Episode 276:
There is an emergency within the survivors.
“If there is blood on it, it means that there is someone who will bleed, so Han Do-yoon was also here.”
“But I didn’t answer the phone…”
“I guess that means I didn’t have that much free time. “I lost my cell phone.”
“How did it happen like this?”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was the first to find the business card among the whispering survivors, said.
“It was blood that had just discolored. There is no evidence that it is Do-yoon Han’s blood, but the possibility is not out of the question. At the very least, it means that there are survivors nearby that we don’t know about, so I think we should search around.”
“Isn’t there any chance that that dog killed Han Do-yoon? “They say it doesn’t bite survivors unless it’s excited, but it doesn’t seem like it has much attack power.”
As Kim Ki-jeong muttered with a shocked expression, Lee Jae-heon shook his head.
“I checked all the claws and teeth, but there was no blood anywhere. “There was no smell.”
“…You also have a good stomach.”
“The safety of Han Do-yoon is at stake, so that’s about it.”
“That’s not it.”
Kim Ki-jeong said, pointing with his finger at the Pompitz in Lee Jae-heon’s arms.
“That… you’re holding me like that.”
“Why, I did a great job, but shouldn’t you praise me so I can do my part next time?”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong pursed his lips as if he had a lot to say, but he quickly closed his mouth, avoided eye contact, and wiped his hands with a handkerchief for no reason. Lee Jae-heon, who was quietly watching the increasingly obsessive behavior, wrapped his coat around Pompitz, who was snuggling into his arms.
Jeong In-ho smiled and called him.
“Boss?”
“My sister used that tone when she scolded me. “What is it again?”
“Wouldn’t it be okay to put it down slowly?”
“Everyone, you cover it well so it doesn’t get in your eyes, right?”
“I’m doing this because I’m concerned about the manager’s mental health.”
“It’s tricky.”
Lee Jae-heon raised an eyebrow and put Pompitz down, but the stray dog monster, which had been groaning and shaking, clung to his leg again and pounded its head. Seeing that, Jaeheon Lee shrugged his shoulders proudly and held Pompitz in his arms again. It was natural to cover it with a coat so that it could not be seen by the survivors.
In response, Kang Min-ah covered Kwon Yeon-hee’s head and said, covering her mouth.
“…That’s a monster, Manager…”
“I know.”
“Yeonhee is scared.”
“So I covered it well so it wouldn’t be seen…”
“That’s not the problem.”
“But what are you telling me to do when this friend doesn’t fall?”
At those words, Vivian raised her hand and insisted with her characteristic carefree expression.
“Let’s throw it away before our mental strength declines further.”
“How could you say such cruel words?”
“You have really unique tastes. “I will respect that.”
Vivian shrugged as if she had only been stabbed once and obediently backed away. It was as if he never thought that Lee Jae-heon would really throw away the abandoned monster dog.
Kwon Yeon-hee cried.
“What should I do if I get bitten, Manager….”
“I won’t get bitten. Do not worry.”
“But…”
“If you’re having a hard time, I’ll stay away for a while. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave it somewhere, but I think it will come back.”
“It’s okay. “I… but…”
Kwon Yeon-hee, who was hesitating, muttered without even looking at Lee Jae-heon.
“I think the manager is really going to get bitten.”
At those words, Jaeheon Lee recalled the document containing the details of Kwon Yeonhee’s background investigation.
‘You said you’ve been bitten by a pack of dogs.’
It was written that he had been bitten by three dogs owned by a family member. Maybe she was an adopted older sister. For her, who had bad memories related to dogs, the abandoned monster monster would have been too much of a challenge.
Jaeheon Lee nodded slowly.
“Then wait a moment…”
Lee Jae-heon, who went inside the mountain, put Pompitz down on the ground and said.
“wait.”
Kiing….
“If you listen carefully, I’ll play with you more. “Uncle, I can’t go anywhere anymore.”
Sigh.
“I promised.”
Even then, Jaeheon Lee kept trying to follow him, and only after repeating his promise about 6 times was he able to escape alone. Ha Seong-yoon twisted his lips as he looked at Lee Jae-heon’s clothes, which were stained with an unidentifiable dark mucus, with a disapproving gaze.
“Your love is so deep.”
“…Isn’t it a pity that you whine like that?…”
“First of all, I understand that the teacher is out of his mind.”
Jaeheon Lee also sympathized.
‘Did I overdo it?’
It is true that mental power has an immediate and clear effect in the other world, but conversely, when mental power is low, physical damage can occur. It was not an environment in which Lee Jae-heon could come to his senses, as he was exhausted and had injuries from which he could not recover.
Perhaps because my eyes were overheated, my vision became distorted.
“…Not to that extent.”
“I know you’re going crazy.”
“We’re not here to talk about myself right now…”
Ha Seong-yoon frowned at Lee Jae-heon’s avoidance, but Hong Gyeong-jun, who was quietly listening to their conversation, intervened. It was clear that he wanted to finish the conversation quickly and let us rest.
“What Jaeheon Lee said is correct. As soon as possible, we will form a search team to find the owner of the blood on the business card and Han Do-yoon. The abandoned dog monster disappeared in the morning and came back the next morning, so there is no guarantee that Han Do-yoon will be around here…” “
Moreover, we need to catch the survivor who sprinkles sleeping pills near our shelter every night. The same applies even if it is a monster rather than a human. “This is something that may have happened to Han Do-yoon from this unknown person.”
When Kim Yeon-woo, another police officer, came forward and argued, the survivors nodded. In any case, due to the nature of the underworld, there were only a limited number of people who brought food or searched to avoid accidentally killing survivors, so even the waiting team that stayed in one place must have felt a bit stingy.
In particular, Kim Ki-jeong, who seems to have built a decent relationship with Do-yoon Han in real life, came forward.
“…Can you include me too?”
Considering his temperamental nature and sensitivity, it was a truly unexpected remark.
“I’m not very physically fit and I’m not fast on my feet, but I can hear sounds really well. It’s also a job you can’t survive unless you have sensitive ears to begin with. “If you concentrate, you can tell which direction a person’s breathing is coming from.”
“After all, you are also a conductor.”
“Even though I was resting, I didn’t feel any better. Of course, I was always in a rush when I came here, so I couldn’t be of much help, but I remember Han Do-yoon’s voice well. “If you’re around here, I’m confident you’ll find it.”
He was even quite capable.
‘If I had known it had this kind of ability, I would have fixed it and used it a long time ago.’
Lee Jae-heon felt sad and internally lamented. Originally, I didn’t pay much attention to him because he was an extra who died without much description or explanation in the novel, but I can’t believe he was such a useful talent. Of course, since he was a person who made his living through music, his ears must have been sensitive. Until now, I didn’t even think about it because I didn’t have any indication that I had talent in that field.
Hong Gyeongjun tapped his thigh with his finger and asked if he had similar thoughts.
“…Then did you hear anything during the night? “It’s the sound of people’s footsteps.”
“That night… I was so sleepy that I couldn’t hear anything like that when I was awake. “I heard a rustling noise right before I fell asleep, but it was similar to when a bug monster moves… I can still hear that noise.”
Jaeheon Lee blinked at those words.
“…What exactly did it sound like?”
“Jaeheon Lee?”
“No, I thought I’d remember something.”
Kim Ki-jeong was a little taken aback by Lee Jae-heon’s words and then hesitantly opened his mouth.
“Even if I said it was the sound of tree bark breaking… it wouldn’t be good to explain it. It was the sound of something lightly digging. It sounded very small. The sound of something covering a large area lying in the grass and the weeds crunching…? “Oh, I can’t explain it.”
“…okay.”
“Is this really a monster? “The sleeping pills were sprayed not by humans but by monsters?”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon wiped the corners of his mouth and shook his head.
“Not a monster. I think I was briefly mistaken about something. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“…you’re welcome.”
Kim Ki-jeong, whose expression became even more anxious, looked anxiously at the mountain behind the school where they were. Looking at that scene, Lee Jae-heon recalled a memory he had briefly forgotten.
One of the chicks he raised.
“….”
I hope not.
“…Anyway, I’m glad to hear that Mr. Kim Ki-jeong had such an ability.”
“…It won’t be of much help. It may sound like an excuse to searchers who travel long distances and fight monsters every time, but when the world appears in black and white, my ears become deaf…” “
How are you feeling now?”
“Of course it’s okay. I felt a little nauseous until I came to school, but I didn’t do anything. The best you can do is pick up firewood? “Thanks to you, I feel like my ears have opened up…”
Kim Ki-jeong, who trailed off, said as he wiped his hands with a handkerchief.
“…Really shameless. It’s a shameless request, but… if I go on a search, would it be possible for at least one person to keep an eye on me? “I’m a narrow-minded and ugly person, so I get moody quickly. If I’m scared by a monster, I don’t think I’ll be able to hear anything, so please ask in advance.”
“I can help you with that.”
Vivian answered, swinging the saw gently.
“I think I can lift it with one hand if it’s Mr. Ki-jeong. “You’re as dry as a toothpick.”
“…Toothpick….”
Kim Ki-jeong looked at Vivian with eyes between discomfort, gratitude, and sadness, but the college student’s face remained the same. Despite his innocent face, he had a strong mask.
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-heon defined Kim Ki-jeong as follows.
‘A sensor that can be used often.’
It would be difficult to use it every time because I am mentally and physically weak, but I thought it would be quite useful when looking for someone like now. If a monster were to attack, Kim Ki-jeong, who has weak mental strength, would not be able to withstand it and would not be able to hear the sound, but since this is a situation where they get there first, Kim Ki-jeong would have a little more leeway.
“Then I want to go too.”
Around that time, Garam Yoon intervened.
“I woke up and the feeling of nausea was better… and best of all, I was able to burn something.”
“Oh, was that really something you wanted?”
“Actually, I’m not confident that I’ll create a sea of fire, so I guess we can do something about it, right?”
Kim Yeon-woo made a strange expression at those refreshing words, but Yoon Gar-ram remained calm. As I said before, I felt Lee Jae-heon’s will to save people with his abilities, so I was just grateful. Well, wouldn’t it be a shame if I wasted my abilities like this?
Ha Seong-yoon, who was looking at her anxiously, sighed and said.
“I… will stay. “I have to check on Lee Jae-heon’s condition.”
“You’re suddenly pulling me in?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Are you really planning on joining the search team again? Of course, you will stay, so as a doctor, I will also have to stay. There’s always a lot to talk about when someone has an injury that doesn’t heal. “You must be obnoxious.”
“…I said something….”
The exploration team that was formed that way was a total of 8 people. Police officers Hong Gyeong-jun and Kim Yeon-woo, Kim Ki-jeong who will listen to them, and Vivian who will protect them. Kang Min-ah, Yoon Gar-ram, and Jung In-ho are no different from regular search teams. Lastly, it was Woo Woo-young.
Jeong In-ho asked with a sour face.
“The atmosphere team is very poor.”
“Isn’t there also Ha Seong-yoon and Munsan-gun? “Don’t worry, just go.”
“In the movies, problems always arise when people leave like this…”
“Can something like that really happen?”
Lee Jae-heon, who said that, closed his mouth for a moment and then spoke.
“…I’m canceling it. Things always happen when I’m taking it easy like this.”
“I’m already so nervous that I’m going to die, so don’t say that.”
“I will be careful.”
Jaeheon Lee blinked his eyes slowly.
“Really.”
He mentally prepared himself.
Since this is a novel, there were bound to be problems that came to mind.
