Episode 584:
Why did the person who until just now insisted that ‘Jung Eun-woo alone is enough?’ made such an outrageous statement. To find out why, I had to learn about the man’s way of thinking.
Of course, men also had a somewhat softer side as they lived in this soft world. There was nothing I could do because my job was a detective in the first place. If you follow the gaze of the general public and the standards of your chick-like colleagues, you will inevitably get used to it.
However, his essence was also a ‘poisonous snake’, which is more familiar to the world that used humans as means.
“If there is no way to avoid mermaids, shouldn’t we collect them somewhere else?”
“I can’t say that’s the only way. “There may still be other information…”
“When are you looking for that? Student Park Da-hoon’s mental power is already showing its limits, and evidence of this can be found in Park Da-young, who is under the influence of his younger brother. “It seems like the water level in the glass box is slowly rising above Park Da-hoon’s chin.”
So what kind of person is the ‘poisonous snake’ here?
Whatever it is, if it’s necessary and you’re the only one who will bear the loss. It meant a person who was able to dedicate as much of his physical strength and sincerity as essential to the relevant process.
And that was exactly the situation now.
“Don’t you think that if it’s too late, student Park Da-hoon’s situation will be in trouble?”
If he sleeps and avoids the mermaid and continues like this any longer, Park Da-hoon will drown.
“But you probably don’t want to swap places with me and student Park Da-hoon through the doll you got at the souvenir shop. If that happens, I will definitely die, and it seems like you don’t want to see any of the survivors die anyway…”
“Who do you think is going to say that? “You must be the one who hates seeing survivors die, right?”
“I will admit it. So please respect my words. Aren’t they both in a similar context anyway? “I don’t want to see anyone die except me, and you don’t want to see anyone die, including me.”
“I’m not saying that’s wrong…”
“That’s why I proposed a method in which no one would die.”
Persuading others by packaging bullshit in a convincing way was the viper’s specialty.
“If we wait longer than this, student Park Da-hoon will die. It seems that student Park Da-young, who is greatly influenced by Park Da-hoon, will not be safe either. However, switching the places of Da-hoon Park and I through a doll is a choice of the lesser evil that can only save one of us. “It’s not ideal.”
While imitating the crazy Lee Jae-heon, the man slowly explained his thoughts.
“Okay then. There is a way for Jeong Eun-woo to jump into the fish tank and rescue student Park Da-hoon without anyone intervening. However, even in this case, there is a very high probability that at least one of the two will die. “It’s been several hours since student Park Da-hoon was locked in the box without being able to eat or drink anything.”
“….”
“But if I become bait, no one will die. “I’m not going to die, I’m just going to get a little hurt.”
“….”
“Dayoung.”
“Ah…”
Lee Jae-heon’s voice made Park Da-young startle.
The man wondered for a moment at the sight of him being wary of something, but then realized. He imitated the appearance of a kind man and calmed Park Da-young down.
“…I’m not forcing you to choose. I will take responsibility for both the choice and I promise that I will not die as a result. “I just wanted to ask you one thing.”
“…What is that?”
“How is Dahun’s condition?”
“….”
“When Eun-Woo Jeong opened the glass box and rescued Da-Hoon, do you think he would be able to escape by swimming quickly through that tank, which was well over a few meters long? Do you think it would be possible to avoid mermaids, creatures that live in the water?”
It was a question with a pre-determined answer, but at least it wasn’t as forced as Lee Jae-heon in the last episode. Regardless of the content of the words, the tone itself was calm and friendly. It felt like simply asking for an opinion.
“…no.”
Therefore, Park Da-young was also able to answer with a lighter heart than in the last episode.
“I don’t think it’s possible.”
“….”
“…I’m not saying this because I like seeing you get hurt, but I also hope you don’t act like a bait and don’t get hurt, but… you’re right.”
If there was someone more important to Park Da-young than Lee Jae-heon, it was clearly her younger brother Park Da-hoon. If there was a way to kill one of them or a way to injure one of them but keep both of them alive, he had to choose the latter.
“Park Da-hoon in that condition can’t shake off the mermaid and swim.”
It was the same no matter how much Jung Eun-woo helped.
“I don’t know if it’s because of my mood, but I think I’m lacking oxygen. “I’m out of breath, the sound of water gurgling all around, and in front of me, eyeless mermaids are laughing and snooping around. I’m on an empty stomach because I haven’t eaten anything, and there’s nothing in particular to see or recognize, so my mind quickly becomes confused.”
“and?”
“And… my head is spinning like that to begin with, and my body isn’t responding to the situation. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been trapped in a narrow box, and cramps appear in my limbs and then disappear again and again. The water temperature is quite low and they are shivering. “My body is stiff for various reasons, so I’m not sure if swimming itself will be possible.”
Unlike in the previous episode, Park Da-young actively explained her younger brother’s condition.
The previous ‘Park Da-young’ noticed that Lee Jae-heon had no will to survive or escape, but the current Park Da-young realized that the questions Lee Jae-heon was asking were for a better situation.
And that ‘better situation’ clearly included Lee Jae-heon himself. Lee Jae-heon didn’t say that directly, but it probably seemed that way.
“I think I can climb up to the ceiling if Eunwoo Jeong helps me. But that’s it. That’s barely possible if you have enough time… It would be really difficult if you were chased by mermaids.”
Song In-myeong frowned at Park Da-young’s words.
“So, let’s use that human as bait again? “Do you really have no conscience?”
―Kwajik!!
Immediately after that, Song In-myeong had his solar plexus caved in by Seo Jang-hwa.
“Ugh….”
“I’m sorry, keep saying it, Dayoung.”
“Susumi….”
“Why does this bastard talk so much about the topic of radioactivity?”
Thanks to the immediate help of Seo Jang-hwa, who silenced Song In-myeong, Park Da-young continued speaking.
“To summarize, Dahun can’t swim. “Even if Jeong Eun-woo helps, I think it will be difficult to avoid being eaten by mermaids.”
Han Do-yoon also nodded his head.
“If that happens, Eunwoo Jeong will definitely be in danger. “That person is a little inflexible…”
“I guess he’s a little lacking, right?”
“As Kim Ki-jeong said, it is definitely not a little lacking. It’s very insufficient. It’s like AI that was just created. Jeong Eun-woo, who has entered the command ‘Save Da-hoon’, clearly has no survival instinct to crawl out on his own if he cannot save Da-hoon… Ah.”
Do-yoon Han winked at Da-young Park.
“Of course, I didn’t mean for you to come out alive alone after seeing Jeong Eun-woo, Da-young. “If a high school senior, the future of the green Republic of Korea, is alone in that cold water, Jung Eun-woo should be there as an adult, too.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t misunderstand you at all. “I never thought that what Doyoon said was wrong.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Suddenly, when Park Da-hoon dies, Jung Eun-woo, who appears to die along with him, briefly asks “…?” I expressed my doubts briefly, but soon became convinced. Seo Jang-hwa looked at the questionable figure as if he were looking at summer bread soaked in milk and left for three days.
“Anyway, what I’m saying is… if Da-hoon dies, there’s a really high chance that Eun-woo Jeong will die along with him. So, I’m thinking of two cases. Either both live or both die. But…”
Ha Seong-yoon continued Han Do-yoon’s words.
“What you’re saying is that while the probability of everyone surviving is very small, the probability of everyone dying is very high.”
“As expected, people who have learned something are different. “Your summarizing skills are amazing.”
“Thank you for the timely praise and support… I happen to be thinking the same thing.”
After saying that, Ha Seong-yoon closed his mouth for a moment and then started touching his earlobe. In the end, Ha Seong-yoon, who must have gathered his thoughts and maintained his characteristic relaxed expression, looked back at Lee Jae-heon.
“So you said you would be the bait as an alternative? Because that’s the only way for Da-hoon Park to survive, Eun-woo Jeong to survive, and Jae-heon Lee to survive?”
“I thought it was a much better solution than returning to reality with someone dead. In the first place, the injuries I sustained in the other world… from what I remember, they are probably injuries that will disappear when I return to reality. “Isn’t that right?”
The man asked Ha Seong-yoon as if to say, ‘I’m still in a state of confusion so I don’t remember much, isn’t that right?’ That man’s acting was outstanding. Ha Seong-yoon couldn’t even think of doubting the truth behind it and just sighed.
“you’re right. “If the strategy is successful, the injury will be meaningless anyway.”
“….”
“If your life is at stake.”
Ha Seong-yoon smiled softly and asked.
“Wouldn’t the pain be so extreme that you would have a cardiac arrest while being baited?”
“I’ve never died of cardiac arrest before.”
“It’s a funny joke.”
Ha Seong-yoon dismissed ‘Lee Jae-heon’s experience as a regressor’ as a joke. Since most of the survivors did not yet know about regression, it had to be treated as a joke.
‘It certainly seems like he hasn’t come to his senses yet.’
Compared to the previous episode or immediately after his regression, he was more of a nobleman, but it was also uncharacteristic of Lee Jae-heon to reveal clues about his own regression so openly. It was something I wouldn’t have done if I wasn’t out of my mind.
Of course, all of this was the man’s intention.
‘As planned.’
A considerable amount of time has passed, but no one has yet discovered his identity. The man praised himself for continuing his acting without giving in to the disgusting protagonist’s pitch-black eyes.
Around that time, Kim Ki-jeong asked.
“No, I’m asking because it seems like our future direction has already been decided… How are you going to act as bait in the first place? Are you really trying to get your feet wet?”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“yes?”
“When I climbed up the tank and looked at the ceiling entrance to hand the doll to student Da-hoon Park, I saw that there was quite a difference between the water surface and the ceiling entrance. Aside from the fact that there was no space to sit on, it seemed impossible to use only part of the body as bait by submerging it in water.”
“What are you saying?”
“In other words, it can only serve as bait if it is completely submerged in the water.”
“….”
Kim Ki-jeong, who was silent, stabbed Do-yoon Han, who was sweating coldly, in the side.
“…Is this what Han Do-yoon imagined?”
“…I never thought about it like this…”
Han Do-yoon asked, calming his trembling voice.
“When Jae-heon Lee said he would submerge his entire body in a water tank… do you think that would have any practical effect? “If I were to refute it, there is no guarantee that the mermaids would only turn their attention to Mr. Lee Jae-heon in the first place, and more than anything, I am not sure whether they will be able to hold out until Park Da-hoon completely escapes.”
Lee Jae-heon smiled at that, as if telling him not to worry.
“Is there anyone here who is bleeding more than me right now?”
“yes?”
“Is there anyone who can endure pain better than me? “Is there anyone who is confident that they won’t go into cardiac arrest even if they are eaten alive?”
“Why is that suddenly….”
“Fish usually come in when they smell blood.”
“….”
“therefore… “The former question has been resolved.”
Wait.
“Of these, the latter question is resolved by being the most insensitive to pain.”
“….”
“Do you have any more questions?”
Dayoung Park raised her hand.
“Since when have you been living your life like that?”
“I guess it’s the heavens that decide our fate.”
“Wouldn’t that have been hell under the ground, not the sky?”
Nevertheless, in the end, Lee Jae-heon was chosen to play the role of bait.
“…Hu….”
Park Da-young felt like she wanted to die.
It seems like a pestilent world.
(Continued in the next part)
