Episode 388
Of course, losing an eye was a big problem.
One of the most important senses in life was sight. Most human thoughts are based on what they see, hear, and feel, and without vision, it would be difficult for people to even walk properly. Most people would be scared if they didn’t see the world for a moment one day. That’s what losing one of our institutions meant.
So there was a problem with Lee Jae-heon’s reaction.
“Are you always like that?”
Hong Gyeong-jun ignored Song In-myeong’s question as if it was obvious. Song In-myeong looked at Hong Gyeong-jun with a sullen expression.
“….”
“You’re ignoring me?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean Jaeheon Lee.”
Song In-myeong said with a loose smile.
“You don’t know what you’re saying wrong.”
The head is broken, the skin is torn, and the eyeballs are bursting from the monster’s grip. Since they don’t even know each other, it’s natural to feel concern rather than fear or rejection of the broken human form. Jaeheon Lee identified the concern as an aesthetic issue and suggested an alternative.
He said it would be okay to just cover my eyes. Not fixing it.
“Is that always the case?”
“….”
“I see.”
Hong Gyeong-jun silently cast a look of contempt, but there was no way Song In-myeong did not know that it was an unspoken affirmation. He coveted Lee Jae-heon’s favor even more.
So far, many people have been killed, either directly or indirectly. There were times when I suffocated people with my own hands, times when I simply requested and received materials, and other times, I snooped around and watched them kill people.
People who saw parts of their bodies falling off were busy crying and foaming at the mouth, denying reality. No one reacted like Jaeheon Lee.
‘What happened to my self-esteem?’
Song In-myeong guessed that Lee Jae-heon’s self-esteem was at a low level, at best. It feels like the instinct to save oneself has been castrated. A self like that could not have been formed through simple nature alone. Clearly someone had touched it.
But who? how? For what?
“…Ah….”
…I really want to meet you sometime.
“What is it?”
“I was just wondering where the art room was.”
“…at the end of the hallway.
As planned in advance, only Jeong In-ho, Hong Gyeong-jun, and Song In-myeong were on the fourth floor. They visited all eight grade rooms, and among the eight keys they obtained there, there must be a real key.
Song In-myeong and Hong Gyeong-jun, who had hidden Jeong In-ho in the 4th floor lobby, took advantage of the opportunity when the monsters were not looking to head to the art room. Song In-myeong grinned as he watched Hong Gyeong-jun fiddling with the key he found in the grade room in Building A on the 3rd floor.
“Is that really true?”
“The monsters’ resistance was stronger than in other grade rooms, so it must be considered highly likely.”
“Well, Jaeheon Lee’s eyes burst out there, so it would be unfair if he didn’t.”
“You keep mentioning Jaeheon Lee.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was holding the key tightly, glared at Song In-myeong.
“I should warn you in advance not to touch that person.”
Song In-myeong blinked as if slightly surprised at the cold warning.
“…Wasn’t I cooperating quite well?”
“I can see you are all trying to impress Lee Jae-heon with fawning that doesn’t suit you. “It’s truly disgusting to watch, so please refrain from doing so.”
“….”
Soon, Song In-myeong glanced lazily and raised the corners of his mouth.
“I have no intention of killing that man.”
“I meant not to even think about messing it up.”
“I’m not trying to ruin it, I’m trying to complete it, you idiot.”
A fierce smile appeared on his parted lips.
“That’s unfinished.”
Yes, Jaeheon Lee was unfinished. He was a work of art, but at the same time, it was an unfinished result.
It was only after Song In-myeong uttered those words with his own mouth that he realized this fact.
“Yes, it’s unfinished. Who did that…? There are very few cases where I don’t immediately understand the author’s intention, but that’s because it’s unfinished. “It was somehow twisted in a dirty way.”
“You…”
“Don’t be angry, listen to me, boss. You might not, but I respect you. I understand your desire to hold on to me. I understand the disdain, irritation, and hatred. But isn’t the fact that Lee Jae-heon’s work is an unfinished work an important clue to you as well?”
“Bullshit….”
“Someone touched it. Otherwise, there is no way you could form an ego like that. Castration of survival and self-preservation instincts is not something that can happen naturally. “Someone put a lot of effort into destroying a person named Lee Jae-heon and created a new one, and problems arose in the process.”
Song In-myeong was sure.
“That’s why I couldn’t figure out what the artist was thinking when he created such a work…”
Lee Jae-heon, the ‘living work’ I’ve seen for the first time in my life. His personality was inconsistent and confusing, as if he had been rewritten several times.
At times, I feel like an old guy who has no answers, and at other times, I feel like a person who is forced to live because he is tired of everything in the world. He seemed like a vicious killer, a benevolent saint, and an ordinary old man. If all of those aspects were considered a single self, Lee Jae-heon would have multiple personalities. That’s how bizarre he was.
It’s as if God was working hard to mold them out of their own clay and was interrupted by various obstacles. A work that is unfinished, but at the same time a complete work.
“that’s interesting.”
“….”
“I’m really, really curious.”
What was the author’s initial purpose?
What problem occurred that prevented it from being completed?
Nevertheless, where did the skill that made it look like a finished product come from?
“….”
“….”
“…I’ll shut up now. Yeah, I’ll shut up.”
It seemed like there was a lot of talk about this.
‘I don’t want to tell you any more than that.’
In order to understand Lee Jae-heon and the writer who created him, it was only right to start with another writer, Song In-myeong. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut due to the ecstatic shock going through my head, but it would have been much better for Song In-myeong to find out on his own.
Song In-myeong smiled and swaggered like he did when he was an ordinary college student.
“No matter what my intentions are, I am cooperating obediently. “Don’t be angry.”
“Disgusting bastard.”
“You guys see me as a tool that doesn’t matter if I die? Let’s look at the reality. I will listen carefully to Lee Jae-heon until he likes me, and you can use me without any sense of guilt. Are you sure you don’t have the confidence to stop me before I do something? Hey, all the police in our country are dead.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Okay, I’ll shut up. “I’m good at that.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was moving his lips as if he was about to say something, closed his mouth with a single sigh. He glanced at Song In-myeong as if warning and opened the door to the art room.
There was a strange chill in the art room when no one was there.
“….”
“….”
The sound of something shaking was heard from inside the warehouse.
Song In-myeong made a somewhat solemn expression.
“I’m not feeling well right now.”
“Hmm…”
“Is this really something I’m good at?”
Hong Gyeong-jun frowned as if he did not want to sympathize, but agreed.
But since we had come this far, the art room warehouse had to be opened. In order to properly handcuff Song In-myeong, we need to return to reality as quickly as possible, but to do so, we must first confirm the identity of the final boss.
‘…Just because I fail this time doesn’t mean I don’t have a chance.’
Hong Gyeong-jun picked up the key, recalling the stories he occasionally shared with Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon, Kang Min-ah and Park Da-hoon. It was a key obtained from the grade room on the first floor.
“Why don’t you use the third floor first?”
“I’ve been able to find it as best as I can, so shouldn’t I check it out? “You’re crazy, so stop nitpicking.”
Hong Gyeong-jun inserted the keys one by one, except for the keys he obtained from the grade room in Building A on the 3rd floor. Starting from the 1st floor, the 2nd floor, and the 4th floor. And the key to the grade room in Building B on the 3rd floor.
They all turned into plaster powder and scattered, but…
click.
“…As expected, this was real.”
The key to Building A’s grade room, which had Lee Jae-heon’s blood on it, was still intact.
The door to the art room warehouse opened.
“Please come here.”
“Am I a meat shield?”
“I will find your remaining mannequins in reality and put them in prison, so don’t even think about leaving a will and take the lead.”
“He has a knack for saying things that make you want to criticize him. Anyway, okay, let’s go.”
Despite grumbling, Song In-myeong opened the door to the art room storage room without hesitation. It was a kind of confidence that could be shown because Song In-myeong was rarely attacked by monsters from the other world. Hong Gyeong-jun looked upset at that, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was helpful.
This was because they identified a human-like monster inside the warehouse.
“…oh.”
“….”
“This is a bit surprising.”
Song In-myeong raised the corners of his mouth as if he was happy.
“The narcissistic monster is just like me.”
It had the appearance of a normal adult male that was indistinguishable from a human, but it had an atmosphere so foreign that anyone could tell that it was a monster.
The monster, wearing suit pants and an ordinary white shirt, had droopy eyes that did not suit him. It was only after a while that Hong Gyeong-jun realized that it was a gentle impression. Is it because I was distracted by the plaster statues scattered around the monster?
“…hmm.”
A feeling of nausea of unknown origin slowly crawled up my throat and sent chills down my spine.
Hong Gyeong-jun asked as he saw the monster staring at Song In-myeong who opened the door and came in.
“…Could that be….”
“That’s right, Seong Dae-young. He looks just like the art teacher at Eonhak High School. I guess he loved everything about himself so much that he created the monsters in the other world in the same way? “He’s such a funny bastard.”
“….”
“Oh, isn’t it funny?”
“…well.”
It’s clearly in human form, but it doesn’t feel human at all.
“It’s funny.”
It was disgustingly funny.
It was because the monster immediately reminded me of Lee Jae-heon.
* * *
‘Seong Dae-young’ tilted his head.
The smell of the blood of the great friend I had seen in my dream was coming from the uninvited guests who opened the door to my studio.
An insanely thick and sweet scent of blood.
“….”
If I catch that, will I be able to see that friend again?
“Oh wow….”
“…Is this a dangerous situation?”
“You wouldn’t know it if you saw it? “Fuck you, that bastard heard the tools.”
“Oh my…”
“Bounce, jump.” “We’re screwed now.”
Can I make that friend my family?
Maybe.
“Fuck you…!”
Kwasik-!!
I threw my curly hair to the floor.
My favorite red color was splattered on the studio floor, but I didn’t feel very happy about it. The smell of blood wasn’t that fragrant. It was a little unpleasant. It must be simple and childish to think about it. I don’t particularly like that kind of material. It’s not good, it’s not good.
But the remaining one is different.
“….”
“…Damn.”
That thing will smell delicious.
There was a friend outside the art room who could open the door, so the material escaped, but it didn’t matter. It definitely smelled like the blood of the great friend I had seen in my dream.
Are they on good terms? In that case, if I ran away, I would head to my wonderful friend. All Seong Dae-young had to do was follow it. Family, friends, and lovers look for each other when they are sick or having a hard time. That one will be like that too. ‘Seong Dae-young’ likes to play hide and seek. I am used to finding it and pulling it out. Those ingredients get along really well. Look, mother. Look, my brother. There are people like this.
Oh, I’m jealous.
“….”
I’m jealous. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you. i envy you.
‘Seong Dae-young’ is someone who is qualified enough to become your family.
“….”
You will avoid it. We all know.
“….”
It’s okay.
If you become beautifully colored with ivory, you too will become my family.
(Continued in the next part)
