Episode 357
For Kang Min-ah, the cliff was a stimulant that made her desperate.
In fact, stimulants are not very good for your health. By ignoring the rest signals your body sends, you focus too much, but in the end, the cause of fatigue remains, so you actually keep working without even knowing you’re in pain. Of course, it was inevitable that it would be difficult, and the same was true for Kang Min-ah.
‘If you step back, you’ll fall to your death, so you’ll struggle to survive. Then, you will naturally be able to generate more strength than usual.’
Just like stimulants, Kang Min-ah’s cliffhanger was not good for her health. Since it is a struggle to live or die, it is natural for one’s mental strength to decline, and as the situation changes, the likelihood of getting hurt increases. It would be okay if you used it occasionally as a special move to cut yourself off, but relying on ‘cliff’ every time something happened wasn’t a good idea.
If so, how should Kang Min-ah, who has no special talents, survive except in this way? If you ask me, the method was simple.
“What should I do if you suddenly throw yourself like that!!”
You just need to get help from others.
“I’m sorry….”
“I thought my heart was dropping. “I didn’t know Kang Min-ah would do something like this, and she’s not Lee Jae-heon!”
“I’m sorry…”
Lee Jae-heon interjected with a disapproving look on his face as Kim Yeon-woo scolded Kang Min-ah.
“Why are you comparing me to you? It’s sarcastic and hurtful.”
“I know that sarcasm doesn’t hurt! I know you intervened for Kang Min-ah, but don’t distract from the point and go over there and rest! “Take Vivian away!”
“No….”
When did I blurt out the point for Kang Min-ah, man?
‘I was really offended by sarcasm?’
It was really unfair, but it would be weird to refute it, so Jaeheon Lee was obediently dragged by Vivian. In the meantime, he had been secretly showing that ‘Lee Jae-heon had become weaker’, and it was true that he needed rest because the injuries he had suffered were quite a burden.
“I can treat it alone.”
“Should I at least call Yeonhee?”
“Why don’t you listen to me when I say it’s okay? “Did you hear what I just said, student?”
“As soon as the policeman finishes speaking, I will bring you right away.”
“This is a very funny guy.”
Lee Jae-heon sent a bitter look at Vivian, who brought in Kim Yeon-woo, who was catching his breath after scolding everything. Of course, Vivian just ignored the gaze. Indeed, he was a man of strong mentality who had a natural disaster named Song In-myeong as his friend.
Kim Yeon-woo gave Lee Jae-heon minimal treatment but did not close his mouth.
“Jaeheon Lee didn’t get hurt because he wanted to get hurt, and he didn’t fall because he wanted to, but he seems to be getting hurt so much these days that I can’t help but say something. Why are your arms like this again? “I told you to stay hidden as much as possible, but I feel bad seeing you injured like this.”
“….”
“Are you listening?”
“…I’m listening….”
If it becomes known that he fell intentionally, it will be the day that Lee Jae-heon’s eardrums are torn.
‘…Anyway, the job ended well.’
Lee Jae-heon was secretly satisfied, pretending to listen to Kim Yeon-woo’s words through one ear. It was a calculation that came naturally when I saw Kang Min-ah, who had a very good expression despite being scolded by Kim Yeon-woo a lot.
‘I hope I learned something from this.’
Kang Min-ah has the rare ability to increase her efficiency when she has someone to protect, that is, when there is a cliff. However, if the person you were protecting or the person you were responsible for fell over a cliff, there was a kind of penalty that you would either fall into a panic more than normal or use that increased efficiency for a bad purpose. Just like in the last episode, Kang Min-ah went around killing people at school.
When Lee Jae-heon thought about it, it seemed to stem from Kang Min-ah’s personality of trying to take responsibility for everything on her own. I’ve often been shown to be obsessed with being an ‘adult’, so it might have something to do with it. Lee Jae-heon hoped that through this incident, Kang Min-ah would cooperate with others without hesitation.
“….”
Wasn’t that too much just to teach a lesson?
‘no? It was very efficient?’
As I always say, it is almost impossible to change a person’s way of thinking just by saying a few words, and this is a hidden world where it is not easy for people to grow properly. Moreover, considering Ha Seong-yoon and other requirements, there was not enough time as we had to quickly return to reality.
In that sense, Lee Jae-heon’s adaptation was effective. It revealed the trauma that had been hidden behind tightly closed doors, shook the mind, and allowed other colleagues to join in the process of suffering to come here. In the end, the best situation was ‘I was in the worst situation, like a trauma, but as a result of cooperation with my colleagues, I was able to save Lee Jae-heon this time.’ It gave me a sense of accomplishment.
‘If he doesn’t change after all this, he’s a strange person… If he had a head, he would have known what would have been a more pleasant and wise choice. Even if a similar situation arises in the future, Kang Min-ah will actively try to receive help from others. ‘I’m sure he’ll at least imitate it.’
“Jaeheon Lee?”
“…ah.”
“…You weren’t listening as expected.”
Lee Jae-heon let out a sheepish laugh at Kim Yeon-woo’s ‘I thought so’ expression.
“I’m out of my mind so stop.”
“It was a situation that deserved it, but yeah, I understand. “Anyway, it’s not Lee Jae-heon’s fault that you got hurt.”
I’m sorry, but it’s Jaeheon Lee’s fault.
“…Are you going to rest here any longer?”
Jaeheon Lee changed the topic.
It was a remark with obvious intent, but given the circumstances, no one scolded him. This may be because I sincerely don’t believe that Lee Jae-heon caused this mess.
Kwon Yeon-hee, who was watching people’s thoughts, quietly opened her mouth.
“Well then, how about we slowly… go up? “I happened to come out to the staircase corridor, and since the manager and Yeonwoo found me, I guess I just have to go up the stairs.”
“What Yeonhee said is correct. It would be okay to rest a little longer, but it’s also okay to rest in front of houses where you never know when a monster might come out. “If Jaeheon Lee can hold on, I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to slowly climb the stairs.”
Vivian, who had agreed with Kwon Yeon-hee’s words, trailed off.
“And…”
“And?”
“The police officer tried to dismantle it, but Jae-Heon Lee tried to put it in this hole.”
That’s right, I’m good at it.
“…That…”
“Didn’t the police officer say that when we met here? “Some of the survivors selected as ‘sacrifices’ are thrown into this sinkhole.”
“That’s right, that’s what I said.”
“I think Jaeheon Lee was in that situation just now. It could be that you were simply pushed to the edge, but… Mr. Lee Jae-heon?”
Lee Jae-heon nodded at the call, which had the meaning of ‘tell me your opinion yourself.’
“Probably… that’s right.”
“yes? “No really?”
“It seemed like there was a strong intention to push it into the pit. I got the strong impression that they were cornering him like prey rather than leading him somewhere like Kim Yeon-woo. “When I came to my senses, I found myself on the side of this cliff.”
As Vivian said, Jaeheon Lee was treated differently from Yeonwoo Kim. I don’t know which of the two was an unusual case because there was no comparison group, or what differences caused this, but Jaeheon Lee knew very well why the situation was like this.
He thought of the keyring monster rolling around somewhere in his apartment.
‘It’s because of that bastard.’
Jaeheon Lee slyly trembled as he felt his body gradually becoming warmer.
“…Whether it was me or Kim Yeon-woo, we were both ‘sacrifices’ here, but since no one died, it wouldn’t be surprising if a monster came after us soon. “It would be better to go up quickly as Kwon Yeon-hee said.”
“If Jaeheon Lee says that, I understand. “Let’s get moving.”
When Kim Yeon-woo nodded, Vivian extended her hand to Lee Jae-heon.
“…?”
“Can I help you?”
“…again.”
As Jaeheon Lee stood up holding his hand, Vivian smiled slightly, wondering why she was so satisfied. It was an awkward and sinister smile that suited Vivian, who had a rough face like Gomtaengi, but it didn’t seem to be a lie.
Jaeheon Lee thought about that.
‘what.’
I don’t know the exact reason, but Vivian seemed to be in a very good mood.
‘I don’t think they’re doing this simply because they saved the stragglers and allowed them to return… Did they have something to think about like Kang Min-ah?’
Jae-heon Lee felt a strange sense of accomplishment and a slight sense of liberation from Vivian’s heartfelt laughter for a moment, but he didn’t know where it came from. Since he was not particularly mentally distressed, Lee Jae-heon had little opportunity to observe him closely.
The only thing that can be guessed is….
“….”
About Song In-myeong?
“…hmm.”
Where is he and what is he doing now? This is a troubling topic in many ways.
“Chief, why?”
In response to a question from Kwon Yeon-hee, who was ahead, Jae-heon Lee said something different from what he had thought.
“My shoulder hurts a little.”
“shoulder…?”
“Chief Kang must be pretty sick too, right?”
When I spoke teasingly, Kang Min-ah, who had been strangely quiet, shook her shoulders.
“yes yes? Me? Why am I…”
“Doesn’t it hurt? You used a human rope to pull up an adult man twice? “For the first time, Kim Yeon-woo’s weight was also there.”
“…It doesn’t hurt…?”
“oh.”
This time, it was Lee Jae-heon’s turn to be surprised.
“That’s amazing.”
After all, as long as you immerse yourself in the other side of the world, you’re in luck.
‘Well, I guess it’s similar to Yoon Garam not being burned by fire…’
It’s a strange world where people who are mentally immersed in something suddenly develop abilities. Since there is a yungaram that will be fine even if you put it in a fire pit, it may be surprising that if you just concentrate, it will not put any strain on your joints. Lee Jae-heon decided to quickly understand.
Of course, I looked at Kang Min-ah and Lee Jae-heon alternately, probably because Vivian had a lot to say, but perhaps because of the pressure of having to quickly climb the endless stairs, I didn’t inquire further and moved on to another topic.
“More than that, what happened to Jaeheon Lee’s… arm?”
“Oh, this way?”
“Yes, that tattered left arm.”
“It’s not a big deal, but…”
“Didn’t I just say ‘tattered’? “It meant it wasn’t a big deal.”
“What a young guy, he’s so rude in answering his questions. “Did you learn to keep throwing up when adults told you to?”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t ask, so why don’t you just answer without turning me off?”
“Huh….”
Jaeheon Lee was speechless for a moment.
‘Now, when I do something old-fashioned, it’s treated as a change of topic… It’s funny.’
I answered without bothering to hold back a sigh.
“It’s really nothing special.”
“Even if that’s not the case.”
“…There are arms sticking out of the wall.”
“Oh yeah.”
“I was briefly captured by those guys.”
At those words, Vivian, Kang Min-ah, Kwon Yeon-hee and Pompitz all turned to look at Lee Jae-heon, and Kim Yeon-woo, who was the only one walking while looking straight ahead, raised his voice without even turning his gaze.
“I’d like to hear that story in more detail, Mr. Lee Jae-heon! I beg your pardon!”
“I didn’t get hurt because I wanted to get hurt, so I will give you loving advice and no worries.”
“So what!”
“Huh.”
Lee Jae-heon spoke while touching his arm with his right hand, which was not fine, but was still better than his left.
“I got caught briefly and got hurt trying to escape. “There were a few scratches, but…”
“If you tell nonsense, you can be sued for spreading false information. “A scratch is a small wound caused by a scratch or scrape.”
“Our Bian speaks really tastefully. “That’s what adults do.”
“Usually a scratch doesn’t show what color the flesh inside is. “Blood is dripping from earlier…”
“What if monsters see this and come after me?”
“Jaeheon Lee, can you hear me?”
“Chief Kang, is there anything you can wrap your arms around?”
Kang Min-ah, who was startled, fumbled in her arms and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t carry any bandages or anything…”
“It’s not because I want to treat the wound, but because I want to do something about the blood dripping on the floor.”
Kwon Yeon-hee intervened.
“I have a bag with food in it.”
“You want me to put my arm in the bag?”
“Oh no… it’s not that kind of a vicious story… since it’s a cross bag, wouldn’t blood drip on the floor if the manager puts it on his side and sticks his hand in it?”
“That sounds plausible.”
Vivian asked Jaeheon Lee as he took the bag.
“Do we really need to go that far? “The bag is not particularly clean and the wound may become more open.”
“Why do you think I was being chased by monsters, Bian? “They all saw blood and chased after me.”
“Then I have nothing to say.”
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
I really didn’t intend to die.
‘I didn’t think the main character would be able to recover mentally if he died this time too.’
Kang Min-ah, who does not know Lee Jae-heon’s true intentions, spoke up.
“Could it be that something like poison has spread…?”
“poison? suddenly?”
“No, you said it was caused by the arms that sprouted from the wall.”
“Well, it did look like it might be a bit poisonous.”
Lee Jae-heon nodded and steadily put his unmoving hand into his cross bag. As a result, the bag got a little dirty, but fortunately it was black so it wasn’t noticeable.
He nodded, putting his hand in his bag.
“I don’t think I’m particularly addicted.”
“Ah, then I’m glad…”
“I feel like my body is burning a little, but it’s okay.”
“….”
“…Your words come out really funny.”
He smiled and continued as if to say, ‘I was so unwell that my true feelings came out.’
“Actually, I feel like I’m going to die.”
I’m sorry for pouring cold water on this warm atmosphere.
“What do you mean…”
“Do you think we should run?”
“…this.”
It’s not over yet, chicks.
Arms with mouths sprouted from all sides of the stairs.
“―You will be happy.”
(Continued in the next part)
