Episode 209
“The person right above me did the same, and so did I. Even if I died, I couldn’t die. There was obviously a god in that world, and when we died, time went back. “Who else but God would do something like that?”
“…That is…”
“When I go back in time, I always come back to a point where I have room to change something. Doesn’t that make you feel like the main character? We felt that way. In the case of Kang Min-ah, it is difficult for me to explain, but….” “
….”
“The world favors me, there are always supporting actors around us, and I am given the opportunity to change the future. “If nothing like that had happened, we would have just resigned ourselves to it without any hope. This is truly cruel.”
“…Then Manager, now….”
“I won’t be able to go back in time anymore. During this visit, I stopped at a park with a low level of difficulty, so I didn’t die once, but I think that was also the result of In-ho Jeong’s change. “I think that In-ho Jeong has now inherited the ability to regress, just like I did.”
“What on earth does that guy called God want? “Why does the underworld exist?”
“I don’t know why this is happening. I don’t know why the world is divided in two and why God won’t let us die. Maybe they made it that way just because it was fun.”
“….”
“As I said before… that’s why I thought he was the main character. Because the main character must be alive for the play watched by God to be interesting. “We are just replaced as needed.”
“….”
“A protagonist who can make the story more interesting.”
* * *
“Then let’s get up.”
“Please go in carefully.”
“If anything happens, please contact me.”
Sweet.
The door closes and the sound of footsteps fades away.
“….”
Only when the sound was completely gone did Jeong In-ho move his body.
He sat down on the bed and then laid his upper body back. There was a creaking sound coming from the old, poor-quality bed, but Jeong In-ho couldn’t hear it. All I could do was stare in silence at the ceiling, which was covered with white wallpaper but had become stained due to the passage of time.
Jeong In-ho, who had been dazed for a while, muttered softly.
“…I was trying to get angry.”
Actually, we weren’t able to express the complaints we had been holding on to.
“Haa….”
A sigh escapes me.
In fact, when the opportunity to talk like this came up, I tried to urge him to look around a little more. Jaeheon Lee was so used to all of this that he didn’t seem to think anything of it, but unlike him, the mental state of the other survivors, including Inho Jeong, was not very good.
Jiing – Jeong In-ho checked the message with dry eyes as his cell phone rang.
[ㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠPlease save meㅠI just came out of a mannequin]
Kwon Yeon-hee sent a message to the group chat room.
[Ah;;]
[Are you okay?]
This was Noh Yeon-seok.
[Not at all ㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜ]
[Me too…ㅠㅠ]
[I think there was a horror movie playing next to me]
I was really scared or I was just out of my mind. Jeong In-ho blinked slowly as he saw Kwon Yeon-hee making a lot of typos.
“…I think it’s a bit difficult as expected…”
Although she’s pretending to be light like this, in reality, it was Kwon Yeon-hee who was having the most trouble.
Of course, it was natural that it was easier to regain one’s composure than when one was in the other world, but even with a sane mind, the mere presence of the mannequin in the mirror gave people fear and discomfort. I even knew that almost the entire marketing department where Yeonhee Kwon works had been replaced by mannequins.
‘It was creepy.’
The first day I left the secret world and went to work, Kwon Yeon-hee did not come here, so as soon as I had time, Jeong In-ho went to visit her as a representative. And what In-ho Jeong saw was mannequins crowding the office. Kwon Yeon-hee was not in it.
At the time, he had no superficial relationship with Kwon Yeon-hee, so he stepped down, but I heard later that after he came to work, he looked pale and trembled and eventually even cried. I heard that the company semi-forced a person to take sick leave because they thought he was in really bad shape or had experienced something bad, even though he normally didn’t.
Even after that, it was confirmed that Kwon Yeon-hee’s radius of action had narrowed significantly.
“…This isn’t really Yeonhee’s story.”
Noh Yeon-seok often went to the bathroom with a white face, probably from nausea, and Kang Min-ah held her breath not only when mannequins but also ordinary people passed nearby. Garam Yoon was better off, but he said he would take a break from working at the flower shop for a while because it was difficult to see flowers. It seemed like he was smoking again.
‘It would be the same for high school siblings.’
Are those kids doing well?
I sighed again. For some reason, I felt like my fever was rising. The others said they would look for Lee Jae-heon, but they couldn’t help but worry. In particular, in the case of the siblings, I was even more worried and sorry that Jung In-ho had treated them in an immature manner not once but twice.
Jeong In-ho, who was picturing the faces of the survivors in his mind, soon burst into laughter.
“…In conclusion, the only ones who look fine are Lee Jae-heon and Ha Seong-yoon.”
Even that might not really be okay. They’re probably just pretending to be calm because they’ve adapted to this life in their own way. Jeong In-ho did not know that it had been a long time since his insides had rotted away.
Still, I tried to ask him to look around.
‘Because everyone is having such a hard time.’
I wanted to ask you to comfort the survivors who feel awkward in reality because they are unable to roll around in the other side of the world, and who are shaken by the traces of the other side of the world hidden in various places in that reality. I know it’s a selfish request, but I prepared it because I noticed that Jaeheon Lee was just looking ahead again.
“There were a lot of things I wanted to ask…”
It seems that Jae-heon Lee died in that way, but in the end, he survived, but the fact that he did not ask any questions after seeing him like that was simply a result of the survivors being considerate of Jae-heon Lee. There were times when I was so busy that I didn’t get the chance to ask.
So this time, In-ho Jeong was planning to step forward and prepare a space. I was curious about the human story of Jaeheon Lee, what he misses and what he fears. Because I wanted to build a proper relationship, not a casual relationship like when I was in the secret world. That’s why he wanted to be with us as a person to person.
“….”
But after hearing this story, I couldn’t bring up such a request or suggestion.
“…Damn it.”
My stomach is pounding.
To be honest, I don’t want to treat the old manager named Lee Jae-heon as a precious relationship, but no matter how much it was an act, he is still an uncomfortable person because of the many things he has suffered at the company, but despite this, the relationship he built in the behind-the-scenes world was not that simple. Jeong In-ho clearly thought of Lee Jae-heon as ‘my person.’
“Why the hell…”
I even treated that person like a talisman.
“I must have lost my mind.”
When Jung In-ho was in the secret world, he was nothing more than a simple dog. Like an animal that salivates when the bell rings, thinking it will give it food, I couldn’t escape the thought that ‘if Lee Jae-heon dies, everything will be ruined.’ In fact, just because such a situation was repeated did not mean that Lee Jae-heon had any spiritual power. When I think about it now, it was such a ridiculous delusion.
Guilt for treating people like objects. Compassion for that person’s past. Gratitude for helping us. The obsession that temporarily reached the level of obsession, etc… There was no longer any reason left for Jung In-ho not to bring Lee Jae-heon within his control. No matter how hard you search.
That’s why I’m thinking about it again.
“….”
What on earth was that police bastard doing?
“If Hong Kyung-jun was alive, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was handcuffed.”
No matter how special the environment of the underworld was, Lee Jae-heon was a minor at the time, and his partner was an adult and a police officer. From what I understood when I ate the fruit and suffered the pain, it seemed like I was treated with violence that went beyond simple brainwashing and that I was treated like an animal. How on earth can you defend that?
Jeong In-ho felt sick to his stomach when he saw Lee Jae-heon trying to say good things about the police officer.
‘I guess that means I relied on it that much.’
Well, didn’t he end up relying on Lee Jae-heon? The case of young Lee Jae-heon and the police officer may not have been much different. Of course, Lee Jae-heon never imposed bad common sense on Jeong In-ho or forced him to make sacrifices like the police officer did, but he would have been at least a mental supporter.
Since he became the ‘main character’ in that state, he could have grown into the ugly adult he is now.
“…When I think about it, I think more than half of my pain was because of the manager…”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Honestly, I feel resentful. But at the same time, I am grateful. The pain that Lee Jae-heon caused Jeong In-ho was all caused by good intentions on his part, and as a result, all survivors survived.
If we think about how we went back in time, many people would have definitely died if Lee Jae-heon had not been there. This means that Lee Jae-heon’s claim that ‘if I can save more people with just one person, that would be more efficient’ is not entirely wrong. If you asked me if that was the right thing to do, I would still shake my head…
“…”
Jeong In-ho, who was looking at the ceiling, slowly closed his eyes.
‘After all, that’s what happened to me too, so it’s not my place to say anything.’
The current protagonist was Jeong In-ho, not Lee Jae-heon.
He had already confirmed several times that the ability to reverse time had been transferred to him, so he could not deny it. One day, there could come a day when Jung In-ho, like Lee Jae-heon, has his common sense twisted and repeats vain and crazy things without getting tired. In a way, it was a natural result since I had to go through such a long time in someone else’s stomach.
‘I even did things I couldn’t do to Munsan-gun.’
Although Jung In-ho had less conscience than the average person, his head throbbed from guilt and fatigue. He made a big deal out of a subject that wasn’t planned so cleverly and meticulously, and the other person didn’t even seem to resent it. You may feel guilty now, but there may come a day later when you rationalize it by saying, ‘That person is okay too.’
However, this did not mean that I would obey obediently.
“….”
Jeong In-ho opened his eyes again and muttered softly.
“It can get better.”
I was sure of that.
Jaeheon Lee called this phenomenon of countless repetitions ‘cruel.’ I couldn’t deny that, but it was also true that at least I got opportunities that others couldn’t have. Some people have gained the power they wish to obtain even by selling their soul to the devil.
It is true that the process was painful, but when I come back to reality and think about it, I could not have been happier. How terrible would it be if tree patterns were drawn on the faces of my people who were lucky enough to escape? In-ho Jeong gradually erased the resentment that had filled him.
That’s why I was able to be completely grateful.
“It can get better….”
I was confident that I could remain by my people’s side.
Let’s not be impatient. I was given a chance. There is so much time and God is not partial to me.
Even though it may be so horrible that it makes you nauseous, there will eventually come a day when things will be okay. Even if I couldn’t find a way to completely escape, I would be able to adapt to this different world. By then, I will be able to correct Lee Jae-heon’s twisted common sense, and my people will realize how to find hope even when they fall into despair.
We could have gotten better.
“yes?”
Because the world gave me the right to do that.
* * *
That time.
Jaeheon Lee was just about to return home.
“-mister!”
Coincidentally, he encountered Choi Min-hong.
“…Huh.”
“Mister’s hands!”
“It’s time.”
It’s really hard to make a living.
