Episode 448
Song In-myeong did not think about how he would act when dealing with Lee Jae-heon.
‘Do you really need to go that far?’
… was the reason.
Basically, with art, there are things that improve in quality when you worry about them, and there are things that decrease in quality because you worry about them. Lee Jae-heon was of the latter category, where the more calculated he was, the lower his quality was. Lee Jae-heon did not seem to dislike calculating people, but he tried to at least maintain a distance from such people.
And Song In-myeong hoped that there would be no sense of distance for me. I remembered how I approached Bian and Janghwa. I steadily approached them with a light and bad image, and when I saw an opening, I attacked them. Would it be more appropriate to call it the swinging bridge effect? It may be a little different, but I wonder what it is like.
So Jaeheon Lee also took that approach.
“braided! Touch this. Is it warm?”
Lee Jae-heon was a much stronger person than Song In-myeong thought.
“Crazy bastard….”
“Do you know how hard it was to heat the inside so that it feels like human body temperature? I’ve done taxidermy many times, but attaching a machine to it isn’t something I’m used to, so it took a lot of practice. “I also go here to learn from a knowledgeable writer.”
“A sincere pervert….”
“Don’t just look at it like that, look at the level of completion? Where else do you think you can see work like this?”
“This shouldn’t be seen anywhere else in the world….”
“So, it’s a fucking piece of work.”
Even though I was joking, I couldn’t stop expressing my admiration.
‘It definitely looked like a gap, but when I poked it, it wasn’t a gap.’
Song In-myeong knew enough general knowledge to calmly study at university even while doing this illegal work. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to date Janghwa, who has a ghost-like sense, or Bian, who has a quick sense of humor. So I knew what people like Lee Jae-heon were upset about.
Song In-myeong, who was laughing, spoke naturally.
“Oh, but it’s really unfortunate. “He seemed quite surprised, so I thought my intention worked.”
“I was surprised….”
“The man is very cruel.”
If I was really surprised, other people would have fainted.
“I know that…? People feel fear and disgust when a body part that has been removed from them is found in a remote place. I don’t know where it has been scientifically verified or not, but it seems that way in my experience. “Isn’t that why my fallen hair looks dirty?”
“….”
“For example, there are pieces of my fingernails in the soup. The arm that broke off in the crash is lying on the asphalt in the distance. “My eyeball is in a transparent glass cup…”
“I don’t think that’s your experience.”
“Oh, really? “That is also true.”
Song In-myeong said while touching the back of the plaster statue.
“Anyway, my point is this. His skin is so thick that he is stuck in a strange plaster statue. If you find out that part of the disgusting and indescribable plaster statue that resembles the work of Seong Dae-young that you hate, and is a clumsy imitation of you, is made of your body…” “If you find out.
”
“I thought it would be more scary. No, of course he was scared too, but not to that level. Are you running away? Either you scream or your legs give out and you collapse. Something like that?”
“Isn’t he really evil?”
“But since Jaeheon Lee is Jaeheon Lee, I thought he would be calmer than that. I’m sure you’ve already seen everything you can’t see in the hidden world. “It seemed like a lot had happened, and the resignation was at a high level.”
“That’s…”
“I didn’t know you were skilled enough to give up even in this situation.”
It’s not that what seemed like a gap wasn’t a gap, but maybe I’ve learned to give up to the point where I don’t feel pain even when a gap gets pricked. That’s what I thought.
This space, Song In-myeong’s studio, was like his heart. For Lee Jae-heon, who wants Song In-myeong to be caught by the police, it is an important clue, but at the same time, it is Song In-myeong’s weakness.
But it was also in the palm of Song In-myeong’s palm. The tiger’s den, so to speak. It may not seem like it sometimes, but anyway, as a human being, Lee Jae-heon couldn’t help but feel as nervous as a fingernail.
But I didn’t expect you to be this calm.
“But this is… I think it’s kind of fun.”
“Did you say it was fun…?”
“We are having a conversation. “Is it because you don’t know how great this is?”
Song In-myeong’s eyes sparkled.
“I, who saw you as material, am now treating you as a person, and Jaeheon Lee made a promise with me, whom he despised, and came to the studio. We are doing something called exchange. “This can fully be called a relationship between people.”
Song In-myeong’s material has never been a person. He wasn’t a crazy person who saw all the people in the world as material, but although he had been a person and became material, he had never been a material. That is as unrealistic as the resurrection of a corpse.
Jaeheon Lee was like that too. He pretends not to be dry, but he is affectionate and has the instinct to sacrifice. As such, he has no choice but to despise and hate Song In-myeong. For someone who is quick to give up and resign, it would have been much easier to ignore and be indifferent than to hate. Nevertheless, the two were now talking to each other, seeing each other as human beings.
“He doesn’t move as I thought. Even if I poke at a gap that is clearly exposed, it is not a gap. I acted because I thought I had figured out everything about Lee Jae-heon, but I was wrong every time. This is why I had no choice but to treat you as a person. It’s so outside of common sense. However, Lee Jae-heon is calm and normal, and I have come to accept that as well…”
Seeing it all organized like this, it is even more amazing.
“I didn’t mean to do this.”
Song In-myeong was suddenly impressed.
“This is the muse that every true artist has…?!”
“Don’t worry, let’s stop there.”
“I’m a decent writer now…?!”
“Shut up.”
“You made me a true writer…!”
“Oh shut up, really.”
Lee Jae-heon scolded Song In-myeong with a look on his face, but even that was very enjoyable. Lee Jae-heon was not reacting with contempt and hatred toward Song In-myeong. Of course, this went too far, just like when dealing with an annoying troublemaker younger brother, but he was berating me in a tone so casual that I thought that was the case anyway.
Unless Lee Jae-heon became a serial killer, a setup he set up to catch Song In-myeong himself, this was absolutely ridiculous. Lee Jae-heon hated Song In-myeong and was tied up with him at the same time.
“Are you okay with the Sung Dae-young work you bought last time?”
“…I plan to return it to its owner.”
“Hmm, bereaved family or something?”
“If you don’t have it, you should at least apply makeup.”
Look at this, Jaeheon Lee was still a good person. Don’t you say things like that even though you know how troublesome it is to return the clean body of someone else’s body to the bereaved family or have it cremated?
‘That’s crazy.’
Originally, we planned to use this visit to observe and respond to how Jaeheon Lee would react to the promises we made in the future. I found out that Lee Jae-heon was stronger than I thought and that he was intertwined with me in quite an interesting way. My relationship with Lee Jae-heon was much more bizarre and rare than my superficial favor.
You can build a relationship even with something you hate.
‘Then I guess it’s okay if I dig deeper.’
Someday you could have caught me first. He could have harbored hatred towards me. Now that Song In-myeong realized that a kind of relationship had been formed, he realized that he had to be much more cautious than before. The hourglass had already begun to run, and how it would end was being determined in real time.
It was different from his ‘friends’. Song In-myeong can still control Lee Jae-heon to some extent, and the same was true for Lee Jae-heon. Because relationships are two-way.
“….”
“…Are you suddenly bruised?”
“…Hmm, that’s right. “I have something for you.”
“I get scared every time my friend Song In-myeong says that.”
“Try it, you’ll really like it.”
“You said that when you showed me Seo-ah.”
“I brought you here because I thought you would really like it! “You acknowledged me and gave me your back. Why are you doing this now?”
“You don’t think I gave up my back because I was truly grateful, right…?”
“Anyway, stay. Do you like this? really?”
I made an unintentional mistake today and it seemed like I lost favorability, so I thought I should make up for it. There are only two out of three opportunities left to meet like this.
‘I was planning on giving it to you a little later.’
Still, since we have confirmed that it is satisfactory, this level of loss is okay.
Song In-myeong handed him the documents.
“look.”
“…This….”
“This is a document proving Jang Seo-ah’s exclusive contract.”
Lee Jae-heon’s expression became vaguely distorted.
“I paid the money and the owner is an uncle. Now, I have no authority to interfere with Jang Seo-ah, and you are the only guardian. “The contract I made last time was only for a month or so… Oh, it was a contract I made after inquiring with the secretary at the time, so you don’t have to worry about any problems.”
“….”
“Why am I touched?”
“…How much did it cost?”
“huh?”
“How much did it cost?”
Lee Jae-heon, whose face was strangely wrinkled, could not tell what emotion he was feeling. I felt angry, sad, resigned, embarrassed, or despairing.
And in the meantime, there was relief.
“…I won’t tell you.”
What is Jaeheon Lee relieved about?
‘You mean Jang Seo-ah has almost completely left the industry?’
Or is there something related to me among those countless emotions? There must be, right?
“what?”
“They said they wouldn’t tell me. “Dude, you owe me now?”
“You bastard….”
“Then you’re not going to take this? It hasn’t been completely transferred yet because you haven’t signed it? “If you hate owing me money so much, should you tear it up right here and now?”
Lee Jae-heon, who opened his eyes wide and pursed his lips as if embarrassed, sighed heavily.
“…no.”
“then?”
“….”
Jaeheon Lee was a person who knew what he should do in this situation to be most ‘efficient’. Song In-myeong held the reward of Jang Seo-ah hostage, and Lee Jae-heon needed that reward.
After a while, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…thank you.”
There was a deep sense of resignation in his low voice.
“….”
A dry and weak voice.
‘…Just looking at this, it seems like it’s really in my hands, but that’s not true.’
If I were to poke him now, it would seem like he would collapse, but I now know that even if I really tried, Jaeheon Lee would just stand firm. Lee Jae-heon looked weak, as if Song In-myeong could do anything, but he was also strong enough to be eaten in an instant. Be careful.
Song In-myeong smiled and handed over the documents again.
“Did I do well?”
“Yes, you did well.”
“Then would you like to praise me?”
“I’m still doing it.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered dryly, but did a good job of organizing the documents. After signing his name with the pen that Song In-myeong gave him, he handed it back. Song In-myeong, who received the documents, continued.
“From tomorrow, Seo-ah will be your daughter.”
“….”
Lee Jae-heon wiped his face and returned with a fairly normal expression.
“…Since this has already happened, I think it would be okay to try to lure Seong Dae-young using the work you made this time.”
“uh? “With this?”
“Yes, this.”
Song In-myeong blinked at the word referring to the plaster statue with Lee Jae-heon’s skin embedded in it.
“Do you think you have the capacity to plan for the future even under these circumstances?”
“There is always room left over. “Because it’s a life where you never know when or how things will go wrong.”
“It’s so funny to hear that you’re screwed.”
“Haa….”
Lee Jae-heon asked, sighing calmly and dryly.
“Then can I go now?”
“Go already?”
“As student Song In-myeong said, I have a child at home.”
“Oh good dad.”
“Deuktzurg….”
“I’m good at that.”
Son In-myeong, who smiled, spoke naturally.
“And it looks like we’re half-prepared.”
“….”
“Like I said earlier, I think it would be perfect to catch it with this plaster statue. “If he just accidentally shows his face, wouldn’t it be a snap?”
Song In-myeong narrowed his eyes.
“I was next to you and was always fucking you.”
“aha.”
“As you can see from the other side of the world, that guy pretends to be rational, but he’s secretly hot-tempered. “Once I get excited, I’m the type of person who sees the end in sight, so if you act just enough, I’m sure you’ll cross the line right away, right?”
“That’s right….”
Lee Jae-heon laughed a little.
“I like it.”
lie.
Is he feeling skeptical about what he is doing in partnership with a murderer? Or is he just trying to pretend to be dull because this whole situation is bitter and painful? Only Lee Jae-heon can make that dry, tired smile in this world.
So it is more valuable.
“yes?”
Song In-myeong also smiled.
(Continued in the next part)
