Chapter 106: Henry (2)

‘Not bad.’

After drinking one or two more beers, Suhyuk returned to his dormitory room. The assigned guest room was quite spacious compared to others located within Chicago’s city limits where it might only fit a bed. Perhaps due to its location on the outskirts of the city, it even had a terrace.

[ASMR…]

Suhyuk leaned slightly against the terrace railing and gazed outside. Taking in the nighttime view of Chicago, he finally felt like he was truly in the United States, as Iowa seemed more akin to the countryside than a bustling American city.

[Stop wandering off-topic. Think about Henry.]

‘Why bother thinking about someone whose face I don’t know?’

[Although I don’t know their faces, I have gathered quite a bit of information, right?]

‘Yes, that’s what worries me. I think I asked too many questions.’

[Don’t worry; they were all drunk. Tomorrow, almost half of them won’t remember our conversations.]

‘Hmm.’

Suhyuk nodded instead of expressing his doubts about Baruda’s statement. He observed that the research institute employees had gone beyond moderate drinking and were heavily intoxicated. Despite being elite members of Pfizer, based on their alcohol consumption, it seemed like they were living for the moment with no thought for tomorrow.

[Stop worrying about unnecessary things and focus on Henry.]

‘Wait. I also drank tonight. I need time to process everything.’

[Ah, no wonder my data analysis wasn’t going smoothly.]

‘Why not sleep on it and think about it tomorrow?’

Everyone who drank with him ended up drunk, regardless of whether Suhyuk used his leg as an excuse to limit their intake or not. The alcohol was too potent, making fatigue inevitable.

[That is unacceptable.]

Baruda’s response was very firm, almost absurdly so.

‘What? Why not? I’m feeling all these emotions…I feel dizzy right now.’

Thus, Suhyuk appealed to his discomfort.

[It is still unacceptable.]

‘Why?!’

[My memory isn’t good… No, my memories don’t last long… If you fall asleep now… Nothing will remain. You must at least revisit your thoughts once.]

‘Haaah…’

Suhyuk wanted to counter her argument, but she wasn’t entirely wrong. He just sighed.

‘In movies, if there is an alien like you inside someone’s body, it automatically detoxifies them. Can’t you do that? Hmm? Adjust my body a bit.’

[If it were possible…I would love to?]

For some reason, he thought of a movie where aliens took over bodies.

‘No, wow, this gives me chills.’

[Lets work together then. Don’t rely solely on me.]

‘Sigh…’

Thus, Suhyuk exhaled deeply and breathed in fresh air. Despite feeling somewhat refreshed, it still required time to fully wake up.

[To summarize, Henry is a 52-year-old male.]

‘A white male. Divorced and no children. Living alone.’

[He doesn’t drink alcohol, and there is no record of any relationships.]

‘What a mess?’

Henry appeared to be lonely and isolated. According to Susan, he came to the research institute daily like a workaholic. Initially, Suhyuk thought his negative feelings towards his boss might have influenced this behavior, but upon further analysis, Henry seemed genuinely peculiar.

‘Didn’t they say nothing was found during his health checkup? But how do you know this information?’

[Susan mentioned that she accidentally saw his health inspection report delivered to the research lab.]

‘It doesn’t seem accidental… Anyway, it’s good to know, right?’]

[Yes. Since nothing was detected in his blood tests, it indicates he has no chronic illnesses.]

‘Then… Could it be a psychiatric disorder? ASMR… I’ve never seen someone play such sounds through speakers.’

‘Have you read any research papers related to ASMR?’

‘Research papers, huh?’

Suhyuk recalled having to read numerous research papers due to Baruda. Recently, there were several articles about ASMR as it had become quite popular. Honestly, they barely qualified as research papers. Most involved surveys with only around ten participants at most.

[Indeed, there hasn’t been any formal research from psychiatrists on this topic.]

‘Of course not. It’s challenging to approach ASMR academically.’

Nevertheless, there were several papers concluding that ASMR has a calming psychological effect.

Of course, it was convenient to call them research papers, but they were mostly opinions from experts. In any case, Suhyuk saw many problems with their conclusions. For this theory to hold true, everyone should have shown the same reaction to identical stimuli. However, according to the reports, some people responded to the sound of tearing paper, while others reacted to rainfall sounds; almost every individual had different triggers.

[By the way… Based on Susan’s account, Henry doesn’t seem to listen to just one type of ASMR.]

‘Ah, right. He listens without being selective.’

[Then perhaps he isn’t seeking stability solely through ASMR itself?]

‘Then why play it? Is he crazy?’

[I find that puzzling.]

‘Isn’t this enough for now? I’ll see him tomorrow and discuss it then.’

[Hm… Understood.]

Baruda agreed with Suhyuk’s opinion as he sensed Suhyuk’s blood vessels gradually dilating. With the concentration of acetaldehyde already too high in his bloodstream, continuing the conversation would be futile.

“He is approaching.”

The next day, after soothing his stomach with tomato soup from the first-floor cafeteria, Suhyuk headed to the research institute at the appointed time of 10 am. He spotted an unapproachable-looking middle-aged white man walking towards him.

‘That must be Henry.’

[No wonder people dislike working under him.]

Who could appreciate someone exuding such negative vibes?

“Dr. Lee?”

In any case, Henry trudged over and adjusted his glasses while looking at Suhyuk. If Suhyuk were directly under him, he would likely be trembling right now. Thankfully, Suhyuk did not report to Henry. It would be nice to gain favor with him, but it wouldn’t harm Suhyuk if their relationship ended here.

“Oh, yes. Are you Manager Henry?”

“Yes, Ronnie told me about you. Well…you wrote quite an interesting research paper on coronary arteries… The heart is always a fascinating topic.”

It seemed that Ronnie had indeed read the research paper Suhyuk sent him. He must have shared it with Henry, who fortunately showed great interest in matters of the heart.

“Yes. Haha. There’s always something new to learn.”

“In any case, we are both busy people. Let’s finish this quickly. Dr. Belzer… It might be better if you go on your Chicago trip.”

Of course, Henry’s grumpiness didn’t disappear with these words. He walked very fast as if wanting to end his annoying task of guiding Suhyuk swiftly. Most people would show some consideration for Suhyuk, who was using a staff. However, there was none from Henry. He simply frowned and strode ahead.

‘What a nasty personality.’

[By the way…]

‘What is it?’

[Based on my analysis, he seems somewhat distressed.]

‘Does he have a hangover?’

Suhyuk observed that Henry’s expression resembled one typically seen after a night of heavy drinking.

However, Baruda recalled information he had organized yesterday.

[Didn’t you mention that this human doesn’t drink alcohol?]

‘Ah, right.’

[There is no smell of alcohol either. Considering his neat hairstyle and well-groomed beard, it’s unlikely he drank all night. The absence of any cuts suggests a low probability of Alcohol Use Disorder.]

‘Stop trying to imitate Sherlock Holmes.’

[But these observations are evident!]

‘Sigh.’

Suhyuk shook his head at Baruda’s show-offiness. However, everything Baruda said was true.

While not applicable to those with less facial hair, for Westerners, examining injuries around the chin area could significantly help determine if they consumed alcohol the previous day or had chronic Alcohol Use Disorder. In Henry’s case, there were no cuts; instead, his face appeared immaculate.

‘So it’s not alcohol. What is bothering him? Is he feeling ill?’

[Considering that, he is holding coffee.]

‘Ah. That makes sense. What could it be?’

Suhyuk tilted his head as he diligently followed Henry. There was a security checkpoint inside the entrance, but Suhyuk passed through without any issues thanks to mentioning his head injury beforehand. Additionally, since Henry, the curator himself, was escorting him, the guards paid them little attention.

“Oh.”

The metal detector emitted its characteristic beep, causing Henry to frown even more deeply upon passing by. This subtle change might have gone unnoticed if Suhyuk and Baruda hadn’t been paying close attention.

‘Did you see that?’

[Yes. He frowned while passing through the scanner.]

‘He couldn’t have sensed an X-ray.’

[Fictional science? Of course not.]

‘Then…’

[Sound. It seems he is uncomfortable with certain sounds.]

‘It’s tinnitus.’

Tinnitus: A ringing or buzzing noise in one or both ears. Most people experience it temporarily, but severe cases can lead to constant ringing for 24 hours a day.

Click.

After swiftly clearing the security checkpoint, Henry immediately entered his research laboratory. As soon as he stepped inside, he turned on the speakers. Instead of pleasant music, there played the peculiar ASMR that Susan and other researchers often complained about. This time, it was the sound of tearing paper - a noise some might find quite irritating.

“[Your expression looks brighter now.]”

This…is actually similar to white noise, isn’t it?

[Indeed. Susan seemed to think it was just the tingling sensation from ASMR, but…]

In reality, my tinnitus pain disappeared as the ringing subsided.

[How strange. According to her tests, your hearing was normal. Typically, severe tinnitus without accompanying hearing loss doesn’t manifest like this.]

There are various theories about the causes of tinnitus, but the most widely accepted one suggests that the brain’s lack of auditory stimulation due to hearing loss triggers it.

Of course, even with normal hearing, tinnitus could occur due to stress, poor health conditions, or musculoskeletal disorders such as cervical disc disease. However, it was extremely rare for these types of tinnitus to develop into chronic cases.

‘Well… Could there be a tumor on his auditory nerve?’

[As the director of Pfizer’s research institute, do you think he hasn’t had an MRI done?]

‘Indeed… Then what else? He has normal hearing and no brain tumors, yet he is suffering immensely from this tinnitus.’

Suhyuk once again observed Henry’s face closely. Although still not pleasant to look at, Henry appeared much better than before, likely because he hurriedly prepared something to show Suhyuk.

At least, it wasn’t causing as much irritation as before.

“Hmm. What I am researching here is… initially, it was about Viagra follow-up research…” Henry noticed Suhyuk’s gaze and became puzzled while gathering some documents. “What are you looking at?”

“Let me ask directly.”

Suhyuk felt momentarily flustered, thinking he might be rude, but Baruda didn’t seem to mind. Upon reflection, there seemed no reason not to inquire. After all, if a doctor wants to provide treatment, why should time or location matter?

So, he bluntly asked, “Do you experience tinnitus by any chance?”

“No, that’s not what I meant by asking directly?”