Together Forever (8)
After suffering from another affliction from the curse, I shifted my eyes toward Jung Hayan. Her expression was far more serious than what I was expecting.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
‘It was successful.’
It felt shocking to realize this. Of course, the scenario might be too painful for Hayan to endure.
‘This is the right answer.’
I had done it correctly. In the first place, Hayan wouldn’t have exhibited this kind of unusual behavior. The inflicted curse had messed everyone up. I simply chose to help her out with a little shock therapy.
Hayan’s face was currently covered in tears, and she had started tearing out her hair. The others were no different, but her case was the most serious. I went to grab her hand, but she shook me away.
“I hate you!”
‘What power…’
Jung Hayan then tried to harm herself afterward, wringing her hands around her neck. I urgently pulled her arms away with as much strength as I could muster. Once I succeeded in this endeavor, I quickly kissed her deeply, effectively stimulating what was left of her sanity.
“Ahh…”
“…”
“I… Oppa?”
Hayan’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then her eyes were filled with renewed tears.
“Ah… Oppa… Oppa…”
She wasn’t contented with just checking my face; she checked my entire body. Considering what she had seen in her latest illusion, it was only natural.
“I came back…” Hayan muttered.
“Hayan?” I called.
“I came back. Ugh, I came back…” Hayan continued muttering.
“What are you talking about, Hayan?” I asked.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. I-I’m sorry for being such an idiot…” she replied and lowered her head from embarrassment.
‘Good.’
“What do you mean? Is the curse affecting you? What did you see?” I asked, trying to act naïve.
“No, it wasn’t the curse. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Oppa. I’m really sorry for being selfish. Please don’t hate me…” Hayan replied apologetically.
‘There’s no way I would hate you.’
In the first place, I had never felt hatred for Hayan. Sure, she was obsessed with me, but her abnormality only spiked because of the curse’s effect.
I was grateful for being able to squeeze some magic into her worn-out mind. The opportunity had quickly presented itself to me.
One day, Jung Hayan might suffer from a terrible accident. Of course, the cause was unknown, but one thing was for sure—it would be because of her ability.
Knowing that I could suppress her from now on, I smiled in satisfaction.
‘Now, I feel like I’ve gained a new sense of responsibility…’
I didn’t particularly love her or wanted to be bound to her, but the fact that I felt guilty and compassionate and even liked her was undeniable.
You are rationalizing again. You’re trying to remove your guilt through her. You think that, by not abandoning her, it would prove that you still have a conscience.
‘Things like that happen, too.’
I also knew I had been affected by the curse, but that didn’t matter now. All these voices only served to spout serious bullshit.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I have no reason to hate you. I love you the most.”
Again, I was only half-sincere with my words.
“Huh… My Oppa is also the most important to me. I like him the most!” she exclaimed.
Once again, Jung Hayan hugged me tightly and rubbed her face against my chest.
“I’m back… Thank you, God! Thank you so much, God! Thank you very much!”
“What happened?” I asked.
Of course, I knew what happened. I just tested if she would reveal it to me, but she doesn’t seem to want to.
“It’s nothing… Oh, Oppa, are you okay? Did you suffer any injuries? Your legs…”
“I’m fine,” I responded with a bright smile to convince her.
“Wow… Fortunately, your arms are also okay. There is no scar. You don’t have gray hair. Your tongue is also intact…”
Of course, I knew there would be some side-effects. Jung Hayan must have felt like the fantasy I had created would somehow come to life.
‘She even thought she had regressed…’
If I had known that she would react in this manner, I would have twisted the story a little more. I could have portrayed a scene where Cha Hee-ra and Lee Jihye saved my life.
Of course, it would be difficult to make a script, but if such a scene had been included, the hostility that Jung Hayan exhibited towards them would be greatly reduced.
‘I’m sorry, Hayan.’
It would be better to try it out at a later time.
“Oppa… Ugh…”
“Are you calm now?”
“Yes, a little…”
“Then, can you wait a minute? I should also take care of the rest.”
“Of course, Oppa. Go ahead.”
At this, I patted her head, and she automatically blushed. She looked like a cute little puppy. However, memories of her illusion resurfaced once more, and tears formed in her eyes again.
‘I can’t do this…’
I knew it had been effective. Looking at Hayan now, it seems I successfully regained her sanity and freed her from most of the curse’s effects.
I was pleased to find out that our experiment had produced successful results. It was probably because Jung Hayan was a special case.
‘However, it could also work on other people.’
The effect wouldn’t just be enough; it would work very well. This was because Jung Hayan was the hardest to crack among them, and the experiment turned out well for her. The appropriate use of medicine and magic may not be perfect, but it would certainly help.
As I turned to assess the situation, the rest of the room came into view.
The scene was the same as the first time the curse had shown itself to us. Those who had been screaming at first slowly awakened and the rest were either looking around or talking to themselves.
When my gaze met Hwang Jeong-yeon, I saw a question formed in her eyes.
‘The experiment is a great success.’
As soon as I took out my alchemy kit and began to conjure a magic circle, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me. Her gaze was, naturally, focused as she was involved in this operation.
“Mr. Kiyoung, what do we do now?”
“Please lead them here, one by one,” I instructed.
“What?”
“Please lead the other people here, one at a time,” I repeated.
At that moment, Hwang Jeong-yeon figured out what I wanted to do.
“Oh… I get it.”
“Please get Lee Sang-hee first.”
“Master, please sit over here.”
I wasted no time in speaking once our expedition leader had arrived.
“Let’s see. Master, what are you currently experiencing?”
“Ah…”
“Ah. There may be things related to privacy, so it would be better to write it down. Jeong-yeon?”
“Yeah. I’ll have it ready.”
“Wait… What’s happening?”
Lee Sang-hee was visibly confused, so I began explaining the procedures.
“I found a way to effectively curb the curse, Lee Sang-hee. First of all, you need to be at ease and write down exactly what symptoms and what kind of voices you hear. If hallucinations are starting to appear, it may be helpful to state exactly what it is. If you hear a lot of hallucinations, you should also describe phrases that you hear repeatedly.”
“Ah…”
“I will ask everyone to line up properly over here. Please bring all your writing instruments and wait patiently.”
Everyone seemed to be a little puzzled, but they still obeyed.
“Ah. I see.”
“I see the faces of those killed so far. They keep telling me that I will die soon.”
“Of course, I can understand. I’m also experiencing similar symptoms. Once you are prescribed a potion, your mental health will begin to regain shortly. Although, there are some missing items… Um, well, I’d be grateful if you could describe how they died.”
“Oh, that’s…”
“You can write down the parts that are too difficult to say. It’ll be more effective, as well.”
“I will vouch for you. It will work, everyone.”
“Thank you, Hwang Jeong-yeon.” After all, Jeong-yeon did play a crucial part in this.
“Oh, the next person… Ah, Miss Gahyeon. So you can see your younger brother, who you left back on Earth?”
“Yeah…”
“It must have been very difficult.”
“…”
“I also have a younger sister on Earth. Of course, I’m worried about her, but… First of all, it is important to be strong. You will see each other again someday. Now… You seem to be showing signs of severe depression, but even if perfect treatment is impossible, you will be able to relieve the burdens of your mind.”
After trying to comfort Gahyeon, Hwang Jeong-yeon approached me.
“What should I do, Kiyoung?”
“I think potion 14 in the bag will be appropriate, Miss Jeong-yeon. I’ll write a mental prescription right away. Gahyeon may go into treatment right away. Please prepare the magic.”
“Of course.”
I was a meek idealist. I knew the medication would work well. Her propensity and hallucinations were very much visible, so cases like hers were easier to treat.
‘After a beautiful reunion with her younger brother, he ends up asking her to live with strength.’
I knew this line would have a positive effect. Since my hobby was to read, I could incorporate some fantasy elements.
‘I think it would be effective if I put in the part where the voice of her brother and the voice of the curse are opposed to each other.’
Of course, what I’m doing right now wasn’t medical. Simply put, I was just scamming everyone into receiving counsel. The curse wasn’t completely curable, nor would the hallucinations become inaudible. To be precise, it was all about putting a little antibiotic into the worn-out mind. However, it worked.
The human mind was both weak and strong. Even though a curse like this can erode one’s mentality, one could always find the strength to fight against it.
I shared similar symptoms with many of these people, thus making it easy to treat them. In Hayan’s case, my existence itself had power over her thinking.
‘Good. Good.’
Everything seemed to be working well.
Of course, I had not explained or informed Kim Hyunsung about this in advance. He was evidently surprised upon seeing me suddenly administer treatment.
Even after receiving Hwang Jeong-yeon’s mental treatment, Hyunsung still felt stunned, looking among the people who had been treated or were still waiting for their turn. I knew he had never imagined a scenario where we would find another way to fight the curse.
He knew how to deal with this curse and was trying to put it into practice. We had done the same, just with a different method, and I knew he understood this.
“I came back… Thank you so much, God. Thank you for bringing me back. Really, ugh…”
However, Kim Hyunsung’s expression turned serious upon hearing Hayan mumble to herself.
‘She hasn’t really regressed, Hyunsung…’
It seemed like I had some explaining to do once all the treatments were over.
