Episode 344:
The person investigating the pharmacy to cure Lee Jae-heon is Kim Yeon-woo, a police officer. Jeong In-ho and Vivian, the combat personnel who participated in Ha Seong-yoon’s place. Assistant personnel Yeonhee Kwon and Woo Sooyoung. The last person who had to fix his body was Lee Jae-heon.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon, who had been giving In-ho Jeong a strange look at his intention to participate, nodded with difficulty.
“Oh, if you don’t mind.”
“it’s okay.”
“Seeing as you’re not being obnoxious, it looks like you’re still out of your mind, but I’ll figure it out for now.”
“….”
“You don’t even refute it, really.”
Although Jung In-ho was still in poor condition, his intention to participate was clear.
‘…Lee Jae-heon and Ha Seong-yoon seemed strange.’
Jung In-ho was so bruised that he couldn’t understand his surroundings, but he couldn’t do that even when Lee Jae-heon got hurt. The fact that Lee Jae-heon almost died after being swept away by plaster monsters while he was out of his mind was shocking news to Jeong In-ho, who had been struggling for a while. I wondered if it was finally time to return.
And Jeong In-ho, who suddenly came to his senses at that time, read an unusual amount of self-reproach from Ha Seong-yoon. Didn’t Ha Seong-yoon even withdraw from Lee Jae-heon’s pharmacy expedition without participating?
‘There’s no way that doctor would blame himself for something trivial.’
In other words, it meant that Ha Seong-yoon participated to some extent in Lee Jae-heon’s injury.
‘It may not have been just an injury problem…’
Lee Jae-heon said, ‘I got injured while trying to protect Ha Seong-yoon,’ so it could be a feeling of guilt, but if Ha Seong-yoon suffered a rare blow, there must have been a deeper cause. Although he wasn’t sure, In-ho Jeong felt that Jae-heon Lee and Seong-yoon Ha were creating some kind of secret. Maybe even Yoon Garam.
That was probably the kind of secret that burdened Lee Jae-heon.
“….”
“…Why do you look at me like that?”
“I just saw it.”
Jeong In-ho could not hide his sigh.
It was because I was tired.
I was already having a hard time wondering what these crazy people had been doing all this time, and I was furious with Lee Jae-heon, who showed no sign of being obedient. In the end, he is unable to manage all of his complicated emotions and they all come together and cause great fatigue. Regardless of why, what the process was, or what the results will be, you just get tired.
Nevertheless, the reason Jeong In-ho participated in this exploration was because he felt ominous. The instinctive intuition that things should not be left like this tormented In-ho Jeong.
‘If you follow me around like this, at least…’
Lee Jae-heon won’t die while you’re not looking.
“….”
“I think we’re ready.”
Jeong In-ho looked at Ha Seong-yoon, who was smiling at Vivian’s words.
“…Ha Seong-yoon, are you really not going with us?”
“As I said before, I’m not feeling well. “I think it will only be a hindrance.”
“….”
“Mannequins in pharmacies also hate doctors.”
Jeong In-ho did not ask any further questions.
‘…tired.’
All I had to do was quickly go to the pharmacy, treat Jaeheon Lee’s arm, and come back. Then, this ominous feeling that is bothering him will disappear and Jaeheon Lee will return to his original state. I didn’t have enough time to dig into it any further.
It was a pathetic behavior, but it didn’t mean I had no motivation. Jeong In-ho just hoped that he could get some rest.
“Then let’s go!”
With Kim Yeon-woo’s unique, clear voice, the exploration team began to move.
If there was a police officer among the team members, the route to the pharmacy or convenience store itself was not difficult. No matter how complex it was, the shopping mall had its own unique geographical characteristics and the roads in and out were not twisted like a maze. The monsters in the shopping mall avoid the police, so there is less chance of encountering them.
“But be careful of stray cat monsters.”
“Oh, that’s right. Even if they are police, they don’t really avoid them….”
“I think you just need to not provoke them.”
In-ho Jeong stayed next to Jae-heon Lee, listening with one ear to the constant conversation between Kim Yeon-woo and Vivian.
“what?”
“….”
“…huh.”
As Jeong In-ho stayed calmly, Lee Jae-heon also kept his mouth shut without saying anything.
‘…If it were normal, I would have scolded you for being disgusting, right?’
For the first time in a long time, Jeong In-ho’s brain became clear.
Regardless of whether it was good or bad, walking around with Lee Jae-heon like this naturally made Jeong In-ho use his head.
That’s right, Lee Jae-heon was someone who could hardly let down his guard, and he personally drove that into Jeong In-ho’s brain. Jeong In-ho wondered if this kind of alertness could become a habit.
That’s quite…
“Are you tired?”
“yes.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“….”
“Thank you.”
Jeong In-ho stopped thinking and looked back at Lee Jae-heon.
“…yes?”
“You must be tired, but thank you for coming with me.”
“ah.”
“I don’t know how Mr. Jeong In-ho is, but…”
His expression is tired and dry.
“It’s nice to be walking around together after a long time.”
A dull smile.
“….”
…Jeong In-ho thought.
That might not be so bad.
* * *
“…Ah, Yeonhee. “Let’s come a little further inside.”
“yes yes?”
“I heard something bad happened with monsters last time.”
Woo Woo-young said that and pulled Kwon Yeon-hee in front of him.
Woo Woo-young learned how to deal with monsters from several survivors. In particular, Kwon Yeon-hee said that there had been friction with a monster clown at the mall the other day, so it seemed like it would be a good idea to take action to prevent unnecessary disturbance.
At the end, Kwon Yeon-hee covered her mouth with both hands as she looked at Woo Joo-young, as if she was touched.
“manager…!”
“Oh no. If you go that far, I’d be a little embarrassed…”
“As expected, the mother of the planning team…! “I respect you!”
“uh? what? “Honey, what did you just say?”
“I respect you!”
“Not that, just now…”
The survivors arrived at the pharmacy smoothly, chatting amongst themselves. Woo Joo-young thought that it was a lot smoother than expected, to the point where he felt anxious, but it was a good thing that he arrived at his destination without any major incidents.
Yeonwoo Kim, standing in front of the pharmacy, nodded.
“I’m going in.”
Going into the pharmacy, people might have asked why I was so serious, but no one said anything like that. In the first place, the secret world had an intimidating feeling that made it impossible to relax no matter where you entered. The
door
opens with a tinkling sound.
“….”
“….”
The number of survivors sharply decreased.
Of course, there were some rules inside the pharmacy that could have silenced the survivors, such as ‘don’t show much interest in the medicine on display’ and ‘don’t make a fuss’, but that wasn’t the only reason. It was more because of the heavy atmosphere that made you want to keep your mouth shut even without having to remember the rules.
‘This world is so… all I can say is that it’s crazy.’
A shockingly high display stand along the wall was filled with medicines of unknown identity, and in the middle of them, a wooden doll wrapped in pure white cloth greeted them. The clear, straight path leading to the counter, as if telling me to come straight to me, actually made my steps slower.
The clarity and majesty were enough to make me feel bad.
“That manager….”
“Huh?”
“…Do I really need to get my arm fixed?”
“…Is that what you’re going to say when you come to the pharmacy?”
“I guess so…?”
Even though he knew it was nonsense, Woo Joo-young couldn’t help but feel sad. Since they had already made it to the pharmacy smoothly, I could easily handle it if Lee Jae-heon became unable to act during the process of purchasing the medicine, but I felt uncomfortable thinking that Lee Jae-heon would have to pay for the pain in such a heavy atmosphere.
Lee Jae-heon, who noticed Woo Woo-young’s thoughts, made a strange expression.
“It will be okay. “The last time I received medicine, it didn’t hurt too much…”
“I get angry every time my manager says I’m fine.”
“I wonder if that’s what you’re saying with such a sad expression. Jeong In-ho, who is an expert in nagging, doesn’t say anything, so why is Woo Woo-young doing that? “I’m saying it’s okay because it’s okay.”
Jeong In-ho quietly intervened.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t really like it either.”
“…You’ve been so quiet for so long, why do you only open your mouth at times like this?”
“I think I have to say what I have to say.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon, who pressed his eyebrows together, opened his mouth again.
“…Okay, it’s not like it’s been a day or two since you’ve been so worried. I know.”
He continued in a resigned tone.
“Now that you know, let’s remind ourselves of the purpose we came here for. “Let’s just buy the medicine quickly and leave before the pharmacy teacher gets angry.”
Lee Jae-heon, who returned with a calm expression, glanced at them as if it was no big deal.
“You’re not going to leave me, are you?”
“Why on earth are you talking like that?!”
“I knew it would be like this, you chicks.”
Lee Jae-heon giggled in a low voice, a look of playfulness on his face.
“Everything will be fine, so why worry?”
Lee Jae-heon, who said that, seemed to really believe in them, so Woo Joo-young relaxed all the pressure from his shoulders. It felt as if the intimidating feeling that had been bothering him ever since he entered the pharmacy had been swept away.
And when Lee Jae-heon, who had paid for the medicine, collapsed, he was scared again.
“Waaaaaa!!”
“Fuck you, Manager!!”
Oh my god, I’d rather trust Pompitz than that guy!
Woo Joo-young once again built a tower of disbelief while thinking about the rude comparison between monsters and humans.
We were grateful that they trusted us, but in any sense, Director Lee Jae-heon was someone we could not trust at all.
* * *
There was a lot of commotion, and eventually Lee Jae-heon was carried by Jeong In-ho and left the pharmacy.
“The pharmacist mannequin looked at us like we were robbers.”
“That’s how he noticed it…”
Anyway, Lee Jae-heon was corrected, so the purpose itself was achieved, but…
“….”
“… I wonder if there is any meaning in fixing it like this.”
“Let’s just think about it in our hearts.”
“Oh, I couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped talking.”
Lee Jae-heon gritted his teeth at the faint gaze of Kwon Yeon-hee and Vivian.
“Don’t look at me like that….”
“Even if you say that, I’m not scared at all because you’re being carried by Inho.”
“This little chick.”
“Beep beep beep.”
“….”
“Hee.”
Lee Jae-heon glared at Kwon Yeon-hee for her cute behavior, which he tried to cover up with laughter, but that only lasted for a moment. As if he had had his energy sucked at the pharmacy, Lee Jae-heon laid his head on Jeong In-ho’s shoulder again.
“Saksin….”
Lee Jae-heon muttered a few more times before keeping his mouth shut. Normally, no one would have felt like a threat if he had said a few more harsh words, but in any case, even though it was the right time for him to have said something harsh, he didn’t say anything, and the number of glances at Lee Jae-heon increased.
“You see, this isn’t even a vegetable garden, so where are you getting distracted?”
“Still, I feel much more at ease now that I’m being carried by Jeong In-ho, Lee Jae-heon.”
“If even the police are not on my side, who can I rely on…”
“Yes…?! No, you can rely on me!”
“Kim Yeon-woo’s voice. Lower it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Kim Yeon-woo obediently stood at the front and worked harder to get rid of the monsters. I had become accustomed to it after stopping by several times while exploring the surrounding area, but the power of the hidden world was to turn even that familiarity into discomfort. There were some bold monsters nearby, so it was dangerous to keep paying attention to Lee Jae-heon behind him.
Jeong In-ho, who was carrying Lee Jae-heon, muttered with a strange expression.
“…I feel strange.”
“Speak clearly, Inho. And even if you’re like me, you’ll feel weird carrying the same department manager on your back, so don’t worry.”
“It’s a little different than that…”
Jeong In-ho felt that his tongue, which had been hard, had become quite soft.
“…something….”
Because I felt like I was doing something.
“….”
“Why do you stop talking, I’m curious.”
“I think it would be better to just keep wondering. “I hate to tell you.”
“Anyway, these days…”
“Stop fussing and just sleep.”
Jeong In-ho criticized Lee Jae-heon for no reason.
‘It may be hard to say it, but it’s foolish.’
After hearing Garam Yoon’s story, I learned how bizarre the pharmacy’s method of paying for pain was.
He said that it was not just painful, but felt like it was tormenting a person’s soul. It feels like splitting the soul with a pickaxe, crushing it with a hammer, and eventually pulling out parts with a vacuum cleaner, as if it were marble.
‘…It might hurt as much as when I ate the fruit in the park.’
I don’t know if Yoon Garam’s description can be expressed with the word ‘pain,’ but that was the worst pain that Inho Jeong remembers. The only pain that could be compared to the pain Lee Jae-heon experienced while paying for the medicine was the pain at that time.
‘But all the talk like this is for other people.’
Pretending to be completely fine even though it looks like it’s going to hurt.
That was Lee Jae-heon’s specialty.
“Haa…”
“…is it heavy?”
“Yes please.”
“Bian Student Assistant Manager Jeong is having a hard time. “Please do me a favor instead…”
“Shut up, manager.”
“What is your habit of speaking to the manager?”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
“Does that make your words prettier?”
“Tsk.”
Lee Jae-heon even collapsed, unable to overcome the pain.
‘He said he lost his balance for a moment, but that’s just it.’
Lee Jae-heon stands firm despite the pain that would have made other survivors scream or lose their minds. The fact that he ended up collapsing after paying for the medicine meant that the pain was so severe that even Lee Jae-heon could not bear it.
‘I went through that kind of pain, and there’s no way I’m okay now.’
If he had been okay at all, he would have insisted on walking on his own instead of being carried on Jeong In-ho’s or someone else’s back like he is now. However, as he said, the fact that he was calmly riding on the back of the disgusting assistant manager Jeong In-ho meant that his condition was that bad.
“…What do you want me to listen to for you?”
“The manager was joking.”
“It’s amazing that you have the mental strength to joke around.”
“I agree.”
I thought she was being sarcastic, but Vivian seemed to be purely admiring Lee Jae-heon’s mental strength.
To be honest, if Jung In-ho were Lee Jae-heon now, he wouldn’t have had the spirit to joke around, so he was equally admirable at Lee Jae-heon’s mental strength.
‘If you had really shut up like I said… the atmosphere would have gotten worse.’
I don’t like Lee Jae-heon’s methods, but it was true that his choices generally saved the survivors and gave them strength. The reason I can’t go back to the garden in solemn silence even now is because the patient, Lee Jae-heon, acted as if nothing had happened. They didn’t have to sympathize with Lee Jae-heon’s pain because of the consideration he showed.
Therefore, In-ho Jeong was able to think with a slightly clearer mind.
“….”
As expected, Ha Seong-yoon and Lee Jae-heon seem to have done something.
‘Otherwise, Ha Seong-yoon’s condition cannot be explained, and Lee Jae-heon’s condition… cannot be explained.’
Even if we assume that he was unlucky when paying for the medicine, the speed at which Lee Jae-heon collapsed was too fast. Obediently riding on Jeong In-ho’s back was also one of the factors that made him feel uncomfortable. Lee Jae-heon could not be seen as being in a healthy state, and Jeong In-ho believed that the reason was the secret created by Ha Seong-yoon and Lee Jae-heon.
This happened in a moment when Jeong In-ho was distracted.
‘…I’m fucking tired.’
Suddenly, I wondered, ‘Do I really need to solve the problem?’
“….”
“… Manager.”
“….”
“Are you sleeping?”
“….”
“I see.”
When I saw Jaeheon Lee sleeping on my back, I couldn’t continue thinking about that.
“…I guess you were tired.”
I just had that thought.
‘I’m doing something.’
For a moment, the shock he felt when Lee Jae-heon got hurt, the nausea he felt when he said, ‘It’s good because it’s been a while,’ and the strange feeling he felt when he said he trusted us inside the pharmacy, engulfed Jung In-ho. Those feelings lingered in his ears and seeped into his brain. It seemed like it was shaking.
As a result, In-ho Jeong ended up carrying Jae-heon Lee on his back.
“…Ha….”
…Let’s just have a conversation.
Just what did you do with Ha Seong-yoon?
(Continued in the next part)
