Episode 8
After that, it was surprisingly easy to get out of the company.
In the first place, the current point was just a prologue to the novel, and the episode about escaping from the company was just a device to show that ‘in the other world, people die so easily!’
The full-scale battle and survival started at the park, so escaping itself couldn’t have been difficult.
The group walked around the maze following the line they had steadily drawn until they ran away from the spider legs.
Of course, we stuttered for a moment, perhaps due to the trauma of being chased by a monster, but perhaps because the small crack had already been restored, our sense of camaraderie was much higher, so our spirit of cooperation was good.
It didn’t take that long to find the right emergency exit.
However, if there was something a little unusual…
“…the stairs are ordinary?”
“It’s really strange here.”
Of course, the emergency exit, which was expected to be twisted like a company hallway, was the same.
Actually, this was quite interesting to Lee Jae-heon.
Since I hadn’t carefully read the process by which the group left the company, I couldn’t remember the exact description, but unlike the corridors that were twisted and twisted like a maze, the emergency exit was no different from what we knew.
Jaeheon Lee was impressed. For some reason, I thought they managed to get out before the sun set after Chief Kang died and had a mental breakdown, but they were able to get out quickly because the emergency exit was not blocked.
Of course, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a secret world, so my mental power was low.
“I… I feel a little sick.”
Intern Noh Yeon-seok’s face was pale, as if the words were not empty.
It was probably because, unlike the rest who had been in and out of this company several times, he was a fresh new employee.
In the novel, it is said that ‘when you enter a building with which you are not normally associated, your mental power decreases faster.’
The main character, who was looking at intern Noh Yeon-seok with concern, made eye contact, and Assistant Manager Jeong In-ho looked at him as if there was no solution.
Lee Jae-heon said with a wink.
‘whatever.’
‘Is there anything?’
‘Then will there be?’
Lee Jae-heon’s gaze became bitterly cold.
In his opinion, the main character has a somewhat cold-hearted side, so the question was probably not simply to appease intern Noh Yeon-seok.
He seemed to have felt that his mental power was steadily declining due to the influence of the underworld, and I think he was asking if there was a way to solve it.
But is there such a thing? Of course, it’s not that there is no way, but everyone is too lazy to use it now.
Rather than lose my mental strength in a useless attempt, I had no choice but to endure it for now.
Jaeheon Lee opened his mouth with a face no different from usual.
“If you’re going to throw up, can’t you go outside and do it? “I think we’ll both be embarrassed.”
“You have a bad personality.”
“That’s really new to me.”
And right after escaping from the company, intern Noh Yeon-seok was upset.
A small scream and the sound of the group murmuring could be heard from behind.
Suddenly, I thought it was a good idea to take the lead.
* * *
The protagonist and his party in the novel were in very bad condition.
Lee Jae-heon is able to think like this calmly because he recalled memories of his past life, but he did not live in this world where a single murder makes the news.
The standard of hardship and adversity that he thought was likely to be something worse than death for them.
That’s why, by the time the group in the novel left the company, they were almost completely lost.
It wasn’t just because it was a world in which mental power deteriorated even if you just took a breath.
No matter how sane he was, it was an inevitable result because the company was suddenly twisted, he was chased by a monster, and a colleague he had been working with until a few hours ago died as a result.
Even if Lee Jae-heon, who remembered his past life, joined, it was difficult to see that the group was in a very good condition.
In the end, all that Lee Jae-heon changed was taking on the role of leader, relieving the main character’s burden, preventing Chief Kang Min-ah’s death, and providing minimal psychological measures.
“….”
Of course, it was true that quite a lot had changed. If not, the cost-effectiveness of giving up one shoulder and one leg would not be right.
However, in Jaeheon Lee’s opinion, human pain is very subjective.
When I went to the hospital, there were many people claiming that I was sicker, and just looking around me, there were many people boasting that I was living a more painful life.
Considering that most people’s words are sincere, I wonder if there is anything more influenced by one’s own opinions than human suffering.
In the same context, I couldn’t really feel at ease even though I was with my current group.
Originally, human beings lost their minds when they lost their mental or physical health, but in the other world, they could easily lose both.
So, the case of intern Noh Yeon-seok, who immediately vomited, was serious.
Because Lee Jae-heon was so mentally ill, vomiting to the point of tears was not normal.
Lee Jae-heon looked at the group making noise and covered the corner of his mouth.
‘I guess I should go to the park quickly.’
It may be contradictory, but in the current situation where everything is surrounded by gray buildings, there is no better base than a park.
The park had become a kind of jungle, so to speak.
It seems very dangerous in that monsters come out in the evening, but if you think about it in reverse, there is no place in the other world where monsters do not appear. To be exact, there was one, but it was difficult to get there now.
Since we were just chased by a monster in broad daylight, wouldn’t a building with walls be more dangerous? In the same sense, I couldn’t stop by convenience stores or supermarkets.
A park where you can obtain food and resources through self-sufficiency may be a really funny story, but it could be said to be the best option for a time when it is difficult to travel outside to your heart’s content.
Of course, because of the terrain where trees were as thick as walls, most of them could be exterminated like in the novel, but if they survived well, it would at least be a better hideout than the colorless building.
Jaeheon Lee had no hesitation in saying that if he wanted to live, his next destination should be a park.
‘But you don’t know what the other party members think.’
Jaeheon Lee looked at the group with frightened expressions.
The group’s condition was not good enough to suggest going straight to the park in this situation.
“How can this world….”
“….”
“There is no color. My eyes hurt… and my stomach hurts. Chief Kang, I’m having a really hard time. What should I do…”
“Yeonseok…”
Just like the company, everything in the world was distorted.
The buildings were damaged by fire, twisted around like a maze, or had lost their color, hurting the eyes, giving the viewer a sense of grotesqueness. This doesn’t really mean the world is black and white.
This meant that intern Noh Yeon-seok did not vomit as soon as he came out for no reason.
I think it would have been a great work for people who already had stomachaches from the pressure of the other side of the world.
Lee Jae-heon didn’t show it at all, but he clicked his tongue inside.
‘I guess I should do judo.’
From what he remembers, Director Kang was always mentally weak, and intern Noh Yeon-seok was soft-hearted despite his appearance. Of course, it was better than the other employees left in the company, but it wasn’t to the level that Jaeheon Lee was satisfied with.
Employee Kwon… is a bit simple, but I think because of that, his reactions to situations are very direct. That has both advantages and disadvantages.
And that was the same for the main character, assistant manager Jeong In-ho.
Since he was a human being, he had no choice but to be terrified and suffer from the influence of the other world.
Once again, it was from the park episode that the main character began to act as a proper leader.
People who are frightened are passive in moving unless they are in great fear or despair.
For those who encountered the other side of the world for the first time, this was enough pain, and the group’s movements became sluggish.
‘It’s because of me.’
Jaeheon Lee blinked and looked around.
In the novel, the party members were half out of their minds and anxious due to Chief Kang’s death.
It wasn’t difficult to move locations if you had a simple opportunity.
But not now.
Lee Jae-heon managed their mental strength to a minimum, and although the group was scared, they were not broken.
Since you still have about half of your judgment left, you can’t even think about making a move.
And Lee Jae-heon had to throw that ‘momentum’ before they could settle down and feel relieved.
“…Assistant Manager Jeong.”
“…Ah, your manager.”
“Just watch the kids for a moment.”
For example, the mental support you have up to now is breaking away.
“yes? “Where are you going?”
As expected, the protagonist’s expression hardened slightly.
The quick-witted protagonist was well aware of Lee Jae-heon’s role in this group, and he would not be happy to see him slip away from the balance that had been maintained so far.
I don’t know if it was a bit of favor or an extremely calculated judgment, but for Lee Jae-heon, it wasn’t a bad result.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to give up the ‘opportunity’.
“Do you see the flower shop over there?”
“…I can see it.”
What Jaeheon Lee pointed to was a flower shop right next to the company.
Sometimes, if there was something to congratulate one of the employees, it would be rushed from there, so a sincere assistant manager would have remembered it properly.
Lee Jae-heon nodded and continued speaking again.
“Can you see the tree roots extending toward the park from there?”
“…ah…?”
“I don’t know exactly which side of the park it extends to.”
The protagonist’s expression became strange at his words.
At the entrance to the flower shop, there were tree roots heading towards the park on the other side.
Other tree roots peeking through the cement floor were connected to the flower shop as if they were being led by someone.
‘In the novel, you see that and head to the flower shop.’
The main character in the novel was mentally exhausted, but smartly realized that they needed to move.
The decision was that it was better to at least struggle than to remain in a helpless and dazed state, and the group and I agreed.
The protagonist witnesses tree roots between the flower shop and the park.
With a clearly intentional composition, the protagonist instinctively approaches the flower shop, but there is no living person to be found inside, except for a shattered corpse and traces of someone running away.
And the traces of ‘someone’s’ blood led towards the park.
“It’s strange to anyone who sees it. We’re the ones in trouble if there’s a strange monster nearby. “Rather than finding out later, we should understand the situation now.”
“That is correct. “But…”
“I’m not saying we should go together. From the looks of it, everyone’s condition is not good, but just stay still. “I will check and come back.”
With those words, Jaeheon Lee took a step forward.
Deputy Jeong, as the main character of a survival story, probably thought that ‘personal anxiety should not interfere with reconnaissance’, so they did not catch him, but his expression was not very good.
Lee Jae-heon was confident that the protagonist would come to the flower shop with the rest of the group.
‘Gross bastard.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Unlike the novel, isn’t it a state where there is a certain amount of mental power left?
Since you would have realized how useless rank is in the underworld, you would also have realized that you do not necessarily have to listen to his orders.
Of course, I thought, ‘How dare he disrespect the manager’s orders?’, but I tried my best to suppress it.
It was only after he had two holes in his body that he was recognized as useful to the main character, but he was not stupid enough to cause conflict by wasting unnecessary emotions.
And Lee Jae-heon, who arrived near the flower shop, was a little embarrassed.
“….”
There were no blood stains near the tree roots.
“…Huh.”
In short, it meant that the content was different from the novel.
‘I guess I came out too early.’
Jaeheon Lee clicked his tongue inwardly.
He thought that since his existence itself was a variable, it could be different from what he remembered, but it was embarrassing for him to already encounter such a situation.
The absence of blood stains meant that ‘someone’ had not escaped the flower shop, and at the same time, it meant that one of the gruesome corpses described in the novel might still be alive.
Either way, it was a pity for Lee Jae-heon, who wanted to quickly lead the group to the park.
However, Jaeheon Lee had no intention of wasting time just because it was unfortunate, so he looked into the flower shop without hesitation.
Fortunately, the walls of the flower shop were made of glass, so there was no difficulty in seeing what was going on inside.
No, actually, I’m not sure if I should say I’m lucky.
“…ah?”
It was because there was a man I seemed to have seen somewhere.
And I can definitely say that Manager Lee Jae-heon was not the type of person to delicately remember the faces of strangers.
So, if you felt like ‘I’ve seen you somewhere before even though I don’t know you’, it was probably someone Jaeheon Lee met after reminiscing about his past life.
What we could know from the above proposition was that that person was the doctor who healed his arm.
“….”
Why are you here?
