Episode 531
“This is difficult.”
Da-hoon Park did not accept Jae-heon Lee’s proposal until the end.
“If you don’t kill the doll over there, you can’t change places…”
“That’s because they’re all full.”
“Anyway, kids these days don’t know what’s important.”
Park Da-hoon, who was inside the glass box, pulled out his hair and went crazy as if he had figured out Lee Jae-heon and Song In-myeong’s reactions, but it was none of the business of the two ugly adults. They were just sad that their plan didn’t go as well as they had hoped.
To be exact, Song In-myeong was only agreeing, but Lee Jae-heon sighed and muttered as if he was in trouble anyway.
“I can’t blow it up for you.”
“That sounds a bit ominous, so try changing it.”
“You can’t tear it up?”
“Oh, that’s it. “Let’s not say it’s done.”
“It’s good to be quiet.”
It’s been an hour since I persuaded Park Da-hoon.
Jaeheon Lee failed to persuade the inexperienced student.
“It’s a shame.”
Despite this situation, Jaeheon Lee needed Dahoon Park’s cooperation.
“I thought it could be resolved neatly if done well.”
“What solves this? “Your life?”
“That and many other things.”
Lee Jae-heon understood that the awakening of Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon was necessary to kill the final boss of this aquarium. If I recall the contents of the novel my wife wrote, it had to be that way.
‘…But why were you dragging it on like this? ‘Inefficient?’
‘Lee Jae-heon’ before he became confused would have known that the siblings’ awakening was necessary for escape, but he could not understand why they had not awakened them sooner.
What kind of wealth and fame did you save this for?
“Huh.”
Jaeheon Lee stroked the corner of his mouth.
“…Did the relationship between me and that student, Park Da-hoon, go bad?”
In Lee Jae-heon’s opinion, if the relationship between Park Da-hoon and Lee Jae-heon had been good, it would have been much more effective in many ways than it is now.
Lee Jae-heon would have awakened the siblings’ abilities in advance to increase Park Da-hoon’s value and usefulness, and in the same context, he would not have rejected Lee Jae-heon’s legitimate choice to save Park Da-hoon so much.
At least that was Lee Jae-heon’s judgment, but Song In-myeong’s thoughts seemed to be a bit different.
“…I don’t know why that conclusion was reached, but it never seemed that way. “That chick was treated like a fluffy chick just like Park Da-young.”
“But why are you like this?”
“Isn’t that why it’s like this?”
“If you had a good relationship with me, shouldn’t you have listened to me?”
“I will only listen if what you say is reasonable.”
“It couldn’t be more reasonable than this.”
Saying that, Lee Jae-heon confirmed his situation.
“hmm.”
My thoughts don’t change.
“After all, wouldn’t it be much more efficient for me to die?”
“Uh… let’s just say it’s a bit annoying to tackle now.”
“I thought you would understand.”
“I didn’t understand, I gave up, but well… I guess that’s it…”
“No matter how much you think about it, wouldn’t Dahoon Park’s life be much more worth living compared to this tattered half-corpse? Dayoung Park and Dahoon Park have awakened abilities. “Unlike me, who has nothing, it will definitely be a great help in escaping the aquarium.”
“That is very valid and correct. No matter how exhausted he may be, it is a very humble statement for someone who single-handedly defeated me, a serial killer who attempted to kill all survivors…”
Lee Jae-heon turned to Song In-myeong.
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“huh? no? “Can I do that?”
“….”
“Is that possible?”
When Lee Jae-heon squeezed Song In-myeong’s lower coffin with one hand and shook it, he screamed with his mouth covered. Lee Jae-heon felt regretful that he only had one hand. This arrogant brat needs to be scolded more properly.
Anyway, Jaeheon Lee had to give up trying to persuade Dahoon Park right away.
“If we keep pushing forward, I don’t think anyone will respond to my offer, so I’ll have to try to persuade other survivors.”
“I think other survivors might also disagree with you…”
“Are you going to start a fight?”
“No, no, what you said is correct then. I respect your opinion. “That’s a really efficient and shit plan.”
“Do your best.”
“yes.”
In the end, Lee Jae-heon and Song In-myeong decided to rest until the other survivors arrived.
“We haven’t been able to eat or sleep for over a day… We really need to rest…”
“Has it already happened?”
“The concept of time disappears because you’re only in an aquarium where you can’t see the outside world. “This is why people have to live with sunlight, but it’s so gloomy here.”
“Still, it doesn’t look bad for sleeping.”
“Even though I’m sleeping, I’m hungry… There’s nothing to eat here like a park. “The only thing I ate was some weird juice I drank at a cafe.”
“okay.”
Lee Jae-heon, who was looking at Song In-myeong grumbling, looked down at his own body.
Song In-myeong immediately put on the brakes as he looked at me with a cold and calm gaze, like a butcher.
“What are you thinking about now?”
“Humans are also animals first.”
“Until there.”
“You didn’t even mention the beginning?”
“I’ve already taken out a lot.”
Song In-myeong smiled brightly and rejected everything Lee Jae-heon said.
You might say something like, ‘Humans are animals, and animals are a great source of protein…’, but no matter how much Song In-myeong did, humans were not treated as food ingredients.
Of course, there were people in the industry who had such tastes, but that was not Song In-myeong. To him, it feels like eating paint just because it looks delicious.
“I also have tastes.”
“Ah, then I won’t recommend it anymore.”
Lee Jae-heon respected Song In-myeong’s taste. There are people in the world who can eat beef but not chicken. I didn’t know that Song In-myeong might be of the same type.
At Lee Jae-heon’s reaction, Song In-myeong looked at him intently.
“…Is there something you want to say to me?”
“…Have you ever tried it… No, no…”
“I don’t particularly like it, but I sometimes see people I know eating it. “I think I’ve seen it often since I was young.”
“The world behind the scenes is fucking amazing.”
“yes?”
“No, nothing.”
Anyway, Song In-myeong strongly insisted on taking a break, and Lee Jae-heon agreed. Even if my current body was so useless that it had to be discarded soon, that wasn’t the case yet.
‘At least I should die after doing everything I have to do.’
And in order to pay off, I needed the energy to work. As Song In-myeong said, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a little rest and replenish energy.
The two decided to sit in the stands overlooking the aquarium and rest for a bit.
“Oh my leg… it’s sore…”
“Do you need a massage?”
“Where can you sell a hand and give someone a massage? Okay, just get some rest. “I’m going to rest too.”
“If you say so….”
And then there is silence for a moment.
“….”
“….”
In the silence of the sound of water, the man gradually calmed down.
As always, when I was quiet in a quiet space, the thoughts I had were about myself. In peace, where no one would touch him, the man gradually gathered information about himself.
So, he was ‘Lee Jae-heon’.
“….”
However, it was a bit worn and mixed up.
It was difficult to even come to my senses, perhaps because my memories were all tangled up here and there.
“…What is my name?”
“Jaeheon Lee.”
“Is that so?”
I don’t think so, but unfortunately I couldn’t remember the name I used before.
Jaeheon Lee closed his mouth again.
“….”
He quietly closed his eyes.
The sound of water that makes the entire large aquarium tremble penetrates your ears and fills your brain. The heavy and soft noise overflowed and took my breath away little by little.
First, the toes, second, the inside of the lungs, and finally, the throat…
“…are you breathing now, uncle?”
“I’m resting.”
“I didn’t think so, so I asked.”
“That could be possible.”
I have the illusion that even a single hair is scattered like dust.
“…Why was I alive?”
The fact that all I have left is doubt makes him feel empty.
What was my name? What was my name? Who was it that called me?
How many people wanted to kill me and what was the reason I had to live? Why am I alive? Where on earth did the villain who deserved to die go?
“Inmyeong-ah.”
“why.”
“Do you want to kill me?”
“….”
The unfamiliar young man answers.
“You should have asked me sooner.”
“is it?”
“Then I would have killed him.”
“Why aren’t you doing that now?”
“They say I’m an asshole.”
“Then I guess I’m an asshole too.”
Jaeheon Lee admitted that he had become quite useless.
“It’s really sad.”
How can I define myself when even death has no value?
‘Tell someone.’
Even though I repeated it to myself, no one answered.
‘Anyone…’
There was no way such a person could exist.
“….”
It can’t happen.
As a stranger whose body is not mine, whose memories are mixed like mud, and whose name I cannot even remember, where should I belong and how should I be defined? Even though I know it’s a pathetic worry, I can’t shake it off.
Is it right for you to call me ‘Lee Jae-heon’?
“….”
Why is I called ‘Lee Jae-heon’?
“….”
I don’t know what’s left of me that calls me that….
“Inmyeong.”
“Don’t ask me to do anything strange.”
“Do you want me to kill you?”
“I told you not to do it.”
“I wonder what it feels like.”
“I’m curious about everything.”
“What was death like?”
How long do I have to grow old?
“Are you comfortable?”
“It hurt a lot.”
“That’s okay too.”
“It wasn’t okay at all.”
“Are you quiet?”
“It was so fucking loud.”
“So you’re awake.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“You woke up because of the noise.”
How long do you have to keep me awake for my aptitude to be revealed?
“Are you tired?”
When will my fatigue end?
There is no one giving answers anywhere.
“I guess so…”
Tell me what I am.
What am I supposed to do?
Why am I alive? Is it worth it?
Where the hell am I right now?
“….”
I know it’s all nonsense.
That’s all I know.
“…I’m sleepy.”
I wanted to sleep.
“If you’re tired, please get some sleep. “Don’t say anything weird.”
“Is that so?”
“…No, just stay awake. “Keep talking to me.”
“That’s good too.”
Jaeheon Lee smiled slightly.
No matter how I think about it, you should have given me two endings.
Either bury me completely in death or give me a reason to live.
‘It’s not like this is happening, so it’s in this inefficient state.’
Jaeheon Lee cursed the whole world with a smiling face.
Now it’s too late to pour out words of resentment at someone in particular, so I’m just complaining into the air. Jaeheon Lee had the right to curse the world.
It was like an abandoned shell with nothing left. Still, it was something that could be done. No matter who I looked at and cursed at, there was no problem as it was worthless and just scattered in the air.
“….”
I’m sleepy.
I can hear the sound of rushing water.
It didn’t feel realistic. Is it because it is the water of the other world? In that case, this place, rather than reality, may be closer to a dream.
That’s why Jaeheon Lee was dozing in his dream. He was gradually becoming separated from reality and losing color.
“What color am I now?”
“You’re saying something strange again.”
“Maybe you don’t want to answer?”
“That’s not it…”
“Huh?”
“….”
The answer came a long time later.
“…gray.”
“Oh, as expected.”
I knew it.
“That’s right.”
I am still colorless.
It’s just light and dark, but it’s blurry without any color.
It felt like proof that I wasn’t given any role…
“…order me something.”
“What on earth?”
“anything.”
“Just sit there bored and stop talking. “Aren’t you tired?”
“Then how can I prove my worth?”
“Breathe.”
“It’s very efficient.”
This was a world where just breathing gave value.
It wasn’t Jaeheon Lee’s world, so he became a loner.
“….”
“….”
The unfamiliar young man asked.
“Say something.”
“why?”
“Because you’re so quiet, it looks like you’re dead.”
“i envy you.”
“Don’t say anything strange… or at least say that.”
“what?”
“Why are you jealous of death?”
“I’m jealous because it’s something I don’t have.”
Jaeheon Lee laughed slightly.
“Everyone is jealous of what I don’t have.”
“You can’t die?”
“….”
Well, that’s right.
“…I know at least that I should have died.”
In a ruined house, he was killed by his children, holding his wife’s belongings, and left alone. That was the death that a man deserved and the last chance he would ever have.
But how did it come to this?
“Who will kill me now?”
You are a chick, this place is soft, and I am old.
Who could bestow death on me who has no value?
“It’s probably going to be difficult….”
“….”
“I’m not even looking forward to it.”
That’s so improbable.
(Continued in the next part)
