Episode 492
Like most survivors, Park Da-young did not like Lee Jae-heon’s methods very much.
It’s natural. Jaeheon Lee’s method is that no matter how he wraps it up, he ultimately treats himself like a tool and grinds it, and who could like that? It was a way to break up even if they were merely acquaintances who only knew each other.
‘But since my position changes like this… my impressions change.’
Park Da-young was in a bit of trouble. I didn’t want to do that at all, but somehow I felt like I could understand Jaeheon Lee.
Perhaps because the average age was so low, the actual leader of this team was Dayoung Park. Her choices determined the direction of the team and whether Song In-myeong would cooperate or become angry with her words and actions.
‘This is so tiring.’
Park Da-young could not let go of the option of death, as her desire to let go of her burden since she would come back to life anyway was half her objective judgment that it was right for her, the burden, to disappear.
Of course, Lee Jae-heon would always have 100% considered death based on the latter decision, but…
“….”
He swallowed a sigh with difficulty.
‘I shouldn’t be thinking like this already.’
Like most children with admiration, Park Da-young also wanted to emulate Lee Jae-heon’s dependability.
It’s not like my whole body is in tatters, like I’m a zombie, and it hasn’t even been a few weeks since I entered the other world, but I’m already feeling weak. My pride was a little hurt.
Park Da-hoon, who had been looking around here and there, asked her.
“…What are you thinking about?”
“huh?”
“Because you don’t look good.”
“Oh, it’s nothing special.”
Dayoung Park skillfully hid the truth within lies.
“I thought you were truly amazing. Look, I’m this tired even if I only hurt my leg, but you… like Seo-ah said, even though you look like a zombie, you act fine.”
“It didn’t look particularly fine, though.”
“That too.”
Lee Jae-heon had a bad habit of pretending to be fine when he didn’t look fine at all.
And Park Da-young sympathized with his feelings even a little.
I did it because I thought that if I showed that I was really sick, the mood of the entire team would worsen.
‘…I already knew why he was doing such a bad thing, but after experiencing it myself, the burden was more than I could imagine…’
Park Da-young’s condition was not at all to the point where it could be said to be okay, but Lee Jae-heon was usually worse. Imagine having an injury the size of Park Da-young’s leg all over your body. Saying that I was okay could not help but sound like a lie.
So, the reason Lee Jae-heon says he’s okay and pretends to be fine is because he’s actually been brainwashed into thinking that way. The second half was for team morale. The other survivors knew this, but they were equally dissatisfied.
We hoped he would say he was sick.
“…You’re really amazing too.”
Park Da-young admired Lee Jae-heon like that.
“Of course it’s a bad habit, but we still kept it. I take care of people who complain without even saying they are having a hard time. “You must have been a kindergarten teacher in your past life.”
“Oh, we’re kindergartners?”
Park Da-young also laughed at Park Da-hoon’s empty laugh.
“Seriously, wouldn’t it look similar to you in your feelings…? How would we look from the perspective of the people in the other side of the world? “He’s already called a chick.”
“My uncle has a strange sense of aesthetics.”
“admit. “I’m worried that Song In-myeong will also be called a chick if things continue like this.”
“I’m not saying that at all, really….”
As expected, there’s nothing like backbiting to change the topic of conversation.
Naturally, Park Da-young swallowed a sigh of relief as she belittled Song In-myeong.
‘If I’m caught thinking like this, I’ll be scolded.’
Dayoung Park didn’t know that this was a bad idea. Even if he was revived, suicide was not something he did carelessly. At least for the sake of those left behind.
But if you have seen and experienced too much death like you did. If so much time had passed… I thought it would have been inevitable for him to become this dull.
Jaeheon Lee was really considerate of us.
‘You knew that dying was a faster and more effective option, but you chose the pros and cons. I was so tired after only having a leg for a few days, so how much more tired was he?…’
After understanding his position, I even felt a bit of guilt.
‘…I guess I shouldn’t say anything from now on.’
As the person left behind, Park Da-young mistreated Lee Jae-heon, but after experiencing it herself, she understood Lee Jae-heon’s efficiency and the weight of his sacrifice.
“…Why is Song In-myeong so late when he goes to order? Are you making the menu?”
“I know? what?”
When Song In-myeong was blamed once again, Choi Min-hong suddenly got up, probably because he was bored waiting.
“I’m going.”
“? “We’re not going anywhere.”
“…I want to go too….”
“Ah.”
Dahoon Park translated Minhongeo.
“You’re going to look for Song In-myeong?”
“huh.”
“…Over there?”
The area his finger pointed to was crowded with mannequins imitating customers, toward the cash register of the cafe. Although I couldn’t see it clearly, I could see Song In-myeong sticking out among them.
“It is there. “The line is so long, I guess you’re still waiting?”
“How long has it been since you last gone and still…? “Is it true that the store is collapsing?”
“I’ll take a look. “I don’t know what happened.”
Choi Min-hong grabbed Park Da-hoon’s leg as he stood up with a strangely depressed expression, perhaps due to the feeling of indebtedness that he had not yet found the medicine.
“me too.”
“No, please.”
“me too!”
“We’re not going out to have fun…”
“It’s not fair!”
“It says a lot, really.”
As Park Da-hoon tried to pull Choi Min-hong away, Park Da-young opened her mouth.
“Wouldn’t it be okay if we went together?”
“Are you crazy, sister?”
“No, well… the kid is bored. I’m so full of energy, but I just tied it up and thought what would happen later. “It’s better to play before something happens.”
“What do you mean? “Minhong is a puppy. Are you going to cause trouble just because he doesn’t play with you?”
“And I thought the kids should get used to this in advance so they can prepare for any emergency.”
“….”
Park Da-hoon’s face hardened at my sister’s words.
“…What are you assuming?”
“I said I wasn’t assuming anything. What if? What if. if. huh? “You know how much of a mastermind the underworld is, right?”
“So what did you assume?”
Park Da-young laughed awkwardly at her sister’s words.
“…We could die first….”
“….”
“I don’t know if Song In-myeong and I will be left alone or if they will be the only ones left, but the possibility of that happening is not completely absent. “It might be better to get used to it in advance.”
“You…”
Park Da-hoon asked, crumpling his face.
“Are you taking after your uncle?”
“Oh, too?”
“Fuck, really fuck. “I’m annoyed…”
Park Da-hoon, who frowned, looked like he was about to cry, but he pressed his lips once and held Choi Min-hong’s hand. The child, who was watching the situation unfold with wide eyes, smiled brightly.
“Am I going too?”
“Let’s go… I understand, so let’s go together.”
“Hehe, I like it.”
“I really hope you like it.”
Although he tried to hide his anger in front of Choi Min-hong, who was only a kindergartener, Park Da-hoon was unable to completely suppress his anger. The ominous feeling floating in the air and the awkwardness seen by Park Da-young made him angry.
The mere fact that Park Da-young was preparing for death made Park Da-hoon lose his cool.
“hey.”
“Oh what. No, you’re welcome. “Can’t you stand in line instead?”
“Is that okay? “Maybe the rule is not to step out of line?”
“Fuck, that’s it too. “Then why did you come?”
“Minhong wants to come see you.”
“Are you crazy?”
No matter what Song In-myeong said, Park Da-hoon told Choi Min-hong.
“Play so you don’t get hurt.”
“huh.”
“I’ll find some more medicine for you.”
Park Da-hoon felt nervous. I felt a growing sense of impatience that I couldn’t stay still. He was not ready to accept the ‘what if’ that Dayoung Park said.
So, I need to do something more. I have to do something to make the situation better than it is now.
“Be careful.”
“huh.”
“…Okay, be careful.”
Park Da-hoon entrusted Choi Min-hong to Song In-myeong. The mannequin monsters who were standing in line, wondering if they were being harmful to children or if there was such a rule, opened up space for Min-hong to go to Song In-myeong.
Park Da-hoon, feeling a little relieved at that sight, started walking again.
“….”
I muttered nervously.
“…There is medicine somewhere….”
There must be medicine somewhere.
The cafe was located on the street between the theme zones, so all the paths Dahoon Park was walking on were corridors. A hallway where the fish paintings on the walls come to life.
This place was all blue and everything seemed alive, but I couldn’t find anything alive. Even the water tank on display in the hallway I had seen so far had to be further forward to be seen.
A hidden room and a bleak hallway without a single blooming flower were imitating life.
It was disgusting.
‘please.’
Park Da-hoon became desperate.
It reminded me of Park Da-young’s leg being chewed by a monster. In that state, you wouldn’t be able to crawl, let alone run away. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find any medicine to fix her leg.
Even when I touched the living wall and looked around the corner, I couldn’t see anything that resembled medicine.
At that point, I even felt unfair.
“Did I want something that big?”
Just one small, round fruit.
“uh? “Can’t you just come out for one thing?…”
The weak swear words were filled with tears.
I felt like I was a racehorse running on the wrong track.
“Isn’t this all too much?”
Now I even laughed.
Park Da-young was already taking after Lee Jae-heon, and although she wished she didn’t, she seemed to understand him. It was that kind of expression. They were such terrible people that they even replaced their own deaths with numbers for the sake of efficient results.
I am so scared of death, but I guess you are not.
“This isn’t real… It’s not real…”
Park Da-hoon didn’t like that small, round, unknown fruit.
I still remember when Lee Jae-heon fed me fruit and locked me in the bathroom, his blood was splattering all over the translucent bathroom door. It’s a past that no longer exists, but it was a painful enough memory.
Nevertheless, that one fruit was so desperately needed.
‘Please.’
Park Da-hoon was unable to swallow all his words and muttered once again.
“…Everyone is so….”
Isn’t that cruel?
Park Da-hoon, who was walking due to an alarm, stopped.
Beyond a few aquariums that have only just emerged, with paintings that imitate life in the blue corridor where even a breath of air is nearby.
I felt the presence of a large monster approaching from far away. I felt a squishy vibration.
Crumbling. Kugung rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..
“….”
The monster chased after its prey that had run away.
This world did not even give Park Da-hoon time to sacrifice himself for his sister.
“…Ha….”
Am I the only one who is stupid?
Am I so stupid that I don’t understand anything?
* * *
“…Do you know where Da-hoon went?”
Song In-myeong shrugged his shoulders and answered Park Da-young’s question.
“What’s my business?”
“You’re really rude.”
“I do this whenever I get the chance.”
(Continued in the next part)
