Chapter 318
: There are two types of running away.
-The first is a strategic retreat.
He is leaving, promising to fight under better conditions in the future.
It is a method of running away that is mainly used when you need to defeat an opponent that you cannot defeat right away, and it can be said to be wise in that it leaves room for victory even if your pride is slightly damaged. There could have been a chance to solve the problem, but if you try and die, what’s the use of it all?
―The second is aimless avoidance.
It’s better conditions, it’s reckless, and it refuses to fight itself and jumps out without looking back.
-They say it’s something only cowards do, but I don’t know. Is there anyone in this world who cannot be a coward? Being scared is more than just a condition. And unless the problem is corrected, there is no way to return to the battlefield…
Can this be called pathetic?
-It’s just something that can’t be helped.
Strategic retreat is used to defeat an opponent who can win under better conditions, not a strategy used to defeat an opponent who cannot be defeated hundreds of times. In the end, if you can’t win, it doesn’t matter how much blood you fight or how much you suffer, it doesn’t matter. That’s just a poor, stupid person.
-And that’s right. We’re really good at running away.
The snake-eyed police officer laughed.
-I guess the inhabitants of this world don’t understand us. I didn’t turn away because I faced it without running away, but I went crazy because I ran away because I knew I wouldn’t win in the end.
“Hong Gyeong-jun, aren’t you tired?”
“Jaeheon Lee.”
-Ah, these boring people. Even if the time comes, I probably won’t even have the courage to push another person into the fire pit with my own hands. I can’t bear it. Can I keep leaving it like this? huh? How about letting each person gain experience with murder step by step? Let’s take advantage of the fact that the last survivor has memories and guide him little by little.
The police officer, who had been grumbling with his arm around Lee Jae-heon’s shoulder, soon sighed.
―…Well, it can’t happen like that.
His gaze landed on Hong Gyeong-jun.
-The inhabitants of this world are so chick-like that their minds won’t be able to withstand it after experiencing murder. It must be an enormous burden to cause irreversible harm forever, so even if time goes back and everyone is alive, you’ll still feel sorry.
As I said that, I looked at Park Da-hoon, who was crushed in a corner. The police officer, who was looking at the curled up lamb, frowned with disgust.
-Ugh, you bastards like pudding.
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon, are you okay? “The injury may not have completely healed yet.”
“Once you get back to reality, it will gradually get better.”
―Even if you worry about our junior, are you also worried about Lee Jae-heon? I really don’t understand. If possible, I would like to change all of that explosive personality, but it would be difficult, right? I know, I know everything.
The police officer lamented, pressing his hand between his eyebrows.
―Our Jae-heon probably doesn’t know how hard I worked to make Hong Gyeong-jun so soft. If it weren’t for me, I would have had a hard time dealing with that bastard in the park. huh? know? I don’t fucking know. I can’t be this sad.
“I know you’ll get better when you get back to reality, but don’t overdo it. The doctor is already very worried. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
-Hey kid. I know how to ask how you are doing like this. I raised one of my juniors really well. But do you know that you have to work harder to get along with this bastard Kim Yeon-woo? I know because I have experienced it, people like Yeonwoo are people for whom the greater good is more important than their own safety or personal love life, so you have to be really good at seducing them. Gyeongjun, we have to make it so that we can’t live without you. huh?
The police officer, who had been fluttering his lips, sighed heavily once again.
―…I don’t know if I can go see this guy dating.
The police officer muttered bitterly and spoke to Jaeheon Lee.
-Let’s do a favor, okay? You know that our junior has a frustrating side. If he continues like this, he will either die of old age without being able to hold the hand of any woman in love, or he will collapse and die in the other world. Especially since I’m not attractive enough to excite someone like Yeonwoo, I need to help people around me… ”
…I don’t have anything to help you with, but can we talk to you?”
“of course. If you go inside the greenhouse, there will be a chair…”
―Junior, but I feel a little sad?
The policeman smiled and looked at Hong Gyeong-jun.
-Your senior is here, but he is looking at someone.
“Please come in.”
– Annoying.
The police officer, who was quietly staring at the two people entering the greenhouse, wiped the corners of his mouth without saying a word. After checking the corners of his mouth that had not changed at all, he soon let out a small laugh.
He muttered only after he had stopped breathing.
―…How long does it have to stay like this?
I couldn’t relieve this boredom just by being grumpy.
So Jaeheon Lee, you have to leave.
* * *
Since I had entered the secret world, I had to return to reality at some point, and it was natural that the sooner that moment came, the better.
‘There are many people who say not to move in a hurry because there is no need to go back right away… but that only takes a day or two.’
Lee Jae-heon agrees to some extent with the claim that there is no need to rush to escape the secret world, but apart from that, it is also true that there is nothing good about staying in the secret world for a long time. As we saw with Woo Joo-young, it is a loss for oneself to adapt to a crazy world where one’s mental strength is lost even if one just takes a breath.
It was natural to think that it would be a good idea to explore Eonhak High School again, but it seemed difficult with the current state of the survivors. This is what I felt while handling Woo Joo-young’s case, but in order for things to progress, we had to take care of those who were carrying a mental burden.
“Yes, so…”
After thinking that, Lee Jae-heon chose Hong Gyeong-jun after Woo Woo-young.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why do you think something is going to happen?”
“That’s because whenever Jaeheon Lee asks for a personal conversation, it’s always when a problem arises. “For me, I can’t help but get nervous when Lee Jae-heon approaches me like this.”
“If you’re nervous, be honest about any lie.”
“Have you noticed much?”
No matter how much he thought about the way he was smiling, it was clear that he was seeing Lee Jae-heon as his gunner. Lee Jae-heon thought while lamenting what he felt in the last episode as well.
‘This is why you shouldn’t stay in the secret world for a long time.’
When I read it as a novel, I thought he was just a stuffy kid, but when I met him in person and understood him, Hong Gyeong-jun was a man with a more intelligent mind than I thought. Of course, he had a common-sense way of thinking and had enough conscience to go along with it. A guy who knows that it is rude to overlap the dead and the living is doing this.
The fact that Hong Gyeong-jun, a law-abiding police officer, came to this point could be seen as the result of his staying in the underworld, his common sense and conscience being crushed, leaving only traces.
“Well… I was worried, but Hong Gyeong-jun looks pretty good.”
It doesn’t look good at all, but I tried to say some empty words.
“A person who doesn’t usually smile that much.”
“…You seemed to be wandering around, but were you worried about other people’s sanity? Lee Jae-heon, you must be really tired. Why don’t you get some rest?”
“I got enough rest. “Didn’t you see it?”
“It’s a bit hard to say that just resting for a day or two is enough…”
“You’re going to talk back again.”
Oops.
“…I made a mistake.”
“No, it’s nice to see that you seem to be comfortable with me. “In real life, we do a lot of things together, so wouldn’t it be nice if we could have this level of conversation?”
“No, that…”
Aren’t you doing this because it’s bad?
‘I guess I’ve run out of mental strength too. Even though I know that the more comfortable I am with Hong Kyung-jun, the thicker the filter in his eyes becomes… you fucking idiot. ‘Why do you wear a brain?’
Lee Jae-heon, who was so distraught for no reason, wiped the corners of his mouth. If one person was insane, at least the other one would have to be there to keep them together, but perhaps because he was injured and had been in the underworld for a long time, Lee Jae-heon’s condition wasn’t very good. There have been a few times when I thought about just going crazy and resetting it.
‘No shit, but at this point, shouldn’t we all be able to take care of ourselves and come up with an escape plan?’
This is why Jaeheon Lee couldn’t leave his life to these chicks.
“…Well, I’ll take a break. “I’ll take care of it and get some rest.”
“I hope so.”
“….”
Returning to the main topic, it was Lee Jae-heon who first requested a personal conversation in the first place. There was no reason to lose strength through this type of conversation if it would not achieve the purpose of the request and only make it worse.
‘Let’s come to our senses. What is in front of me is a crazy person who overlaps me with the deceased… a crazy bastard… a fluffy chick the color of forsythia…’
Lee Jae-heon took a quiet deep breath to steady himself and raised his head to face Hong Gyeong-jun.
“It’s nothing special, but I’ve been feeling anxious lately, so I’m trying to talk to the survivors one by one.”
No crazy person would like it if he said out loud, ‘I think you’re crazy,’ so Lee Jae-heon deliberately said from the beginning that his goal was not Hong Kyung-jun as an individual, but all of the survivors.
‘Actually, it’s not wrong.’
Park Da-hoon, who seems to have done a lot of digging in the last episode; Jeong In-ho, who suddenly seems to have lost all motivation; Kim Ki-jeong, who should play an important role in the future exploration; talks with several survivors other than Do-yoon Han, who has a history of being kidnapped and imprisoned by the possessor. I’m thinking of sharing it.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who did not know Lee Jae-heon’s true intentions, muttered as if he were puzzled.
“If you say you’re anxious…?”
“It’s really no big deal. “We are looking to see if anyone suddenly goes crazy and runs out of the garden.”
“Aha… I guess you really don’t trust us.”
“As I said before, this is my personal anxiety. No matter how much better you did, you probably felt similar anxiety. “Just say you’re going to get psychological counseling with me and hang out with me for a little bit.”
“It feels quite grand to say it’s psychological counseling.”
“There’s nothing grand about it. “I’m just having a conversation.”
“Hmm…”
Hong Gyeong-jun made a sound with his mouth closed, but then a smile appeared. It was a brighter and deeper smile than the one he showed just moments ago.
“I like conversations with Jaeheon Lee.”
“I guess I should really be thankful for this.”
“You may get angry sometimes, but… there are people like Lee Jae-heon. “I learned while working as a detective that there are many different people in the world.”
“aha.”
Lee Jae-heon let out an exclamation and muttered to himself.
‘This sucks.’
This guy’s mentality is gone.
‘…no… fuck… why is everyone like this? I’m at a point where I don’t know how to handle this on my own.’
In real life, Hong Gyeong-jun did not treat Lee Jae-heon this comfortably and seemed to feel a bit of pressure every time they met. It’s like a person who feels self-destructive at the fact that they are receiving comfort or something by looking at Jae-heon Lee overlapping with Jae-heon Lee.
Moreover, if we were to make a comparison, it was not at this level even at the beginning of entering the secret world. It was to the extent of subconsciously overlapping ‘Lee Jae-heon’ and Sa-su to alleviate the mental burden of the hidden world, but did not overtly treat him as a replacement for Sa-su.
‘Even now, this bastard isn’t doing this unconsciously.’
From the looks of it, he himself seemed to have noticed that he was holding on while looking at the shooter and Lee Jae-heon, but not a single shadow could be found on his smiling face. This means that self-justification has already ended.
“…It’s nice to see you smile often.”
“Is that so?”
Hong Gyeong-jun slightly tilted his head when he said something he didn’t even mean to say.
“thank god.”
“What?”
“I think I’m holding on to the underworld well.”
“…The other side of the world….”
“It’s a good thing.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who said that, rolled his eyes and smiled, which was rare, and Lee Jae-heon sighed inwardly.
“…you’re right.”
“yes.”
“That’s a good thing.”
Good thing, this little chick.
What kind of fool are you?
(Continued in the next part)
