Chapter 2407 – 2407. Eternal Eden
The first thing we did upon arriving at Seongak Elementary School was a physical examination.
At the Daemado secret research facility, biological experiments had been conducted. There was a possibility of being contaminated with something like a virus, so we had to be sure. Even with my abilities, I didn’t intend to use my recovery powers recklessly.
“Viruses weren’t a research subject at the Daemado secret research facility. They only focused on artificial mutants there.”
“If it’s bionics, wouldn’t they naturally research viruses too?”
“There are other bionics besides me in the Ilwoo Group. I don’t know exactly how many there are.”
The examination results showed no new viruses.
In the case of Kim Jihee, Yu Seojeong’s daughter, a large amount of narcotics was detected in her blood. It was obvious, as she was clearly intoxicated and out of her mind.
Yu Seojeong, upon confirming her daughter’s condition again, sighed.
“I knew it, but… it’s serious. Even if she starts treatment now, I don’t know if she’ll ever return to normal…”
“Worry about your daughter later. Shouldn’t we talk among ourselves first?”
I didn’t go to Daemado and make such a fuss just to save one person for purely altruistic reasons.
Yu Seojeong, well aware of this fact, nodded with a stern expression.
I took her to the lounge on the third floor of the main building. It was a lounge exclusively for executives.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Coffee. Do you have any?”
“I do. It’s a luxury item that’s hard to find outside… but I’ve stocked up a lot. Oh, it’s instant coffee.”
“I have no intention of complaining about the type of coffee. Coffee itself is already a luxury.”
The world isn’t normal.
Coffee, ramen, and cigarettes, which used to be readily available, are now hard to find even with money. It was natural since the sea routes had stopped. The same goes for other food ingredients. It’s also difficult to work on farms properly because of the mutants. Currently, most of the citizens of South Korea are surviving on emergency rations provided by the government.
I had a can of cola. Yu Seojeong had a paper cup of instant coffee. We faced each other with our drinks between us.
“…The fact that you raided the Daemado secret research facility to save me means you saw the video I sent, right? You need a bionic at Seongak Elementary School. I’m well aware of my situation. I won’t ask to be released. What I want… as I said in the video, is the safety and minimal freedom for me and my daughter.”
“Since you’re becoming a member of our forces, of course, we have to guarantee your safety. But what do you mean by minimal freedom? Are you talking about guaranteed working hours?”
“That too, but the important thing is research. I don’t want to do human experiments.”
“I can guarantee your working hours. I can also let you eat whatever you want as much as possible. I won’t even care what you do in your free time as long as it’s not dangerous. But not doing human experiments? That won’t do. You’re a bionic. Human experiments are not an option, they’re a necessity.”
“Don’t you know how terrible human experiments are?!”
“Bionics and human experiments are inseparable. What’s it called, the clinical trials that pharmaceutical companies do are also human experiments in the end. And you’ve already done enough human experiments, why are you making a fuss now?”
“That’s… not something I did willingly. I was forced to do it.”
“Then you can do it since I’m telling you to.”
“……”
Yu Seojeong’s eyebrows twitched. It was clear she was dissatisfied.
There was no trust between her and me yet. I had to build a relationship of trust.
‘They say blood is thicker than water.’
Until then, I would thoroughly monitor her every action.
“…I will. But in the case of human experiments, I hope they can be as humane as possible.”
“I don’t know about humane. What I want is mainly doping drugs. Even if it’s temporary, I want combat stimulants that can enhance humans.”
“Combat stimulants usually contain narcotics. There are bound to be side effects.”
“Make two types. One that has good effects even with side effects. And one that has minimal side effects even if the effects are less.”
“…Is that all I have to do?”
“There’s also research on mutants and variants. Oh, not research like the Ilwoo Group, where they turn humans into mutants and control them. I mean, literally researching mutants and variants. We need to know their weaknesses.”
Mutants and variants are evolving day by day. Eventually, there will be creatures that are difficult to kill with just guns and bombs. This is preparation for that time.
“You’re properly preparing for the future.”
“Of course, you have to prepare for the future to survive.”
I have to survive to bring things from this world into reality.
“…I understand. I’ll do as you wish. By the way, can I get a patient room for Jihee? A normal patient room won’t do. She might go wild due to the side effects of the drugs. And I also need a nurse to take care of Jihee.”
It seemed that Yu Seojeong had nothing but Kim Jihee in her mind. Her maternal love was outstanding. Ilwoo Group must have used this to hold Kim Jihee hostage.
“Yu Seojeong. Or should I call you Dr. Yu?”
“…The title of doctor is burdensome. I was originally a middle school teacher without a doctorate.”
“Then I’ll call you Teacher Yu. Teacher Yu. Do you know about my abilities?”
“Yes. The ability to manipulate electricity. And recently… I heard you have the ability to heal wounds.”
“Right. Something like that.”
I reached out my hand to her head. There was a bandage on her face and bruises around her eyes. It was the aftermath of being beaten by Jin Seonghwa.
I use recovery. The wounds on her face disappeared without a trace. Yu Seojeong’s eyes widened. Even without looking in a mirror, she knew she had recovered because the pain was gone.
“So that’s what your ability is. It’s amazing to experience it firsthand. There was a reason why the Ilwoo Group said they had to capture you alive.”
“Did such a story circulate in the Ilwoo Group?”
“Yes. I just overheard President Jin Seonghwa’s conversation. I’m grateful for your kindness.”
“Haven’t you noticed yet? With my abilities, I can also treat your daughter. I can return her to a clean state without drugs.”
“……Is that possible? Drug addiction isn’t an external injury?”
“I wouldn’t have brought it up if it were impossible.”
Yu Seojeong jumped up from her chair. And she knelt on the floor, clasping her hands together as if praying.
I curled up the corners of my mouth. That desperate expression and atmosphere. It was very familiar.
“P-please! Please heal Jihee! If you heal Jihee… I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything…!”
Desperate people.
Jeong Jin-gyo periodically sent people. Most of them were sick. They knelt before me and begged for their own treatment or for their family’s treatment.
Giving up all their assets? It was ridiculous. There was a man who scraped together not only his own assets but also his family’s to get his paralyzed arm treated.
Giving up their bodies? There were women who gave up not only their own bodies but also their sisters’ or friends’.
In severe cases, there were even those who gave up their own lives. Most of them were related to their families.
I was used to this, so I could tell.
Yu Seojeong was willing to give up her own life to save her daughter.
“Anything?”
“Yes, yes! I can do anything! If you tell me to do human experiments… I will!”
“There’s no need for that. You escaped because you didn’t want to do that, right? And Teacher Yu, try to be a little more composed.”
“……”
Yu Seojeong tightly closed her eyes.
Yu Seojeong is a bionic. A specialist in drugs. If it was Yu Seojeong, she would be able to treat Kim Jihee, who was addicted to drugs. Of course, it was impossible right away. Research doesn’t happen overnight. Moreover, Yu Seojeong had never made drugs. She had been researching the field of mutants until now.
There was one key point.
Could Kim Jihee survive until Yu Seojeong made the cure?
‘Kim Jihee is under special management by the Ilwoo Group. They wouldn’t have just left an important person to rot with drugs. It seems they’ve been managing her with the technology of another bionic… we don’t have that technology.’
In short, Kim Jihee could die in less than a month.
It was none of my business. I could revive her with recovery. I got up from my seat. Yu Seojeong was surprised and grabbed my pants leg.
“W-where are you going?”
“I’ll give you time. Think about it slowly. Someone like Teacher Yu should know. That ‘anything’ is much more cruel than you think. There’s nothing much to do today, so rest well.”
“What… what do you want from me?”
“A woman who can do anything for me. A capable woman who will kill if I tell her to, and spread her legs if I tell her to.”
“……”
I patted the speechless Yu Seojeong on the shoulder and left the lounge.
• • •
Yu Seojeong looked at Kim Jihee lying on the bed. Kim Jihee was asleep under the influence of sleeping pills while wearing a restraint suit.
It couldn’t be helped. If Kim Jihee woke up, she would go wild from the drugs. To avoid any possible situation, such as the worst-case scenario of self-harm, she had to be restrained. She couldn’t be forced to sleep with sleeping pills 24 hours a day. Besides, sleeping pills were harmful to the body.
“Jihee…”
Yu Seojeong’s hand stroked Kim Jihee’s body. It wasn’t the lively body of Kim Jihee. She was still beautiful because she was originally a pretty child, but her hair was dry and her skin was cracked.
The words of Seong Yujin came to Yu Seojeong’s mind.
Anything.
A slave who would kill if he told her to, and spread her legs if he told her to.
She had come here after leaving the secret research facility to escape her slave status, but her situation didn’t change even here.
No, it was better than the Daemado secret research facility. At least here, they didn’t inject drugs into Kim Jihee’s body.
Yu Seojeong pondered. She pondered and pondered again.
The first thing that came to mind was to run away and rely on the Korean government. Wouldn’t the government at least treat her like a human? There was a vague expectation. But she immediately erased that expectation.
In this world, it was hard to trust the government easily. Above all, it was difficult to escape from here with Kim Jihee. Even if it wasn’t on the level of the Daemado secret research facility, the security here was strict.
‘…I can understand being used like a slave. The power of bionics is that great. But to spread my legs? That means… he wants my body.’
Yu Seojeong knew herself well. She was an ajumma. Compared to young women, she had quite a few flaws. Her large breasts were sagging, and there was a lot of excess fat all over her body. As a single mother, it had been over 20 years since she had been with a man.
‘Does he have a taste for older women…? What if he’s disappointed when he sees my body?’
Yu Seojeong belatedly realized that she had already succumbed to him. She had no will left to resist. It was too hard for that. If she sacrificed herself, she could save Kim Jihee. The easy path was right in front of her.
‘Jihee, if you can recover and return to normal… your mom can do anything.’
Even if it meant becoming a sex slave to a man who was the same age as her daughter.
