Episode 314
“When will we return?”
Choi Jeong-man responded gloomily to Noh Yeon-seok’s words.
“You don’t know…”
Seo Jang-hwa hit his forehead at the sight of the two gloomy men.
“I’m going crazy.”
“Why are you swearing…”
“I didn’t do it to you.”
“But…”
“Oh, really! How long are you going to use polite language towards me? “It looks like some sort of serial killer!”
“No, that’s it…”
“Hey, you’re older than me? “Aren’t you straightening your back?!”
Both of them graduated from Hankuk University, so if you look at it, Noh Yeon-seok was Seo Jang-hwa’s senior, but now that his beloved Kang Min-ah, Jeong In-ho and other employees who could rely on him were all gone, Noh Yeon-seok was in an infinitely smaller state. This is the exact opposite of Seo Jang-hwa, who rather than shrinks in the face of adversity, rather inflates his size.
Seeing Seo Jang-hwa growling and Noh Yeon-seok pretending not to notice, Choi Jeong-man sighed and waved his hand.
“We didn’t gather together for this.”
“…Ah… I’m going crazy….”
Seo Jang-hwa muttered, sagging in his chair.
“I keep running into mannequins that imitate Vivian, so I feel like I’m really going to get lost. “It just turns my stomach.”
It may not be compared to Noh Yeon-seok, who had to stay in the same office all the time, or Choi Jeong-man, who lost his son’s hand without hurting his eyes, but to Seo Jang-hwa, Vivian was a friend he trusted, even though she seemed a bit of an idiot. It’s disgusting to encounter a mannequin every day that looks like a poor imitation of a friend.
“Now that we’re going out separately, people around me will look at me strangely… And since Song In-myeong has already dropped out, I’m going to be so annoyed that he’ll be asking me what happened. “It’s stressful to see the Vivian baby mannequin every time I go to class.”
“Well… unlike me, you guys have to be in the same space. “It must be frustrating.”
“….”
Seo Jang-hwa asked, tilting his head back.
“…What about the boss’s son?”
“huh?”
“Minhong… I heard he also became a mannequin.”
“…what am I?”
Choi Jeong-man answered with a bitter expression.
“I left it with my younger brother. Rather, it’s back to normal. Minhong has been taking care of my younger brother at home while I have been working outside… so maybe thanks to that, my younger brother doesn’t think it’s too strange.”
“…I’m not saying that… no, no. “I’m glad you’re doing well somehow.”
I couldn’t even imagine what the father felt when he saw his son replaced by a mannequin. It seemed like a very distant story to Seo Jang-hwa, so he turned his gaze to look at Noh Yeon-seok.
“How are you these days, senior?”
“uh…?”
“…Take care of your fucking soul. Why is there a downgrade every time we meet?”
“That’s not it…” This
is already the fifth time that only the survivors who remain in reality have gathered together. As time went by and Noh Yeon-seok was becoming more and more confused and unable to come to his senses, Seo Jang-hwa spat out words as if stabbing him in the side, but Noh Yeon-seok’s pale complexion did not seem to return.
After hesitating a few times, he muttered.
“…the manager is strange…”
“What are you talking about? “Sir, the manager is currently in a remote world.”
“….”
For your information, Noh Yeon-seok never told them about that police officer. This is a ghost who has cool, thin eyes like a snake’s and is somehow taking the place of Lee Jae-heon’s mannequin.
“…How do mannequins come into being?”
“Are you drunk already?”
“I’m just curious… There are mannequins all over the underworld, too. They are the only monsters that go in and out of the other world and reality at the same time. “I was worried about staying in the office, so I talked about it.”
“…Um….”
Seo Jang-hwa opened his mouth after sipping soju.
“If we’re going to question that, shouldn’t we first explain why the underworld exists and why it sucks people in? Next would be the significance of the monster’s existence… Next would be the uniqueness of the mannequin monster. “Fuck you, I’m going to die before I find out.”
“Was it… such a random topic?”
“No, I often think about the mannequin monster when I see that monster imitating Vivian. “It’s different from my senior, but…”
Seo Jang-hwa continued, emptying his soju glass.
“Wow…! Well… something like that. “Does that bastard really think he’s a survivor?”
“…I’m curious.”
“right? It seems like the guy in the mirror knows he’s a monster. The problem is that it’s the same even when you go outside. Then, the question arises as to whether the same outward-looking monster that has completely died and been overwritten with the memories of the survivor can’t be said to be that human… It’s needlessly philosophical.”
“….”
“…It’s a world that has a knack for making people crazy.”
Seo Jang-hwa turned the soju glass upside down and poured it over his head before looking at Noh Yeon-seok again. His gaze, which had been blurry as if he was looking into space, had suddenly become clear as if he had caught his prey.
“so.”
“huh?”
“Why are you asking me so mentally?”
“…this….”
I don’t know if I can say this.
‘What if I get harmed?’
I still vividly remember seeing that ghost for the first time in the bathroom.
Unlike the dry gaze that did not regard humans as humans, Noh Yeon-seok knew how cruelly interested the torn mouth was, so he could not hastily tell others about the ghost. What can they do if not only Noh Yeon-seok but also the other people who heard the news go and harm him?
“….”
“…Senior, what’s really going on?”
I can’t say anything either.
“…I just feel out of breath just looking at the same mannequins in the same space.”
“I guess so. “You’ve gone through a lot, Yeonseok.”
President Choi Jeong-man looked at Noh Yeon-seok as if he felt sorry for him. Although I am only working at the company as an intern, there is a high possibility that I will become a full-time employee if the results are good as it is a project jointly planned by the university headquarters and Ohseong headquarters. There’s no way I can brush it off because it’s been so long.
However, the time spent trapped in a room with mannequins typing away at typewriters was too painful to hold on to the possibility of becoming a full-time employee. Choi Jeong-man also knew this, so he easily agreed to Noh Yeon-seok’s vague words.
“Are you not planning on quitting?”
“It’s not like it’s not there, but… I’m just going to wait until the manager comes back.”
“Okay, that would be better. I heard Jaeheon Lee’s family is so cool? If you wait, a path will come your way. “Hold on just a little longer.”
“Yeah, well…”
I was still going to wait.
‘I’d like to ask you about that strange ghost.’
The ghost didn’t really look like a monster created in the other world. The ghost, who must have been human, knew Lee Jae-heon, so maybe the two knew each other. I don’t know how on earth he had to die to take someone else’s mannequin’s place, but it seemed clear that the two had a bad relationship.
So, if possible, I would like to ask Lee Jae-heon’s opinion, but he himself did not intend to come out of the secret world. Noh Yeon-seok suddenly felt sad and muttered.
“…Chief Kang….”
“Ah… this bastard is like this again. “I can’t believe I drank a few glasses of that.”
“Janghwa, you’re still a senior, right? “Let’s use nice words.”
“How can you say something nice when your tail is so pathetic? “Bingshin, if you were going to do that, you should have confessed right away.”
“Huh….”
Noh Yeon-seok fell down on the table, holding a glass of soju in his hand. I could feel President Choi Jeong-man and junior Seo Jang-hwa looking at me and whispering, but Noh Yeon-seok was too tired to say anything back.
“…I’m lonely….”
“I know, senior. So when are you going to confess?”
“That’s not it….”
I missed my colleagues.
The office left alone is so lonely.
* * *
After all the survivors moved to the garden, the atmosphere became calm for a while.
“It’s quiet.”
“Something… peaceful.”
That doesn’t mean the situation was bad. I don’t know if it was the tired air unique to the vegetable garden, but a different sense of peace melted into them than when they were hiding in a shelter in the mountains.
“Fuck you!”
“Hey, why are you scaring the scarecrow?”
“I was more surprised…!”
Although there were often screams due to the scarecrow popping out from time to time.
“But they still give you something to eat.”
“The person who gives you food… the monster… they are all good people anyway.”
“That’s right.”
However, the only time the scarecrow came to their garden on purpose was to give them food, so even the people who were shaking at the startling sight gradually got used to the monsters in their garden. Kwon Yeon-hee, who almost cried when she first saw it, mustered up the courage to receive the crop herself.
Kwon Yeon-hee muttered while chewing on a fresh cucumber.
“…Returning to farming….”
“Isn’t it hard to say that you are returning to farming when there is an apartment right behind you?”
“That’s what it feels like. It’s a feeling.”
“I see… Oh, I also have just one cucumber.”
“here.”
Kang Min-ah and Kwon Yeon-hee stood close together, pounding away at the cucumbers. You might say it’s a waste of food, but the crops growing in the garden grow quickly, so there’s no problem eating this much as a snack.
“Does the garden here use good fertilizer? “Why is it growing so fast?”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was passing by, laughed at the words of Kim Ki-jeong, who felt doubtful.
“haha.”
“…? “What is it?”
“Hahaha….”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong, who had goosebumps for an unknown reason, kept his mouth shut without asking any more questions. For some reason, it seemed like the scarecrows in the garden were looking at us like desirable fruits, but we thought it was just our mood and quietly picked cherry tomatoes.
Azalea, looking at fresh cherry tomatoes, smiled for a rare moment.
“Be pretty. “It would be nice to cook.”
“What can you cook with cherry tomatoes…?”
“I guess our music friend isn’t good at cooking?”
“Uh… that um.”
It was true.
“…There’s no need to eat bad food when you’re making good money, right?”
“Do you make good money?”
“This place is worthy of its name. “I usually order it delivered or go out to buy it, but I rarely cook… So rather than saying I can’t do it, shouldn’t I say I don’t do it?”
“So, can you meet your lover for a meal later?”
“…I will become a lover who buys you a meal….”
“Yeah, that’s fine too.”
Azalea giggled and laughed as if teasing Kim Ki-jeong.
“It’s sweet and fresh, so it would be delicious even if you fry it in oil.”
“…Tomatoes?”
“They’re cherry tomatoes. Add some sliced garlic cloves, add some dried peppers, and add plenty of olive oil…”
“Those are Gambas.”
“anyway.”
“Do you know how to play Gambas?”
“Do you ignore me because I’m old?”
“Oh no…”
Lee Jae-heon thought as he watched people talking peacefully.
‘…It’s much more peaceful here.’
If you think about it, Kim Ki-jeong especially wiped his hands with a handkerchief when he was on the mountain behind the school. Lee Jae-heon blinked slowly, recalling his family history as he looked anxious and compulsively kept clean. Even though he hated mountains, he remained steadfast, so he was definitely stubborn.
‘No, in this case it’s pride.’
His gaze, which was looking at Kim Ki-jeong, soon landed on Woo Joo-young.
“Hey… Manager?”
“Team leader Woo.”
“Yes, you know, right? “You’re moving with me…”
He was talking about the nearby exploration team.
Since no other monsters could enter the garden, it was safe as long as there were no walls, but it was impossible to just sit in the garden without knowing when the scarecrow might attack. While taking a break in the garden, an exploration team was formed with two people to explore what geographical features were nearby. Lee Jae-heon was on the team with Woo Woo-young.
“Oh, of course I know you’re anxious. “I’m not as strong as others and I don’t have good mental power, so I’ll devote myself to watching over you, Manager.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered as he looked more sane and slyer than when he was at work.
“That’s strange.”
“…Huh?”
“No, let’s move.”
“Yes…”
Lee Jae-heon thought as he glanced at Woo Joo-young following behind him.
‘…Let’s solve it step by step.’
It was a frustrating situation that made him feel sick and made the world spin, but Lee Jae-heon had never learned how to become complacent. I had to move forward somehow.
Let’s start with Woo Joo-young.
* * *
To tell the truth, Lee Jae-heon had no intention of having a personal conversation with Woo Woo-young.
‘Why do you do such a troublesome thing?’
Woo Woo-young was an ordinary person and Lee Jae-heon respected that. By the standards of this world, Lee Jae-heon was an extremely crazy person, so there was no need for someone like Woo Joo-young who lived a normal, happy and proud life to be influenced by him.
So I deliberately kept my distance. I wanted to avoid providing direct help as much as possible and mingle with other survivors other than Lee Jae-heon as much as possible. Even in a conversation the two of us had once, Jaeheon Lee did not hide that he was a foreign being to the people of this world. He didn’t show the same consideration he showed to Jung In-ho and the other chicks.
‘I thought I would live well on my own.’
Woo Woo-young, who was not a talented chick, was a talented person. There was no way that it would apply in the same way in the other world, but I trusted the judgment and patience I showed when I first came to the other world. It must be said that he believed in the mental strength of modern people who were able to manage stress well and exercise regularly even while working under an asshole boss.
But I didn’t know it would turn out like this.
“That manager…?”
“….”
“Chief?”
If I had known this would happen, I would have just raised him next to me.
“Jaeheon Lee…?”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, since you weren’t responding, I thought you must have fainted while standing.”
“Do you look like Assistant Manager Jeong? “Why are you talking so nonsense?”
“What am I…”
Jaeheon Lee hit his forehead with his fist. It was clear that this damned protagonist had stained Team Leader Woo, who was a slave to pure capitalism, completely black.
“This isn’t important so I’ll just skip it, but isn’t he similar to Assistant Manager Jeong? “Team leader Woo.”
“Uh, that’s…”
“I’d like to ask you more than that.”
I looked down at Woo Joo-young, who removed his hand from his forehead.
“Since when has it been like that?”
“…I’m sorry. “If you speak a little longer….”
“Since when did you start breathing easily?”
“Can’t it be comfortable?!”
“I’m not craving it right now, so please listen to me until the end.”
Jaeheon Lee sighed and said.
“I know I am not normal by your standards. My common sense was a little strangely twisted. I also admit this. “I know that, so I tried to accommodate you as much as possible.”
“Boss?”
“I respect people who aren’t crazy. They are the same types of teachers as Woo Joo-young, Kim Ki-jeong, and Lee Yun-byeol. As Team Leader Woo knows, the other survivors are getting used to it little by little. “The face that was scary at first among those crazy people is still kind. Do you remember?”
“I was out of my mind at the time…”
“Then why am I out of my mind now?”
“yes?”
“You can’t do that.”
he murmured.
“It shouldn’t reach Woo Joo-young.”
“….”
“…What are you going to do when you go back to reality?”
Lee Jae-heon sympathized with the other person as he seemed at a loss for words.
“You should be able to run away.”
Woo Woo-young was an ordinary good person.
Lee Jae-heon wanted to return this person to his original path before it was too late.
(Continued in the next part)
