Episode 143
Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon may have noticed, but Lee Jae-heon was quite comfortable with their group. So suddenly that it seems a little improbable.
There was a reason.
‘First of all, I’m tired.’
First, Jaeheon Lee was quite exhausted.
It had been a long time since his mental strength had declined that he started making light jokes or making comments to his companions. I did not have the physical and mental strength to check my actions one by one and act according to the plan, so I used a flippant tone that I would have used in private in my past life.
Of course, Lee Jae-heon wouldn’t admit it, but his nature itself was a bit childish. In the first place, being an old man is a temperament shown by those with less big minds, so Lee Jae-heon’s teasing of Kwon Yeon-hee and engaging in a skit that did not work could be seen in the same context.
Secondly, it was because the plan failed.
‘Strategies change from time to time.’
These are the things that have been said in various ways to reduce affection and gain caution.
Before he failed, he was going to eventually fall, but he acted friendly, saying he would try to maintain trust, and after he failed, he was going to fail anyway, so he tried to make the group feel more comfortable with him. In the end, the importance of each other in human relationships becomes much more apparent when the relationship is horizontal rather than vertical.
And lastly, it is a fact that really hurts Lee Jae-heon’s pride…
‘I don’t want to be abandoned.’
He didn’t want to be abandoned by the main character and his group.
This was the thought of everyone who lived in the world of their previous life. They wanted to be valuable at all times. So I hoped that it would not be abandoned. It was a world in which it was natural for something to be mercilessly kicked out if it was judged to be useless, so its value had to be high in order to survive.
In fact, Jaeheon Lee had been thinking that way from the beginning when he remembered his past life. In the end, the fact that he used the car accident as an excuse to show hypocrisy in front of the main character was in the same context in all the plays he had presented so far.
So I am.
“….”
…Vaguely, Lee Jae-heon realized his stupidity.
In fact, there was no need to endure the trauma when hanging from the cliff. Of course, the deal with the green algae monster had to go ahead for Lee Jae-heon’s comfortable rest, but couldn’t he afford to just have the deal postponed? I was able to endure that much.
‘Of course, to be sure, I had to kill him or induce someone else to kill him…’
The conclusion is this. There are many other ways and the cost of living is not right, but there was no need for Lee Jae-heon to kill Song In-myeong by throwing away his precious mental strength. There was a crucial reason why he held on to the cliff while holding on to the roots of a tree when he could have easily recovered even if he fell into a flower field and died.
A plea for help rang in my ears.
‘That’s stupid.’
Again, even though I knew this, I ignored it, and that’s how I felt pitiful towards myself.
I remembered Song In-myeong’s words when he looked at me and sarcastically called me an idiot. Maybe he was right. Lee Jae-heon, who couldn’t do anything for sure, might end up being an empty piece of trash.
I am foolish, but…
“….”
In the end, I did not want to see my value lowered.
I didn’t want to be abandoned.
* * *
“….”
I’ve never really thought about the structure of the fruit.
In fact, everything in this world is unrealistic and full of nonsense. Above all, Lee Jae-heon did not tell Jeong In-ho much about this world, and he did not even try to hear it due to an unknown ominous feeling. In the end, there was a lot that Jeong In-ho didn’t know about the behind-the-scenes world.
But there were things I could feel instinctively.
“…Uh….”
When the pain that was melting my brain disappeared in an instant.
The reason why the surface of the neck did not itch, but just tingled and subsided, calmly returned to its original position. Because the breath I took was no longer painful and only sweet.
“Mr. Inho, are you okay? Mr. Inho!”
“….”
On the contrary, it becomes scary.
“How are you? Is it okay to wake up suddenly like this? No, first lie down again…”
“…Kwon Yeon-hee.”
My heart dropped to the floor.
“Where has everyone else gone?”
Kwon Yeon-hee’s expression darkened slightly as she asked the question while looking at the number of people who had been reduced by almost half. In response to a reaction that strangely matched the gray sky that had suddenly become dark, Jeong In-ho clenched his hands without realizing it.
“I said… I was going to get some food. “Gathering.”
“….”
“It’s getting late. The monster came in several times along the way, and Yeon-seok went out saying he was worried, but he never came back… But so far, no one here has been seriously injured. That’s true, but…”
Kwon Yeon-hee trailed off several times and averted her gaze here and there.
“…It’s too late….”
“….”
“No one is coming back.”
There were tears hanging at the end of her trembling voice.
Also, at those words, Jeong In-ho felt his mind drifting far away.
“…Ha…”
The ominous feeling became clear and I tightened my throat.
Jeong In-ho had never thought in detail about the structure of the fruit. He was very exhausted from thinking about it and committing such a task, and Jaeheon Lee felt like he was going to die at any moment. At that time, Jeong In-ho was in a half-crazy state due to the pressure of having to do something.
And to be honest, I felt quite a bit regretful after eating the fruit. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I realized that I had made a rash choice. Instead of saving one person, the fruit made another person helpless. As Jaeheon Lee said, it was inefficient.
But still, I felt relieved.
“…Jung In-ho?”
“….”
“Uh… are you… okay now…?”
It’s still an unfamiliar voice.
Firefighter Do-yoon Han came in, looking at me while holding a piece of wood in Jeong In-ho’s eyes. It was incredible how many monsters had attacked, but even more than that, Han Do-yoon seemed to be feeling astonishment, bordering on fear, as he looked at Jeong In-ho.
“…Does it not hurt anymore?”
The tone was as if he hoped that Jeong In-ho would continue to be sick.
“…yes.”
“….”
“It doesn’t hurt at all.”
And now it didn’t hurt anymore…
“…I shouldn’t have done this…”
The end of my hoarse voice trembled faintly as I couldn’t keep it together.
Even if I wasn’t very interested in the structure of the fruit, I at least knew the formality of ‘instead of healing the other person, you get pain.’ Moreover, perhaps because Lee Jae-heon suffered many injuries, both large and small, Jeong In-ho was almost unconscious right after eating the fruit.
I don’t even remember how or how much it hurt, but my body was fine now, to the point that the pain I felt just before had faded away. Jeong In-ho was thinking clearly and did not suffer from pain.
So I am.
“…Boss.”
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
“Manager, manager… where are you? “Where has he gone?”
“….”
“Where have all the people gone?”
The voice became more intense and I was out of breath with nervousness. Following Han Do-yoon, Kwon Yeon-hee’s heart raced as she saw even the faces of the students in school uniform who were far away turning white. I felt as if the throbbing was crushing my brain.
As Jeong In-ho was scanning the surroundings, a woman with her head down holding a child in her arms came into view.
“….”
“…Ugh….”
The bloody leg looked fine.
“What is this…”
Jeong In-ho couldn’t bear to continue speaking.
The air inside the pavilion stirred quietly. The white-haired old man just turned his head and stared into space, while President Choi Jeong-man was looking around. Han Do-yoon, who had been licking his lips several times, dropped the piece of wood on the floor and sat down against the wall, covering his head with both hands.
The young Jang Seo-ah didn’t seem to realize what was going on and carefully squeezed Lee Yun-byeol’s arm, holding me tightly and not letting go. The sight of the teacher starting to cry while burying herself in that child’s shoulder was enough to make a child anxious.
And In-ho Jeong.
“….”
“….”
I could see police officer Kim Yeon-woo with a devastated expression.
She was watching this whole situation with her lips tightly pursed, her eyes wide open as if she had seen something crazy. The furrowed brow and pale face seemed to represent the feelings of police officer Kim Yeon-woo.
Soon, Jeong In-ho could hear her voice.
“…are you feeling okay?”
“….”
“I see.”
Seeing Jeong In-ho and Lee Yun-byeol unable to answer, Kim Yeon-woo slowly closed his eyes.
“I’m glad…”
No one would ever feel that she was truly fortunate.
The hair swaying around the neck swayed as Kim Yeon-woo nodded, sweeping his face. For a moment, Jeong In-ho thought she was crying, but Kim Yeon-woo’s eyes were just red and no water was visible as he slowly exhaled. She seemed to settle something.
Jang Seo-ah, who was idly wriggling her hands in Lee Yun-byeol’s arms, began speaking in a dazed voice.
“…Is he dead?”
No one could answer.
When only faint cries filled the pavilion, Kwon Yeon-hee, who had been quietly observing the situation, staggered to her feet. She was heading towards Gakmok.
“…Where are you going.”
“I need to go and see.”
“Mr. Kwon Yeon-hee.”
“I think I should go.”
When Jeong In-ho grabbed her wrist, Kwon Yeon-hee shook off his hand and shouted.
“You said I would go…!”
She eventually couldn’t stop crying.
“People who said they would come soon haven’t come yet! Do you know how much time has passed? It’s already getting dark and monsters keep coming, but no one is coming back…!”
“Yeonhee.”
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have gone out with Yeonseok when he went out. I thought everyone would come back quickly. Everyone came back fine….”
“….”
“…they came back….”
Patter.
Teardrops fall to the floor.
“…I wanted you to always be by my side…”
A voice as weak as water-soaked paper echoed throughout the pavilion.
In fact, although the exact circumstances were unknown, one thing was almost certain. Almost everyone gathered here realized that even if everyone else came back alive, Director Lee Jae-heon would not.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… What should I do really?…” “
…”
“I feel sorry for our manager so I’m asking what to do…”
Kwon Yeon-hee just sat down.
“I just get hurt every time. I always got hurt to save someone’s life… but I can’t do this. Why are you only doing this to our manager? “What on earth did they say I did wrong?…”
The others became even more silent when they saw the person who was trying to smile despite the difficult situation crying like a child. Kwon Yeon-hee, who couldn’t stop crying because she was so wronged and sad, made someone afraid even though she didn’t look threatening at all.
Jang Seo-ah, who was less than 10 years old, began to cry, and some people covered their faces or avoided their gaze. Jeong In-ho could see that an inevitable feeling of despair was clinging to everyone.
And so was he.
“….”
Jeong In-ho couldn’t bear the overwhelming feeling of distantness….
“…Ha.”
Why does this happen every time?
‘… What kind of situation is this?’
I didn’t want to understand why it had to be like this.
Jeong In-ho was always like this. That person was always not there when Jaeheon Lee died.
Have you ever tried to do something well, but has it ever worked out properly? No, there wasn’t. He always failed, tried again, and failed again.
“…Uh, Detective…! Detective Hong!”
At Kim Yeon-woo’s shout, people turned their heads and looked outside the pavilion.
“I’m glad you came back, because the monsters are still rampaging…!”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Kim Yeon-woo. Yes, monsters ran rampant here too. “The incident got bigger and it took time to come back.”
“Ah…”
Hearing the unfamiliar yet familiar voice, Jeong In-ho raised his head and looked at Hong Gyeong-jun. His palm must have been torn, and blood seeped into the piece of wood he was holding.
Hong Gyeong-jun, with a face as stiff as a doll, continued speaking.
“Mr. Vivian.”
It was a tone that was extremely familiar to Jeong In-ho.
“Song In-myeong murdered Seo Jang-hwa and Lee Jae-heon.”
“….”
At those words, Vivian raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth slightly, but before he could fully understand what he was saying, Hong Gyeong-jun’s eyes landed on Jeong In-ho. It was a very stern and pale gaze.
“And Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
“….”
“Ha Seong-yoon killed Song In-myeong, who murdered Lee Jae-heon.”
Only then was Jeong In-ho able to look back at Hong Gyeong-jun.
“….”
“….”
The doctor with a faint smile held a scalpel covered in dark red blood in his hand.
Ha Seong-yoon shook it lightly, as if showing off, and handed it to Detective Hong Gyeong-jun. Hong Gyeong-jun, who blinked at the strangely natural delivery, accepted it. The gaze was so hard that it seemed a little unfamiliar.
“The body was not recovered. They were in a hurry to run away immediately, and Kang Min-ah was not in a good condition and needed rest. Of course, collection and exploration failed.”
“….”
“Mr. Kim Yeon-woo.”
Kim Yeon-woo, who was pale, answered his call.
“…Say yes.”
“I think you need to talk to me for a moment.”
Even though there were a lot of sharp edges, he hid them with a businesslike attitude.
“We need to think about what to do next.”
that.
“….”
It was very familiar to Jeong In-ho.
People holding their breath and trembling in fear. Or survivors who have resigned or become more sensitive by the day. The relationship gradually falls apart due to exhaustion from the detective’s obsessive behavior of suspecting and examining everyone. There is no hope to be found…
“…Ah.”
In the end, the situation started with Lee Jae-heon’s death.
‘You should have been alive.’
If he were alive, if Jaeheon Lee was alive, things would have been much better.
At the very least, the situation would have been several times better than if Jung In-ho had survived instead. Jeong In-ho was certain that it would be so, and he would never doubt this again. It was a strong conviction, just like the one he felt when all the pain in his body disappeared.
‘So’
I am again.
“….”
Failed.
It will continue to be like that.
