Chapter 56: Inside Out (3)

Chapter 56: Inside Out (3)

Shuffle

The two widened their distance from Gyosu.

Youre insane?

I! Wording!

What? Im right! A mental illness means youre insane. Am I wrong?

Gyosu laughed bitterly at Ians response. He wasnt wrong. There was a voice in his head, and that voice sometimes even controlled his body. It was basically a multiple personality disorder.

There was a post on the Community. They said nobody in the Wasteland stayed sane, so you could only hope to go insane well.

He wasnt sure, but he thought that a multiple personality disorder that had this strong of an alternate personality didnt fit in the well section.

Oh yeah, you guys are still using those code names.

Hmm? Ohh, that? As you said, weve become pretty well known after what happened in Area 45.

Hepburn, me, and I. Weve become pretty famous. Its been helping out with the business, so weve been using it.

Dont we have a bounty on those names?

Yep, there were a bunch of flies that came to us once we started using those names. We made a nice penny out of them too. The ones that are all talk are usually the ones with nicer guns.

Area 43 is infamous for its fights. Not even the Raptors usually come here. Those guys have a lot of enemies, so theyll need to fight all day just to try and get in.

Hmm. Theyve gained fame? That helps their business out?

Gyosu looked around, thinking how much fame three people could even gain, but he could see the people around the three of them whispering and pointing.

Hey, thats. V and I, right?

A big guy with a metal case and an old man Im certain theyre the spice merchants.

And the one in front of them, they called him Hepburn.

Its them. The Tyrants of Area 45, HIV!

Why are the big guns even in these ghettos..?

Murmur. Murmur.

Whisper! whisper!

Their responses were stronger than he expected. It wasnt a bad feeling. Being famous in the Wasteland meant you were a target, but it also made it easier to arrange trades and call people in when needed. It also filtered out the untrustworthy, so it was nice. It was nice and all, but

Why are they calling us that? HIV (human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS) is such a s****y name!

Why? I think its fine. You die for sure once youve encountered it. Mhm, isnt it menacing?

Hepburn, the people in the Community were the ones that made that nickname. We dont really have a way to stop it.

Still, being called Team HIV, my first-ever nickname in the Wasteland is an STD!

As Gyosu muttered to himself with his hands on his head, Ian, who was laughing at him, opened his mouth.

So, what exactly happened that made you go insane, and in what way? You were fine last time we saw you.

Hmm. It sounded like they were walking around the question. After all, he asked.

So. A small problem happened while I was playing a game..

Oh.

Ooh.

The second the word game came out of Gyosus mouth, both Ian and Vex looked solemn. What? Why are they acting like this?

A game, you say you mean that thing.

H-Hepburn! Its okay! Theres no good or bad job I think its all good as long as youre trying your hardest!

Oh, what? You guys saw my playthrough? How was it? Was it fun?

Whoosh

When Gyosu replied with a bright tone in response to a familiar topic, the two became even more anxious, taking even more care in choosing the next words they wanted to say.

What? Why are they so solemn? They must have really watched it. But why are they so serious?

Uh um..

It was very avant-garde ahem! It wasnt bad. But if youre going crazy because of it, I personally recommend that you quit.

Looking at their reactions, they must have seen a boring part.

Ignoring the twos desperate attempts to comfort him, Gyosu continued on with the explanation of his symptoms.

Mad doctor.

A thin and frail old man wearing a white gown splattered with blood. He had a habit of making weird snickering sounds, and the scalpel was basically his extended arm. And he even sometimes licked the blade like some cliched villain. I had asked him last time why he licked the knife, and he responded that it was because he was lacking iron due to his age. This man was also definitely crazy. You have mountains of iron supplements in this hospital of yours. Why would you need to lick the knife?

But unlike his weird personality, the old man certainly had skill.

Its been a while, sir.

Right, and who are youhmm? You called him Hepburn. That was you, Gyosu Park?

Well, things turned out that way.

Keheheh, those Raptor bastards are out of their game now. Getting beaten up by these little kids. So the ones that you moved with must be those idiots behind you.

Iz been a while, Old Man.

A while, my ass. Youve been here two days ago.

I cant help it. My work and that idiot made me.

As Gyosu watched Old Man Woojin stroke his beard as he talked with the two, he sat down on the chair in front of him as if he had done this countless times before.

Oi, you two in the back! Theres an emergency in the back, so do the cleaning and wrapping on your own. You know how it works, right?

Damn, are you even a doctor? How could you treat a patient that paid money to be here?

You guys know what to do as long as something isnt broken. The moneys for the cost of those medicines. Im busy, so get going! If you get stuck, just cut it and put it back to how it was!

That crazy old man..

Vex and Ian grumbled as they took out the bandages, disinfectant, and fishing hook-like surgical needles that they needed and started to treat their wounds.

That Metal Jaw guy is a regular, so he knows what to do. That small guy next to him looked like he knew the basics too. Now then, its time to start the treatment for our Gyosu Park over here.. Seeing that I cant smell blood, it doesnt look like a wound. Is it this, I presume?

Woojin pointed his thin finger towards his head and tapped lightly. Gyosu smiled bitterly and shook his head.

That problem somehow solved itself. Im here for something else today.

Eh? Really? That got cured? Oi, Gyosu Park. You know lying to get through treatment wont do you any good, right? You really got over that trauma?

Woojin spoke with great enthusiasm in his eyes as he stared at Gyosu.

Hmm. Lets make sure of it, then. Okay, say mother. Mom.

.Do I really need to do that? Im still a little. uncomfortable.

Theres a big difference between whats in your head and saying it out loud. Just do it this one time. Say mom.

Fuck m. mom.

Mother. Even saying that one word aloud made my heart ache. But it only hurt this time, and I didnt black out from a panic attack or relive the memories of that day. I accepted that all of that was a part of my past that I needed to take responsibility for.

The old man smiled as he looked at me.

Not bad, kiddo. You really overcame your memories of that day. Im proud of you! Youre all grown up now! Keheheheheh! To see someone actually get completely cured in this hospital, I should throw a party!

We have known each other for quite a long time. When I broke my arm once while I was living alone, I came here only for Old Man Woojin to notice the state I was in right away, and since then, I have been persuaded into taking antidepressants and getting therapy. He was the only person that knew about my trauma as well as my own self.

After smiling happily for a while, Woojin spoke up with a slightly elevated tone, a smile still lingering on his face.

So this must be the end of those quarterly visits of yours. So, whats the reason for todays visit? Is it a goodbye and thank you for what I did?

Do I look that crazy? To travel through the Wasteland just to say hello to an old man. As I said, I got a new mental disease recently, so Ive come to ask for some advice.

Ah, right. You said you got a new mental disease in the process of overcoming that trauma? Its okay. Its probably nothing compared to the one before. Its normal to have one or two of those living here. So, lets hear the symptoms youre having.

Gyosu could feel himself calm down as Woojin talked to him with a gentle tone and warm smile.

I think I got possessed playing the gam

Crasshh!

You motherfucker! I told you not to play that game!!!

In an instant, Woojins face changed from a warm grandfathers to an angry gods as he jumped over the table and grabbed Gyosu by the collar. Ian, who was watching everything happen, shrank into a corner as much as possible, and Vex was completely out of sight.

Woojin huffed like a furious beast as he pulled on Gyosus shirt.

You better tell me every, single, little, detail that happened, or else.

To Woojins rumbling threat, a scared voice peeped up from inside Gyosus head.

[V-Vessel. This old man is scaring me]

Me too.

There was a reason why the treatment room didnt have a single turret inside it.

This old man is a hundred times scarier than those little automatic turrets.

There werent many people capable of dodging the knife of the legendary mercenary that worked in this room, who was nicknamed D(eath) R(eaper) Woojin in the past. If they wanted to walk out alive, they needed to stay obedient.