Episode 212
―Our Jaeheon~.
A sly but heavy voice comes from the other end of the phone.
―I haven’t been in touch with you lately?
“…Well… since when did you contact me so often? Still, you contacted the owner of Jijinan, right?”
The other person’s name is Lee Jae-hyung. He was the older brother of Lee Jae-heon, a third-rate villain, and the second child of the Lee family.
-That’s right. How is things going at work?
“It’s the same every day… Those below don’t know what to say and only know how to complain. Anyway, those who can’t even handle a task properly are like a poor person and end up with too much force in their neck…”
– Ah, you know, you know. Are our kids the same? But what can we do? We have to do our best. It’s not that I don’t know that young kids get into jokes all the time, but there are times when we have to look at all of that.
“Why are you watching all that? “I don’t understand.”
―Oh, you’re hot-tempered. huh? What can I do if my personality is so dirty? Aren’t the kids below crying again? Oh, right. Are those cheap tastes still the same these days?
“Oh, really….”
Lee Jae-heon sighed inwardly.
‘They say that’s how good he is.’
In his memories, the entire Lee family, including Lee Jae-heon, were old-timers. This is enough to make one think that this is the mystery of genes. If there’s anything different, it’s that he shows subtle old-fashioned behavior rather than complaining openly like Lee Jae-heon, so I can’t judge someone as being of worse quality based on that, but… -Hey, don’t I know you
? Also, since it’s a luxury series, I’m sure you’re buying and collecting miscellaneous items.
“I said I would buy it because I wanted it, but why are you saying this?”
―Use your mouth politely. No, and even though they introduced me to custom-tailored clothes, I didn’t go there and started looking for a brand that buys all kinds of dogs and cows. How bad must this brother feel? Our master suddenly got wind of it.
“It’s okay because those master craftsmen are too busy to accept me.”
―Stupid bastard… Ah, but what are you doing these days?
Lee Jae-heon answered naturally, but did not erase the smile from his face.
“What did I do?”
– Pretending not to know… I found the ones I used before, so where are you going to use them again?
It was because the opponent steadily took the bait.
The industry that operates illegally is limited, and the errand center that requested the background investigation had a connection with Lee Jae-hyung, so of course I expected to contact him. They probably thought it was strange that Lee Jae-heon was suddenly looking for an errand boy.
“….”
―Jaeheon?
Jaeheon Lee thought for a moment.
Is it right to give it a little hint here, or should I just make it feel moderately strong? Otherwise, he was contemplating whether to move on without the other person noticing. After choosing his words for a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s all useful.”
It will be easier to move later if you set it as if you are in a moderate mood.
It’s not that he hasn’t been careful as he’s been creating an image as an old school chief, but according to the setup he worked out with the police, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ should be in a really good mood right now. Since I was the only person like this, I thought I would be trapped in a box for the rest of my life, but I have just discovered that this area is wider than I thought. It was better to show this level of excitement.
However, his intonation was different from usual.
―…Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter as long as you don’t get into an accident.
Perhaps his older brother, Lee Jae-hyung, began to question the unknown sense of discomfort. He’s also quite a bit of a thinker. Lee Jae-heon continued the conversation as if nothing had happened, even though he was inwardly pleased with the reaction of the person who had taken the bait.
“How old am I when I have an accident?”
―Think about when you were young, Lee Jae-heon. Even when I was a student, how difficult was it for us to sort that out? know? It was an accidental incident at the time and was resolved. I can’t tell you how grateful I was that the other person gave me money.
“Oh kinda. “I understand.”
―Well, if you look at the amount of money that was passed over, you can clearly see the level. But do you know where all that money came from? Anyway, I heard you have a knack for wasting your money.
“I’m really sorry. “I have to say it a few more times.”
―Well, you have the brains to organize things… Are you so angry? For a boy to be sensitive about something like this… he hasn’t grown up yet.
“I’m not angry.”
-He’s the kid who did it~.
Fuck you bastard.
‘I want to strangle him.’
Jaeheon Lee twisted his lips with the ordinary killing intent that all brothers feel. The other person was just having fun, so I was more excited about this shit than anything else.
In a family where the entire family is old-fashioned, Lee Jae-heon, the youngest, was naturally last, ranked 5th. Even in an ordinary family, it is natural to want to kill one’s family mate, but what about Lee Jae-heon, who is subtly ignored by the family? No matter what the plan is, you will feel a magical temptation to just pluck that obnoxious boy and throw him in the concrete.
“A real bastard….”
―A bastard?
“Oh, I’m hanging up.”
Tuk.
Jaeheon Lee wheezed and placed the disconnected cell phone on the table.
‘How is it that it is better to not have family than to have them?’
Even in my memories of my past life, there was no proper human being other than my ‘family’. When I grew up, the family I created disappeared like water-soaked cotton candy in the blink of an eye. Even so, my previous life where I had no family at all felt better than my current life where I at least had one, so at this point I had to wonder if there was a curse on my family’s luck.
The fever rose to the top of my head, so I gulped down the cold water I had prepared in advance, knowing this would happen. When I put the glass down roughly on the table, the ice inside collapsed with a clatter.
“….”
I slowly touched the cold glass with my fingers.
“…It definitely comes and goes.”
When I was in the other world, I barely thought about bloodlines. I knew that Manager Kkondae’s family existed, but as soon as I was consumed by the secret world, all my feelings for them disappeared.
But when I return to reality, it’s back to the original position.
‘This may not be a variable, but it’s definitely inconvenient.’
This discomfort was probably Lee Jae-heon’s feelings in this life. Feelings of alienation, fear, feelings of inferiority, irritation, disillusionment…. In addition, various other emotions were mixed together to complicate Lee Jae-heon’s feelings throughout the conversation. In reality, Lee Jae-heon was like that even though he didn’t think much about bloodlines right now.
“I’m sure I have a small bowl.”
That’s if the past was enough to make you feel dizzy.
Lee Jae-heon, who was reflecting on the past of a third-rate villain that did not appear in the novel, soon stood up. Complicated feelings are complicated, and what needs to be done now has not been completed well.
‘If this is the case, I’ll check it later.’
Lee Jae-hyung must be surprised that the youngest, a troublemaker who can’t do anything on his own, called an errand boy for some reason. However, he would not immediately show enough interest and sincerity to ask the center, ‘What did Jae-heon Lee request?’ This meant that there was room for Jae-heon Lee to influence the flow of work.
fluttering.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon smiled slightly as he checked the thick stack of documents. Instead of holding a cup of cold water, his hand was on his cell phone, which was hot from a long call. On the front page of the document was a photo of a high school student with long, curly hair, accompanied by a clip.
After a short beep, a harsh voice was heard.
-…hello?
“Did you receive the gift well?”
-…I have received it well.
“know? If that’s the case, I’ve done well. Are you ready to go outside?”
―As you recommended, I chose China as my destination.
Lee Jae-heon smiled brightly at the sound of the man’s excitement after receiving a considerable amount of money.
“You’ll catch the boat on your own, right?”
―Of course. Once the work is done, I will leave quietly without being caught.
Detective Hong Gyeong-jun has already started to move. He would be meeting not only survivors whose whereabouts he knew, but also survivors whose whereabouts he did not know based on the information Jaeheon Lee had researched. No matter how much time off you take, the job of a detective is not that easy, so they will try to contact you as soon as possible.
It won’t be long before we receive permission to gather survivors.
‘I think it will be finished within the next week or the week after.’
Immediately after that, Jaeheon Lee will hold a meeting with the survivors to obtain their consent to infringe on their personal information and request a background investigation into their past. Then, the errand boy you are talking to will take care of the information and provide it to you, and once this task is completed, he will try to leave the country without a word. Even the order of the investigation was changed as Lee Jae-heon requested.
“Then it’s me, thank you.”
Nevertheless, the tail will be caught. Jaehyung Lee intervened.
‘There is no way the errand boy assigned to me is that good.’
In the same vein, he would not be an employee in a very important position. The fact that Lee Jae-heon decided that he could immediately go abroad just because he gave him some money shows that fact. Since he was only worth that much, it was natural that no matter how well he hid his tail, he would eventually catch Lee Jae-hyung’s attention.
And based on Lee Jae-hyung’s behavior in the past, there was a high probability that he would try to deal with the errand boy in some way. I’m sure I’ll show the stupid youngest child the process and try to teach him discipline.
‘Because even this bastard’s inferiority complex is killing me.’
It was an attempt to relieve the younger brother of the sense of entitlement he had gained from his older sister. Although he may not have thought it was true, it was obvious to Lee Jae-heon, who recalled his past life and gained an objective perspective.
And there is nothing easier to deal with than a nerd with an inferiority complex.
“…Maybe next weekend.”
-what did you say?
“I was just talking to myself. “Let’s just hang up.”
―…Yes, thank you for always using us.
“It was nothing.”
Lee Jae-heon, who was looking down at his cell phone where the call had ended, soon let out a low laugh.
He muttered softly.
“You seem like an idiot.”
This guy and that guy, it’s full of idiots who don’t even know what kind of game they’re playing on. What a joy it is to be able to escape from being one of those idiots by remembering your past life. A sense of satisfaction fills me as I see wealth and fame flashing before my eyes.
I hope these desperate people will follow the script I wrote.
“…Oh, I see.”
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the sea, so I need to stock up on motion sickness medication.
* * *
Eonhak High School.
Just as there are levels shared between students and levels shared between parents, it is a school that is evaluated as having the highest level among humanities high schools that general students can attend. Of course, there is no official standard, but it seems to be because nearby housing prices are very expensive, parents are very hostile, and students’ average grades are high.
“… was the story around me.”
“…What kind of general high school….”
“It is also true that the facilities and atmosphere vary depending on the region.”
Kwon Yeon-hee showed a reluctant expression at Jeong In-ho’s words.
“I think I just went around without thinking when I was in high school…”
“Haha, that’s right. Like Yeonhee, it is right not to attach any special meaning to school. “As long as there are no institutional or ethical problems.”
“Because there is no particular meaning to give.”
“There are some people who can’t do that. Individual pride…”
“Anyway, isn’t it just a school?”
Kwon Yeon-hee grumbled quietly.
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to meet if we go blindly. Of course, I have to see their faces, but what should I do to avoid being treated strangely…? Aren’t you just going to be taken to the security office? “Wouldn’t it be weirder if I wore a hat?”
“I think I can just get in the car and wait in a place where I can see the front door. Of course, it’s still strange, but it’s better than us going out to visit them. “Don’t even wear a hat.”
“Ahh… it would have been nice if the manager had come too.”
“I can’t help it since you are on a business trip. “No special words were given.”
Lee Jae-heon left most of the work to his subordinates and went on a business trip. Since this was not the first time this had happened, Team Leader Woo Soo-young continued his work with a sad smile, but not everyone was as resigned as she was. Some people even expressed their dissatisfaction.
The Survivor team, who knew Lee Jae-heon’s real face, could only guess that something was going on based on his busy behavior throughout the weekend. In particular, Jeong In-ho knew that Lee Jae-heon was not originally on a business trip on Monday.
He smiled neatly.
“If you are going to do something, it would be good if you let me know.”
“That’s right…”
Kwon Yeon-hee sank down, holding the seat belt tightly with both hands. Even when I was in the secret world, I couldn’t help but think of Manager Lee Jae-heon, who thought alone and worked alone. I only expected that there would be a high probability of an accident this time as well.
The silence fell for a moment, and Kwon Yeon-hee, who was looking out the window of the car moving forward, muttered softly.
“…I don’t think the manager… doesn’t really trust us.”
“is that so?”
“I guess you don’t really want to become friends. “It feels like I’m hitting a wall.”
“Haha….”
“You didn’t say anything about Dayoung and Dahun this time either. You might be worried, but you remain calm. “I said you didn’t even contact me after escaping from the underworld…”
At Kwon Yeon-hee’s words, Jeong In-ho just smiled roundly. Although he also sympathized with Kwon Yeon-hee’s words to some extent, it seemed like a rift would arise between Lee Jae-heon and them if he completely accepted it.
‘Conflicts will arise even if we stay quiet, so we can’t instigate them further.’
He had guessed that problems would arise due to Lee Jae-heon’s twisted way of thinking, but since it was a problem he would face someday, Jung In-ho couldn’t stop it. To prevent that from happening, I tried to create a proper conversation, but I couldn’t even get the word out…
“…You don’t mean that you don’t like us, right?”
“Because he is such an indifferent person. “I don’t think there was any malicious intent.”
“I’m going to think that’s the case, too.”
Kwon Yeon-hee wrinkled and straightened the bridge of her nose slightly, showing discomfort. Jeong In-ho only smiled awkwardly as his true feelings were revealed as honestly as a sulking child.
“Well, we’re all here. “I think that’s Unhak High School.”
“Oh, isn’t it just right at the end of the night? I deliberately came to match it, but we are really great….”
“….”
“…Oh.”
Gum blink.
Kwon Yeon-hee blinked widely, looked back at Jeong In-ho, and asked.
“…Isn’t that the manager…?”
It was a murmur full of complex emotions.
Through the glass window that Yeonhee Kwon pointed to, I saw a man with a familiar figure and two students. As we met and were in the middle of a conversation, I heard a cheerful laugh. Actually, I couldn’t hear it clearly because of the distance, but looking at the bright faces of the two students, they seemed to be in quite a good mood.
The man in the suit, whose face was not visible because his back was turned, looked back and soon made eye contact with the two people watching them from inside the car, and he froze. He seemed to be contemplating what kind of expression to make in an unexpected situation.
“….”
Then he laughed shamelessly.
As if childishly bragging, ‘I came first.’
“…under.”
That person is real.