August 14, 2014
Jang Cheol-dae lay on the surgical table, his face a mix of confusion and unease. “…This is safe, right? You’re not planning to kill me and harvest my organs, are you?” Gamamusa nodded, pulling out a wire from beside the table. “…As I said, this surgery will show you how I know about you and Kim Dae-hyun.” Gulp. Jang Cheol-dae closed his eyes, covering them with his hands, resigned to let Gamamusa proceed. “…Jung-pil, you’re doing this again? I’m sick of it.” Gamamusa turned. Ko A-young stood at the infirmary door, looking exasperated.
“When did you get here? No, don’t tell me—I need to focus.” Ko A-young smacked the back of his head. “…Hey, you’re seriously doing this surgery on everyone who shows up? Keep this up, and no one’ll join our ‘club.’” Jang Cheol-dae stared at her. “…Club? What club?” Ko A-young turned to him. “…It’s a thing. Jung-pil’s gathering people to form an organization.” Jang Cheol-dae gaped at Gamamusa, incredulous. “…What’s that supposed to mean? An organization? Like some gang?” Gamamusa shook his head. “…It’s not a mere gang. Think of it as… an armed political party, I suppose.” Jang Cheol-dae swallowed hard. “…And you’re planning to do this surgery on all your ‘party members’? This feels sketchy… what kind of surgery is it?”
Without a word, Gamamusa picked up a scalpel. Ko A-young sighed, grabbing an IV bag. “…It’s a brain surgery, amplifying dopamine production. Basically, it makes your brain produce methamphetamine. It helps our ‘members’ tackle tasks with zeal.” Jang Cheol-dae swallowed again, watching Gamamusa raise the scalpel. Ko A-young sighed. “…It wasn’t always about dopamine. Originally, it was for high-risk sociopaths like Song Jae-seob. He’s still in prison, so we’re waiting…” Jang Cheol-dae looked terrified. “…Who’s Song Jae-seob?” Ko A-young grinned. “…Just a guy. Sleep tight, and the surgery’ll be done.” She inserted a needle into his arm, connecting the IV. As the anesthetic flowed, Jang Cheol-dae’s eyes fluttered shut.
“…Hm?” Jang Cheol-dae woke on the bed, feeling as if he’d blinked and the surgery was over. “…What? It’s done already?” He looked around and saw Gamamusa sitting on a chair, grinning. It was now night, and the dim room felt eerie. “…You just gonna sit there? It’s creepy—cut it out.” Gamamusa’s grin widened as he approached. Jang Cheol-dae sat up, glaring. “…You said you’d show me. You promised to explain how you know about me, and I agreed to your shady experiment.” Gamamusa nodded. “…I did show you. I just erased the memory to avoid overloading your brain.”
Jang Cheol-dae shot him a suspicious look but relented. “…This reminds me of when we first met. You knew everything about me—my ties to Kim Sung-cheol, how I fell into poverty, and all the corrupt things I did for Kim Dae-hyun…” He hung his head. Gamamusa nodded. “…I didn’t learn about you and Kim Dae-hyun through investigations. I’m just a civilian with no access to that info. I know because of this surgery.” Jang Cheol-dae nodded slowly. Ko A-young entered, wearing pajamas. “Yawn… you’re awake, sir? Time to sleep.” Jang Cheol-dae nodded. Gamamusa smiled. “…Sleep here tonight, Prosecutor Jang. See you tomorrow.”
Gamamusa took Ko A-young’s hand, left the infirmary, and closed the door, his face turning serious. “…Our experiment failed again. At this rate, we’ll never perfect the surgery.” Ko A-young, irritated, shook off his hand. “What’s the plan? Song Jae-seob’s release is still far off.” Gamamusa nodded. “…There’s another high-risk sociopath. Not as extreme as Song Jae-seob, but it’ll do.” Ko A-young’s eyes widened. “…No way, you’re kidnapping Kim Dae-hyun?”
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