Episode 538
“…So, let me summarize…”
Lee Jae-heon opened his mouth after hearing Jeong In-ho’s words from room 10.
“The ‘wetsuit’ is shaped like a ring.”
“yes.”
“And in order to use it, you have to lower the guard of the cowardly ‘wetsuit’.”
Jaeheon Lee continued speaking.
“When using a ‘wetsuit’, a ‘transformation’ occurs, turning into an aquatic creature. You can temporarily stop the progression by cutting the mutated area or eating a mermaid, and the further you touch the water, the faster the progression becomes.”
“….”
“As the mutation progresses, the number of attacks from monsters significantly decreases, difficulty breathing outside the water, and mental and physical abnormalities occur, making it difficult to function smoothly. Is that correct?”
“…That’s accurate.”
In-ho Jeong felt a vague appreciation for Jae-heon Lee’s voice, which was accurate and clear like an announcer.
It felt like he wasn’t a person, which gave me goosebumps, but the fact that he was so calm gave me some psychological support.
‘…I definitely feel relieved because I’m with Lee Jae-heon.’
I felt a little relieved, but it seemed like Jeong In-ho was quite nervous as he read the survivor’s record in room 10.
Jeong In-ho exhaled slowly.
“It was a record that compiled the most information I could find, but it contained a lot of gibberish, as if the survivor was in his right mind at the time of writing it. “It seems like the mutation has had a lot of impact, but I’m a little worried.”
Song In-myeong intervened in Jeong In-ho’s words.
“What are you worried about? “The survivor who must have already been searched for?”
“I was worried about the safety of all survivors except you.”
“Is this a true story about personality?”
“I don’t want to hear it from you…”
Jeong In-ho, smiling faintly, skillfully ignored Song In-myeong.
I don’t know why, but after becoming the final survivor, Song In-myeong started bickering like this. On my own, I think I have a playful and light voice, but I guess I couldn’t hide my youthful discomfort underneath it.
‘Why on earth would a guy who I already want to kill be like this? It’s annoying…’
Jeong In-ho focused his attention on Lee Jae-heon again.
“Even the survivors who left records seemed to have no idea how ‘mutation’ began. However, the nuance was that it was possible to mutate in ways other than a ‘diving suit,’ and I think I may have seen someone who mutated even though he was not wearing a ring.”
“Hmm, that’s good information. Thank you for your effort.”
“….”
Jeong In-ho, who was stroking my neck, asked carefully.
“…Our people will be okay, right? yet?”
I was worried about the wetsuit search team that would have to travel around this aquarium in a situation where we did not know the conditions under which ‘mutation’ began. You already have to look around and interact with a lot of elements, but what if ‘mutation’ occurs in the process…
Lee Jae-heon nodded and answered Jeong In-ho’s concerns.
“It would be more likely than not to be okay.”
“….”
“It was said that the mutation starts from parts that are not easily visible, so it would be a good idea to inform the search team about this mutation in advance. “Only then will you be able to check your body periodically and prevent further mutations.”
“But we have no means of contact.”
“This is a really troubling situation.”
Lee Jae-heon’s face as he said that was as calm as a lake without wind.
The gently drawn smile seemed carefree, but only the gray eyes, busy with all sorts of plans and judgments, gave a strange sense of heterogeneity.
“…Then you have two options. I believe that Mr. Jeong In-ho or writer Song In-myeong went directly to the investigative team and informed them, or that there was a detective who contacted us periodically…” “
Yes, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun.”
“Hong Gyeong-jun?”
Jaeheon Lee reacted to the name ‘Hong Gyeongjun’. Jeong In-ho’s mood became even more strange because it was a reaction as if he had heard the name of an acquaintance whom he had not seen for a while.
It was because I felt like I was being confirmed that Lee Jae-heon had someone who would become Hong Gyeong-jun’s master.
“…Hong Gyeong-jun….”
Lee Jae-heon, who was thinking about Hong Gyeong-jun’s name, soon muttered softly.
“Are you still alive?”
“yes?”
“No, I was confused for a moment.”
“…Didn’t you just wonder why Detective Hong Gyeong-jun is still alive?”
“I thought he didn’t have the personality to survive for a long time in this environment.”
“That’s right.”
In-ho Jeong obediently admitted it. It must have been difficult for the strict detective, a person with a personality breakdown who frequently breaks down and gets irritated, to survive in this behind-the-scenes world. I really don’t know how I’m still alive.
“….”
Jeong In-ho, who was looking at Lee Jae-heon intently, asked.
“…What will you call Detective Hong Gyeong-jun, Chief?”
Jaeheon Lee, who thought about it for a moment, answered.
“Junior?”
“Oh, then what about me?”
“…Junior?”
“I’m feeling upset.”
“…Are that junior and this junior the same person?”
“I can’t even understand what they’re saying anymore.”
Well, how can we understand the mental world of a crazy person?
For Jeong In-ho, who was not yet as crazy as Lee Jae-heon, it felt like something from a far away country. It seems like the thoughts of someone living in a very different culture, so I can’t even begin to understand it.
However, this did not mean that the continued worries could be stopped.
‘…I think that junior definitely refers to Hong Gyeong-jun, but then I don’t really know why he calls me junior… Did that police officer and Lee Jae-heon get mixed up and recognize me, a junior at work, as junior?’
Then another question arises.
‘No, then it should end there. Why do you recognize the juniors as two people? From the looks of it, Hong Gyeong-jun is also called junior and I also call him junior, but what on earth is this… nonsense…’
In the end, Jeong In-ho’s question stopped halfway without being able to come up with a proper conclusion.
It was a useless worry right now that couldn’t be resolved in Lee Jae-heon’s mind anyway.
“…Then what should we do?”
Waiting for Hong Gyeong-jun to call was relying on a very vague hope.
“I don’t know when I’ll get a call, or there’s a chance that the cell phone itself may have completely lost power. “If you don’t hear a call from Detective Hong Gyeong-jun for a while…”
“Has it been that long?”
“Detective Hong Gyeong-jun is hiding in the bathroom at Eonhak High School, but seeing as he hasn’t contacted us so much, wouldn’t it be possible that his cell phone just died? “Unless you’re fooling around.”
It was when Jeong In-ho was sarcastic like that.
“ah.”
The cell phone rang.
The recipient is Detective Hong Gyeong-jun.
“….”
“….”
“Aren’t you going to accept it?”
“…I’ll take it now.”
In-ho Jeong received a call from Gyeong-jun Hong.
“What kind of nonsense have you been playing around with and now you’re contacting me?”
―What kind of nonsense do you mean?
“Then why hasn’t there been a single phone call yet?”
―Are there a lot of people I need to contact?
Hong Gyeong-jun looked quite aggrieved.
―Kwon Yeon-hee has been having a bit of a hard time recently, perhaps because she’s separated from the other survivors, so I’ve been contacting her periodically, and she’s been giving various instructions to the survivors in the park in case there might be a final boss other than the green algae monster from before.
“How can you give them various instructions?”
-It wasn’t a big instruction. I just asked them to check their surroundings regularly and let me know if there is any danger. I don’t know why you listen to people so carefully?
“I’m having such a hard time at the aquarium, so how can I not say it out loud?”
―Song In-myeong seems to be getting on my nerves quite a bit, so please don’t take your anger out on me. I think this is a very unreasonable, unfair and childish response.
Jaeheon Lee, who was listening to the phone call next to him, intervened.
“You can’t be unreasonable and unfair, junior. “It would be better for you two not to fight.”
“….”
It’s junior.
Jeong In-ho said with a warm smile.
“I will apologize first, Detective.”
―…Junior? What did Jaeheon Lee just say?
“Anyway, why did you call me after such a long time?”
―No, just now….
“What is your business? Business.”
―….
After a while, Hong Gyeong-jun answered.
―…I was going to tell you that Ha Seong-yoon, Yoon Garam, and the park’s Pompitz monster are almost approaching the Dreamcatcher Aquarium.
“Oh my god already?”
―It took quite a bit of time to tell them the way to the aquarium. It wasn’t because I was fooling around that I didn’t contact you. Did you understand?
“I don’t know why you’re reacting so sensitively.”
―Who is making me sensitive right now?
“Umm how do I know that?”
Jeong In-ho smiled flawlessly and smiled in his heart.
Looking at Hong Gyeong-jun’s tone of voice over the phone becoming sharper, it seemed like the ‘junior’ Jae-heon Lee was talking about had become sensitive because he had touched a very painful area.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was muttering something under his breath, soon took a deep breath and spoke again.
―…And I think this will be my last contact. My phone’s battery is almost dead, and it’s going to run out after just one or two more calls. I also called to ask who I should write my one remaining call to.
“aha.”
―How is the situation there now?
In response to Hong Gyeong-jun’s words, Jeong In-ho informed him of the current situation of the aquarium survivors.
Park Da-hoon is still trapped, Lee Jae-heon received a crappy exchange product from a souvenir shop, and in order to avoid being seen using it, Jung Eun-woo, Seo Jang-hwa, and Park Da-young went to look for the ‘wetsuit’ again.
In-ho Jeong, who told Hong Gyeong-jun the information he found out in room 10, asked.
“Did you remember everything? “If you say you are not confident in your memory, you have no choice but to go see me or Song Inmyeong’s professional wetsuit search team.”
―Surprisingly, my memory is pretty good, Mr. Jeong In-ho. I hope you don’t worry about my dementia and take care of Jaeheon Lee’s well-being. What on earth did that man do until he blew off his wrist?
“That human?”
-I made a mistake. Anyway, I would like to ask your opinion on how to do the job properly. I have remembered everything you have told me, and if so, I will contact Seo Jang-hwa.
“No, you just saw the manager…”
―Is there anything else I need to know?
“Hong Kyung -jun is a dog?”
-I’ll stop now. Thank you for your hard work.
The phone call suddenly hung up like that.
“….”
Jeong In-ho was dumbfounded.
‘…This bastard is looking at Lee Jae-heon overlapping with his shooter, right?’
Hong Gyeong-jun never called Lee Jae-heon ‘that person’. There wasn’t that much distance between them in the first place.
No, of course, at this point, it would not have been strange to say that the current Lee Jae-heon is not a 100% pure Lee Jae-heon, but a 51% Lee Jae-heon with 49% ghost police content. But isn’t that what it is and what is this?
‘If we leave it like this, aren’t you opposed to Lee Jae-heon returning to his normal self?’
What was the one or two times that Hong Kyung-jun made people burst out in laughter?
Jeong In-ho tried to calm his anxious mind and looked back at Lee Jae-heon.
“…Yeah what….”
“Yes.”
“…Doesn’t hearing this voice give you something to say?”
“What I want to say?”
I asked this question because I was curious about how the ghost police officer in Lee Jae-heon would react after hearing the voice of ‘junior’ for the first time in a long time, but Lee Jae-heon simply responded with a normal response.
“That’s a voice worth raising.”
“…What kind of voice is that?”
“He’s a bit stubborn, so I think it’ll be fun to tease him about that.”
“….”
So is that part of the reason why you mistake Hong Kyung-jun, the ‘junior’, for Jeong In-ho?
Jeong In-ho looked with a straight face.
“Is that what you thought of me?”
“What are you talking about…?”
“I’m disappointed, Manager.”
“yes?”
“You are such an unreasonable person.”
Immediately after saying those words, Jaeheon Lee seemed quite shocked, and Inho Jeong had to struggle to gather his words for nearly 10 minutes.
(Continued in the next part)
