episode_0140

A calm confession that he was entangled with the zombie outbreak.

At that one statement, the air inside the lounge grew heavy.

Accordingly, I was momentarily speechless.

‘Like this, all of a sudden?’

My eyes merely blinked at the sudden, full-throttle acceleration that began without warning.

“U-Uncle? What on earth do you mean by that?”

“…Exactly what you heard.”

In response to Jang Heeyeon Teacher-nim’s surprised question, Director Jang calmly reconfirmed the fact.

“Does that mean directly? Or indirectly?”

“…Please listen and judge that for yourselves.”

Seeing Director Jang slowly begin to speak, I closed my mouth.

The veteran doctor before me had eyes that seemed to have let go of everything.

Seeing that, I could vaguely sense it.

This person wasn’t lying now.

Though it was sudden, Director Jang’s infinitely serious and composed demeanor made me also listen seriously, and the story began.

“Where should I begin…?”

Director Jang hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth as if confessing.

“First… two years ago. I completed a paper. It was a methodology for raising the survival rate of severely ill cancer patients. It wasn’t a direct treatment, but theoretically, it materialized a hypothesis that could reduce the state of late-stage cancer patients to a mid-stage.”

‘Suddenly, cancer…?’

The talk of reviving near-death cancer patients to a certain extent was quite enough to pique a deep interest.

So, although a random topic suddenly emerged, I remained silent for now.

“It was a study that fulfilled all my duties as a doctor who has dealt with cancer for a long time, I suppose. The content, slowly refined as if sculpting over time, was completed to the point where it could be implemented with current technology, and we even partially succeeded.”

“…Did you experiment on people too?”

“No. We couldn’t conduct experiments on living organisms. It’s not something that can be done easily either. It merely elevated chemical reactions to a significant level.”

“So that’s why you said ‘theoretically’.”

Director Jang nodded at my affirmation.

“I only completed it, but didn’t publish it. There were many practical problems, and the risk of the research being stolen was high if I published it recklessly. So I kept silent and told no one.”

“……”

“……Except for one person.”

“Who was that?”

“…Dr. Kim Seokwoo.”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name.

I had no reason to encounter such highly educated individuals like doctors, nor did I have any interest.

But it seemed others weren’t the same.

“Seokwoo Uncle?”

“Are you talking about Dr. Kim Seokwoo? *That* Dr. Kim Seokwoo?”

I couldn’t help but ask at Hyung’s slightly surprised reaction.

“Who is he?”

“What? You don’t know Dr. Kim Seokwoo?”

“No, why would I know a doctor? I don’t even know idol groups well.”

“……”

“Hyung. Don’t give me that look. It hurts.”

But everyone else in the lounge, except for Dong-woo and Incheol, merely looked at me with cold, disappointed eyes.

I felt a little unjustly accused.

A person can be ignorant sometimes.

“He is a doctor with a global reputation in cancer. In surgery and research, he literally possesses genius-level skills. He is also my long-time close friend.”

“…That’s…”

‘Wait… Kim Seokwoo?’

The name felt strangely familiar.

It was a name that sounded familiar, even though he was completely unrelated to me.

I narrowed my eyes at the tickling, almost-there feeling in my memory.

‘Where did I hear that? Kim Seokwoo… Kim Seokwoo…’

“He’s a famous friend in the industry, but not everyone knows him.”

“No, but still, Dr. Kim Seokwoo…”

“…Are you referring to the person who was in a lawsuit with Taesung Pharmaceuticals?”

Director Jang’s eyes widened at my sudden interjection.

“You know about that.”

“I just happened to hear it on the radio on my way to work. They said he was a globally renowned authority.”

“That’s right. I’m talking about that Kim Seokwoo.”

“What about him?”

“Since you even know about that lawsuit, it’ll be easier to explain. The basis of that lawsuit is my paper.”

“…Is that related?”

Director Jang heavily nodded at my question.

The story felt like it was veering off into Samcheonpo [an idiom for getting off topic].

A paper, research, and a lawsuit, of all things…

“During the research, I, as a researcher, sought advice from him. When he checked my paper, he made a huge fuss.”

Director Jang’s face showed a faint smile and a pleased expression, as if recalling that time.

“He helped me as if it were his own work, with fire in his eyes. Thanks to him, the research could be completed with a high degree of perfection, and I wanted to list him as a co-author out of gratitude.”

Up to this point, it sounded like a passionate and beautiful research diary of two doctors.

It was romanticized to the point where it could even be used as material for a medical drama.

That was exactly how it seemed up to this point.

“Problems arose during the clinical trial phase to prove its practicality. Taesung caught wind of it.”

“…Money?”

“It wasn’t just about money; there was a high possibility it could turn the medical world upside down. Similar attempts weren’t unheard of globally, but we were the first to raise it to a practical level. Feeling great potential there, Taesung strongly intervened.”

“……”

No matter how much money is valued and how much corporations pursue profit, my experience tells me that there’s no difference between a large corporation and a crappy small company when they can’t distinguish where to interfere.

“At first, both he and I opposed it. We wanted to complete the research with our own hands. There was also a strong desire to maintain its purity. Then, pressure slowly began to come in.”

“Pressure?”

Jihyeok Hyung, who had been listening quietly, unconsciously asked back.

Looking at his eyes, he was infinitely serious.

“It’s a common story. Like large corporations seizing ideas from small and medium-sized enterprises or buying them for a pittance. It wasn’t quite that extreme, but unfair things gradually increased. As I was just the director of a private hospital, I suffered less, but Kim Seokwoo… he struggled immensely.”

He spoke calmly, but his expression was not good.

Dirty, underhanded tactics that were tantamount to tyranny drive people crazy.

Having experienced it myself, I could empathize quite a bit.

Director Jang took a puff from his cigarette and slowly continued.

“But not long after, Kim Seokwoo began to persuade me. To accept Taesung’s support.”

After saying that, Director Jang quickly added a hasty addendum, as if making an excuse.

“It wasn’t about greed like money or fame. He simply ran out of time.”

“Time… you mean?”

“Both Kim Seokwoo and I lost loved ones to cancer. He was a friend who could empathize with and understand the pain of loss. Kim Seokwoo had a young granddaughter. That child… she was very sick.”

“A child…?”

“…Blood cancer. Although it’s originally classified as a rare cancer, it was a slightly more difficult case. She was originally being treated smoothly, but suddenly her condition worsened.”

They say there’s no one in the world without a story, but it was coincidental.

Two highly renowned experts in the medical field lost loved ones to cancer and were struggling.

I couldn’t fully empathize with the pain of losing family, but somewhat…

“So you joined hands with Taesung?”

“…Because he was that desperate, and time was running out. There was a reason to succeed in clinical trials as quickly as possible, even by a day. I don’t want to admit it, but our needs simply aligned.”

“So, did you succeed?”

“After that, they started playing tricks to intentionally separate me. I also tried to push back, but Kim Seokwoo stopped me, asking me to trust him, so I stepped back and waited. Frankly, I wondered if a private individual could even make a large corporation flinch…”

At Director Jang’s somewhat lamenting words, Hyung got slightly agitated.

He seemed to be empathizing…

“No, Director Jang, you are also a recognized expert in this country…”

“That just means Taesung’s power is immense. And because more people than expected became entangled in that project due to intertwined interests…”

“How do you know such things, Director-nim?”

“Before I was a hospital director, I was a doctor who worked at the National Cancer Center. There were many things I saw and heard, consciously and unconsciously, so I knew them even if I didn’t want to.”

Was it like life’s experience points?

Doctors who handle lives are indeed in a sacred profession, but I feel like places where people live are all pretty much the same.

“After that, our contact mostly ceased. Then, seven months ago, I received a call. It was a call from my friend, seeking advice.”

‘Seven months ago?’

The zombie outbreak occurred approximately three months ago.

“At that time, he asked for my opinion on a patient and requested my visit. I didn’t like Taesung, but there was a patient who needed help, and it was a friend’s request, so I went.”

“……”

“So I went all the way to Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.”

“…Gangwon Province…”

The mention of Gangwon Province bothered me.

I remembered someone who had rejuvenated and then died by my hand there before.

“It was a research center in a secluded place with no human presence, so it was suspicious, but I didn’t pay much attention. It wasn’t my concern. But the patient I encountered there was no ordinary patient.”

Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat for a moment, Director Jang cautiously continued, his eyes serious and subdued.

“It was a symptom I had never seen before. Although clearly alive, the vital signs were not those of a living person.”

“……”

“To explain it simply, the symptom itself was identical to that of late-stage cancer. The problem was that there were absolutely no cancer cells. It was medically inexplicable, but it felt as if vitality was draining from a living body. Yet, it showed a mysterious phenomenon where its physical abilities were maintained. But the body was rapidly deteriorating.”

“That…”

I almost interrupted him, having a sudden thought.

I closed my mouth and listened to Director Jang’s words.

It was still time to listen.

“At the time, I was bewildered by this incomprehensible phenomenon… but he consulted me on whether our theory would work on that patient.”

“So you gave him advice?”

“No. I couldn’t say anything. It was clearly not at the level of disease research or clinical trials. Although it resembled late-stage cancer symptoms, whether our research would be effective was unknown. As I couldn’t gauge what problems it might cause, I tried to stop my friend. I tried to persuade him that this wasn’t an area we could touch, but…”

“He didn’t listen.”

“At my negative opinion, he didn’t look back and sent me away. As a friend, it’s hard to say this, but… Kim Seokwoo seemed out of his mind at that time. He felt like someone being chased by something. After that, Taesung forced me to keep silent about everything.”

“Not threatened?”

They were the kind of companies you wrote as ‘large corporations’ but read as ‘gangster corporations’.

I didn’t think they were the type to just politely ‘force’ someone.

Director Jang smiled bitterly at my blunt remark.

“Honestly, erasing me from the world would have been nothing to them. I still don’t understand why they’re keeping me alive and trying to take me. From their perspective, it would be easier to eliminate me amidst the chaos, me who they disliked.”

“That seems too far-fetched a thought. Perhaps they lacked researchers?”

“That could be true. The theory itself is quite difficult. If it weren’t for Kim Seokwoo, commercialization would be a distant dream.”

“…Commercialization, you mean?”

“Proving its practicality and successfully commercializing it are entirely different matters. It’s not an easy problem, and the research itself is of a difficulty that cannot be easily approached.”

“Oh…”

“It’s awkward to say this myself, but I pride myself on being quite skilled, yet I can confidently say that Kim Seokwoo is a genius among geniuses.”

At this point, Director Jang, speaking with his shoulders back and with confidence, looked remarkably assured. But that was only for a moment; soon, his expression subsided again.

“…I don’t know what happened, but it’s correct to assume the research failed. I don’t know what Taesung was trying to do, but that too must have failed.”

“…I understand what you’re saying, Director-nim, but what does that research have to do with the current outbreak? You said that research was for cancer treatment.”

He was explaining passionately, but the main point hadn’t emerged.

Just listening to this, there seemed to be no connection between Director Jang’s research, Taesung, and the zombies.

At my question, Director Jang remained silent for a moment.

Seeing his complex expression, he seemed to hesitate to speak.

“……”

“If you don’t tell me what the connection is, I won’t know. The explanation was long, but the main point hasn’t emerged.”

At my remark, Director Jang opened his mouth after several hesitations.

“…Did you happen to see the zombified corpses tied up in the gangsters’ hideout?”

“I remember. The wealthy man who was said to be the local influential figure, and two guys in suits.”

“When the outbreak occurred and doctors were dragged away, I was forced to treat his son. So I had no choice but to try, but it was impossible.”

“Because he had already turned into a zombie?”

Director Jang nodded slightly.

Treating zombies, he said.

If successful, it would certainly be an achievement of the century that would be eternally etched in history.

“The crazed man insisted stubbornly. I was even threatened with my life, so I had to at least pretend to treat him. But…”

Director Jang hesitated for a moment, then soon recalled the time in a clear voice.

“…I did a simple blood test and tissue biopsy, and I found something familiar in the results.”

“Familiar?”

“The empirical results of the theory we had completed appeared.”

“……”

“Although it was heavily modified, the basic framework was maintained, so I could recognize it immediately. I couldn’t believe it…. I couldn’t understand why our research results appeared in such not-quite-corpses…”

Director Jang seemed unaware that complex, even confused, emotions were clearly visible on his face.

His voice even began to tremble slightly, but he didn’t stop speaking.

“I couldn’t collect myself. Even amidst all that, the father of the zombified son and the people who claimed to be from Taesung forced me to immediately investigate the zombies.”

“…So you dissected them…?”

“…That wasn’t what I wanted…. The man in charge at the time ordered his subordinates to bring zombies. But then, two of the people who came from Taesung got bitten. So…”

“……”

“I refused, but they held a knife to my throat, so I had no choice. So I followed, followed their orders…”

‘With a knife at my throat, dissecting zombies was unavoidable.’

If I had been Director Jang, I might have dissected them with all my heart and soul.

If I were ordered to do that now, I would have dissected the ones who ordered me.

“I mobilized everything I could in that lacking environment. As a result… I had no choice but to admit it. That our research was integrated into the zombies’ bodies.”

“So… you think it’s related to the zombies because of that?”

“…I learned more while investigating the zombified corpses.”

“What is it?”

“That patient I saw in Gangwon Province. His symptoms were identical.”

“…Is that true?”

“I can’t forget those mysterious symptoms. One of the two people in suits, although it wasn’t a fatal wound, began to die rapidly. The symptoms at that time were completely the same.”

“And then?”

“…I only have theories as I didn’t see the end of that patient, but I assume he died in a short period of time.”

“……”

A scene flashed through my mind.

There was bleeding, but not enough to be fatal.

The scene where black veins spread from the bitten area, slowly killing him.

To say the body collapses is an expression no different from dying in agony.

It’s a bit of a stretch, but I could at least compare it somewhat closely.

If, as Director Jang said, that patient in Gangwon Province was the starting point of the zombie outbreak…

“A bitten patient dies and transforms into a zombie after a short time. There are individual differences, but…”

“Between 10 and 13 seconds.”

“!!”

Director Jang was startled by my sudden interjection.

And the same was true for the people nearby.

Feeling all eyes turn to me in surprise, I continued Director Jang’s words.

“…I’ve seen the transformation process a few times.”

“I-I see.”

Yes, if it’s this person, it might really be true…

Director Jang, who had been looking at me with such eyes, cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Originally, the body should have deteriorated and collapsed, but when they turned into zombies, that wasn’t the case. Rather, they showed abilities beyond that. They displayed physical abilities exceeding those of a healthy adult male. Like monsters that felt no pain and lost their reason…”

“You said the first patient you saw showed signs of bodily deterioration, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even when they become zombies, there are parts that get damaged.”

I tapped my head with my index finger.

“The brain.”

“…Exactly.”

“It changes as if it melts away. In just about ten seconds.”

Director Jang’s eyes shot open at my words.

“How did you confirm that?”

“I happened to find out when they rushed at me right after they died and transformed.”

“Huh…”

“So… what’s the conclusion?”

“Our research is a theory that reduces late-stage cancer to a mid-stage. This content focuses on maximizing the human body’s regenerative power. Although the cause is unknown, this content is being found in zombies. Though it’s significantly altered.”

“……”

Even with Director Jang’s explanation, I didn’t easily understand.

As I gently scratched the back of my head, Director Jang spoke as if spitting it out from his gut.

“Don’t you understand? It means our research basically provided the zombies with their bodies.”

That one sentence immediately made it clear.