Episode 299
Park Da-hoon, who was hiding under the desk, blinked.
“…Uh….”
I feel something.
‘That’s strange.’
It was a really strange feeling.
It feels like anxiety is shaped like a centipede and crawls through my veins. I couldn’t figure out the source of that itchy and uncomfortable impatience. Park Da-hoon, who was staring blankly into space while hugging his knees, blinked quickly a couple of times.
“….”
After a while, he muttered softly.
“…sister?”
I don’t know why that word suddenly appeared.
It was strange. Park Da-hoon did not usually call Park Da-young his sister. When I was very young, I called them that, but later I found out that most siblings call each other by their first names and treat each other rudely. It was really strange that Park Da-hoon suddenly found his sister while she was hiding.
‘why?’
Why did I feel this nervous and think of Park Da-young again?
“….”
Park Da-hoon fiddled with the cell phone he received from Yoon Gar-ram, but in the end, he couldn’t call anyone. Park Da-hoon was too smart to ruin the entire investigation team’s work with such unfounded impatience. This is not something that can be solved by making others fuss or getting angry.
Park Da-hoon’s decision became even stronger when he heard the sound of shoes around that time.
“….”
“….”
In this situation, who can you really call?
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
The moment you make the call, not only will Park Da-hoon himself be caught by the teacher monster, but Yoon Gar-ram, who is hiding in the lobby with him, will also suffer. Even if I called Park Da-young, there was nothing that could be resolved right away, and the same thing happened even if I called the standby team on the 1st, 3rd, or 4th floor.
“….”
After several minutes of covering my mouth to prevent even the sound of my breathing from being heard, the teacher monster finally left.
“…Ha…”
With a small sigh, Park Da-hoon touched the smooth screen of his cell phone.
I couldn’t figure out why I was so anxious.
* * *
“….”
To be honest, Jeong In-ho was not a very good student.
“…Ugh…”
Jeong In-ho tried to calm himself down while pressing his throbbing forehead. For Jeong In-ho, who did not even listen to real-life classes properly, the classes in the hidden world were too harsh.
Jeong In-ho held out his hand and closed his eyes as Hong Gyeong-jun looked at him, as if asking him how he was doing.
‘My head is starting to hurt.’
My head was pounding and I felt hot, as if I had a cold.
‘What kind of case is this again?’
If In-ho Jeong was a high school student and this was a real classroom, it could be hypothesized that he was faking it due to his extreme aversion to class, but he didn’t particularly feel like he was faking it. This was because even with Jeong In-ho’s lukewarm hands, my forehead was quite hot.
“Ugh…” He
let out a small moan at the tingling sensation that felt like being pricked by a needle, and Hong Gyeong-jun, who was sitting right next to him, looked at him with an even more strange gaze. I could tell that that person didn’t like Jung In-ho very much from his gaze mixed with worry and uncertainty. Actually, Jung In-ho himself also disliked Hong Kyung-jun quite a bit.
But now my head was throbbing so much that I didn’t even care about that.
‘Why…?’
What happens in the behind-the-scenes world may seem random and nonsensical at first glance, but no matter how big the leap, there is a clear connection with reality. If this headache and fever were not an illusion, there must have been some obvious cause.
“….”
Then Jeong In-ho realized.
“…ah.”
Now that I think about it, I used to hide my pain like this when I was young.
‘Was it a bit much?’
Thinking about it now, it was a foolish thing to do, but at the time, Jeong In-ho had no choice. I lost both of my parents when I was much younger than high school, and I didn’t want to be a burden to my uncle who took me in at that time. He never once asked me for anything, but…
‘Why was that so unsettling…’
My uncle gave me a lot of pocket money and experience in a kind and affectionate manner, but despite this, he had a strong feeling that he was raising me out of obligation. It may have been because Jung In-ho felt this line as he grew older, but in the end, his uncle also left him.
As soon as I entered university, I left behind enough money to become independent.
“….”
In the end, Jeong In-ho, who was a high school student, guessed right. That he will leave one day because he obligingly takes care of her and does not give her full affection. Surprisingly, humans may have better senses the younger they are.
“…Haa….”
Even while I was thinking that, the headache didn’t go away.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
“…why.”
“You look in bad condition.”
“I know too, so just be quiet.”
I knew from experience that small talk like this was not regulated, but the sight of the monster teacher staring at them as they opened their mouths was just creepy. Jeong In-ho opened his mouth saying that it was really okay and tried to divert Hong Gyeong-jun’s gaze.
Hong Gyeong-jun raised his eyebrows at the sight of Jeong In-ho like that.
“Now…”
“Yes?”
“Do you look like a child?”
“….”
When Jeong In-ho cursed silently with his eyes, Hong Gyeong-jun shrugged his shoulders and turned his head back to the front. Jeong In-ho, who already felt like he was going to die from pain and started a strange argument, gave him an evil look, but the other person never looked at him again.
Finally, when class ended, Jeong In-ho gritted his teeth and asked Hong Gyeong-jun.
“So what was that fight about earlier?”
“It wasn’t really a fight. “I think there is a misunderstanding.”
“If you suddenly say something like that after a misunderstanding, of course I feel bad. Don’t you know that? really?”
“So…”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was preparing to go out the back door of the classroom, pointed his finger at Jeong In-ho.
“That’s what it looks like.”
“My… where is the problem?”
“well. “I’m not sure either.”
“Are you kidding me now?”
“First of all, your tone?”
“…speech…?”
“I wasn’t really arguing.”
Hong Gyeong-jun continued speaking while calling someone in the third floor lobby.
“The current In-ho Jeong looks like a student of about 18 years old.”
“…I do not understand.”
“Do you know that you haven’t been able to manage your facial expressions since a while ago? The Mr. Jeong In-ho I know is much better at smiling than this. “More than anything… it didn’t feel right.”
“So you’re going to start a fight?”
“Look, doesn’t the slightest touch make him this angry? Normally, you would have laughed instead. Or look at them with disdain.”
Hong Gyeong-jun asked over the cell phone.
“Yes, it’s over. “Please open the door.”
Contact was immediately lost and the door opened, and Hong Gyeong-jun led Jeong In-ho out of the classroom. The two student monsters they sent outside were wandering around the hallway, but fortunately they didn’t make eye contact until they had met everyone waiting in the lobby and entered the elevator. Student monsters do not make hostile movements unless they attack first, but they may affect other monsters, so we tried to be as careful as possible.
“If you don’t know even after doing this, it seems like the monsters at school rely on sight rather than sound. Oh, don’t press the 4th floor. Jaeheon Lee and I have to wait on the third floor.”
“…So… why is everyone gathered in the elevator?”
Hong Gyeong-jun answered Ha Seong-yoon’s question.
“Jung In-ho is strange.”
“yes?”
Ha Seong-yoon frowned at the unexpected remark, looked at Jeong In-ho, and then nodded.
“…That’s strange.”
“Why on earth are you doing this to Ha Seong-yoon?”
“It’s really strange.”
Even Kim Ki-jeong had a similar opinion. He asked, taking a step back.
“Are you okay…? now? “Maybe he was replaced by someone else and we don’t know about it?”
“Is there anyone who can tell me something so I can understand?”
In response to Jung In-ho’s words, Lee Jae-heon answered the question.
“Deputy Jeong looks very… young now.”
“…Everyone has been saying that since a while ago, but I really don’t understand it.”
“It’s not disgusting.”
Jeong In-ho, who frowned for a moment at the filterless comment, finally checked his condition.
“….”
Jeong In-ho realized that his mental state had become strangely immature.
“…uh? Uh no. Why is this…”
“Look, the guy who usually reacts quickly even to unexpected situations is having a hard time.”
Hong Gyeong-jun nodded at Lee Jae-heon’s words.
“The overall atmosphere has become mellow.”
“Then what were you toxic before?”
“I know you’re upset and excited, but would you please calm down a little?”
Hong Gyeong-jun crossed his arms and continued speaking, tapping his arms with his fingers.
“When I see someone, I tend to make a lasting first impression. “It’s because I’m used to classifying and evaluating others simply based on their senses, but thanks to that, I had a bad relationship with Jeong In-ho from the beginning.”
“Honestly, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“It’s hard to get used to people suddenly becoming naive. Anyway… I no longer feel that uncomfortable atmosphere I felt every time I saw In-ho Jeong. “That doesn’t mean that the person himself has completely changed fundamentally, but it’s difficult to even think of him as the Jung In-ho I know.”
“You’re being ambiguous when it comes to people…”
Seeing In-ho Jeong’s fever rising again, Jae-heon Lee called him out.
“Inho.”
“….”
“Let’s not be angry.”
Jeong In-ho, with his eyes wide open, nodded quietly a moment later.
“…I got excited for a moment.”
“I’m really grateful that you listened to me obediently, but…huh.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered softly, ‘How pretty would you be if you always looked like this?’
“It feels like a fairy tale.”
“A fairy tale?”
“Isn’t there a set age range for the users of some buildings?” “If it’s a nursing home, it’s going to be elderly people. If it’s a kindergarten, it’s going to be young children… Even if it’s not necessarily the case, there are some places where the age of the individual survivor is an important factor in the building and its rules.”
“School is a place where students go, so did In-ho Jeong return to his mental state as a student?”
“I’m not sure either…”
Lee Jae-heon looked at Jeong In-ho again.
“I don’t know, but wouldn’t it be a similar case? If a person’s personality had changed in such a naive way in just an hour, they must have somehow been influenced by the underworld, and sometimes people like this come out. “There are cases where people become so strongly assimilated into the memories tied to the building that they turn into themselves in those memories.”
“Is that a rule in the building?”
“It’s not a rule. This is a phenomenon that can be seen anywhere in the underworld. I know it wasn’t that… common. It’s not that it appears mainly in people with low mental power… This is just… The only thing they have in common is the condition of recalling memories related to it in a random building.”
“Then what is the solution?”
“Even down to the method. Unless you are so absorbed in the memory that your body itself changes, it will come back on its own. “There are individual differences, but at this level, it won’t last more than a day.”
The moment Jeong In-ho said those words, he opened his mouth with a strange expression.
“…That’s a good thing.”
“…oh.”
“Ah, I’m back.”
“For some reason, it was quiet.”
“Can you all please shut up?”
Jeong In-ho muttered, rubbing his red face under his glasses.
“If you’re going to come back so quickly, why on earth…”
“You seem quite unfair. Still, I’m so glad you came back quickly. You have a lot of work to do, so I wondered how the simple mind of a student could let you explore the 4th floor. If the situation were to come up, I would have gone up instead…”
“You have to talk like a horse, manager.”
“This disgusting bastard really is.”
When Lee Jae-heon was disgusted by Jeong In-ho, who instantly turned his face to him, Jeong In-ho, who was rubbing the back of his neck as if embarrassed, asked.
“Then the body… does the body change?”
“It’s not often that we get there, but it still happens sometimes. What can I say about going back and forth in my mind like Jeong In-ho just moments ago? “It’s just one of the ways the underworld lowers the mental power of individual survivors.”
“It wasn’t just about seeing the world in black and white, hearing tinnitus… or getting bruised or something like that. “Why didn’t you tell me this important fact?”
“Are you angry at me for no reason because you’re embarrassed that I lost my mind after being absorbed in memories alone? Wow, young people these days are so scary. huh? “I’m very scared.”
“Director…”
Lee Jae-heon said with a chuckle at Jeong In-ho’s gloomy call.
“I forgot. To be honest, it’s not a common occurrence, and at best it’s only a momentary distraction.”
Even in the novel, cases like this appeared only occasionally, in the mid to late chapters, and even then, they were meant to show what kind of past the survivors had. Even though it was a device inside a 19-year-old ravaged survivor, it did not cause much harm to the survivors.
“Of course, if it gets worse, it could become a problem.”
“You said it wasn’t a big deal and then…?”
“This phenomenon probably occurs because the inner world reflects thoughts, but when those thoughts become stronger than normal, visible changes occur in this world. “If your mind is completely changed and even your body is transformed, there is no answer other than returning to reality.”
“Isn’t this a scarier phenomenon than you think? Is it okay for you to react so calmly?”
Kim Ki-jeong, who had been listening quietly, shuddered, but Lee Jae-heon just waved his hand and said.
“It seems like everything has been resolved now, so let’s get down and everyone can go up. Like before, if a teacher monster from another floor calls the elevator, it’s a pain in the ass.”
“That’s true, but…”
Jeong In-ho muttered as if he had a lot to say, but then slowly exhaled and nodded.
“Okay, let’s get moving. Mr. Kim Ki-jeong, could you please open the door?”
“Ah ah yes.”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was standing next to the button, opened the door, and after confirming that there were no other monsters in the hallway, Hong Gyeong-jun and Lee Jae-heon quietly slipped out and hid in the lobby.
“….”
“Call me if you need anything.”
“No need.”
Sighing, Inho Jeong closed the elevator door.
If these people’s help was needed, the expedition would have been doomed in the first place, I thought.
