Healer - Chapter 11.2

Then, the cell phone vibrated and shuddered around the desk. As he brought the phone to his ear, he heard a tearful voice.

― Why aren’t you answering the phone?

It was Cha Yiseok’s mother. He had the illusion that the strong smell of alcohol exhaled from his mother spread all the way here.

“Did you drink?”

― What else do I have to do at home besides drinking? I drank because I thought I would go crazy if I didn’t drink! I drank before I went crazy!

“That’s why I told you not to go to the meeting.”

― Do you think I don’t know that those guys try to please me with their words and their eyes are on me? Do you have any idea what they call me? Did you know that I see a driver more often than my son and husband? When the hell are you coming home?!

“I’ll check if I have time on the weekend and go.”

― You said that last week. And the week before too! Last month too! Are you leaving me here and laughing and chatting with each other? Like your sisters, will you come back after I die? Heuk… uh heuk… !

A shrill cry could be heard over the phone. His mother was born into a wealthy family, and she had perfect looks and education. She wanted the perfect child for her perfect husband. The children she produced were not the crystallization of the affection she had with her husband, but rather part of the future she had long dreamed of. But no one joined his mother’s utopia. Eventually, his mother began to crumble, and he lost everything, leaving only a bottle of wine in her hands.

— I won’t forgive you all! You want me to be stuck here like a rat?! I won’t let you go!

A hysterical voice cursed the family that had turned away and ridiculed her plight. The stinging pain of the knife pierced Cha Yiseok’s brain. As if his optic nerve had been pulled, he wrinkled one of his eyes.

“I’ll go there on the weekend when I have time. Put down the bottle and go straight to bed.”

He pressed his temples and turned off his phone. He took out a lighter. When he opened the bottom of the lighter, white powder was visible. He put the cocaine on the back of his hand and licked it with his tongue. He leaned his head back on the back of his chair and took a deep breath, savouring each grain on the tip of his tongue. A tingling sensation came up soon after. Furniture that had crossed the sea and the ceiling with lights were distorted in gray. Cocaine was a drug delicacy that had no end and was pleasantly hazy. It also helped relieve headaches, yet the white heaven was flat today.

Cha Yiseok sucked in some more powder. As time passed, the ecstasy seldom came. Suddenly, a strong hallucinogen pulled him. A concentrated hallucinogen that will let your instincts go wild for a moment and mess with your mind, even if it’s a cheap drug with a dirty back end that will stop this headache right now. Cha Yiseok picked up his cell phone. He moved his thumb up and down through his list of numbers. After a while the beep went off.

— Hello…

A clear tone of a boy came over. Cha Yiseok slumped down on his office chair with his open eyes.

“Did you think of me a lot?”

A faint laughter tickled Cha Yiseok’s ears. Then, a calmly refined voice was heard.

— What’s going on at this hour…

Cha Yiseok was uncharacteristically speechless. It was because the intense song grains of cheap drugs remained in every corner of his mouth. The reverberation did not go away no matter how much he washed it, and it burned his mouth. It’s because he hadn’t heard Cocaine sing for days. There was no other reason for this thirst. He tilted his head and closed his eyes.

“Sing a song.”

Yep, it’s simply because of the drug.

Cocaine sat across the bed and bit his lip in embarrassment. But the eyes that had just woken up were filled with excitement. He quickly erased his sweet expression and went into the bathroom.

Yaba pretended to be asleep and watched him. He pulled down the blanket that had covered the back of his nose and got up. Quieting his footsteps, he walked over to put his ear to the bathroom door. At that moment, he heard the sound of a door opening from inside. Yaba went into the futon at a lightning speed and closed his eyelids tightly. After the sound of a drawer opening and footsteps, the bathroom door closed again. Soon after, there was a faint sound of singing mixed with the sound of water.

Yaba bit his lip and stared at the bathroom. Who? Who made Cocaine look like that? Why did Cocaine go into the bathroom all of a sudden, and why was he singing over there? Yaba took off the blanket and walked to the desk.

The desk drawer was completely pulled out to make room. He put his arm inside it and pulled out a yellow envelope. The toilet was damp and unsuitable, so poison was moved here. As the work with Cha Yiseok proceeded, Yaba’s own work also had to proceed. No one skips morning prayer just because they are busy. Yaba poured poison into the water purifier generously.

After Yaba finished his ritual, he took a book and laid it on his stomach on the bed. He heard that Cocaine collapsed yesterday. The doctor could not find the cause; it was natural. The poison he created was based on material he had raked up over many years from specialized books, TV and movies. It would be absorbed by the body and slowly encroach on cells, and the cause could only be determined when the body dies and the stomach splits. It’s a mixture of several chemicals, so there’s no specific name to call it. He planned to use it when the opportunity arose. Meanwhile, the use of the scissors had not been decided yet.

About 30 minutes later, Cocaine came out. His cheeks were moist and flushed. The scent of fragrant shampoo also followed. Anyone could have smelled this scent even through the phone. Cocaine said, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. It was such a graceful gesture that even the unconscious actions were captivating.

“Are you awake already?”

“You’re making so much noise, did you not think I’d wake up?”

“Sorry. I slept without showering last night…”

Yaba turned over the book and smiled with the tip of his nose. He can deceive the Kang Giha who was almost omnipresent like a ghost, but he could not deceive Yaba. He kept looking at the phone in his trouser pocket. Yaba almost went crazy wanting to know what the first name on the call list was. Cocaine threw his towel into the laundry basket and asked.

“By the way, what are you doing these days? You haven’t been to work for a few days, so everyone was wondering. Who called for you?”

“Since when have you all been interested in me? Tell everyone to mind their own business.”

“Can’t I pay this much attention to the person I live with?”

“Just because we live together doesn’t mean you have to know everything.”

“Okay. Right.”

Cocaine muttered and asked with an unreadable expression.

“Perhaps… Is it related to Cha Yiseok?”

Yaba’s thoughts stopped. Cocaine wasn’t asking because he really didn’t know, it seemed like he wanted to confirm what he already knew. Even if he didn’t know the whole story, unless he’s an idiot, he’ll probably be able to guess. In a way, even Cocaine has a right to know. Yeah, he forgot for a moment. Because what Cha Yiseok wanted to protect was Cocaine. However, even if it was not for Kang Giha’s order of silence, Yaba did not intend to say a word.

“Do you want it to be related to Cha Yiseok? Or not?”

At Yaba’s question, Cocaine’s forehead deepened.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk.”

Cocaine spoke briefly, then walked to the water purifier and drank water. Yaba looked at it while chewing his lips.

“How long does it take to cure a cancer patient?”

Cocaine’s hand holding the glass of water stiffened at the sudden question. He looked at him with a stiff face.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because I’m curious.”

“Why… are you suddenly curious?”

“Then why are you curious why I’m wondering?”

“If I answer, tell me what you are doing these days then.”

This was the second time he asked the question. He wanted to know so bad his heart was burning up. There was no gain in answering questions easily. Yaba jumped out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

“If you don’t want to talk, forget it. After all, even if I know, it wouldn’t be useful to me. Do not turn off the heater.”

Cocaine’s gaze followed his ankle.

“… Depends on how the patient is.”

Yaba looked back with cold eyes. Cocaine continued his speech.

“The first phase is fully healed in a full moon, the second phase is a month, and the fourth phase is needed for at least two months. Cancer cells are fast and tough and multiply day by day.”

If that statement was true, there is a slim chance that Cha Myunghwan will live even if Cocaine’s ancestors came, much less Cocaine. Yaba thought that Cha Yiseok could be relieved.

“Is there anything like, if the person being healed doesn’t trust you, it won’t work?”

“The attitude of believing in the healer and accepting everything is definitely helpful for healing, but refusal doesn’t mean it won’t work. Just because you don’t trust the doctor doesn’t mean the surgery will fail. It’s similar to that. I think the voice definitely has a physical effect. Actually, I’m not in a position to say anything. Because I only heard basic information from the boss, and I came to a conclusion based on my experiences. I’ve heard of data collected by the boss’s father, but I’ve never seen it in person.”

Is that so? Yaba pretended to be indifferent and picked up Cocaine’s words and stored it in a remote place in his groin. And he asked.

“What do you usually think about when you sing?”

Cocaine’s expression turned strange. In the past, he was bragging about singing, but today there was a series of reactions that weren’t even funny.

“… Of course that I want to heal the patient.”

“Don’t be so boring.”

“I’m sorry for being boring, but that’s the most basic and important thing. Can you run without taking a step? For a healer, the mindset to heal someone who is in pain is the first step. The patient’s heart is also important. If they believe in me and accept me, the healing effect will be multiplied.”

As a child, Cocaine was afraid of singing, and he rejected the madmen who worshipped him. Ten years later, he has reigned supreme over foolish madmen and has even gained the space to sympathise with them. It seemed to be a measure of his self-esteem whether he could now heal the patient or not. Cha Yiseok said that he had frequent headaches. Until recently, he was listening to Cocaine’s song every day, and it was curious why he wasn’t getting better. And why Yaba himself was also like that. He really didn’t know.

“Has it failed with anyone so far? Those who trusted you but eventually died.”

“No. Except for the situation where it was too late and I couldn’t do anything. But recently, there’s a person it doesn’t work on. It’s not that he has a physical illness, but… Maybe it’s because I’m still lacking. Perhaps what is more difficult than cancer patients are those who need psychological healing.”

Cocaine raised his straight gaze.

“But he wants me to treat him. I will definitely do that.”

If there was hydrochloric acid, those eyes were so annoying that Yaba wanted to splash it.