Episode 438:
Peaceful days in reality, where you never know when you might be eaten by the other side of the world. Jaeheon Lee ran various simulations and thought about what would be the most important thing when he finally re-entered the secret world. It was a simple summary of thoughts, nothing special.
First of all, the biggest goal is to escape. And there is only one way to escape from the underworld.
‘To catch the final boss.’
And Jaeheon Lee, who read the novel, knew where the final boss was. The main character of the original work was so focused on avoiding monsters that I don’t remember many of them, but I do remember a few places. The place I remember best was the aquarium.
It was tough there in a different way than at Unhak High School.
“They say there is a mountain beyond the mountain.”
“mountain climbing?”
“I’m not talking about the real mountain.”
He patted the head of Seo-ah, who was playing with a doll with long limbs in his arms, and continued talking.
“Wouldn’t appreciating a pretty fish be better than hiking, which is tiring both physically and mentally?”
Like an old man, Lee Jae-heon enjoyed hiking, but he did so to get a taste of his power and to watch the employees who were in pain but trying their best to flatter him. If Jaeheon Lee were to go hiking alone, he would never go.
“fish?”
“Jang Seo-ah, does your child like fish?”
“Eating.”
“…What are you seeing?”
“good.”
“I’m glad.”
I asked just in case.
“Have you ever been bitten by a fish?”
“…bite?”
“There isn’t one, so that’s it.”
“bite?”
The face looked like how on earth could a fish bite a person? Lee Jae-heon, who was contemplating what to answer, gently grabbed Jang Seo-ah’s nose and shook it, speaking in a teaching tone.
“Are you asking?”
“Are you asking?”
“That’s right. And why can’t the fish bite? “They all have mouths and teeth.”
“…Do you have teeth?”
“Our Seo-ah only saw the inside of the prepared fish. “Fishes also have teeth.”
“No, yo.”
“What country does ‘Noyayo’ mean?”
“There are no teeth….”
“Then let’s say there are none.”
“huh.”
Anyway, I didn’t seem to have any bad memories of underwater creatures.
‘The aquarium has strong characteristics as a place, so you have to be careful where you need to be.’
Jaeheon Lee tries to explore the location of the final boss in advance to prepare for when he re-enters the secret world. Knowing the final boss can save time in finding the key to escape from the other world, but knowing the structure of the aquarium in advance would be helpful for survival in the future.
However, most aquariums create a dark environment so that you can examine the fish in the aquarium more closely. As dangerous creatures are managed, the glass walls and exterior walls of the building are thick, so even if there is lighting, it has a closed atmosphere. If you had bad memories, there was no need to stop by in advance.
Yes, ‘you need to stop by in advance’.
“Have you been to Jang Seo-ah Children’s Aquarium?”
“…yes.”
“What was it like then?”
“Okay.”
“Okay, I’ll make a reservation~.”
“I’m making a reservation~.”
So, right now, Jaeheon Lee was preparing for some kind of vaccination.
Last time at Unhak High School, all of the survivors were severely burned due to the foolish judgment of ‘Oh, since it didn’t have much of a role in the novel, I guess I’ll just leave it at that.’ I had to do some shit in the sinkhole of that damn apartment.
I planned to prepare as much as possible this time, using the previous trip, which was tiring in many ways, as a lesson.
‘Besides, I promised not to jump out, so I have to be prepared for anything…’
The 6-year-old boy and Lee Jae-heon had promised to survive. For Lee Jae-heon, who had been tempted to run away whenever he saw Gak after his memories returned, it was a prickly act on his conscience. I haven’t lived such an easy life that my world would collapse if I broke a promise to a child, but wouldn’t it be better to keep my promise if possible?
I believe that it is not a bad thing to do what you can in advance, even if the day comes when you break it. Lee Jae-heon wanted to prepare in advance for the hidden world that might prey on us again at any time.
“Who’s calling?”
“The Parks.”
“…?”
“Dahun oppa.”
“Wow, good.”
“Wow, that’s good.”
As I pressed down on my thin fingernails with both hands stretched out, the phone call was immediately connected.
-mister?
“Oh, Dahun. “It’s him… I thought I’d like to meet him briefly today.”
-Good. When and where are you coming?
“Can I come pick you up in front of the school?”
―Are you stopping by the house too?
“Would you mind stopping by?”
My eyes met with Jang Seo-ah, whose eyes were wide open.
-yes.
“…Then I guess I should go with Seo-ah.”
―Did you adopt Seo-ah?
“Is there anything you can do to prey on reporters? “We just live together.”
―Please tell me if you adopt.
“Huh.”
-I’ll see you after school.
The phone suddenly hung up.
“…You are sincere.”
“Be sincere.”
“right.”
Even though I made a call just as the sun was rising, the call was answered in a voice without a trace of drowsiness. Maybe he stayed up all night. If students gather together in a dormitory, you never know what they might do. Jaeheon Lee put his cell phone down on the table.
Then, he patted the cheeks of the child sitting on his lap.
“Our Seo-ah is also sincere.”
“Be sincere.”
It’s amazing that a high school senior wakes up early in the morning, but Jang Seo-ah is only 6 years old. Today is Friday. He gets up and eats cookies, saying that he will definitely see Jaeheon Lee go to work. There were crumbs running down my pants, but I ignored them. He seems to be becoming more comfortable with me as the days go by.
“When will the teacher come?”
“Well, 9 o’clock?”
“Then play with me.”
“I’ll either play with dolls or eat cookies.”
“They’re both mine.”
“That is a reasonable statement.”
“What is Jidang?”
“….”
The question mark monster that every child has. Lee Jae-heon was a person who was trained through a grueling process by three people: a twin sister and a young and old son. He answered, sipping Earl Gray tea.
“It means something that makes sense and is completely natural.”
“What makes sense?”
“It is a word that expresses a reasonable purpose.”
“What is duty? “What is the purpose?”
“It refers to the right path a person should follow and the fundamental purpose or essential meaning of something.”
“What is that?”
“So what is life and what is love?”
“Hehehe….”
“Look at how he’s smiling.”
It is rare for a child to ask questions in succession because they are truly curious. In most cases, children ask adults who are confused by their questions or are curious about the answers they come up with, so they ask questions to keep their interest. It may have been a means to express dissatisfaction, but I think the current Jang Seo-ah just had fun.
As punishment, I gave him a crushing blow.
“You can’t use it if you make fun of adults.”
“I can’t use it!”
“That’s right, I can’t use it. “You can’t do that.”
“No!”
“Why is our young lady so excited?…”
I couldn’t keep up with the children’s energy. It was even more difficult for a modern man in his 40s who was exhausted and was only a shell of himself, having lost all life. Lee Jae-heon smiled with a liberated face and checked the time on his cell phone screen.
“….”
I think it’s okay to play around a little more.
“…I’m thinking of going to the aquarium this weekend. Would that be okay?”
“Okay.”
“All the other sisters and brothers gathered together. “Eat food and watch fish.”
“good!”
“Let’s see what the aquarium here looks like…”
“Everything! good!”
“Oh, don’t run. “I’m not jumping on your lap.”
Holding the doll with both hands wide open, I gently stroked the jumping child to calm him down. Unlike adults, unrefined and raw laughter burst out. Unable to overcome the excitement, I just hugged the child tightly with both arms. The child must have thought it was a joke and just laughed while struggling.
Yes, wouldn’t it be good to smile?
“Let’s laugh a lot when we go to the aquarium.”
“great!”
“I like it too.”
The other side of the world is a space where many things are twisted and twisted, but it was inevitable that the spaces I liked felt less uncomfortable than the spaces I disliked. If you were going to go to a dungeon anyway, it was best to go there first, check out the structure, and build up good memories to relieve the burden that would come later.
This was his way of being considerate. If I can’t completely avoid the pain, I can encourage them to experience the pain in advance and pretend I don’t know.
“I hope we can make some happy memories.”
“yes.”
He buried his wide lips on the small, round crown of his head.
“…After work later, uncle, let’s have dinner together and then go see my sisters and brothers.”
“When?”
“We’ll be leaving at about 9:30. “I’ll tell the teacher too, so don’t worry.”
“yes.”
“Do you like Seo-ah?”
The little child answers.
“It’s good, but I’m anxious.”
“Why?”
“It’s because I didn’t get caught. “I’m annoyed.”
“Oh my.”
He sounds annoyed.
I laughed with my face buried. Doesn’t this little guy, so small that I can’t even hold him in my arms, say such funny things? Lee Jae-heon was not a very mature person to pretend not to notice the laughter that was bursting out.
“It’s a pity.”
I just did my best and still had no intention of getting caught.
It’s been like that all my life.
* * *
The Park siblings who were waiting for Lee Jae-heon after Yaja ended were in trouble.
“Are you sure this is them?”
“That’s right, curly hair. The face is clear…”
“Ah, is that right? If I’m wrong, it’s the dog side.”
“Are you like this because you don’t know someone? “You smell like shit, shut your mouth.”
“What smell? “Is this guy with low grades?”
“Yeah, it’s still level 1, right?”
“Let’s fucking fight.”
“It’s been a while since we connected.”
“Damn it.”
This is because two students with unfamiliar faces were blocking the brother and sister’s path and engaging in an inappropriate skit.
“….”
“….”
After exchanging glances, Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon were confident.
‘Is this your uncle’s nephew?’
‘It’s a face shape I’ve seen a lot of times.’
‘You’re right.’
Seong Ji-ho, who had been contemplating his career path instead of doing the study he was supposed to do during his free time, headed towards the teacher’s office with a cheerful expression on his face, and Kim Hee-chan and Maeng Na-eun, who sensed the happy debauchery on his face, followed him.
And I felt sorry for keeping Lee Jae-heon waiting, so the Park siblings, who had come out first, were called by the two students in front of me.
The person who was called was like a back alley girl, and the clothes she wore were baggy. The school uniforms seem to be custom-made, and the outer clothes they wear have a strong smell of money. Unlike male students who simply wore clothes, female students decorated themselves with earrings, headbands, and makeup.
‘It’s not common for someone to show off their booty so openly.’
It seemed excessive, but I wondered where I had seen that strangely harmonious figure, and it turned out to be Lee Jae-heon. The sophisticated ability to dress without looking out of place while showing off a lot of money. Since I have no children, I was wondering who I would pass it on to, but it seems that I passed it on to my nieces and nephews. Dayoung Park smiled warmly inwardly.
‘It looks like those bastards grew up without receiving affection…’
‘We are experts in this area.’
I guess they weren’t very affectionate even though they were from a wealthy family. The young ladies who act like clumsy idiots look really cute. They only know how to grab hair and punch, but do they even know how to see blood?
Among those who had been arguing for a while, the female student was the first to speak.
“Keukheuhm…! Anyway, you are Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon, right?”
“That’s right, but who are you?”
“These are nephews who came to get rid of the mosquitoes that were begging for my uncle. What should I do?”
“Wow.”
Park Da-young’s innocent eyes twinkled.
“So are you rich too? awesome!”
“Huh? “It’s true that he is rich… Don’t stop talking, Mr. Ait!”
“What do you use for makeup? “Look at the glow on your face.”
“Pade? Oh, Ginjebury Skin Tint Pink Beige No. 1… I told you not to stop talking?!”
“Wow, that’s really expensive. Are you really rich? Wow, you’re my sister.”
“I am a senior in high school… no, it is natural that I am rich… everything is natural…! no…!”
In response to the unexpected reaction, the male student stepped forward, holding the broken female student back.
“You don’t have to react when someone says you’re an asshole. Damn girls, don’t freak out about shitty cosmetics…”
“Fucking girls…? Damn cosmetics?! “Is this real thing you’re talking about?!”
“Why the hell are you talking about this? I was just trying to help you?!”
“Then you should just attack that side, why me?! Are you attacking me, you idiot? “You watch all these fucking porn videos and you’re so full of nonsense that your brain is rotten!!”
“Ahh! evil! evil…! Stop hitting me!! Argh! “Surface!!”
Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon high-fived each other, looking indifferently at the team that had internal divisions. After a while, the male student came back after sorting out the internal issue. Try raising your voice.
“When you say something nice, take your hands off my uncle? uh?! My uncle may be a hot guy, but he’s not an easy person to the point where beggars like you take his money. It seems like you’re crazy because you’re going so crazy, but did you think something would happen if you stuck to me like a bed bug? “All sorts of things.”
This time, Park Da-hoon stepped up to face the arrogant male student.
“I think there was a misunderstanding, but we….”
“The misunderstanding
is a complete misunderstanding.” “We are believers of the Reconstitution Church.”
“…?”
“We worship a god named Lee Jae-heon.”
Just then, Park Da-young called Seong Ji-ho, who was trudging out of school, and when he approached with a puzzled look on his face, Park Da-hoon stopped him next to me.
“What, who are these people?”
Park Da-hoon asked confidently.
“Jiho, what are we?”
“? “I am a member of the Reconstitution Church.”
“Did you hear?”
Seong Ji-ho, who was fascinated by Lee Jae-heon’s financial power, always said, ‘Guys, you know what we are? He trembled, saying, ‘I’m a member of the Jaeheonggyo Church!’ Seong Ji-ho, who was oblivious to the two students he had never met before, was busy talking nonsense.
“Ah, if you want to receive the gold flakes that fall out, you have to kneel and crawl to worship them. Everything that came from Saint Jaeheon Lee was holy water and baptism. I love you, teacher. Something like that… try more?”
“As expected, you are a great friend. “Thank you for your hard work. Go over there and wait.”
“uh? “No, so why did you call me…”
The two shocked students followed behind Seong Ji-ho, who was grumbling but obediently backing away. Park Da-young smiled and nodded with confidence, with the face of someone who had witnessed an unbelievable being with her own eyes.
“The leader will take good care of us.”
“…are you crazy…?”
“Yes, it’s crazy. To Jaeheon Lee.”
“….”
“Wow, it’s cheap! If you come now, joining Jaeheongyo will cost just 0 won?!”
“….”
“You can join now!”
A familiar figure appeared among the silent students.
“What kind of commotion is this from far away?”
“…uncle.”
“uh?”
Jaeheon Lee, who had just arrived in his car, had two nephews clinging to his arms.
“Run away quickly, uncle. “Those bastards are out of their minds…!”
“Uncle like Hogu will be taken to a remote place and treated as a totem of immortality!”
“I saw this on an overseas topic. A pseudo-religion that creates a living god!”
“My uncle can’t give it to you, you devils! “Get the hell away from me!”
Two nephews, barking like chihuahuas and blocking my path as if to protect me. Jaeheon Lee quietly looked back at the Park siblings, and the siblings smiled warmly and raised their thumbs.
“Your nephews are quick to notice.”
“How did you know it was treated as a totem?”
“Aaaahhh…! It’s steamy! That’s serious! Run away, uncle!”
“They seem really crazy…!!”
Lee Jae-heon muttered in an untimely mess.
“So what is this situation?”
Could someone please explain?
(Continued in the next part)
