Episode 401
After arriving at the art room, avoiding the teacher monster that occasionally appears in the hallway and the plaster pieces that Garam Yoon could not burn. In-ho Jeong and Gyeong-jun Hong stood in front of the art room warehouse.
Hong Gyeong-jun said, holding in his hand the key he obtained from the grade room in Building A on the 3rd floor.
“…I feel strange.”
“Well, this is your first time.”
“It’s the same place I came to last time.”
“I understand what you want to say.”
Jeong In-ho expressed his sincere condolences.
Although he was an ugly detective who got irritated just by looking at his expressionless face, there were times when Jeong In-ho, like Hong Gyeong-joon, became confused by repeated times. It was only after I felt this last episode that I felt a little bit better… Considering that, there was nothing I couldn’t do to offer a rough word of consolation.
Jeong In-ho continued speaking as he straightened out his clothes.
“You don’t think it’s that strange. Anyway, isn’t it an indisputable fact that this is the real reality? All you have to do is do your best in the present.”
“…Um….”
Hong Gyeong-jun’s brow furrowed slightly.
“It’s so unfamiliar that it’s disgusting.”
“…Shall we fight?”
“sorry. “Stop being real.”
“I am always ready.”
“Ready to fight?”
“So are you ready to talk?”
“That could be true. Anyway, I appreciate your consolation.”
“Ha, really, this dog… ha…”
It was also annoying that I felt strangely comfortable with such absurd and childish conversations.
Jeong In-ho, who took a deep breath to control his slight anger and absurdity, took the key from Hong Gyeong-jun’s hand and inserted it into the art room storage door. As we have already confirmed several times, the key has turned into plaster powder and has not disappeared.
Hong Gyeong-jun glanced at Jeong In-ho.
“Are you angry?”
“Please apologize.”
“I apologize.”
“It’s very good, I like it…”
Jeong In-ho couldn’t get any more angry. On the contrary, I found it absurd that I was laughing so helplessly. It was proof that Miu and Gou had become attached to each other, and now they could freely call him ‘Akwoo’. Jeong In-ho once again confirmed that he had peace of mind.
It’s not yet at a level where I can confidently say what it is, but I don’t think Jeong In-ho would be that afraid even if he suddenly returns. This was because my struggles had more meaning than I thought.
Even if the blood of Lee Jae-heon, whom he killed with his own hands, lies beneath his feet…
“….”
“Mr. Jeong In-ho?”
Just clinging to him is not something a person should do.
Because I am more sane, peaceful, and worth living than that person. Jeong In-ho, not Lee Jae-heon, should have been the main player of this team. It seemed like that could happen.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho, is there a problem?”
“I thought about it.”
“Are you finished cleaning up?”
“I think so.”
“Then can I open the door now?”
“What…”
Jeong In-ho nodded.
“Let’s give it a try.”
My heart was light.
I laughed.
* * *
“―Bian!!”
Vivian immediately opened the door at Jeong In-ho’s shout.
“good job!”
“I’ll lure you in. In the meantime…!”
“Okay, see you later.”
The plan was this. Jeong In-ho and Hong Gyeong-jun lure the art teacher out of the warehouse and then hide in the bathroom across from the art room. The brief gap that occurred in the process of turning the attention from the two back to Vivian would give him time to escape from the monster.
As soon as the door was opened, Vivian, who was standing in the direction of the connecting hallway leading to Building A, fidgeted as the two people pursued by the art teacher entered the bathroom and their eyes turned to me.
“Whoa…!”
Although I wasn’t as good as Song In-myeong… I was confident in my running.
Sigh! As she ran and kicked her seat hard enough to make a sound, the art teacher chased after Vivian. He was inwardly startled by the clear sound of footsteps narrowing the wide distance in an instant.
‘Crazy, crazy, crazy…!’
For a moment, she thought she would be caught, but compared to the monster’s speed, Vivian was not caught right away. Strangely, the monster sometimes stopped or acted distracted, so the chase after Vivian was a mess.
Vivian blinked at this strange situation.
“What is it?”
He didn’t know it, but in fact, the regressors’ predictions were exactly right.
The bathroom on the first floor where plans were being made. Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon, who wanted to see the art teacher monster die no matter what happened, showed a very proactive attitude.
‘He likes to take hostages. ‘When prey enters a place where it cannot be captured, or when it feels it is inconvenient to go directly, or when it wants to see a more interesting situation, it captures nearby survivors and uses them as hostages.’
‘If the prey they were chasing goes into the bathroom, they will try to take the hostage nearby. Then, as the prey changes, there will be a little gap. Meanwhile, the person who was a little far away quickly jumps to Building A.’
‘If you’re really going to act as bait, I think the important thing here is the touch of the baton. The key is how neatly you can grab the baton of the art teacher’s attention and run to pass it on to the next person…’ ‘If attention is
not passed in time, there is a high possibility that that person will die or be taken hostage and try to lure another survivor. .’
The art teacher was very clever, unlike other monsters that simply show hostility toward survivors. When Jung In-ho and Hong Gyeong-jun hid in the bathroom, they chased Vivian not because she was the only remaining prey, but because they chose Vivian as a hostage to pull the two out of the bathroom, which they could not enter.
Hong Gyeong-jun expressed doubt.
‘Then wouldn’t the person acting as a decoy be easily caught?’
‘No… he’s faster than other plaster monsters, but I think there’s a higher chance of not catching him.’
In-ho Jeong supported the opinions of the Park siblings.
‘Because he’s a smart and mean monster.’
Even among monsters, the art teacher is particularly intelligent and is the type to reveal his terrible temper without hiding it. If the survivors who met me for the first time were not overly surprised by my appearance and acted quickly, they would have been suspicious. Therefore, it seemed that the speed of chasing incentives would not be very fast. The monster will also have to judge whether this is a trap or not.
‘Of course, it was a trap and there was a possibility that they would be captured and used as hostages, but in the absence of the manager or Song In-myeong, the art teacher generally showed a cold attitude. Rather than being faithful to my desires like an animal, I try to act like a seasoned hunter. It’s a skill that will fly away the moment you see either of them, but…’
‘Well, from an art teacher’s perspective, this must be our first time seeing each other. I may hesitate because I don’t know what kind of relationship we have and what plans we share. You might think that if the inducement to Building A had even a secret trick, the situation could quickly become unfavorable.’
Unlike the returnees, the monsters had never met them before. They formed a fairly close relationship with Lee Jae-heon at the center, so if someone got hurt or died, they would lose their temper, but the monster didn’t know that.
‘In the previous episode, the man… he was so cruel to pull us out… wasn’t it probably in the same context? It would have been bothersome for a stranger to do something like that, so it would have seemed like we knew each other anyway. Even if you are an acquaintance with a shallow relationship, it would be difficult to remain silent if you were tortured like that…?’
‘I guess I was really sick.’
‘I won’t comment on the details. ‘I feel sick to my stomach just talking about it.’
Anyway, the conclusion was this.
This means that the monster does not know whether the person in charge of the decoy will be valuable as a hostage or whether he will be a waste of money for the survivors.
If the latter were the case, not only would there be no reason to use them as hostages, but they could also be beaten back. The art teacher is a very cautious guy, so there was a high probability that he would follow him from a distance.
‘If you just chase it like that, you might lose interest and go somewhere else, or you might get caught because the decoy is really slow…’ ‘It’s only the distance
from Building B to Building A. If I run like crazy, in the worst case scenario, even if I get caught, attention will immediately turn to Song In-myeong or me. As long as you get to Building A, there will be no problem after that.’
Jaeheon Lee spoke in a confident tone as he received Inho Jeong’s words.
‘I heard that the art teacher who saw me for the first time in the last episode went crazy and rushed at me. At that level, I would be crazy with joy, but if I was so excited that I would lose my senses, I would just rush in without even thinking too much about whether it was a trap or something.’
‘Well… um…’
‘First of all, Song In-myeong will receive the excitement in front of me first. You don’t have to worry about me dying. ‘If this is the plan, I don’t think I’ll end up dead.’
‘…There are many worse situations besides death, mister…’
Park Da-young, who had to watch Lee Jae-heon, who was taken hostage, being tortured through a glass door, muttered. He looked depressed, pulling his hair with both hands, but Jaeheon Lee ignored it. She had a very naughty habit of pretending to be cute when the situation was unfavorable.
In the end, Jaeheon Lee became the final bait to capture the final boss. Although all the regressors were repulsed by this, no one opposed the plan.
‘…i look forward to.’
‘I try.’
Because this time, I really felt like I could see the end.
This time, no one dies and it becomes a reality….
“…Hey, Song In-myeong!!”
Vivian, who had just arrived at Building A after crossing the connecting corridor, called out to Song In-myeong in a loud voice.
I was worried that the teacher’s monster might come out at the loud noise, but no monster came out of the class. Vivian didn’t know, but the art teacher’s intimidation made it difficult for another monster to come out.
Vivian, relieved to see no change in her class, opened her mouth to call Song In-myeong once more.
“Songin…!”
“Life is here, you bastard!”
Wow!!
Song In-myeong came out behind Vivian, brandishing a pipe. Vivian was astonished to see the monster wincing after being hit in the face and her serial killer friend at the same time.
“What the fuck…!!”
A serial killer friend jumping out from between pillars without warning was not good for the heart. When Vivian hesitated, Song In-myeong grabbed her collar and ran.
“Shut up and run you idiot!”
“Where did you come from…!”
“Fuck run!”
The eyeball is the only part of the monster’s body that is alive. The art teacher, whose eye, presumed to be a vital spot, was struck with human-level force, clutched her face in pain.
Song In-myeong, who was pushing Vivian forward and checking the art teacher’s movements, cheered happily. It was as if he had let go of his anger about being beaten up in the past.
“Wahah fuck that! “Fuck you, you idiot!!”
“…! …!!!!”
“Does it hurt? it hurts? huh? it hurts? “Are you fucking sick?!”
Vivian looked more than shocked at the bright, happy-looking laughter that was rarely seen in the other side of the world. The old friend who saved me was too mean to be thankful or relieved that I escaped the final boss.
A trembling voice came out.
“This crazy bastard is so fucking crazy…!”
“Ah, thank you for the compliment.”
“Why are you here? It’s not your place!”
“Yes, uncle, please.”
“what…? that is…!”
Vivian’s reaction softened. It was true that it was not Song In-myeong’s arbitrary action, but he did not dare to curse at the fact that it was an order given by Lee Jae-heon, who already had a lot of debt. In his mind, Lee Jae-heon often did stupid things, but that didn’t mean he was someone who needed to be criticized by anyone.
While my attention was taken by Lee Jae-heon, who was calmly waving hello from the swimming pool, Song In-myeong opened the bathroom door and pushed Vivian in with a smile.
“And this one too, uncle!”
“…! 100 million!!”
Craddangtang!
Vivian, who was pushed into the bathroom, looked up at Song In-myeong with an absurd expression.
“You fucking bird…!”
“Ask your uncle, okay?”
Song In-myeong, smiling brightly, followed him into the bathroom and closed the door. Song In-myeong, who had just gotten up and opened the door, grabbed Vivian by the collar and knocked her backwards again as she was about to open the door and leave, leaned against the door and watched the situation, ignoring Vivian, who was too embarrassed to get angry.
The art teacher monster, who felt very sorry for him, ran toward the bathroom. And the moment it reached the bathroom door,
it stopped moving.
“….”
The monster quietly looked at the path leading to the swimming pool and then rushed towards it as quickly as an animal that had been starved for three days. Behind the clear footsteps of the monster, the sound of the thick door of the annex swimming pool opening was vaguely heard.
And Jaeheon Lee will be there.
“…Ahaha!”
He didn’t even let a bastard like Song In-myeong die.
He’s a really funny guy.
* * *
“Keep Vivian in the bathroom?”
“you’re right.”
“Does that mean I should go in too?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t we supposed to go into the swimming pool together? Isn’t it safer for the two of us to go together?”
“I hope the monster’s eyes are only focused on me.”
“why?”
“Because it’s comfortable.”
“….”
“…And if I become a monster.”
That was a request.
“Would you please drop me in the water?”
A very
earnest request.
(Continued in the next part)
