ANTITOXIN Chapter 38

The tinnitus, which was sharpening rapidly, relentlessly crashed into his ears. Soon, the sound altered into various forms. Screeech— a sound like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Bzzzt— a sound like static flowing from a broken radio. Crunch— a sound like real teeth grinding hard against each other, and so on… From a certain moment, human voices began to overlap on top of it. The wailing of a newborn baby, the spiteful screeching of a resentful woman, the weeping of a pleading old man, the scream of a dying beast…

The tinnitus, which felt close to violence, accompanied a sharp headache. It was useless even if he covered his ears or closed his eyes. As if mocking him, it squeezed and squeezed his brain again and again.

“Huuu…”

Every time he inhaled, a fine vibration traveled through his entire body. His heart beat terrifyingly fast, and his breathing gradually grew ragged.

What this symptom directly striking his body meant was clear. It was a pathological condition manifested by the toxin called divine energy.

Right, it’s starting now.

The tinnitus that had begun to be heard yesterday in the hallway in front of the restroom was, as expected, a premonitory symptom. It had been about a month since the last onset. It was around the time for it to come.

Fortunately, perhaps thanks to having prepared himself mentally, the current situation was not that surprising. It had already been a year; it was an old matter to make a fuss about. Rather, it was a situation where he should find it laughable that he still hadn’t gotten used to this pain.

It was fine up until he went to bed last night. Even when he woke up this morning, it was bearable. It seemed like he could manage to hold out with painkillers somehow.

However, it was an illusion. The headache, which intensified the moment he stepped outside, made even walking difficult; the music he turned up loud could not push away the tinnitus; his bloodless, pale face drew the attention of the living; and the unstably fluctuating divine energy drew the attention of the dead.

Seolwon, who was sitting at the stop waiting for the bus, ultimately had to admit it. That he couldn’t hold out anymore. Going to the workshop in this kind of state, there was nothing he could do. Far from working, it was obvious he would only wallow on the floor in agony.

It was a sickness that became more vicious if left alone. There was only one way to escape from this sickness even for a moment. And that method was possible solely at his own house.

The moment the judgment was made, he stood up with difficulty and headed home. His body staggered at the illusion that the ground was tilting askew. A pedestrian who was glancing at Seolwon, who looked sick to anyone’s eyes, shouted, “Uh, uh!” Fortunately, right before collapsing, Seolwon supported himself by grabbing the wall of the stop.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Thinking that this wouldn’t do, a pedestrian approached and extended a helping hand. The intention was appreciated, but to Seolwon, it was merely a useless goodwill.

After replying that he was fine in a dry, cracked voice, Seolwon slowly took his steps.

Even while heading home dragging his unstable legs, the pathology worsened rapidly. While reality drifted further away, the tinnitus that intensified as if to tear his brain and the pain spreading through his entire body ran wild.

The medicine.

I need the medicine.

From a certain moment, only that thought filled his head. Both his mind and body wanted solely that. The drug hidden deep inside the closet.

The only sanctuary.

It took a whole 30 minutes to reach the house, which would normally take 10 minutes to arrive at. By the time he opened the front door, his reason had already departed from the normal range.

Entering the house without even being able to take off his shoes, Seolwon rushed frantically toward the closet. He tripped and fell flat on the floor along the way, but he moved without stopping, even crawling on all fours.

No sooner had he barely managed to arrive in front of the closet than he extended a trembling hand and opened the door. Then, he indiscriminately pulled out and threw the clothes and miscellaneous things contained inside.

The sight of Seolwon gasping with bloodshot eyes, looking for the medicine, was like a beast. A desperate beast hanging on the edge of a cliff, struggling to survive somehow. To someone, he might look like a psychotic person who had gone all the way due to withdrawal symptoms… but in fact, that wasn’t an incorrect expression either.

Only after pulling out every single thing inside the closet did the medicine box enter his view. Seolwon hastily pulled it out and opened the box. He could see the new product he had bought from the medicine peddler last time. He had said that the medicine used up until now was a synthetic drug with morphine as its main ingredient. He hadn’t heard the ingredients of the medicine this time, but the effect would be roughly similar.

Taking out a syringe, he inserted the needle into the inlet of the bottle, which was about the size of a thumb. The chemical fluid rising upward according to the pressure looked sweeter than ever in Seolwon’s eyes. Seolwon, having filled the syringe completely with the chemical fluid inside the bottle, rolled up his sleeve. Even in the midst of losing his mind, as he wrapped the rubber tube around his forearm, his slender blood vessels swelled up like blue threads. Without hesitation, Seolwon drove the needle into his forearm.

“Hss!”

As the tip of the needle pierced through the skin, a short breath leaked out. He felt the fine resistance of the blood vessel. Taking another deep breath, he plunged the needle a layer deeper. Fortunately, the resistance quickly subsided. It was ready to accept it. Feeling this, Seolwon applied force to his fingers and slowly pressed the piston.

The cold chemical fluid spread along the blood vessels. A thrilling, chilly sensation was clearly felt inside his arm. It felt exactly as if ice had been poured onto a red-hot iron mass.

In less than a minute, the chemical fluid had entirely entered the blood vessel. Seolwon, having finished the injection, weakly dropped the syringe. And with a thud, he collapsed onto the floor. As always, at first, there was no sensation whatsoever. However, as he caught his breath a few times, his body slowly began to melt away. The chilling sensation that started from his arm spread to his fingertips and toes in an instant.

Just as expected, the pain faded away as if being pushed to a distant place. The tinnitus inside his ears also turned dull, as if submerged in water.

Blink, blink.

Seolwon blinked his eyes slowly. Gradually, his vision blurred. The shapes and colors tangled with each other, looking like ink spreading beneath the setting sun. There was a thought that occurred to him every time this happened. It was the thought that… it would be fine to fall asleep forever like this. This time was no different. It felt like it would be fine even if he didn’t open his eyes again.

“Haha… ha… huu…”

Laughter kept leaking through his teeth. The weight that was pressing down on his body vanished before he knew it, and his entire body slid into the floor. Just like that, it was when his consciousness was being sucked into a temporary death.

Buzz— Buzz—

The cell phone vibration rang. Judging by how it continued without ending as a single occurrence, it seemed a call was coming in.

But which cell phone was the sound coming from? The one he originally used? Or the leash Cha Jaeyi gave him? If it was the latter, he had to answer. He had to answer, but… he couldn’t answer. He didn’t have the luxury for that.

Before long, his thoughts, which had begun to be finely fragmented, scattered like unraveled threads, and even the final shred of his consciousness, which had been blinking unstably, dissolved into the darkness.

Seolwon, halting everything, finally closed his eyes completely.

Hoping that this time, please, he wouldn’t be dragged into that hellish memory.

Of course, it was nothing more than a futile expectation.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, the sound of drums echoes out.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, the sound of metal joins in.

The moment he perceived the sound flowing in and breaking the silence at the deepest part of his unconsciousness, Seolwon thought.

In the end, I’ve been dragged back here again, he thought.

He slowly opened his eyes. Even though he knew all too well what kind of sight he would confront.

Anyway, it was useless to try not to look. The nightmare always flowed according to what was set. Opening his eyes was a part of that set sequence. No matter how tightly he closed them, his eyelids were forced open by an absolute power.

Way over there, the shaman leading the exorcism is visible. She was dancing to a delightful rhythm in order to call that forth.

As expected, his own body was bound tightly to the Dangsan tree. In reality, it hadn’t been like this, but within the nightmare, he was always bound like this. As if proving that despite having run away, he was still subordinate to the evil deity.

Now, before long, it will descend.

That evil thing that had devoured countless souls will approach to parasitize another sacrifice.

Despite it being a nightmare he had experienced numerous times, Seolwon trembled in fear.

─Are you coming, are you coming, is the deity coming…

Stop it.

─Ancestors of both sides, receive the agreement at this date and time…

Stop it.

─Descend upon this land and receive this sincerity…

Please, just stop it!

Seolwon screamed with malice. However, no matter how wide he opened his mouth, no sound came out. Like the rope binding his body, something was blocking his throat.