Episode 256
Eonhak High School basically has a ‘ㄷ’ shaped structure, and the side with the front door was called Building A and the side with the back door was called Building B. Buildings A and B had more than one bathroom on each floor, which meant that there were two or more bathrooms on each floor.
There are two bathrooms on the first floor. Jeong In-ho and Park Da-hoon, who occupied the restroom furthest from the main entrance where they could leave school, took turns guarding the door for 10 minutes each.
“Is it okay outside?”
“Yes, I don’t see any monsters.”
“thank god.”
The time you can last in the bathroom is 60 minutes. As more people enter, the time decreases. If two people, In-ho Jeong and Da-hoon Park, entered, they could only stay for 30 minutes, so the two people took turns guarding the front in case of an unexpected situation.
Dahoon Park muttered as he looked at the number [38:23] drawn on his wrist.
“It would have been nice if the time limit was reset when you leave and come back, but it’s a shame.”
“I know. “Then I guess I could have rested more comfortably.”
As they took turns entering the bathroom like this, the school found out about their actions and deducted the amount of time they were inside from each person’s 60 minutes. As a result, it was impossible for two people to enter. I thought maybe 10 minutes after the 60 minutes were up, it would reset to the time before I went into the bathroom.
Of course, it didn’t really matter to the two people who were about to leave school soon. This is because the 8th period was scheduled to end before the number on the wrist reached 0.
“We can escape, right?”
“I’m a little anxious because it’s Building B, but… it’s completely possible.”
The other survivors were hiding in the bathrooms of Building A on the first and second floors, respectively. Due to the structure of the school, where all stairs and elevators were concentrated in Building A, the survivors inside were expected to escape safely. The bathroom on the first floor of Building A had an exit right in front of you, and the bathroom on the second floor had an exit just down the stairs, so you could easily avoid the monsters coming from above.
However, the people hiding in the bathroom of Building B were not very dangerous. If you tried to escape when the school bell rang, the front door would already be blocked by a large group of monsters, so all you had to do was get out of the bathroom early and be near the front door.
“They said Kim Yeon-woo was also outside the main gate. It’s okay because monsters won’t chase you as long as you go outside the school. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“…The other survivors I didn’t see today probably didn’t make it to the other side this time because they didn’t answer the phone at all, right? “It’s not like I couldn’t contact you because you died before I could answer the phone, right?”
“I would have been able to answer most of the calls without going crazy as soon as I came to the other side. They weren’t new to the underworld. “I think it’s probably true that I couldn’t come.”
“thank god.”
Da-hoon Park said from inside the bathroom, leaning his head against the door.
“You know.”
“okay.”
“It was like this last time.”
Jeong In-ho, standing outside, slowly blinking, opened his mouth.
“…I said you were the last survivor from last time.”
“Last time, I was inside and you guarded the door from the outside.”
“I said yes. “I remember.”
When he quickly went to the school to rescue the students, Da-Hoon Park had already shared his experience of time travel with his older sister, Da-Young Park.
This clever student pointed out In-ho Jeong, who had never been told that he was a regressor, and told him about his experience. Thanks to this, In-ho Jeong learned that the last survivor from last time was Da-hoon Park.
A round smile appeared on Jeong In-ho’s face.
“How does it feel to die once?”
It was a face that Jaeheon Lee would have said ‘gross’ if he had seen it.
“I do not know.”
“How did you feel when you died?”
“…At that time… I had no thoughts.”
Da-hoon Park muttered as he looked at his body, which was fine, unlike in his memories.
“By that time, my mind was really blank.”
Fear is born from something unfamiliar, and the moment it becomes familiar, it cannot be called fear.
Park Da-hoon, who had lost anyone to protect him and was trapped at school alone, was clearly scared, but gradually became accustomed to the dry and terrible situation. What Park Da-hoon felt when he returned to the bathroom next to the dead body of Lee Jae-heon at the end was not fear.
What should we call it? Misery, loneliness, loneliness. If you add it all up, can it be described as despair? That terrible feeling made Park Da-hoon’s brain dull. I didn’t think anything of it.
“…Oh, I just hope it ends quickly. Like…”
“What?”
“I don’t know. “Anything… I thought it would be better for it to end sooner.”
I felt like I was having a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from.
“Uncle Jeong In-ho.”
“You can just call me uncle.”
“That’s not what I call Mr. Jeong In-ho. sorry.”
“I can’t believe it’s this affectionate. “The manager will get sick of you and run away.”
“You know, that’s why.”
“huh.”
“How was Uncle Jeong In-ho?”
“what?”
“When dead.”
Jeong In-ho blinked at those words.
When Park Da-hoon informed him that he had returned to the past, Jung In-ho, who felt that there was no longer any reason to hide it from the siblings, also explained the condition of himself, Kang Min-ah, and Ha Seong-yoon. Even though they had announced that they too had regressed like Park Da-hoon, they had no idea that such a direct and explicit question would be asked.
“So…”
“How did it feel?”
“What did it feel like?”
Even though Jeong In-ho’s eyes darkened, the round smile on his lips could not be erased.
“I felt resentful.”
“…Who did you feel resentful of? “I think I somehow know.”
“The manager left all the work to me and died. Even now that I think about it, it’s really disgusting. “Some people die so peacefully, as if they were sleeping.”
“I really don’t want to see that face.”
“That’s right, that face that says it’s better to die than to live really… makes people who look at it scared.”
It was the first time that Lee Jae-heon’s feelings about death were revealed so clearly.
Actually, the only other regressors were Ha Seong-yoon and Kang Min-ah, but neither of them were suitable people to have this conversation with. It would be embarrassing for adults at this age to gather in a circle and complain, but if the subject was the death of a spiritual supporter, they did not have any respect for themselves before becoming adults.
However, because Park Da-hoon was still an 18-year-old student, they were able to vent their little complaints without hesitation. At least in this crazy world behind the scenes.
“So I resented it. “I still resent it.”
“I think you understand.”
“But what can I do when I can’t remember anything? “You don’t know how annoying it is to see that face that looks at you calmly as if there’s something wrong after doing all that crazy stuff.”
“…What should I do if he grabs me by the collar as soon as I see his face?”
“If you catch it, you will get it. If not at a time like this, when would you ever try to grab the head of a large conglomerate by the collar? If possible, grab it and shake it. “At least give me vicarious satisfaction.”
“…What should I do if I cry in front of the man?…” “
….”
Jeong In-ho laughed softly, recalling an incident that happened at the park one day.
“…it might be better to cry.”
“why.”
“What would you say if someone who doesn’t usually cry grabs you by the collar and cries? A little more… harm. I think it’s because of guilt, but it would be beneficial if I could hold on to it like that. is not it?”
“…I think so.”
“…Why do we have to talk about this…”
It was very difficult to deal with someone who was not obsessed with life. Everything Jaeheon Lee did because he wanted to do it came to us as a favor, affection, and kindness. In this world where people have no choice but to cling to others, Lee Jae-heon’s existence felt like the only breathing space in an aquarium full of water.
If you’re going to die like that, what can you do even if you want to yell at them not to be hypocritical? I had no intention of being hypocritical, and we just misunderstood it as affection. It is a structure in which people who mistakenly think that the other person gave them something they had no intention of giving have no choice but to cling to it even more.
“…Honestly, I gave up halfway. Should I say I acknowledged it? “Even if you don’t have any regrets and seem like you’re going to fly away, if you keep holding on, the day will come when that person will set foot on the ground.”
“I guess so.”
“I remembered it now, when he first died.”
“….”
“I think I was lonely.”
Jeong In-ho narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“I was so lonely that I thought it would be better to die….”
And that was the correct answer.
As proof, isn’t Jung In-ho currently living in countless opportunities?
* * *
Several hours after starting the fire and building a simple shelter, the search team that went in to rescue the students was able to leave school without a single death. Lee Jae-heon welcomed them back with a tired look, thinking it was a decent result.
The students came in hesitantly behind the search team that entered the poorly constructed shelter.
“Oh hello….”
“Excuse me…?”
First of all, students Na-eun Maeng and Ji-ho Seong who we saw in the last episode.
“Teacher Ha Seong-yoon, please treat me.”
“oh my god. The condition… must have hurt a lot. “Student, come here.”
“Uuuhhh….”
And it was Kim Hee-chan, a student with cramped legs.
‘I wonder how I didn’t get to that point.’
Well, the time we returned from this episode was quite a bit later than the last episode. By that time, even if we had gotten into the school as quickly as possible and rescued him, there was a high possibility that his leg would have already been damaged. Perhaps because he knew that, the main character did not look very guilty towards student Kim Hee-chan.
‘He’s not a good guy after all.’
It is true that the main character, Jeong In-ho, longs for goodness, but he himself did not truly pursue goodness.
He was secretly calculating and cold-hearted, but the best he could do by yearning for goodness was to take responsibility and lead the weak. If you look at it that way, it could have been natural not to pay much attention to Kim Hee-chan’s injury.
Jeong In-ho met Lee Jae-heon’s gaze and made eye contact with a smile.
“Ah, Manager. “Are you feeling okay?”
At those words, Hong Gyeong-jun, who was talking to police officer Kim Yeon-woo, noticed him turning around, but Lee Jae-heon pretended not to notice and nodded.
“Thanks to you, I had a good rest. “I’m glad everyone came back with their limbs still hanging.”
“That’s right, I hope everyone comes back just fine this time.”
“Are you saying you never did that?”
“Hahaha….”
I could feel the grin on his face, as if asking, ‘So, were you sane in the last episode?’ But what can we do? ‘Lee Jae-heon’ is not a regressor. It would have been difficult for the returnees to openly scold Jae-heon Lee, who had no shared memories.
“I looked around the mountain behind you before you guys came…”
“Where did you go?”
“Not me. I was here. “There were other people walking around the mountain behind me.”
“Oh, I see. “Keep talking.”
“…I don’t think there’s anything here that can be gathered and eaten.”
The park in front of Oseong Tower is managed by the city and has large and small lakes, as well as many small animals and fruit-bearing plants. The other side of the world also reflected the park, so there was quite a lot for the survivors to gather and eat. In comparison, the hill behind the school was not managed as much, so it could not have had the same resources as the park.
So, what are you trying to say?
“I think I need to rob a convenience store.”
“…There is a convenience store in front of the school’s main gate. “I think there might be a few more.”
“Yes, that is.”
Lee Jae-heon blinked and said.
“I’m not saying we should go right away. It’s already been dark for a long time and it’s crazy to be moving around in an unfamiliar place at this hour. “Convenience stores will also have rules.”
“I really… hate the rules of the underworld.”
“Who do you like? Still, things will be better than school. I don’t know what you went through inside, but I’m sure it will be much more comfortable than that. Convenience stores are small and…”
“Did the level of difficulty vary depending on the size of the building?”
“It’s not necessarily the case, but the difficulty increases in buildings where groups with strict discipline stay. Military hospitals and religious facilities are also like that. In particular, Eonhak High School is famous for taking good care of its students… I guess it must have been very difficult.”
“…Yes, it was really difficult.”
The main character who said that didn’t look very good, not only because he was kicked out of school, but also because ‘Jaeheon Lee’ still couldn’t remember anything, and he seemed to feel a little uncomfortable. I don’t know in what direction the inconvenience is directed.
“…Anyway, the flower shop didn’t have any very inconvenient rules, right? Of course, it may have been because it was a plant-oriented space, but… it wouldn’t be very difficult for a convenience store.”
“Then, can we move when the sun rises?”
“Yes, there are snacks and drinking water brought from the bathroom. The same goes for searchers who have returned from school, but most of the survivors are exhausted just from walking all the way here. “I think it would be a good idea to get some rest and rest tonight.”
“understand.”
Jeong In-ho nodded and continued speaking with a soft smile.
“Then you must have plenty of time to talk.”
“…I don’t know what it is, but I feel really unfair, Jeong In-ho.”
“Tell that to that student over there, not me.”
“No, really….”
“Dahun really missed the manager a lot.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon, who had kept his mouth shut, carefully turned his gaze to look in the direction that Jeong In-ho was pointing, and Park Da-hoon, who was playing with Park Da-young’s hair, met Lee Jae-heon’s gaze. It was a really black… disgusting gaze
.
“…Huh.”
Why does everyone look like that?
