Episode 230
Since he was not feeling well, he was advised to rest at the hotel, but Lee Jae-heon returned home right away. It was obvious that there would be devices and people in the hotel to monitor him anyway, so why would he stay there? Even if it took some time, it was comfortable to rest at home without any distractions.
Lee Jae-heon calmly entered the front door and collapsed, leaning back as soon as he closed the door.
“…Ugh….”
I felt sick.
“Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”
He lowered his head and retched, but nothing came out. I didn’t eat much of the late-night snacks I did have because I knew they contained medicine. I was just so sick to my stomach that I was sick of it.
I felt very unwell.
“…I’m going to die if I keep doing this….”
No matter how much his physical abilities improved, his basic body was that of an old manager in his current life, not his past life. Didn’t you see a corpse and its organs all at once that you had never seen before in your life? This reaction was natural as I did not have the regenerative ability like before and my mental strength was not as good as before.
“Haa….”
Jaeheon Lee staggered out of his seat and headed toward the kitchen. I wanted to drink ice water, but I didn’t even have the strength to add water to the ice, so I just filled it with cold water and drank it straight. A cold feeling seeped from my throat to my stomach, and I felt more conscious than before.
I just had a feeling.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon blinked blankly, leaning against the table with one hand on it.
‘…I’ll sleep.’
You’ll feel better if you sleep.
As I was walking hurriedly to the bedroom with a sigh, the intercom rang.
“…ah?”
ah.
Oh right.
“I forgot.”
I had already expected Hong Kyung-jun to come.
Lee Jae-heon stared at Hong Gyeong-jun, who was looking at me intently on the screen beyond the intercom. I’m sure I couldn’t see Jaeheon Lee from over there, but for some reason I felt like our eyes had met.
“…hmm.”
Lee Jae-heon closed his mouth again and turned his gaze to look inside the house.
I don’t remember, but I don’t know when I took it off, but there was a coat lying around near the front door. A living room table with researched documents scattered about. The kitchen light turned on alone in a dark house. I had cleaned up all the small blood and chemicals last time, so it looked clean except for a little bit of mess.
“….”
Ignoring the intercom that was ringing all the time, Lee Jae-heon headed to the table.
“Oh my.”
Clink!
The glass that I normally used to drink water from fell to the floor and shattered.
“Such a mistake.”
It was a cup that I had always cherished, but now that things have become like this, I thought it would be nice to get another one.
Jaeheon Lee put the piece of glass in his hand with a faint smile. As a piece of glass was roughly placed on my already peeled hand, new wounds quickly formed. I lifted my hand from where I had thrown the bloody piece of glass on the sink and ruffled my hair.
“…This is too contrived.”
He muttered softly and adjusted his appearance one by one.
I gently swept up the messy hair with my hand and wiped my blood-soaked hands with a towel hanging in the kitchen. I put on the gloves that I didn’t know why I left in a corner of the house, put on the coat that was crumpled in front of the front door, and looked at the full-length mirror.
“Oh, get out.”
When I waved my hand at the face of my previous life, which was looking at me with disdain, the thin eyes reminiscent of a snake frowned and soon disappeared. I don’t know where it’s going, but it disappeared from the mirror anyway. Lee Jae-heon looked at the normal mirror and sighed in satisfaction.
Anyone can see that he is not sane, but he is pretending otherwise.
“…flaw.”
Crazy bastard.
It was so funny that I did it myself that I burst into laughter. Even though it took so long, the intercom notification sound is still ringing, which is even funnier. Even if there is really no flexibility, is it possible to be like this?
“I should be happy about this, I shouldn’t…”
Lee Jae-heon walked up to the intercom and cleared his throat.
Because I can’t let the opportunity that came my way go to waste.
* * *
On the way to Lee Jae-heon’s house, Hong Gyeong-jun had many concerns.
‘…Is it okay for me to come visit you?’
I knew it was pointless, but I couldn’t help the screaming in my gut. Hong Gyeong-jun, feeling truly unbearable discomfort and anxiety, ended up coming to the front of the officetel where Lee Jae-heon lived. Of course, there was a guard guarding the entrance, so I hesitated for a moment about what to say, but…
“Ah, are you Teacher Hong Gyeong-jun?”
“…Yes, it is me.”
“I’m sorry for wasting your time. Please come in.”
“….”
It seems that Lee Jae-heon had spoken separately about Hong Gyeong-jun’s entrance. If you look at the security guard nodding his head as soon as you say his name. In the end, Hong Gyeong-jun came right in front of the front door of Lee Jae-heon’s house without being able to resolve his confusion.
Hong Gyeong-jun put his finger on the intercom button and hesitated, uncharacteristically.
‘…is this really okay?’
If there were any signs of an assigned case or an incident, he would have rang the bell without hesitation, but Hong Gyeong-jun was, strictly speaking, an ordinary person, not a detective. First of all, I got off work, especially since I was not involved in the incident with Lee Jae-heon.
It was not a good idea for a man in his 40s, whose limbs were still intact, to visit his home at this late hour out of concern. Lee Jae-heon had a strange hobby of showing off pride that he didn’t have, so he might laugh and make fun of such foolish things. It’s Sunday evening and I’ll be going to work tomorrow, so I thought I’d definitely come home, but I may not have.
“…Um….”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was hesitant, took out his cell phone from his pocket.
‘…the power is still out.’
Perhaps due to the uniqueness of the environment, Lee Jae-heon used several cell phones, but all three numbers he gave to Hong Gyeong-jun were turned off. Whether it was intentional or not, I couldn’t help but feel confused.
Plus, I feel overly anxious…
“…Ha.”
Kuuk.
Hong Gyeong-jun’s finger pressed the doorbell.
The sound of relaxing music echoed through the hallway, and Hong Kyung-jun folded his arms and waited for anything to change. Jaeheon Lee comes out from inside, asks what’s going on over the intercom, or you hear the sound of someone walking from inside. Anyway, the change in direction allows us to know that Lee Jae-heon is safe.
Since there was no change until the first and second songs ended, Hong Gyeong-jun wondered if Lee Jae-heon was not at home. I was about to think that if I didn’t receive it this time, I would have to go back to this.
“…?”
Hong Gyeong-jun frowned.
‘…Is there anyone?’
I heard something breaking.
Of course, he could have misheard. I felt it last time, but this officetel where Lee Jae-heon lives was very soundproof, so it could have been just an auditory hallucination or an illusion created by Hong Gyeong-jun, who was acting out of unreasonable anxiety.
“Jaeheon Lee?”
Still, it felt uncomfortable, so Hong Gyeong-jun rang the doorbell again.
“Jaeheon Lee….”
―What’s going on?
“…You were at home.”
Even though I knew that Lee Jae-heon was inside, I couldn’t suppress a strange feeling of anxiety.
“I’m sorry for coming to you suddenly. “I know it’s rude, but you didn’t answer so I came to see you.”
―I told you that it would be difficult to contact you during the weekend.
“Yes, I remember. “I apologize again.”
―….
“Is it okay if I go inside?”
A voice overlaid with a mechanical sound echoed through the hallway.
-There’s no problem, so let’s go back.
“…Please open the door.”
―It’s really okay. You must be tired…
“I rested and did nothing all day. “My legs are sore from the long journey. Would you mind giving me a ride?”
-Do you know what kind of vending machine I am?
“Then I will take care of the water, drink it, and then go back.”
Hong Gyeong-jun spoke once again.
“So open the door. “Unless one of my limbs falls off.”
―….
“No, if it’s really that bad, you should open the door.”
―…Sigh….
With a slow sigh, the unique mechanical sound of the intercom cut off, and Hong Gyeong-jun listened to the sound coming from inside the door in the quiet hallway. It was a well-soundproofed building, but for some reason I felt like I could hear people walking inside.
When the distinctive sound of the door lock sounded, Lee Jae-heon appeared from inside the door.
“….”
“…My limbs are fine.”
Hong Gyeong-jun tilted his head.
“I don’t think so.”
There was an excessively strong smell of blood.
“Can I come in first?”
“No, if you just checked…”
“I think you’re hurt somewhere, but it’s going to be difficult to treat it on your own. “If there is medicine in it, I will go in and help you with the treatment.”
“It’s okay….”
“If you leave it alone, it will fester.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered, looking exhausted.
“You’re not even a doctor, detective.”
It’s true that you got hurt.
Hong Gyeong-jun answered with a calm face.
“There’s no law that says a detective can’t treat an injured person.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon glanced at the corner of his eyes with a gloved hand and nodded slightly. Then I realized that he had given me permission to quietly enter the house. Hong Gyeong-jun did not refuse and went straight to Lee Jae-heon’s house.
And then I saw drops of blood falling on the floor.
“…Self-harm is not a good habit….”
“No, I accidentally dropped the glass. I got hurt while picking it up. “It’s not really like that.”
“As you know, psychiatry is doing well these days…”
“Why don’t you say no? It’s really no problem.”
I guess I was completely wrong, as I could see faintly shiny pieces on the blood-stained side. It seemed like the only large pieces were left behind after being hastily removed.
“Did I startle you?”
“Yes definitely.”
“I apologize.”
But even so, someone around Lee Jae-heon accidentally dropped the glass? There may be other reasons, but it seemed like an undeniable fact that Jaeheon Lee was particularly exhausted today, as was the overall atmosphere.
“Then you must have hurt your hand.”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you wearing gloves?”
“….”
“Take it off right now. “Stop acting crazy.”
Hong Gyeong-jun caught Lee Jae-heon as he approached the water purifier, wondering if he really wanted to fetch water.
“What are you doing without taking off your gloves?”
“I heard you are thirsty.”
“Of course it was a lie to get into the house. sorry.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon looked at me with an expression as if he had a lot to say, but Hong Gyeong-jun calmly shrugged his shoulders. He found a first aid kit in the living room drawer, picked it up, and approached Lee Jae-heon.
“Wash the wound with water. If treated like this, there is a risk of festering or, in severe cases, tetanus. “I’m not a doctor like Ha Seong-yoon, but…”
“That’s right.”
“Aren’t they police officers who protect citizens? I learned first aid well. “Please wash up before you get any more germs.”
“Flexibility is really…”
Despite grumbling, Lee Jae-heon faithfully followed Hong Gyeong-jun’s words. Jigiri seemed to be the type of person who usually behaved obnoxiously, but became quite docile when she got tired. I couldn’t be this calm now that the awkward, old-fashioned manager image I always wore on the outside was gone.
“….”
But I didn’t mean to be quiet like this.
“…What is this?”
“I got angry.”
“I know it when I see it.”
There were traces left behind that Hong Gyeong-jun, who had seen all kinds of strange crimes, could not recognize.
“You said you were going fishing… but were you kidnapped?”
Why do rope marks appear on my wrist and my fingernails are gone?
What on earth was he thinking putting gloves on such tattered hands? When I looked closely, the shirt inside the coat was also strangely dark red in color. I had changed into new clothes, but the blood from the wound seemed to have stained the new shirt.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was worried with his characteristic expressionless expression, asked.
“…Shall I call the police?”
“So, who is the person in front of me right now?”
It’s hard to make a living.
