Episode 207
The first thing Jeong In-ho felt upon returning to reality was that reality was definitely more comfortable than the other side of the world. It was the same from a mental perspective rather than a physical one.
Perhaps because of that, I was able to recall things that I had not thought about deeply in the past due to the burden. For example, things like the button that was carefully fastened all the way to Lee Jae-heon’s neck, the strength and skills that were particularly noticeable in the other world, and his very calm face even though he had just returned to reality.
It all told about the past of a person named Lee Jae-heon.
‘But even that is fragmentary.’
Because he did not like talking about himself, it was difficult for others to learn more about Lee Jae-heon’s situation. Although he talked about his past roughly in the behind-the-scenes world, it was no different from the plot of a movie before its release. This means that although the overall context is understandable, it is too condensed to understand the details.
Because of that, they returned to reality and could not ask Jaeheon Lee anything.
“…He is dead now.”
But now Jung In-ho has a chance.
Perhaps Lee Jae-heon also found peace of mind by returning to reality. Lee Jae-heon, whom I saw in the other world, was trying to tell me about the past that he would never have told me about.
Jeong In-ho, who knew that this was not an opportunity he often gets, lightly clenched and unclenched his fists and continued.
Where should I start?
“So… are you saying that you were a lover?”
First of all, I’ll have to take things step by step.
If I thoughtlessly delved into the main topic, I didn’t know when Lee Jae-heon would come to his senses and back off. Jeong In-ho decided to be cautious. At least I had to get information about the ‘main character’.
‘I’ll tell you someday, but I can’t wait that long.’
Jeong In-ho also needed time to organize his thoughts.
“Because you said you were the person you liked.”
“…you’re right. “We had big differences in tastes, but apart from that, we were very likeable people.”
“okay.”
It seemed too sad to say that he was simply a ‘like-minded person.’ I swallow my ridicule inwardly.
“It was no big deal. “It was the loss of an acquaintance that every survivor of the underworld experiences.”
“That being said, I understand that no one among us died? Oh, except for Song In-myeong. “I don’t know if that guy is dead.”
“Isn’t that because I did a great job? “I don’t know if Song Ga is dead, but I hope he is already dead.”
Jaeheon Lee raised his hand and touched the corner of his mouth.
“Let’s talk about the mannequin first. I think you have roughly figured it out, but…”
“…Are you saying that people who die after entering the other world are replaced by mannequins with existing facial features?”
“That’s right, the mannequins you see in the mirror will also have faces when we die. But unless we go to the other side or die there, we will never come out from inside the mirror. “You don’t need to be too scared.”
“The scary thing is… it’s okay, but for some reason, I’m upset.”
“Isn’t it called the uncanny valley? In short, they can’t cause any real harm to us, so they’re just like non-existent people.”
“Why didn’t you tell us while we were eating?”
“I thought I needed to build up immunity to that level, so I kept my mouth shut.”
Jeong In-ho blinked at those words.
“…Wait a minute, immunity? Why? “What else is there besides mannequins?”
“…Have you never heard anything from the doctor?”
“Uh…”
If Lee Jae-heon says something like that, Ha Seong-yoon may have mentioned it at least once. Could it be that he came back to reality and put down some of his memories? I racked my brain, but I couldn’t remember anything.
“Well… I was going to tell you anyway. The survivors who came out from the other side of the world may find it strange even if I say this, but…”
“I am so surprised that there is anything more strange here.”
“I see a monster.”
“What do you mean?”
Jeong In-ho’s face hardened reflexively at the word ‘monster’.
No matter how much I returned to reality and was able to come to my senses by freeing myself from the pressure that was oppressing me in the other side of the world, no matter how relaxed I felt, all the memories from that time did not disappear. If Jeong In-ho, who was emotionally blunt, was like this, the other survivors would probably be even more so.
Lee Jae-heon responded to his appearance.
“The general public, except the survivors, cannot see the reality of the replaced mannequin. It’s similar to that, but in reality, there are monsters that have no form. “It’s a little different from the other side of the world.”
“…What is that…”
Jeong In-ho, who was mumbling as if he was dumbfounded, suddenly remembered one of Ha Seong-yoon’s injuries. That injury on the side that did not heal even after being fed fruit.
“No, it is not that there is no shape at all. Let me describe it a little more: mud? shadow? Or acting…? “The entire body is mostly achromatic, close to black, but in rare cases, there are monsters that appear as transparent as a haze.”
“….”
“And I think these were created by the survivors’ individual thoughts.”
“…How is it different from the one in the other world?”
“First of all, it is a monster that has no fixed form and is assigned to one individual like a mannequin in a mirror. Other survivors can see it, but they can’t harm them unless they are affected. And when your emotions become intense, there is a high probability that they will appear in front of you. “This is why I developed the above hypothesis.”
“….”
“So, I wanted you to get used to the mannequin monster in advance. Right now, I’ve just escaped from the underworld, so I won’t create such a monster, but I don’t know what will happen over time. “It’s a good idea to learn how to deal with things that come out of nowhere, like mannequins or shapeless monsters.”
“…That means….”
“You also have to learn how to refrain from doing things that people other than survivors might find strange.”
Kuuk.
Jeong In-ho asked while holding his head.
“Then why did you tell me in advance?”
“That’s because Mr. Inho Jeong is disgusting.”
“….”
“Don’t look at me with such subtle eyes.”
Jaeheon Lee continued in an indifferent tone.
“Didn’t In-ho Jeong always make a living by acting?”
That wasn’t wrong.
“…Isn’t there something that can be called acting? I thought it was just the basic attitude of a member of society…”
“There is no need to be humble when you know everything. I thought that In-ho Jeong would be able to handle it well even if it was his first time escaping. “He was definitely better at managing facial expressions than the rest of the group, so I decided I should tell him this much.”
“You are a very good teacher.”
“Is this why you’re acting up in front of the manager?”
“Hahaha….”
As Jeong In-ho let out a hollow laugh, Lee Jae-heon sighed.
“Actually… there is no need to worry about the shapeless monster I just mentioned. “There is a higher chance of being eaten by the underworld again before then.”
“….”
“It’s not a monster that can be created that easily. Relax your expression. If someone sees you, they will think you cursed. “It was simply conveying information, wasn’t it?”
“In some ways, it’s worse than a curse.”
“And what else should I tell you?”
He blinked a couple of times and continued speaking.
“…Ah, Kang Min-ah once talked about the memory of her death.”
“Don’t be so explicit. “Because it’s too weird to say in real life.”
“Do you remember the mannequin Kang Min-ah talked about back then? “I saw it at the pharmacy.”
“…is that what I see?”
“That’s right, in the underworld, mannequins are a kind of resident and guard.”
He crossed his legs and lightly waved his hands as he explained.
“They are monsters that you will definitely see at least once inside a building in the other world. The hidden world reflects thoughts in reality, and the place where this is best reflected is usually in buildings. Any place that reflects a purpose-built building has rules. “The mannequins follow their own rules and show hostility when the survivors do not follow them.”
“What do you mean by rules?”
“I think you can just think of it as a game.”
“game?”
“Aren’t there rules to follow in games too?”
He looked at the laptop on the small desk.
“It’s not much different from games you can play on your computer or cell phone. You can move forward by rolling the dice, or the lives given to the player are displayed visually, or the number of characters that can move in the game is limited to a total of 5…” “…There was nothing like that
in the park?”
“Humans can grow plants, but they cannot create them. “There are rules for places with clear reasons, such as corporate amusement parks and schools… but parks full of plants tend to be free in that respect.”
“….”
Is that why you recommended the park?
When I had just left the office and joined the florist group, the place Jaeheon Lee recommended was none other than the park. Looking at the state of the party at the time, it seemed like they judged that they would not be able to survive by entering a place where the ‘rules’ existed. And Jeong In-ho thought that the judgment was probably correct.
‘…But that’s not the information I want to hear right now.’
Jeong In-ho met Lee Jae-heon’s gaze and opened his mouth.
“So what influenced me to go back in time?”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon rarely answered right away.
“If the underworld is a space that is so controlled by thoughts and has to suffer from the resulting rules… what kind of phenomenon is it that I experienced? “I felt that this was qualitatively different from Kang Min-ah or Ha Seong-yoon’s.”
“…That…”
“You referred to me as the ‘main character.’”
Jaeheon Lee kept his mouth shut.
It was almost expressionless. He looked a little embarrassed and didn’t want to talk, but at the same time he looked like a resigned person. But I didn’t feel any confusion there.
“Why?”
“….”
“Why did you call me the ‘main character’? What on earth does that mean? And…”
Lee Jae-heon also meant that he expected Jeong In-ho to ask this question.
“That was before he joined us. “I wonder what happened to those lovers and colleagues before they left.”
After saying that, Jeong In-ho raised the corners of his mouth as a habit. When he laughed like this, it was because Jaeheon Lee always called him a ‘gross bastard.’
Inho Jeong needed that kind of recognition right now.
“I believe that you will come all the way here and not keep your mouth shut.”
The disgust that Lee Jae-heon talks about was the minimum condition for him to entrust work to the other person.
“…You can find out more later.”
“Do you want to know now?”
“Why do you have to do that? Are you the type of person who gets spanked first? Or do you enjoy suffering? “I can’t figure out why you want to suffer like this…”
He sounded a little angry.
“Maybe it’s better not to know.”
Maybe it’s a plea.
‘My speech became slurred.’
Lee Jae-heon sticks to speaking informally unless it is an honorific, but when the thorn he was erecting came down, he used a more blunt tone of speech. At least, it was a part that showed that he had good intentions in hiding about the ‘main character’.
Yes then that’s right. In the hidden world, the lower your mental power, the more your true nature is revealed. Even in such a place, there was no way a person who sacrificed himself for others and possibly even wanted to die would withhold information with malicious intent. Although it may seem like a selfish choice to those around him, it was a good intention from Lee Jae-heon’s personal perspective.
So in this case….
“…you can do it well.”
“….”
“Whether you like it or not, it happened anyway.”
They bring up the ‘efficiency’ and ‘rationality’ that the other person likes so much.
“I think I deserve to hear it too.”
“…gross bastard.”
“So?”
Since he already knew that this was more of a compliment, it only made the smile he was making even deeper. It was proof that Lee Jae-heon thought there was truth in Jeong In-ho’s words.
The person who hesitated finally opened his mouth.
“This may sound like bullshit, but…”
I froze once again. It was an expression of skepticism rather than a change of heart. Nevertheless, Jeong In-ho quietly waited for the other person to speak, knowing that he would eventually speak.
Not long after, a soft voice followed.
“…God exists in this world.”
“….”
“We are the standard… that he set.”
