NOVEL NEXT Chapter 231
Chapter 231. Attempt to Smuggle Dangerous Items (2)
Seoul Branch.
The Director’s Office area, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was modestly decorated with colored paper and dolls, as if to welcome my return.
“Dr. Kim, welcome back!”
It seemed like a joke, though.
Anyway, the staff from the Director’s Office had gathered. Administrator Lee sprinkled confetti on my head, and I brushed the paper off my bangs before sitting down in the Director’s Office.
“Congratulations on making it back alive!”
I nodded.
“Nothing major happened while I was gone, right?”
“Nothing major.”
Yeah, right.
I scratched my head.
“We prepared a celebration party. But, earlier, the Personnel Department Head was looking for you, Dr. Kim.”
What’s going on? I pondered for a moment. Why would the Personnel Department Head be looking for me?
Anyway, Administrator Lee placed a cake on the desk, accompanied by timid applause. Candles were lit on the cake, and I smiled slightly.
“Ah, thank you.”
Still, it’s a relief to be back to normal. For the time being, I can return to the relatively ordinary life of the Director at the Seoul Branch.
“Doctor…”
A Foundation employee knelt before me like a devotee meeting an angel. I scratched my head, unsure of the situation.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
“Dr. Kim Han-su.”
I couldn’t remember exactly who he was, but he must have worked in the Safe Artifact Management Department.
“Ah, please stand up. What’s the matter?”
“My daughter is sick.”
I nodded.
This happens occasionally. Foundation employees requesting treatment for their family or friends.
However, most patients receive treatment not much different from what’s available outside the Foundation. The Seoul Branch doesn’t have many therapeutic supernatural phenomena.
Anyway, let’s hear the request.
“And? Does she need treatment?”
“I want to treat my daughter using a supernatural phenomenon. I’ve ruled out other methods. I’ve already gotten permission from the Research Department Head, but…”
I only caught a few words from Dr. Kim, but it didn’t seem like a good idea. The fact that he got permission from the Research Department Head was particularly unsettling.
I don’t know who the Research Department Head is, but anyone who’s talked to Lee Se-ah for even a few minutes would know she’s not someone to entrust your family to.
“Alright, I understand… Please stop kneeling and let’s sit down and talk.”
I reached out and helped Dr. Kim, who was kneeling, to stand up.
So, this is why the Personnel Department Head was looking for me. Let’s hear what he wants.
Dr. Kim began speaking in a trembling voice. He mentioned his daughter was sick.
“My daughter is sick. She has intellectual disabilities and autism and can’t speak at all.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Kim didn’t look well. He continued, tears mixing with his words.
Dr. Kim’s daughter has been unable to communicate for a long time. He tried to give her Popo Serum, but he was caught.
I tilted my head.
“Um, I’ll say this carefully, but you don’t know the outcome, do you? I understand what you’re hoping for, but…”
“Yes.”
“It’s not hard to grant you permission, but I’m not sure if allowing this experiment is truly in the best interest of you and your daughter.”
“Yes…”
“Think about the people who’ve gone through this before. Most were special forces from both enemy and allied sides, maybe a scientist or two.”
It’s an uncomfortable conversation, but reality has to be stated clearly.
“Even if Popo Serum can cure diseases, there’s no reason to believe it can enhance an individual’s intellectual or physical level.”
“I know that.”
I sighed.
“I won’t be involved in whether you’re disciplined or not. That’s up to the Personnel Department. I’ll approve the treatment attempt, but…”
Dr. Kim flinched at my gaze.
“Honestly, I don’t think this experiment is the best for you or your daughter. I’m more curious about what might happen than anything else.”
“Yes.”
“Lastly, I’m sorry to say this, but if the experiment fails, your daughter could be executed or quarantined. You understand that, right?”
Still.
Emotionally, I understood why he was doing this and why he made this plan. Dr. Kim nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.
The decision was made.
Dr. Kim’s daughter was moved to one of the Foundation’s guest rooms. We gathered to design the experiment, and the Research Department Head wore a bitter smile.
Seated were the Research Department Head, me, a few researchers from the Humanoid Research Department, and some doctors. Most weren’t saying anything.
Something felt off. It couldn’t be helped. Maybe my bias against the Research Department Head was playing a role.
“We need to use the Pendant of Gluttony.”
Oh, just kill me.
Of course, that’s the Research Department Head talking.
“Following Dr. Kim’s plan, let’s try treating the child with the Pendant of Gluttony and Popo injections. The results might be good, right?”
Well.
It seemed more likely to turn into a mass of tentacles made of human flesh. That’s why everyone tried to stop Dr. Kim. Supernatural phenomena often worsen problems rather than solve them.
The meeting room continued the discussion. I sat and pondered.
For the first time in a while, a strange sense of fear swept through my mind. In this world, the truly terrifying thing isn’t the pendant that turns people into monsters by defying providence or the injections that allow contracts with demons.
It’s the tragic diseases, the exceptions to providence that offer false hope, and the desensitized commanders of the Seoul Branch who’ve seen too much tragedy and absurdity.
“The Pendant of Gluttony. It’s been retrieved, right?”
“Yes.”
“Dr. Kang, what do you think?”
One of the doctors from the Humanoid Research Department.
Dr. Kang looked into the void. The doctor staring at the ceiling had a very dark expression.
“I’ve been against this experiment from the start, and honestly, I still am. The Pendant of Gluttony… Everyone knows, right? If it were suitable for children with disabilities, it wouldn’t be called the Pendant of Gluttony. It’d be called something like the Cotton Candy Unicorn Pendant.”
“Yes.”
Dr. Kang was firmly opposed. I thought it might be worth trying, but I didn’t have high expectations for success.
“I’d prefer just using the Popo Serum. Honestly, I’m a bit suspicious that the Research Department Head and others are pushing this experiment as a way to punish Dr. Kim.”
Eyes turned to the Research Department Head.
Well. The Research Department Head shrugged.
“Um, no.”
I cut off the meeting room’s discussion.
It’s regrettable, but not all problems are decided by voting or discussion. Sometimes, experts are needed.
“Let’s respect the doctors’ opinions. Put aside the Pendant of Gluttony, and let’s just use the Popo Serum, which has no known side effects, and see the results.”
The Research Department Head nodded.
There were differences in opinion, but after coordination, the experiment method was decided. We’ll attempt to treat the child with Popo Serum.
[Supernatural Phenomenon O-1594]
[Pendant of Gluttony]
[It’s quite a dangerous supernatural phenomenon, but fortunately, as long as it’s kept in a safe, no problems arise. Do not approach.]
[The Pendant of Gluttony was discovered on a remote island in Korea. This supernatural phenomenon was held by a pastor of a church, who used it to treat the illnesses of his congregation.]
[The church’s congregation believed that if they held the Pendant of Gluttony while praying or receiving baptism for an hour, their illnesses would be cured.]
[It’s hard to take the islanders’ words at face value, but at least dozens of people seem to have cured various illnesses with this pendant.]
[However, if O-1594 fails to cure a patient, problems can arise.]
[First case.]
[This case is the reason O-1594 was discovered. One of the church’s congregation members snuck into the locked church, held the Pendant of Gluttony, and fell asleep.]
[The next morning, the pastor and his group arrived at the church and found the pendant and its user.]
[The congregation member who had fallen asleep holding the pendant had turned into a monster with human teeth, eyeballs, and tentacles tangled together, and was shot dead by local police.]
[The church abandoned the pendant, and the Foundation’s Seoul Branch retrieved it.]
[Second case.]
[A Foundation employee diagnosed with terminal lymphoma volunteered for an experiment using the Pendant of Gluttony.]
[P.S. The Seoul Branch denied the claim that the employee developed lymphoma due to exposure to hazardous elements during work but provided a large sum of money as consolation.]
[The employee attempted to use the pendant as the islanders did, receiving baptism from a Protestant pastor and holding the pendant for an hour.]
[The employee began to mutate into a grotesque form 50 minutes after contact with the supernatural phenomenon. The research team failed to retrieve the pendant or get any meaningful response from the mutant.]
[The mutant was shot dead.]
[After this incident, the Pendant of Gluttony was deemed unusable for any purpose. The pendant was encased in resin with a tracking device and locked in a transparent safe.]