Episode 284
When I first saw that snake-like police officer, it was as blurry as a cloud of whitish smoke. However, as time passed, the shape of the ghost that was not a ghost that appeared irregularly became more and more distinct. I don’t know if the ghost itself has become clearer or if the function of my eyes has improved.
“…For now, I guess I’ll have no choice but to wait until Lee Jae-heon wakes up.”
Ha Seong-yoon always wondered what that bastard was doing.
“After you rest, it would be a good idea to send a search team to stop by the pharmacy. Even if you can’t fix the bones, you still have to repair the torn pieces of flesh. “I don’t know if there will be any problems if the order goes like this, but it will be better than doing nothing.”
“You were treated with folk remedies, right? I had no idea that my grandmother had such abilities. It seems like it’s an ability that has a probability of being effective sometimes, but I’m a bit worried. “The number of people available for treatment has increased.”
“Then let’s go back and clean up the shelter. “People are very confused.”
Even after letting Jeong In-ho go, Ha Seong-yoon could not swallow his doubts.
‘What on earth is Lee Jae-heon?’
Ha Seong-yoon heard about the ‘main character’ from Jeong In-ho. It felt like a clever move to ensure that there were constant survivors in the underworld, but if a new main character was created, it was probably because the main character from that squadron was so old and tired that he could no longer be used as a main character.
The main character before Jung In-ho was Lee Jae-heon, and it was clear that the main character before Lee Jae-heon was a police officer who resembled a snake. But even so, I still didn’t understand.
“…Why did you try to kill Lee Jae-heon?”
And is the kidnapper whose name was taken from him really a living person?
‘It felt strange when we first met.’
The confused kidnapper, holding a blood-stained iron club, looked quite foreign. Would you say it feels like things that shouldn’t exist in this world or that are already dead are coming to life? It was definitely an unpleasant sensation.
Moreover, the corpse was erased cleanly as if it were a computer graphic…
“…It’s difficult.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was mumbling like that, suddenly thought.
‘Usually there is only one main character in a story.’
What if you want to get rid of Lee Jae-heon because he didn’t die even though he should have?
“….”
Ha Seong-yoon sighed deeply.
“Doctor, please take a look at this guy’s leg!”
“I’m leaving now.”
It’s full of headaches.
Ha Seong-yoon prayed that Lee Jae-heon would wake up as soon as possible and sort out the situation.
* * *
Lee Jae-heon’s loss of consciousness brought confusion to the group, but that slowly calmed down.
“The things I have experienced since the park are so helpful.”
Even when he was at the park, Jaeheon Lee often lost consciousness.
“Is this… correct to call it help?”
“Anyway, I’m glad the situation didn’t get any worse.”
“That’s true, but…”
Woo Joo-young turned pale at the conversation between Kang Min-ah and Jung In-ho.
“This has happened often….”
“Don’t worry, it may take some time, but you will wake up.”
“I don’t think that’s the problem…?”
“Of course, I have to go to the pharmacy.”
“So you’re saying I don’t think that’s the problem?”
Woo Woo-young was suspicious of what was going on with these people’s minds.
‘If a person gets to that point and loses consciousness, isn’t it normal to be anxious?’
Of course, other survivors were also anxious, but their emotions were fundamentally different from what Woo Soo-young felt. Even after seeing the half-corpse party, she couldn’t understand how the survivors were adapting.
‘Usually you should be scared when you see blood…?’
Although Woo Joo-young didn’t know much about human psychology, he at least knew that people were afraid of blood and nervous about the presence of injured people. Basically, people are afraid of blood. Moreover, if someone gets injured to that extent, I feel anxious and wonder, ‘I might end up like that too.’
“Mr. Woo Joo-young.”
“Yes eh?”
“Accept it.”
“….”
“There are only crazy people here…”
Woo Joo-young closed his mouth and eyes at the words of Kim Ki-jeong, who was also a kind of senior.
“…I want to go home.”
“me too.”
It was a time when Woo Joo-young and Kim Ki-jeong were building a sense of kinship that was difficult to describe.
“You two seem to be getting along well?”
“Huh…!”
“Ah, did you surprise me? sorry.”
A soft smile that was completely out of place in this world came between the two. Kim Ki-jeong was surprised to learn that Yoon Gar-ram was at the top of the list for being insane among the survivors, and Woo Joo-young’s heart skipped a beat at the strangeness of Yoon Gar-ram’s smile.
Woo Woo-young said with a whining sound.
“You were surprised…!”
“Hehe, you must be weak. “Do you think I’m going to eat you?”
Kim Ki-jeong thought to himself, ‘Wouldn’t I be able to eat that person?’
‘No one is really normal.’
I just wanted to go home quickly. Even then, I don’t have the courage to go out and look for my companions in the other world alone, so I’m staying in a hotel near the park these days… “….”
Now
that I think about it, what do I do if someone enters the other world while I’m trapped in the hotel?
“…Han Do-yoon!”
Kim Ki-jeong escaped from the two women who were talking affectionately and went to see Do-yoon Han. Anyway, Han Do-yoon also said that he has a job near the park and that his house is a studio apartment. Han Do-yoon was a good person, so I thought he might stay with me if I seduced him well.
And I was very surprised.
“Han Do-yoon, ah, you crazy bastard! “I told you not to hold that!”
“Uh, uh, I put it down. Well, I put it down. Voila!”
“This bingu is really…! “What are you going to do if it gets really dangerous?”
Kim Ki-jeong hit Do-yoon Han on the back, but then remembered the injury to his head and stopped with a huff. I don’t know why he’s like this, but he’s the size of a doll I brought from my apartment. Now I was living with a pitch black monster that was as small as a keyring doll.
“Don’t you remember that I almost died because of him?!”
“No, but I really have no energy now… I feel like I’m about to die…”
“I’m going crazy! Oh my gosh, Hong Gyeong-jun, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun! Constable Kim Yeon-woo! “Please fix this Bingoo bastard who doesn’t even have basic knowledge of ethics!”
“No really…!”
“What is real? What is real?”
Even the black monster doesn’t seem to like Han Do-yoon’s squishiness. The monster, which was crying and spewing ash from its eyes, ran towards the abandoned dog monster as soon as it escaped Han Do-yoon’s arms. The abandoned dog monster also welcomed such a child-shaped monster.
Han Do-yoon and Kim Ki-jeong, who were quietly watching the symbiotic relationship between the two monsters, spoke.
“…Is it because it’s a child and a dog? “We get along well.”
“I’m glad you’re both calm.”
“Ah, but why were you looking for me? “How can I help you?”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong cleared his throat and answered.
“I… I thought that I might come to a secret world while I was in the hotel…”
“Aha, are you scared of sleeping alone?”
“….”
“Aha?”
The students who were looking at Do-yoon Han, who was scoffing as if he had succeeded in catching the number of people to make fun of, and Ki-jeong Kim, who was angry again at his appearance, nodded.
“You all get along well.”
“I see…”
The students who said that also showed that their relationship improved despite the extreme environment. They thought it was fortunate that conflicts among survivors did not occur among us, as they saw in disaster movies.
“But… are those monsters really okay?”
“They say it’s okay as long as you don’t look at it.”
“No, that black monster started a fire. A man named Do-yoon Han also said he almost died.”
“But if it’s that big, I think we can overpower it too.”
“That’s right.”
It was partly because of the students’ unfounded confidence, but also because the size of the monster, which was smaller than the palm of their hand, gave them a strange sense of relief. The comfort of adults nearby caring for and protecting them also played a role.
“Do I have to die?”
“Isn’t that a death flag? Cancel it quickly. “This place came true just by imagining it.”
“Oh fuck cancel. cancellation. It’s cancelled. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You’re right, you’re good at it.”
Student Maeng Na-eun said as she saw the two male students chatting.
“I heard that girl over there can make a fire too?”
“omg.”
Student Seong Ji-ho blushed as he looked towards Yoon Gar-ram.
“It’s so cool.”
“Aren’t you fucking psychic?”
Dahoon Park intervened.
“I wish I could do something like that.”
“Fuck, me too… I’m so fucking horny.”
“….”
Seeing Seong Ji-ho’s excited appearance, Park Da-hoon swallowed the words he was about to say, ‘Then the chances of survival are higher.’ They weren’t people I was friends with, but they weren’t tactful enough to ruin the mood by spreading themselves out.
“But even if that’s true for adults, aren’t those babies over there dangerous?”
Maeng Na-eun nodded as Kim Hee-chan said something while looking at the two kindergarten students.
“I admit it… I think it’s amazing that you don’t cry. “They were better than me.”
“Actually, aren’t they also psychics? Usually, kids like that are the only key to saving this world later! “It just came out like this.”
“What did you see?”
“No, it’s usually like that. Movies or anything…”
“I don’t know about anything else, but they don’t look like regular babies, right? Even if monsters came and went, they didn’t even blink.”
“Wow…”
Maeng Na-eun muttered self-deprecatingly.
“I want to be like you. “What on earth am I doing? I have to work harder and be more scared than kindergarteners…”
“That’s right, Maeng Na-eun, you cried when the firefighter brought in the monster.”
“Oh no, honestly, it’s creepy! He’s so skinny… he’s as skinny as a bone and it’s scary. “That’s why I was surprised!”
Park Da-young, who was quietly watching the two bickering, asked Park Da-hoon with her eyes.
‘You seem to be relaxed.’
‘huh.’
Because students originally had their own networks, they did not change easily even when adults intervened. The Park siblings had been asked by Ha Seong-yoon to calm down the anxious students. Fortunately, these guys who didn’t think too much about it quickly relaxed.
‘It’s not good for them to live long.’
Park Da-young, who thought that to herself, got up from her seat.
“I’m going to go see you for a moment.”
“Hey, let’s go together.”
The Park siblings quietly got up from their seats and headed to the rest area where Lee Jae-heon was lying. Somehow, they made a stretcher and moved him to a shelter, and Ha Seong-yoon, who was checking Lee Jae-heon’s condition inside, welcomed the siblings with his characteristic gentle smile.
“Oh, you’re here. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Because we don’t have to be tired.”
As Park Da-hoon trembled with humility as if he was breathing, Park Da-young spoke.
“How are you, uncle?”
“I think it will be resolved to some extent if I just buy the medicine from the pharmacy. “There’s no need to worry, so get some rest.”
“Pharmacy…”
Ha Seong-yoon rolled his eyes at the sight of Park Da-hoon muttering softly.
“Just in case you don’t know, I have no intention of putting students on the search team.”
“…I run fast.”
“This kind of work should be done by adults. I know you’re nervous because Jaeheon Lee collapsed, but I hope you can trust the other adults and wait for him. “Can you do that?”
“…yes.”
“Be admirable.”
Ha Seong-yoon again carefully gathered the clothes that Lee Jae-heon was wearing. Since I checked everything, there was no need to disturb Lee Jae-heon’s sleep.
‘It’s probably closer to fainting than sleep.’
Ha Seong-yoon woke up, thinking about the wounds on his abdomen and legs that would not heal no matter what he did.
“If you really want to try something, I’ll ask you to take care of the bonfire. I made two, but they could go out in an instant. “It would be difficult if the fire went out…”
“Of course I will do that, doctor.”
“huh?”
“You said an old colleague made you like this.”
“….”
I didn’t think I could hide the situation, but I never thought they would ask me so openly. Ha Seong-yoon nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“yes.”
“Uncle… Do you still like those old colleagues?”
“…well, that’s it.”
“If it were me, I would be pathetic and annoyed.”
“Go to sleep and calm down.”
Ha Seong-yoon said while patting the two students.
“Jaeheon Lee needs to rest well, so it would be best not to bother him. If you’re talking next to me, you’ll get on my nerves, so should I go outside? “We have to set up a search team to stop by convenience stores and pharmacies.”
“…all right.”
“Could you please bring some adults?”
“Okay.”
Only after the siblings left the shelter did Ha Seong-yoon sigh.
‘I’m tired.’
As I was muttering to myself, Jeong In-ho, who had been observing the atmosphere of the survivors outside, came into the hastily built shelter structure and called out to him.
“…Ha Seong-yoon?”
“Mr. Jeong In-ho. “Are you here because you’re worried about the manager’s condition?”
“There’s that too… the kids seem anxious.”
“aha.”
Ha Seong-yoon shrugged his shoulders at Jeong In-ho’s words.
“I can’t help it.”
It’s an anxiety that will only be resolved when Lee Jae-heon wakes up.
He hoped that Lee Jae-heon would recover as quickly as possible. Not just to ask something, but for the sake of the survivors’ mood.