Episode 265
Woo Woo-young was a person who hated conflict.
Although he would not go forward at the cost of losing the benefits he should have gained, he preferred to end things on amicable terms whenever possible. Since he had the ability to join a large company called Ohseong and rise to team leader, mediating conflicts was not that difficult. In the same vein, I didn’t dislike Director Lee Jae-heon that much.
If I were to be honest, it was like seeing my nephew who came over for the holidays and got into trouble. I thought about how I could handle that if not for me, and at the same time, I felt quite comfortable with Manager Lee Jae-heon’s line. I found out later, but there were very few executives who tried to disparage Manager Lee Jae-heon, who was a royal.
‘But…’
I’ve never imagined Director Lee Jae-heon looking like this.
“Ah, Manager! “Do you know how surprised we were…!”
“I said I was sorry…”
“I thought my heart was going to burst because I was wondering if I was kidnapped by a monster…!”
It was unfamiliar to see the crying Kwon Yeon-hee making an embarrassed expression while avoiding her gaze, but more than that, the image of Lee Jae-heon loitering somewhere in the mountain behind came to mind.
‘I wasn’t trying to do that.’
‘I was wrong…’
‘I was wrong.’
This is the image of him holding his face with both hands and apologizing into the air.
I don’t really remember what I muttered after that. To be honest, there was nothing that Woo Joo-young did after falling into this crazy world, but that was a difficult enough situation, and the fact that one of the group members disappeared while he was sleeping put a huge burden on Woo Joo-young. The best thing she could do was wake Lee Jae-heon, who looked scared as if he was about to collapse.
“Team leader, are you okay? “I heard you were chased by a monster abandoned dog.”
“Mr. Inho….”
“I think you are very surprised.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Manager…?”
“….”
It was a pity for Jeong In-ho, who froze while smiling, but Woo Joo-young was also in a state of fear. Not just because of the chase that took place in the middle of the night, but also because of Director Lee Jae-heon, whom I was seeing for the first time in my life. He was frightened by the sight of such a person.
“I’m sorry for saying such a strange thing. “I’m just worried…”
“…What happened to the manager?”
To Jeong In-ho, who cautiously asked, Woo Soo-young told him exactly what he remembered about the situation at the time. If he were sane, he wouldn’t have let his subordinates know about his boss’ potentially sensitive details, but he had no choice but to do so due to the continuing embarrassing situation and Jeong In-ho’s genuinely worried expression.
“The manager just apologized into the air…”
“An apology.”
“He says he did something wrong and that he ruined everything. I think it was something like that. I’m sorry, I don’t remember either. “I kept saying strange things and the manager seemed really anxious.”
“Have you noticed any other behavior?”
“Just like a scared person… He doesn’t even cry, he’s shaking…”
Before Director Lee Jae-heon became unfamiliar with him recently, Woo Joo-young had never seen someone this much in danger in the first place. It was the first time in my life that I had seen someone who was so overwhelmed by fear and self-reproach that they couldn’t even struggle. Woo Woo-young, who had unintentionally seen the bottom of a human being, felt fear stemming from something unfamiliar.
The sight of him hesitating in the pitch-black darkness, curling his body as if he didn’t want to be hit, bowing his head to the floor, and repeatedly begging for forgiveness, unable to cry or scream, was extremely scary.
That’s just….
“…It looks like a dead person….”
Woo Joo-young hesitated.
“…I’m sorry. It wasn’t something I wanted to say to Mr. Inho. You shouldn’t say things like this to other people, but… I said something really pointless. sorry. Really, I…”
“…I think you’re very embarrassed, but it’s okay. There are no dangerous monsters nearby, so rest easy. “There won’t be any major problems for the manager.”
“How can you say that?”
“….”
“If you die… what should I do…?”
Even Woo Joo-young himself didn’t realize that he was saying strange things. Even though it was he who was blaming himself for saying something pointless just a moment ago.
“It looks like it’s so hard to breathe…”
“Team leader.”
“Why can you be so calm? You know what? “The manager’s fingernails were all missing.”
“Calm down, you’re just surprised.”
“….”
Woo Joo-young squeezed his mouth shut.
She disliked conflict and was good at action, so she had a habit of trying to resolve problems as quickly as possible. Some said it was stupid, some said it was wise. What was certain was that it was difficult for Woo Joo-young to pretend not to notice the problem of Lee Jae-heon.
“…Can you tell me too?”
“I do not know.”
“is it so?”
“There are a lot of things we don’t know yet.”
“I see.”
Tiredness came over me in an instant.
“Is this really… what’s going on?”
It was dizzying to think that Director Lee Jae-heon’s usual appearance was all acting, but when he took off one layer of the cover, another problem was hidden inside. And Woo Joo-young had no right, duty, or qualification to solve it. I’m not sure, but given Lee Jae-heon’s personality, it seemed like Woo Joo-young would dislike meddling.
“…I’m sorry for keeping saying the same thing over and over again. I…I’ve been out of my mind ever since I got here. “It feels like I’m not doing anything and just getting in the way…”
“In the first place, being in this world puts a lot of mental strain on you. You don’t have to blame yourself. “I’m so glad you came back safely after wandering through the mountains.”
“Thank you for saying that. “If you need anything, please tell me…”
Woo Joo-young said hesitantly.
“…I hope everyone doesn’t overdo it.”
If there was one thing that Woo Soo-young felt after coming to this world, it was that all the survivors were removing screws one by one.
In fact, even that was not an accurate expression. How should I say this? Unlike Woo Joo-young, who was busy denying that he was intimidated by the pressure that came from no unknown source, most of the survivors calmly did their jobs. That made Woo Woo-young feel an unknown sense of alienation. I felt like I was alone in a strange play without being given a role.
What those survivors have in common is….
“They all look tired.”
It means that we are naturally accepting this broken daily life.
That was pretty scary. At least for Woo Joo-young.
“It’s not something I want to say, but… I think it would be a good idea to get some rest.”
“…I will do so.”
“I’m sorry if I was presumptuous.”
“It can’t be. Thank you for always being considerate.”
The only thing that soothed Woo Woo-young’s fears was that no one showed any ill will.
“…thank you.”
Even that was so unfamiliar that I was scared.
* * *
“I’m sorry.”
Jeong In-ho smiled at the neat and calm voice that seemed dull.
“No, you must have been very tired.”
“If I had come to my senses, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“It’s really okay. “The manager is also fine.”
The opponent was Vivian.
As I said, I wasn’t angry that he, who was on guard duty, fell asleep. However, I just thought that if I was going to have Vivian on watch next time, I should form a group of two or more people. There was no way I would be angry at a student who didn’t even graduate from college for something like this.
But I had doubts.
“Are you in any pain?”
Vivian didn’t seem tired enough to doze off.
‘That’s why I chose Vivian to be on watch in the first place.’
In a situation where there are a lot of people, it is not that difficult to select two or more people to be on watch, but Vivian seemed to be in really good condition and she had a strong will, so she left the watch to only her. It must have been difficult for others, but he himself said that he would leave them to sleep and stand on his own. It was strange that someone who was in good enough condition to say that suddenly fell asleep soundly.
Vivian also nodded slightly, as if she had come to say that.
“There is no pain at all. If there was such a thing, I wouldn’t have asked to be on guard duty. “Rather, I felt uncomfortable about falling asleep in such a state.”
“There must be another reason?”
“First of all… I was wondering if that dog was the cause.”
Where Vivian pointed without even looking, Pompitz, a monster stray dog with its tail gently wagging, was lying flopping on the floor. He seemed to be in quite a good mood as he was smiling with his mouth wide open.
“I didn’t really feel like I was being hit by that guy. “If it’s because I was dull and didn’t feel it, I have nothing to say, but I don’t think that dog was the direct cause, although it could have influenced it.”
“Yes. “It’s so far away.”
“More than anything, I kept trying not to look at that.”
That dog monster of moderate size followed Jae-heon Lee especially, and probably didn’t even come into the field of view of the survivors, perhaps because of what Jae-heon Lee said. It wasn’t a huge mental burden because I just crept over and sat down when everyone else was sleeping. In any case, the mental attack of the abandoned dog monster only works once it is in sight.
Jeong In-ho, who thought that far, blinked.
“So… there must be another cause?”
“It might be a unique feature near the school. Isn’t school the best place to be boring and sleepy? Because of that influence, I can sleep better near school… I think that could be the case.”
“That may be true, but are you here to tell me that it might be a good idea to move your seat a little? “Then it will take some time to figure out the different terrain.”
“I’ve never thought about it that far, but… I don’t think it would be that bad.”
Vivian scanned the dark mountain behind and continued.
“I fell asleep so helplessly that I was quite surprised.”
The face that said that still looked distant and dull, but it didn’t really bother Jung In-ho, who knew that it was some kind of mask. Rather, if Vivian, who had this much mental power, was able to fall asleep, it would have to be seen that there really was a separate cause.
Vivian rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, looking at Jeong In-ho lost in thought.
“Maybe I just fell asleep because I was sleepy. I’m telling you this because I don’t think it’s ever been like this in the park. It may sound like an excuse, but…”
“No, thank you for saying that. Convenience stores are also convenience stores, but we should check to see if they have any sleep-inducing devices. You must have been through a lot, so take a break. “I decided to take charge of this watch.”
“thank you.”
Vivian, without adding any words of humility, neatly expressed her gratitude and returned to her seat. It seemed like sitting near the campfire had no intention of falling asleep any time soon.
“…a device that makes you fall asleep.”
Jeong In-ho muttered softly and looked at the abandoned monster dog.
“Do you know anything?”
When everyone was asleep, that was the only thing that was awake.
Although the distance was far away, Pompitz’s tail swayed slightly as if he understood the faint murmur or just heard it. Jeong In-ho, who caught that light movement in his eyes for a moment, quickly pressed the area between his tired eyes and adjusted his glasses.
“There is no way we can communicate.”
Even if it were possible, the only person who could do such a thing would be Lee Jae-heon. How on earth would you want to have a conversation with someone who shakes your mind just by looking at them for a moment? Jeong In-ho let out a laugh and approached Lee Jae-heon, who was leaning against a tree.
“Chief, are you okay? “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“…What did you discuss with Student Vivian?”
“They said it might be a little dangerous around here.”
Since there was nothing in particular, In-ho Jeong told the whole story he had shared with Vivian. Since there was a possibility that we might have to move the shelter, I thought that if Lee Jae-heon found out first, nothing would go wrong.
However, contrary to Jeong In-ho’s judgment, Lee Jae-heon frowned. Jeong In-ho blinked and asked as something clearly came to mind.
“…What’s going on?”
“…There are devices that induce sleep.”
Lee Jae-heon said as if he had organized his thoughts.
“Some deep rivers and stagnant water have that function. To be precise, it is the power of the water itself. “It is a device that induces drowsiness the moment you fall in and causes your body to lose strength, causing drowning.”
“It’s creepy. It’s like a water ghost.”
“Shall I tell you something even more horrifying?”
Jaeheon Lee looked up at Inho Jeong.
“If that water was used correctly.”
“….”
“It means there’s someone here we don’t know.”
That was truly creepy.
