# Chapter 104
Dr. Jeong, who didn’t seem at all relieved after throwing the book, stood up and approached Dohyuk.
“As I said before, you’ve changed lately. You’ve become quite rude.”
“……”
“Where did you pick up these bad habits, investigating behind my back? And how dare you talk about the success or failure of the experiment when you know nothing.”
His wrinkled hand gestured toward the book on the floor. Dohyuk bent down, picked up the scattered book, and handed it to Dr. Jeong. Dr. Jeong continued speaking while tapping Dohyuk’s shoulder with the spine of the book. Although the bent spine from being forcefully thrown to the floor jabbed him sharply, Dohyuk’s body barely moved.
“Do you think I don’t know you? You’re in the palm of my hand. I know you’ve been scurrying to Dr. Choi like a rat. Was it him? Did he tell you that you’re a failed experiment? What lies have you heard that make you act so arrogantly? If it weren’t for my favor, you’d have been hunted down by now. It’s Dr. Choi who’s desperate to kill you, yet you stupidly don’t realize that and hang onto the wrong thread!”
“I know. Dr. Choi wants to kill me and cover everything up. He didn’t seem interested in continuing the experiments. Then all future projects will be solely under your direction, Dr. Jeong. For those projects, don’t tell me you plan to use Jung Seah as a test subject? Seah is already an awakened Esper!”
The moment his composed voice finally changed to a shout, Dr. Jeong’s lips twitched.
“Lower your voice.”
“Please stop this now. From the beginning, the attempt to artificially awaken non-ability users using nuclear energy made no sense. And now you’re overreaching by extending your hands to ability users as well.”
“I said shut up! What would a monster like you know to be lecturing me? You’re going to die soon anyway. You’re only alive because I’ve been looking out for you. If you want to be useful, just stay quiet from now on!”
With a loud crack, Dohyuk’s head turned. The sharp corner of the thick hardcover book was like a weapon. Dohyuk rubbed his eyebrow bone with his hand, as one eye was blurred by blood from what seemed to be a small cut on his forehead. Red blood smeared between his straight fingers. It wasn’t a major wound, but it seemed to have hit a blood vessel. The bleeding was substantial.
Silently rubbing his forehead and looking down, Dohyuk let out a small sigh. Only then did his chest, wrapped in a pitch-black combat uniform, visibly rise and fall.
“Doctor, why do you think I’ve been quiet until now?”
Dr. Jeong’s eyes widened at Dohyuk’s response, which showed no sign of fear. It wasn’t his usual expression that would noticeably stiffen at the slightest shout. Feeling like he had been betrayed by a beast he had raised, the tendons on Dr. Jeong’s clenched jaw bulged. Unlike Dr. Jeong who was breathing heavily in an extremely agitated state, a voice continued with utter calmness.
“Because I was afraid you would die. Afraid that if I lost even a little bit of control, you would die.”
“Choi Dohyuk!”
A blood-covered hand grabbed Dr. Jeong’s collar. The pristine white coat turned crimson wherever Dohyuk’s hand touched it.
“How dare you try to kill me!”
The well-built body struggled, but the firm arm didn’t move an inch. Dohyuk easily squeezed Dr. Jeong’s windpipe. With a choking sound, Dr. Jeong trembled and scraped the floor with the soles of his shoes.
“…Killing just one person like you would be easy. I could even make you disappear without a trace. But I didn’t.”
“Choi… Do…hyuk…!”
“Back then, I thought I was the monster and you were the humans. But now I’m not so sure.”
Let’s end it here. Breaking this neck with his own hands and eliminating this persistent evil. Dohyuk only now realized that the nape he was gripping was more fragile than he had thought.
“Are you human?”
It was a realization that came too late.
Dohyuk drew on his ability. He wanted to melt everything down and crush even the vague fact that this person had existed in this world. He wanted to scream that he wasn’t human, that he was a monster who could never become human. It was at the moment Dohyuk was about to cut off Dr. Jeong’s breath.
But why?
His hand, brimming with murderous intent, stopped right in front of Dr. Jeong’s face. He couldn’t move at all. While Dohyuk hesitated, Dr. Jeong, whose face was turning red from being choked, frantically fumbled in his pocket and grabbed something. Suddenly, Dr. Jeong’s lips twisted. Meeting Dohyuk’s rounded pupils, Dr. Jeong grinned viciously. The light on Dohyuk’s control device flashed red.
“Of course. I am human, of course. That’s why even in this state, you absolutely cannot kill me.”
Dohyuk’s pupils rolled back as he groaned low like someone stabbed with a knife.
“You didn’t know? Why would I trust a monster like you who can’t even recognize its master after being raised for a lifetime? You cannot kill a ‘person’ unless you ‘perceive’ them as a monster. This work was already done when you were still an ordinary person.”
All the empty past and even small, dim memories of psychological counseling flashed through his mind.
“But I already killed Lee Seoyeon before she went berserk…!”
Dohyuk gasped at the lightning-like realization. Dr. Jeong’s lips parted lazily in a slanted smile.
“That’s what makes it funny, Dohyuk. It means you perceived Lee Seoyeon as a monster.”
His vision flickered.
‘I don’t want to remain a monster.’
‘You would want to die as a human too, wouldn’t you?’
In an instant, Lee Seoyeon’s voice faded.
He realized with a sinking feeling. That he was the one who had ultimately killed Lee Seoyeon as a monster, when she had wanted to remain human.
Did Seoyeon know? Because the one who shared her end was Choi Dohyuk, she couldn’t die as a human. Despite how desperately she wanted to…
The strength in his hand that had stubbornly gripped the collar drained away. Dr. Jeong, who fiercely knocked away Dohyuk’s hand, clicked the button on the control device once more. With a crash, he kicked the fallen body and muttered, “How dare you, how dare you,” while continuously chiding him. Dr. Jeong, who roughly pushed back his disheveled bangs, picked up a communication device.
***
It was largely due to the loud shouting that Dohyuk opened his hazy eyes, soaked in drugs. His back was damp as if he had been collapsed and sweating profusely. Confused that his body wouldn’t move at all, Dohyuk belatedly realized he was in a bound state. No matter how much strength he applied, the restraint that tightly bound his wrists behind his back wouldn’t break, and he could only helplessly twitch his shoulders.
“I can’t believe this kind of arbitrary behavior…!”
“Shut up! The bastard dared to threaten me—of course I had to subdue him!”
“Didn’t I say there are too many eyes to handle this within the headquarters? Despite the dungeon interior being the most suitable, you’ve constantly opposed it by clinging to experiments that are already over, and now suddenly you want to dispose of him?”
“No. This is rather fortunate. I wanted to observe the monstrification anyway. We can inject nuclear energy, proceed with the monstrification, and then handle it as an Esper who suddenly went berserk.”
“The Director has repeatedly stated that he wants a natural disposal within the dungeon. Without any sparks of discord, especially with the presidential election right around the corner!”
“Dr. Choi, have you been busy kissing the Director’s ass these days? Will you get more scraps if Kang Chakwon enters politics?”
“Jeong Byeongseok!”
Drowsiness washed over him again, so he bit his tender flesh hard. Unlike his tattered flesh, he felt no pain at all. Swallowing the blood and saliva pooled in his mouth, he applied strength to his wrists again.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Dr. Jeong, who noticed Dohyuk continually flinching, approached him, flipped his eyelid to check, and then clicked his tongue. Watching Dr. Jeong approach with a syringe in hand, Dohyuk tried to rouse his foggy mind. Only after tearing at the wound in his mouth once more with his tongue was Dohyuk barely able to speak.
“When an Esper suddenly… goes berserk, a follow-up investigation is conducted to deter, mine the cause, huff… and a result report is submitted.”
“Is that your long-winded way of begging for your life? But you’re not an Esper. Do you want to be investigated? Do you want to advertise that you’re a monster?”
The needle pierced his exposed neck. With the sharp pain striking a vital point, his tightly closed lips parted, and blood mixed with saliva dripped to the floor with a splat.
“What…!”
“How nice it is when you’re quiet, Dohyuk. Still, it’s fortunate that there will be no one in front of your eyes, isn’t it? How embarrassed and disgusted your partner Guide would be if he realized his partner was actually a monster.”
“Huk… He, already knows…! That I’m a test subject! Even so, hnngh! Even so… he accepted me.”
Losing balance from the shower of kicks, Dohyuk’s forehead hit the floor. Dr. Jeong mocked Dohyuk as he forcibly swallowed his groans.
“Don’t interrupt me. So your partner knows that you’re a monster too?”
“……”
“Does he know, or not? Hmm, besides, seeing and hearing are different. If he saw your disgusting form, he would naturally run away. I told you that only I could accept you completely in this world. It was stupid of you to kick away that grace.”
Dr. Jeong turned to Dr. Choi and pushed the empty syringe into his pocket like trash.
“I’ll submit the report to the Esper Director.”
Having apparently gone through Dohyuk’s belongings, Dr. Jeong threw Dohyuk’s vibrating phone at the wall. Junseo’s name shattered miserably before Dohyuk’s eyes.
