Episode 608,
11 PM.
A small hospital where all the nurses have left work.
“….”
In the treatment room with all the lights off, Seo In-young sat quietly in front of the monitor.
“….”
He opened his mouth after a long time.
“…I….”
What should I do?
I mutter like that.
‘…What does Jaeheon Lee want from me?’
I thought about it several times, but the answer was clear.
Lee Jae-heon hoped that Seo In-young would be his informant. At the same time, I wanted Lee Jae-heon to know in advance who might threaten the people he cares about. That made Seo In-young worry for several days.
‘They said they were just informing people, but in reality, they were creating a blacklist.’
If Seo In-young informed Lee Jae-heon of a dangerous target and Lee Jae-heon also thought that Seo In-young’s judgment was valid, Lee Jae-heon would do anything to kill the person Seo In-young chose.
“….”
A person’s life was at stake.
“….”
therefore.
“….”
I had to choose the most trashy writer.
“…Then…”
More people will be able to live.
Seo In-young made that decision.
‘I’m not going to kill you anyway. is not it?’
Lee Jae-heon kindly gave Seo In-young an indulgence.
Seo In-young felt like she was going out of her mind because of his consideration. I couldn’t tell what emotions I was feeling and couldn’t think of what expression to make. It’s a cliché, but I felt like I was going back and forth between heaven and hell.
But originally, Seo In-young was always in hell.
“….”
It was Lee Jae-heon who gave Seo In-young a brief taste of heaven several times.
‘…let’s admit it.’
Seo In-young stroked her lips.
He was smiling like a kid going to an amusement park for the first time.
“It’s good.”
it was good.
‘This is my chance to kill those bastards.’
Even though I could have saved him, I couldn’t. I had to watch. Even though I could kill him, I couldn’t kill him. That’s how I was educated. There was nothing I could do because doctors are a profession that saves people, not kills them.
I don’t know how many times poor patients have crawled out of my dreams. Some people had no eyes, some had no arms, and some had all their organs empty and their insides were filled with cotton.
‘If the scum that made you like that die.’
Even if we can’t do anything about the eyes, arms, and organs that are already gone.
“Maybe…”
Seo In-young muttered unconsciously.
“Isn’t it possible to be a little happy?”
Isn’t it?
“They say the person who killed him… dies.”
Seo In-young let out a laugh without realizing it.
“You can be happy.”
It wasn’t my intention to relieve my small sense of guilt through Lee Jae-heon.
It was entirely his responsibility to apologize to the victims who died horribly or were unable to die until now due to Seo In-young’s neglect. It was right for Seo In-young to handle that. I had no intention of avoiding it.
However, it would be grateful if it could stop the bloody tears of the poor patients who died fleetingly.
‘Because that’s something I can’t do.’
And because it shouldn’t be done.
I was excited.
“Ah…”
Ugh…
Seo In-young covered my face as if she was squeezing it.
“Ah, if only that really happened…”
How happy I would be.
How fun it will be.
“….”
Seo In-young laughed as if she was holding her breath.
“awesome.”
It was a distorted elastic sound that seemed to come from a sleepy throat.
My heart was pounding. My whole body felt like it was pickled by the sound of my heart pounding without even realizing it.
No, it was clearer than that. This feeling is as if your head, shoulders, solar plexus, legs, collarbone, abdomen, and the bottom of your feet are being pounded by a large, painless hammer.
It was the same level of ecstasy as when Seo In-young saved someone’s life for the first time.
“Amazing.”
I always wanted to save it. I always wanted to kill. Although it was an insignificant talent, there were times when I was grateful that I could set foot in this sanctuary and live.
However, Seo In-young, who was tied to a leash, could not save the patient no matter how painful it was without permission, and obedient doctor Seo In-young could not kill anyone according to the oath she once uttered with a pure heart.
Lee Jae-heon, who spoke to Seo In-young, looked like an angel. They looked like saints who died in history.
“Amazing…”
Who would readily say that?
How can you so readily promise that you will wallow in the fires of hell?
“….”
Seo In-young recalled the time when Lee Jae-heon came to see her.
“….”
Seo In-young was scared when those eyes that were neither warm nor cold looked at her persistently.
But that fear was a very clean fear. It was not a fear or conflict between humans with all sorts of interests intertwined. What Seo In-young felt from Lee Jae-heon
was a more pure and clean… fear from something that was not human.
“….”
Seo In-young mutters softly.
“…Jaeheon Lee is a good person.”
At the very least, he is a person who knows how to warmly cherish what is his.
‘That’s what makes it even more interesting.’
Lee Jae-heon was an imposing and scary person, but he was not a bad person. For Seo In-young, who has adapted to an industry where blood and flesh freely fly, the good and evil of an individual is not simply determined by whether or not she commits murder.
Even if he killed someone, what does it matter? Anyone could commit murder. Murder is nothing special. Death is also not noble. Life is not precious. They are simply values defined by society and individuals themselves and are not absolute.
Wouldn’t it be possible to label the names of rabbits and lions dying in the wild as victims and perpetrators? The hell we were in was exactly like that.
“….”
So Seo In-young took a long time to come to a conclusion.
This was an opportunity.
“…I have to go on a business trip.”
Seo In-young had to work harder.
It may be called irrational, but he wanted to help Jaeheon Lee. So in the end, we had to watch Lee Jae-heon kill the artist who created dozens or dozens of patients.
“I need to check how far Lee Jae-heon’s information has spread.”
Maybe I respect him. I want to praise him.
“The same goes for other people’s information… Since the industry has a persistent side, there may be other writers who are interested in Jaeheon Lee. There is also the case of writer Song In-myeong… and writer Seong Dae-young also said that he drew it out in that way…”
That’s right.
Seo In-young still remembers Lee Jae-heon looking down at her.
A clear and intense gaze as if he were not human, and a deep smile with those eyes. The speech that seemed to dig into the brain, not the eyes, and grab the handle inside and shake it had a power that could not be resisted.
“….”
It looked almost like a devil, but whatever.
“I have to work hard.”
For the first time, a strong rope came down into this dirty well.
I had to hold on.
“….”
…and.
“…hmm.”
Apart from that.
“When is the best time to get a checkup?”
Seo In-young was thinking about putting Lee Jae-heon in the hospital.
Some kind of patient is walking around outside.
* * *
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-heon is unaware of Seo In-young’s vicious thoughts.
‘I guess I’ve started to feel weak by this point.’
He was organizing the situation in his head.
Seo In-young is a person with a sloppy and weak side, but as she is a main member of the underworld and a doctor with a long career in the industry, she definitely has a crazy side.
Lee Jae-heon accurately stimulated Seo In-young’s crazy areas.
‘No matter how cautious and timid Seo In-young was, she would have had no choice but to ask this.’
Seo In-young is very thoughtful and likes safety. Because of that, it took a while for me to take the bait, but I thought Seo In-young would have probably sorted out her concerns and come to a conclusion by now.
“….”
Lee Jae-heon lay on the sofa and played with Jang Seo-ah’s blanket.
“Is it a little thin?”
Even as I mutter that, I immediately think of Seo In-young.
‘…As expected, I should help Seo In-young.’
Jaeheon Lee knows how to deal with people.
That’s how skilled he is, but Lee Jae-heon knew the side effects his opponents would see when he became the object of ‘awe’. Even though they are capable of acting rationally, they are unable to control their overwhelming emotions and are swayed by them.
‘Thanks to this, the execution ability definitely improves… but the probability of making a mistake also increases in proportion to the execution ability. This is especially true for people who are not usually very skilled at controlling their emotions or managing their image.’
And Seo In-young was an immature person.
‘The industry is not that easy.’
In many ways, it will be difficult for Seo In-young to show off.
“I need help.”
If Seo In-young died, Lee Jae-heon would also be in a bit of trouble.
‘If you continue to rely on Song In-myeong, you will end up giving him too much authority.’
In any world, the word ‘exclusive contract’ carries great power. If Lee Jae-heon tried to find out industry information only from Song In-myeong, I couldn’t imagine how powerful he would become.
‘We haven’t been in touch lately.’
After sending a text message asking if Jaeheon Lee was dead or alive, there was no further contact.
“Is Hyeonta here?”
Well, there are quite a few outrageous things that Song In-myeong did at the aquarium. It would have been difficult for Song In-myeong, who refers to himself as an artist, to accept his sordid and irrational past.
‘You might wonder if you’re being swayed too much by me.’
Of course, Song In-myeong will recover like a ghost and return to Lee Jae-heon.
‘Crazy bastards are obsessed with rare things.’
If there’s one thing crazy people have in common, it’s that they show a fanatical obsession with things they can’t have.
Lee Jae-heon was like that to Song In-myeong. Jaeheon Lee guessed that it was probably because it was one of the few opportunities to talk with ‘people’ rather than ‘works’.
“….”
But, of course, we can’t just rely on Song In-myeong.
‘The more routes there are, the better.’
While Song In-myeong was able to obtain information through transactions and push-and-pull, Seo In-young was able to receive a gift just by squeezing and shaking it a few times. Each had distinct shortcomings and advantages.
Song In-myeong can expect stable and high-quality information, but it requires too much effort. On the other hand, Seo In-young is not sure and will dig up information at the risk of getting it, but it doesn’t take much effort.
‘If you have one or two followers, you won’t have any inconvenience in life.’
Just like the poisonous snake did in its past life.
“….”
Jaeheon Lee wiped the corners of his mouth and muttered softly.
“…I guess it’s still okay.”
It remains to be seen how far Seo In-young’s acting skills will extend this time, but for now, it doesn’t seem like there will be any problem if she is left to move alone. Lee Jae-heon already had no intention of helping Seo In-young, just to see how far Seo In-young could do.
‘If you intervene when you think it’s really dangerous, it won’t be a problem for the situation.’
And around that time, there was the sound of small footsteps approaching the living room.
“….”
“….”
He hesitates….
The child approaches with a timid gesture.
“Oh man.”
“…I have to stand.”
“….”
“Can’t you sleep?”
Lee Jae-heon naturally picked up Jang Seo-ah.
“Why can’t I sleep?”
“…I don’t know….”
“Is there a monster under the bed?”
“Ugh….”
“Isn’t that too?”
Lee Jae-heon’s large hand patted Seo-ah’s small back.
“Then I guess you missed him.”
“….”
“Seo-ah is kind.”
Lee Jae-heon laughed at the child who was rustling and snuggling into his arms.
“Yeah, I see.”
If I were to make a prediction, it would be that this child will become a tattletale.
‘The opponent will be Jeong In-ho.’
Park Min-jun does not know Jang Seo-ah. Even though we know this child’s background, we don’t know how he has changed and grown over time. And Jang Seo-ah, who had found a worthy guardian, would do her best not to let go of it.
However, the foolishness of being a ‘pretty and good kid’ that I had been trying to show didn’t work. Jaeheon Lee was a little different from other guardians. However, I don’t know how to use a greater method.
‘Because I’m still young.’
That’s why Jang Seo-ah will tell Jeong In-ho.
‘Park Min-jun is ruining me.’
I would say so.
Jang Seo-ah is so small and young that her arms have no choice but to bend inward. This means that they will only see Park Min-joon as the villain and ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as the victim.
Jeong In-ho would also hear Seo-ah’s opinion as the truth.
“Seoya.”
“…yes.”
“You will still be here.”
“….”
“I promised.”
Slurp.
Lee Jae-heon asked as he sat Seo-ah on the bed.
“yes?”
“….”
Seo-ah did not answer.
Because it meant disbelief, Lee Jae-heon smiled with satisfaction and hugged the child.
“are you okay.”
“…Uncle….”
“It will happen because you promised to do your best for Seo-ah. “My promise has some value, you know?”
“scary.”
“….”
Sigh.
Jaeheon Lee stroked the child’s forehead.
“Sorry.”
“No…”
“I’m sorry for not being a good adult.”
“no, I do not want.”
“You were wrong.”
Although it was a sincere apology.
I had no idea how much he understood.
‘…Probably the work will proceed within a week.’
What a complete mess.
‘Interesting.’
Both Park Min-jun and Jung In-ho were raised by Lee Jae-heon himself. Just imagining how they would fight and what the results would be made me feel dizzy.
Okay, so…
“Let’s sleep with you, uncle.”
“…yes.”
Jaeheon Lee could be on anyone’s side and was on no one’s side.
“I’ll stay here until you wake up again.”
This was possible because Lee Jae-heon had so much love.
That’s how villains are.
“….”
“….”
…it’s hard.
(Continued in the next part)
