Episode 319
Although it is not the type commonly sold in bakeries these days, there is something called Gonggalbang in this world. On the outside, it looks like a round, thick bread, but it is actually hollow on the inside and crispy on the outside, so it breaks easily.
In Lee Jae-heon’s eyes, the current Hong Gyeong-jun was like that.
“Now that I think about it, Mr. Munsan seems to be at ease these days. I didn’t ask because I thought it would be rude, but it seemed like he had a bad history with the school…” “
I’m glad to hear that Mr. Munsan’s condition has improved. Since moving to the garden, some people are afraid of the scarecrow, but it seems to be in better condition than when it was on the hill behind the school.”
“It means moving here was a good choice.”
Even though they were talking about everyday things as much as possible, Lee Jae-heon’s inner feelings were complicated.
‘It’s like this… It explains why Hong Kyung-jun collapsed so easily in the last episode.’
By comparing Lee Jae-heon with his shooter, Hong Gyeong-jun had brainwashed himself into thinking that he was fine. I don’t know exactly what kind of self-brainwashing I had to go through to get this result, but I thought maybe I was generating vitality that wasn’t there by remembering the old days with Sasu.
“It’s definitely a little hot because it’s a greenhouse. “It wasn’t hard to breathe, but some people seemed uncomfortable.”
“If there are no particular problems, wouldn’t it be okay to build a simple shelter like we did on the mountain behind the school? “It’s a vegetable garden in name only, but the scale is quite large, so it can be called just a field…” “
I think it’ll be okay as long as you don’t hate the scarecrow. “Even if you just roughly erect the pillars and roof, it will be cooler than a greenhouse.”
However, the problem was that this was a shallow brainwashing that would disappear once ‘Lee Jae-heon’ disappeared.
‘In the previous episode, Lee Jae-heon, who was supposed to support his fantasy, died… so the tent, which had been erected with only one support pole, had no choice but to collapse. Of course, the fact that Hong Gyeong-jun’s assassination and Lee Jae-heon’s death seemed to overlap may have played a role, but the fundamental problem is that they are brainwashing themselves in the first place.’
Hong Gyeong-jun did not see ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as ‘Lee Jae-heon’.
‘…What’s even funnier is the fact that there’s really a high possibility that that bastard is me. Of course, they may not be the same person at all since they started existing in this world at different times…’
Lee Jae-heon already existed when the police officer who looked exactly like his past life was alive. He instinctively feels that he is a reincarnation, so it is unlikely that he possessed the young old police chief after the police officer died. To begin with, the times of birth and death for the two are very different.
I don’t know how Hong Gyeong-jun’s gunner has the same face and personality as me, but I could guess that he and Lee Jae-heon would be similar in many ways. In other words, just because Lee Jae-heon reveals his past life personality without any special meaning, Hong Gyeong-jun is able to see the same thing over and over again.
“It’s nice to have a little chat after a long time.”
“Is that so.”
Lee Jae-heon smiled faintly as Hong Gyeong-jun spoke with an unusual smile.
‘That’s damn good, you bastard.’
The detective in front of me and Lee Jae-heon had never had a conversation like this. When we were at the park, we didn’t have time to have trivial conversations because we were trying to survive, and in real life, the only things we talked about were making plans to catch Song In-myeong or treating ‘Lee Jae-heon’s’ injuries. There was no room for ‘light chit chat’ anywhere.
If I had been told that my efficiency would increase by overlapping myself with others, I would have been at ease, but Lee Jae-heon, who remembered the stupid thing Hong Gyeong-jun did in the last episode, couldn’t leave this bastard alone.
“Looking back, I think it might have been a better choice not to go into the school.”
“Do you think so?”
“The return to reality will be delayed, but as I said last time, there is no rush.”
There are so many things to rush, you idiot.
“There might be some kind of monster at Eonhak High School. I went to Unhak High School once, but that was only a story about some survivors… I’m sure there were injured people. “I couldn’t help but worry.”
“Were you even scared? It’s very strange to see you show such an unusually weak side. I didn’t think Detective Hong Gyeong-jun would be that scared…”
“…”
“…? “Detective?”
When Lee Jae-heon called Hong Gyeong-jun to the other person who suddenly had a blank expression, he blinked several times and smiled back as if nothing had happened.
“What’s going on?”
“…You look dazed.”
“I thought about something else for a moment. sorry.”
“It’s nothing to be sorry about.”
No, it’s something to be sorry about.
‘…Did this fucking bastard ever say something similar to what he just said…?’
It was a similar reaction to the previous time when Lee Jae-heon imitated Ha Seong-yoon and gently tempted Yoon Gar-ram. It was clear that those snake eyes had often made fun of Hong Kyung-jun by saying, ‘Giggle, are you scared?’ He could be sure because he also had memories of his past life.
‘If you had this confidence in the first place, you should have opened your mouth appropriately, you idiot… Stop saying whatever comes to mind. The atmosphere keeps getting weirder.’
Lee Jae-heon, who was inwardly excited, opened his mouth again.
“…First of all, I’m glad that Detective Hong Gyeong-jun looks okay.”
It was a statement that was completely opposite to my true feelings, but there was nothing I could do about it.
‘There is no way I can immediately solve my brainwashing that has reached this point.’
The reason Lee Jae-heon tried to fix Hong Gyeong-jun was because if Hong Gyeong-jun was in this state, Lee Jae-heon couldn’t throw away his life in front of his eyes.
‘If I can’t die even when I become a monster, not for the sake of a better situation… that would be too great a loss. At least when I was a plaster monster, I was able to control my body to a certain extent, so if I were to be honest, Park Da-hoon almost wouldn’t have been able to escape from school.’
But at this point, Jaeheon Lee couldn’t do anything.
“Yes, don’t worry. “At least I don’t have any problems.”
“I think that’s fortunate.”
Jaeheon Lee also knew very well how scary his brainwashing was.
Self-brainwashing is much more complex in how to solve it than brainwashing that other people bet on because it is something you bet on yourself. In essence, brainwashing is something people often deny even when the truth is shown right in front of them, but even when they realize that their own brainwashing is the problem, they sometimes use force to protect themselves.
‘There is no way Hong Gyeong-jun can get rid of his brainwashing, even if it’s just to survive, so the only way to completely solve this problem is to escape from the underworld. I think I’m trying to hold on in my own way, but I think it would be better to just leave it alone…’
When looking at the root cause from a long-term perspective, Hong Kyung-jun’s attitude was not good for the parties in any way. The only solution is to return to reality, but if Hong Gyeong-jun’s attitude and illusions go beyond simple self-justification, both Lee Jae-heon and Hong Gyeong-jun will suffer losses.
Nevertheless, I decided that it would be better to leave it alone for now.
‘…If it goes like this…’
If the situation arises, this situation can be used in reverse.
He knew well that every crisis comes with opportunity. It was also well known that if the survivors were sitting in the garden distractedly and things were going to continue like this, there would have to be some way to get them back on their feet.
“….”
Yes, in any way…
Lee Jae-heon wiped the corners of his mouth and continued.
“You must be busy taking care of yourself, but I am grateful that you are also being considerate of other survivors around you. Thanks to this, the atmosphere among the survivors has eased a lot.”
“I don’t think it’s something to be very grateful for. Jaeheon Lee, you don’t have to handle everything on your own. “I’m just saying this now, but I think it would be better to involve other people more.”
“I feel anxious when I leave work in someone else’s hands… Anyway, I understand.”
It was truly self-brainwashing with clear disadvantages and advantages.
‘It will be difficult for me to change my body, so there will be confusion if I deal with an emergency… However, if such an emergency does not occur, Hong Gyeong-Jun is fully capable of taking care of himself and other survivors.’
It seemed like a very extreme option, but in reality, there was no choice. This kind of clear self-brainwashing cannot be solved by just talking a few words, so for now, I have no choice but to just leave it alone.
“Then I will try to find Dahun.”
“good idea. Student Da-hoon seems to be having a hard time these days.”
“I need to find out what he’s thinking.”
Lee Jae-heon got up from his seat, making excuses for Park Da-hoon.
“Hong Gyeong-jun, just in case… take good care of yourself.”
“Isn’t that my specialty? “You don’t have to worry.”
“…I guess so.”
“yes.”
“Then let’s say you don’t have to worry about Hong Gyeong-jun.”
He said it in a light tone, like a joke, and Hong Gyeong-jun laughed and said, probably because he thought it was a joke.
“Still, I hope you don’t worry about it.”
“…Your words are different from before.”
“Isn’t that me too? “This is the chick that Jaeheon Lee is talking about.”
“…Huh….”
I sighed for the first time in a long time.
“Grown adults are disgusting.”
I felt like I was watching a natural disaster.
This was because it seemed that in some cases, this self-brainwashing could not be solved and would have to be used.
* * *
Ha Seong-yoon had a hunch as he saw Lee Jae-heon shake his head slightly as his eyes met mine.
“There is no normal.”
From the looks of it, Hong Gyeong-jun’s condition seemed to be very bad.
Lee Jae-heon was taking steps without even checking Ha Seong-yoon’s reaction. Perhaps he intentionally wanted to show that he was not checking on survivors but was visiting people he was worried about, but perhaps because he has been acting almost his whole life, his actions seemed very natural.
‘Actually, it’s true that I’m worried about student Park Da-hoon.’
To be honest, Ha Seong-yoon was also one of the people who was very worried about Park Da-hoon.
“…You seemed very anxious.”
Immediately after returning, Da-hoon Park was extremely reluctant to contact other people.
In the previous episode, Ha Seong-yoon, who had been hanging around my older sister, Park Da-young, and ran away to a remote place to find out what had happened, but who had died inside the school, could only wonder what had happened to Park Da-hoon. It was even more so because he was anxious, like a child who was about to be beaten.
‘But if I ask you directly… it’s probably a bit like that.’
Like other students, the Park siblings were especially wary of adults. Maybe there was something wrong with our home environment, but we didn’t try to build relationships easily unless we were adults who had favorable conditions for us.
‘They are quite friendly to Hong Kyung-jun, a doctor like me and a police officer… but it is more like they have formed a basic relationship because it is beneficial to them rather than opening their hearts. ‘I feel sorry for these friends because they are so clever.’
However, seeing as they built a relationship with Jeong In-ho, an ordinary office worker, and continued to communicate with Kim Yeon-woo, a police officer, it seemed like the Park siblings had their own standards. Among all these adults, the only one the siblings truly believe in is that tattered Lee Jae-heon.
‘It would be nice if you could trust other adults, but they are not children who open their hearts that easily…’
Ha Seong-yoon muttered softly.
“Did something bad happen to an adult?”
For the Park siblings, adults were basically something to be wary of and at the same time a means to use. Other adults also have a conscience, so they would willingly lend their support to young students like the Park siblings if they wanted to rely on them, but the only people who even showed signs of relying on them right away were Ha Seong-yoon himself, Jeong In-ho, and Hong Gyeong-jun.
So, if Ha Seong-yoon had approached him in a situation where Park Da-hoon was so anxious and Park Da-young was also having a hard time, he would have lost all the goodwill he had built up and been kicked out.
‘Actually, when I look at Kang Min-ah in the last episode, I actually feel like she’s wise like that.’
When I think about how Kang Min-ah, who was normally sweet and trustworthy, went crazy and became a serial killer, I couldn’t blame the siblings for their attitude.
“…I have no choice but to trust Lee Jae-heon.”
The people who are currently anxious are Jung In-ho and Park Da-hoon, who returned this time, and Kang Min-ah and Park Da-young, who know the existence of the return. In a separate case, Hong Gyeong-jun also seemed to have a problem, but looking at Lee Jae-heon’s reaction, it seems impossible to solve it right away.
‘Then should Mr. In-ho Jeong take care of his work?’
Ha Seong-yoon’s eyes landed on Jeong In-ho, who was sitting blankly in a chair.
“….”
“…?”
“no.”
Jeong In-ho, who was sitting a little far away, looked at him as if asking why, but Ha Seong-yoon just smiled and shook his head.
Judging by the looks of it, Ha Seong-yoon was already prone to touching this area.
‘Well, the relationship between me and Mr. Jeong In-ho is not very good.’
Whether at the park or at Unhak High School, Ha Seong-yoon was always a mean person who demanded that Jeong In-ho do more than his share of work. Even if he tried to comfort Jeong In-ho, it didn’t seem like it would work well.
Besides…
“…there’s no need to do that.”
The main character, Jeong In-ho, is not Ha Seong-yoon’s patient.
Why should he take care of someone who is not even a patient?
(Continued in the next part)
