Episode 270
“You don’t have to move, but if you leave that situation as it is… it could get worse…” “
… Manager.”
“Aren’t you only 18 to begin with? We need to treat it somehow, but even if it’s not far away, we can’t take it to the pharmacy. I’m still in so much pain, are you asking me to pay for the medicine? That’s too much… but I can’t encourage something like that…”
‘Lee Jae-heon’s’ voice trembled slightly.
“…But I can help you with this much…”
At the same time, he looked at the other people’s faces.
‘The response is good.’
As expected, no one thought to make a loud noise. Even though Lee Jae-heon just said nonsense that did not fit their common sense.
“I’m sorry… I know you hate this behavior, but I wanted to fix it somehow.”
“…You don’t need to apologize. “I know you didn’t shout out with malice.”
“Actually, I was angry. That’s true… I’m frustrated…”
Lee Jae-heon snorted inwardly at Ha Seong-yoon’s words.
‘It’s true that there is no malicious intent.’
I was skeptical about whether I should resort to such tricks to save the chicks, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by how effective it was.
In the world of past lives, what was important was the result, not the process, and unless you had intentions or were a pervert, you preferred success to failure. It was natural for a person to be reprimanded if he or she failed to accomplish something, no matter what happened in the middle.
“…sorry.”
So no matter how weak I pretended to be, few people would accept me. At best, are we satisfied with the expression ‘I am reflecting and I will do better’? There’s no way that saying ‘I’m sorry’, ‘I was wrong’, or ‘I was weak’ without any solution can sound satisfying. But Lee Jae-heon’s common sense and these chicks’ common sense were different.
These guys felt aversion to attacking the weak.
“But… can’t we go to the pharmacy together? I don’t know about the bones, but I would like to receive medicine or even painkillers for the flesh. Of course, the medicine I will receive will be more effective than the medicine others receive…”
“You don’t have to say that. “If there were no major problems, we would go together.”
“…I’m sorry for being so unreasonable.”
‘Lee Jae-heon’ muttered softly.
“I didn’t mean to ignore your concerns.”
To be honest, I was trying to ignore it.
‘It’s too cumbersome.’
It was a decision not much different from the one he made in the past when he tried to keep his distance from the chicks at the park, saying that he felt burdened by their worries, but the Lee Jae-heon of today has improved from the Lee Jae-heon of then. He realized that it would be easier to get what he wanted by pretending to be weak than by simply scolding him or putting on a cold appearance.
Now, rather than keeping a distance, it was just a simple tactic to shake off the external restrictions on behavior.
“…Then let’s take a little rest and then leave right away. “Please keep an eye on Lee Jae-heon so he doesn’t do anything strange.”
“…I can’t do things as I please because I’ve gotten to this point. Even if a person called a doctor says…”
“You have done so many untrustworthy things on a regular basis.”
Lee Jae-heon, who followed Ha Seong-yoon’s intention to naturally lighten the mood by pressing himself, looked at Park Da-young, who took advantage of the chaotic atmosphere to come up to him and carefully hug him.
“mister.”
“…okay.”
“Do you really need to tell me if it hurts a lot?”
It was a worried face, but for some reason it seemed like there was a sentence behind it that said ‘Us first’.
‘These guys are really pretty.’
It seems that Lee Jae-heon did not like Lee Jae-heon’s behavior in hiding important information in order to fix Kim Hee-chan. When Yoon Garam or Choi Minhong approached me, they didn’t seem to care much, but since they were similar in age, I think I felt jealous, competitive, or in danger. I remembered him acting like this towards the main character in the story as well.
But there is no way ‘Lee Jae-heon’ would have the presence of mind to even notice such a thing right now.
“…I’m sorry if I surprised you.”
“I wasn’t surprised. “I was a little angry.”
“Still, I hope you don’t put it in the doll…”
‘Lee Jae-heon’ suddenly let out a heartless laugh and gently cupped Park Da-young’s face as she hugged him with both hands. The 19-year-old student, who had not yet grown up, was much cuter than the other chicks. Regardless of how disgusting these guys were, it wasn’t difficult to pretend to find them cute.
“I am really sorry.”
“…I said you wouldn’t do that.”
“sorry. “For making me angry.”
“….”
Park Da-young, who had been examining the obvious affection on his face with calm eyes, soon rolled her eyes and walked away from Lee Jae-heon. Park Da-hoon was just observing the two’s actions in silence.
“Do not be sick.”
“I will try.”
It’s really hard to make a living.
* * *
A rather unexpected person participated in this exploration.
“Are you sure it’s okay with me…?”
“Because I also have shame. “Just taking it is not my style.”
“But this is your first time.”
It was team leader Woo Soo-young.
“I heard it was the first time for all of you, except for the manager. From what I heard, the aftereffects are not bad even if you return to reality. Wouldn’t it be better to get used to it now?”
Contrary to the smooth speech, the face is distorted in a terrible way, so it seems quite scary. Well, unlike Jung In-ho, who was the main character from birth, Woo Joo-young was an ordinary extra, so he might have been scared of this exploration of the underworld. Nevertheless, I was able to praise him for volunteering, saying he would ‘adapt’, as it was an excellent thing for a young girl to do.
‘It won’t be a hindrance.’
Kwon Yeon-hee, who had just joined the search team, was giving Woo Woo-young a lot of attention.
“You were really fast when you escaped from our company! “You’ll be fine, really!”
“Thank you for saying that. “Mr. Yeonhee.”
Having a healthy mind may be a weakness when in the secret world, but given the competence Woo Woo-young has always shown, even if he couldn’t adapt, at least he wouldn’t act stupid. As Kwon Yeon-hee said, I dealt with the monster quite well when I left the company.
He resembled Yoon Garam in some ways in that he did his job even though his mind was wavering, but unlike Yoon Garam, who could be said to have a personality of the other side of the world, Woo Joo Young was an ordinary good person. I don’t know how much longer I will be bothered by the secret world in the future, but it was by no means an intrusive greeting.
“Then let’s just clean up and move on.”
In-ho Jeong said, clapping lightly a couple of times.
“I will stop by this convenience store first and then go to the pharmacy. At a convenience store, an individual can choose one item regardless of how much cash they have. “I’m planning to pick up a can of cereal that can be easily used as a meal replacement, so please be careful not to lose the 1,000 won each.”
“The pharmacy…”
“You’re going to run into a monster or two on your way to the convenience store anyway. Even if some monsters avoid Kim Yeon-woo, not all of them do so… In the end, they will get hurt, and even those injuries can be treated with medicine.”
“What should I do if the manager is so sick that he collapses?”
“Don’t worry, I will carry you around.”
This search team consisted of a total of 7 people, including Lee Jae-heon, Kim Yeon-woo, Woo Woo-young, Kwon Yeon-hee, Jeong In-ho, Yoon Garam, and Ha Seong-yoon. Because someone was needed to guard the standby team, Kang Min-ah and Hong Gyeong-jun and Vivian did not participate.
The search team that came down to the shopping center again had a puzzled expression on their faces.
“…What is this, really?”
“I feel strangely bad….”
“I feel bad, I understand.”
In order, they were Kwon Yeon-hee, Woo Woo-young, and Kim Yeon-woo.
‘I roughly knew it, but I feel bad.’
Lee Jae-heon, who looked around the alleys of the shopping mall, swallowed his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“I heard from Da-hoon that this shopping mall has drawn a lot of complaints from parents.”
“yes? Is it a shopping mall? why?”
“They cursed quite a bit, saying it was interfering with the students’ studies.”
It was a story that was explained in the work as well.
The shopping mall near Eonhak High School has been complained about by Eonhak High School parents for a long time. They made all kinds of fuss, such as saying that it would be harmful to students’ studies, what would happen if tempted students ran away instead of studying, and what would happen if there was such an entertainment establishment. In fact, the only commercial areas near Eonhak High School were academies, restaurants, convenience stores, and stationery stores.
“What kind of thoughts must have accumulated in a shopping center that has suffered such criticism?”
A space where light that is closer to yellow than yellow shines from an unknown source, and it is dirty rather than dangerous, so you don’t want to step into it. That was the appearance of the shopping mall in the secret world that was completed with the thoughts of parents of Eonhak High School.
“…You said there are actually no entertainment establishments.”
“How can you put that near a school? He said that the reason this shopping center was able to remain until now was because there was an academy that was helpful for academics and the surrounding residents found it convenient. “If there really were entertainment establishments, I think parents would have pushed them out themselves.”
“So you’re saying that just thoughts accumulated due to misunderstanding can change things like this?”
“The order is wrong. In the first place, the hidden world is not a world of reality, but a world created by the thoughts of those who exist in reality. If it is a space without any thoughts, it will not be realized in the other world. “The fact that a space like this was created even though there are no businesses that are actually harmful to students… doesn’t that mean that there are a lot of people who have a negative view of the shopping mall?”
“Hmm….”
Jeong In-ho, who was drooling, looked inside the mall once again and spoke to Kim Yeon-woo.
“Mr. Kim Yeon-woo, if it’s okay with you, could you take the lead? “I want to avoid friction with monsters as much as possible.”
“Of course, I will be at the front. “I think you just need to appoint the person who will stand at the back and protect the people in front.”
Garam Yoon intervened.
“I will stand behind you.”
At the same time, he glanced at Lee Jae-heon, probably recalling a conversation he had had with him before. It probably means that I will try not to feel burdened by using fire. Jaeheon Lee nodded his head slightly without showing any sign of it. Garam Yoon was seen moving towards the back with a faintly relieved expression.
Woo Woo-young, who borrowed the hammer Vivian had brought, was impressed as he watched the group go to their respective places.
“Everyone is amazing. He looks very skilled…”
said Jaeheon Lee, who missed that sight.
“Team Leader Woo doesn’t have to do that.”
“yes yes?”
“Of course, you will have to adapt to some extent, but there is no need to feel burdened.”
He asked, reading the slight tension and caution on Woo Woo-young’s embarrassed face.
“Are you usually good at managing stress? “It seemed like that.”
“Oh, just… if it happens, I’ll figure it out on my own. “Even if something bad happens, I’m not the type to dwell on it for a long time.”
“I’m glad. “Do you look in the mirror often?”
“mirror? What about a mirror when putting on makeup? Don’t you usually look at it unless it’s something like that…?”
“That’s right. “What about strength and speed?”
“…What kind of player test am I getting…? Uh, I don’t know about running, but… I’ve been going to Pilates regularly.”
“pass.”
“yes?”
Lee Jae-heon shrugged his shoulders, looking at his face full of absurdity.
“If Woo Joo-young escapes this time, he probably won’t be able to come back. “If you are careful not to come into contact with Kang Min-ah or Jeong In-ho… if possible, even with Kwon Yeon-hee.”
“…ah.”
Woo Woo-young’s face immediately showed a look of understanding as if he had heard something from the other survivors. If you don’t get stressed easily, the shadow monster won’t appear, you can quickly get used to being a mannequin in the mirror, and if you have the muscles you’ve developed through regular exercise, you’ll be able to run away when the time comes. If you don’t come into contact with a regular member, there’s no reason to come back to a place like this.
Perhaps he had thought about it until then, but Woo Soo-young’s face gradually became filled with relief.
“…Something…”
At the same time, I felt guilty.
“I’m sorry. It may not be my fault, but still… When other people are in places like this…” “
When you say that, it makes us sound like refugees. Let me tell you in advance, there is no need to think that way. “I will somehow survive and return home.”
“Ah uh… thank you.”
Woo Woo-young, who was looking at Lee Jae-heon with a strange expression, slightly lowered his head. Lee Jae-heon, who blinked for a moment, also nodded. I don’t know what he was saying thank you for, but it didn’t seem like he was lying.
Around that time, Jeong In-ho leaned against the corner of the building and looked inside the shopping street.
“…Then let’s move.”
Today’s schedule was quite busy.
