Episode 40
I don’t know if all companies operate like that, but in those companies, the atmosphere in each department was significantly different depending on the manager. The marketing team that Kwon Yeon-hee was in was free from formalities and had a wide network of contacts.
Among them, Team 1, which she was a member of, had a particularly strong tendency to do this, which was not unusual considering the work of the marketing department. In the process of researching the market and devising marketing strategies, help from other departments or companies is essential. Even if the manager was the most intelligent among the general staff, it was a department where one could not be so rigid.
Perhaps thanks to this, Kwon Yeon-hee was strong in information.
Her personality of being naturally friendly and not thinking for long even when criticized made her excellent at getting information out of someone, and even if half of it was unintentional, she could easily find out rumors going around within the company.
Among them, one person who was mentioned frequently was Lee Jae-heon, manager of the management planning department.
‘Old school parachute gold spoon.’
These are words that always appear when defining him.
Even though he is an old man among old people, he thinks he is awake. He is a member of a conglomerate, so he was easily parachuted into the position of manager. His personality was so sensitive and sharp that the intern said he came out crying almost as soon as he entered. That’s how picky it is.
Therefore, Kwon Yeon-hee promised that if she ever met him by mistake, she would quietly leave without leaving an impression as much as possible. Even though I was the type of person who would turn around and forget even if I got scolded, that didn’t mean it was a fun thing to do.
Is that why? When I ran into people from the planning team at the end of the strangely transformed hallway, I was a little surprised to see that Manager Lee Jae-heon in front was holding a pipe.
‘First of all, only the four most sane people got out. Are you going to come with us?’
‘…Where?’
‘I came out to assess the situation and am looking for a way out.’
It was clearly Manager Lee Jae-heon who was leading them.
Now that I think about it, I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but the planning team seemed to be in better condition than the marketing team. The planning team, where four people walked out unharmed and took stock of the situation, was more important than the marketing team, which was having a carnage feast with cutter knives or excessive use of the pantry. At least that’s how Kwon Yeon-hee felt when she was threatened with a knife by a close co-worker.
So what was the difference between the planning team and the marketing team?
‘Then I heard the sound of the wind and came here.’
‘Ah…’
Suddenly, Kwon Yeon-hee felt envious of the three people standing behind Manager Lee Jae-heon.
Although we do not know the exact circumstances, they were being protected. Director Lee Jae-heon tried to take care of the employees in his department by pretending that he was not doing anything, and Kwon Yeon-hee noticed it in a short moment. Although his tone and gaze were harsh, he was standing at the front and guiding the people behind him so that they did not feel pressured.
Of course, my thoughts were dashed when a pitch-black spear-like monster came out after that. I was just scared, out of breath, and couldn’t come to my senses, so I just ran. Even though I was wearing shoes with heels, no matter how low they were, I couldn’t even imagine how I ran that far.
But she wanted to live, so she left.
‘ah.’
Even though I saw Director Kang stumbling over the railing.
‘Hey Mr. Lee…!’
The person who saved her was none other than Manager Lee Jae-heon.
A short swear word and the sound of meat being pierced were heard, but even then Kwon Yeon-hee did not have the courage to look back. Even though she soon heard a shout pushing Chief Kang forward as if whipping a horse, she just looked ahead and ran.
Kwon Yeon-hee couldn’t come to her senses until she barely managed to hide in an empty office and avoid the pitch-black monster. She scratched the cement and couldn’t move her body even when the monster disappeared.
‘….’
I just watched in a daze as Director Lee Jae-heon stopped the bleeding himself with emergency medicine.
Even when Director Kang thanked him and the intern younger than me expressed his concern, he just said… ‘I’m so tired that I’m on the
verge of going crazy, so let’s take a break.’
It just didn’t feel real.
‘Everyone’s muscles must have been shocked from all of the sudden running, or maybe they’re just loosening up. I don’t know what else will pop up in the future, but if I can run fast, there’s nothing wrong with it…’ ‘
….’
‘Because I also have my limits.’
So
then I realized.
Director Lee Jae-heon probably didn’t want to get sick either.
He was strangely calm in the face of an incredibly scary monster, and calm even with blood dripping from his shoulder, but still. Still, there was no way I would have welcomed the pain…
At the same time, questions abounded.
‘…Didn’t you say that Director Lee Jae-heon has a bad personality?’
I knew this because I had passed by it from time to time since we were on the same floor. That was not just a rumor, it was a fact, and Kwon Yeon-hee listened to all the widespread abuse and insults.
‘But if that’s really the case, why now?’
If things were as I remember them, Manager Lee Jae-heon should not have been like this.
It didn’t make sense to try to take responsibility for the employees in my department as much as possible, to be at the forefront of them and be the first to suffer serious injuries, and yet not show a single sign of pain and just sigh from fatigue. Rather, even if it were someone other than Director Lee Jae-heon who was known for his good personality, this couldn’t have happened.
However, Director Lee Jae-heon acted so calmly that it felt like all the injuries were special makeup.
It goes beyond the concept of good and bad, it’s just…
‘So let’s think efficiently, efficiently.’
‘At least when it comes to necessary matters, it’s easier for both of us to avoid having to hold grudges.’
‘Then are we all going to die together? Or do you have the ability to save everyone from those strange guys from earlier? Nope. Then you should at least try to run away.’
‘don’t worry.’
just.
‘I won’t blame you either.’
It seemed crazy.
‘…’
However, if I found comfort there, would I also be crazy?
He used the word efficiency instead of selfishness for survival. For Kwon Yeon-hee, who pretended not to know that Kang Min-ah’s death may have happened, it became an absolution, and this soon turned into relief, which swept through her entire body.
I cried like that for a long time.
She knew that even a bystander could become a murderer.
Even if you didn’t stab the person directly with a knife, even if you didn’t push the person’s back off the edge of a cliff, you could kill someone simply by not extending your hand. Since this was not a suicide but a murder, Kwon Yeon-hee’s sense of debt was enormous.
Born into an ordinary and upright family, she had a moderately mature view of justice, and Director Lee Jae-heon was relieved that she did not become a murderer. I was grateful that he made excuses for me for turning away, which I shouldn’t have given an excuse for.
Manager Lee Jae-heon tried his best to protect us. Or tried to save someone. Occasionally we encountered monsters, but the only one injured was Manager Lee Jae-heon, and as a result, we were safe. It was the result of only one person’s sacrifice, and Director Lee Jae-heon did not add any special words to it.
So when he was dragged by a monster during the evening and came out of nowhere, the first thing he did was grab Jeong In-ho by the collar.
After worrying about us first, he collapsed on the floor…
“…Am I the only one who is sad about this?”
I didn’t know why, but I felt so sick that it was frustrating.
“They don’t trust us at all. They have no expectations….”
“…Yeonhee Kwon.”
“You had no intention of trusting us from the beginning.”
“….”
“But.”
Crouching down, she continued speaking.
“But I thought it was fortunate.”
Because you don’t trust me.
Because you don’t rely on me or expect anything from me.
I was reassured by his actions that he had no intention of putting any burden on me and that he would just endure everything on his own.
“….”
“…I me. Earlier… when I asked if I wanted to go to the pharmacy. I avoided eye contact. What should I do? huh? What should I do…?”
Thump and thud.
Drops of water fell from his charred eyes.
“How can I be so selfish…”
I saw Director Lee Jae-heon share a look with Doctor Ha Seong-yoon. The doctor emphasized that surgery was needed immediately due to the serious eye condition, and before he could express another opinion, Director Lee Jae-heon blocked it.
He knew our anxiety. I knew that instinctive fear and nervousness and the selfishness that resulted from it. No matter how much he was the benefactor who saved his life, he knew that there was no one who would risk his life for Director Lee Jae-heon, with whom he had no long-term relationship, so he knew that this topic should not continue for a long time.
If that happens, we will eventually be divided.
Some people had the courage to survive even though they couldn’t risk their lives, while others couldn’t even muster the courage because they couldn’t risk their lives. Since the safety of Director Lee Jae-heon, their benefactor, was at stake here, the cowards would soon become criminals.
Manager Lee Jae-heon knew that and knew that in the end, nothing could produce the right results. So, wouldn’t they have blocked him from talking like this so that he couldn’t even come up with a plan that bordered on delusion?
As always, he was considerate of even the coward’s selfishness.
“I was really bad…”
Ironically, it came back as hurt.
It was truly an immature wound.
* * *
“Detective, Detective Hong…!”
“Mr. Yeonwoo.”
Constable Kim ran toward him with a flushed face when they reunited a full day after falling into the strange world. I was lost in a foreign country and felt like I had met a Korean who knew the way.
She came to Detective Hong Gyeong-jun and checked his condition.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I was worried because there were strange monsters and things like that. “My cell phone doesn’t work, so I don’t know where you are…”
“I didn’t know that the elevator door would suddenly close. “I’m sorry for causing you worry.”
The two were wandering around the apartment to catch the criminal, and just as they were about to leave the building, they were eaten by the other side of the world. The two had no choice but to part ways as the elevator door closed right after Detective Hong Gyeong-jun got on it.
Police Officer Kim ended up leaving the building by taking the stairs as the elevator hid his presence without even knowing whether it was going up or down. After that, he wandered around and found an elderly woman in the park, so he stayed there.
Detective Hong scratched the side of her chin at the sight of her expression, which was still stiff even though the tension had eased.
“Still, I’m glad things worked out. “I was wondering how to find him if he was somewhere else…”
“Because the next location for the investigation was the park. It’s a situation where I can’t contact you, so um. “At least we had a shared destination, so I thought we should go there.”
“It has become more difficult to find people because it has expanded so much.”
He looked at Police Officer Kim and nodded.
“Well done. “It seems like you have good judgment.”
“Oh that. Yes, thank you.”
Police Officer Kim’s expression was still stern, but Detective Hong Gyeong-jun looked away after seeing that her eyebrows had lowered slightly. At the end of the line of sight was an old man sitting on a rock of appropriate size.
Detective Hong asked in his characteristic heavy voice, but loud enough not to be heard.
“Who is he?”
“I met him at the back gate of the park and he is walking around with me. Of course, because of his age, he didn’t really move, so he just stayed here…”
“That’s a good decision. “Good job.”
Police officer Kim Yeon-woo blinked a couple of times at his praise.
‘It doesn’t look like that at all, so the praise is generous.’
Perhaps because he was wearing glasses, he looked like a sensitive lawyer, but other than remaining silent and showing little change in expression, he was a very dull person. Policeman Kim was a little surprised when, wearing a coat and a suit, with his hair neatly combed, he stuffed soup with chopped seasoning into his mouth.
Kim Yeon-woo, who had a strange feeling for him, suddenly remembered what happened that morning and suddenly opened his mouth.
“Ah, Detective. Did you encounter anyone else while you were here? To an adult male…”
“I was just about to talk about him. “I’ll talk to him for a moment first and then I’ll tell you.”
“… Ah, yes, yes….”
I looked at him, feeling dumbfounded by the sharply cut words, and before I knew it, Detective Hong was approaching the old man sitting on the rock.
“Hello, teacher.”
“…Who is this again?”
“I’m your friend’s co-worker.”
“I guess he’s the guy I heard about.”
“Yes, I would like to ask you a few questions…”
He trailed off and winked at Police Officer Kim. It wasn’t just a question to ask one grandmother, but Kim Yeon-woo seemed to want to answer as well.
She came right next to him and focused on Detective Hong’s mouth, and he continued speaking.
“Have you seen any other survivors?”
“Anyway, you’re talking about a living person, right? “There is only one person.”
“Just one person.”
When Police Officer Kim, who had been standing quietly, secretly revealed his knowledge, Detective Hong, who rolled his eyes for a moment, asked again. It was still a question directed at the old man.
“Was it by any chance a man with round glasses and a mole around his eye?”
“Who else could that be?”
“No. “Excuse me.”
“I…”
Kim Yeon-woo, who was standing next to the two, began.
“There was a man who was being chased by a monster around dawn. As soon as the day dawned, the monster went somewhere, but thanks to him, I survived. “I had no glasses or moles.”
“…Is that so.”
“But um.”
Police Officer Kim took a look at the old man still sitting on the rock, then looked back at Hong Gyeong-jun.
“ah.”
Detective Hong was able to get a rough idea of what her question was because of her behavior that was conscious of the gaze of others. They were probably asking if the person in the description just now was the serial killer they were chasing.
Hong Gyeong-jun silently shook his head.
“I’m not really sure that I witnessed it myself.”
“Ah… then?”
“I just met someone near the lake who I was a little worried about.”
He recalled the pitch-black eyes sunken beyond the glass.
A conscious but very gentle smile. Inorganic glasses that covered eyes like bundles of twisted wire. A thick hand holding a monkey wrench that was shiny even though it was covered in bright red liquid.
His face looked neat and sincere, but he instinctively felt a sense of alienation…
“…”
“Ah ah… So, there are other survivors besides us. That’s a good thing.”
“Yes.”
Hong Gyeong-jun nodded with an expressionless face.
“Fortunately, the.”
