Episode 447
“I’ve been thinking about it.”
Song In-myeong said with a smile.
“It seems like you’re living a really tiring life, too.”
“It’s just about efficiency.”
“This is truly trustworthy and understandable.”
Jaeheon Lee wrinkled his face.
“You came all the way, is that all you have to say?”
“Why is this all there is?”
Song In-myeong giggled as naturally as breathing, as if he had been doing this since he was born.
“A noble person came to my studio.”
At those words, Jaeheon Lee looked around at where I was standing.
There were large, long desks arranged in a row, and various art supplies were scattered on them.
Several seemingly finished canvases were crammed into a large wooden cabinet, and everywhere you looked there was paint or graphite.
“….”
“How do you feel?”
Blood and flesh were also common in this space.
Jaeheon Lee narrowed his eyes.
“Is there anything that can be appreciated? “You just see it.”
If it had not been linked to the ghost police, would the modern self have come out and trembled with anger or fear? There was such a great sense of disconnect that I couldn’t understand it. Song In-myeong’s studio was filled with soft, warm sunlight, and the fishy scent of blood and bright red flesh.
Routine but extraordinary. Calm but disturbing. It was messy but organized. The air that touches your skin is warm enough to be hot, but all you see is cold things.
“It’s not a pleasant space.”
“then?”
“….”
Jaeheon Lee didn’t bother to answer. Although this kind of full-scale asshole behavior was rare even in my past life, it was not unbearable. However, it was not ‘Lee Jae-heon’.
‘Even if you just shut up, you’ll be able to interpret it on your own.’
It’s just an effort to hide the shame.
Sure enough, Song In-myeong did not ask for any more answers. Just the sight of Jaeheon Lee looking at the studio with a dry face seemed satisfactory enough.
“I promised, but I didn’t know you would actually come.”
He reminded him of the promise they made with Vivian in the other world.
“You said you’d look at me three times even if we met in real life, right?”
“…I’ve written it once now.”
“I should use it sparingly. But I couldn’t stay still because I was curious about what kind of face he would keep that promise with. “I felt like we needed to confirm at least once what form our promise would take.”
“so.”
This time Jaeheon Lee asked.
“What are your impressions?”
Song In-myeong smiled, showing his teeth.
“That sucks.”
“With Malbonsae.”
“Is this really crazy? You don’t know how I feel, but what can I say? “I feel like I’ve met a celebrity I’ve only seen on TV in person for the first time in my life.”
“What a metaphor…”
“Do you know what it feels like to see something that should not come true unfold before my eyes?”
He looked really excited.
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon, isn’t he from this party? Even though he has no real authority and appears to have gone into exile in Ohseong, that is something only people who don’t know the situation say. When I saw Lee Jae-heon’s brother and sister at the last event, they looked at me so cruelly. “Then, isn’t it because you care about him that you sent him to a place far away from muddy fighting?”
“At least it’s at the level of being a pet.”
“It’s really unusual, isn’t it? To be honest, with my common sense, it’s hard to understand that Jaeheon Lee can be cute like that even though he knows that he killed someone. “I think it would be hard to find a bond like this between brothers other than yours.”
“It’s safe to say there isn’t one.”
This is the type of family that the author created with his own hands. It was difficult to imagine that there would be a bond that would appear in the same form at the same time. Lee Jae-heon’s assertion seemed like a joke, and Song In-myeong laughed lightly.
“Anyway, it’s fascinating. “No matter what the image appears on the surface or what the real relationship is, he is not someone I can touch.”
“….”
A ‘person’ that can be touched.
Jaeheon Lee laughed inwardly.
“…Do I look like a human?”
“…uh?”
“You always said something about the ingredients. “I thought I was being seen as material rather than a person because they cut off my skin without hesitation.”
It was sarcastic with the meaning of ‘you are a dog that you see as a material.’ I know that the ‘person’ that Song In-myeong mentioned was just a remark and that ‘Jae-heon Lee’ himself is being seen as material, but since he already had signs of getting caught, he acted as if he was relieving his already uncomfortable feelings.
And as expected, Song In-myeong blinked in surprise a couple of times.
“uh? Oh um… oh….”
“…what is it?”
“I see? “No, I thought it looked quite human.”
“Are you going to start a fight?”
“I’m not kidding, really.”
“….”
“…It’s rare to see something like this, but it’s amazing.”
Lee Jae-heon suppressed his laughter at seeing the correct reaction he had elicited.
‘It’s so amazing.’
This was what Jaeheon Lee guided. It was the result of Song In-myeong interacting with each other so that people could feel more appreciation than Vivian or Seo Jang-hwa so that they could not see themselves as mere material.
There was no need to do this if it was just to get Song In-myeong’s attention and make other survivors safe. That was enough just because ‘Jaeheon Lee’ was seen as the material. However, Lee Jae-heon planned to use Song In-myeong to get through the hardships ahead and eventually kill him.
“How are you?”
“eww.”
“Son, don’t be so contemptuous.”
To do that, interaction with the other person was necessary. Song In-myeong had to be seen as a human being on the same level who could communicate in real time and form a consensus so that he could not simply view ‘Jae-heon Lee’ as material.
It was rewarding to have a steady daily conversation starting from the event venue.
“…By the way, didn’t you say you had something to show you?”
That’s right, the reason Lee Jae-heon came here was because Song In-myeong called him. And Lee Jae-heon seemed to know roughly why Song In-myeong had called him.
“Oh, right. “I ripped off your back last time.”
“It was… it was.”
“Speaking of which, can I check?”
“….”
“Huh?”
Jaeheon Lee pretended not to be able to overcome the subtle pressure and unbuttoned the button. With a small sigh, he turned his back on Song In-myeong and pulled down the shirt around his shoulders with his hands. As the bandaged shoulders and back were revealed, the sound of Song In-myeong, who was sitting on a chair, getting up and approaching was heard.
Song In-myeong, who had been observing intently for about a minute, muttered.
“I smell blood.”
“…Thanks to this, the company is also going through a difficult time. “The employees can smell the smell, and it can’t be masked with perfume.”
“It’s not the smell of blood if it’s covered up with perfume. Anyway, thank you.”
Song In-myeong smiled happily.
“Thanks to you, I made something fun.”
“…Like last time, if a kid jumps out, he’ll run away screaming.”
“Ah, joke too.”
“Does this sound like a joke?”
As I gritted my teeth and gathered up my clothes, Song In-myeong grabbed Lee Jae-heon. I headed to another studio inside the studio, and there was a rustling sound and the cool air felt on my skin. It was dark so it was hard to see what was inside.
‘If it were my body from a previous life, would I have been able to see it?’
The memory returned to some extent, but the abilities did not. Just as I was feeling a bit of regret, Song In-myeong touched the darkness with a familiar hand and turned on the light in the studio. The studio, which was not as spacious as the outside, came into view at a glance.
The glass music box, which gave off light that flickered like a shadow, was spinning without singing, and next to it was a beautiful woman with dark red eyes that looked like blood had hardened. Next to it, there were several beautifully crafted masks made of human skin…
A plaster statue placed among the strange objects lined up on the wall.
“….”
Ah, you crazy bastard.
‘…I think I should pretend to be scared at this level.’
Looking at Song In-myeong’s face while hesitating, it seemed like he was expecting some kind of reaction from ‘Lee Jae-heon’. Jaeheon Lee skillfully found what he wanted within the gaze of expectation. Immediately, my face hardened and I looked at the plaster statue and Song In-myeong alternately with a helpless expression.
I opened my mouth, preparing my trembling voice.
“That now. “That’s…”
“It’s your skin.”
The skin that had been torn off from Lee Jae-heon was stuck to the back of the plaster statue.
The face was like a block of marble that had been carved out of the way, with only the eyes, nose, and mouth barely visible, and like the famous Venus work, it had no arms and only legs. The skin on the crouching back had exquisitely crafted seams, as if only that part of the plaster statue belonged to the person.
It was wrapped in plaster that imitated a long piece of cloth, and the prominent back was clearly visible through the plaster cloth. I could immediately tell that the shape of the plaster statue was similar to Jaeheon Lee.
“….”
What the fuck is this?
It wasn’t scary, but it was confusing. It would have been nice to know that I didn’t have to pretend to be embarrassed, but it was natural, but I still hated it. It reminded me of the idiots from my previous life who would hand out strange dishes or pieces of meat, saying, ‘I made this while thinking of you…!’
In this soft world, being able to remind yourself of the crazy people from your past life would be a talent. ‘Lee Jae-heon’ asked with a face suppressing nauseating fear.
“…What is that?”
“Don’t worry, the only thing that went in there is your skin. “I used plaster and a few devices, but I didn’t use anyone else.”
“….”
It’s surprising that they were able to create such a high-quality, large statue with just that, but you idiot. Do you think I’m asking that now? I was doubly annoyed because I knew he was doing this knowingly.
‘Lee Jae-heon’ sighed heavily as if he was bored. The breath coming out was a little trembling.
“…That’s a good thing.”
“Why were you scared because it reminded you of Sung Dae-young’s work?”
In order to create a work called ‘Lee Jae-heon’, Song In-myeong would have taken a person like Sung Dae-young and added his own skin to a plaster statue. … It seemed clear that Lee Jae-heon hoped to be overturned by such thoughts as soon as he saw the work.
Lee Jae-heon seemed to have a general idea of Song In-myeong’s psychology.
“…You have bad taste.”
He was hoping that ‘Lee Jae-heon’s’ spirit would be shaken.
“Did you want me to grab Song In-myeong’s pants legs because you said I was scary?”
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad? “It’s a shame.”
“This dog…”
‘Lee Jae-heon’ pretended to be angry, but then pretended to be resigned, closed his eyes and sighed. When I opened my eyes again, my emotions had already calmed down to some extent. Since Lee Jae-heon had given up and resigned countless times, this kind of reaction was also probable.
‘Lee Jae-heon’ chanted.
“This won’t make me hide behind you.”
“…why?”
“…By the time the ‘why’ comes out, it’s already been written.”
Lee Jae-heon also knew what Song In-myeong wanted. The sacrificial spirit he displayed was not because he was stupid, but because he was thoughtful. Lee Jae-heon, who has brains and sense, realized that Song In-myeong was working to bring him down.
It was to imprint Song In-myeong’s presence when his mind was so shaken that even for a moment a gap appeared and he collapsed into that gap. Song In-myeong had already committed a crime in order to gain Lee Jae-heon’s sincere favor and it would be difficult to accept him, so he used this cunning trick.
Song In-myeong was very heartbroken.
“…This is really disappointing….”
“….”
“It’s fun again.”
And I was happy.
“You act like it will break if you hit it, but when I put my mind to it and hit it and push it, it doesn’t break it. Is it because it’s sophisticated in a strange way? Just like a tower built with great effort won’t collapse?”
“…Why are there so many perverts around me…”
“Huh? Wait a minute, first of all, I’m not a pervert, but what kind of people are they? “Can you tell me the name of the person who touched you before me? I want to talk to that person.”
“Please go away….”
‘Lee Jae-heon’ suffered from the pervert’s strange academic passion.
In fact, Lee Jae-heon was no different.
(Continued in the next part)
