Episode 101
“That’s the name. Mr. Jeong In-ho?”
“…Yes, my name is Jeong In-ho.”
“Yes, I am Jeongman Choi. “I was so distracted earlier that I couldn’t even speak.”
After returning to the past, Jeong In-ho sometimes felt like he was dreaming.
“It’s nice to meet another person in a place like this.”
“I feel the same way.”
Watching a dead person move in front of me.
The person I already shared a name with extends his hand without knowing anything. The person who had promised to speak informally to each other was once again using the respectful language towards me, and in the eyes of the child held in the arms of an adult, the wariness that had eased a little one day had returned. That catches my eye.
Perhaps that was why his mind sometimes became hazy.
“I think they are all nice people.”
Could this be a hallucination?
Because everything I hear, see, and feel with my whole body is just a hallucination. I wondered if this was an illusion shown by one of the many monsters in this world to tie me up. I wondered if, in fact, while I was asleep, all the people I could have saved had died.
“…I feel relieved.”
“….”
“Our youngest also helped.”
I felt nauseous.
I feel like I’m a clown on stage.
“Yes, that’s right. What would have happened if there was some strange person mixed in? Why does that happen a lot in movies? “I’m abandoning other people so that I can live…”
“…”
“If you ever think that way, don’t worry! We’re the ones who rolled up our sleeves even when those beasts came. “I went to see if anyone else was nearby.”
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
“Great… It’s embarrassing to say that… Why aren’t you thirsty? We have water from the lake. “Just wait a moment.”
The man folded his thick cheeks and smiled impressively. Even though the water came from a lake far away, he did not hesitate to hand it to others, and no one criticized President Choi Jeong-man’s actions. I wasn’t angry.
When Jeong In-ho took the water from the plastic bottle, he once again burst out in a crude laugh.
“What are you doing? “Don’t drink it any time soon.”
He is also a good person.
“….”
He was a good person.
It was all good, but I just ruined it.
“…I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can drink it.”
“Isn’t it polite to be polite at times like this? Don’t you think so? “Everyone should help each other.”
“thank you.”
Of course, even if you think about it that way, it was true that the situation was better than expected.
‘…The atmosphere is definitely different.’
The atmosphere of the people Jung In-ho met before returning to the past was not like this. Everyone was startled by even the slightest show of popularity, and felt indescribable when a resource disappeared. Since there was a child in the group, most people didn’t show it.
However, conflict was bound to arise unless everyone in the group was as good as firefighter Do-yoon Han. Even when Jeong In-ho, Yoon Ga-ram, and Ha Seong-yoon were among them, he felt an extreme sense of distance several times. They couldn’t afford to accept another party.
But the atmosphere now was completely different from then.
“Well… if you drink it all, please give some to the people over there too. “You must be thirsty.”
“Ah yes.”
“Especially me… Noh Yeon-seok? “I also had a wound on my stomach.”
The man who introduced himself as Kim Ki-jeong muttered awkwardly with a sour expression. Although he clearly had no bad intentions, his expression and tone of voice were not very pleasant, but for Jeong In-ho, who had seen him in the past, it was rather surprising to see his face stretched out that much.
At that time, I got nervous just by going near it.
“….”
“What did your manager do… He seems to be doing okay now, but still. Even though I look young, I went through a lot of trouble for no reason. Now, if you are an intern, you must be quite young….”
“Thank you for your concern, Mr. Kim Ki-jeong.”
“what. Um no. It’s like this…”
At Jeong In-ho’s words, conductor Kim Ki-jeong awkwardly turned his head. His eyes wandered here and there, as if he was unfamiliar with the expression of gratitude, but he was still able to find traces of the past in his tightly closed mouth.
A frightening emptiness filled my chest.
‘He was a person who could worry about others like that.’
So what were all the memories I had experienced and seen?
It was natural for people who were sick and going through hardships to become sensitive, but I didn’t know that. I was destined to disappear like that, remembering your first greeting until I die. If this were all a dream and a hallucination, it would have already happened.
We just needed a little bit of leeway. I have a little bit of free space so I have some space to perk up. We could all become good people if we were guaranteed the bare minimum that a human being should have. These were people who had already lived that way in society.
So maybe it was me who was bad in the end for not being able to bring anything to him.
“Wow, look at how embarrassed this person is! “Grandma, Grandma!”
“Don’t bother the old man. “What’s going on?”
“Look at this guy’s face, he’s completely unapologetic! “Is this because you’re so shy?”
“What what what…what what? “Oh, go away.”
“Why don’t you look at this? “What’s so manly about a boy?”
“Where are the men and women these days?”
“I’m not making fun of you because the reaction is funny. Oh my. “It doesn’t have a serious taste.”
The old man approached at a slow pace and made eye contact with Jeong In-ho.
“And who is this Musma again?”
A unique way of speaking that mixes dialect and standard language.
Blue eyes that he would otherwise not be able to see, buried in the wrinkles behind his glasses, are staring at him. It was the only cool color that could be found in the wooden dome, which was filled with brown and yellow colors.
“….”
“Working under that corpse? “My bone hurts a lot.”
“…Corpse… You are speaking, Manager. I knew you only met Yeonwoo Kim, but it looks like your grandmother was also there. “That evening.”
“It was early morning after midnight.”
With a nod, she pointed to Chief Lee Jae-heon, who was talking with firefighter Do-yoon Han.
“That bastard, I’m the one who tied him up with a handkerchief and clothes. “It’s the skills of an old man with nothing special, so he’s no better than a doctor, but you just believe that and run out to find another son?”
“….”
“…Anyway, I found it. “Thank goodness.”
Although he said he was glad, his gaze was colorless.
‘…This person hasn’t changed.’
That’s what I thought. Among these people who have changed little by little since I returned to the past, the old man is the only one who remains the same. That person is the only one who hasn’t changed at all.
At the same time, I couldn’t tell what emotions I felt.
“The old man is going back in. Don’t make a fuss for no reason and live well. “If those bastards come after me again, it’ll be a real pain.”
“Oh, of course. “Just relax and we will take care of everything!”
“Yes, none of the music you said was right…”
President Choi Jeong-man, who was scratching the bridge of his nose at the sight of the old man quietly returning to his seat and sitting down again, smiled awkwardly and patted conductor Kim Ki-jeong on the back. It was a weak and simple century that did not fit its size.
“Is he upset…? “I was wrong, man.”
“Ha no ha.”
After sighing a few times, Kim Ki-jeong slowly moved his buttocks away. Instead, the person who was dragged to that place was Vivian, who was said to be one of the college students, and although she looked puzzled, she did not bother to return to her seat. It seemed like he probably didn’t feel the need.
Vivian, the student, spoke without even bothering to ask, ‘Why are you changing your seat arbitrarily?’
“The boss harassed Kim Ki-jeong.”
“My me when!”
Conductor Kim Ki-jeong sighed as his big shoulders shook.
“…You’re so frivolous that I won’t be able to meet you, sir…” He
then wiped his hands with a pure white handkerchief, and when I thought about it, the conductor of the past, Ki-Jeong Kim, used to wipe his hands to the point where he looked like he had myelopathy. But now I just brush it off when it comes to mind, so I thought it was definitely different from before.
Jeong In-ho, who had been sitting there blankly, suddenly turned his gaze when he heard the sound of small footsteps.
“….”
“…Uh, that.”
A little child was standing straight in front of Director Lee Jae-heon.
“You have to stand. Come on.”
“Ugh ….”
“I’m sick now …. Can’t play?
At the same time, he glanced at Manager Lee Jae-heon and seemed to feel intimidated, even if he didn’t know his exact thoughts. To be honest, an ordinary kindergarten teacher would have been scared to see a person who didn’t look good and had blood all over the place.
However, the little child, Seo-ah, just shook her head despite the teacher’s call.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu)]…
]) later. ” Come back later…”
“Zombie.”
“…uh?”
The child responded with sparkling eyes to kindergarten teacher Lee Yun-byeol’s dumbfounded question.
“This is my first time seeing a zombie man.”
“….”
“…I saw it.”
The silence probably wasn’t due to the polite language.
“…Phew….”
Jeong In-ho closed his eyes tightly and covered his mouth.
“…Are you laughing now? Smile?”
“Ah, big. No… no. “No, sorry…”
“Are you showing your teeth in front of the manager?”
“Ugh….”
Jeong In-ho, whose shoulders were shaking as he felt the creeping burst of laughter hitting his solar plexus, slowly laid his head on the floor. For some reason, I imagined the reactions of the other party members and burst into even more absurd laughter.
In contrast to Jeong In-ho, who was holding back laughter, it was Kwon Yeon-hee who was crying.
“…I’m the manager….”
She was looking at Lee Jae-heon as if she was feeling unfair and angry at me, and I couldn’t tell what part she was feeling unfair or angry about.
Next was President Garam Yoon with an awkward smile.
“You look like a zombie… yes.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“No, these are real.”
“I didn’t say anything, ah…!”
In the end, Noh Yeon-seok felt like he had been hit on the forehead for the crime of sitting next to him.
When I raised my head, I saw Noh Yeon-seok covering his forehead with one hand with an aggrieved expression on his face. However, he didn’t seem completely dissatisfied, probably because he also liked the relaxed atmosphere.
Director Lee Jae-heon, who did not even look at Noh Yeon-seok and the rest of the party, looked at the little child Seo-ah with an embarrassed expression. It was a really strange face.
“…Well… what is our friend’s name?”
“This is Jang Seo-ah. I’m 6 years old. “I turn one year older next month.”
“Oh yeah. “Yes, that’s right…”
After hearing the child’s unique ‘information I don’t know why he bothered to add it,’ Manager Lee Jae-heon’s expression became even more bizarre. Perhaps it was to avoid showing his own embarrassment, but when Jeong In-ho saw it, it was there.
‘Well, you said you’re single, but you’ve probably never seen your child.’
However, contrary to that thought, a soft smile immediately appeared on Manager Lee Jae-heon’s face.
“…Did you call him a zombie because he looked like this? “Because it’s red?”
“…Yes… And I think he died. But he’s alive.”
“Jang Seo-ah is observant and brave. Aren’t you scared of him now? “You’ll even smell blood.”
“Yes, me. I’m not scared at all. really.”
“Wow, you’re the captain. “Thank you for not being afraid of me.”
Soft speaking tone and round eyes. A soft gaze with the corners of the mouth not excessively raised. movement. The gesture of making eye contact at a distance that is not burdensome…
Jeong In-ho was so horrified that he got up from his lying position.
“…?”
It was an amazing change, with the fogginess that had been there disappearing.
“…Uh….”
“? uh? “Uh hmm?”
“…Is it a dream?”
These were the words of Kwon Yeon-hee, Noh Yeon-seok, and Yoon Garam, in turn, and as expected, the reactions of the other party members were not much different from Jeong In-ho. They were astonished by the sight of Manager Lee Jae-heon, something they had never imagined before seeing for the first time in their lives. At this point, I thought it might be fear.
Director Lee Jae-heon might have said something in response to the group’s reaction, but he was speaking in an unchanging manner toward Seo-ah, the only child among the survivors.
“But this is the first time you’ve met our friend, right? He was a little surprised when Seo-ah, whom he met for the first time, called me a zombie. “If it had been someone else, I might have been hurt.”
“Uh…”
“And shall we see you later? I think the teacher was very surprised because our friend approached a stranger without saying a word. If Seo-ah had said she wanted to do something, the teacher would have thought a lot about it and done it. yes? “Because he is someone who helps me and cares for me a lot.”
“…Yes….”
“Seo-ah is good at greeting people and is brave, so I think she knows how to be considerate of other friends’ feelings. How do you think to yourself? “Jang Seo-ah is a friend who is considerate of other friends, isn’t she?”
“I… I know how to be considerate. “I got an award and I know how to clean.”
“I clean at home, but? Wow, he’s sincere. So, the next time you want to say hello to a stranger, what should you do first? “Can our kind Seo-a answer this?”
“Uh…”
Jang Seo-ah, who raised her head and looked at Teacher Lee Yun-byeol with her eyes wide open, quickly walked up to her, tugged on her pants, and muttered.
“…I want to say hello to that guy.”
“…uh? uh? Oh, I see.”
“I don’t think he’s a bad person.”
“I’m not saying that in front of you, Seo-ah…”
Teacher Lee Yun-byeol, who hesitated while holding the child in her arms, said as if covering Seo-ah’s head.
“Let’s do it later.” That man is very sick right now. huh?”
“…Uh…”
It seemed that the child was the one who was embarrassed this time.
“Oh, I thought it didn’t hurt. “I’m sorry, mister.”
“…Uh… I see.”
“I thought it was a set-up… but it wasn’t. “I really don’t know… That’s what it is.”
The child cowered and soon hid behind the teacher’s legs. He probably thought he had made a big mistake and had a hard time looking at the other person’s face. Avoiding responsibility is not a good thing to do, but given the circumstances, Jung In-ho had no choice but to make an ambiguous expression.
There was a moment of silence at the sight of Teacher Lee Yun-byeol, who lifted Seo-ah up and bowed hesitantly before retreating, and Manager Jae-heon Lee gently waving at the child.
“….”
“… Manager, is there a child at home….”
“There isn’t one.”
“yes.”
Kwon Yeon-hee, who asked the question, closed her mouth gracefully. It seems like she is good at picking up rumors from all over the place, but there is no way she wouldn’t know that Director Lee Jae-heon is single.
Yes, Manager Lee Jae-heon, who is single, is taking care of children like that….
“….”
“…No, then why are you taking care of children so well?”
“Let’s shut up.”
“yes.”
