Episode 27
“…That’s right.”
“….”
“I’m sure you’ll be alive.”
Garam Yoon nodded cautiously.
“I think so.”
Kang Min-ah would no longer reveal the story about Manager Lee Jae-heon.
After finishing speaking like that, Garam Yoon turned his gaze back to the bonfire.
The fireworks that bloomed in the middle of the forest, where the wind does not blow easily, strangely swayed back and forth, showing off their softness. As I looked at it, a strange feeling ran down my spine.
Garam Yoon knew that Kang Minah’s confidence was close to his own brainwashing, but he did not bother to point it out. Because I, a third party, could not let go of the promise I had engraved on myself as I thought it was necessary, even though I had just made it clear.
All I could do was quietly watch the flames burning alone in a faint atmosphere.
“….”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon may have been confident in his own survival, but the others were not.
They didn’t know Lee Jae-heon’s abilities, they didn’t know that he had regressed, and they didn’t know what he was thinking or doing.
Of course, I wouldn’t have let Lee Jae-heon find out my true intentions.
Moreover, the one in the worst condition among the group was Lee Jae-heon. When he first got a puncture in his shoulder at work, he had already suffered an injury that required him to go to the hospital, and considering the large and small wounds he suffered afterward, he was just a patient who couldn’t move anymore.
It was not for no reason that I heard the doctor and Assistant Manager Jeong criticize me over and over again.
Nevertheless, Director Lee Jae-heon continued to try to take the lead in the group. I tried to lead them and take minimal responsibility.
Even if CEO Garam Yoon doesn’t know the detailed reason for this, Manager Jaeheon Lee has been of great help in managing the mind and body of the current group members.
The reason why he was immediately dragged away by the monster was probably related to this.
“….”
This silence.
Garam Yoon suddenly realized something new. With only one person absent, there wasn’t even the slightest whisper between us.
She rolled her eyes and looked at the group sitting around the campfire.
Kang Min-ah is staring at the bonfire with a blank face. Noh Yeon-seok and Kwon Yeon-hee were talking to a brother and sister in school uniform, and the brother and sister were looking at the adults with awkward expressions.
Garam Yoon’s gaze moved a little further and landed on the two companions who were located a little further away from the bonfire.
“…Teacher….”
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon, a regular at my flower shop, and assistant manager Jeong In-ho, who went as two people and returned as one.
I saw the two of them talking on the border where the light from the campfire reached.
What conversation are we having?
I suddenly became curious and thought about joining them, but I stopped because I wasn’t confident that I could understand it as clearly as when I went to get materials just now.
Above all, it didn’t seem like those people would include Yoon Garam himself.
‘At that time… only those two understood something.’
When he went to pick up firewood, Jeong In-ho suddenly said “excuse me” and left. Then, after some time, he joined them as if nothing had happened.
He was clearly carrying firewood in his arms, but in Garam Yoon’s opinion, that was not the purpose of his departure. Doctor Ha Seong-yoon probably also seemed to have judged that way, but he agreed with Jeong In-ho’s calm appearance without saying anything.
But that’s it.
‘It’s done.’
I didn’t want to reach for something I couldn’t and shouldn’t do.
Garam Yoon quietly closed and opened his eyes, then got up and leaned against the large wall sculpture. Nevertheless, my tense body was still stiff, but I thought it would get better when the sun came up.
Since the field of view is not secured, it is probably uneasy for no reason.
It was just anxiety.
“….”
The forest was still quiet and the wind did not blow at all.
Garam Yoon looked up at the sky, but there wasn’t even a single twinkling star there. It’s black and black, like paper made with only dark ink, so there’s no room for light to see.
The color, which contained darkness rather than space, was very unfamiliar and aroused an unfamiliar fear in her.
She lowered her head again and looked at the ground.
The sight of the group passing by in silence was not much different from when it was daylight, but none of them could have thought that way.
‘…something….’
It was different.
I felt different and broken.
She felt disoriented in the silence. It wasn’t just a noise I could hear, I felt a crack that was gradually starting to shift due to my nervousness and anxiety.
Even though I couldn’t hear it with my ears, I could sense it with my whole body. This tranquility was signaling to me a distortion.
It seemed like the precariously stacked wooden planks would collapse with just a single sigh, so Yoon Garam clamped his lips as he was about to spit out something.
A flickering bonfire could be seen in the out-of-focus field of vision.
The sound of sparks flickering was heard.
‘…Am I crazy?’
It’s ridiculous to hear that it’s nothing more than a flickering sound of fireworks.
Garam Yoon closed his eyes, thinking about what he must have thought thousands of times after falling into this world.
For whatever reason, she had no intention of lifting her eyelids until daylight.
As my vision became completely dark, I could still hear the sound of flames fluttering in my ears. It is not the noise of a wooden pole burning, but the sound of bright flowers distorting in the wind.
It was a truly absurd feeling, but…
-I’m going to die.
“….”
Suddenly, laughter came out.
“Ha…”
Yoon Garam knew.
If Manager Lee Jae-heon at the flower shop hadn’t helped him at that time, Dr. Ha Seong-yoon would have died. I felt it really keenly.
No matter what I did, the image of my flower turning into a monster and trying to kill the person I admired would not disappear from my eyes.
As a result, when I lowered my eyelids, my ears started hurting, and sweet and disgusting whispers stuck inside.
It was an auditory hallucination that had never occurred before.
-I’m going to die.
“….”
Yoon Garam covered his ears with both hands as he heard a familiar voice whispering. Not so that you don’t hear it, but so that it doesn’t escape.
That’s how I stopped the auditory hallucinations.
-I will kill you.
The sound was blocked.
* * *
“Then, Manager… I guess he was dragged away by that green monster.”
“Yes.”
Jeong In-ho nodded at Doctor Ha Seong-yoon’s words.
“The vines probably listen to the green algae monster.”
Manager Lee Jae-heon was dragged away by the monster.
This fact was too big an event for the current party. The person who has been the central point of the group so far has been none other than Manager Lee Jae-heon.
Of course, considering the situation in which he deliberately tried to distance himself from the group by saying harsh words to them, the fact that he was the focal point of the group did not seem to be a very pleasant fact for the people involved. We tried to hide it, but Manager Lee Jae-heon tried to keep his distance from us.
However, Lee Jae-heon’s efforts were thwarted by Jeong In-ho himself, and the story ended with him becoming a victim from a perpetrator. It was something that could not be helped since the person who had led us up until now and brought us to our senses was Manager Lee Jae-heon.
However, his absence due to the monster was bound to be a blow beyond imagination.
“What are the odds that the manager is alive?”
“well.”
“He might be dead. “You have to prepare for that in advance.”
Jeong In-ho scratched his neck out of discomfort even as he spoke to himself.
That was the reason why he summoned Dr. Ha Seong-yoon separately. Among the current group, the only person who could most easily accept Lee Jae-heon’s absence and come up with a new alternative based on it was Dr. Ha Seong-yoon.
Of course, I thought about telling the others, but after only a few seconds, I realized that I had been foolish.
‘There’s no way I could say that.’
Jeong In-ho himself was not qualified to speak about Director Lee Jae-heon’s death, and secondly, he did not have enough time. To everyone in the party, including him.
Even for me, his death is so disturbing that a thorn stands out on my tongue. So what about others?
I didn’t even check the body, but I felt like it was too terrible to say anything about the probability that he was dead. Moreover, like those siblings, there will be people who pretend to be different and blame Jung In-ho.
Therefore, the only person who could have this conversation was Dr. Ha Seong-yoon.
He did not have a close relationship with Director Lee Jae-heon, and he was the most rational and calm among us, and above all, he had expert knowledge about medicine.
What he meant was that not only could he come up with a countermeasure, but he could also make it a new focal point.
After such calculations, Jeong In-ho summoned Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, and as he expected, he did not seem to feel much distress over Director Lee Jae-heon’s death.
‘…I heard he’s a surgeon.’
I’ve seen patients die a few times, so I wonder if I’m used to this kind of thing.
Jeong In-ho managed his facial expression as he tried to force a thought that was quite rude in any sense of the word into his throat.
He continued, blaming his facial muscles for not listening to him ever since he came to this world.
“Some of the vines had teeth. “It’s all wrapped around my leg, so it won’t be able to get out easily, and even if it does, it won’t be in a good condition.”
“….”
“He was taken away without receiving proper treatment, so there is no way his body is normal. “I had a pipe in my hand, but I don’t know how much I could use it in a situation where my feet were caught and dragged away…”
Jeong In-ho spit out as much information as he could think of.
Although he usually exercised a bit, he was not as skilled in self-defense as intern Noh Yeon-seok, nor did he have the specialized knowledge of doctor Ha Seong-yoon. However, since what he was most confident in was this rational behavior, it was necessary to prepare at least a little.
Director Lee Jae-heon was the center of the group even until he disappeared.
Even though I felt an instinctive repulsion as he was dragged away in the face of everyone dying, I had no choice but to assume the worst, assuming ‘what if’. We had to consider the possibility that Director Lee Jae-heon would die.
And seeing Jeong In-ho like that, Dr. Ha Seong-yoon opened his mouth.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
In-ho Jeong.
When his name was suddenly called, he thought of Manager Lee Jae-heon’s voice, but quickly erased the thought. There was a big difference between the person’s low, commanding voice and the quiet voice in front of me.
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon, who could not wait that moment, continued.
“You don’t want the manager to die.”
“….”
For a moment, my shallow breathing stopped.
Jeong In-ho, who blinked for a moment at the question, soon realized that his expression had hardened for a moment and quickly relaxed. He kept his mouth shut, unable to exhale or exhale.
He tried to look as normal and indifferent as possible.
“Well… isn’t it natural for people to want to not die when they are in a group?”
“But it’s a different matter if your subjectivity is mixed with the information you’re talking about.”
“….”
“Aren’t you considering the ‘probability that Director Lee Jae-heon is not dead’ since a while ago?”
ah.
“…Ah….”
Is that so?
Jeong In-ho blinked, speechless for a moment.
“The vine has teeth and it wraps around the leg. Manager Lee Jae-heon was already in bad shape. Above all, my legs were in such serious condition that walking itself was a miracle. But isn’t it a bit contradictory to add the word ‘perhaps’?”
“….”
“Besides, even if you were holding a pipe, what are the chances that you wouldn’t miss it while being dragged? I don’t know if you know, but the patient had a large wound on his arm. “I saw that my wrists were all messed up earlier, so I’m not sure if I can hold or swing a pipe in that condition.”
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon touched his ear and continued speaking.
“You asked for my opinion as a doctor, right? Well then, okay. “The chances of him being alive are significantly low.”
“He would have died.”
“If you think about it with common sense, yes. It was actually a miracle that he was able to walk around without any problems despite being like that. “The patient seemed to be sane because his will was strong, but any normal person would have fainted from the pain and hardship.”
“sure.”
“The chances of surviving in that condition are very low. I hate to say this, but you have to prepare your mind to some extent…”
“Of course.”
“….”
When the doctor closed his mouth, Jeong In-ho asked.
“Well, unless it’s a doctor’s opinion.”
“…What does it mean?”
“Ha Seong-yoon, I’m asking what you think.”
He continued.
“Do you think the manager is dead?”
Jeong In-ho still remembered the conversation he had with Dr. Ha Seong-yoon before his death.
Yes, he is back in the past.
Director Lee Jae-heon returned to the situation where he had been picking up kindling separately before his death, so the conversation he had with Dr. Ha Seong-yoon was somewhat different, but he still remembered it.
He asked so much about Director Lee Jae-heon that it was too much to think that they only met once as a patient and doctor.
Jeong In-ho opened his mouth as he remembered that. A quiet voice continued, as if imitating Doctor Ha Seong-yoon’s.
“You seem very interested in Manager Lee Jae-heon, Ha Seong-yoon. “It seemed like he knew something.”
“What if it’s a misunderstanding?”
“Well, then why are you so calm? “If the manager hadn’t helped you, you would have definitely died, but you don’t look like anything is wrong.”
“…You were watching from outside the flower shop.”
“Because I need information too.”
The entire wall of the flower shop was made of glass, and even though it was a little far away, it wasn’t that difficult to see inside.
In-ho Jeong saw Jae-heon Lee standing in front of the flower shop with his eyes wide open as if he was surprised, and soon after, he saw him going inside, holding his pipe tightly.
Jeong In-ho, who walked right away, was able to see Manager Lee Jae-heon rescuing Ha Seong-yoon through the glass wall of the flower shop.
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon literally survived from a near-death situation, but despite this, he remained calm. Even though instead of pistils and stamens, a flower with thousands of teeth tried to eat me.
It was a clear difference from the previous group that came out of the company, who couldn’t even scream and turned white as soon as they saw the monster.
They couldn’t help but feel fear as they experienced this situation for the first time in their lives. In this case, there wasn’t much that Jeong In-ho, who was suspicious and thoughtful, could think of.
“Doctor Ha Seong-yoon, you are either insane.”
“….”
“I know something about this world.”
Whether it was the former or the latter, the conclusion was similar. For Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, the monsters’ threat was something he could remain calm about because it was not ‘a situation he had experienced for the first time in his life’.
So there was one more new piece of information that could come to mind.
“…What do you know about Director Lee Jae-heon?”
Jet-black eyes resembling the night sky of the other world stared at Dr. Ha Seong-yoon.
He remembers the time before his regression.
This doctor asked me about Director Lee Jae-heon and told me about the information he knew and the confusion. The doctor seemed to understand why.
Jeong In-ho wanted me to know what he knew.
Why does Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, whom I only met for the second time, know something that I, who usually spend half a day with Director Lee Jae-heon, do not know? So what do you know and what are the reasons for thinking so?
He was not as skilled in self-defense as intern Noh Yeon-seok, nor did he have expert knowledge like doctor Ha Seong-yoon.
However, since this kind of battle of the heads is what he is most confident in, it was necessary to prepare at least a little rationally.
‘You said you wanted to share your thoughts, right?’
Before returning, Jeong In-ho asked,
‘From what I saw, Director Lee Jae-heon…’
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon was about to answer something, but stopped.
Because of someone’s death, a scream that literally tears like paper. Jeong In-ho did not hear the information that Dr. Ha Seong-yoon wanted to say.
“Please let me know too.”
“….”
“I deserve to know too.”
Among this many people, he was the only one who was qualified.
Like the silent, pitch-black pupils, Jeong In-ho felt the sensation of being suffocated. The feeling of a shark-like toothy vine strangling my throat, blocking my breath, and slowly draining all the blood from my body.
Director Lee Jae-heon probably died in even more terrible pain than that.
“What do you know about him? And why…”
So why on earth.
“….”
“Are you out of your mind?”
The doctor in front of me and Director Lee Jae-heon are the same. Everyone was just going crazy.
Ha Seong-yoon, who calmly works as a doctor despite experiencing death that was just around the corner, and Lee Jae-heon, who gave himself a knife wound on his arm and felt no emotion at all about death. It was rather terrifying to see him adjusting to this disgusting world as if nothing had happened.
Of course, Doctor Ha Seong-yoon’s condition was nothing compared to Director Lee Jae-heon, but compared to the rest of the group, it was difficult to say that the doctor was sane.
Otherwise, there was no way he could have been so calm about death caused by a monster that was not even human. They were crazy.
The dark black pupils narrowed, and a calm, suppressed voice flowed from Jeong In-ho’s mouth.
“Outside the flower shop, I was watching you or Manager Lee Jae-heon fearing they might die.”
“….”
“That’s because I don’t want to die. “I’m ignoring you because I want to live, do you understand?”
“You’re excited, Jeong In-ho.”
“But what is this? Even though you know everything, it seems like nothing is wrong. You should have felt some sense of betrayal or resentment at my actions. That’s because Ha Seong-yoon didn’t spend a long time with me like my co-workers. “I should have hated myself more like that brother and sister.”
“calm down.”
“Look, they told me to calm down. You will do that even if you die in front of someone. “He would tell me to calm down and do my job.”
Even before his regression, Dr. Ha Seong-yoon was like that. It was really consistent.
Regarding the deaths of Kang Min-ah and Noh Yeon-seok, which were so strange and disgusting, the doctor only understood the situation and had no humane feelings. Is it simply because he is a doctor who has seen many deaths?
Ha Seong-yoon simply shook Jeong In-ho, who he thought would make the most cool-headed judgment, to wake him up. Even though he also saw the deaths of those he was with for a short time.
“Is that normal?”
So, this was also Jeong In-ho’s resentment toward the doctor in front of him.
He didn’t even give me time to grieve over my friend’s death and shouted at me to face reality. Even now that he has somehow returned to the past, I still feel very resentful and resentful of him.
For the first time in my life, someone died before my eyes. That was my co-worker and close friend. Although they did not share a very private life, they at least shared some joy.
I occasionally exchanged birthday presents with Kang Min-ah and talked about good exercise with Noh Yeon-seok. It was clear that the relationship had reached that level.
If not one but two of those people died in an instant, you might feel sad. It might be a little painful. Doctor Ha Seong-yoon only saw them as two corpses and asked me to look at reality. Even though I wanted to immerse myself in pain, I didn’t let it happen.
I just wanted you to get me out of this miserable world.
“…So please tell me. “Why?”
“….”
“What does Ha Seong-yoon know?”
However, Jung In-ho sensed that he would not be able to escape from this world, and because he was certain, he could not turn away. If I couldn’t escape this place where I felt nauseated with every breath I took, I had to know at least one more thing.
Hearing Jeong In-ho’s words, Doctor Ha Seong-yoon touched his ears and opened his mouth.
“…I was a little surprised, Mr. Jeong In-ho. hmm. “You are very smart.”
“I will take it as a compliment.”
“It was really a meaningless compliment. I was just surprised. I was surprised. “I didn’t think you would be this angry at me.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Let’s put it that way.”
He shrugged his shoulders and continued.
“But I don’t know that much either. “It was really my second meeting with Director Lee Jae-heon, and we didn’t even have a personal conversation.”
“But you know something, don’t you?”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon rolled his eyes here and there and scratched his ears with his hand as if he was embarrassed by something, but In-ho Jeong instead felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort there. It was a strange feeling that could sometimes be found in Manager Lee Jae-heon.
Even though he’s clearly crazy, he has a system so it doesn’t look like he’s crazy. So…
“Then why did you do that, Jeong In-ho?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I was walking around to get firewood today… probably around afternoon.”
“….”
“Why did you run away alone at a time when we were all moving together?”
I couldn’t answer for a moment.
Only then did Jeong In-ho return to the past and learn what would happen in the future. I was so preoccupied with the thought that I had to somehow prevent my companions from dying that I moved separately from them.
While wondering what excuse to make, he soon opened his mouth when he saw Dr. Ha Seong-yoon just smiling and waiting for his answer.
“…Do I really have to tell you?”
“That answer is enough.”
Doctor Ha Seong-yoon touched the earlobe once and ended up. Judging from his mild and dry reaction, it seemed like he probably wouldn’t press further.
He quickly returned to the original topic.
“You asked me what I knew.”
In Jeong In-ho’s opinion, that was a truly strangely light consideration.
“Please keep in mind that this is just speculation.”
“Of course.”
“It was my expectation, but Director Jae-Heon Lee….”
he continued.
“It looks like you are a survivor here.”
