Episode 205
Lee Jae-heon explained the so-called ‘Lee Jae-heon Bastard Making’ project to Kim Yeon-woo and Hong Gyeong-jun. Of course, I only thought about the name of the project in my mind. It was a name too blatantly vulgar to say out loud.
After finishing the explanation by drawing pictures on paper, the expressions on Hong Gyeong-jun and Kim Yeon-woo’s expressions were very strange.
“I have a question for you.”
“…Are you serious…?”
“I don’t know what you meant.”
“Are you serious about doing this?”
“Why isn’t it simple?”
Lee Jae-heon, who realized that he had the talent of a serial killer and had been hiding his real face for a long time, recently witnessed someone’s ‘work’ and wants to become a figure in the industry. The vicious Lee Jae-heon takes police officer Kim Yeon-woo hostage and wields detective Hong Gyeong-jun. On the other hand, he loses his ability to control his instincts and begins investigating people around him in order to create his own ‘work’… “This is pretty well organized
. Isn’t it? “What do you think?”
“…I think it would be fun to make a movie out of this…”
“In the first place, life is bigger than a movie.”
The other side of the world is like that, but the past life that Lee Jae-heon recalled was even more eventful and bizarre. Lee Jae-heon’s history would be much grander than that of anyone else living on this planet. The sight of Kim Yeon-woo mumbling in front of him, saying it was unrealistic, was not even noticeable.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was tapping his fingers on the table as the two spoke, opened his mouth.
“So what should we do?”
“Detective, you can do what you do and look for other survivors.”
Hong Gyeong-jun’s top priority was to find survivors other than us, and the next one was Song In-myeong. In particular, there seemed to be a reason why survivors who entered and exited the underworld could panic and cause accidents for various reasons, such as mannequin monsters or a sense of disconnection from reality.
Well, the people around Lee Jae-heon, including Jung In-ho, were unusually calm, but that was not a typical reaction.
“I was really surprised when I first looked in the mirror. Actually, it’s not particularly good even now…”
“The monster itself is very intimidating. “It’s natural to feel momentarily confused when you escape to reality but encounter the monster again.”
“Plus, it came out on the car mirror. “I think there is a possibility that an accident could occur while driving.”
As in the curious conversation between Kim Yeon-woo and Hong Gyeong-jun, the mannequin monster could appear in any mirror and scare the survivors. The existence of a monster that pops out at no set time and harasses people was enough to push the survivors to their limits.
Jaeheon Lee added a word.
“Even what you experience in the underworld can leave lasting aftereffects.”
“I’m worried about that too.”
Fortunately, the people who came to their senses in the underworld were either immune to mental pain or extremely healthy. In particular, the characters who were part of the main character in the novel seemed to be trying to find stability in their own way, as Lee Jae-heon confirmed last time, but in the case of other characters in the original work who could not survive for a long time, it was difficult to expect them to be in a good state even after escaping.
What I’m most worried about at the moment is people like President Choi Jeong-man and Kim Ki-jeong. At least President Choi Jeong-man showed the will to hold on somehow because he had a son, but in the case of Kim Ki-jeong, who was sensitive by nature, even the smallest thing seemed to cause great stress. It was a situation that Jaeheon Lee could not help but be concerned about.
In such a story, Hong Gyeong-jun spoke.
“Luckily, Mr. Kim Ki-jeong knows where I live. He said he originally worked overseas and returned home after a long time. “After saying hello to his parents, he came to his home and said that on his way to the park to rest, he ended up in another world.”
“Then I guess you live around here.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you exactly where Mr. Kim Ki-jeong lives. We heard it directly from Kim Ki-jeong, but this is also personal information. “We will meet with you first and ask if you would be willing to let Jaeheon Lee know.”
Jaeheon Lee thought about that.
‘As expected, Hong Gyeong-jun was a man who was sincere in protecting the survivors, even though his methods were poor.’
For an actor who played the role of a corrupt cop in this ‘Making a Bastard Lee Jae-heon’ project, he was a very good detective. Lee Jae-heon, who was joking inwardly, opened his mouth after a moment of contemplation.
“…Rather, I would like to have a place where we can have a conversation. Other survivors also gathered together. I asked Ohsung employees for their consent to infringe on their personal information, but…” “
…I’ll pass it on to you.”
Jiik.
Lee Jae-heon, who drew a line over the name ‘Kim Ki-jeong’ with a pen, continued.
“Then, as of now, the only people who know where they live are Kim Ki-jeong, Han Do-yoon, Lee Yun-byeol, Choi Jeong-man, and Korean University students.”
“You said you asked for consent from Ohseong employees, Mr. Garam Yoon, and the doctor. “Then, do you know anything about the residence of that high school sibling?”
“I know about school uniforms, but I don’t know exactly where they live and where they study. These were kids who didn’t talk about things like that. “I will take care of finding and meeting those friends.”
“Well, for those students, it would be better for Jaeheon Lee to approach them. “It seemed like he was on high alert.”
Talk.
Hong Gyeong-jun asked, tapping the table once more with his finger.
“Do you know anything about Mr. Munsan…?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“…You joined late. understand.”
“I will conduct a separate investigation for Mr. Munsan-gun and other people for whom I have no information. “I won’t go into much detail, but I will just find out where you live, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“….”
“Even if you glare at me with that expression, it’s not scary at all. Would I waste my time knowing that I would be dragged into the other world at some point? “You’re saying they won’t investigate the details?”
“….”
“Look at you not answering until the end.”
Of course, it would be strange for the police to say outright, ‘Okay, do a follow-up investigation.’ Lee Jae-heon could not hold back his laughter and scolded Hong Gyeong-jun.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to have a proper social life without this level of flexibility.”
It was just a joke, though.
“….”
“…Detective?”
I saw Hong Gyeong-jun’s eyes sink for a moment and then come back again.
“I have a good social life as well.”
“Of course it is.”
“I see Jaeheon Lee is worrying for nothing.”
Kim Yeon-woo also looked at him with a puzzled look, as if he felt it, but Hong Gyeong-jun just ignored him. Jaeheon Lee felt a determination not to tell anything, so he didn’t bother to ask any more questions.
But I felt clearly interested.
‘…Who on earth did I overlap with?’
Perhaps someone watching Lee Jae-heon had said something similar to what he had just said, but I thought it would be better to investigate this in advance without asking for consent. If anything, there might come a day when we have to use that ‘someone’ to cultivate Hong Kyung-jun’s sociability.
Lee Jae-heon swallowed his true feelings and continued speaking.
“Then, we will contact you as soon as we find out the residences of other survivors, so please search for those who know the residences first. “I think it would be better to look for Seo Jang-hwa and Vivian first.”
“…those students had a great attachment to Song In-myeong. I understand. Even if Song In-myeong approaches first or tries to meet Song In-myeong there, it will be a problem, so let’s talk in advance. There is a high possibility that we have already met…”
“And I will meet President Choi Jeong-man.”
“Is there any other reason?”
“It’s nothing special…”
The face of a child who was massaging my hand as if it were a toy came to mind.
“Isn’t Choi Min-hong a child over there?”
“I guess you’re worried.”
“That’s because young children often do strange things. President Choi Jeong-man must have been in a difficult situation, but he was doing business not far from the company anyway. “It’s not difficult to get there.”
“Hmm….”
It meant that I, who was close to the child, was going to visit him because I was afraid he might cause an accident.
‘Did you think it was out of pure concern?’
At Lee Jae-heon’s words, Hong Gyeong-jun looked at Lee Jae-heon gently, and Kim Yeon-woo gave him a strangely warm look. I know it was a misunderstanding, but it wasn’t a particularly harmful misunderstanding, so I decided to just accept it. If you look at me favorably, I feel comfortable.
He pretended not to notice and made fun of the pen.
“And in fact, it is not probable that I chose Hong Gyeong-jun just because he was the ‘detective chasing Song In-myeong’… so let’s just say that there is a detective in my ‘work’ as well.”
“Is it okay to just put it together like that?”
“What can you do in a situation where Police Officer Kim Yeon-woo has already been included? “What more do you want when you get to this point?”
Lee Jae-heon said, typing the names ‘Hong Gyeong-jun’ and ‘Kim Yeon-woo’ written on the paper with a pen.
“So, detectives and police officers, you can show that you are uncomfortable with topics related to me. If you’re not good at acting, just don’t say anything. “If that’s the case, I can take care of it myself.”
“…I don’t think you’ve done something like this once or twice.”
Lee Jae-heon responded to Kim Yeon-woo, who was muttering between admiration, surprise, and confusion.
“Well, I also have to eat to survive.”
“…Uh, yes….”
“You don’t seem to understand it at all, but it doesn’t matter.”
Tuk.
I lightly put down my pen.
“I guess that’s what needs to be done right now. Detective Hong Gyeong-jun, please talk to Seo Jang-hwa and Vivian first. After you’re done, please look for other survivors who know where they are. “The information I requested will probably be obtained somewhere in the middle.”
“…In the end, background investigation….”
“Of course, please check Song In-myeong’s movements during that time. You can’t fail to do your duty as a detective just because you’re protecting the survivors. If you work in parallel and find out the condition of all the survivors, I think you can arrange a place to talk with me. “I would appreciate it if you could mention in advance that I have conducted a background investigation regarding the survivors’ residence.”
“All right.”
Lee Jae-heon’s gaze returned to Kim Yeon-woo.
“Kim Yeon-woo, please accompany the detective as much as possible. All you have to do is contact him often, meet him often, and express your anxiety about ‘Lee Jae-heon’ in the meantime. Even something very small is okay. “I also like the feeling of guilt that Detective Hong Gyeong-jun got caught by the collar because of the police officer.”
“…Isn’t this almost how you prepare for a play?”
“If you think of it as a play, I’m fine with it. There is no need to think too hard about it. “I guess Kim Yeon-woo was planning to go after Song In-myeong with the detective anyway, right?”
“That’s true, but….”
“Then it’s enough just to keep an expressionless face and focus on your job with the detective.”
After saying that, Kim Yeon-woo looked at Lee Jae-heon with a very confused expression. Perhaps it was anxiety stemming from the inability to clearly define the person named ‘Lee Jae-heon’. Maybe alertness has gone up.
‘But it won’t be a meaningful level of caution.’
Kim Yeon-woo has a bad habit of trying to look good on people in any way possible.
“I will contact you as soon as I meet survivors and gather information. First, let’s meet with President Choi Jeong-man. Next, I will have a conversation with students Da-young Park and Da-hoon Park.”
“I guess you’ll play that damn villain too.”
“Isn’t it fun?”
“It’s not fun at all.”
“I have fun.”
He let out a quiet, low laugh.
“Really.”
* * *
Hong Gyeong-jun blinked at the sight of Lee Jae-heon saying that.
“Well… I called you to my house as a threat, but wouldn’t it be a bit weird if I left out too unscathed? Would you like a drink? “I will follow you as a poisonous bastard.”
“Is there any significance to that?”
“You said you drank it because I threatened you. When I watch noir movies, I often see people having such oppressive conversations and drinking together. It’s not a bad idea to try to create a similar atmosphere…”
His voice is faintly excited.
Lee Jae-heon looked happy, as if a helpless person had found something to do. He seemed genuinely happy, and although he wasn’t full of motivation, he seemed to have gained enough energy to take active action. It resembled a patient organizing his life just before death.
Hong Gyeong-jun knew such a person.
“We will be drinking, so please call a taxi when you go. That way, our play will spread well.”
“….”
“Detective Hong Gyeong-jun?”
“All right.”
Wow.
I clenched my hands into fists without saying a word.
‘…I don’t want to overlap.’
It’s so similar that it’s so strange.
I felt sick.
