Episode 87:
Someone’s death was a trauma for Jeong In-ho.
I saw too much death. Some may criticize him by putting a number on the death, but at least in Jeong In-ho’s opinion, it was not a number.
Unlike the commonly talked about ‘death’, there was no such nobility or caution found in the death that one could actually see with one’s own eyes, hear with one’s ears, and feel with one’s breath. There was something about death itself that drove people crazy.
Jeong In-ho often thought about the time he could no longer visit.
‘Did I misunderstand death?’
This is not how I felt when my family member died and I attended a funeral or attended a funeral organized by someone else. Death was not like this when people cried out loudly through monitors and LCD screens.
The death that In-ho Jeong saw for himself was not quiet, but tumultuous. There was only rudeness, not courtesy. Instead of respecting it, people were busy criticizing it, and the whole situation was so messy and miserable that they were clutching their limbs and being whipped around.
Anything alive could be destroyed at any time. It could be crushed into small pieces like minced meat sold at the supermarket, broken into pieces like a toy dropped from a high place, or turned into a torn book after becoming soggy from spilled coffee. I just couldn’t imagine it, but it was possible for me to get ruined as long as I was alive.
And then come back to now.
“…I’m sorry for yelling at you, President Garam Yoon.”
The only person who saw such ‘death’ in person was Jeong In-ho himself.
“So run away.”
“yes.”
“Don’t miss Kwon Yeon-hee. Don’t fall for another path either. “Don’t let anyone die.”
“Yes I will.”
“You always give good answers.”
I felt an inexplicable loneliness there.
Even though it was very grueling, it was a time I had to run on my own two feet and create with my hands, and there must have been things I had accumulated during that time. Now Jung In-ho had to show respect to CEO Yoon Gar-ram again.
The scarred woman, who had forgotten everything, smiled.
“I have to at least answer well.”
“…See you later.”
“See you later.”
I walked through the fire with a smile like that.
“….”
The sight of that back felt light for a moment, so Jeong In-ho bit his lip.
I could always find something unusual about her.
‘…It doesn’t catch fire either.’
When Kwon Yeon-hee, an employee, ran out, she had to struggle as sparks tried to spread here and there, but in reality, nothing stuck to the steps President Gar-ram Yoon took. Even though there is definitely soot created by the heat.
However, Jeong In-ho was not very surprised when he saw the strange phenomenon. To be more precise, there was no reason to be that surprised, and I might add, there was no time to be so.
“…Whew.”
Pow!
Jeong In-ho, who hit the head of the animal that was trying to chase after President Yoon, opened his mouth.
“I should go too.”
He had no intention of being left alone in the flames like Director Lee Jae-heon.
He wouldn’t sacrifice his whole body to save his group, and he wouldn’t act like a double personality and embarrass the people around him. Even if he died soon, he would not protect or take responsibility for anyone until he became an uninspiring psychopath.
So it was me, not Lee Jae-heon, who was right. In-ho Jeong is a person who experienced both the death and survival of Director Jae-heon Lee, so it was only appropriate and correct for him to remember those pitch-black days.
I am right.
* * *
Noh Yeon-seok clearly did not have that great mental strength, but he was still at the second-highest level in terms of physical ability among the group.
If you ask why it is ‘second place’, it is because Manager Lee Jae-heon is in first place, and if you ask why it is ‘almost’, it is because Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho’s physical strength also seemed to be formidable. Still, it was an undeniable fact that his abilities were outstanding, as he was in the last position when he left the company.
Of course, he had the lowest mental strength among the group and was unable to come to his senses after being eaten by the other world, but on the other hand, it meant that he had enough stamina not to lie down even after that. Even though he couldn’t say it well, Noh Yeon-seok followed through whenever something needed to be done.
So, no matter how distracted he was, would he have forgotten the people running behind him?
“Ugh ahhhhh….”
“Hey, look. “You can’t lose your mind now, understand?”
“Keuuk keuk.”
Noh Yeon-seok didn’t leave them there because he was stupid and weak.
“Ah, haha…”
I didn’t want to do that, but I couldn’t help it.
‘It was definitely a woman’s hand…!’
Noh Yeon-seok, who was running through the park, clearly saw a woman’s hand standing on the trunk of a tree. I saw white, long joints and round, trimmed fingernails. It was really similar to Chief Kang Min-ah’s.
But the moment I turned and approached it, the lighter went off. Without even thinking about why the wind that had been quiet for so long was blowing, his waist was grabbed and his body flew through the air with the sound of something digging deep. To be more precise, I was dragged away.
And my side hurt like crazy.
“Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…
?
Of course, Noh Yeon-seok has never been injured this badly since he was born. His parents, who cared for him, did not allow him to get hurt, and until he became independent, he had to be careful to cook even the most common ramen in the kitchen.
In fact, who would ever have thought that an ordinary person would have their loins ripped off by a monster in their lives? I’ve seen Director Lee Jae-heon get hurt several times, but it didn’t really feel like that. That person was always calm, so as long as the people watching didn’t make a fuss, that was enough.
But the experience of actually having my abdomen pierced was different. Noh Yeon-seok’s shoulder was not completely pierced, as was the case with Director Jae-heon Lee’s wound, and his leg bone was not bitten to the extent that it was exposed.
It just has shallow, dense teeth, like those of a centipede’s legs or a shark’s.
“Breath, breath, breath!”
“Uuuuuuu…”
“This… isn’t there too much blood?”
“Let’s block it first. Let’s block it and see.”
That alone made Noh Yeon-seok want to die.
I thought that if I was going to continue to be in pain like this, wouldn’t it be better to just lose consciousness or just die? I couldn’t think of any regrets that I should have had if I were sane.
“Hey, first put down the lighter in your hand…!”
“Huh huh huh.”
lighter?
‘…Where’s the lighter? ‘Am I holding my own?’
Only then did I notice the lighter I was holding tightly in my hand.
Even though his vision was blurred and covered in tears, it was the lighter that In-ho Jeong had handed to him.
“Hey hey hey… this is hot so I have to put it on. “Your hands are all hurt, really…”
The voice, which had been particularly noisy from earlier, just wandered around as if he couldn’t bear to touch his blood-covered hands.
After trying a few times, I felt a dull sensation on my skin, but Noh Yeon-seok didn’t let me go.
I couldn’t let go.
“…bah na na na. I…”
“Uh uh… Hey, isn’t it okay to say this…?”
“I have to go… find Chief Kang… I have to go. “
If I let this go, I really didn’t know if I would die at that time.
It wasn’t until that point that I started to think that I didn’t want to die.
“Kang Min-ah… you have to find it.”
I wanted to put in as much effort as I liked it.
Even though I didn’t have the resources or qualifications to protect that person, I had the right to be there for him and help him. Wouldn’t it be possible to give that person, who often gets scared but doesn’t stop, a chair to rest on when he’s having a hard time?
Even though he gave up on wanting to be good with me, I still like him.
“Kangmin…? “Who is Kang Min-ah?”
“I guess he’s part of this group of survivors. “When I saw that it was looking for it, it looks like it got separated somewhere, but it looks like it got caught by a monster while chasing it.”
“This would have happened if we hadn’t caught it in the middle. “I think I’m already half out of my mind.”
“I don’t think it’s good to say that in front of yourself.”
“Oh no… I didn’t say anything wrong… huh?”
The chatter sounds distant.
Apparently, it was someone like me who saved me from being dragged away by a monster, but even so, I couldn’t quite remember the process. My head hurt like it was going to split.
‘…I have to go.’
Chief Kang Min-ah did not have a lighter. In such a dark world, will it be possible to properly secure visibility with just two students? Then, I couldn’t breathe as I thought about whether I was being dragged by a monster like myself.
But soon even he became dazed. The sounds I heard got further and further away, and it was difficult to feel the sensation of even the hands passing over my body. My whole body became sluggish and I felt like I was sinking into the water.
And around that time, I heard a commotion around me.
“…uh.”
“Uh uh…”
A voice in confusion.
“…Is that a person?”
The voice that was particularly talkative uttered a short sentence and then faded away.
Noh Yeon-seok felt a slight sense of fear from him.
‘…that kind of reaction….’
Where did I see that?
As I slowly blinked because it was a familiar feeling that I had seen and felt once, the man’s hand, which was pressing something against my stomach, began to tremble. There, Noh Yeon-seok felt an instinctive caution.
A firm voice was directed at someone.
“…Jaeheon Lee?”
Immediately after that,
a familiar voice called to him.
“Yeonseok.”
“….”
“I don’t want to die.”
Only then was Noh Yeon-seok able to remember where he had seen such a fearful reaction.
“…Boss.”
It was time to run away from Director Lee Jae-heon.
Noh Yeon-seok and the rest of the party felt fear at the sight of him standing up shakily, spitting out bright red blood, and seeing his unfocused gaze. My pale skin and red-stained body made me feel like a monster, not a human, so I ran away without even looking back.
Chief Kang Min-ah was the first to run away, and Kwon Yeon-hee let out a small scream. Ha Seong-yoon took a step back. Noh Yeon-seok couldn’t remember everyone’s reactions, but at least he could now recall what he looked like.
I felt great fear and a sense of alienation towards this person, and my whole body trembled.
“Director Niim….”
It seemed like he was dead.
Even though he was dead, he looked like a living corpse, and like a monster trying to act like a human even though he wasn’t. Even though it was carved out of wood, it felt like I was watching a jointed doll moving around at night.
I slowly opened my mouth.
“My me.”
“okay.”
“I’m sorry… I do. all.”
“….”
“I’m really sorry….”
Then I thoughtlessly asked for an apology.
“…Kang Min-ah….”
If this person is much better than me, he will protect Chief Kang Min-ah.
Tears fell to the floor.
“Chief Kang. Chief… I couldn’t find it. “I can’t find it.”
“okay.”
“…I’m sorry, really. I’m really sorry…”
“I understand.”
I opened my mouth to hear an honorific that I hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Help me.”
I wanted to live.
I wanted to save it.
“Please save me, Manager…”
“I will do my best.”
“….”
“Everything will be fine.”
“Sorry…”
“It’s okay.”
That moment.
I felt something like a round piece of candy or a bead going into my mouth. It was the first vivid sensation I had felt since I was dragged by the vines.
When I felt it gradually spreading into my body.
“….”
“….”
It didn’t hurt anymore.
“…Ah…”
I caught my breath.
I instinctively realized that this situation was strange.
Noh Yeon-seok held his throbbing stomach as if his heart was racing and lifted his head.
Even when my body was raised from my prone position, I felt no pain, and there was no trace of the small hole I felt with my fingertips.
As the pain disappeared, my mind gradually became clearer. He found out that the people who saved him from being dragged were a total of four men, and he was also able to notice that for some reason they were taking a step away from Director Lee Jae-heon. No, actually, I knew the reason.
Manager Lee Jae-heon, looking at him like that, was covering his side with one hand.
“…Boss.”
This is where I was sick.
Noh Yeon-seok continued, even though I myself did not know what this meant.
“I’m sorry….”
“….”
“I’m sorry.”
Jaeheon Lee asked him.
“Are you fine?”
“….”
That’s because his face is so calm that it’s hard to understand.
Suddenly, I remembered the first time he pierced my shoulder. The first thing I did was to turn the corner to check the road, and I remembered the pitch-black spider legs digging into my shoulder.
Drops of blood remained as a picture on the wall.
“…yes.”
He had that kind of expression back then too.
It was a face like that.
