PASSION Chapter 5 Part 12

Chapter 5 Part 12

Tae-ui could understand at least part of what Ilay meant by "welfare" when the medical Support Staff - whom he had thought was just someone dispensing medicine at the infirmary but turned out to be a properly licensed doctor - came in the evening.

The Support Staff grumbled "I hate coming here. Feels like sticking my head into a beast's cage" while entering through the iron bars, then felt around somewhere near the internal phone on the wall. Simultaneously, light illuminated the cell. Not the entire cell. A door attached to one corner was dimly glowing. Now he could see there was a nearly opaque translucent glass door there.

Though that faint light was enough to illuminate the dark cell for Tae-ui whose eyes had adjusted to darkness, the Support Staff apparently wasn't, as he opened that door while grumbling again "The facilities here are really ridiculous." Inside was a bathroom cum toilet. Though internally divided by partitions, they were made of glass so the partitions were meaningless.

"I really wonder... what that old man was thinking making it like this..."

Tae-ui muttered in disbelief. Then he glared at Ilay with displeased eyes. Since he had clearly seen Tae-ui struggling, feeling around the floor and bumping into things everywhere unable to see ahead, he could have said something. Or he could have turned on the light. Even if they couldn't illuminate the whole cell, just the bathroom light would have been enough to see around comfortably.

Ilay, who sat perched in the bathroom doorway, pretended not to know while wearing a face that showed he knew what Tae-ui was thinking. The bathroom light was white natural light. As his eyes adjusted to darkness met the light, it was so bright that Tae-ui sat in a corner less exposed to the bathroom light to let his eyes adjust.

After that he looked around. Naturally it looked emptier compared to the men's room where Tae-ui had been. Because there was no furniture like beds or wardrobes, only low tables and small storage cabinets. The bathroom was the same - though properly equipped with facilities, it lacked small items. However, in truth, it was quite excellent for a prison.

"Indeed, if this is what they call 'welfare,' I suppose one could say it's well done."

Though still far from the general meaning of welfare, at least the environment was good. Only necessities were provided, but what was provided was good quality with no inconvenience in use.

Tae-ui approached Ilay as his eyes adequately adjusted to the light. The Support Staff was examining the wound after unwrapping the bandage. Seeing the wound under the light, Tae-ui frowned. Though he had vaguely seen it in the dim light earlier, seeing it clearly under the light, this was severe. It looked like the skin had been repeatedly scraped shallow with a teaspoon. It was amazing it hadn't gotten infected.

"It's not easy for a person to move around normally like this..."

Tae-ui muttered with a sigh. The thought briefly crossed his mind that he might not really be human. Or even if human, he was clearly a completely different race from himself.

Hearing those words, the Support Staff nodded going "Mmm" in agreement, while Ilay showed a slight smile at his eyes.

"Well. In my view, you too could probably endure this much if the situation required it."

"Thanks for thinking highly of my endurance (though I actually saw you as beast-like), but I'm terrible with pain. Can't stand it. Plus no matter how I think about it, I don't see myself ever being in a situation where I need to do handstand push-ups while injured like this."

"What? He did that?!"

The Support Staff beside them shouted. Ilay turned his head without saying anything while the Support Staff lectured alone. Tae-ui thought this Support Staff was quite pitiful. In many ways, there probably weren't many patients who gave so little satisfaction in treating them. Plus what had he said earlier when coming in here? Hadn't he said it was like sticking his head in a beast's cage?

Though he must worry the beast might snap at his head with every word, seeing him lecture like that anyway, one couldn't say he didn't have considerable courage in his own way.

The treatment finished quickly. Actually before coming in here, what needed stitching had been stitched and what needed joining had been joined. What was needed was follow-up care, but this inhuman yet healthy man seemed to show no signs of infection. Hearing the Support Staff mutter "But his recovery is really fast..." while shaking his head in amazement, Tae-ui became confident in his thoughts. He had thought only this man's personality was disqualified as human, but his recovery, physical strength, health were all disqualified as human too.

He resented the old man again for putting him in the same room as someone who wasn't even human. As the Support Staff was about to leave saying he would go for now and return tomorrow, telling them to contact him through internal phone if anything happened, Tae-ui asked:

"By the way, when does the old man come here?"

"Which old man? There's more than one old man here."

"The old instructor who put me in here."

"Ah-. Unless he's coming to put someone in or take them out, he probably won't come much. The Officers handle everything inside instead. Didn't an Officer bring your meal earlier too?"

"He did. But... So you're saying I have to stay here with this inhuman guy until I get out?!"

Tae-ui grabbed the Support Staff's collar and shouted in a lowered voice. Though it would all be heard anyway in the not-so-large cell, he still felt a bit sorry to shout openly.

Though the Support Staff made a sympathetic face as if understanding Tae-ui's feelings, he just shook his head.

"What can you do? It's your fate. It's not even that long anyway. Bear with it. They say there are children raised on wolf's milk in the mountains."

Making an incomprehensible analogy while comforting Tae-ui, the Support Staff went out through the iron bars. The sight of him carefully locking the door again looked particularly annoying. As the Support Staff was about to leave saying see you tomorrow then, Tae-ui suddenly remembered and urgently gripped the bars to ask:

"Shin Lu!"

"Huh?"

"Shin Lu. Is he doing well?"

Though they might have different assignments, being Support Staff they would run into each other daily. Just as members got along with members, Support Staff were connected with Support Staff. Though the medical Support Staff before Tae-ui now said he stayed in the medical ward almost all day, he still saw Shin Lu once daily without fail at evening Support Staff meetings.

The Support Staff who was about to leave looked at Tae-ui with a complicated expression. Tae-ui flinched and looked back at him as if asking why he was looking at him that way.

"You met Shin Lu last night too. I saw him at yesterday's evening meeting, and haven't seen him yet today. You saw him more recently than me. Let me ask you instead. Is Shin Lu doing well?"

"..."

He was about to ask how he knew about meeting Shin Lu last night, but thinking about it, this Support Staff was in the room next to Shin Lu's. He might have heard sounds from the corridor. Last night's conversation... Thinking about what he might have heard from where, his face suddenly grew hot. But with good soundproofing he probably couldn't hear details. At most he could probably just distinguish voices.

"When I was trying to return to my room after bathing, you were standing there in the corridor so I couldn't go. Well anyway, hang in there. Tae-ui who wants to get out of here as soon as possible. Fighting."

The Support Staff encouraged Tae-ui with an expressionless face then turned to leave. Tae-ui could only watch him leave from the corner of his eye, frozen still gripping the iron bars.

Damn it. He heard everything. Yet pretending not to know, that man must have a hundred-year-old snake living in his belly too. Well, though he kept forgetting again and again, this was still a proper branch of a talent development organization. That man too would be worth a lot outside.

Tae-ui's perception of elites as a social minority had changed since coming here. Though he had held some admiration and expectations that they must be somehow extraordinary to be called elites, as such human aspects were revealed one after another, that admiration and expectation couldn't survive.

Tae-ui sighed and turned around. Then he flinched when his eyes met Ilay's, who was still sitting perched by the lit bathroom staring intently this way.

"Shin Lu. Seems things are going well with that cute young man."

Tae-ui frowned and closed his mouth. Instinctive wariness rose again. Though there was no need to be immediately wary since they were both locked in here, his nerves got slightly on edge when Shin Lu's name came from this man's mouth.

"Since I agreed not to interfere with you, you shouldn't concern yourself either. That's fair."

"I'm at too much of a disadvantage to use the word fair. When I get out of here joint training will already be over so I'll return straight to the European branch."

I see.

Tae-ui's expression softened slightly. It was something he knew but had forgotten. His words were right. Surely with Tae-ui himself stuck in here for ten days, there was no way he would be released earlier. If by any chance such a situation arose, Tae-ui had enough mind to go around meeting everyone from the Deputy Director General to instructors to protest, even if it would be practically useless.

Tae-ui nodded and muttered to himself:

"Right. Once you get out there's no reason for you to stay here anymore. With that beast-like recovery power your wound will heal quickly too, so you won't need to stay here longer to recuperate."

Hearing those words, Ilay gave a bitter smile.

"That's harsh. Treating a person like some wild beast."

"I don't recall treating you like some cute beast."

Tae-ui answered seriously to Ilay's complaint. He felt this man would definitely survive even if locked in a cage with beasts. Then if he got hungry he might beat the beasts to death barehanded and make raw meat from them.

Ilay smiled and tilted his head to the side once then said no more. After tapping the firmly wrapped bandage on his shoulder a couple times as if checking its condition, he stretched and stood up. Then he went to where a mattress seemed to serve as a bed, lay down at an angle and picked up a book placed on the table.

Looking around the interior that was quite dark for reading though the bathroom light shining out made distinguishing surroundings no problem, Tae-ui tilted his head. Even reading the title of the book he was holding wasn't easy.

"Reading like that will ruin your eyes."