Episode 586:
The water rose almost to the end and Park Da-hoon almost died, but somehow the positions of Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon changed, and Jung Eun-woo barely managed to get Park Da-young out of the glass box.
And even Lee Jae-heon, who is surrounded by mermaids and staining the tank with blood.
‘It seems like everyone doesn’t know, but…’
Jeong Eun-woo could see clearly.
“….”
The doll in the souvenir shop that clearly resembled Park Da-hoon suddenly changed into Park Da-young.
“Yes, let’s go.”
“….”
“If you don’t have enough strength, I will help you.”
Eunwoo Jeong dragged Dayoung Park towards the ceiling. Perhaps because she had difficulty controlling her breathing because she suddenly switched places with Da-hoon Park and fell into the water, Da-young Park swam upward without looking back to replenish her lack of oxygen.
‘Well, there’s a long way to go.’
It was a good decision.
Thanks to this, Jung Eun-woo was able to hide the doll from Park Da-young’s sight without much effort.
“Swim as fast as you can.”
That way I won’t look back.
“Me too…”
“….”
“I’ll go with you.”
Eunwoo Jeong naturally grabbed the doll that was in the box and put it between his belt.
“Yes, you are doing well. “Keep swimming like that.”
If another survivor had come to rescue her, Park Da-young would have definitely looked back. I can’t help but feel anxious, even if it’s because I care about the person talking behind my back.
However, Jung Eun-woo was an unfamiliar adult who did not even have a proper relationship with Park Da-young, and he was secretly opposed to her because of his pride as Lee Dang’s secretary, and in any case, he was the one who abandoned his colleague Jung In-ho when he was young.
Park Da-young did not look back, even if intentionally.
“You are doing very well.”
Just as Jaeheon Lee said.
Jeong Eun-woo always respected the person who gave orders.
* * *
Before Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon’s positions were changed due to some unknown action.
So, even before Park Da-young reassured him for the sake of his younger brother who would soon be rescued.
“Jung Eun-woo.”
Jaeheon Lee called Eunwoo Jeong.
“Say yes.”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
“As much as you want.”
No matter how crazy he was, to Jeong Eun-woo, Lee Jae-heon was the person he had to take care of as a top priority. He was the secretary of this party, and the significance of Jeong Eun-woo’s existence was to assist Lee Jae-heon, a member of it.
Lee Jae-heon spoke without even looking at Jeong Eun-woo.
“Any variable can happen.”
“Yes, this side world seems to have a strong tendency to do that.”
“So…”
he requested.
“If student Park Da-young is in danger, tear the doll apart.”
“….”
At those words, Jeong Eun-woo lowered his gaze and looked inside the glass box, where his vision was distorted by the current.
A glimpse of the doll’s head depicting Park Da-hoon’s hair, which was noticeably shorter than Park Da-young’s, was visible. This is the doll that Lee Jae-heon received from Song In-myeong at a souvenir shop.
“…You mean student Park Da-young?”
It was an order that I did not understand in many ways.
Of course, Jung Eun-woo was not one to question the orders given, but he knew that having his own will was essential for survival in the underworld. So, this time too, I automatically had doubts.
“The person in the glass box now is not student Park Da-young, but Park Da-hoon.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Isn’t the doll also modeled after student Park Da-hoon?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Nevertheless, I don’t think it was a mistake to mention student Park Da-young.”
“Yes that’s right.”
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo looked at Lee Jae-heon’s gray, shallowly burned eyes.
“…Hmm….”
He always tried to judge his superiors.
The effort may be considered arrogant, but in Jung Eun-woo’s opinion, it was an unavoidable action to prove his usefulness.
So, I tried to understand and sympathize with what Jaeheon Lee was thinking, but I failed.
“….”
It was not clear whether it was simply because Jeong Eun-woo’s ability to empathize was low, or whether Lee Jae-heon’s true feelings were so complex that Jeong Eun-woo could not possibly know.
At that time, Jaeheon Lee spoke again.
“Jung Eun-woo.”
“Say yes.”
“I have a favor to ask you.”
“As much as you want.”
It was exactly the same line as the one they had just said, but neither of them questioned it. However, Lee Jae-heon continued to look at the fish tank as if there was no problem or abnormality.
Lee Jae-heon said the same thing as before and seemed like he wanted to tell Jeong Eun-woo something. It was clear that he wanted to make sure his orders were understood that way.
“Any variable can happen.”
“Yes, I guess this side world is….”
“….”
“….”
Ah.
That’s how Jeong Eun-woo realized.
“…That tendency seemed to be strong.”
You saw something.
There seemed to be something only visible to this person who had been in the other world for so long that it was so damaged that it was difficult to distinguish him from a monster. A ‘variable’ that only Jeong Eun-woo cannot understand.
Jaeheon Lee opened his mouth again.
“So, if student Park Da-young is in danger, tear the doll apart.”
Only then did Jaeheon Lee see Eunwoo Jeong.
“….”
“….”
“Do you understand?”
Did I say please?
Yes, I understand.
‘I’ve become a lot duller too.’
It was common for superiors to give orders called ‘please’.
“yes.”
It seemed like he had forgotten that for a moment.
“I will.”
“thank you.”
Everything that happened since was not difficult to understand.
Before Jae-heon Lee could confirm that Da-hoon Park was stable, he untied the handkerchief around his neck. He threw it, covered in blood and soggy, into the tank, groped for its neck, and ripped off the new gills without hesitation.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon checked the approaching mermaids with a blood-soaked handkerchief.
Lee Jae-heon blinked slowly after confirming that the most important condition for this mission had been resolved. Then, he turned around with a staggering motion, looked at the ceiling of the aquarium, and relaxed his body.
He fell into the tank with a very carefree face, holding his bright red gills in his hands.
with a plop…!
“….”
What did Jeong Eun-woo think as he watched Jae-heon Lee leave in a not-so-loud voice?
“…You look like someone committing suicide.”
That’s probably what he thought.
“Oh my.”
Actually, it was a funny delusion.
Jaeheon Lee didn’t die if it wasn’t necessary, and this mission didn’t require Jaeheon Lee’s death. If it weren’t for Lee Jae-heon’s will, in front of someone who was already almost a corpse…
‘I wouldn’t know if it was a murder.’
The word ‘suicide’ did not suit me at all.
“I should go soon too.”
Fortunately, Jaeheon Lee was not absentmindedly being eaten by mermaids.
Surely he had the will to live, of course it was because he had made a promise to the survivors, but he was doing his best to live anyway. Apart from the blood flowing from various wounds, he was surviving by pushing and crushing the mermaids who were trying to chew him.
‘But that won’t last long.’
Jeong Eun-woo, who saw that the mermaids were vaguely flocking to Lee Jae-heon, also jumped into the tank.
with a plop-!
“….”
I took a breath.
“….”
“….”
I think I can probably talk.
“….”
But Jeong Eun-woo just passed by Lee Jae-heon.
‘I must save student Park Da-hoon before the mermaids’ attention is drawn to me.’
If I had to ask Eun-woo Jeong how he felt, he wanted to save Jae-heon Lee first, who was about to be killed by mermaids. In terms of order, I thought that of course Lee Jae-heon should come first.
And it was a no-go.
‘Lee Jae-heon promised not to die.’
Eunwoo Jeong received orders from him.
In other words, Lee Jae-heon would not die until he rescued Park Da-hoon, so Park Da-hoon was given priority. Even if it didn’t actually happen that way, what Jung Eun-woo had to do was decided.
“…I guess it’s because I don’t have eyes.”
Fortunately, the mermaids had gathered in large numbers toward Lee Jae-heon, who smelled strongly of blood.
‘Well, the feeling of eye contact is something that the individual survivor feels, and I don’t know if those eyeless mermaids can actually see or not. So, in a way, it may be natural for them to gather towards Lee Jae-heon, who has a strong scent of prey…’
Jeong Eun-woo, who was swimming all the way down, witnessed a strange sight.
“….”
In that moment, people change.
This is the scene where Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon’s positions change.
“….”
Jeong Eun-woo looked up without realizing it, but Lee Jae-heon was hidden among the mermaids and was not visible. I could only guess Lee Jae-heon’s situation from the blood that gradually spread thickly and the flesh that was occasionally visible.
“…It’s amazing.”
This was a world where many amazing things happened.
Then, perhaps Lee Jae-heon’s unbelievable prophecy was also one of the mysteries of the hidden world? It was a ridiculous delusion, but Jung Eun-woo’s heart was pounding so hard that he thought about it for a moment.
So the situation goes back to the beginning.
“―…! …!!”
“It looks like you’re having trouble breathing, so I’ll pull you out.”
Jung Eun-woo, who took Park Da-young out of the glass box, lifted her up first and let her go. Thanks to Park Da-young running away without looking back, Jung Eun-woo was able to secretly take the doll.
Park Da-young was just struggling to adapt to the suddenly changing situation. Her body twitched occasionally as if she was out of breath, but Jung Eun-woo gently led Park Da-young upward.
And as she headed towards the ceiling, the only exit of the water tank, Park Da-young’s expression got worse.
“….”
“The manager will be fine.”
“….”
It wasn’t just because Park Da-young was out of breath.
“Because he is not someone who will die easily.”
Lee Jae-heon’s blood dyed almost the entire top of the tank red.
“…Ugh….”
A drop of breath escapes.
Dayoung Park used her hands to block the water that was trying to enter her nose and mouth, while letting out a moan that was suppressed in her lungs and tongue. Park Da-young’s purple eyes trembled slightly as she looked at the mermaids gathered together like a bunch of insects under the lamplight on a summer evening.
It was obvious what she was going to do.
‘How can I bear that?’
Maybe you think so.
And Jung Eun-woo also had similar thoughts.
‘…amazing.’
Lee Jae-heon was clearly a person who could feel pain. If he had analgesia, he wouldn’t have even had a reflexive reaction to the occasional blow, but Lee Jae-heon didn’t do that.
Nevertheless, the fact that he stubbornly survived in that gap was a miracle that could hardly be considered human.
“…As you can see, I think we’ll have to go up quickly.”
“….”
“I think the manager needs to get out as well.”
Even though I wonder if I can get out of there alone.
“I guess I should help… Then, Dayoung Park needs to leave the tank first. “Because I don’t have the ability to protect student Park Da-young and rescue Director Lee Jae-heon at the same time.”
“….”
“Do you understand?”
“….”
“Then let me speed up the pace. “Please bear with me even if I feel slightly out of breath.”
Jeong Eun-woo, who patted Park Da-young on the back, grabbed her and quickly climbed the tank.
‘I don’t know if I can escape through those mermaids.’
Although Lee Jae-heon was attracting the attention of the mermaids by making all kinds of protests, including the smell of blood, there were too many mermaids for Lee Jae-heon to take charge of all the mermaids alone. Jeong Eun-woo pondered the doll he had placed between his belts and peered through the crowded mermaid gap.
And perhaps naturally, some mermaids rushed in.
“…!”
“this.”
Kwasik—!
Jeong Eun-woo was not surprised. Jeong Eun-woo, who is good at swimming and sneaking, escaping among the mermaids alone was a different story from escaping with a high school student who was trembling and suffocating. Conflict with the mermaids was planned.
Kwajik kwaddeuk-…!!
“Keep moving your feet, student Park Da-young.”
Jeong Eun-woo, who stuck a kitchen knife into the neck of a mermaid who approached her and cut off her cervical vertebrae, continued with a smile.
“I’m not good at saving two people at the same time, but I’m pretty good at protecting one.”
“….”
“If you don’t leave right away, you will see Director Lee Jae-heon’s body.”
Did his words, which were merely an objective explanation of the situation, sound like a threat rather than a threat? Dayoung Park gritted her teeth with a pale face.
“I’m glad you have a strong will.”
Ah, the poison that seems to tear Jung Eun-woo apart. Really….
“Then show me the results.”
“….”
“That’s enough.”
Before Park Da-young could finish her words, she stepped on Jeong Eun-woo’s shoulder, gained momentum, and swam upward. Even though it was obvious that she was short of breath, there was no hesitation in her actions.
Jung Eun-woo touched his numb shoulder once and immediately chased after Park Da-young. He opened the way by stepping on, tearing, strangling, and shaking off the mermaid approaching her. Dayoung Park swam quickly as if she didn’t care about them.
“ah.”
Around that time, Lee Jae-heon was seen leaving the tank among the mermaids.
‘Is this the limit now?’
Lee Jae-heon was unlikely to be able to overcome the pain and run away, so he probably decided that if he held on any longer, he would really die.
As if the guess was correct, the sight of Lee Jae-heon climbing up the ladder was beyond imagination.
“….”
Should we say that it is a form that cannot survive biologically?
‘Is this possible because it is also a secret world?’
Park Da-young’s face also became very pale when she saw Lee Jae-heon like that. It didn’t seem to be because the mermaids’ eyes turned this way.
I thought it was just an expression made because Lee Jae-heon’s face was a sight that could not be seen without nausea.
“…!”
“Keep going up.”
“….”
“Now we have to survive on our own.”
Now that Lee Jae-heon’s help was cut off, they had to escape on their own.
“Come on.”
Fortunately, the moment Lee Jae-heon escaped, the mermaids gathered on the surface of the water to catch him, so it wasn’t very difficult for the two to swim up.
The problem was that they, too, could only escape by passing through that group of mermaids.
‘It’s difficult.’
Slowly, Park Da-young’s breathing reached its limit.
“For your information, we cannot provide artificial respiration or anything like that. “It may be a big problem that Dayoung Park doesn’t like it, but I feel it because I am receiving help from the ring, but I don’t have the breath to breathe to Dayoung Park right now.”
“….”
“Please move your feet when it’s time to hit me, student Park Da-young.”
As if Park Da-young couldn’t bear the thought of sharing her breath with Jung Eun-woo, she stepped on Jung Eun-woo once again and gained momentum. He couldn’t have been a truly strong high school student.
“Ah…”
And when I reached the mermaids on the surface teeming with the expected difficulties.
“―…■■■■■■■■■■!!!”
The long-haired mermaid let out a tearing scream, attracting the monsters’ attention.
It was a moan indicating that there was prey trying to escape the tank.
“That’s it…”
Quack, quack, quack—!!
Eunwoo Jeong quickly pushed away the mermaids that were biting him to create space.
Then, he lifted Park Da-young, who was convulsing due to lack of air, and wrapped his arms around her so that she could breathe and protected her from the mermaids.
“Puha…!!”
“We need to go up now. How long can I last….”
“Da-a-li-dari-ga.”
“You seem to have lost your strength.”
Or it could have been a cramp or a wound that Jung Eun-woo couldn’t confirm. Anyway, Jeong Eun-woo astutely noticed that Park Da-young was unable to move on her own.
Then Park Da-young can’t climb the ladder alone.
“All right.”
Jeong Eun-woo made a decision in a split second.
“I’ll climb the ladder first, so you have to stick close. You have to hold on to me tight. “Can you do that?”
In fact, in this urgent situation, Park Da-young’s answer had no relevance. Jung Eun-woo hugged Park Da-young and led her to the ladder while protecting her, and with a wide swing of the kitchen knife, pushed the mermaids away and climbed up the ladder first.
And immediately he held out his blood-soaked hand to Park Da-young.
“―Aaaah!!!”
with a plop-!!!
Dayoung Park was captured by mermaids and dragged beneath the surface.
“ah.”
This happened only 3 seconds after Jung Eun-woo got on the ladder… and
he was soon able to hear Lee Jae-heon’s strangely clear voice.
“Tear it.”
So I did.
It was a truly reasonable command.
(Continued in the next part)
