Episode 69:
It had been about two days since the green algae monster in his dream prevented Lee Jae-heon from escaping this world. Lee Jae-heon realized one thing.
‘He is the owner of this place.’
It was a fact I felt instinctively without any logical basis.
At first, at this point, it was difficult to say that Lee Jae-heon’s lucid dreams were simply his own, which meant that his dreams were influenced by something else. It was not at all strange for the green algae monster that appeared in such a place to exercise influence within Lee Jae-heon’s dreams.
In that case, one more question arises as to whether this green algae monster is the same as the monster in the other world or if it is something separate from the dream, but it was completely irrelevant information to Lee Jae-heon, who was in a position where he could not escape from the dream right now. This was because after two days of not being able to wake up from my dream, I naturally became anxious.
‘If I don’t die, can’t I wake up like this?’
‘How much time has passed in real life?’
‘How do the suicide attempts I’ve made appear to the outside world?’
Lee Jae-heon was very worried about the culture shock the group must have experienced when he barely escaped the monster by jumping into the lake or trying to strangle it.
At that point, I couldn’t have hastily attempted suicide. It seemed like there was almost nothing he could do other than just sit still and face the green algae monster, or occasionally try to jump out and get caught and remain frozen for a long time. It’s to the point where I wonder if I could die of boredom like this.
Around that time, Jaeheon Lee realized another fact.
‘There is less rejection than in the other side of the world.’
It was a lucid dream that was similar to or even more disgusting than the world outside the dream, but despite that, the discomfort and nausea he was feeling right now were less than that.
In fact, there was something about the monsters in the other world that made people go crazy just by looking at them. The smooth exterior was shiny and made me feel sick, and the shiny inside of the petals made my eyes and head hurt. Even though there is nothing strange about their movements, they end up being driven to the edge to the point of making people vomit.
In contrast, I didn’t feel much resistance to my current dream. Even though I had my wrist grabbed by that damp hand and tied to a vine, I didn’t think anything of it, so I had to assume that there was something to it, whether it was the other side of the world and the dream itself, or the green algae monster within it.
As soon as that happened, Lee Jae-heon’s fine hair began to function normally for the first time in a very long time.
‘Don’t you want me to live by not letting you die in the first place?’
So, the important thing here is whether this green algae monster wants to keep him alive, or whether it is saved out of emotional respect for him.
Even though he wondered if the green algae monster that had killed him so many times would respect him, there was an abandoned dog monster in this park. Not all of them, but most of them respected and loved the survivors. It was said that the survivor’s capabilities could not handle such affection, but the positions of the parties involved could easily differ.
So wouldn’t it be no different if it were a green algae monster?
“After killing him a few times, he developed feelings for me…”
Or maybe he really had something else to wish for.
After thinking about it, Jaeheon Lee attempted an unusual negotiation with the monster that no person with normal thinking would be able to do.
“….”
“….”
“…if that’s okay.”
I was able to get the green algae monster’s cooperation for a small price.
It was a transaction that was neither satisfactory nor dissatisfying.
* * *
A play was needed for him.
* * *
It wasn’t that difficult to tap into the context that already existed.
Jaeheon Lee made some kind of deal with the green algae monster to get out of the dream, and in order to proceed with it, he had to create the flow of conversation he wanted. And Jaeheon Lee had that kind of talent.
At best, they were just chicks who had just escaped from the cushion, and as such, they were usually unable to perceive that other people’s words had higher-level intentions.
‘I already have plans to proceed anyway, so there won’t be a problem if we start all at once.’
It was a very easy task for him to massage his soft brain, which understood everything right away.
“….”
Hmm.
Of course, for something he said so confidently, the situation was quite complicated, but Lee Jae-heon is not a god, so what can be done? There are so many variables among the humans crawling under the sky.
But perhaps fortunately, the material given to him right away was not that bad. If the time I couldn’t escape from the dream was about 3 days, then a considerable amount of time would have passed in real life as well. Suddenly, ‘Ta-da! If he said, ‘It’s been 3 years!’, that would be embarrassing too, but considering the context, it didn’t seem that way.
As he expected, time passed in reality similar to a dream, and the party, who did not know Lee Jae-heon’s exact condition, must have felt cornered. Wouldn’t it be even more absurd if I attempted suicide several times in my dreams, but this time it wasn’t reflected in reality? The party was obviously worried about him and also afraid of losing a lot of power.
So, there were times when I grabbed the main character by the collar without any pressure. Of course, about 80% of the people were genuinely dumbfounded by the state of these chicks, but if they hadn’t intended to put on a play, they wouldn’t have been able to squeeze and shake them so comfortably.
‘You must have spent all your time helping the chicks recover mentally.’
However, in order to satisfy the deal with the green algae monster, I had to push my mentality further rather than fix it. He slowly stimulated the group to bring up the desired topic.
The starting point was Kwon Yeon-hee, an employee who almost came running to me.
“Chief, are you awake?”
“….”
“How are you? “Are you okay inside?”
As expected, employee Kwon rushed to him and asked how he was doing.
‘It’s a good start.’
Lee Jae-heon didn’t just sit around for three days with nothing to do. When he woke up from his dream, he wondered what to do first and how to progress the situation and bring the two groups of survivors together.
First of all, employee Yeonhee Kwon was a person who was not immune to being a bad person. This means that they are people who pay more than average attention to their outward appearance and specialize in adapting to others. In addition, since he basically had an attitude of respecting and being kind to others, he would hardly have been criticized for being a bad person.
As evidence, wasn’t Employee Kwon in the novel so shocked by the death of Manager Kang Min-ah, who died at the company because he ignored him, that he almost committed suicide?
When I thought about that, I realized it later, but when I thought about it that way, there was a high probability that Lee Jae-heon also felt guilty.
‘Because it’s true that I almost died too.’
But that person told me not to go get medicine to treat myself.
Some people, including In-ho Jeong, expressed their negative intentions, but among them, I remember employee Kwon who could not hide his inner relief. There was a high probability that that was her guilt.
Of course, it would not be as serious as the employee Kwon Yeon-hee in the novel. He didn’t die because he was neglected like Chief Kang. He went out alone and got hurt. As the degree of subjectivity was different, it was not a situation where it would collapse as drastically as in the novel.
So, I wanted just this level of urgency.
“How worried are we really…”
“…”
“…are we worried…”
This level of guilt was necessary.
Because of her reaction like now, Lee Jae-heon was able to attract the attention of the group. This means that the fact that ‘Director Lee Jae-heon was unconscious’ can be more clearly brought out to the surface.
Jaeheon Lee asked, pretending not to notice, as he saw employee Kwon Yeonhee’s gaze fall on his cracked fingernails.
“…Employee Kwon? “Why are you doing that?”
“sorry.”
“…uh?”
“I’m sorry….”
Patter.
Uncontrollable tears fell down my bowed head.
“I’m really sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t come out…”
This meant that while he was sleeping, Employee Kwon had unusually many thoughts.
Jaeheon Lee smiled in satisfaction at the sight of employee Kwon Yeonhee shaking and crying. Seeing as he was completely preoccupied with guilt, it seemed like he was trying to bridge the gap in the group while he was unconscious.
And it probably didn’t work out.
“Because of me, the manager…”
“No.”
“…But I. Boss.”
“No, Kwon Yeonhee.”
He comforted her with his words.
“What kind of idiot would judge right or wrong in something like this?”
“….”
“Did Employee Kwon kill me? Nope. “Did you bring a monster somewhere?”
Twist your eyebrows. I frown.
At the same time, he seemed embarrassed and embarrassed, and also expressed a little bit of regret about the current situation in which he heard such words. The intention was to patch up the cracks that occurred when Lee Jae-heon fell into a sleep as if he were dead, with the present consolation.
Perhaps the person who created the current dangerous atmosphere is comforting and comforting the victim. Now that all eyes were focused in this direction, the crack could be bridged without any difficulty.
“…Why? what.”
However, since the friendly consolation does not match the image I have built up until now, I make an awkward expression for once.
“…it’s nothing.”
“That’s right.”
Huh.
Clearing his throat, Jaeheon Lee looked back at them and asked.
“Anyway… I’m sure there isn’t another idiot who thinks like this, right?”
It wasn’t a question he asked while looking at anyone in particular, but his intention was directed at just one person. If Lee Jae-heon was the person he had in mind, he wouldn’t pass over such carefree words.
As expected, Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho spoke.
“Of course, Manager.”
There was a faint anger hidden inside the sincere face.
“…But if you make such a refreshing expression, wouldn’t I be annoyed, Assistant Manager Jeong?”
“Honestly, the manager was wrong in this case.”
In fact, Jaeheon Lee had no sympathy as to why he was so angry. I realized the reason while I was being held captive by the green algae monster, but honestly, I thought, ‘Why is he like that?’ It was true that I was thinking that.
On the one hand, I felt like I was living a very tiring life, and on the other hand, I also felt like I was a chick.
‘Still, the effort is worthless.’
Jaeheon Lee responded to his words by adjusting his facial expressions so as not to be awkward with the flow of conversation.
“It’s been two days and one day since you haven’t woken up.”
“….”
“I’m sorry, but what would the atmosphere be like if the person who served as our shield was unconscious for a while?”
“…So it’s my fault?”
“Didn’t the manager abandon his duties without even saying a word?”
Manager Kang Min-ah, who was standing nearby, looked at the protagonist in bewilderment as if wondering what on earth he was talking about, but Lee Jae-heon knew what the protagonist was aiming for with this conversation.
‘I’m trying to limit my radius of action.’
Additionally, they were probably trying to find out what happened with the green algae monster that night.
It was a surprisingly simple story. In the end, since the setting of ‘Manager Lee Jae-heon’ was revealed, Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho and Manager Lee Jae-heon had a symbiotic relationship. They know very well that the current team cannot exist without each other.
The disgusting main character, who couldn’t have known that, suddenly explodes? He wasn’t the type of person who didn’t know how other party members would sound like he was treating ‘Director Lee Jae-heon’ like a tool. The reason he did this even after considering the damage to his image was because he knew that Lee Jae-heon would fix this in some way.
So, going back to the above proposition, for Lee Jae-heon, assistant manager Jeong In-ho was a guy who still had a lot to use.
This means that Lee Jae-heon was not the type of person to let a guy like that escape the eyes of the group, and Jung In-ho knew that kind of Lee Jae-heon, so he blocked his way out of this topic.
‘If that happens, I’ll be able to answer that I won’t do that again…’
Moreover, once the situation progressed to that point, the protagonist would have tried to ask about the green algae monster. It was highly likely that Lee Jae-heon, who was cornered that far, thought he would be able to get the answer he wanted since there would be no more room for him to escape.
‘You must be wondering what exactly happened to you.’
Scratching my neck. Vomiting blood. I often get bruised or do stupid things. I’m getting hurt.
In their opinion, it was probably after the green algae monster incident that Manager Lee Jae-heon started showing particularly strange behavior. Everyone’s thoughts may be different, but anyone with enough sense would have realized that that day was the starting point. So it’s natural to want to hear firsthand about what happened that day.
But Jaeheon Lee still had no intention of telling me what happened with the green algae monster.
The feasibility of the hastily created settings had to be reexamined, and a little more time was needed to create a more structured composition. Above all, if he wanted to proceed with his planned plan, it was not yet time for him to tell him about what happened with the green algae monster.
‘But… this one was pretty clever though.’
At this point, a shallow feeling of joy came to him.
‘Yes, let’s raise our children with this taste.’
Is there anything more satisfying than seeing the fruits of your efforts with your own eyes?
The wall looked sloppy, as if nothing had been done while Lee Jae-heon was sleeping. Kang Min-ah also looks better than expected. Jaeheon Lee felt faintly moved as the main character seemed to be slowly taking off his chick look. It was a much faster and healthier growth than the growth shown in the novel.
This is a world that values even the human body and emotions. Lee Jae-heon must have had an instinctive aversion to treating people as tools and extracting extreme efficiency, but Jae-heon Lee had to do his best to hide the joy that overflowed with joy at the fact that that small step was taken by the protagonist of this world, not anyone else.
But, apart from that, I hated seeing this disgusting chick with such a twisted attitude.
“okay.”
“….”
“It was definitely my fault.”
In an instant, the air subsided.
‘I guess I was quite surprised.’
Lee Jae-heon smiled inwardly.
If there was something that Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho, who was looking at me with pitch-black eyes, missed, it was that he had no intention of maintaining a harmonious atmosphere among the group right now.
He probably planned to block the retreat, get a confirmation, and then wait for Lee Jae-heon to make the atmosphere peaceful and remove the scandalous sin hanging over Jeong In-ho. Normally, Lee Jae-heon would have pretended not to notice the protagonist’s decision, but he had a reason. A cause I cannot willingly join.
The first was an easy joining of another survivor team, and the second was a deal with a green algae monster.
‘It’s time to cut down on the favorability that has built up too much.’
We were a pretty harmonious team.
After all, wasn’t Lee Jae-heon the one who usually solved the most painful and difficult problems? In the first place, he was managing his image to gain the trust of the main character and his group, so it would be unfair to him if he did not get along.
However, Lee Jae-heon was a person who would go to any lengths for the development of his children and his share of wealth and fame. He did a great job covering up the group’s mistakes, managing their mental health, and also providing them with the most important food for survival. It hasn’t even been a month, but at this point, you should feel at least comfortable with your current membership.
And here, Jaeheon Lee created a crack that could not be repaired.
‘By showing everyone that I am a crazy person’,
the group will start to question their comfort level so far.
Their comfort came from a bit of trust. However, after seeing Director Lee Jae-heon’s unique side, how much can they trust him who only says things that are full of discomfort? There was a high probability that he would feel that the trust we had shown him so far had been betrayed.
Of course, since the place they were in was a secret world, it was possible that their heads would not be able to go there. However, even those who cannot clearly analyze the current emotions and situation probably felt it instinctively.
Something seems wrong.
“sorry.”
“….”
“I’ll pay more attention next time.”
Although he thought everything was enough, he must have realized now that it was all wrong from the beginning. Through this, Lee Jae-heon was able to turn their affection into a negative.
Nevertheless, I felt like I was still part of the ‘main group’.
‘…ah.’
I am satisfied.
