Episode 476
Han Do-yoon, who was listening to the call next to Hong Gyeong-jun, asked Hong Gyeong-jun, who hung up the phone.
“Are you okay?”
“What if you heard everything? “Yes, you’re okay.”
“If you look at the way you kindly inform me while you’re berating me, I can tell you that the detective is also very kind.”
“okay.”
Hong Gyeong-jun turned his head and looked at Kim Ki-jeong.
“How is it?”
“…It looks like everyone is still hanging around upstairs…”
Kim Ki-jeong, leaning against the bathroom door with his eyes tightly closed, was watching the movements of the monsters around him.
The location they were in was the bathroom on the first floor of Building A of Eonhak High School. Due to the nature of the first floor, monsters did not come and go often, and since the bathroom in Building A was close to the entrance, it was easy to escape during school dismissal time. Of course, if you stumble for even a moment, you will be caught by a monster or trapped for several hours.
“Hmm…”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was crouching down, carefully opened his eyes.
“It seems a little different from last time.”
“Has it changed?”
“yes. I should say that overall, there are fewer monsters and their gait seems to be more relaxed than before. If the monsters used to be a little faster, they are now very slow and heavy…”
“That’s good news.”
When it’s time to leave school, monsters will come to catch the survivors. The fact that the monster’s speed had slowed down was a huge boon to those of us who had to escape.
Han Do-yoon sat down next to Kim Ki-jeong and said.
“Could it be because you captured the final boss? Of course, I know that the word ‘final boss’ was a name given by Lee Jae-heon to help us understand, but… in any case, it would not have had an impact on the large building itself called Eonhak High School.”
“It is a reasonable argument. Not only in Eonhak High School but also in the park, monsters like the final boss seemed to notice or avoid other monsters. “It would have had minimal impact, so it wouldn’t be strange to think that the final boss’ death lowered the difficulty of the building itself.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who nodded his head in agreement, asked Kim Ki-jeong.
“Has anything else changed?”
“…I wonder if you want me to find out too much information just from the sounds… I just told you what I felt, so it may not be solid information.”
“I am taking that into consideration and asking for advice. “I have this in mind, so you don’t have to worry.”
Hong Gyeong-jun thought to himself as he responded to Kim Ki-jeong’s words. As expected, Kim Ki-jeong had a sensitive and caring side.
However, seeing them cooperate so much clearly seemed like a camaraderie had developed. Even though he speaks harshly, he is much more proactive now compared to when we first met at the park.
‘Even though there was an offer to go to Unhak High School, he pretended not to be and accepted it.’
When Hong Gyeong-jun saw Do-yoon Han, who would have presented his ‘opinion’ at the time, he smiled and opened his mouth.
“But you’re amazing, Detective. “Did you come to Unhak High School to contact the survivors?”
“…As I said before, I had some business to do nearby. “It was a natural choice for me.”
In fact, he had come to investigate Eonhak High School, where Seong Dae-yeong stayed nearby for both sleeping and work. I was wondering if there were any traces or evidence left by Seong Dae-young, who is clearly an industry figure.
Lee Jae-heon used this party to kill Seong Dae-young, but it was clearly illegal. I know that what happened at the time was done out of Lee Jae-heon’s favor, but it was a method that never pleased Hong Gyeong-jun, and since he was not ousted through a legal process, I didn’t know what danger would remain in that area.
‘It would be especially troublesome if a body were buried at Eonhak High School, where Seong Dae-young stayed.’
The laws and rules of the world existed to prevent such confusion. In Hong Gyeong-jun’s opinion, Seong Dae-young should have been properly investigated, obtained a statement, and then punished according to the laws of society.
However, since this had happened, Hong Gyeong-jun, who knew the situation, had to at least properly clean up the situation. With the help of his colleague, Detective Ahn, Hong Gyeong-jun was able to come to Eonhak High School to investigate without difficulty.
‘So I came here because I thought I could ask something to the students and teachers at Eonhak High School…’ As soon as I
parked the car near the school and got out, I found myself in a different world.
It would take a long time to even get to the park, the meeting place, so the first person Hong Gyeong-jun contacted after entering Unhak High School without any further thought was Kim Ki-jeong. The intention was to first select sub-members who were unlikely to have come to the underworld. No matter how much you think about it, Kim Ki-jung didn’t have the qualities to be a main member.
But unfortunately, this time, perhaps because of Han Do-yoon, Kim Ki-jeong entered the secret world and received a call from Hong Gyeong-jun. They were said to have been eaten while stopping at a nearby restaurant, so when Hong Gyeong-jun told them that they were in Unhak High School alone, they came to the school in person.
‘…I guess I can’t tell the truth about this situation.’
Hong Gyeong-jun sighed and swallowed the words about Seong Dae-young.
The survivors must have somehow forgotten what happened about Seong Dae-young, so I didn’t intend to make them upset by saying things like ‘It’s not over’ for no reason.
“I didn’t want to go back to a language high school, but the problem was that I wasn’t sure if I could talk to other schools and I had to figure out the rules again. “I thought it was rather comfortable to go to Unhak High School because as long as you don’t go up, you won’t encounter monsters and you can leave when the time comes.”
Hearing Hong Gyeong-jun’s words, Kim Ki-jeong wrinkled his face as if he was tired just thinking about it.
“Ugh…”
Kim Ki-jeong didn’t seem to have come because he particularly liked it.
“It’s really dirty….”
“Are you okay?”
“It’s a well-cleaned bathroom, but why does it feel so dirty?”
“It’s like this wherever you go in the underworld.”
“That’s why I don’t like it…”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was curled up with his long body, was caught up in Han Do-yoon’s pace as always and was a case of accompanying him to Unhak High School.
Even if I wasn’t particularly involved, I wouldn’t want to be left alone. Kim Ki-jeong also probably thought that it was safer to be with the survivors, no matter how dangerous it was.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who had a random thought, asked the two.
“Now that I think about it, you said you were looking for a good restaurant. Are you two here?”
“yes? No, my brothers and I went together to greet Mr. Kim Ki-jeong.”
“older brother?”
“Ah… firefighters. My brothers and sisters who stay with me. One of them knew Kim Ki-jeong, so we somehow ended up having a conversation. “He came while I was eating.”
“So that’s what happened.”
In reality, Kim Ki-jeong was known as a famous conductor, although he was particularly dull in the behind-the-scenes world. I thought that someone who likes sophisticated music would know.
“I feel good because Kim Ki-jeong seems to have more friends.”
“…Detective, are you arguing? “Are you arguing about this?”
“Why do you think that?”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was contorting his face as if he wanted to swear something, closed his eyes again. It seemed like he thought it would be better to monitor the monster’s movements rather than continue a heated conversation. Hong Gyeong-jun and Do-yoon Han respected Kim Ki-jeong’s judgment.
Han Do-yoon asked Hong Gyeong-jun.
“First of all, the survivors who remained in this reality were teacher Lee Yun-byeol and the owner of the soup restaurant?”
“Not yet.”
“Oh my gosh…”
Choi Min-hong is a confirmed member, so he must have been in the secret world, but since President Choi Jeong-man couldn’t be contacted, it seemed like only Choi Min-hong was in the secret world this time. This time, the father’s feelings for sending his son to death alone were not easy to predict.
“Maybe the phone is on silent mode, but Minhong Choi can’t contact me either.”
“Did Seo-ah also say no?”
“yes. Since they are young children, ensuring their safety is important, so I contacted them after Kim Ki-jeong, but neither of them answered the phone.”
“I hope it’s not a big deal.”
Muttering like that, Han Do-yoon picked up his phone again and Hong Gyeong-jun also searched for other contact information.
“I will call student Dayoung Park.”
“Then I’ll try walking the babies again. “Do you think Seo-ah looks at her phone more often?”
Kim Ki-jeong’s cell phone was smashed by a monster on the way, so only Hong Gyeong-jun and Do-yoon Han were left to understand the situation of the survivors.
This was when I made another call to people I hadn’t identified yet.
“uh.”
“….”
Almost at the same time, the call connection tone between Park Da-young and Jang Seo-ah was cut off.
“Seo? “Should I stand?”
“…Student Dayoung Park?”
There was no word on the other end of the phone.
As I listened, I could hear slightly rough, yet suppressed breathing. After that, the sound of birds or the soft cries of insects could be heard from afar.
As if I were in a jungle somewhere…
‘Jungle?’
Is it hiding somewhere like a park?
Judging by the fact that there was no word from the other party when they received the call and the frustrated breathing, it seemed like they were both hiding somewhere. Han Do-yoon and Hong Gyeong-jun, who were assessing the situation, felt a sense of déjà vu and looked at each other.
After exchanging glances, Hong Gyeong-jun asked.
“…Are you two together by any chance?”
With those words, Park Da-young’s cell phone connection was cut off.
And then a familiar voice came from Jang Seo-ah’s cell phone. It was Park Da-young’s.
―…Yes, we are together.
“…Are you in a position where you can talk?”
-For now.
“Are there any more survivors nearby?”
―Park Da-hoon. Jang Seo-ah and Choi Min-hong. …Song In-myeong.
“yes?”
―The fourth corner of the aquarium. Entrance to the Amazon of the world.
“….”
―They said that Mr. Lee Jae-heon was also inside.
Dayoung Park continued.
-Check survival every hour.
Then it cut off.
“….”
“….”
In the silence that came.
The first to open his mouth was Han Do-yoon.
“…the hot place was over there.”
There was no evidence, but for some reason it seemed like the final boss was also over there.
* * *
After finishing the call, Park Da-young put her cell phone in Min-hong’s bag.
Song In-myeong, who was curled up with his large body next to her, whispered and asked.
“I heard you’re alive?”
“I don’t think you even know you’re here.”
“What does she know how to do?”
“Even if our detective criticizes us, we criticize him. “Shut up.”
“You’re so annoying…”
“Please shut up…”
The two, who had been having a conflict at low decibels, silenced themselves at the approaching muddy sound.
Splat!
“….”
“….”
Slosh, slosh…
slosh.
Churrrrrrrrrrrr.
‘Fucking bastards.’
‘If I die, it’s all because of that bastard.’
Song In-myeong and Park Da-young cursed at each other internally.
The place they are at is the ‘Amazon of the World’, the fourth corner of the aquarium. As if it lived up to its name, it was a theme zone filled with trees and dangerous creatures, similar to the park in front of Oseong headquarters. The student team was realizing first-hand how dangerous this place was.
As a wet figure passed by, Park Da-hoon muttered softly.
“…I should have run straight to the exit on the other side as soon as I came in.”
“Is it okay?”
“I guess so.”
Park Da-hoon had no energy to get angry at Song In-myeong’s scolding, so he nodded obediently.
Even in his opinion, it was impossible to take two kindergarten students with small arms and legs and run to the right exit that could not be seen in one go in this dense jungle where it was difficult to find a path.
Besides, the situation was bad.
“…are you bleeding a lot?”
“Don’t fucking stop. “Fuck you.”
“It’s really crazy…”
The first corner they came across, ‘Stream Friends’, was full of dangerous creatures that would bite anything that got into the bottom of the water.
After several trials and errors, he found the way and was able to reach the exit on the other side, but the body of Song In-myeong, who had become the victim, was in a very tattered state.
“If only it weren’t for you…”
“You brought it upon yourself and stop complaining.”
Song In-myeong made a crazy remark that he wanted to hang kindergarteners on each of his feet and use them as shoes to cross the river.
Kindergarten students, who are still just children, cried because a screw was loose, Park Da-hoon was busy protecting the child, and Park Da-young slapped Song In-myeong.
Park Da-young declared that she would definitely report this to her uncle, and Song In-myeong obediently gave up.
I decided to help these kids anyway. In the end, I checked the first path once. Once by Dayoung Park, once by Dahoon Park, and once again by carrying two kindergarten students at once. In total, Song In-myeong moved the children back and forth across the water bottom four times.
Thanks to this, Song In-myeong’s feet and ankles were now full of all kinds of holes. Song In-myeong quietly complained.
“Who did I end up like this? Are you mistreating me? “Do you have no conscience?”
“So you’re a person with a conscience, so you say you’re going to use children as shoes? uh? Do you have a conscience and go around killing people on a regular basis? “You really sat there saying something funny?”
“I don’t have a conscience, but you should…!”
“Even the right words make me mad. And does this seem like a form of abuse for lack of conscience? Who made these little kids cry first? “I’m trying to punish you for this pain.”
“Bad…”
After a short curse, Song In-myeong closed his mouth. It didn’t seem like he was reflecting on anything, and when I tried to say more, he seemed to be the only one who was tired.
He stuffed the bandage into the inside of his shoe. Perhaps because the bleeding didn’t stop, I could feel blood dripping from the inside of my shoe.
I didn’t really care about the terrible pain, but there was another problem.
“…If we keep this up, we’ll get caught.”
The smell of blood was so strong.
“Why is there a hole in your shoe?”
“Let’s not pretend not to know. “It really smells bad because the blood has accumulated inside.”
The hot and humid air also played a role in spreading the smell.
Song In-myeong, who had already realized that the bleeding would not stop, took off his shoes and went back and forth across the bottom of the water to avoid leaving traces like Hansel and Gretel. It was judged that the destructive power of creatures on the bottom of the water would easily destroy shoes.
Perhaps my judgment was right, and I was able to avoid leaving traces of blood on the way here. It was truly a stroke of luck. It was a wise choice.
‘I didn’t know that the feeding corner in the middle would change like that.’
Song In-myeong clicked his tongue.
Next to ‘Stream Friends’, there was a feeding experience area. Perhaps because they relied on sight rather than smell, the monsters there rushed at them. It was too harsh a treatment for them as they could not identify any weaknesses other than the fact that it looked like a crushed fish-like biological slime.
I somehow escaped and ran all the way to the ‘Amazon of the World’, but the monsters did not stop chasing me even though it was not their territory. Apparently, they had a weak sense of smell and relied heavily on sight, so they could avoid them by hiding, but they were not the only problem.
“No matter how much I think about the things in here, I can’t help but smell the smell of blood…”
An Amazon corner that truly lives up to its name. Sniffing sounds were coming from all over the place.
Even if you can avoid biological slimes by staying far away and hiding as much as possible to avoid their scent, how can you avoid other monsters that smell amazingly?
Song In-myeong let out a long sigh. The same was true for Dayoung Park.
“What a shitty situation…”
“You’re not even hurt. “You guys, excluding me, just find an exit and run away.”
“Then I’m abandoning you and running away.”
“Oh… Surprisingly, you are the type of person who feels guilty about sacrificing someone…?”
“If you sacrifice someone, you should feel guilty of course. “Did you just say it was unexpected?”
Park Da-young spit out words as if she were swearing.
“I don’t want to be indebted to you if I leave you behind, but my body and mind won’t accept me if I take you with me.”
Survive with the help of a serial killer?
Survive through his sacrifice?
Anyone with normal sensibilities would agree that it was a truly frustrating and frustrating situation. Park Da-young was a person with extremely ordinary sensibilities.
And Park Da-young was in that situation.
“Damn it.”
“You were so fawning in front of this bastard…”
“You lost.”
Park Da-hoon, holding the children in his arms as the two strong men fought, thought.
‘I miss you uncle.’
Monsters and humans, there was nothing that wasn’t scary.
(Continued in the next part)
