Episode 554:
When Jeong Eun-woo went missing, the survivors were less upset than expected.
Seo Jang-hwa, who was most worried about Jeong Eun-woo’s safety, was confused by guilt, but did not cry out of fear that can be felt in the face of someone’s death. Other survivors simply accepted the fact that Jeong Eun-woo was missing.
The reason was simple.
“…I didn’t feel like anyone was dying??”
This was because I felt nothing was wrong.
‘Don’t you feel strange when someone dies in the other world?’
I don’t know what the mechanism is, but in the other world, when someone I know dies, I feel like my heart stops beating.
The closer I was to that person, the stronger the feeling at that time became.
‘Of course, I can’t say that we are that close to Jeong Eun-woo, but…’ When
Han Do-yoon hesitated in embarrassment, Kim Ki-jeong held her tightly and made her stay still.
“Be quiet. “You shouldn’t move carelessly in front of wild beasts.”
“No, that… yes.”
“I understand.”
Kim Ki-jeong’s expression wasn’t very good either.
He too was thinking of similar questions as Han Do-yoon.
‘…If you become a monster, isn’t that also treated as death?’
From Kim Ki-jeong’s perspective, who does not know the existence of regression, there has never been a case where another survivor turned into a monster and died. But he had a very good ear. Especially when it comes to the underworld.
Therefore, I occasionally overheard conversations between survivors who knew about regression, and I got a rough idea of the correlation between monsterization and death.
‘Yes, I definitely said that if I turn into a monster, I will die.’
I thought maybe Lee Jae-heon, who has a lot of experience in the behind-the-scenes world, would have told me about it.
‘But Jung Eun-woo really… didn’t feel anything…’
Kim Ki-jeong looked at Do-yoon Han.
I could clearly feel the embarrassment of seeing Jeong Eun-woo, who had turned white and appeared in the hole in the ceiling. Kim Ki-jeong sympathized with Do-yoon Han’s silent fear and astonishment.
“….”
That figure was clearly a monster.
‘…I don’t know why we haven’t felt anything until now…’
Kim Ki-jeong looked at Jeong Eun-woo, who was soaked in water.
The ears, which should have been apricot-colored and round, were long and covered with a thin web-like membrane. It trembled as it looked at Han Do-yoon and Kim Ki-jeong, and since its eyes were not focusing well, it seemed like it was sensing surrounding objects through the membranes of its ears.
The teeth visible between the slightly parted lips were too sharp to be considered human, and the throat inside them was also dense. The unfocused eyes were all black with no whites, and they were rolling around busily.
“….”
It really looks like a monster.
“…Ugh…”
Kim Ki-jeong’s shoulders trembled.
‘…What is that.’
I felt sick without even realizing it.
Kim Ki-jeong was astonished to see that even though the human form still remained, there was something attached to it that should not exist in humans. The instinctive repulsion and disgust that sent goosebumps down his back made Kim Ki-jeong terrified.
“…Maybe it was because he wasn’t close to us… that we didn’t know he was dead?”
Kim Ki-jeong frowned at Han Do-yoon’s whispered question. I wonder if it would be important to resolve such questions in a situation like this, but since Kim Ki-jeong was having similar concerns, the answer came easily.
“… Well… maybe…?”
“Or that Eunwoo Jeong is not dead yet.”
“That… is just as terrible.”
I thought it would be too cruel if there was a healthy living person inside that hideous outer shell that seemed to lack any sense of human nature.
Kim Ki-jeong thought that a complete death would be more merciful.
“….”
Of course, the underworld was a space far from mercy.
“…I just have to hope that’s not the case.”
It was a situation where it was assumed that Jung Eun-woo was not a good person. Even though I thought so because the other person was the secretary of this party, I couldn’t feel good about something terrible happening to someone I was communicating with and interacting with normally.
But even for a moment, Kim Ki-jeong just frowned and ended his terrible impressions. The situation wasn’t leisurely enough to just dwell on unnecessary sentiments.
“…I do not know.”
“yes?”
“Anyway, it’s not a situation where we can do anything to feel sorry for that person, so we just think about how to deal with it. “Who’s got a three-inch nose and they’re worrying about others…”
“Ki-jeong, you’re cool.”
“Oh, look at reality. Reality. “If anyone is bothered right now, it’s us.”
For Kim Ki-jung, our safety was more important whether Jung Eun-woo turned into a monster or not.
If it were reality, I would have expressed more condolences for the other person, but isn’t this a side world where it’s hard to take care of oneself right now? I couldn’t afford to feel sorry for Jung Eun-woo, who I wasn’t even close with.
“So, hurry up and act like you’re a cool guy, and use your head. “How will it turn out?”
From the beginning, Kim Ki-jeong was that kind of person. A person who is precious to no one but me, but whose arms easily bend inward.
To Kim Ki-jeong, who has a bad personality, Jung Eun-woo doesn’t even need to be considered, he’s just someone on the outside of his arm.
“But Kim Ki-jeong said earlier, let’s just stay here instead of running away…”
“No, what are you going to do if you move carelessly and provoke that person?”
Kim Ki-jeong dismissed Do-yoon Han’s words.
“It seems like it senses something with the membrane on its ear, but no matter how much I look at it… it flutters every time we move. “I said this because I don’t seem to be able to recognize objects that aren’t moving.”
To be honest, I felt like I encountered a wild boar the size of a truck while hiking. The sight of Jung Eun-woo reappearing as a monster gave Kim Ki-jeong exactly that kind of impression.
Han Do-yoon looked at Kim Ki-jeong with a strange gaze.
“…Mr. Kijeong, surprisingly…are you fearless? It’s not?”
“…Did you really need to pierce my pride by backtracking? Firefighter Han Do-yoon?”
“No, you seem strangely calm.”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong sighed softly.
“I just started to calm down at this point.”
Isn’t it true that people don’t even scream when they are so shocked? Kim Ki-jeong thought that his current state was exactly like that. I actually felt at ease because I was in a situation where I would immediately get caught if I made a fuss.
Kim Ki-jeong muttered to himself.
‘If anything happens, I’ll just die…’
Of course, I have no intention of dying obediently.
Kim Ki-jeong, who had overcome panic and found peace, slowly turned to his surroundings. Even though it was a dangerous situation where I didn’t know when I would die, I was trying to find a way to break through.
“….”
Once you run away… there are ‘Friends by the Stream’ in front of you and there is an ‘Underwater World’ behind you.
‘But neither is a good idea.’
Kim Ki-jeong shook his head inwardly.
When the ‘Friends by the Stream’ passed by, at least one of them had to have their feet and calves ripped off. If I was unlucky, I might slip into a hole and fall, but I couldn’t even imagine how horribly I would die.
‘It’s especially true now that I’m in a hurry. Even if Han Do-yoon were to carry me across, I don’t know if I would have the luxury of doing so, and I might make a mistake and fall, or just cross on my own… I couldn’t bear that in the first place. ‘Why didn’t I follow In-ho Jeong and stay here?’
However, Jeong Eun-woo’s appearance was caught when he tried to escape to the ‘underwater world’.
‘No matter how you look at that, doesn’t it seem like you can run more freely in the water…?’
Jeong Eun-woo, who had pale skin like a corpse, had gills on his neck, although they were hard to see because they were covered by clothes. Moreover, if you listen closely, you can hear a strange breathing sound coming from Eunwoo Jeong, who sticks his head out of the ceiling.
Jeong Eun-woo repeatedly stuck his head out of the ceiling and then went back into the hole in the ceiling shortly after. Thanks to that repetitive action, Kim Ki-jeong was able to come up with a hypothesis.
“…I think there might be water inside the ceiling.”
“…It doesn’t look like that at all…? Isn’t it just an empty space? “It’s not like water is flowing out of the hole.”
“It’s because it looks like it’s difficult for that person to breathe when they come out of the ceiling. “He’s a fish after all.”
“hmm.”
“When I stick my head out, my breathing gets heavier.”
There seemed to be some kind of device inside the ceiling.
‘Well, it’s a secret world, so nothing can happen.’
Just as there was a swimming pool at Unhak High School that was water but did not get wet, there could also be a space that had the characteristics of water even though there was no water at all. In Kim Ki-jeong’s opinion, the space inside the ceiling where Jeong Eun-woo was was like that.
Therefore, even if they escaped to the ‘underwater world’, there was a high probability that they would be cruelly torn to death within it. Because Jung Eun-woo, who is half a fish, will have a greater advantage than us who can’t breathe in the water and struggle against the water’s resistance.
But if you think about it that way….
“….”
What should I do?
‘What do we do.’
Jeong Eun-woo had already realized that there were people here, as he was peering through the ceiling right above them. It seemed like the reason Jung Eun-woo was hanging around inside the hole in the ceiling was to effectively catch his prey.
So it wasn’t like I could live by just staying like this. Looking at that face that seemed to be thinking about where to jump, Eun-Woo Jeong would soon come down to the floor and start rolling around all over the place.
‘Do we have what it takes to defeat that human?’
The conclusion was, of course, very negative. In the first place, there was no way that Kim Ki-jeong, who had a hard time just sitting still and breathing, and Do-yoon Han, who had so much affection for him and had no choice but to protect him, would be able to kill such a monster.
‘When I looked at the reactions… it seemed like the original Jung Eun-woo, who had not become a monster, was a difficult opponent to beat.’
Kim Ki-jeong saw Do-yoon Han.
“why?”
“….”
Han Do-yoon was in much better physical condition than Kim Ki-jeong, but through several experiences, Kim Ki-jeong was well aware of Han Do-yoon’s limitations. Do-yoon Han was simply in good shape, but had no talent for fighting.
‘You can’t turn your back on this friend and tell him to fight.’
It wasn’t a method I really liked in the first place. Kim Ki-jeong was not shameless enough to encourage Han Do-yoon, even though he clearly knew that he would die, even though he could clearly see the future in which he would be torn to pieces and die horribly.
‘But just waiting like this and doing nothing doesn’t mean we can all live together.’
As I thought about before, Eunwoo Jeong has already assumed the location of the prey. The reason he hesitates inside the ceiling is probably not because he is not confident in hunting, but because he wants to hunt more thoroughly.
In the end, if Jung Eun-woo completes all the calculations and attacks, Do-yoon Han and Ki-jeong Kim will inevitably die….
“….”
It would be better for me than for both of them to die.
“I’ll move.”
“….”
“How do you feel?”
“…yes?”
Kim Ki-jeong raised his head with an awkward movement and looked at Han Do-yoon’s face.
The foolish bastard was laughing.
“I think I better get moving.”
I could read the fear of death in that awkward smile.
“….”
“Kim Ki-jeong isn’t even good at running. If you can’t swim well, then it’s completely meaningless as bait, right? “I thought it would be better for me to stay and attract attention rather than for Kim Ki-jeong to stay.”
“…What….”
“How do you feel?”
Those are pretty admirable words to hear from the mouth of a young man in his 20s.
“What bullshit.”
Kim Ki-jeong was not a great man of such modest stature.
Kim Ki-jeong spoke to Do-yoon Han, who was dumbfounded by the harsh words that came out of nowhere.
“Even if Han Do-yoon were to run away as bait and bide his time, how long do you think he could go…? Hey, it’s a perfect space for piranhas to live in the front and Jung Eun-woo to run wild in the back. “How well the bait escapes has nothing to do with the monster that Jung Eun-woo is.”
“…Kim Ki-jeong?”
“No, my dear, you only call me by your last name when you are dissatisfied with me?”
He clicked his tongue loudly.
“….”
Then, I listened to the noise coming from a bit far away, probably before I even passed through the ‘underwater world’. It was very faint, but it probably sounded like footsteps.
Kim Ki-jeong let out a short sigh and looked up at Jeong Eun-woo.
“…It doesn’t matter if the bait can run well… It’s obvious that you’ll get caught in just a few steps anyway, so what’s the point? “Can’t you really figure out who would benefit from running well in the current situation?”
“….”
“The person who will buy the bait must be able to escape well. That way, at least one person will survive.”
Snap.
Kim Ki-jeong moved to ‘Friends by the Stream’.
“Mr. Kim Ki-jeong.”
“and.”
He made eye contact with Jeong Eun-woo and walked proudly.
“…And I can’t do things like run away.”
It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was that I couldn’t do it.
Do-yoon Han had to know that.
“So ask for help.”
“….”
“To someone other than me.”
* * *
Boom.
(Continued in the next part)
