Episode 54
In the eyes of the other person, Lee Jae-heon would probably be seen as ‘a person who can do anything to achieve what he wants.’ It wasn’t just a matter of mindset.
Before his personality changed noticeably, he maintained the appearance of ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’. Although he is an old man, he has the altruism to save others, but he is also sensitive and dishonest… Of course, this was not a setting he created, but was put on by other people, but it was not entirely wrong in the sense that he was always acting.
Anyway, all the curveballs shown in front of Detective Hong Gyeong-jun were based on that ‘Chief Lee Jae-heon’. When ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’s temper is twisted and he criticizes his opponent. ‘Director Lee Jae-heon’ was so tired and tired that he showed his appearance exactly as he did when pleading with the other person, and since it did not deviate too much from the existing scope, the detective was not surprised either.
However, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun, who is very wary, must have been quite surprised because he revealed a new personality again, excluding the personality he had seen for the first time.
‘That’s because there are very few people in the world today with a twisted personality like me.’
And among those guys, there wasn’t even a sane person. At least I could guarantee this.
‘So we’ll get a boundary here.’
Jaeheon Lee not only had the mindset of ‘I will do anything’, but he even had the ability to make it possible. This was clearly demonstrated by the change in personality that occurred in an instant.
It may be true if it was in a past life, but if you are a normal person in this life, you don’t change your personality for reasons of efficiency like Lee Jae-heon. Since they’ve only met for less than a day, you may not know that the change was just a matter of efficiency, but didn’t Lee Jae-heon change his mask several times just now because he wanted him to leave the room? You probably got a rough idea.
And what was needed here was none other than method acting. ‘I am a survivor of the underworld, I have been eaten again for the first time in a very long time, and I am very tired, but
I am
a psychopath who manages my facial expressions mechanically for efficiency…’
To sum up the situation, Lee Jae-heon is a survivor of the underworld and has escaped for some time. For some reason, after spending my days acting like an old man manager, I suddenly came to my senses and was consumed by that disgusting world again.
However, I couldn’t suddenly quit playing the old manager. After all, he was eaten up along with the people in the company, and if he acted here, he could have been misunderstood or received warnings. At least for the sake of the group’s mental strength, Lee Jae-heon had to continue acting as the old manager.
At the same time, he continued to protect others. That’s because Lee Jae-heon has quite a sacrificial spirit. Because I have a sense of responsibility to protect others, and as a survivor, I have a sense of duty to lead them.
‘I think that if someone has to die or get hurt anyway, me, who should have already died once, is a much more efficient option.’
And this point was not much different from my original intention. Of course, it is not based on such a sacrificial mindset, but based on complete values.
As a result, a bit of my past was revealed to my quick-witted subordinates and doctor, and that day, I woke up and vomited out the blood that was inside me. Lee Jae-heon, who was caught in a scene that should not have been seen by anyone, played the role of Manager Lee Jae-heon as he was accustomed to, but his opponent did not easily back down.
The fatigue of being consumed by the world again and the wasteful conversation we had in the afternoon. A witness who is more idiotic than you can imagine. Lee Jae-heon realized that he could not continue acting and eventually showed his true colors. He knew that this aspect of himself could pose quite a threat to his opponents.
‘But it has to be a different kind from that killer bastard.’
So… Lee Jae-heon showed his true face even though he knew that he might be warned by the detective.
‘Because I’m tired and worn out.’
However, no matter how tired and exhausted I was, I did not want to reveal my original personality to someone I was meeting for the first time.
I don’t know exactly why. It could be out of pride, courtesy to others, or it could be because he didn’t want to be caught by a detective who seemed obsessed with the weak. What was certain was that Lee Jae-heon was by no means a villain, but was just a victim of the underworld, and that he knew that he could be a perpetrator in some sense.
Jaeheon Lee had resigned himself to quite a few things.
“well.”
“….”
“Do we need to talk?”
Unlike his expression, the end of his voice was faintly sad.
“I don’t think I need it.”
In this way, Jaeheon Lee was able to avoid becoming a complete enemy to the detective.
A strong person and a mentally ill person with a story are treated differently. Even if they do the same thing, there are people who are criticized and there are people who are defended. Lee Jae-heon, who had sold his conscience for a long time, wanted his image as Detective Hong Kyung-jun to be gray.
‘He is a good guy by nature. However, he is in a mentally dangerous state. There seems to be a good reason…’
And he was a victim of the underworld.
Since the concept already received sympathy from the main character and the doctor, it didn’t seem like it would be a big problem to add sympathy from the detective.
“…Are Lee Jae-heon’s group aware of your condition?”
“I do not know.”
“That’s… problematic.”
Sure enough, the detective’s brow furrowed slightly.
“I’m sorry for asking the same question over and over again, but aren’t these people trustworthy? “You have a lot of injuries here and there, but have you ever received any unreasonable demands?”
“…I heard something similar from police officer Kim Yeon-woo, but that’s not true at all. It was all my choice and I don’t regret it one bit. Thanks to that, no one died.”
“You can’t do that, Jaeheon Lee. “You should at least let them know what your condition is and get help.”
“No need.”
“That can’t be right.”
“There is no need for someone to die just to get some help.”
“….”
“…It was pointless.”
Jaeheon Lee let out a light laugh.
“sorry.”
He was out of his mind now.
Apart from the fact that he was originally mentally ill, he actually had no time to spare and his physical strength was not good enough to cause him to vomit blood. However, what was certain was that Lee Jae-heon’s judgment had deteriorated considerably after hemoptysis.
That’s why I showed my bare face, which I wouldn’t have normally seen, and made harsh noises I wouldn’t have made. Although he mechanically tried to maintain his facial expression, his insides were very complicated and painful. Lee Jae-heon did not like the current situation, where his mask was instantly taken off and his true feelings revealed in front of someone he had never seen before. I was frustrated and irritated, but I also felt unfair.
It was only for a short time that his inner thoughts were revealed, and Jae-heon Lee quickly took on the personality of ‘Manager Jae-heon Lee’, which he first saw.
A grumpy tone of voice comes out of my mouth.
“There were a lot of rude examples.”
“…no.”
“You must be tired, so please go in. If you say you’re out on patrol, the rest of the group will say the same… Yeonwoo is probably worried too. “What kind of patrolling is this early in the morning?”
“….”
“…I like the situation now.”
For a moment, the voice quieted down.
“I have that right.”
Honestly, this was really sincere.
‘Anyway, the chicks are so disgusting that I can’t even touch them.’
I’m going to do what I want, but I don’t know why everyone is making such a fuss. It was almost like a wise blow was coming. Jaeheon Lee was feeling sad the whole time he was thinking about his past life.
He adjusted his tone of voice again and continued.
“You were so foolish that I said something for no reason.”
“…one-sided sacrifice is not good, Jaeheon Lee.”
“I’ll have to go in soon. “When I hear people ask me why I was away, I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s not strange to want someone’s help. “I know you have something in mind, but that doesn’t mean this approach is right.”
“I will gladly accept your desire to help.”
“….”
“I hope to see you again when the sun rises.”
I laughed a little.
“I hope we don’t know each other then.”
“….”
In short, he was telling me not to go anywhere and talk about what I saw today.
Detective Hong Gyeong-jun frowned at Lee Jae-heon’s words, then returned to his expressionless expression. Immediately, I tapped my fingertips together and blinked. Lee Jae-heon was able to recall that this was a habit that emerged when considering the entire story of the case and coming up with an answer.
Knock knock knock.
After a short period of time, in which our fingers collided about three times, the detective standing across from me answered.
“…I will do that.”
It was Jaeheon Lee’s victory.
‘After all, this is someone who shouldn’t appeal to emotions.’
Jaeheon Lee clicked his tongue and glanced at him.
Detective Hong Gyeong-jun was the type of person who preferred to rely on reason rather than emotion. This meant that Lee Jae-heon had to approach the situation in a completely different direction from how he had treated the group so far, and that caution was needed when dealing with Detective Hong in the future.
The reason Detective Hong Gyeong-jun acted as if he was trying to drag him away just a moment ago was probably because he thought Lee Jae-heon was emotionally excited. In fact, that’s what I tried to look like.
‘A normal person would not necessarily want to deal with someone who becomes sensitive to pain and loses his cool.’
Even at dawn like this.
However, Lee Jae-heon had to suffer mental exhaustion due to the crime of momentarily forgetting that his opponent was a crazy person. Since he was already excited, no matter what he said, the detective would have dragged Lee Jae-heon away, and in that case, he had to show that all the excitement up until now was a lie before he could return to the group.
And now, returning to the present, he noticed that Lee Jae-heon himself was in a cold state and even that he was an unfamiliar type of psychopath.
‘I guess he didn’t think it was necessary to take him to his group.’
Taking the patient does not solve the problem of vomiting blood, and the patient himself is too excited to understand the situation. It would have been considered a loss to both parties to take the patient to a group who was already very unstable. Very rationally.
However, what was a little surprising was that Detective Hong reacted strangely kindly and sensitively to Lee Jae-heon, a stranger, than expected…
‘Is the radar broken?’
It was a big difference from what I expected, that he would immediately enter the border as soon as he made eye contact. Unless that brilliant detective’s intuition is broken, there’s no way he would be this obedient. I furrowed my brow, feeling like my plan was being ruined again.
‘…It’s hard to make a living.’
Somehow nothing works.
“If you find it difficult to trust, please let us know at any time and we will take necessary action.”
“…I’m really grateful for that.”
also.
‘I met you guys.’
It appears that the protagonist and the detective had contact once.
Of course, I had some doubts, but now I am completely sure. Thanks to meeting Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho, his anxiety about the serial killer he was chasing must have grown.
‘Because he would have known with his good intuition that the culprit was among the survivors in the park.’
Perhaps among his ‘group’ that Detective Hong Gyeongjun just mentioned, there was someone who made him feel uncomfortable. These are suspects based solely on his suspicions without any legal or material evidence.
But in this situation, there may not be time to properly find the culprit.
‘Then why on earth do you think I don’t have any doubts?’
“Aren’t you tired of trying to be a detective even during this time? “You also patrol.”
“It’s natural to help people in trouble. Isn’t that right, Jaeheon Lee?”
“You leave me speechless.”
In any case, it seemed like Jeong In-ho was the one under the greatest suspicion right now.
However, Lee Jae-heon, who was already in tatters, was vomiting blood and even looked excited, and said that there was a separate party. You couldn’t help but think of Jeong In-ho, who was already suspected of being a suspect, and you must have wondered if he had been treated unfairly. If so, the strong stance shown so far was somewhat understandable.
In such a situation, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun would not have been able to say anything, as if Lee Jae-heon himself already knew everything about the situation.
‘Because the person that bastard was trying to help was the victim, not an accomplice.’
Of course, I don’t think that Lee Jae-heon is an accomplice to a serial killer… but there is a big difference between what we know and what we don’t know. Even if the same thing happened, I couldn’t help but think it was relatively less serious. Especially in a world where judgment is clouded like this.
‘…Rather than that, there was an unexpected loss.’
My heart ached uncontrollably.
Even if we hadn’t met him here, or at least if he hadn’t been seen vomiting blood, Lee Jae-heon wouldn’t have had to change his concept. The fact that he had to carry most of the survivors, including Detective Hong Gyeong-jun, was a huge blow to him, who had gone through many hardships before birth.
‘Of course, if we watch the situation in the future, there is a possibility of changing the course, but I don’t know.’
I don’t know if it was because of my mood, but the possibility of that happening has dropped significantly. It was a situation I didn’t really want to be in. I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back at night.
Lee Jae-heon, who thought for a moment, stopped as if he suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, are your group in good condition?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Water, food, things like that.”
The detective astutely understood what he was saying.
“It looks like things are okay.”
“Not too bad.”
After saying that, Lee Jae-heon frowned and relaxed his eyebrows, then bit his lip slightly and relaxed them again. He briefly showed a slight sense of conflict and opened his mouth in no time.
Jaeheon Lee pointed toward a small lake and said.
“Over there… there’s a lake.”
“…a lake.”
“The water is clean. “It’s not that small of a lake… We boiled it and drank it just in case.”
“….”
“It didn’t look too bad for a water source.”
Of course, I am not just giving this as a favor.
‘If it’s a mentality that I have to manage anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start working on it from now on.’
I don’t know how the situation will change in the future, but it seemed likely that Jaeheon Lee would have to hug most of the survivors in the park. In fact, this may have been the right answer from the beginning, as it is a world where ‘death’ has a large impact. Even if it is to prepare for Lee Jae-heon’s retirement in the secret world.
‘Yes, it would be better to grow it early on and then suck it up later.’
But based on the novel, their situation would not be very good right now.
In other words, if Lee Jae-heon hadn’t remembered his past life, our group would have been in tatters in body and mind just like Lee Jae-heon, so what more needs to be said?
“Isn’t it a bit weird to drink just any water in a place like this?”
“….”
“It’s difficult to even stop by a convenience store or supermarket. “It’s not for me to say anything, but I think everyone will come out dead if they go there.”
“…That is correct.”
However, in this case, conflict was bound to arise between the teams. Our group is in such a difficult situation, but if the other side looks much better, as long as they are human, there can be at least envy and maximum hatred. Even if he couldn’t do anything about getting injured, Lee Jae-heon tried to reduce the gap between rich and poor as much as possible.
And another reason was the danger of small lakes.
‘The more test subjects there are, the faster the results come out.’
Lee Jae-heon remembered the reaction of Chief Kang and the collection team. I don’t know because I haven’t been there yet, but since I can’t completely trust the description in the novel, there was no harm in being careful.
However, if the opposing team was truly harmed, he could be criticized for informing them, so Lee Jae-heon spoke with a sour expression.
“Still, be careful just in case. “Some of our group went there and saw it… It felt very strange.”
“…It’s a feeling.”
“It’s not like there aren’t monsters trying to kill people.”
Lee Jae-heon, who said that, pretended to keep his face expressionless.
‘There is actually a monster in the water.’
The hesitation and bitterness shown when mentioning the small lake was not a complaint that came from sharing good information with the other person, but a reaction that came from the thought that giving inaccurate information could endanger the other person. Lee Jae-heon said that he was It was made to look like that.
And fortunately, the other person followed Lee Jae-heon’s intentions exactly.
“…Thank you for good information.”
“It was nothing.”
For a sudden loss, it wasn’t a bad result.
I hope someone catches it.
