Episode 506
Hong Gyeong-jun has seen Lee Jae-heon and the dead gunner overlap for a long time.
After learning that the two had a past relationship, I realized that Lee Jae-heon strangely resembles Sa-su, but there were times when it seemed like he was really Sa-su’s reincarnation or possessed by him.
However, I did not expect this situation to come.
―Junior?
“….”
No.
Did you expect it at all?
“Ah…”
What was certain was that the current situation was very sudden and burdensome for Hong Gyeong-jun.
This is the situation where Hong Gyeong-jun is called ‘junior’ in Lee Jae-heon’s voice, in the tone of a viper, and in a voice as clear as a monster.
“Junior?”
“What does that mean?”
“Well…”
Han Do-yoon and Kim Ki-jeong, who were listening to the voice coming from the cell phone, could be seen looking at each other and expressing doubts, but Hong Gyeong-jun couldn’t even pay them the slightest attention.
“…So…”
Hong Gyeong-jun continued, searching his brain for words to spit out.
“…Who are you?”
Even if the other person’s tone was too familiar, I couldn’t come up with an answer right away. Aside from having ears to hear, Hong Gyeong-jun himself was also unable to accept the current situation.
Then a voice came again from the other end of the phone.
―…Who was I?
“….”
―Who am I?
It was a clear but slow voice that showed that he was still insane. He seemed to be lost in a dream.
Did a person named Jeong Eun-woo who was with Lee Jae-heon also have similar thoughts? Jeong Eun-woo, who had been so quiet that not even a sound could be heard, gently intervened.
―The manager’s name is Lee Jae-heon.
―Director Jaeheon Lee?
-yes.
―…Did I have a junior?
―Since you have had enough of a social life, you probably have a junior somewhere in the world, but I don’t think it’s at least Detective Hong Gyeong-jun. Could there be some mistake?
―Detective Hong Gyeong-jun?
―Yes, the person you are talking to right now is Detective Hong Gyeong-jun.
-aha.
Their voices were not clear, possibly because they were on speaker phones. However, Hong Gyeong-jun could also hear a conversation that could confuse even a sane person. It was thanks to the humming voice as if I was trapped somewhere.
Immediately afterwards, Jaeheon Lee continued speaking.
-Excuse me. I guess I was mistaken with someone.
“…an illusion.”
―When I think about it, I think I’m a little different from my junior.
“….”
If it is different, then what is different?
For a moment, I felt like crying and throwing up something, but I held it back. This was because I knew that the situation was going too strangely for Hong Gyeong-jun to vent his personal feelings.
As if he had sensed Hong Gyeong-jun’s feelings, Jeong Eun-woo’s voice was heard.
―I would like to ask your opinion carefully, in case you get more confused if you say that.
-…is it? Sorry I have a headache right now.
“…It may be an impolite question, but do you realize that you are Lee Jae-heon?”
―Yes, I am Jaeheon Lee.
“Thank you for answer.”
At least it was clear that the person they were talking to was Lee Jae-heon. At least he was confident that the person on the other end of the phone was Jaeheon Lee.
The problem was that rather than having a solid identity, it seemed closer to simply ‘I can answer without hesitation because I know that I have that setting attached to me.’
There were so many different ways to go crazy.
‘I thought I was pretty used to Lee Jae-heon turning around… but it was all my mistake.’
Hong Gyeong-jun pressed his furrowed brow and continued speaking.
“…I am not Jaeheon Lee’s junior. My job is a police officer, and Jaeheon Lee said he became the manager of Ohsung Corporation by parachute through his family’s power. This means that we were never involved in a senior/junior relationship.”
-okay.
“Can you tell me why you called me junior just now? “You said you were mistaken, but I want to know who the ‘junior’ you were talking about is.”
-hmm.
Lee Jae-heon’s voice, which was answering like a machine, cut off for a moment. It was after some time had passed that the other person answered.
―Is it because they look a little alike?
“Who exactly do you resemble and what do you resemble?”
―…Who was I?
“….”
Before talking about ‘junior’, he suddenly tries to confirm his identity.
This kind of behavior had happened just before. In other words, it meant that Lee Jae-heon’s identity and the existence of ‘junior’ were greatly related.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who hesitated, asked with a serious expression on his face.
“…Seniors?”
-Yes, junior.
“…Director Jaeheon Lee?”
-what.
Perhaps because he sensed something strange, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ on the other end of the phone was silent for a while.
I heard him asking Eunwoo Jeong.
―Didn’t I say I was Lee Jae-heon?
―…The manager’s name is Lee Jae-heon.
―No, it’s a bit strange.
―If the situation arises in the future, I will definitely provide you with a certified copy.
―What is a certified copy? Do I have something like that? How is that?
-ha ha ha.
Jeong Eun-woo was also heard laughing helplessly, probably because he was tired of Lee Jae-heon’s constant exploration of his identity.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Listening to the chaotic conversation on the other end of the cell phone, the three survivors exchanged confused looks with each other.
“…There were many times when Lee Jae-heon was out of his mind, but this is a new situation.”
As Han Do-yoon said, this was truly the first time such a situation had occurred.
Although he sometimes seemed like he was suffering from depression or schizophrenia, Lee Jae-heon, who had lost the very foundation of his identity, was unfamiliar to even them.
“Why does Lee Jae-heon call Detective Hong Gyeong-jun ‘junior’ in the first place? Not just a junior, but a ‘junior’?”
“…The only person who called me that was my former gunner.”
“Oh, so it must be the same police officer?”
“He’s dead now.”
“….”
“….”
Han Do-yoon asked with a solemn face.
“Is this the phenomenon of possession seen in ‘Oh My God, That Happens’?”
Cold sweat broke out on Hong Gyeong-jun’s pale face.
“….”
“…Detective, I just threw this out there, so what should I do if you take it like a documentary? Don’t look like the world has collapsed. Don’t even break a cold sweat. “I’m also a bit embarrassed and scared.”
Hong Gyeong-jun closed his mouth tightly and said.
“…I recently found out that my senior also had a relationship with Lee Jae-heon in the past.”
“uh?”
“As a survivor of the same underworld, I taught Jaeheon Lee survival skills. “It was said that the reason Lee Jae-heon has outstanding fighting skills is largely thanks to him.”
“Uh…?”
“He said that if you look through Ha Seong-yoon’s glass eyes, you can see your senior floating around like a ghost next to Lee Jae-heon.”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong opened his mouth in place of Do-yoon Han, who was rarely speechless.
“Are there shamans in the other side of the world?”
“shaman.”
“If I try to perform a ritual…”
“If I search through the entire world, I think I might come across at least one exorcist, but I don’t want to make my senior like that.”
“The living must live.”
“You are correct.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was scolded by Kim Ki-jeong, reflected in a humble manner. Then, he sighed deeply and listened to the voice on the other end of the cell phone that was still arguing.
-So why am I still alive?
―He never died in the first place….
―Is that strange? What do I have to do in life?
―He was just born, so he lives, so I know that too…
It seems that Lee Jae-heon’s sagging voice has been bothering him for quite some time.
The conversation I heard was a sight to behold.
-why? How can that be? Am I done with my role?
―Except for cults or domestic violence, no one is assigned a role from birth that requires death once the mission is completed.
-Then what am I? In my case, it wasn’t a cult or domestic violence?
-I’m really surprised that it’s neither. Have you ever received brain washing from this group?
-I’m good at that.
Han Do-yoon smiled sweetly.
“What kind of bullshit is this?”
Hong Gyeong-jun could not bear to refute.
‘Why are you so good at brain washing?’
It was an ambiguous statement as to whether he was good at being dealt with or whether he was good at what he did. Either way, it gave me goosebumps.
―What kind of reaction do you want from me?
Jung Eun-woo’s voice was still as neat and clean as a machine, but for some reason, he seemed to be deeply tired.
And the three survivors wrinkled their faces at Lee Jae-heon’s words that followed.
-I have to say you did a good job.
-Why are you making me such a ruthless person?
That’s right.
Jaeheon Lee asked in surprise.
―Does Eunwoo Jeong have mercy?
―After listening to what the manager said, I think it could happen.
-What did I do?
-You took away what little humanity I had left.
-Why didn’t you throw that away a long time ago?
―I don’t normally feel sorry for other people’s situations, but the manager feels a bit sorry for me.
-Don’t everyone live like this?
―I think it’s probably just the manager’s world.
-My world is a bit like that.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who no longer had the confidence to listen to this conversation, intervened.
“Jaeheon Lee.”
―Yes, please say so.
“….”
The answering voice was too stable and clear to be that of a crazy person.
That was rather strange. It felt foreign.
“…Describe who you are and where you live in 100 characters or less.”
―…Uh….
“What if the person concerned hesitates to say something that I can also say?”
Although Hong Gyeong-jun lamented, he was able to roughly understand the situation.
‘Lee Jae-heon is out of his mind right now.’
However, this did not mean that he was the ‘senior’ that Hong Gyeong-jun knew.
‘…If that were the case, I would have known it was a senior from the moment I answered the phone. The Lee Jae-heon now is not the Lee Jae-heon we knew, nor is he the senior I know.’
To be precise, I think it’s a bit of a mixed bag. It felt like a mixture of the Lee Jae-heon we knew and the fragments of my dead gunner. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but that was my immediate impression.
So how on earth is this situation possible?
“…I understand for now. “What are you doing now?”
―I was looking for information on how to attack the aquarium.
“There were no injuries.”
-Why do you think there won’t be one?
“I feel doubly upset because I feel like this is a really innocent question.”
―Detective, there is no reason to be upset. What did I do wrong? Do I need to fix it? Is it useless?
“….”
―I am very sincere now….
Hong Gyeong-jun clenched his teeth, Han Do-yoon looked at the distant mountains, and Kim Ki-jeong turned pale. It was because it reminded me of Lee Jae-heon in the early days, pretending to be sane and talking nonsense as if it were common sense.
Moreover, the condition now seemed to be more serious than then.
“…Anyway, I confirmed it. There are other students at the aquarium, and they depend a lot on Jaeheon Lee. “Please take care of yourself for those students.”
―Jung Eun-woo will stay, but is there a need to do so? Don’t worry, I’ll organize the information and leave it behind…
“I told you to take care of yourself.”
―Is this an order?
I wanted to say please, but I couldn’t.
“…Yes, this is an order.”
-All right.
“We will soon send other survivors to the aquarium. Until then, I hope you can hold out as long as you can without dying.”
―Yes, good work.
With those words, the long phone call ended.
“….”
“…So what is this situation?”
Hong Gyeong-jun responded to Kim Ki-jeong’s words.
“A heartbreaking situation.”
“I know that, detective.”
* * *
So a little while later.
Jeong In-ho, who received a call from Hong Gyeong-jun, asked again.
“…The manager is crazy?”
―It seemed like you were confused about who exactly you were.
“So you’re crazy?”
―Anyway, if I were to summarize the situation, it would be like this.
“haha.”
Jeong In-ho couldn’t help but smile.
It was truly amazing that one person could be so diverse.
(Continued in the next part)
