Episode 156
“It can’t be like that.”
To that short answer.
“….”
Kang Min-ah’s gaze was focused solely on Lee Jae-heon.
A strange feeling of unreality that seemed indescribable to herself bound her one by one.
Since I became an adult, I have never given meaning to my dreams. Kang Min-ah vaguely thought that this was some kind of foolish, immature behavior, so she unconsciously tried not to give it any meaning. Dreams were such a distant and meaningless concept to her.
“….”
“Chief Kang, are you hurt anywhere?”
“…yes.”
However, I have never had such a vivid dream.
“Then why do you look so dazed?”
“…Ah….”
This was my first time having such an explicit dream.
It may be a funny thing to say that you are alive, but it is such an amazing fact.
“…I’m sorry, I guess I’m distracted.”
“That’s possible, but… isn’t it really painful somewhere?”
“The manager is the one who hurts more.”
“….”
“Uh… it’s just that.”
Gradually, I feel at odds with myself.
Why did I feel a need rather than an obligation to search for survivors? Why was there so much hesitation and familiarity with following Jung In-ho? Why does it make me feel sick every time I see Director Lee Jae-heon, and why does he try to say nonsense?
I end up getting distracted by things that I shouldn’t have now.
“Are you okay, Manager?”
“…There’s nothing I wouldn’t be okay with.”
“I see.”
The familiar feeling of distrust rises once again.
‘There’s no way it’s going to be okay.’
There’s no way you wouldn’t leave us when we leave you alone. There’s no way we wouldn’t make sacrifices when you’re still with us. The confidence that had been firmly built up on the sand colored Kang Min-ah’s vision of Lee Jae-heon in a red color.
That’s because the manager always lies for the right path. Because he always hides the truth from us and prepares to distance himself from us, hoping that it will be okay if he disappears someday…
“….”
I was stupid for not having any doubts about believing that.
In the end, all these fears originated from a dream that should have disappeared.
* * *
“Mister.”
“Okay.”
“Mister.”
“Okay, okay, let’s play after eating.”
It’s so hard to make a living.
With a half-soulless face, Lee Jae-heon put a well-seasoned fish fillet into Choi Min-hong’s mouth, and the child happily ate what the stranger gave him. Lee Jae-heon patted the child in his arms with his other hand when he saw the little chick’s actions showing no sign of caution even after washing his eyes.
“You’ll be laughing that it’s okay to kidnap me at this rate.”
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon quietly intervened in the empty voice.
“If the person doing the kidnapping was the manager, it couldn’t really be called a kidnapping.”
“Why are you suddenly arguing, Ha Seong-yoon?”
To be honest, I seemed to be enjoying it a bit. It was clear that Lee Jae-heon was thoroughly enjoying himself while watching his suffering as he was thrown into a very proper parenting situation. Not only Ha Seong-yoon, but most of the people present here.
However, Lee Jae-heon had no choice.
“Minhong ah.”
“iced coffee.”
“It’s right to eat well.”
If I didn’t feed the child myself, he wouldn’t eat.
‘Even I’m the only one who understands it.’
Jaeheon Lee barely suppressed the sigh he was about to unconsciously let out at the sight of Minhong Choi sitting quietly in his arms without any intention of moving. Even so, I wasn’t crazy enough to sigh in front of a child who was eating well.
But it was still a fact that was so funny that it was annoying. When I tried to wake him up and feed him, he would turn his head here and there, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the way he came into my arms and proudly asked me to feed him. If anyone sees me, they’ll think I’m the father, you idiot.
Clicking his tongue inwardly, he gently swept his hand around the child’s solar plexus.
“I’m bubbling inside. I’m not doing it.”
“I don’t.”
“It’s good that it’s sturdy. “Are you going to drink water?”
“huh.”
“Yes, not yes.”
“yes.”
How can you speak informally in front of adults?
When I handed him water that had been boiled and cooled, he tried to drink it while holding the plastic bottle with both hands. However, the reality is that the courage is larger than that of a child’s hand, so Jaeheon Lee gently held the back of the plastic bottle.
“….”
“…Dad….”
“Who are you just now?”
“sorry.”
The culprit was Noh Yeon-seok.
As the intern was looking at the intern with an inexplicable sense of betrayal and strange resentment, President Garam Yoon, who had been quietly observing the situation, burst into laughter. The voice was like a small flower of fog.
“Look, everyone feels that way.”
“So are you making a man like me a married man?”
“What is a man like you, manager?”
“….”
I was speechless for a moment.
“…Single and bad-tempered….”
“But my words have become much more refined in front of my child. “It’s amazing.”
“I think you’re teasing me.”
“To be honest, it’s a little like that.”
“Was it necessary to admit it so boldly?”
“But it’s really amazing.”
Garam Yoon’s eyes widened and he stared at Minhong Choi, who had already finished drinking the water.
“I thought you liked children.”
“….”
“Look at how you can’t even deny it in front of a child.”
At the same time, he smiled brightly once again, and it was quite odd to see Kwon Yeon-hee, who was sitting next to him, twitching her lips. However, while Choi Min-hong was clearly listening, he said, ‘Isn’t that true? Unable to say, ‘I hate kids?’ Lee Jae-heon could only suppress his boiling frustration.
Finally, when some people started laughing, Munsan-gun, who had not said a word until now, opened his mouth.
“…Have you ever met Minhong? “From what you said earlier, it seems like you are at least familiar with each other.”
“…I don’t know if I should call it acquaintance, but I have met him before.”
Jaeheon Lee let out a tired breath as it seemed like the story was finally progressing properly.
“But it wasn’t something particularly good that happened to me.”
As I said that, I turned my gaze towards Choi Min-hong, who was starting to doze off, and Munsan-gun, who was not completely oblivious, nodded and kept his mouth shut. It seemed like he understood what Jaeheon Lee meant: ‘I don’t want to bring back bad memories.’
‘The open mouth was closed, but whatever.’
There was no need for Lee Jae-heon to hesitate any longer since he had opened the water first.
“Mr. Munsan, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Oh… it’s okay.”
It’s not ‘no injuries,’ it’s ‘I’m fine.’ In other words, it means, ‘It’s true that I was injured somewhere, but I don’t have much difficulty moving, and I don’t want to have a deep relationship with you right now, so I think I can live like this.’
Jaeheon Lee continued calmly, as if such thoughts were none of his business.
“If you have any pain, you can talk to the pale person over there.”
“What does it mean to look pale when you see a person, Mr. Lee Jae-heon?”
“He is a doctor by profession, so he will be of great help. “My life is on the line because of that person’s help.”
“No, someone who knows that…”
Ha Seong-yoon, who had a shocked expression, raised his hand and gently touched his earlobe, then restored his face to its original state. It was the same soft and friendly smile as usual.
“I didn’t really do anything for him, but it’s true that I’m a doctor. “If you are sick, it is better for people like me to tell me in advance.”
“Uh…”
“If you hide it for no reason and it turns into another illness, it’ll be a pain for both of you. “I think it would be best if you could talk about it comfortably instead of hiding it like that half-dead person over there and getting into trouble with people.”
Jaeheon Lee opened his mouth at those words.
“Are you scolding me now?”
“If you feel that way, I have nothing to say.”
“Huh.”
“Don’t you admit that a lot of things happened one way or another?”
“Isn’t that different from that?”
“A person who knows very well that that can’t be possible says something really funny.”
“This person is really…”
I frowned, revealing my absurdity, and Doctor Ha Seong-yoon just closed his eyes and smiled. That smile was particularly similar to CEO Yoon Garam’s, so I felt bad for no reason.
Munsan-gun, who was looking at us, rubbed the back of his neck and opened his mouth.
“…Thank you for saying that, but it’s really not that big of a deal. “I’m embarrassed to receive treatment.”
“There is not a single scar in the world that would be embarrassing.”
“It’s just a little chafing and cuts…”
“Couldn’t germs get in there?”
After saying that, Ha Seong-yoon immediately let out a small laugh.
“Actually, even though I say this, there is no such thing as a disinfectant. “At most, the best I can do is to clean it up so it doesn’t get lost.”
“…No, thank you for that.”
As the story progressed to this point, it seemed difficult for Munsan-gun to refuse. Above all, the overall atmosphere of the group was quite good and they seemed to be relaxing little by little.
However, if there is something a little surprising…
‘I don’t think my guard will go down easily.’
Normally, it would not be easy to treat the rescuer and his companions like this, but Munsan-gun pretended not to be like that and was aware of the route to escape in case of emergency. This probably means that Song In-myeong managed his image quite well in the beginning.
If that piece of trash had revealed its true nature and started talking shit from the beginning, I would have relaxed quickly by comparing the atmosphere back then with the atmosphere now. Since their relationship was pretty good until Song In-myeong killed someone, it seemed like he was worried about getting stabbed again like he did then.
There was one piece of information that could be found in that regard.
“Manager, it looks like Minhong is asleep. Where is he? “I think it would be difficult to keep holding you.”
“Ah… then please do me a favor. “Please listen carefully so as not to wake me.”
Before Song In-myeong did something, there was a growing possibility that Song In-myeong, Munsan-gun Choi Min-hong, and an unknown person were walking around together.
‘I think I know that there are many survivors, but my reaction was like it was my first time seeing this many people gathered together… so I guess it doesn’t seem right.’
After confirming that President Garam Yoon was gently laying down the sleeping child, he silently glanced at Munsan, who seemed to be hesitating about something, and drank some water. He wasn’t that picky to begin with, so I thought that if I took the time to touch him, his true feelings would come out.
After drinking all the water, he spoke to Munsan-gun.
“Would you like some water?”
“…Ah yes. thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Lee Jae-heon handed over the plastic bottle to Munsan-gun.
‘How can I persuade you?’
In the end, the reason the other person hesitated was because he wasn’t sure if he could handle the situation if he fully revealed it. Not only does he have no personal trust in our group, but he is also worried that if he gets involved with Song In-myeong, there will be great damage in this direction. That’s how Jaeheon Lee felt.
Of course, since the sun was basically set, I thought it would be better to just pass on tonight.
“Let’s kill the digested people quickly. “There was a lot of work to do today, so everyone must have been tired.”
“Well, it was quite late.”
When Ha Seong-yoon responded to Lee Jae-heon’s words, Munsan-gun blinked several times. It seemed as if he felt suspicious or embarrassed that he was being passed over without asking anything.
In the atmosphere that was being settled, Munsan-gun opened his mouth.
“…Hey….”
“It’s okay.”
“….”
“Take it easy.”
Lee Jae-heon, who declared that, continued speaking in a calm tone.
“Because there is no problem.”
(Continued in the next part)
