Episode 501
Park Da-hoon thought.
“….”
Why did it have to be like this?
It’s a common complaint that everyone makes during adolescence, but haven’t you ever thought that the world is too harsh for us?
Park Da-hoon looked up at his family with blank eyes and muttered.
“…Sister…”
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out what Park Da-young was thinking or feeling.
Da-hoon Park felt that his eyes were dyed purple even without looking. However, the psychic response did not work, which meant that Park Da-young was no longer the person I knew. I knew it.
It’s just mind-boggling.
“…Park Da-young.”
I did it wrong.
I did everything wrong.
‘I didn’t mean to leave you alone.’
I shouldn’t have left her alone when I was with Song In-myeong. He wanders around looking for medicine and makes me anxious. I owe Song In-myeong a debt. In the meantime, the wound gets worse and hurts more.
I couldn’t forget the expression Park Da-young made right before she drowned…
“Park Da-young…”
Were you comfortable?
“….”
I think that was probably the case.
The strength in my stiff shoulders disappeared and my eyes, which seemed to be staring into space, closed. His body, which had been shaking probably because it was very cold, calmly calmed down and he slowly lost consciousness. It looked no different from falling asleep.
“…I was wrong.”
I should have been with you.
Da-hoon Park made a mistake and Da-young Park died.
“You were wrong.”
So maybe we can do better next time.
“I…”
We have always struggled to become better.
It wasn’t much different in this terrible world.
“….”
So now I’m left alone and I’ll have to struggle.
So they all have to die….
* * *
Pure white water with a soft glow.
The only mermaid with eyes in water as cold and blue as the winter air. The mermaid looking down at us, dressed in clumsy human clothes, was clearly Dayoung Park.
“….”
Song In-myeong went blank at the thought of ‘beautiful’ that suddenly came to mind.
It was a word that came to mind reflexively, but when I thought about it carefully, it wasn’t really wrong. The smiling mermaid swimming with her sparkling tail in the white and transparent water could have been beautiful.
‘It’s because the target is an annoying kid… Aside from that feeling, she’s honestly pretty.’
The mermaid with Park Da-young’s face looked at him and darkened her eyes.
“…First of all, it is clear that there is no reason.”
If he had reason, there would be no way he would have smiled at Song In-myeong.
“It doesn’t look like they’ll attack unless you go in directly, so I guess it’ll be okay anyway.”
Song In-myeong looked up and looked at the top of the tank.
The cylindrical ceiling was already wide open, making entry and exit possible, even if it was dangerous. It was as if he was telling me to come in just to show him off.
‘For sure, in the case of Park Da-hoon, he could go in there.’
Da-hoon Park didn’t seem to notice because he was only looking at his sister, but he was the kind of guy who would go into the tank right away if he found out that the lid was open. I don’t know how on earth you can get to that high place.
Song In-myeong grabbed Park Da-hoon’s shoulder and shook him as he sat down.
“Hey hey. “Ddeppang.”
“….”
“Park Da-hoon?”
The reaction was not very pleasant, but Song In-myeong said what he wanted to say.
“That’s not your sister. know?”
I said this because I thought I didn’t know.
“It means there’s no reason for you to be like this right now.”
“…Sister….”
“Fuck, you siscom bastard. The only thing you know how to say is older sister? “It’s so fucking gross and annoying.”
“….”
“Should I at least carry something around…?”
Lee Jae-heon informed Song In-myeong through Jeong Eun-woo. How much he cares and loves the ‘chicks’ and how much he hopes to see a better ending for them in some way.
Now that I know, Song In-myeong wanted to make Lee Jae-heon’s wish come true if possible. I think there was that level of friendship. A close enough relationship to grant the wishes of the deceased that he secretly made known before he died.
“Let’s see…”
Someone tugged on Song In-myeong’s clothes while he was wondering how to carry Park Da-hoon.
“? what.”
“Sister, why fish?”
“Oh my god.”
Come to think of it, there were kindergarten students there too.
“No, when are you going to take all these and throw them away?”
Even with Jung Eun-woo’s help, the burden was too much.
The kids in front of me would have felt like carrying a bag of rice, but the problem was that there were two of them. This was a real concern as I would not have enough hands.
“Bouncing? fried food?”
“uh. uh? “What do you mean?”
“Sister, why fish?”
“Isn’t this kid so special? When you look at that, do you say it’s a fish?”
Choi Min-hong was asking why Park Da-young became a mermaid in the tank, but Song In-myeong frowned because he couldn’t match the cheap word ‘fish’. I didn’t like how a work that had given me the impression of being ‘beautiful’ was expressed in that way.
“Isn’t it pretty? “Isn’t it pretty?”
“…? “My sister is naturally pretty.”
“and.”
Song In-myeong, who was speechless, came to his senses for a moment. It was my first time having a conversation with a kindergartener.
This newborn named Minhong Choi was no ordinary child.
“No, I didn’t ask that, but… yes, it’s a fish. It’s a damn fish, isn’t it? Mermaids are definitely a type of fish, so it would be correct to say they are fish…”
“Why?”
“Don’t fucking ask me things I don’t know about. “If you ask such an obvious and difficult question as to whether humans can become monsters in the other world, what should I say?”
“why?”
“….”
Song In-myeong just ignored him and looked at Jang Seo-ah hiding behind Choi Min-hong. The customer who bought Jang Seo-ah last time was Song In-myeong, so he seemed a little reluctant.
“…How are we going to drag these away?”
If there was a sack or something, I would have crumpled it up and wrapped it around, but there is nothing like that in sight. In this situation, I lost confidence that I would be able to get out of the aquarium while carrying these things that had no answer.
“Haa….”
Should I just throw it away?
It felt like I could hear Lee Jae-heon cursing from somewhere, but what should I do? Shouldn’t I live first and see? Life was originally about living alone and taking responsibility alone.
As I was thinking about the truth of life, I saw Da-Hoon Park, who had been sitting blankly, get up from his seat.
“Oh, have you come to your senses?”
“….”
“You cheap bastard never gives an answer.”
Park Da-hoon, ignoring Song In-myeong, blinked for a moment as if thinking about something, and then immediately moved his feet and headed somewhere. At first glance, it looked like he was going to a souvenir shop, so Song In-myeong looked away.
‘I guess I’ll go see my uncle.’
It seemed like it would be hard to save that kid, so Song In-myeong looked down at the kindergarten students.
“Hey, what are you going to do? Are you going to search?”
“…Is the Lord dying? Are we going to die?”
“Oh, look at that damn spinning thing. “You’re acting like you just realized something.”
“I really don’t want to die…”
“You’re talking like a kid who doesn’t want to eat green peppers. “You also have a unique character.”
Song In-myeong burst into laughter at Choi Min-hong’s tearful face. I clearly remember that he was the son of the owner of a soup restaurant, but I had no idea how many screws were missing from this rat-sized thing.
Song In-myeong called Jang Seo-ah, who was behind Choi Min-hong.
“What about you?”
“…Me?”
“What are you going to do?”
“….”
Jang Seo-ah was crying and shaking, and her small eyes were looking intently at Song In-myeong and Jeong Eun-woo. Then, I looked for a moment in the direction of the souvenir shop where Park Da-hoon entered, and then looked up at Song In-myeong again.
“…the Lord dies. “I don’t like it…”
“So you need my help to use it?”
“…I’m scared….”
“What the hell.”
Song In-myeong was a bit absurd. Judging from the fact that he had been trying to avoid him and kept his mouth shut, he must have thought that Song In-myeong was in danger, but since he seemed to be willing to help, he said something like that.
“Children are not usually clever.”
“…I’m sorry…”
Choi Min-hong huffed and got angry at Jang Seo-ah, who was shaking and apologizing.
“Why are you tormenting my little brother!”
“…Oh, I really can’t handle the brain flower garden kindergarten students, damn it…”
“Stop harassing me! “Get scolded!”
“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t get scolded by Mr. Nui much! “Who is scolding whom?”
“I’ll scold you!”
“You raised the son of the owner of a soup restaurant really well, you idiot.”
Song In-myeong looked back at Jeong Eun-woo, who was still.
“Can you carry it? “What would happen if we took one at a time?”
“Ah, to protect you?”
Song In-myeong asked as if he had seen all the strange things.
“What should you do if your uncle says he told you to protect the chicks and asks you something like, ‘Are you really going to protect them?’ “What if I run out on my own?”
“Student Dayoung Park said that when she dies, she should leave the decision to writer Song Inmyeong.”
“I guess he didn’t mean to brush it off like this…”
Song In-myeong, who was scratching the back of his neck, continued.
“Do you know how much you cared for them? Park Da-Hoon That bastard seems crazy, so I’ll leave him behind. “I don’t think I can handle him.”
“Please do so.”
“Then first…”
As Song In-myeong continued speaking, the sound of footsteps reached his ears.
“what.”
I knew this sound.
The sound of blood-soaked, muddy footsteps.
“….”
“…What are you?”
Park Da-hoon, who came out with a lot of blood on his shoes, was looking at us with a kitchen knife in one hand.
Once at Jeong Eun-woo, whose unfocused purple eyes are smiling at the two-eyed mermaid in the fish tank. I took one look at the kindergarten students with Song In-myeong and twitched my fingers.
“…what are you going to do? Are you trying to kill us all? “Do you have a big dream?”
“…no.”
“Isn’t that it again? “Then what on earth are you going to do, you bastard?”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“uh?”
“Are you going to kill me?”
Park Da-hoon’s gaze was still focused on the kindergarten student. It seemed like the question was whether Song In-myeong or Jeong Eun-woo would kill kindergarten students, but Song In-myeong looked at Park Da-hoon closely and answered.
“…no.”
“I see.”
“What do you want to say?”
“….”
Park Da-hoon muttered in a whisper.
“There is nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“…I just…”
With his face distorted and crying quietly, Park Da-hoon raised the knife.
The blade was pointed at his own neck.
“I wanted to live.”
Phew.
“….”
He clicked loudly. Ji-Ik-.
“…Ugh… Huh….”
“….”
“Ugh….”
Park Da-hoon, who had stabbed me in the neck, hesitated and then fell backwards.
Song In-myeong’s appreciation was short.
“…You crazy bastard.”
I was a little surprised, but that was it.
Instead, my head started rolling quickly.
“…Ah….”
Song In-myeong muttered softly.
“When things get like this, I start to think a little more.”
A thought that had occurred to me earlier gave Song In-myeong a sense of stability.
Isn’t something strange?
Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon accepted death relatively obediently even though their beloved kindergarten students were at stake. Lee Jae-heon, who ordered Eun-woo Jeong to kill the children if necessary. In particular, the asymmetry of information seen among the survivors near Lee Jae-heon.
‘…Was Lee Jae-heon the kind of person who would ask people to kill the children he cared for simply out of consideration for making life more painful? really?’
Since the phone call was made with Detective Hong Gyeong-jun and the survivors were talking among themselves, it was obvious that other survivors were coming to this aquarium. If the kindergarteners were alive by the time they arrived, there was a chance they could miraculously escape.
However, Jaeheon Lee insisted on killing the kindergarten students.
“….”
That’s right.
“…It’s probably because death is a more efficient option than escaping alive…”
Death is better than life as judged by a dedicated and kind-hearted person like Lee Jae-heon. Even my immediate life wasn’t that dark or painful. Couldn’t the kindergarten student have survived through the survivors who would arrive soon?
Suddenly, Song In-myeong realized the correct answer. But… how is that possible? Does that make sense?
Is this possible because this is the other side of the world?
“….”
If possible.
“Hmm.”
Song In-myeong looked back at Jeong Eun-woo.
“I’m sorry for changing the word.”
“Say yes.”
“Let us all die.”
I was so happy that I laughed to death.
“I think that would be good.”
* * *
The woman submerged in the water opened her mouth.
“ah.”
Oh my.
“I don’t like it a bit…”
The voice that muttered as if he was embarrassed soon came out with a smile.
“I guess it’s okay if it’s like this.”
Location Flowerway.
The final deceased is Song In-myeong.
First regression progress.
(Continued in the next part)
