Episode 496
Seo In-young saw the person in front of her.
“I think it’s done.”
A short body with no muscles at all.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to stay near the tree for now and run away here if there’s a problem? It’s fairly far away from where we were, and it’s hidden among large flowers, so it’s hard to see. Will the flowers in this flower garden attack? “I would like to dig a tunnel and hide in the ground, but it would be difficult with our manpower.”
“…I guess so.”
A softer personality than that.
‘I guess I was really lucky.’
It wasn’t something that could be said out loud, but that was what Seo In-young thought. This person, Kwon Yeon-hee, was a very lucky person.
Kwon Yeon-hee had weak fighting skills and was not mentally strong. However, she had managed to adapt to this crazy world and was now coming up with survival plans more naturally than Seo In-young. It meant that she was with people who would protect her and teach her during this time.
I was jealous.
“Then shall we go to the lake one more time? “What do you think, doctor?”
“I think it would be okay to be a little more careful since there are still fish left that have been cleaned….”
“Is that so? Well, if you come across a monster on the way, you’ll be in big trouble. “That is correct.”
“Haha…”
Kwon Yeon-hee kept thinking about what if.
Maybe that’s why I had the delusion, ‘Couldn’t we have done better?’, but the answer was always negative.
There is no way they could have created such an atmosphere among those bastards.
“Let’s go back home! “On the way, keep an eye out for edible fruits!”
“Yes, of course. Do not worry.”
Seo In-young was a weak coward who found it convenient to run away, but Kwon Yeon-hee definitely had something that made people relax. I don’t think he’s the kind of person who would stab me in the back after making me feel safe.
‘Seeing as I keep getting calls from the police, it seems like I’m always worried. Well, we’ve always been together, but now that we’re out of town, I can’t help but be worried. It’s like parents worrying about their daughter who has become independent….’
As I continued with my ridiculous thoughts, ‘home’ came quickly.
“I’ll go up first.”
“Oh, I will support you.”
“No…? “I don’t want to reveal my weight like that, do I?”
“I see.”
“You can’t treat a precious doctor like a servant.”
After saying that, Kwon Yeon-hee climbed the tree with quite skillful movements. Although they made a few grooves to make it easier to climb up, it was an excellent posture for someone with no muscles or stamina.
Seo In-young followed suit and climbed the tree, and Kwon Yeon-hee stared at him.
“Hey, what is it that makes you look at me like that…?”
“It’s nothing special, but I was wondering if the doctor also worked out.”
“Exercise?”
“You look very skinny, but you move quickly. cool.”
“I do exercise separately.”
Seo In-young smiled shyly and answered.
“Since I work in the emergency room, physical strength is basically important… so sometimes, when I go on business trips, I use up a lot of physical strength. “Rather than trying to build muscle, I tend to warm up my body to make it easier to move.”
“amazing…!”
“There is nothing special about rice. “It’s something you have to do if you don’t want to die from overwork.”
Kwon Yeon-hee waved her hand with her signature gentle smile.
“The most difficult thing is to consistently do what is obvious. Even though I know for sure that I will end up back in the dark world, I don’t exercise. “They do this even when their lives are at stake.”
“I think it is inevitable because each person can afford to pay differently. Still, Kwon Yeon-hee understands various survival rules well, so you don’t have to worry that much, right?”
“That’s true, but I still feel anxious because I don’t have my teammates. Should I say that I feel empty because I don’t have the people I used to hang out with all the time…”
“You really like your team members.”
Seo In-young was openly impressed. I lived my life worrying that even the little woman in front of me might have other dark intentions, but I had a really healthy mindset.
‘I too should imitate that kind of mindset…’
Because it was a workplace, I couldn’t help Seo In-young’s unique suspiciousness. It’s a job where if you don’t be suspicious, you could be eliminated quickly and lose your job. It seemed like the only thing that was increasing was squeamishness and pettiness.
Kwon Yeon-hee smiled proudly, as if she was glad to hear Seo In-young’s words.
“Sure! “If you meet doctors, you’ll probably think they’re good people, right?”
“I would like to meet you sometime.”
“Later, when we return to reality, we will definitely exchange contact information. “Let me introduce you.”
“That’s nice.”
Especially that person called ‘Manager’.
‘I don’t know what kind of person he is that appears every time he speaks.’
As I was laughing awkwardly, I realized that Kwon Yeon-hee had suddenly become quiet.
“…Yeonhee?”
“…I’m not sure if it’ll be okay.”
“….”
“I’m not sure if we’ll survive or die, but I’m also not sure if those people won’t die.”
Kwon Yeon-hee’s expression was calm, but anxiety and nervousness could be felt underneath it. I could tell because Seo In-young always felt this way. As expected, the fear of being alone in a foreign place seemed inevitable.
Seo In-young felt sorry for this young friend.
‘It would have been nice if at least one person had come with us. Well, I’m also an adult man and I’m not the right person to completely relax… It would be good if I didn’t get too scared…’
Sadly, he didn’t have the talent to comfort others. Even though I had such talent, I lived in an environment where I was criticized, so I had no idea what to say to make the other person feel at ease.
As I was struggling with my mouth shut, Kwon Yeon-hee quickly recovered and smiled shyly.
“I’m sorry, maybe it’s because I’m in the other side of the world, but I’ve been thinking a lot…”
“No, you’re probably anxious enough. I understand.”
“I hope no one dies.”
“Well…”
“My manager said he was alone at the aquarium, but I’m really worried.”
“It will be fine.”
“I guess so?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘Of course, it’ll be okay’ with a smile on my face. In a world where you don’t know when and how you will die, that was a very irresponsible thing to say. Seo In-young knew that well after failing several times.
As Kwon Yeon-hee closed her mouth, she leaned her back against the wooden pillar.
“Our manager is a really strange person. I’m always talking about efficiency, efficiency, efficiency, but it’s not efficient at all and I always get hurt. Anyone can see that he is abnormal, but he acts like a normal person…”
“Oh, is that so…?”
“Normally, he looks really fine, but when he gets a little tired, he shows off like, wow, this guy is really crazy…? “He knows that and tries to act normal, but he doesn’t know that it makes him look even weirder.”
“Haha…”
Then what did you do without sending him to a psychiatric clinic?…
‘What do you do when you release someone that crazy into society? Mr. Yeonhee. I won’t spit it out because those crazy people are my main customers and it’s not something I should say…’
I thought there were a lot of crazy people in the world. The manager of a respectable conglomerate called Ohsung is so crazy. How on earth is this country going?
“…?”
Wait a minute, Oh Seong’s manager?
“….”
Oh no way.
Seo In-young, who let go of her absurd delusion with an awkward smile, opened her mouth.
“You must be very worried. “If that’s the case…”
“I’m not the type of person to worry a lot, but that’s what happens when it comes to the manager. “If only the human mind didn’t break, everything would be fine, but the reason is that the mental cord is unstable.”
“Ha haha….”
“Our manager needs to stay sane, but I’m really worried….” “
….”
If he’s crazy enough to worry like that, wouldn’t it be too much of a wish to hope that he remains sane?
This time, Seo In-young swallowed her thoughts.
* * *
“…There seems to be a large monster 1km ahead.”
Information delivery comparable to that of a car navigation system.
“I think it would be best to turn to the left if possible…”
“You know that? “What is this crazy convenience?”
“Student Janghwa, you say it’s convenient for people…”
Seo Janghwa was repeatedly impressed by Kim Ki-jeong’s ability to shine brilliantly in the hidden world. She was usually confident in the hard work she did, but Kim Ki-jeong’s hearing surprised even Seo Jang-hwa.
Is it possible to live a daily life with hearing that can even guess the size of a monster 1km ahead?
“No, it’s like this in the other world, of course it’s not like this in reality…!”
“Oh, right?”
“Everything like this in the hidden world is done through concentration, and it’s not something you can just hear. “Ah, my head hurts… I’m losing weight…”
“How are you going to survive in this harsh world with such a weak body?”
Seo Jang-hwa clicked his tongue and asked In-ho Jeong.
“Shall we take a short break?”
“It’s not bad.”
1km is quite a distance. Not only is Kim Ki-jeong not making a fuss, but Jeong In-ho and Seo Jang-hwa can confirm with the naked eye that there is no significant threat around here. There was nothing that couldn’t be done with consideration for even a dishonest detector.
Jeong In-ho handed over the bottle of bottled water he had prepared at the park, and Seo Jang-hwa took out some fruits he had packed in his bag. Kim Ki-jeong, who saw the fruit she gave him, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Oh, this is… isn’t it? “It has a very strong sweet taste.”
“Aside from these, there are also glass apples.”
“This friend is enough for now. “It’s not because I’m hungry, but because I’ve
run out of sugar…” It has a shape like a long cherry tomato and a transparent texture that is shiny like glass. It didn’t feel edible at all, with a texture that felt like chewing soft clay, but it was definitely sweet, as if it were covered in sugar.
The expression on Jeong In-ho’s face as he looked at Kim Ki-jeong munching on the fruit was strangely tired. Kim Ki-jeong stiffened, wondering if he was giving notice for taking a break.
“…Why why?”
“No, just.”
“Just whatever. What is it? “Why do you look at me like that?”
“I thought you could eat something like that…”
Seo Jang-hwa looked at Jeong In-ho with a shocked face.
“You don’t like sweets that much?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it. “I just wonder why I have to eat something so sweet when there are other delicious things.”
“I don’t like that, man. “This is the first time in my life that I have ever seen a person who is picky about sweet foods.”
“I eat sweets. It’s difficult to sweeten it that much. “Isn’t it too sweet?”
In response to Jeong In-ho, Kim Ki-jeong also made a sour expression and muttered.
“It’s edible, but….”
“I knew that Mr. Kim Ki-jeong doesn’t like sweets, but he eats them well.”
“I literally just don’t like it, but I don’t hate it either. From what I see, it is true that Mr. In-ho Jeong does not like sweet things. “That’s a picky eater.”
“I’ve never heard that being picky about eating sweets is bad for your health, so it’s okay.”
“He’s a really strange guy…”
Kim Ki-jeong, who wrinkled his face as if he saw everything, shoved a new fruit into his mouth and said.
“It’s done. “Now let’s move.”
“Can I not drink water?”
“…Just take a sip….”
Jeong In-ho smiled brightly and handed me the water.
“It was too sweet after all, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t think it’s something to say with such a triumphant expression, but yeah.”
But it wasn’t entirely wrong. Fruits that were too sweet made my mouth dry. In the end, only after drinking a little water were they able to move.
The group moved to the left to avoid the monster Kim Ki-jeong mentioned.
“When do you think you can arrive?”
“It will be a bit of a distance. “From what I remember, it took quite a while to get there by car.”
After answering Seo Jang-hwa’s question, Jeong In-ho continued speaking as if remembering something.
“I remember we had to cross a bridge once in the middle…”
“Judging by the fact that there is no river in sight, it seems like we really have a long way to go.”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was listening to the conversation between the two, cautiously intervened.
“There won’t be any problems with that river, right? I remember that when I went to Eonhak High School, the water in the river made people fall asleep. “If there’s a problem like that in this river, should we turn around?”
“I think I should go and check. If the level of difficulty is something we can solve, it would be better to cross it, but if the level of difficulty is something we cannot bear, we will have to turn around and go, as Mr. Kim Ki-jeong said.”
“okay.”
Kim Ki-jeong sighed heavily.
“I hope there aren’t any dangerous monsters….”
“Anyway, bird breasts.”
“No, it’s not that I’m scared, it’s that you guys are strangely fearless…? Are you really feeling unfair to me? “Usually people get scared just by watching horror movies, but imagine seeing them in real life. People who aren’t scared of this are abnormal!”
“Even taking that into account, isn’t it time to get used to it? It’s not that I’m not that scary, but you’re a bit harsh. Even with that ability, I’m too scared. “If it were me, I would say, ‘Wow, this cheat is crazy,’ and even do a samba dance.”
“Ugh…”
“What is this disgusting look, mister?”
Leaving behind the sound of the two arguing, Jeong In-ho slowly looked around.
‘…I’m not sure if the manager will be okay until we arrive.’
It took quite some time to prepare and leave the park, and the distance to get there was not easy.
It would take a while to get to the aquarium, but in the meantime, I wondered if the survivors at the aquarium would be okay.
Not only Jaeheon Lee, but also the Park siblings and kindergarten students.
“…It will probably take a few days?”
“It takes a long time to get there by car, but you have to walk through the streets full of monsters. “It may not take much, but it will take a day or two.”
“It was ominous, so I just asked.”
In-ho Jeong thought while responding to Ki-jeong Kim’s grumbling.
‘I know that Park Da-young’s mental strength is quite strong, but whether she can handle Song In-myeong and two kindergarten students is a separate issue. If it takes too long, Park Da-young will get tired too…’
Jeong In-ho quickly smiled.
“…? Why are you smiling? “Isn’t that the face that says it’s going to explode?”
“Uh… you’re not mad because I rested for too long, right…?”
“Haha, I can’t even laugh.”
But it was true that I was upset.
‘I hope no one dies.’
No matter how much I thought about it, these behind-the-scenes combinations seemed like too much.
(Continued in the next part)
