FLIA 9

The monster’s transparent upper body, shaped like an IV bag, swayed atop a lower half made of what looked like multiple human legs stitched together. Its crude, clay-like face was studded with several narrow, cataract-clouded eyes. Then, with a violent motion, it swung its two long pairs of arms and lunged to squeeze Lee Hyunmook’s torso. But Lee Hyunmook’s movements were even faster.

Snap!

As if he had expected the ambush, Lee Hyunmook grabbed one of the flailing arms mid-air and crushed it with ease.

Screeee!

The monster shrieked in a piercing voice and scuttled up the wall, then along the ceiling, leaving behind a trail of sticky footprints. Hanging upside down, it opened its torso, and a wave of nauseating liquid gushed out. A toxic stench, reminiscent of disinfectant, swept through the room.

Lee Hyunmook swiftly leapt onto the counter, dodging the falling liquid. While Yohan gagged from the smell, Lee Hyunmook snapped two of the monster’s legs. Then he reached for the others. In an instant, four legs were broken. No longer able to cling to the ceiling, the creature lost its grip and crashed to the ground. Howling in pain and thrashing wildly, its gaze suddenly locked onto Yohan, who was cowering nearby.

Boom!

The monster slammed into the wall, demolishing nearly half of it in one blow. Yohan was certain he was going to die, but when he came to his senses, Lee Hyunmook was shielding him, absorbing the impact. Pill bottles burst and shattered around them.

“No—!”

Yohan screamed, but it didn’t last. Just as Lee Hyunmook threw his body over Yohan to protect him, the monster lunged again, slamming into the exact spot they’d just been. Whatever medicine had survived was destroyed.

As if trying to remove him from danger, Lee Hyunmook half-threw the dazed Yohan as far away as he could. Then he charged at the monster.

In a half-conscious haze, Yohan could only watch the battle unfold. The monster raged, but Lee Hyunmook relentlessly crushed and tore away at each of its legs, one by one. When none were left functioning, he turned to the upper body and pounded it with his fists.

Wham, wham, wham! Flesh and fluids splattered everywhere, far softer than the limbs had been.

Eventually, the monster’s strength left its body. Only after it was ripped to pieces did Lee Hyunmook finally back away. The crisis passed, but now reality came crashing down on Yohan like a wave.

“Huuh… huuuh…”

He crawled toward the collapsed pharmacy. The smashed pill bottles were mixed with whatever had remained intact, making it impossible to tell what was what. His leg pain had reached an unbearable level. Still wiping away tears, Yohan reached forward, only for a strong hand to seize his wrist.

“You. Why the hell did you come here?”

Yohan jerked his head up, ready to push Lee Hyunmook away and keep searching. His eyes widened.

Lee Hyunmook looked… normal.

His gaze, though dark, was free of any red glow, sharp, aware, and completely sane. The moment Yohan realized Lee Hyunmook was in his right mind, the sorrow he’d been holding back burst all at once. His freshly dried tears returned in a flood, blurring his vision.

“Hng…! Uwaaahhh!”

He sobbed so hard he didn’t even notice Lee Hyunmook staring at the blood dripping from his hand. Lee Hyunmook’s eyes narrowed as he fixated on the trail of crimson flowing from Yohan’s torn hand down to his wrist. His gaze was just as intense as it had been when he’d torn the monster’s legs apart.

“M-Mr. Hyunmook… If, if I die, s-sob… what will happen to me…?”

“…Maybe I’m still crazy, because I have no idea what the hell you’re saying.”

Lee Hyunmook sighed. Yohan’s crying was so intense, his words were incoherent. Finally pulling his gaze away from the blood, Lee Hyunmook reached out and effortlessly lifted Yohan, who had gone limp. He immediately noticed the unnaturally high fever. That alone was enough to explain why Yohan had risked venturing into such a dangerous area.

Without a word, he left the ruined pharmacy. As they moved down the hall, the remnants of weaker monsters, cowed by the earlier violence, scurried away in fear. Lee Hyunmook opened the door to a second-floor room that felt slightly less hostile than the others.

He sat Yohan on a dust-covered bed and gave him a once-over with his eyes. Almost immediately, he found the cause. His hyper-sensitive senses detected a foul, rotting stench coming from one shin. When Lee Hyunmook reached toward it, Yohan flinched, but obediently extended his leg. With a strange expression, Lee Hyunmook rolled up the loose sweatpants.

“Do I… need to have my leg amputated?”

Yohan asked in a pitiful, sniffling voice when Lee Hyunmook just stared silently at the inflamed wound. As Lee Hyunmook rolled the pants back down, he replied,

“If it gets any worse, yeah.”

The blunt answer sent Yohan collapsing sideways onto the dusty bed. He lay there face-down and immediately began sobbing again. At last, Lee Hyunmook, who had seemed cold and dazed all this time, looked mildly startled.

“Uwaaaah! I’m dead… My leg’s gone… I’m gonna be a one-legged man forever…”

“…Why are you acting like your leg’s already gone when it’s still there?”

He helped the sobbing, dust-covered Yohan sit up again. Taking his backpack, Lee Hyunmook looked inside. There were a few bottles of water and a handful of chocolate bars. He unwrapped one of the prized bars, something Yohan had guarded carefully, and stuck it into his mouth.

Sniffle… hic…

Face flushed with fever, eyes streaming, Yohan slowly chewed the chocolate. Lee Hyunmook gave him a few sips of water too, and finally, Yohan began to calm down a little. After a moment of thought, Lee Hyunmook managed to recall his name.

“Yang Yohan.”

With puffy eyes, whether from crying or the infection, Yohan swallowed the last bite of chocolate and looked at him.

“How long has it been since the last time we met?”

“Prob… hic… about four days…”

Lee Hyunmook tilted his head slowly. He looked completely confused.

“How did I come back to my senses already…?”

Yohan, remembering Lee Hyunmook had said it might take months or years, was puzzled too, but that was soon drowned out by fear. He began trembling again, tears welling up in his eyes.

“If… if I die here… sniff… will they bury me? Or burn me? O-or… will you eat me, Mr. Hyunmook?”

Watching him shiver like a pager on vibrate from fear and chills, Lee Hyunmook slowly shook his head.

“…I won’t eat you, and I won’t let you die. So don’t worry.”

“B-but… the pharmacy’s all destroyed…”

“We can check the compounding lab or the medication storage.”

Only after hearing that did Yohan’s tears finally begin to stop. He wiped his face roughly with his sleeve and looked up with a faint trace of hope.

“The compounding… and what was the other one?”

“Medication storage. For a hospital this big, it’s not just a regular pharmacy. There’s usually a whole department for pharmaceuticals, a warehouse, basically. They always keep at least a week’s worth of stock.”

Yohan didn’t really understand, but it sounded like there was another supply room besides the one they’d just lost. He shoved the rest of his chocolate bar into his mouth and slung on his backpack. His tear-stained face was still dirty from the dusty bed. Watching him, Lee Hyunmook asked calmly, still lingering on Yohan’s earlier question.

“…Did I really seem like I was about to eat you? I thought I’d managed not to commit cannibalism up to now.”

“…I-I’m not sure. It kinda felt like you were going to… nibble me, maybe? As a joke…”

Avoiding his eyes, Yohan mumbled weakly. Lee Hyunmook gave a bitter laugh and let his gaze drift toward the bloodstains drying on Yohan’s arm before slowly turning away.

They returned to the wrecked in-house pharmacy. Lee Hyunmook stomped on the shredded remains of the monster a few more times. Yohan couldn’t tell if he was doing it out of spite or just to make sure it was dead.

Then, Lee Hyunmook began clearing away the debris. When Yohan tried to help by lifting a chunk of concrete, Lee Hyunmook waved him off. Even that small gesture, being acknowledged, filled Yohan with emotion. Talking to the mad version of LeeHyunmook had been like shouting into an empty void.