I really hate going outside that much?

No, no one can stop someone from leaving like this.
Maybe you can keep someone from entering, but not leaving.
Outside.
From outside?

How did Hansihu get inside in the first place?
He doesn’t know the door code.
Even with a master key, he couldn’t have unlocked the bolt from outside.

But whatever, the drugs will solve the problem.

[34 hours 46 minutes]

Where did I leave the drugs?
I can have one more, right?

If I don’t keep taking them, it’ll all come crashing down.
I need more drugs.

I stumbled into the bathroom.
Maybe washing my face with cold water would help.
It might clear my head.

I’m running low on willpower.

Now that I think about it, it’s all just a hallucination.
Hallucinations of sight, sound, and touch.
It’s all a mess.
I’ve used up eight syringes, and I can’t even remember when I took them.

Tying myself up with that rope? Now I get it.
I don’t know what I might do next.
I have no control over myself anymore.

Cold water.
The cold water touched my palm.
It was ice cold.
It felt like I was regaining some clarity.

More drugs.
I need more.
I feel good now, but I know it could get even better.
This isn’t enough.

Everything’s ruined anyway.
Might as well see it through to the end.
As far as I can go.

-Zzzz.

The device was vibrating.

-Zzzz.

It seemed like a phone call.
But it was probably just a hallucination.
Where did Hansihu go?
He was just here a moment ago.

I have no idea how many doses I’ve taken today.
If there were any left in my hand, I’d take them.
That much is clear.
Who has more drugs?

Hansihu probably has some.
He must have a stash he hasn’t given me yet.

-Zzzz.

The call was from Hansihu.
Because I keep thinking about him, this hallucination must have come up.
There’s no need to answer.
I probably couldn’t answer even if I tried.
The call ended while I waited.

[Missed Calls – 11]

That’s a lot.
Most of them were from Hansihu.
Even Lena called.

It’s hard to tell if this is real while the drug’s still in effect.
This has happened before.
That strange, addictive pleasure is the only thing keeping me from losing control.
Once you fall, it’s over.

Falling?
Me?

In reality, Yuseoa should have been long dead.
I’m only holding on because it’s me.

-Zzzz.

"Shut up."

Bang.

I slammed the device with the kitchen knife.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

I kept slamming it until it broke.
Just a moment ago, I thought I could get out of here.
I thought I’d leave the academy.
But what would I even do outside?

Something went wrong, but whose fault is it? It’s mine.
If it were someone else’s fault, I’d have a reason for revenge, but it’s not.
Everyone else just tried to help me.

Well, not everyone.
There were some strange people, sure.
But none of them were bad enough to deserve revenge.

"Or were they?"

Someone stabbed me.
They broke my arm.
They kicked me and punched me in the stomach.

They’re all bad people, right?
Maybe it’s the drugs messing with me.
Always being on them dulls my sense of reality.

But without the drugs, I’ll die.
I’ll do whatever it takes to get more.
For now, the academy is providing them, so it’s fine.
I trust Hansihu will keep helping, but even that has its limits.

I need to feel better.
Isn’t that what everyone else thinks to survive?
Pain is evil, and pleasure is good.

-I’ll give you even better drugs for the rest of your life.

Who made me that offer?
It was the doctor.
What did I have to do in return?

-Kill Hansihu.

No way.
And besides, how can I be sure that offer is even valid?

-For the rest of your life.

Better drugs.
I keep thinking about the past.

[34 hours 29 minutes]

There’s plenty of time.
More than enough.
If I were at home, I’d just lie on the floor and wait.

Just waiting for the time to use the next dose.
But if there’s no next dose, what can I do?

I have to find more.

Before leaving, I turned off the lights.
It’s better not to see anything.
I hate looking at my messy room.

Now that I think about it, there’s still some medicine at home.
I just ran out of syringes.

"...Of course."

I rummaged through the drawer and found it.
Pills.
Did Hansihu get them from Yuram?
I’m not sure, but I swallowed them all anyway.

[34 hours 57 minutes]

I took all the pills I had, but they didn’t give me the usual rush.
That intense high didn’t come back.
At this rate, I’ll be on a downward slope for the next 34 hours.

Right now, I feel good.
Not bad at all, but I’m scared of the inevitable crash that’s coming.
As long as I have the drugs, everything will be fine.

Even with the pills, things are a little better.
Right?

My vision is flickering.
It’s like a monitor that keeps turning off and on, glitching.
A brief flash, then darkness.
Static.
The next moment, it’s back on again.

I’ve used too many drugs.
But if I use more, the treatment will work faster, which is good.
So, the answer is to use more.

Zap.
It feels like electricity is running through my body.
The monitor is definitely broken.
My vision is distorted.

Overheating.
I should cool down my head in the sink.
Splash.

The sink is overflowing with water.
Cooling.
If I cool my head, I’ll be able to think clearly again.
It feels cold.
It’s hard to keep my eyes open.

"Ahh..."

I lifted my head out of the water.
Holding my breath is terrifying.
But at least my head feels cooler now.
Still, my vision is off.
If I can’t see the screen, what’s the point?
Even a broken game still needs a visible screen.

Usually, when things like this happen, you can hit the monitor or the computer itself, and it’ll start working again.
Machines always respond to a good hit.
The dust that’s settled on the circuits gets knocked off, and everything works fine again.

Flash.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
The objects in my vision aren’t moving.
The water that was flowing seems frozen.
I’m moving, but nothing else is.

Flicker.
Thud, thud.
I hear banging at the door.
What now?

I grabbed the kitchen knife.
Thinking about it, do I really need to use the drugs to make something as simple as a knife?
Why not just use a weapon instead?

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the door was open.
Even the bolt didn’t matter.
The door wasn’t just open—it had been ripped off.

Someone was standing in front of the torn door.

"Oh, hi. Hansihu."

It was Hansihu who opened the door.
He was breathing heavily, like he’d run from far away.

His confused expression was just like earlier.
So it must be another hallucination.
I couldn’t even hear what Hansihu was saying.

"Heh."

The problem is, I’ve taken too many drugs.
The only solution now is to take even more.

"Hey, heh, did you bring any drugs with you?"

Please, just give me something.
You’re here to help, right?
I remember now.

Around the time I used the fourth syringe, I pressed the emergency button on the device.
I must’ve done it thinking Hansihu would come and bring me more drugs.

"Don’t you have any?"

I see.
But the doctor promised to give me unlimited drugs.
All I had to do was kill you.

But I’ve held on this long.
I’ve done well not to take too many drugs, and I haven’t even killed anyone.
Well, I did, but that was a monster, not a person.
It wasn’t my choice.
I could kill, but I haven’t, because I don’t want to.

[34 hours 5 minutes]

Damn it.
My mouth is moving on its own, saying things I don’t want to say.

Hansihu?
Would it be okay if I killed you just once?
You want to help me too, right?
The doctor said I’d get more drugs if I did.
That’s a good thing, right?
I’m only staying at the academy because of the drugs.
If I do this, I’ll be able to leave.

We’re friends, right?
You’re the protagonist, so even if you die, you’ll find a way back, won’t you?
Please, just this once, let me kill you.
Just this once.
I’m sorry.