Episode 46
He separated himself from ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ in the novel.
‘Actually, I didn’t plan on completely separating them like this, but I had no choice.’
Since the main character realized that he was accustomed to pain, a new setting had to be added to prevent the setting from collapsing.
In this way, ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ until now became a fake, and naturally, Lee Jae-heon became an actor with a dual personality. In short, it was said that there was a ‘real Manager Lee Jae-heon’ separate from the one he had shown so far.
And Jaeheon Lee chose ‘title’ as evidence.
‘Mr. Jeong In-ho.’
Called.
Lee Jae-heon was ‘real’ when he used this title as an honorific.
To produce this evidence, Jaeheon Lee often used inappropriate honorifics. When the protagonist barely escapes from the monster when it tries to get a reaction by poking him where it hurts and is almost dead from exhaustion. Everyone used honorifics temporarily when talking about honest things that should not be heard by others.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m all fake when I don’t use honorifics.’
In the first place, his most fundamental attitude toward the group changed after he entered the secret world, so you would probably think that he was acting by gradually revealing his true feelings from then on. Director Lee Jae-heon was injured too much to dismiss even that as a fake.
Perhaps the protagonist would drive Lee Jae-heon based on such contradictions and would expect the ‘truth’ to come out of his mouth through him.
Then, the important thing is
, ‘What should the ‘truth’ be?’
What would be shown and what could be gained through that setting…
I had to be quite careful with this. What kind of image should we approach them with? What should I make the main character think of me? If he was the main character, we were the supporting characters, and everyone in the world was an extra.
If this world were a novel, what role should Lee Jae-heon himself play to the readers?
‘First of all, it’s comfortable to have one foot in the role of a villain.’
It’s simple logic.
As long as the main character is a good character, all of their companions are good characters. However, this line of duty had many restrictions on actions and there were many things to pay attention to. In particular, people like Lee Jae-heon, who were inherently poor, were incompatible with each other from the beginning, so they would only cause stress to each other.
However, if he is a villain or a neutral character, Lee Jae-heon’s scope of action is bound to expand further. Wouldn’t there be a variety of jobs that require people to be perceived as ‘people who are not bad by nature’ rather than ‘good people’?
‘But I was suddenly given a reputational blow, so…’
There was nothing I could do about it.
There is no choice but to stab them in the back at the right time and create a more appropriate situation with an appropriate sense of betrayal. If he went by the image he had set now, he would have to live like a brat for the rest of his life, and that was never what Lee Jae-heon wanted.
‘Anyway, when you meet the survivor team led by Detective Hong Gyeong-jun, conflict will inevitably arise.’
Since this was already the case, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to turn off aggro as much as possible.
As you deal with the serial killer hidden among the survivors, your personality will naturally be revealed….
‘It would be a good option to often create cold situations to prepare for that time.’
This means that the reaction among the group should be ‘somehow’ rather than ‘why?’
But that doesn’t mean he should look like a villain at all. Even if he couldn’t receive an ounce of affection, he had to be able to gain complete trust, and for that to happen, he had to show at least some humanity.
‘This has already been medicated.’
Jaeheon Lee nodded inwardly.
In order to avoid excessive contempt or hatred, Lee Jae-heon maintained the basic ethics that can be maintained as a human being in this world. By showing that they value life or give preference to minors.
However, in this case, his mental state had to be known in advance to avoid any contradictions in his actions. In the future, there will be things that will openly break someone’s head, so to avoid the contradictions that will arise, Lee Jae-heon has created the setting of ‘a survivor in the other side of the world’. In order to survive in the underworld where survival is the top priority, even a person with decent ethics cannot have completely clean hands.
‘It’s not called self-defense for nothing.’
This setting was good for arousing people’s sympathy and sympathy. I don’t really want to be categorized as the weak, but I needed someone to applaud my evil deeds and say they deserved it.
‘Then if we put all of this together….’
Lee Jae-heon is a survivor of the underworld.
He had enough ethics to sacrifice himself for the elderly and those within his circle, but nevertheless survived in the underworld. It means that you have tried everything possible to survive.
However, he was the only one who survived among those who were eaten together at the time, so the concepts of life and death inevitably became ambiguous in his experience. Nevertheless, in real life, he lived his life acting as ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ to avoid being labeled as a mentally ill person.
‘If I reveal my true self to the public, everyone will point at me and say I’m crazy.’
People who have not experienced the behind-the-scenes world could not understand Lee Jae-heon.
He lost a lot of his humanity in survival, only to relearn it and continue to live that way. How frustrating and scary must that person be as they have once again been devoured by the secret world? For him, the underworld was trauma itself.
I was lonely enough in real life, and I felt disgusting in the other world. Naturally, Lee Jae-heon was insensitive to emotional stimulation and had no choice but to feel chronically tired.
He slowly pondered the information.
‘Somewhere between a villain and a neutral character.’
‘He is the only survivor of the underworld where the main character and his party are so fed up.’
‘He is an actor with a dual personality and at the same time a mentally ill person who is extremely exhausted.’
So, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ has roughly this setting and personality…
‘…helper.’
That’s how the role was decided.
In this novel, he had to become the protagonist’s helper.
* * *
“If you have something to say, say it right away. Don’t just spin it around.”
“….”
“I think Jeong In-ho also thought there was no chance to bring up the story except now.”
The protagonist, an ordinary office worker, suddenly falls into an unfamiliar world one day.
The place clearly had a structure similar to the reality in which the protagonist lived, but the atmosphere was completely different. We couldn’t find a place where there weren’t these creepy-looking monsters, and they were eager to take our lives.
However, fortunately or strangely, the person who I always thought of as an old man took the lead and protected the group and led them. Although he suffered numerous injuries in the process, he did not show it, and the protagonist recalled the brief feeling of discomfort he had in reality before falling into this world.
“Why is it burdensome?”
“…maybe.”
One thing I learned then.
The protagonist felt that the strangeness felt in the attitude of one of the group’s doctors was somewhat similar to that of the manager.
The doctor knew about this world. He called this place the underworld and showed an incomprehensible calmness. I realized that Manager Kkondae was actually a survivor of the underworld and that the sense of discomfort he often felt was based on this.
Since there were only the right number of people left, it was time to check if the guess was correct…
‘
That must be the situation.
This is a novel that returns to the protagonist’s point of view.
Of course, Lee Jae-heon also didn’t know exactly if those thoughts and situations really existed. However, he was half-convinced, and until this scene ended, Lee Jae-heon had to let them know that he was a ‘helper’ who would not be surprised if he disappeared at any time.
‘The one who leads the situation is the main character, Jeong In-ho.’
“…If you want to know something, it would be best to ask quickly.”
“….”
“I plan to shut up again when the group returns.”
He was just a senior who had experienced the underworld a little earlier, and although he would throw himself into saving people, he would not actively reveal his past.
So, here comes the question, ‘Why?’ Why didn’t Director Lee Jae-heon reveal his past to others? Why did Director Lee Jae-heon deliberately act like that, even getting criticized for being an old man?
Why is Manager Jae-Heon Lee, why is Manager Jae-Heon Lee…
‘He’s a guy who thinks a lot, so he must have more questions than this.’
It’s so hard to make a living.
He gave up briefly.
It was for the sake of his future, which would be ruined by that disgusting subordinate, and his pride, which would suffer from future clowning.
‘Anyway, you wise bastard, just live like that from now on.’
And Lee Jae-heon had to firmly engrave his image on this smart chick. In terms of position, it means that he must be ‘the main character, but with an unresolved past history’ or ‘he has a lot to hide, but is trustworthy from a business perspective’.
However, because he was so hectic, he made mistakes here and there, which caused his image to become distorted, and Lee Jae-heon had to solve these problems little by little and somehow take on a new role.
He calmly waited for the protagonist’s next line.
“…Do you remember what we talked about before you were dragged away by the monster?”
It was a shallow trap.
‘The question must be taking into account the fact that I am not real.’
The group coming back alive and well in a situation that would not have been strange at all even if they died was worthy of suspicion. There was no way the main character, who was already so thoughtful, would miss this point, and he asked this question to check if he was the same person he was before he was taken away.
He nodded slowly, knowing that if he delayed here, he might arouse unnecessary suspicion and cause trouble.
“I said I would let you know if you wanted.”
“What?”
“Well, did you ask why I was strange?”
Jaeheon Lee let out a tired laugh.
It was a tired, self-mocking laugh that resembled a sigh as much as possible.
“…It’s a pain in the ass.”
“Why?”
“People like In-ho Jeong don’t easily trust people like me.”
“….”
“That’s why my headache always hurt. “Since you joined the company…”
He wiped the small hint of arsenic from his face again.
“…It was difficult.”
I’m serious.
I really really mean it.
‘You have to be very careful to do something tactful, but this is….’
Lee Jae-heon in the current life was not particularly perceptive. At the same time, he could hear my cursing like a ghost, and because of that, I had to clash countless times with Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho, who had only about 50% intention to hide his contempt.
If anyone thought that a disobedient ant was my direct subordinate, I would feel a pain in the back of my head.
‘It’s not like I’m trying to get a proper answer, so I wish they would just say ‘I’m sorry’ with a scared face… but that’s not possible given the main character’s personality.’
Of course, the phrase ‘it was difficult’ mentioned just now may not have been exactly what it meant.
He said under his breath.
“Just say it. “I’m so tired already, why are we fighting for my wits?”
“You know what I’m going to ask.”
“It’s obvious. Why are people so crazy? Why have they been managing their image like that until now? Why…” “
….”
“…Ah.”
A faint exclamation suddenly flowed out.
Lee Jae-heon calmly turned his gaze to look at the doctor as if he had noticed something, and Doctor Ha Seong-yoon responded with his characteristic gentle smile. He nodded slowly as if that was the answer.
Jaeheon Lee added a little resignation to it.
“It was strange.”
“….”
“Who are you?”
“…Who are you talking about?”
“Crazy guy.”
added the words.
“Isn’t it around you? “Suddenly, out of nowhere, he goes crazy.”
“….”
“So, the bastard who brought you all the way here… “Maybe there is.”
The doctor’s face hardened at those words.
I don’t know if it was because he cursed his friend or because Jaeheon Lee knew something he had never told him. However, I thought it was most likely the latter. If he had been that close of a friend, Dr. Ha Seong-yoon would have died long ago.
Jaeheon Lee continued speaking while wiping the corners of his mouth.
“It happens sometimes. At some point, he was dragged in under the pretext of understanding and died like that….”
“….”
“Excuse me.”
After speaking, Lee Jae-heon removed his hand from his mouth, and there was a faint trace of old joy in it. It probably wasn’t a smile that would make one look sane.
Jaeheon Lee decided to hand over the initiative again at this point.
“So what are you curious about?”
“…You know more in detail than I thought.”
“If you say you know this too.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means I have a headache and feel like I’m going to die.”
The protagonist closed his mouth and soon erased all expressions from his face. Lee Jae-heon couldn’t hold back his admiration at the shockingly fast change.
After a short wait, the main character’s voice came out.
“What do you know?”
“….”
“Why do you know so much….”
The disgusting thing continued.
“Are you crazy?”
“….”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“…under.”
It was a sneer that was unclear to whom it was directed.
‘He’s crazy.’
Those words were a little sad and pitiful.
In the world I remember, I was just a bit ill-tempered, but I was never called crazy to my face. When I came to this world, I was told that I was a madman. It was so amazing and cool that my senses naturally became dull. I suddenly found myself out of breath.
Jaeheon Lee gently revealed his emotions. No matter how I feel, these emotions are not that unnatural in the context, so it wasn’t a bad choice to show off the emotions I already had.
He lightly rubbed his neck.
“….”
The hardened blood breaks into small pieces and reaches the tip.
Rustling, covering my ears and suffocating. Drawing the serenity of a person who was just facing the end in his two eyes. However, now I can’t help but remember that moment, not knowing when I will be able to receive it again.
“Because my life is always terrible.”
He would never be able to love something in his life.
“…Well….”
“….”
“It seems like you know everything, but it would be funny to hide it. That’s good.”
He continued speaking like that.
“I have been to this world before.”
