Episode 289
The day dawned and Lee Jae-heon finally brought up the topic.
“I’d like to talk about two issues, but…”
“I’m already feeling anxious. “What is it?”
“The first is moving to a shelter.”
Munsan-gun flinched and looked at Lee Jae-heon, but it wasn’t because of Munsan-gun.
“It is very difficult to provide food here.”
On a mountain this size, there might have been one or two types of edible grass or fruit, but no matter how much the foraging team searched around, all they found was dry land, bug monsters, and a root or two of mugwort. For reference, the mugwort was dried and used as a substitute for tea leaves.
“I heard you said you ran out of cash?”
“you’re right. Now, if it’s not cash, you have to exchange it with barter…”
“What convenience stores want is mostly human body parts. Isn’t it?”
“That is also true. “It’s troublesome.”
Ha Seong-yoon nodded.
“Aside from fingernails… organs that cannot be removed unless the belly skin is opened are often required. Things like the gallbladder and stomach. “You can’t put something like that out there.”
In fact, I wondered if the doctor, Ha Seong-yoon, could provide a clean laparotomy if the situation were to arise, but Lee Jae-heon quietly swallowed that thought. There were many other alternatives, so there was no reason to cut someone’s ship. The mental strength of Ha Seong-yoon, the person responsible for splitting the ship, must also be taken into consideration.
“There is a way to find a convenience store other than that one… but it is less efficient.”
It was too inefficient to kill the monster and obtain a little food. Lee Jae-heon suggested that it might be better to change residence altogether.
“It’s not that far away. “I don’t think it’s that bad to have a vegetable garden in front of an apartment complex.”
“It’s okay. At that distance, Lee Jae-heon and others will be able to travel without burden…”
Vivian joined in Ha Seong-yoon’s muttering.
“There was definitely a lot to eat. “Regardless of whether or not there was poison inside, there was a strong feeling that it was a garden managed by someone.”
“Oh, I see. I don’t think the monsters got inside properly… Uhm, sorry. I don’t remember this very well. But I’m sure there were a lot of things growing in the garden.”
Ki-Jeong Kim nodded along with Vivian. It seems that the apartment complex where Do-yoon Han was saved was the building next to the garden that Jae-heon Lee was talking about. When Kim Ki-jeong’s opinion coincided with the information that Kang Min-ah had given her earlier, Lee Jae-heon nodded inwardly.
‘I guess monsters tend to invade the garden.’
Jaeheon Lee thought for a moment and said.
“…Of course, there is a high probability that there are some rules in the garden.”
“yes? But a garden is not a building.”
“Nevertheless, since it was a garden managed by apartment residents, wouldn’t there have been rules in reality? “Don’t go into other people’s gardens, don’t throw away trash, and make sure to only use water from somewhere else… I don’t know much, but aren’t there roughly these rules?”
“It may not be a very onerous rule, but there will definitely be sanctions.”
“In fact, taking the harvest from the garden is an unexpected theft from the garden owner’s perspective.”
“Then wouldn’t it be difficult to supply our own food from the garden?”
“But vegetable gardens… especially gardens managed by apartment complexes, are a bit of a different story.”
Han Do-yoon agreed with Lee Jae-heon’s words in his characteristic bright voice.
“Usually, people who grow something in their garden are generous! “It’s something to look forward to.”
Lee Jae-heon was secretly impressed by how bright and innocent he looked for someone who had been kidnapped, imprisoned, and violently assaulted.
‘If you look closely, the tendons are really thick. Kim Ki-jeong and others were very worried….’
As he was a person who had gone through a difficult situation, people around him were worried about him and trying to take care of him, knowingly or unknowingly. Although Han Do-yoon himself may not have felt it.
He continued speaking in his characteristic bright voice.
“Some of the people who live on the same floor as me have family members who have a vegetable garden, and we often receive well-grown vegetables. “He can’t eat it all by himself.”
“Ah… That’s right, actually, it’s difficult to deal with even from the perspective of someone who gardens. Usually, when you grow one crop, you get a basketful of it, but if it’s a type of fruit that you can eat from time to time, it’s a waste to give it to others, like eggplant or zucchini, that need cooking. “If you leave it at home anyway, it will rot because it is a hassle to cook and eat.”
Kwon Yeon-hee nodded loudly at Han Do-yoon’s words, and Kang Min-ah blinked.
“Uh… did you garden? “I didn’t know.”
“Oh no. Not now… when I lived with my parents. “I had a vegetable garden at my parents’ house, so we managed it together.”
“Wow….”
“I didn’t really do anything special, just cherry tomatoes and lettuce. “I only chose those kids who were easy to raise…”
But Kwon Yeon-hee’s face brightened even more, as if she was remembering that time. Perhaps the memories of managing the garden remained as memories. The facial expressions of the survivors also improved as they looked so warm, as if they were a child telling a story about a picnic.
“I don’t know if that kind of kindness applies to the underworld, but… I would be grateful. “Wouldn’t there be sanctions even if we build a shelter there and set up a house there?”
“There were black adults living on the hill behind the school and no one said anything. It was like that at the park too. Rather, it is a secret world, so there are rules that make it more comfortable.”
Lee Jae-heon, who answered Jeong In-ho’s question, continued.
“And it’s not just a food issue. Monsters are also a problem.”
“A monster? “I thought there were few monsters on the hill behind the school…?”
“Of course, the mountain behind is okay.”
Jaeheon Lee pointed to the bottom of the mountain and said.
“The problem lies in schools and shopping malls.”
His eyes soon landed on the abandoned dog monster and the burned monster.
“As you can see, there is nothing behind the mountain. At best, it’s just a few trees and dry land. There are no rules. This means that other monsters can come as often as they like.”
“But until now…”
Student Kim Hee-chan, who was about to say something, wisely kept his mouth shut.
“…Well, maybe I’ve been lucky so far.”
“That’s it. The search team went back and forth between the shopping center and the rest area several times, so a monster without a specific territory can climb the mountain behind it. “Even in the case of Pompitz, even though it has its own territory in the park, it followed us all the way here.”
“Isn’t that because the original form of that monster was a dog? Dogs have a strong tendency to follow their owners…well, their owners. “I also like people.”
Lee Jae-heon nodded at Jeong In-ho’s words.
“That’s true, but then what about cats? “It is a stray cat that has a clear territory but wanders from place to place for various reasons.”
“…Cat….”
Kim Yeonwoo’s expression hardened.
“There are a lot of cat monsters in the shopping mall.”
“I felt it after seeing it a few times, but most stray cat monsters are hostile to humans. Just looking at those monsters diminishes your mental strength. “The very appearance itself is bizarre.”
In the original novel, the main character and his group were unexpectedly tormented by a cat monster.
“They see humans and survivors as toys. Some people become sensitive just by the mere presence of humans. “If one cat shows hostility toward humans, other cat monsters that are friendly with that individual also become hostile toward the target.”
“So is this a direct attack? Or mental…?”
“I do both. They scratch with their nails, bite with their teeth, and sometimes even fly like cannonballs and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, when you cry, more and more similar cat monsters gather around you, and if you keep holding on like that, you will get lost.”
“…You mean I’ll get lost?”
Yoon Garam and Woo Joo Young looked at Lee Jae Heon with a look on their faces as if something was bothering them.
“Does it feel like your memory was erased in the middle of the act?”
“…It seems like you’ve experienced it once.”
“When I came to my senses, I found myself inside a toy store. “Thanks to you, I survived.”
Han Do-yoon said shyly.
“I’m sorry because of me…”
“No, it’s not Han Do-yoon’s fault. “If only it weren’t for that crazy guy…”
“You can talk about that later.”
Jaeheon Lee waved his hand.
“Have you ever seen a cat?”
“Well, if you walk around on the street, don’t you come across one at a time? Of course, I’ve never had any contact with them. “I never tried to approach them… they were just monsters I saw along the way.”
Lee Jae-heon wiped the corner of his mouth as Woo Joo-young looked as if he was making an excuse.
“You are not the problem, the cat monsters are the problem. Even if the survivor had no intention of approaching, the stray cat may feel that its territory has been invaded.”
“Then again…?”
“The other side of the world can often make people lose their minds, but from what you’re saying, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. “I think you got lost because of the cat monster you met there.”
Jaeheon Lee continued, recalling the contents of the novel.
“I know that his specialty is in that way… it takes your mind completely out of your mind, as if transporting you to another place. “Even if they don’t attack directly, that’s one of their abilities.”
“…Are you going to do that if you go against your will?”
“Stray cat monsters are picky. At the very least, it is a completely different species from the abandoned monsters that were at least friendly to the survivors. They basically see humans as fellow competitors. “It is a big cat that invades its territory and harasses you… but at the same time, it is a toy that you can play with.”
“It’s not good for survivors either way.”
“Since when did monsters do good things to humans?…”
Lee Jae-heon shouted in response to the timid cries.
“It’s not your story!”
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, doesn’t he have the habit of interrupting?”
“Do it, do it, do it….”
Lee Jae-heon continued, ignoring Ha Seong-yoon, who looked dumbfounded.
“Not just those cat monsters, any monster can come up the mountain behind you. In that case, it may be better to move the shelter to a place where the rules of the underworld completely block monsters.”
“…Even if it’s the same for convenience stores… you may still end up going to the pharmacy. It seems that if you go back and forth from the shelter to the shopping center multiple times, you may attract a monster. “That is correct.”
Jeong In-ho nodded and asked.
“But it would be impossible to move it right away, right?”
“Shouldn’t you check the atmosphere of the garden at least three times? “It’s not like monsters are coming out of the mall right away, so I think it’s okay to proceed slowly.”
All survivors expressed their approval by nodding their heads at Ha Seong-yoon’s words. The survivors felt sorry that they had to always ask the search team for food.
Around that time, Lee Jae-heon opened his mouth.
“And here’s the second item on the agenda…”
“I feel ominous again, but tell me.”
“…I think it would be a good idea to explore the school again.”
“aha.”
A strange smile was drawn on Ha Seong-yoon’s face. The expression was somewhere between excitement and resignation.
“You must have a reason, right?”
“I think there’s an escape monster there.”
“It’s an escape monster… When you say it like that, it feels quite cheap.”
“There’s no reason to describe monsters in a classy way, is there?”
Lee Jae-heon slowly repeated the story he had shared with Park Da-young. Loopholes in school rules and plaster statues listed here and there. Since the facts about the regression cannot yet be revealed openly, these are just speculations that have been covered up appropriately.
“I’m not saying we should look into Unhak High School right now. The escape monster will be somewhere else… If you keep looking for it later and you get to the point where you can’t find it anymore, you can stop by the school. But….”
“After spending so much effort, it will be difficult to find that monster in Unhak High School again. Okay, I guess I should check it out before I look somewhere else.”
Hong Gyeong-jun crossed his arms and tapped his arms with his fingers. It was a habit he had when thinking about something.
“Then let’s do it like this.”
He stopped pointing his finger and continued speaking.
“Check the garden rules three times, and if there are no problems, move to the shelter, get some rest, and then enter the school. However, if there is a problem with the garden, let’s first look for other shelter sites. “It’s not urgent to go back to reality right away.”
“Over there…”
student Maeng Na-eun, who was quietly listening to the story, asked.
“Maybe we should go too? At school…”
“No way.” “We don’t have enough room to attract students.”
“But if there is someone who knows the school structure well…”
“That is correct, but it would be enough if you draw a map or tell us verbally before entering the school.”
“…Yes…”
Student Maeng Na-eun nodded slowly, but her expression was not very bright. It was not just her, but the other students wearing school uniform as well.
“….”
“….”
The students shared looks among themselves.
His gaze was as anxious and anxious as a candle swaying in the wind.
