Episode 49
“Whatever it is.”
“….”
Say anything.
At those words, Jeong In-ho asked back in the natural way.
“…Are you talking about things like threats or murder?”
“well.”
It was a casual tone.
Even though he used extreme words such as a murder threat, Director Lee Jae-heon’s face did not change much.
However, that was the most unethical word that In-ho Jeong could come up with. Living in a world where people paid with money instead of blood and their lives were mortgaged with a few words on a white piece of paper, he couldn’t figure out what more Director Lee Jae-heon could do.
However, his answer was vague, but his voice was clear, so Jeong In-ho knew that he was not making a mistake when he said he would do anything. Otherwise, such a calm tone would not have been possible.
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘…Is it dangerous?’
In the end, In-ho Jeong once again defined Director Jae-heon Lee as a ‘dangerous person’.
I don’t know how much time he spent in the other world, but judging from his familiar actions and posture, it doesn’t seem like it was a very short time. It would be safe to say that any normal person would have abandoned all humanity during that time.
However, Jung In-ho believed that the minimum level of ethics should be maintained no matter what the situation, so there was no way he could trust someone who said he would even be willing to kill if necessary. This was because this was a world where it was not strange at all for someone to die, and because he originally had no interest in Director Lee Jae-heon.
However, when Jeong In-ho saw that calm and pale face, he could not properly swallow a single question. Contrary to his calm, calm appearance, his clear voice rang with a sharp sound in my ears.
“….”
Listening to the sound of this large forest rustling under the cool bushes where not a single wind blows. The silence that falls in silence takes my breath away for a moment.
In the end, he had no choice but to ask one question.
“…In that case.”
“yes.”
So,
very if.
Jeong In-ho hoped that his answer would be delayed as much as possible.
“If things go better if the manager dies….”
“I have to die.”
I bit my lip.
“….”
Otherwise, I didn’t think I would be able to endure the swearing.
Jeong In-ho prayed that his expression would not change at all. This was because I had an instinctive resistance to Director Lee Jae-heon, so I did not want to reveal my weaknesses in front of him.
But I could never be as calm as my opponent.
‘…You could die.’
It was a story about one’s own death, not anyone else’s.
Of course, Jeong In-ho knew to some extent that he had no desire for life. It would be even more surprising if a person was in their right mind to harm themselves by harming their arms and neck as if they were not their own.
But despite this, Jeong In-ho had a lot of things he wanted to say.
In the first place, Director Lee Jae-heon was a person who continued his life by acting even though he was not worthy, and if so, there must have been a suitable reason for it. That means there must have been a reason to live that way.
If so, shouldn’t we at least show some emotion while mentioning death? Whether they were holding on to life for a long time or just waiting like a cow for the day to be slaughtered, it was appropriate to show the anger or joy that came with it. At least that is if he lived as a person.
Nevertheless, Director Lee Jae-heon only gave an acceptable answer.
“That’s efficiency.”
In a tired, mechanical voice.
Just like working at a company….
“….”
I couldn’t come up with an answer for a moment. It was a type of person we had never seen in our lives, like the other side of the world where we were devoured.
Jeong In-ho thought without realizing it.
Perhaps all of this was a bit routine for him. There was no need to be more afraid because it was a part of life, and it would be a shame to feel afraid.
All of this is just natural and worthless. Even if the target was himself, it meant nothing to him. Even if there is a hole in the neck, the leg is cut off, and the ankle is melted, that is all. Director Lee Jae-heon did not attach much meaning to his own pain.
In the end, Jeong In-ho twisted his eyebrows.
“…under.”
My lips were twisted like that.
It would have been better if Director Lee Jae-heon had been extremely fair.
It would have been understandable if he had a bad personality and did not care at all about the lives and suffering of others, so he lowered the value of even himself.
But no.
‘You’re the only one who will die again.’
Jeong In-ho remembered how Director Lee Jae-heon died before returning.
He was holding onto a green algae monster.
Even though its neck was pierced by thorn-like teeth and it was spitting out blood, it did not relax its grip on the vine and handed me the bloody pipe with its twisted legs. Until the very end, he never said anything about saving himself, and while I was dying, he wanted to save someone other than me.
How much can a person like that kill another person?
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
He was not someone who could be oppressed like that by intimidating and torturing him.
If he had been able to do that in the first place, Jaeheon Lee should have run away from us before anyone else. There was no need to lead us through silent criticism and distrust from the company. Who in the world would get hurt like this on behalf of those who disparaged and hated them?
But Director Lee Jae-heon eventually stayed by our side and protected them until the end. The image of him asking to save the others even as he was dying was so vivid that it tormented my normal eyes.
So,
“….”
If you wanted to say something like that, you shouldn’t have died like that.
‘I should have run away and left everything behind.’
With his skill, he must have made some of us bait or lured him in front of the monster.
Director Lee Jae-heon had enough ability and motivation to do so. There was no reason to protect the group who hated and distrusted him from the beginning by hurting themselves like this.
We also had no right to cling to him for our lives. If Director Lee Jae-heon had put his mind to it, he would have been able to shake them off.
At that moment, Jung In-ho found the entire situation so funny.
“…is that a joke too?”
I guess it’s someone who played ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ for that long. In the end, even in this situation, he was acting for his own purposes.
Even so, if necessary, I will die again.
“Are you hoping it’s a joke?”
“Your tone of voice has changed again. No, well….”
“….”
“I’ll take note of it first.”
It was a lie.
‘There’s no need to memorize it.’
Jeong In-ho couldn’t help but laugh out loud. My throat was itchy.
In fact, if you think about it, Director Lee Jae-heon’s actions so far have been consistent in pretending to be something other than that. I tried several times to subtly hand over leadership to Jeong In-ho and organized the team, but avoided leading it according to my own opinion. He showed this behavior several times, even intentionally trying to make his teammates dislike him.
Of course, Director Lee Jae-heon warned that he would do anything if necessary, and that wasn’t a lie, but in Jeong In-ho’s opinion, it wasn’t 100% true either. There was information left out between sentences and I didn’t intend to tell you about it. This is because he wanted Jeong In-ho, the most useful member of the group, to be on his guard.
So, more accurately, what he was saying was that he would do anything ‘based on his own sacrifice.’
‘Otherwise it doesn’t fit the context.’
Jeong In-ho adjusted his expression to a straight expression again.
“…You don’t look like you’re going to listen at all, Jeong In-ho.”
“I always keep the manager’s words in mind. “Don’t say anything too sad, Manager.”
“Hey, look at that thick face skin.”
“Hahaha….”
I still don’t know why he wants to distance himself from the group.
We may wonder if it’s because we don’t like it, but if we really hated it, our bodies wouldn’t have ended up like that.
Manager Lee Jae-heon told him what he wanted, as he had promised, but he rarely talked about himself. His acting as the old manager at the company seemed to be in the same context. These are actions that continually try to appear unfavorable to others.
Jeong In-ho slowly opened his mouth, smiling the same smile he always had.
“…Thank you for telling me what I asked.”
“….”
“Thanks to you, I think the situation has been somewhat resolved.”
Manager Lee Jae-heon, perhaps annoyed by that answer, twitched the corner of his eyes and immediately looked away. It was a habit I occasionally showed when talking back to him at work.
But the really funny thing is, who reacts like that?
‘A person can go this crazy.’
On the subject of efficiency, in the end, the pain and hardship were all my own.
So even if I get criticized by others, I will listen happily. If I’m going to get hurt, I’ll stand one step ahead and get hurt instead. If someone had to die, he would give his life with the same calm expression as he does now.
Because I think that’s the right thing to do.
‘Because I know that’s natural.’
My mouth felt stuffy.
Beyond good and evil, that is everyday life and common sense, so Manager Lee Jae-heon will live like that for the rest of his life. It never occurred to me that I would be able to fix that ridiculous mental problem.
“…Are you really okay?”
“What else?”
“You passed over, but you also vomited blood. “I don’t know what I don’t know, but I know it’s a serious condition.”
“How many times should I say it? “That nosebleed was due to reflux, huh?”
“You always lie.”
I was devastated.
Since when have I been thinking like that?
Even though he thought he was harsh on everyone except himself, in reality, the person he judged most strictly was himself. According to Director Lee Jae-heon’s argument, he should have demanded that all members of the current party show the results to the extent that he was injured.
I don’t know if you think it’s because he’s stupid, but no matter how you look at it, Manager Lee Jae-heon is an annoyingly clever person. I couldn’t bear to ask you if something like that was on your mind.
‘So it’s not that I don’t know, it’s that it’s twisted.’
On the one hand, I knew it, but I naturally decided that my twisted thoughts were more correct. Even if you frown at other people’s wounds, you only blink at your own blood.
“I say this every time, but I never overdo it. Don’t you know my personality? “If I was really sick and having a hard time, wouldn’t I have told you?”
“….”
“So… you must be really tired, so don’t worry about it. “At that age, you should take care of your mental health.”
I swallowed my words for a moment.
‘You don’t know either.’
I softly gasped.
Director Lee Jae-heon clearly had no idea how miserably he had died.
If he knew for whom and in what manner he died, there was no way he would have behaved so foolishly. There is no way that he would do something that wouldn’t work, at least for Jung In-ho.
Such extreme loneliness ate away at my entire body.
“…is it so.”
I started speaking.
Two red-stained corpses and an illusion whose head had been cut off by a monster. I remembered the piece of meat melting in the fire and the pitch-black darkness that had stained my feet red because I couldn’t watch it.
The eyes of wild cats that stared at me, and the eyes of a murderer that wavered without a trace of warmth. I remember the eyes of a hazy flame that had just escaped death. I remember looking at the candle flame that seemed like it was about to go out.
Like that with a jingle.
“…So…”
A piece of glass ate my ear.
“We ask for your continued support in the future.”
“….”
“Manager.”
In fact, wasn’t it something that couldn’t be changed?
nothing.
* * *
Passyuk….
At the sound of the bushes moving without the wind, I suddenly raised my head and looked at the sky.
“….”
Black and white leaves gathered like a swarm of ants on a dry tree branch without a drop of water.
The sky was pitch black and intricately woven in countless numbers. The colorless leaves pretending to be the sky were looking down at us, covering the entire world.
They are gently scattered.
“…Kang Min-ah?”
“yes.”
I felt sick.
It’s a disgusting world.
