Episode 334
“….”
Woo Woo-young thought.
“…Ha….”
Why the fuck am I doing this?
‘How on earth did my life get so screwed up?’
It may be a random story, but Woo Joo-young was born the type of person who could not be negligent.
I always noticed my own shortcomings, and rather than being pessimistic about them, I tried to fix them and become better. Manager Lee Jae-heon praised Woo Woo-young, saying he had a ‘rarely healthy mind’, but I didn’t have much self-awareness until I heard those words.
Woo Joo-young, who continued to develop half unconsciously and half consciously, inevitably became competent. Even though she did not have great natural talent, her hard work led her to the position of team leader at a large company. There was at least some pride in that.
“Why are you sighing?”
“…I’m worried about my career path….”
“Oh, it’s important.”
Joo Woo-young briefly answered Do-yoon Han’s question in a friendly manner and held his head with both hands.
‘I didn’t know my pride would get in the way.’
If you ask who was holding back, it was quite complex. This was Woo Woo-young’s first time in the other side of the world, and he was also the other survivors with whom he had not yet become close friends, and Manager Jae-heon Lee, who checked on the mental state of the members as their wounds were exploding.
Among them, I felt very sorry for Director Lee Jae-heon.
‘How pathetic it must look to be doing this even after I gave you advice.’
The beatings that Lee Jae-heon made while holding Woo Woo-young were all from the heart. In this crazy world where it is difficult to even take care of one’s own sanity, Lee Jae-heon took responsibility for the many survivors and at the same time was considerate of Woo Woo-young.
Even though it was a conversation that others would say, ‘What nonsense’ if they heard it, it didn’t change the fact that Lee Jae-heon really was for Woo Woo-young.
“….”
And honestly, in Woo Soo-young’s opinion, there were many parts of what Director Jae-heon Lee said that were vaguely correct.
“You were always busy taking care of the students, so why did you suddenly lose energy?”
“Hyeonta has arrived.”
“Oh, that’s important too. But it was so sudden.”
“That’s it…”
Woo Joo-young said, gently smoothing out the frown between his eyebrows with his thumb.
“…looking at the manager….”
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon?”
“No, just. It’s not like there was a huge opportunity. “When I see the manager working hard these days, I feel a bit frustrated.”
“Is there any reason to be frustrated?”
“Uh…”
Woo Woo-young, who hesitated, muttered.
“I wonder if I’ll end up like that later…”
“Aha.”
Han Do-yoon immediately nodded as if he understood what I meant.
“That’s right, it’s creepy sometimes. “It could be our future.”
“Um, well…”
“….”
“…I see.”
I instinctively tried to say something in rebuttal, but stopped.
‘Oh my life.’
After hearing Lee Jae-heon’s advice that was not harsh, Woo Soo-young had a lot to worry about.
Sometimes I felt insulted by Woo Joo-young’s comments pointing out that I was struggling to adapt, other times I was grateful to Lee Jae-heon for giving me advice even though I knew it would sound crazy, and other times I was afraid that things would not turn out as Lee Jae-heon said. I also felt distant towards Lee Jae-heon, who had been twisted this far.
“….”
And to be honest… Woo Joo-young still hasn’t come to a conclusion.
‘…Even though I came to an accurate conclusion, it’s still shaky.’
Right after coming to his senses after receiving Lee Jae-heon’s consideration rather than consideration, Woo Joo-young continued to take care of the young and weak. This was not simply an action to resolve the burden on my mind, but also an action to put into practice the short but profound conclusion I had about my concerns.
‘No matter how much of an idiot I am in the other world, I can’t live like this for the rest of my life.’
Woo Woo-young hoped that Lee Jae-heon would see his efforts.
“hmm.”
She felt struck for a moment.
“Am I an asshole?”
“I don’t know what he was thinking about, but it’s all because of the behind-the-scenes world. “Woo Woo-young is not an idiot, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you for your appropriate remarks.”
Woo Woo-young, who had calmed down for a moment, continued his thoughts again.
‘…But you can’t just do nothing.’
It was easy to see from other survivors that Lee Jae-heon treated him exceptionally. Contrary to what he said to Woo Woo-young, Lee Jae-heon seemed to be hoping that people would go moderately crazy. Nevertheless, Woo Joo-young was told to ‘don’t adapt,’ so he couldn’t easily ignore it.
That’s why I felt sorry.
“…Uuuuum….”
Woo Woo-young was not a person who could live so shamelessly.
‘Not adapting in the first place means not doing anything, and that means relying on other people… but that’s still a bit wrong.’
I never thought I would think like this when I looked at Director Jae-heon Lee, but Jae-heon Lee was a person who knew how to take responsibility no matter what he said. This is advice he gave because he was genuinely worried about Woo Joo-young, so if danger comes, Lee Jae-heon will help Woo Joo-young, but I don’t know.
I didn’t really feel like it.
‘To put it bluntly, what responsibility do human rags have?’
It was something he could never say out loud, but now Woo Joo-young felt sorry for Lee Jae-heon. I know it’s a crazy idea, but Jaeheon Lee felt like a Pomeranian caught in the rain.
“….”
“Why did your expression suddenly get worse?”
“I guess I’m crazy.”
“Oh, fighting.”
“Fighting….”
Woo Joo-young corrected his thoughts without anyone listening. I felt like I had done everything wrong, comparing a Pomeranian, a small, fluffy, precious creature, to a grim-faced, dark-faced adult male.
‘And if I were to be specific, Lee Jae-heon is closer to the Doberman raised by a mafia boss in a crime movie… No, this isn’t it.’
Anyway, to sum it up, Woo Joo-young had quite complicated feelings for Lee Jae-heon.
Because Lee Jae-heon had been tormenting me for a while, I felt a physiological repulsion, and I felt pity for him because I realized that he was so pitiful that he cried even though he was such a bully. Nevertheless, he was my boss and in some way the spiritual leader of the survivor team. It was also trustworthy.
‘So, in the end…’
Woo Woo-young suddenly came in front of me and made eye contact with the person looking down at him.
“What is it?”
“…Ah yes?”
“You were looking in my direction from earlier.”
“….”
Woo Woo-young sighed inwardly at Lee Jae-heon’s question.
‘driving me crazy.’
Yes, as a result.
Woo Woo-young needed Lee Jae-heon.
“How are you feeling, Han Do-yoon?”
“I have nothing left except something strong.”
“What about the head?”
“I don’t feel anything… but if there’s a problem, I’ll tell you.”
“I’m still thinking about going to the pharmacy when I can, so if you need anything, please let me know.”
“Oh my, thank you every time.”
Seeing Han Do-yoon smiling with a kind face and Lee Jae-heon continuing their conversation in a stiff and dry manner, Woo Joo-young crumpled his face and made a subtle expression as he couldn’t bear it any longer.
‘How the fuck did I end up like this?’
Woo Woo-young suddenly missed his daily life in reality. Those were the days when you could monopolize all the honey that fell from the Royal Family as long as you accepted Manager Lee Jae-heon, who was nothing but an asshole, and his bullshit. It seemed like something, but if it was a daily life, I could have insisted that it was a daily life…
Wouldn’t the thought itself mean that Woo Joo-young can no longer go back to the way he was?
“….”
“Then how about our Team Leader Wu?”
“…You’re so clever with a face like that.”
“They hate it when you’re serious.”
“I guess that’s the way it is. Honestly, I think this is largely the manager’s fault.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“What happened to me….”
Today alone, it was already the third ‘What happened to me’.
“….”
But Woo Woo-young hated it when he pretended not to know even though he knew. I already know that ‘I would be dead without Director Lee Jae-heon’, so it would be impossible to continue avoiding this topic.
Her life had always been a method of elimination, and the only remaining option was Lee Jae-heon.
“…Boss.”
And once you made a choice, you had to see the result.
“Please speak.”
“Aren’t I of some use?”
“….”
“…It would be useful.”
Woo Woo-young smiled awkwardly.
I remembered the times I followed Jae-heon Lee’s example and helped students, children, and other small, ordinary people that Jae-heon Lee did not care for.
She needed Lee Jae-heon, but that didn’t mean she wanted Lee Jae-heon to protect only Woo Woo-young. In order for Woo Joo-young to survive, the team had to be maintained, and for the team to be maintained, in order for the main force to support that main force, Lee Jae-heon had to be alive and well.
Although it hadn’t been that long since I entered the secret world, I had already figured out the team’s power structure. Jaeheon Lee was the center of this team.
“You know how much I’ve helped you, Manager…”
“I admit that Woo Joo-young is capable.”
“Then write me some. “I can do well, really.”
Woo Woo-young felt a strange sense of pleasure.
“I don’t know anything else, but assisting someone is awesome.”
Because this situation where I was appealing my usefulness to Lee Jae-heon felt exactly like the first time I met Lee Jae-heon at work. This was because I felt the same thrill as when I was able to hold the strongest rope in Oseong. By dealing with Lee Jae-heon’s temper and troll behavior, Woo Joo-young was guaranteed a future.
Even if there is no ambition, there is greed. There was no reason to hesitate as long as he realized that Woo Joo-young’s friend, both in reality and in the other world, was Lee Jae-heon.
“In the meantime, I took care of everything for the students, organized the food, and asked Vivian to make many requests for shelter structures. Oh, of course I went along with it.”
“…I have heard the story, but please tell me the main point.”
“I did well, right?”
“Huh?”
“You did well, right.”
Okay, how about going a little crazy?
“Even if you look at it objectively, I did really well.”
The advice Lee Jae-heon gave Woo Woo-young was very self-interested, so he erased that selfishness and asked him to ‘make an objective judgment.’ Woo Joo-young is too talented to let her go crazy like this, but I was also curious about what kind of grade she would receive for her work in the underworld.
She laughed inwardly.
‘I know you were considerate of me.’
Telling him not to adapt was the maximum consideration and minimum greed that Lee Jae-heon could show, and Woo Joo-young was now in a situation where Lee Jae-heon’s consideration and greed were kicked aside. It was difficult for me to proudly present myself because I had something I owed, but that kind of pride is so important when living in society.
I’m sorry, but Woo Joo-young was too self-driven and capable at the same time to be a nuisance in this crazy world. It was an inevitable choice for Woo Joo-young, who had an excellent grasp of the subject.
“….”
“….”
In the end, Woo Joo-young decided to go crazy with them.
“…It’s difficult.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered with a completely untroubled expression.
“It can’t be helped if you decide to do it that way, but… it’s a shame.”
“….”
“I heard you’ve been busy moving around recently, so I never thought you’d have been thinking like this.”
“…You can’t act unreasonably without any basis…” The
reason Woo Soo-young had been taking charge of the small details of the survivor team was all for the sake of now. To appeal to Lee Jae-heon about his usefulness and to show that he is qualified enough to kick out your consideration. Looking closely, it seemed like Lee Jae-heon also understood what she meant.
Lee Jae-heon nodded slowly, blinking his eyes as if he were falling asleep.
“thank you.”
It wasn’t permission, it was a thank you.
“…as far as thanking you….”
“It must have been an incredible decision for Woo Joo-young, so it’s only right to thank him.”
“….”
“You won’t regret it?”
“Well, that’s fine…”
“If you regret anything, come see me.”
“yes? why?”
In response to Woo Joo-young’s question, Lee Jae-heon frowned as if asking something like that.
“Don’t you need someone to blame?”
“….”
“…Ah, I cancel. This will be more of a burden. Just do what feels comfortable.”
“…Yes….”
“Well, it’s a good thing if the number of workers increases.”
As Woo Joo-young drew a subtle smile, Lee Jae-heon, who had been quietly looking at it, scratched his neck. It seemed like an unconscious action, not something I did out of embarrassment.
“I’m sorry for causing confusion with my unnecessary words. Please continue to look after us.”
“I don’t like being serious….”
“If you tease me, I’ll cover my ears.”
He suddenly returned to the face of ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ and turned his head to look at Han Do-yoon.
“….”
“…Uh….”
Do-yoon Han, who had been sneaking away, probably sensed a strange current in the conversation between the two, but then froze. Lee Jae-heon spoke to Do-yoon Han, who was rolling his eyes as if trying to avoid his gaze.
“Mr. Han Do-yoon.”
“Oh yes yes yes? Me? Ah, you two should talk more…”
“It’s nothing special, but why don’t you go out together?”
“yes?”
Perhaps because he heard an unexpected story, Han Do-yoon opened his eyes wide.
“With me? No, why….”
“I thought of the monsters I left behind on the mountain behind me.”
“ah.”
“Originally, I was going to go alone, but I thought that would be difficult… I came here to ask Han Do-yoon if he would like to go with me since he must be quite nervous.”
“You didn’t come because of Woo Joo-young.”
“If I were to be specific about the purpose, it was Han Do-yoon.”
“Hmm…”
Han Do-yoon thought for a moment and nodded.
“Okay, let’s go together! I will protect you.”
“…Huh….”
Woo Joo-young, who was resting his chin in an atmosphere that had suddenly become lighter again, looked carefully into Lee Jae-heon’s eyes without realizing it due to a strange sense of discomfort.
And then I realized.
“….”
Gray.
“…hmm.”
Gray eyeballs.
At that moment, I felt anxious as if it were a lie.
(Continued in the next part)
