Follow the Sheep into the Abyss

Lee Hyunmook easily cleared away all the shards and found two or three medicine bottles that were still intact. But after scanning the labels, he tossed them aside without hesitation. Instead, he rummaged through a medical cart nearby in the hallway and managed to find a bundle of sterile gauze along with suitable disinfectants. Yohan, clutching the backpack containing their precious medical supplies, asked anxiously,

“What were the ones you threw away earlier?”

“Thyroid hormone pills and diabetes meds. Why? Do you need them?”

“N-No...”

Neither were of any use to Yohan at the moment. Before falling into the Abyss, he’d been perfectly healthy with no chronic illnesses. Finally, after clearing away the debris, Hyunmook jerked his chin toward something. He was pointing at what looked like a small metal elevator door.

“It’s a dumbwaiter... a device they use in the compounding room to transport medications. Which means, right below this should be the compounding room or the pharmaceutical supply room.”

Yohan’s face lit up at Hyunmook’s words. Having a former doctor with him gave him hope they could finally find the right medicine without getting lost this time. He trailed closely behind Hyunmook, who had now finished with the outpatient pharmacy, and cautiously asked,

“By the way... do you not remember anything from when you were in a contaminated state?”

“I’m still contaminated now.”

The reply came with no particular enthusiasm, but to Yohan, even that was heartwarmingly reassuring. At least Hyunmook understood what he was asking. After a pause, Hyunmook slowly added,

“It feels like waking from a nightmare you can’t fully remember. I didn’t even know why I was in this hospital...”

Even in typical contamination cases, one’s rationality and memory usually remain intact. So what Hyunmook was describing suggested that his contamination had progressed far beyond the norm—severely, in fact. That thought made Yohan feel as if he were staring at a glimpse of his own future, and he trudged along a little more gloomily. Still, he forced himself to focus on the fact that they were about to get the medicine he needed for his leg.

At the top of the stairs leading down to the first floor, Yohan hesitated. His leg wasn’t in good shape. He gripped the dusty railing tightly and started hobbling down one step at a time. Watching Yohan descend like a turtle, Hyunmook glanced once at him, once at the floor below, then turned and walked back up. Without a word, he scooped Yohan up into his arms.

“Waugh!”

Yohan let out a weird yelp. The first time he’d been carried, he’d been too overwhelmed to register it properly, but now, fully conscious, being suddenly picked up flustered him. Hyunmook practically leapt down the stairs two at a time and gently set Yohan down at the bottom. Whether it was from the jolt of adrenaline or the lingering fever, Yohan’s face flushed a deep red, his heart pounding.

“The first floor’s fine, but we don’t know when the thing on the third floor might come down. Stay close behind me.”

Realizing that a strong monster was lurking on the third floor, Yohan quickly scrambled behind Hyunmook and stuck close, sneaking glances at him the entire time.

Awakened ones, especially high-ranking ones, and particularly those in damage or tank roles, tended to be solidly built. Their enhanced senses and physical strength far surpassed those of normal humans—they were walking weapons. And among them, Hyunmook was one of the strongest dealers. Standing behind his broad, sturdy back felt strangely comforting.

Yohan was worried another monster might attack them again, but thankfully, they reached the compounding room without incident. The door here was also locked, but with just a bit of force from Hyunmook, it was ripped open with a loud crack.

“There... it’s here...”

Yohan whispered in awe, barely audible for fear of drawing more monsters. Compared to the outpatient pharmacy, the cabinets here were filled to the brim with medications. His eyes sparkled with renewed hope.

As Hyunmook strode toward the medicine cabinet, Yohan quickly turned on his flashlight to help, but Hyunmook waved him off lazily.

“I can see just fine without the light. You go search for useful stuff.”

“Understood!”

Responding brightly, Yohan still couldn’t help glancing at Hyunmook. It was pitch black in here without the flashlight, and yet Hyunmook seemed to identify medications with no problem. After thoroughly checking the corners with his flashlight, Yohan found a kit labeled [Spil kit] that looked fairly useful, along with some saline solution. He packed as much as he could into his backpack, which was now completely full. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

“Here.”

Hyunmook handed over several boxes of medicine. Yohan hugged them tightly to his chest like a treasure, but Hyunmook muttered something unsettling.

“...Not sure if the contents are still good.”

“B-Because of the expiration dates? I’ll take them even if they’re a bit old! It’s only been a month past, anyway.”

Hyunmook fell silent, staring at the medicine Yohan was clinging to with a strange expression. Yohan, sensing a bad omen, silently prayed the medicine was still effective. He cast a wistful glance at the piles of unused medication and stepped out of the room.

* * *

Luckily, they encountered no more monsters on their way out of the hospital. Exiting through the emergency room, they headed straight back to their shelter.

On the way back, Yohan worried quietly that Hyunmook might suddenly relapse again. As much as he tried to treat himself, it was still better to be under the hands of a real doctor. Thankfully, although Hyunmook had once again picked Yohan up without warning—making for another flustering experience—he still seemed fine.

“Your leg.”

At Hyunmook’s prompt, Yohan quickly pulled out the medical supplies they’d retrieved. Sitting down on the floor, he rolled up his pants leg and turned on his flashlight again to help, but Hyunmook said,

“I can see in the dark just fine. It’ll be less traumatizing if you turn it off.”

The joy of finally being able to treat his injury vanished. Yohan stared at the festering wound oozing pus and fluid, his face filled with dread. The mere thought of pouring disinfectant on it sent a chill down his spine.

“...It’s going to hurt a lot, right?”

Seeing Yohan already tearing up, Hyunmook blinked, then said in a calm tone,

“Wanna hold your backpack?”

So it was going to hurt. Terrified, Yohan clutched his backpack tightly. And as expected, what followed was a grueling session of pain and torment. As Hyunmook drained the pus and scraped out the inflammation, Yohan screamed and cried until he was completely worn out. Sniffling, he asked,

“I-Is it over?”

But when he looked up, Hyunmook was staring blankly at ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ his own hand. Yohan’s blood was splattered across it. Hyunmook looked both startled and spaced out, and that expression made Yohan instinctively panic.

“I’m hungry—let’s eat! Food! I have to take my meds too. You’re not supposed to take them on an empty stomach... right?”

That finally brought Hyunmook back to his senses. Slowly raising his head, he looked at Yohan with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

“...You.”

There was a strange light in his gaze—but it was gone in an instant, his black eyes returning to their usual stillness. He gave a faint, almost self-mocking smile, then grabbed Yohan’s ankle as the boy tried to sneak away.

“We’ve got to cover that wound. And disinfect your hand too if you don’t want to go through this again.”

Hyunmook finished dressing the wounds thoroughly with gauze and bandages. Yohan felt like he’d been about to say something more, but nothing else came. After treating his hand as well, Yohan cautiously dug into the food supplies. He opened one of the few remaining emergency rations—a can of ham and a can of corn—and set them down.

“You worked really hard today, so eat a lot.”

As soon as the food appeared, his stomach growled. Unlike the crazed version of Hyunmook who ate with his bare hands, this one calmly accepted the utensils Yohan handed him. He ate in a composed, even refined manner, with no trace of madness. With his leg now properly treated, Yohan finally relaxed and ate with a hearty appetite. Afterward, Hyunmook gave him dosage instructions.

“...Take these three times a day, and disinfect the wounds once or twice. Obviously, don’t let the wound get wet or dirty.”

“I’ll definitely follow that.”

Yohan nodded enthusiastically. Even though there was no day or night here and the sky remained a dark, bloody black, Yohan now had a wristwatch he’d found during the expedition. But then Hyunmook added,

“If anything feels off, don’t take it. I tried to choose the right meds, but my memory’s fuzzy... They might not be in good condition.”

“I-I’m sure you picked the right ones! They’re definitely still good!”

Truthfully, Yohan had seen Hyunmook pause and try to recall things while they were looking through the medicine. But he swallowed the antibiotics, painkillers, and fever reducers with as much optimism as he could muster. He already felt a little better.

“By the way, what’s this one?”

Still tired and aching, Yohan excitedly sorted through their loot. He tilted his head at a box containing small, unlabeled vials and a handful of brightly colored pills. Hyunmook replied slowly,

“Narcotic painkillers. Morphine, probably.”

“Morphine?!”

Yohan gasped in shock. He wasn’t exactly familiar with drugs, but he had a general idea of what morphine was.

“You mean like, from opium? From poppies? That kind of morphine? Isn’t that a drug?”

“Yeah. But this is a place where even those drugs become essential. You should keep them on you.”

Agreeing with Hyunmook, Yohan gingerly packed the morphine away. If even a small infected wound hurt this much, stronger painkillers might be necessary if something worse happened.

Once everything was packed, sleep hit him fast. His fever was rising and his eyelids were heavy, but he tried to resist. Seeing this, Hyunmook grabbed him by the collar and laid him down on their makeshift bed of padded jackets.

“Sleep.”

“But... I wanted to talk a little more...”

He’d been lucky this time. Hyunmook had been in his right mind again and had treated him. But once he fell asleep, who knew if he’d still be the same when he woke up? Staring at Hyunmook with pleading eyes, Yohan saw him silently sit beside the makeshift bed. With the opportunity suddenly there, Yohan hesitated, then finally spoke.

“I hope there’s a way to cure the contamination.”

If only he could always stay with this version of Hyunmook. The thought wouldn’t leave his mind. Hyunmook’s expression didn’t change as he watched Yohan drift halfway into sleep. Then he reached out, shielding Yohan’s eyes with his hand, and muttered,

“...So do I.”