Episode 262 Lee Jae-
heon thought to himself as he looked at Yoon Garam’s eyes, which were colored similar to dandelions.
‘It’s definitely very different from the original content.’
The color of Yoon Garam’s eyes in the novel was grey-green. There was no change other than that it sometimes turned dark green when the excitement got stronger, but Jaeheon Lee blinked at the deep yellow color, not the light green that you would see in a bud. It was a little disappointing that Garam Yoon himself could not see that color.
In any case, this means that Yoon Garam also had a big change of heart.
‘I was worried, but I’m glad.’
When Yoon Garam died for the first time after entering this secret world, he did not start a fire even though he was locked in a warehouse. If he had shown such unusual behavior, any of the returnees would have told him something, but it was clear that nothing was said.
Garam Yoon still had feelings of rejection about his own abilities.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here, so I’d like to build a more proper shelter if possible.”
“You’re not saying you’re going to build it yourself, are you? People who have been to the convenience store will come and get angry. “I’ll call others if necessary.”
I didn’t expect him to change his mind right away, but since I touched him like this, I’m sure he’ll try to use his abilities later when he really needs it.
‘If you already have the ability, it’s right to use it.’
Due to the nature of the depicted side world, it is not impossible to gain superpowers, but as of now, the only one who is that crazy and still sane is Garam Yoon. In particular, Garam Yoon had a passive side to his actions, so he could not use his strength when it was really important. Jaeheon Lee was concerned about that, so he encouraged it in a small way.
He frowned slightly as he watched Yoon Garam’s eyes gradually return to their original state.
“Still, I’m the only one taking a break…”
“You’re doing that again. Should I bring the kids? “It’s so clingy to me that I’m sure I’ll cry all day.”
“I learned something bad from Kwon Yeon-hee.”
While having a light conversation, Jaeheon Lee touched his gloved hand.
“Isn’t it possible for everyone to see you crying like that?”
In the novel, Yoon Garam was much crazier than she is now.
Perhaps losing Ha Seong-yoon in the beginning was a big factor, and I was half-conscious in the park, looking for a cigarette with a look on my face as if I was about to die. Her daily routine in the novel was to show signs of extreme anxiety, such as biting all of her fingernails with her teeth and causing them to bleed, or to sit blankly and look at her surroundings.
Garam Yoon said with a small smile.
“The manager looks after you when you cry.”
“When did I… you almost never cried in the first place.”
“Still, will you watch me if I cry? I heard you become weak to weak people. Especially to Yeonhee…”
“Isn’t Kwon Yeonhee particularly soft? “Just be careful not to explode.”
“You are really kind.”
Contrary to what you see now, Yoon Garam in the 19-year-old impoverished survivor was not a person who smiles often.
‘Did you say that it feels like you’re consciously holding yourself back even if you try to laugh?’
Maybe it was because it reminded me of Ha Seong-yoon. Her smile seemed to have been greatly influenced by Ha Seong-yoon, so it could have been that she tried to restrain herself as much as possible because it reminded her of the person she killed when she smiled. The only time Yoon Garam smiled was when he completely lost his mind and gave himself over to pleasure. When you burn something of your own will.
When I returned to reality, I was able to at least save my face, but I couldn’t handle it without smoking. The Yoon Ga-ram in front of me looked much more human than the Yoon Ga-ram in the original story, who was damaged in many ways.
“…Well, anyway.”
That’s a good thing.
“I’m more worried about the people who went to the convenience store.”
“It will be okay because they are all skilled. On the contrary, I am a little anxious about whether we will be able to deal with it well if a monster suddenly appears.”
“You’re not planning on telling me not to take up weapons even then, are you?”
“Honestly, I hope you don’t hear it…”
Even while talking with Yoon Garam, Jaeheon Lee’s mind was occupied elsewhere.
‘So how did everyone die last time?’
Doesn’t regression mean that all survivors are dead?
I would like to ask what happened in the last episode to make all the survivors outside the school die, but the last survivor last time was Park Da-hoon, not Kang Min-ah, and Park Da-hoon, who was trapped in the school, did not know the situation outside. Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho, who were able to explain the situation at the time, went to find a convenience store.
Seeing as the two weren’t very alert, it seemed like it wasn’t a very serious situation, but Lee Jae-heon, who wanted to eliminate any possible variables, couldn’t help but wonder what happened.
‘Were we wiped out by monsters like in the first round…?’
Of course, there was something awkward about saying that it wasn’t a ‘very serious situation’ that all the survivors were wiped out, but at least for Lee Jae-heon, it wasn’t that big of a deal. He even believed that not only he, but other regressors also felt the same way. Actually, it was easy to avoid monsters.
Lee Jae-heon looked at Yoon Garam, who had taken a walk around the mountain behind him, and asked.
“Were there any monsters in the mountain behind you? If it’s too dangerous, you may need to leave…”
“Don’t worry. There has never been such a dangerous monster. In the park, there were monsters like crows and green algae monsters… but all the monsters here were small and less aggressive. “The number was also small.”
It made sense. At best, what kind of great guys were there on the hill behind the school? Since it was separated from the school by a barricade, it would have been difficult for students to come in and out, so it was clear that at best, only irrational thoughts would have accumulated.
‘Then I don’t think he died here.’
Jaeheon Lee was blinking and thinking lightly when something came into his field of vision.
“…uh?”
“Boss? Why…”
Jaeheon Lee covered the eyes of Garam Yoon, who turned his head to follow his gaze, with his hand. In response to that quick action, Garam Yoon carefully held Jaeheon Lee’s hand, but he spoke firmly.
“Don’t look.”
“Boss…?”
“It’s not dangerous, but it’s nothing good to see.”
“No, but still.”
“Really.”
Lee Jae-heon, who stood up while holding her shoulder, muttered in an embarrassed voice.
“…It’s just that a dog came.”
What caught Lee Jae-heon’s eyes was none other than a monster abandoned dog.
It’s a pompitz that tilts its round head.
* * *
A convenience store slightly larger than the one in front of the school gate. After checking the motionless mannequin monster at the counter, the search team cautiously entered the convenience store and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the monster not reacting even though they were all inside.
“…I don’t think they are going to attack.”
“It was said that the mannequin monster, unlike regular monsters, plays the role of a host in the underworld. “Unless we break the rules, he won’t attack us.”
“It would be important what the rules are.”
Jeong In-ho blinked and spoke at Hong Gyeong-jun’s words.
“It is said that the hidden world reflects human thoughts, so it must be a rule related to the everyday appearance of the convenience store. “Didn’t there also be school-related rules at Unhak High School?”
“It’s the usual appearance of the convenience store…”
Kim Yeon-woo muttered softly and looked at the inside of the convenience store as if observing it.
“…Don’t you need money? “There’s even a counter.”
“Hmm… First of all, I have cash.”
“I am there too. “I didn’t mean to bring it intentionally, but I usually carry cash in my wallet, so…”
Jeong In-ho nodded at Hong Gyeong-jun and Kim Yeon-woo’s words.
“Then shall we do the calculation? “I really hope that people who don’t have money won’t attack people when they pick them up or something like that.”
“Would a convenience store part-timer think that someone has no money and punish them for that? I don’t think it will matter as far as catching it. “I don’t have any cash, so I’ll try my hand at it.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was close to the display stand, picked up a bag of snacks with a calm face, but the monster at the counter just stared and did not show any particular hostility. Even though he walked up to the door holding the snack, the monster just stared.
Ha Seong-yoon, who confirmed this, put the bag down and nodded.
“I think it’s okay as long as you don’t take it with you.”
“Then let’s do the math.”
Kim Yeon-woo walked to the refrigerated display stand and picked up a triangle gimbap.
“I only have 3,000 won in cash… so I’ll calculate it with this for now.”
“It’s okay for me to do it, Mr. Kim Yeonwoo.”
“No, I’m just doing an experiment. “Don’t worry.”
When Kim Yeon-woo put down the triangular kimbap on the counter, the mannequin, which had been watching from afar no matter what the survivors did, moved for the first time. The mannequin scanned the barcode of the triangle gimbap with a scanner and then placed his hand on the monitor above the counter. The price was written there.
3000 won.
“…Isn’t it a bit expensive?”
Even though Kim Yeon-woo reflexively said that, the mannequin monster did not even move. I don’t know if it was my mood, but I felt like it was bothersome, like it was none of my business. The faceless mannequin had no expression.
Kim Yeon-woo, who obediently paid 3,000 won and got a triangle gimbap, returned to the survivors with a strange expression.
“This… I feel a bit deceived, but will it be difficult to get a refund?”
“There is no part-time worker who likes to get a refund. “I don’t think there’s any need to provoke.”
“I really feel like I was cheated…”
Leaving Kim Yeon-woo muttering behind him, Hong Gyeong-jun this time chose a small chocolate and took it to the counter. At a typical convenience store, a small chocolate would only cost a few hundred won, but the price displayed on the monitor was completely different from their expectations.
12,500 won.
“…If I eat that, will my severed limbs grow out?”
“I can’t be sure, but it doesn’t seem particularly likely.”
“There is no thief like this.”
Hong Gyeong-jun silently opened his wallet as he watched the survivors whispering.
“…The total cash I had was 12,500 won.”
“It was a sign that he wanted to spend all the cash he had.”
“Just in case, let’s do a few more experiments.”
After returning the chocolate to its original place, I brought some snacks and a bottle of water, but the price remained the same. Even when I lifted two items instead of one, the items in my hands returned to their original places.
Hong Gyeong-jun, whose hands were empty in an instant, muttered with a sour expression.
“What a… conman….”
“This isn’t something I would say to a monster, but he really does business without conscience.”
In the end, no matter how much cash they had, there was only one thing they could buy. Even if the price was completely different from the price tag on the shelf, the monster at the counter simply demanded cash and did not even attempt to fix the system.
“…I even went back and forth with him several times and he seems to hate it.”
“Somehow… it doesn’t have a face, but it looks like it’s frowning. “You look really upset.”
“Am I the only one who ended up losing 12,500 won?”
Hong Gyeong-jun stood at the counter holding a large bottle of water.
“I don’t know anything else, but if drinking water is not supplied, the survivors’ condition will rapidly deteriorate. “Do you have any other opinions?”
“It’s a pity, but I think that would be better. When I get back to the shelter, I’ll have to ask if anyone has any cash. “If Kim Yeon-woo is there, coming back isn’t that difficult.”
Kim Yeon-woo, who was among the members of the search team who had obtained a triangular gimbap and a bottle of water, and who was continuously observing the situation, gently tilted his head and opened his mouth.
“…I have a question. Can I try it just once?”
“First, tell me what you’re curious about. “Don’t run into the monsters like you did before.”
“I am reflecting on that. “I was so excited.”
“I see… I’m excited…. “Well, anyway, what are you curious about?”
Kim Yeon-woo answered Jeong In-ho, who made a strange expression.
“What happens if you try to pay for something without money?”
“…Wouldn’t you be kicked out? “It might be a little dangerous, but do you really need to try this experiment?”
“I don’t think the rules are as strict as at Eonhak High School, so I run away if I have to.”
Without hesitation, Kim Yeon-woo lifted up a chocolate that seemed to have been prepared for the event. Even though Valentine’s Day had long passed, it looked like it had been left in place without being cleaned up, with a lot of dust accumulating on it, which was actually a good situation for the survivors.
Kim Yeon-woo, holding the pink box, picked up a bottle of water after a moment of deliberation.
“…uh.”
“…This…isn’t going away.”
Unlike the previous situation, where two objects were held at the same time to pay with cash and then returned to their original positions, Kim Yeon-woo was holding the objects in both hands. Kim Yeon-woo blinked rapidly at the unexpected result, but quietly placed the two products on the counter.
The mannequin’s head turned 90 degrees, making a mechanical noise.
“…Why….”
Tak.
“…ah?”
Unlike before, there were no numbers written on the monitor the monster was pointing at.
“…A hat and two fingernails….”
Silence fell among the survivors. Kim Yeon-woo was wearing the hat, so even if it were true, asking for fingernails was a cruel and unethical payment no matter how you say it.
Kim Yeon-woo muttered with a serious face.
“Human trafficking…?”
“I think it would be closer to a long-term transaction than that.”
“What are you two analyzing with such serious faces?”
Jeong In-ho, who spoke as if scolding the two people, was also smiling a round smile as if he were out of his mind.
“And if I had to really ask, I think it would be barter.”
“There is no one sane here. “The future of Korea is dark.”
“A person like Detective Hong Gyeong-jun is in charge of our country’s security, but Mirae is already…”
“I’m curious about the reason why you’re suddenly starting an argument.”
“I made a mistake. “The words that I said in my mind have finally come out of my mouth.”
“What a great human being you are.”
“I’m always great.”
Jeong In-ho, who grumbled lightly, blinked as he looked at the letters still floating on the monitor. No one noticed, but his eyes gradually turned black.
“Rather than that… is there no problem if it’s someone else’s nails other than yours? For example, a corpse.”
“There was no mention of whose fingernails it was, so I think it would be possible. “Even though I’m not sure, I think it might be worth a try…”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was muttering as if analyzing, shook his head in surprise.
“No, that was nonsense. “Who on earth would do an experiment with their fingernails?”
“…Fingernails….”
“…Fingernails….”
“….”
In an instant, the survivors fell silent. Goosebumps ran down their spines as if a cold wind had passed between them. Looking at each other’s faces with similar expressions, the search team could tell that they were thinking of the same person.
Jeong In-ho, who checked that far, muttered without realizing it.
“…the manager shouldn’t know.”
I thought that if I found out about this, one of Jaeheon Lee’s arms might be blown off.
In fact, it was a certainty.
