Episode 397
Lee Jae-heon hoped that Jeong In-ho would understand ‘Lee Jae-heon.’
What would happen if Lee Jae-heon knew that his affectionate protection was poisonous? Even though he knows that, will he just try to protect ‘Lee Jae-heon’ like he’s a pet peeve?
Probably not. Because Jung In-ho was not a writer so shameless that he did not change even after realizing the problem.
“Of course, even if that were the case, it would be difficult to conclude that it was the right change. From the cultural and common sense perspective of this world, using people like tools is an evil act. “It must be a confusing conclusion for a protagonist who longs for goodness.”
However, this was a hidden world that dulled people’s reason.
“I’m already so tired that I’m going to die, so why don’t I make efficient choices? Whether it is good or evil, these are all concerns that can be addressed only if you have peace of mind. The final boss is right around the corner. The plan went as planned. I don’t want to go back to reality….” “….”
”
If he can make good choices while being this crazy, wouldn’t he be ‘Jung In-ho’? How could a man who longed for goodness because he was not inherently good be able to be right in this urgent situation? In the end, Jung In-ho has no choice but to use ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as a tool. “Because I know that it is the path for the majority and the most effective way to return to reality.”
And Jaeheon Lee welcomed that choice.
“It’s not to my taste to fail even when you’re so close to success by choosing the difficult method.”
Just as Jung In-ho has regressed, Lee Jae-heon has also regressed. Didn’t the damn main character miss the opportunity to escape to reality several times because he denied the death of ‘Lee Jae-heon’ and acted unreasonably? It was something I expected, but it made me even more annoyed than I expected.
If they had just used ‘Lee Jae-heon’ properly, they would have returned to reality in no time.
“…Well, I think we can fix that too this time.”
“….”
“Is it because I took the medicine too well? The ‘Jung In-ho’ I saw in the novel and the current Jung In-ho couldn’t be the same person, but my impression of the main character was so deep that I couldn’t control it well. I wanted to break away from the perception that I was an old manager and become a decent colleague, but I had no intention of becoming a proper spiritual leader like I am now. I think he really thought of it as a talisman rather than a spiritual support…” “
….”
“Anyway, I’m now free from such ridiculous treatment. You also know that ‘Lee Jae-heon’ doesn’t just die. Because I no longer have the bad habit of unconsciously thinking that I am some kind of monster from a legend. Jeong In-ho, who came to see ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as a human being, doesn’t think he’ll burn out again if I just die? In this year’s Unhak High School, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ has a habit of dying… Someone’s death has to be an event that happens occasionally to be heartbreaking, but the death of a sunfish that dies no matter how you turn it this way or that is just annoying.”
Jaeheon Lee tilted his head and drooped. He looked like his entire head was in pain.
“That’s the bottom line. “That the weight of my death would have become considerably less important than before?”
“….”
“It could be said that the main character has finally realized that ‘Jae-heon Lee’ is just a sunfish that is prone to death. It’s still absurd when I think about how I became madly fond of and squeamish just because I died. Since when did me and that bastard have such a strong relationship… Tsk.”
“….”
“This is the end of my story.”
The head that had been hanging returned to its original position.
“Did you enjoy listening to it?”
In front of Lee Jae-heon, who was tied tightly to a chair, sat a monster art teacher with a very happy expression.
“….”
“Yeah, it looks good.”
Jaeheon Lee had been chatting with the final boss of Eonhak High School.
“It would have been easier for both of you if you could talk too… And the green algae monster is like that too, so is there a setting that all the final bosses of the other side of the world are mute? The main character in the novel has never tried to communicate with other monsters except Yoon Garam, so I don’t know. Then, there is another reference point by which we can distinguish the final boss.”
“….”
“You don’t know? Yeah, you don’t even know. As a reader of this world, I don’t know, so how can you know? Anyway, the lack of communication is so uncomfortable. Mr. Ha, I want to have a proper conversation.”
The art room was brought to the warehouse ready to become tattered like an old rag, but surprisingly, the art teacher did not do much to Lee Jae-heon, just tied him up tightly. I dug into places like my nailless hands, my stomach, and my legs that were dripping blood, but that was all.
Lee Jae-heon felt hope that communication would be possible as he was just trying to understand the special food that had been available for a long time, as if he were a child who was sparingly eating it. Jaeheon Lee asked, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘…Do you remember me?’
‘….’
‘Oh fuck.’
The art teacher nods. Surprisingly, it remembered the encounter in the lucid dream. It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s clear.
As soon as Lee Jae-heon came out of the art room storage room and saw me, I was able to understand the art teacher’s eccentricity. Even in his dreams, isn’t he the guy who didn’t kill Lee Jae-heon right away, but played tag with him and played pranks that didn’t get him back? I was glad to see the delicious food I had dreamed of in real life.
“….”
“What. See you again in my dreams? Don’t give a fuck, Seong Dae-young. “It seems like you were very childlike and enjoyed playing tag, but to me, you were nothing more or less than a stalker who tormented me to the point of death.”
“….”
“No, you have to die to wake up from such a dream? Do you understand how viciously you bullied me back then? Thanks to this, someone said they slept for a week straight. I don’t even have nutritional supplements and IVs, so if this were real, I would have starved to death. uh? Are you okay with dying? I’m not okay, you ugly monster. You only see me as material for real work. This is why these crazy bastards who call themselves artists have no answer. what? Are you different? The other thing is, if you look at the fact that you don’t listen to each other, you are no different from Song In-myeong.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon, who was trying to explain something to the monster who was grumbling and expressing his dissatisfaction as if he had a bad feeling about Song In-myeong, felt a pain in his backbone.
“Aisssi, it’s not really that… ha….”
It rattled.
Lee Jae-heon, slouching in his chair, sighed.
“What on earth am I doing with a monster that can’t even speak?”
If the first thing I found out through a chat, not a chat with an art teacher, is ‘the monster I met in a lucid dream and the corresponding entity outside the dream are linked’, the second thing is ‘I can communicate with the monster I met in a lucid dream.’ The third was the fact that ‘the monster encountered in the lucid dream was friendly to Lee Jae-heon.’
Of course, it would be inappropriate to describe it as ‘friendly’ to tie them up so tightly that all they had to do was lift a finger and dig up their wounds, but at least it didn’t seem malicious.
‘I even dropped him into the water in his lucid dream, and he still doesn’t seem angry.’
So, in other words, this is a similar behavior to children massaging and exploding hamsters, saying they are cute. And Lee Jae-heon didn’t burst like a water balloon, so it was a friendly appearance.
“…Is this the writer’s consideration?”
Jaeheon Lee’s lucid dreams sometimes harmed him and sometimes helped him.
It’s just a guess without any basis, but the ‘damage’ among them was Lee Jae-heon, who the manager thought was the ‘help’ being provided by the writer. It would have been impossible to communicate with the final boss like now without the help of the author. Controlling the monsters of the other world must be God’s domain.
“When I think about it, I remember that the green algae monster was also quite friendly. If this happens, I’m a little curious whether you and Seong Dae-young in real life will also be linked. “I remember that there are no cases where the other side of the world affects the real world, but… it has become a confusing situation to rely on only the stories in the novel and make a definitive decision.”
“….”
“…Anyway, this isn’t important.”
The reason I was sure that smooth communication with the final boss was the writer’s consideration was because it was helpful to Lee Jae-heon.
He asked earnestly.
“Why don’t you bother me a little before the main character and his group come up?”
Not being in pain is just as good as not being in pain, but the problem is that it becomes very embarrassing when you encounter the main character in this state. He was captured showing a heroic sacrifice, but it was obvious that only with such a carefree appearance would the atmosphere of his capture be relieved.
The monster shook its head.
“You don’t want to be bothered? No, why? You don’t want to make art with me? If you look at Song In-myeong’s drooling, I guess not…”
“….”
The monster frowned.
“Oh, don’t be angry. Where on earth did you get so angry… Oh, don’t compare me to Song In-myeong? What the heck, these bastards have no camaraderie at all. huh? Aren’t you comrades? Then a co-worker? uh? “No, it’s true that you are a co-worker.”
“….”
Now he’s stomping his feet and acting like an angry rabbit.
“Aaaaaat, I understand. “I understand… Anyway, I’m in a bit of a hurry right now, teacher.”
This wasn’t just a matter of Lee Jae-heon’s face being at stake.
“I don’t know the directing effect, the directing effect? If the process of solving a problem is accompanied by appropriate suffering and pain, does that mean that the emotional reward is greater than if the result was a convenient rescue, even with the same result of ‘rescuing Lee Jae-heon’? “It is natural that rescuing a sunfish that is on the verge of death is more satisfying than rescuing a hostage chatting with a monster.”
Lee Jae-heon was focusing all his attention on weaving the main character.
The misconception about ‘Lee Jae-heon’, who was treated like an outsider, has also been corrected, and if ‘Lee Jae-heon’ is rescued this time, the stigma of ‘a bastard who will die if you take your eyes off him’ will also be removed. Lastly, if you create a positive impression about regression, you will become a likable protagonist.
“But here, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ seems too sane…? In this case, the tension that has boiled to its limit may be destroyed, and ‘Jae-heon Lee’ may be judged as an overly useful tool rather than a trivial sunfish, and it may also create an absurd image of the final boss.”
The monster tilted its head.
“….”
“What image is this? It means that they take you for granted. Of course, I don’t know if Jung In-ho can calm down to that point yet, but if he is harsh, he will be roasting the main character, you and me. Of course, our Seong Dae-young is an extremely strong monster, so he can eliminate such perceptions, but it feels bad if he is looked down on.”
“….”
“Is that so? Now I am the good hostage and you are the villain. I feel like my tongue is getting twisted from saying things like this, but the conclusion is that we should each adopt an attitude appropriate for our roles. If the hostage is not like a hostage and the villain is not like a villain, who will watch the play? “It’s not fun, it’s not moving, and it’s not probable.”
“….”
“Okay… Considering the sincerity I’ve put in so far, can’t you at least adjust it to me? I’m not asking you to hold hands and go into the swimming pool with me. I don’t want to go there either. Just adjust the situation and I will take care of everything. huh?”
And now that things were like this, I had no choice but to go back.
‘This bastard doesn’t want to die either, so I need to get him into a state of excitement to drag him to the swimming pool, but the conversation has gone really well now. Even though the excitement and all that has subsided, there is no such thing as an idiot who blindly crawls into a place to die. This bastard doesn’t seem to be that much of an idiot… I said something, so if you want to nullify it… you’ll have to regress as well.’
The biggest failure factor given in this episode was that we did not receive information in advance that ‘the art teacher’s obsession with Lee Jae-heon was beyond imagination’. Based on this information, I thought that if I made a few changes, there would be no problem with my plan to kill the final boss, so I would just have to go back one more time.
And in this regard, the main character’s opinion was probably the same.
“If you get it right this time, you can really do whatever you want.”
“….”
“Yes, really.”
The art teacher seemed to enjoy this complex play so much that she accepted his offer.
Jaeheon Lee closed his eyes as the long skewer approached him.
“….”
It’s not humid. There’s no body either.
The body…
“…huh.”
still tied up
* * *
It hurts.
(Continued in the next part)
