Episode 220
Choi Jeong-man felt sorry for a man named Lee Jae-heon.
He felt the dryness of a very tired person, but his gaze softened when he looked at Minhong. He seemed to be skilled in human-to-human relationships, but he didn’t seem to be used to good will or favor. That may be natural, as it is said that he has been in and out of this world many times since he was very young.
However, Choi Jeong-man dares to guess that Lee Jae-heon was a person who had many expectations and was betrayed countless times.
“I shouldn’t do this to my teacher…”
How sinful is he to ask such a person such a terrible favor?
It was a lame excuse to say that drinking had impaired my judgment. Choi Jeong-man was a horse drinker and was not the type of person to be distracted by such mild alcohol. Even if you say you’re drunk on the atmosphere, that’s a funny thing to say. All I was doing was using the power of alcohol to pretend to be a drunk and clinging to someone who would do my bidding.
Choi Jeong-man loved his family that much. As much as I loved my son and younger brother and my wife, I thought about the empty space and regretted it, so I had to protect what little of my family was left. My family, who is just beginning to find peace.
“sorry. “I’m sorry, I…”
“You have nothing to be sorry, boss.”
“I’m really sorry….”
“Rather, I should be thankful. “Because you listened to my request.”
“I’m sorry…”
Half of the world is made of wooden dolls.
I couldn’t put my beloved child in that cold group.
* * *
After receiving permission from President Choi Jeong-man and confirming with all the survivors whether or not they were attending the meeting, Lee Jae-heon went to a restaurant with a suitably heavy mouth without any further consideration. Among the many survivors, the only ones who could not attend were the two 6-year-old children and the Park siblings, who needed permission from parents and teachers to remove the palm trees.
Lee Jae-heon, who told the gathered survivors except for those two everything except the story about the ‘sponsor’, took a sip of ice water and said with a grin.
“If you have any further questions, please ask.”
“…I have a lot of things I want to say…”
Conductor Kim Ki-jeong muttered in the meantime with a more drawn-out face. Other survivors felt the same way, to varying degrees. The survivors who had already heard the story smiled sadly.
From that appearance, Jaeheon Lee once again felt the difference from the world of his previous life.
‘Why are you hiding it like this so you can save it and use it for something else?’
To be honest, not only did I not sympathize with it, I also did not understand it.
You hate it so much because it feels like your private parts are being touched? Nothing else but your only life is at stake? I went through a similar process a few times in my previous life, but most of the time it was just a comment like, ‘Thank you for taking on this annoying task.’ The other side of the world isn’t the amusement park next door, so why aren’t you grateful when I say I’ll prepare everything in advance?
‘Well… I guess that means he’s a chick.’
At this point, Jaeheon Lee decided to step aside.
“If you don’t feel like it, you can refuse. Those who have previously asked for permission may have given permission because they trust me, have something to entrust to me, or have their own valid reasons. “As it touches on private areas, I have the will to respect the individual’s wishes.”
Perhaps sensing his intention to lighten the mood, Hong Gyeong-jun responded in a relatively light tone.
“You should do that, but it’s still illegal.”
“I guess Detective Hong Gyeong-jun has never jaywalked in his life.”
“I haven’t tried it.”
“You didn’t even pay the speeding fine?”
“I didn’t submit it.”
“You sound like a disgusting police officer. “You were probably born saluting.”
“Thank you for the generous compliment.”
“Huh.”
Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon were watching the two with their own unique smiles. You probably thought, ‘When did we build that level of intimacy?’ It was a natural question, since exchanging jokes like this requires a minimum amount of time to interact.
Of course, it doesn’t seem to be 100% a joke.
‘I was so upset that I already did some background research.’
No matter how much I thought about it, his facial expressions and words became more irreverent as time went by, which was not suitable for the position of a corrupt police officer. Lee Jae-heon, who was called a government bastard in his past life, was also more flexible than that. When you see a cute chick acting like that, you can’t help but laugh.
No, you don’t think these bastards’ lives matter to you. I wonder if it’s illegal or private to keep searching once and forever. Why should I know the importance of your little chicks’ lives?
“Well… it’s your own choice.”
But I shouldn’t have revealed it.
Lee Jae-heon slightly lowered his gaze and lowered his eyebrows, as if he was trying hard to hide his regret. At a glance, he may have a calm expression, but anyone who knows Lee Jae-heon would know that he was feeling a bit of guilt or burden.
“I want to prepare for the hidden world that I may visit in the future, and that is my desire. “I’m not saying this with the intention of putting pressure on you, but if you feel like you’ll experience more inconvenience in your life because of this unpleasantness, it’s better not to do it.”
“Uhm….”
“I told Team Ohseong in advance, but if you’re so annoyed that you can’t stand it, you can beat me until I die.”
“No, that’s a bit much.”
“….”
I said I would volunteer to take out my anger, but I can’t take it.
Lee Jae-heon, who had slightly frowned, relaxed his expression when he saw the pitch-black gaze staring at him. When I made eye contact, I asked, ‘Why? Is there a problem?’ He looked at me with a calm expression on his face, so I quickly looked away. I couldn’t get rid of the thought that I had seen it for no reason.
At that time, student Seo Jang-hwa, who was leaning limply in his chair, opened his mouth.
“I’m good.”
“…I’m okay too. does not matter.”
Naturally, it was Vivian who spoke next.
“We were planning to ask even if you said no.”
“Yeah fuck. Really. Oh, I’m so angry… I can’t even consume air with peace of mind because of that trash. If we catch that bastard anyway, our story won’t come out. Just spread it all. “Personal information is a mess… Now is not the time to worry about our private lives.”
“Janghwa, a pretty and kind horse.”
“Shut up you potato. “I can’t come out even if the words come out nicely.”
Sigh.
Seo Jang-hwa leaned forward and spoke with a distorted face.
“Uncle, I told you before. This is not the time for us to take care of our privacy. The other side of the world? Of course it’s important. If you go out and search, that’s also a problem. But our main body is here in reality. My life is here too. “My friends, my foundation, my future are all here.”
“….”
“I can’t leave that bastard Song In-myeong alone. At least I have to shake off the corn. When I came back to reality, all I thought about was, ‘How can I punish this bitch?’ “Even if I have to search, I will still have to watch Song In-myeong get sentenced to death.”
A fierce gaze resembling a mountain animal captured Lee Jae-heon, Hong Gyeong-jun, and Kim Yeon-woo.
“At least soak that bastard in the Pacific Ocean.”
“We will handle it according to the law.”
“…that’s good too.”
At Hong Gyeong-jun’s answer, Seo Jang-hwa leaned back in his chair with his expression relaxed. He must have felt quite a sense of betrayal as he spoke non-stop and leaned against the chair so roughly that it made a loud sound.
‘Still, I’m glad you don’t seem to feel any unnecessary guilt.’
Why isn’t it usually called guilt-by-association? Of course, the proper guilt-by-association system was abolished a long time ago, but in modern times, an unofficial guilt-by-association system also existed. What did those people do until their family and relatives were all bloodied? Those people are strange too, whispering that that bastard committed such a crime.
Of course, Seo Jang-hwa and Vivian were friends rather than blood relatives, but their friendship seemed close. Nevertheless, it was very nice to see him burning with anger instead of guilt. If things continue that way, even if Song In-myeong is officially judged by the law in the future, it seems that Seo Jang-hwa will not be mentally shaken by other people’s words.
“…Thank you for your permission.”
As Lee Jae-heon nodded, Seo Jang-hwa smoothed his forehead with his hand and Vivian lowered her head. Lee Jae-heon, who checked one of Seo Jang-hwa’s ears without any piercings, glanced at Vivian and then turned his gaze back to the others.
“…I…”
Seeing that gaze, Munsan-gun slowly opened his mouth.
“I’m fine too. “Anyway, you’re investigating to help, right?”
“The intention itself is good, but I don’t know what the outcome will be.”
“But it’s okay. Anyway, if Jeong In-ho and the others in the underworld had not helped me, I would have died… I would like to thank you for asking my opinion in this way.”
And sunfish.
‘In the midst of all this, he takes care of Jeong In-ho.’
Jeong In-ho’s smile deepened, perhaps because he was thinking the same thing. Even so, the absurdity was more clearly visible than the guilt, so it was true that Jung In-ho was also the type of person who had no conscience. I guess it’s not for nothing that he’s not the main character of a 19-year-old impoverished survival story.
‘At least when he was in the other world, he seemed to have a lot of emotions…’
It seemed like much of the guilt he had felt at that time had volatilized. Personally, Lee Jae-heon liked that kind of Jung In-ho because it was much better than being buried in unnecessary guilt. Because it’s time for the chick to escape.
“Then that’s how I know it.”
After the two students and Munsan-gun agreed, the survivors who had not yet given permission nodded one by one. The degree of hesitation varied, but in the end, all agreed to the invasion of personal information.
Among them, firefighter Do-yoon Han said with a straight smile.
“Wow, this is my first time having my personal information violated!”
“You must have suffered quite a bit without even knowing it….”
“Is that so? Well, this is the first time I’ve openly agreed to it. “It’s like a noir movie and I like it!”
The way he was laughing while saying that really didn’t match his face. He looks like a warm retriever, but he’s as lively as a beagle. Lee Jae-heon slightly averted his gaze due to the typical insider’s energy that sucks people’s energy. This is the type that will make you tired if you keep it next to you.
“Han Do-yoon, please stop….”
“Yes? “Why aren’t you really excited?”
“I’m not excited, so shut up.”
Indeed, Kim Ki-jeong, who was next to him, can be seen gradually drying up.
“Well… there’s no risk of your personal information leaking out, right? “I understand what your intention is, but I’m anxious…”
“Of course you’re anxious. I knew this would happen and prepared a memorandum. Compensation for damages is also written in a customized manner for each case. If there is any compensation you would like, please add it. “I will check what you wrote and if there are no problems with it, I will compile it into a file and forward it to you later, so please feel free to write it down.”
“….”
“Of course, this alone won’t give you peace of mind, but….”
“…No, it’s okay. “Give it to me.”
After asking for consent to infringe on personal information, Jaeheon Lee took the signed documents from the survivors and put them in his briefcase. Lee Jae-heon, who placed the bag neatly next to his chair, said with a businesslike smile that anyone could see.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
