This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 170

Tears, which I had forced to hold back like a dam that had burst, showed no signs of stopping as time passed.

So, I became worried.

It was rare for the child to eat properly lately, and considering how weak they were, I couldn’t help but think what would happen if they ended up collapsing.

To prevent that from happening, I needed to find a way to stop the tears, and there was only one method: to bring Dogun face to face with them.

Of course, that might lead to even more tears flowing, but at least it would be better than just crying endlessly like now.

The problem was that I had no good means to contact Dogun.

After all, it was highly unlikely that Dogun had a mobile phone at this stage.

Thus, if I wanted to bring them face to face, I needed to find out where Dogun was.

In the midst of all this, the one saving grace was that it was pretty obvious where Dogun would be heading: the hospital.

Yes, they were definitely headed there.

With an arm that clearly showed signs of amateur treatment and scratches all over their body, it would be unavoidable to stop at the hospital for care.

Moreover, having just come back from such a place, their body would need stability in various ways, so they would likely seek out a hospital that could admit them for treatment.

Thus, if I focused my inquiries primarily on larger hospitals that had the capacity for admission, I might find out where Dogun had been admitted.

After obtaining permission from Yoonseo, who was silently crying to the point of breaking my heart, I picked up my mobile phone again and started calling around, all for that purpose.

And so began my search for Dogun in a vast sandbox.

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The taxi that was speeding with Dogun and Chae-rim came to a stop in front of a building that looked more like a home than a hospital.

Of course, it was quite large, so it couldn’t be dismissed as just an ordinary house.

Anyway, the fact was enough to leave Dogun, who had just gotten out of the taxi following Chae-rim, tilting his head in confusion.

That was understandable; first, he thought they were heading straight to the hospital to take care of his arm, but the place that popped up was entirely different from what he had anticipated.

Perhaps it was due to the absence of even a single common sign.

It felt just like looking at a well-built three-story house.

“…Let’s go in.”

However, that impression shifted abruptly as soon as we stepped inside the mansion following Chae-rim.

It had to change; there were far too many clearly experimental devices inside to consider this a typical household.

And the woman was sitting in between them.

Unlike the utterly chaotic surroundings, the woman maintained a clean appearance by herself.

Maybe that’s why it felt like I was witnessing something very out of the ordinary.

And this strange feeling was compounded by the dark circles under her eyes and her gaunt face.

“Hmm… What’s going on?”

As I observed the woman who seemed to be the owner of this place and Chae-rim alternately, I realized that Chae-rim didn’t seem very fond of this ‘Doctor.’

To be precise, it felt more like she was reluctant.

In contrast, the woman, referred to as the Doctor, seemed to not care at all whether Chae-rim liked her or not.

Interestingly, despite that, their conversation flowed smoothly.

“Did you want her to treat your arm?”

“Yeah.”

“What about the treatment fee?”

It was then that the bag in Chae-rim’s hand was thrown in front of the Doctor.

As soon as that bag was opened, a mechanical arm popped out from the unknown device next to the Doctor.

Before I could even process what had happened, the Doctor flashed a satisfied smile as she raised her lips.

Of course, this expression was quickly hidden behind the mug cup she brought in afterward.

Anyway, just as she seemed pleased for a brief moment, the Doctor casually set her mug down and turned her body.

“Alright, come in.”

And just like that, she disappeared into the room behind her.

Since she said to come in, I guess I should follow her inside.

To be honest, I hesitated a bit.

That was understandable since the impression I got from the Doctor just now felt rather unsettling.

Especially her gaze.

Everything else seemed proper, but her eyes looked half insane.

So I was hesitant, but at the same time, I couldn’t just refuse to go in there.

Considering that Chae-rim brought me here instead of a proper hospital, it must mean that she thought this was the best option for the situation.

And more importantly… If I didn’t do something about this arm quickly, moving on to ‘the next’ would be practically impossible.

“Is it alright if we go in?”

I asked Chae-rim that as I took a step forward.

“Yeah… Let’s go in together.”

So, as I entered the room where that Doctor was, what was presented to my eyes was surprisingly the scenery of a normal examination room.

“Sit down.”

The Doctor, who had already taken her seat, wasted no time with her actions.

“Arm.”

It felt as though she was declaring that she was a queen in this room.

No, it seemed more like she genuinely believed that.

Thanks to that, I became curious.

Just how extraordinary must her abilities be for her to act like this in front of Chae-rim?

Thus, I followed her instructions and laid my arm on the table, and that was when the Doctor began examining it thoroughly.

“Hmm, it’s not broken or cracked… and it’s not burned either?”

She poked and prodded my left arm, which was wrapped in a bandage.

“By the way, who the heck wrapped this bandage? It’s terribly done.”

Eventually, she remarked like that while picking up a small scalpel that was nearby, cutting through the bandage with a swift motion.

It happened so suddenly that I had no time to react, leaving me shocked and revolted.

What sent even more chills down my spine was that it seemed she cut only the bandage with precision.

Anyway, having disarmed my left arm, the Doctor finally glanced into the bag Chae-rim had given her and revealed her first real emotion.

“Now I understand why you came all the way here… it’s for this?”

That emotion was none other than interest.

A kind of curiosity one might typically show when looking at a rare specimen.

Feeling the chills running down my spine for a completely different reason this time—

“If you’ve already received payment for the treatment, then stop talking nonsense and treat it.”

Chae-rim, who had been silent since entering, finally intervened.

“Sure, sure.”

Even a person who acted oblivious couldn’t ignore a warning from someone like Chae-rim.

Just after that, her eyes, which had looked as if they were staring at a specimen, returned to normal.

“By the way, about the treatment… I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure if it’ll work…”

Was she really going to fail?

“Then let’s check it out. You never know! There might be a possibility it could be treated easily.”

Just as I was about to feel despondent, a series of tests began, utilizing all sorts of machines.

And Chae-rim observed the entire process.

Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to ask her for treatment, but was she worried about trusting this Doctor completely?

Regardless, a multitude of tests were conducted, and the conclusion presented by the Doctor was straightforward.

“Hmm… I can’t treat this. The mutation has completely occurred up to below the elbow. This isn’t something that can be treated just with talent.”

Treatment would be difficult.

“I think I can prevent further mutation from progressing.”

But at least, she felt confident she could prevent mutation.

That was her conclusion.

“Is there any way to do that?”

And that was the question that came right after.

To be honest, I was somewhat relieved if she could at least manage that.

“Really?”

So I nodded my head immediately, and upon confirming my answer, the Doctor’s expression changed completely.

“But it’s not as easy as it sounds, you know.”

She had a face as if she had captured a delightful meal.

That look suddenly appeared on the Doctor’s face.

Of course, Chae-rim did not remain silent.

“The treatment fee has been paid, right?”

She immediately cut in and warned the Doctor.

“Which means, it’s still not enough.”

However, the Doctor, who had previously chosen to step back, wasn’t going to give in this time.

“You just have to answer one thing, nothing more, nothing less.”

Perhaps she realized she had the upper hand.

Ignoring Chae-rim’s threat, the Doctor continued speaking and directed a question at me.

“You… how does a man have such talent?”

It was a question that left me utterly speechless.