Episode 4
The underworld is a world where human thoughts are reflected.
Actually, just saying it this way is very ambiguous. We don’t know exactly what those thoughts are, and it’s difficult to know what exactly they reflect.
That is why the main character in the novel described the underworld as ‘a ruined world full of monsters.’
Obviously, the terrain structure and buildings resembled their original world, but because the overall atmosphere and composition itself was different, it could only be thought of that way.
Jaeheon Lee blinked as he swept the dust-filled desk.
‘Is it just like it appeared in the novel?’
Perhaps because it was made a secret based on their company, the place here that was most similar to the original world was none other than this company.
In reality, the company seemed no different from before, except that it was very old and broken.
Of course, the ‘old and broken thing’ itself would be strange.
No matter how strong a person he or she was, it would be quite scary if the place where he was sitting was suddenly ruined as if decades had passed.
Even the main character in the novel couldn’t come to his senses when he was first consumed by the underworld.
“Where am I? No, it must be our company. So do you know anything about this situation? Why is this happening…”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon sighed as he looked at Jeong In-ho, who was in a panic right after calling me.
Perhaps because it was the beginning, I was mentally weak.
‘It’s a world where your mental strength is diminished just by taking a breath, so what can you do?’
The underworld is not at all friendly to the people he preys on, and the survivors are constantly tested on their humanity and traumatized within this vast world.
The fact that he survived here was proof of how strong his spirit was.
Jeong In-ho was a survivor, that is, the person with the greatest mental strength among the main characters.
I guess he felt a sense of responsibility because he was the only adult male in the group.
The remaining people were two students, a flower shop owner who had never played sports, and an elderly person.
It was when Jung In-ho came to his senses when he left the office and met other people at the park in front of him.
In short, you are in a state of panic until you leave the company.
Lee Jae-heon, who remembered that point, swallowed his frustration and called the protagonist.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
“…Ah yes?”
It seems that the meaning of the title ‘Mr. Jeong In-ho’ was well ingrained in his head.
Judging by the way his gaze, which was shaking like crazy, was fixed on me.
He continued, pointing toward the bathroom with his finger.
“If you search through the drawers in the bathroom, you will find tools. Inside, take some tools, a water bottle, and some snacks. And then it comes back here.”
“….”
“Do you understand?”
When in panic, giving orders is more effective than soothing the other person. Of course, you have to think about the other person’s mental power and control it, but the mental power of the main character I read about in the novel was not worn down by being manipulated in a state of panic.
Fortunately, Lee Jae-heon’s judgment seemed to have worked, and the protagonist, who looked at him blankly and nodded, moved his body. Even though he wasn’t running, he seemed to be very anxious about this situation, as he was walking quickly.
Nervous, yes. This world made people anxious just by remaining still.
“….”
Jaeheon Lee stood and looked around.
Most of the employees were unable to come to their senses and were talking gibberish into the air, while the worst were curled up in a corner and shaking.
They were clearly distracted by the influence of the underworld.
So, in fact, the main character’s wandering just now can be said to be cute.
There were at most two employees who were able to maintain their sanity.
Lee Jae-heon slowly squeezed his hand and grabbed the pipe sticking out of the wall.
“…Whew.” When I pressed down
hard
, part of the pipe fell off.
Actually, I don’t know why there were pipes sticking out of the inner wall, but this was a secret world.
Wouldn’t it be unusual for an existing pipe to be sticking out somewhere in the building?
‘I guess I should say I’m glad it reminded me of my past life.’
To be precise, I was fortunate to be able to use the skills from my previous life.
The original Lee Jae-heon would not have been able to break the pipe no matter how old and rusty it was.
So, I guess he was trying to survive using the same childish methods that appeared in the novel.
After checking the strength of the pipe several times, Lee Jae-heon turned his head and looked at the place where the sound of footsteps was coming from.
“….”
Jeong In-ho came out of the bathroom and was coming back this way.
He held a pipe in one hand and asked Jeong In-ho, who was breathing heavily despite not running.
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“…maybe.”
“Uh huh, Assistant Manager Jeong, are you speaking informally now? “Aren’t you polite?”
At those words, the protagonist’s frozen face relaxed a little.
Probably because I saw ‘Lee Jae-heon’ in the original world, not in the other world.
I guess I was able to alleviate the anxiety of being in a remote place a little bit.
It was a method that the main character often used in novels to stabilize his mind and body.
However, he felt quite strange in that it was Lee Jae-heon’s old-fashioned behavior that the fragments of the original world hated, but it was impossible for him to overlook such trivial things.
Aren’t there already too many things to do?
Jaeheon Lee calmly thought about what he remembered.
‘In the novel, the main character leaves the company with only a few employees who come to their senses.’
Immediately after being devoured by the secret world, it was broad daylight with the sun still shining, and the company that was the reference point had not been completely exposed to the outside world. Looking back, it was a wise choice to quickly leave the company.
Thanks to this, all the remaining employees were eaten by the underworld and died, but in fact, it was difficult to see it as a ploy by the protagonist who did not know much about this world.
Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho was just trying to take a look around with only a few people who could communicate in order to understand the situation that had changed in an instant.
And if I were to think about it based on the probability I had created, there was something Jaeheon Lee had to say at this point.
He skillfully held the pipe and spoke to Jeong In-ho.
“I need to look around first. Bring those guys who come to their senses, Deputy Jeong. “Please understand the situation.”
“Why… are you so calm?”
“Fuck, I’m so glad I seem to be calm now.”
This was sincere. Even a single curse word.
But at the same time, it was also a target.
‘It doesn’t make sense to be the only one who stays calm in this situation.’
When he had already been eaten by the other side, the protagonist asked him, ‘What’s going on?’
I don’t know if Lee Jae-heon instinctively knew that he had guessed the current situation, but if he stayed calm alone in a situation like this, he would easily be misunderstood.
However, in order to successfully take the first step into the underworld, one of them needed to remain calm, at least while going to the park in front of the company.
It is difficult to expect that from other employees or the current protagonist, and in the end, Lee Jae-heon has to play that role, and if so, he must at least ‘pretend’ to hold on with his strength.
Yes, Jaeheon Lee is now very embarrassed by this situation where he has been swallowed up by the underworld.
Although he is surprised, anxious, and anxious, it can be said that he is trying to maintain his composure due to his history of acting like a brat and the mysterious setting he created last night.
Therefore, his current condition could only be revealed through language that would not cause actual harm, rather than through actions that were implicitly revealed.
And there is no word that can tell you about a person’s condition better than swearing.
Perhaps Lee Jae-heon’s thoughts were correct, and the doubts that had been creeping up in the protagonist’s eyes subsided.
“Excuse me.”
“….”
Anyway, you disgusting bastard.
It looks like I couldn’t completely suppress my doubts, but I expected this much.
It was safe to say that his relationship with Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho was the worst in the first place, so I think this is rather acceptable.
When people reach their emotional limit, they look for someone to blame.
It’s all the more so if it’s a guy you normally don’t get along with, and the underworld can drive people crazy, and for Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho, whose mental power has declined as a result, Manager Lee Jae-heon was someone he could blame without any basis.
Of course, it would not have occurred to him to think that Lee Jae-heon created this situation.
Even in my opinion, Director Lee Jae-heon did not have that level of ability, and I was just suspicious of him for some reason because he seemed familiar with this situation.
Lee Jae-heon blinked slowly as he saw the main character dragging an intern and a supervisor.
“At least these two seem to be on good terms, so I brought them here, Manager.”
“…Chief Kang Min-ah and this one. Was Noh Yeon-seok an intern?”
There will probably be a lot of things like this in the future, but I had no intention of creating an obstacle from the beginning.
‘It’s still the same as the novel.’
These two people were taken by the main character in the novel to understand the situation.
A group of five people, including one employee from another department whom we encountered on our way out, walked around the company, and the main character at this time was led by intern Noh Yeon-seok, who said he always enjoyed exercising.
In short, the main character was not a leader until the park episode.
However, their original purpose was not to leave the company, but to understand the situation, and above all, only four people successfully left the company.
Lee Jae-heon glanced at Manager Kang Min-ah.
‘If it’s an opportunity like this…’
I’ll be able to make that disgusting bastard look down on me for a while.
Jaeheon Lee thought so and looked at Assistant Manager Inho Jeong, who was blocking his gaze towards Manager Minah Kang.
It reminded me of Manager Lee Jae-heon’s usual old-fashioned behavior and stopped him.
It looked so natural that it was annoying.
Of course, I had no intention of wasting my emotions with this level of irritation, and considering the future, it would have been nice to maintain the protagonist’s good tendencies.
Because he possesses the mental power recognized by the novel.
Lee Jae-heon nodded and opened his mouth as if he was approving Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho’s actions.
“It seems like something happened, but you are the only ones who came to their senses. “I need to go outside and figure out the situation, so follow me.”
“Ah ah… yes.”
“Intern Noh Yeon-seok. “I heard you exercise regularly.”
The intern seemed a little surprised by his question.
It must have been because the manager, who usually didn’t treat interns like people, knew about his hobbies.
“yes yes. That’s true, but…”
“Good.”
Jaeheon Lee could tell without even looking at the protagonist who frowned at what he said.
In the novel, intern Noh Yeon-seok took the lead even on his way out of the company, and Manager Jae-heon Lee put forward the person who seemed to have the strongest body.
He even made a ridiculous threat, asking if he would be able to become a full-time employee if he didn’t listen to me.
However, these people today did not know what the behind-the-scenes world was doing and were unable to properly understand the situation.
Obsessed with their positions in real life, they followed the words of the Kkondae manager and put intern Noh Yeon-seok at the forefront.
Of course, it goes without saying that Manager Lee Jae-heon’s value fell further in the mind of the protagonist who saw the series of processes.
However, Lee Jae-heon, who had no reason to do such a stupid thing now, naturally talked back.
“I’m in the front, you’re in the back.”
“…yes?”
“Can you understand what I’m saying at once? “When moving, Assistant Manager Jeong and Manager Kang decide to stay at the back.”
Even if it was not due to the protagonist’s favor, this was a necessary step.
Lee Jae-heon recalled his memories from his past life and realized how dangerous the underworld was, but even those who did not know it felt threatened by the current situation.
He instinctively sensed the danger in this world.
‘From the description of the main character, it looked like he was going to be eaten by a monster at any moment.’
Actually, it wasn’t wrong.
Since he had already been eaten by the other world and was about to be attacked by numerous monsters in the future, he was able to feel that survival instinct in this place, which makes people more instinctive than anywhere else.
Thanks to this, even in this sudden situation, they listened to Director Lee Jae-heon.
Once again, when panic occurred, the quickest way to control the situation was to issue orders.
Having been threatened by the underworld, they must have also realized the validity of this proposal.
When they realized that no one other than us could communicate and seemed to have made up their minds to some extent, Lee Jae-heon, who had been watching quietly, opened the door to the department office.
And then he quietly lamented.
“…Huh.”
The hallways of the building were twisted like a maze.
“What what what… is that…”
“…is this our company…?”
“This is…”
The employees, who had been dazed until now due to the influence of the other world, were agitated.
Those who couldn’t come to their senses screamed or collapsed in their seats, and those who were still sane also turned white.
The distortion of the underworld was eroding the mental strength of those who lived in a peaceful world. Just by looking at it.
And Lee Jae-heon was also affected by that, so he bit his lip and adjusted his pipe.
Trauma from my past life invaded my head like water.
Lee Jae-heon did not try to hide the fear that followed.
“…Chief, shall we move?”
“…That should be it.”
This was because I had to show the protagonist that ‘I, too, am a victim of this situation.’
Jaeheon Lee stepped outside the office.
A piece of crumbled cement made a small noise when stepped on by a shoe, and the cave-like curved hallway was abnormally loud and even made a hum.
Just one light step sends goosebumps all the way to the top of my head.
The sound pierced his ears like a centipede, but Lee Jae-heon didn’t bother to scream.
“….”
Anyway, yes. Everything was just as I saw in the novel.
He slowly reflected on what he was afraid of.
If it was death, it was a gift to me, but if it was life in an eternal other world, the probability of that happening was low.
As long as the main character was by Lee Jae-heon’s side, there were one of two outcomes.
Either get eaten by the other world and die, or survive and return to reality.
Wouldn’t it have been impossible to get any further results than that? There were no options for him.
Therefore, for Lee Jae-heon, there was no worst outcome.
“Does anyone have a name pen?”
Because when I thought about my past life, there was nothing worse than that.
* * *
Jeong In-ho was quietly staring at Director Lee Jae-heon.
“…it will be on my desk.”
“Bring as much as you can.”
“Of course.”
The pitch-black eyes were covered with questions.
