Episode 96:
As Lee Jae-heon had previously predicted, it was true that the description in the novel was not clear.
All of the 19-year-old survivors of poverty he read are told from the perspective of the main character, Jeong In-ho. In other words, in the novel, Jeong In-ho’s wrong judgments are also described as if they were correct. Because of this, there were scenes that seemed like setup errors, and Jaeheon Lee often criticized the writer.
As a result, the detailed abilities of the green algae monster were not mentioned in the original novel. They only talked about its large body, heavy steps, unrivaled strength, and blood-sucking habit.
However, Jung In-ho, who had gained a little mental space due to the change from a third-rate villain, was able to recognize the abilities of the green algae monster.
“Save me…!”
“Die, die, die!”
“Ahhhh…!”
It drove people crazy.
“…under?”
By making people crazy and harboring murderous intentions. So it leads them to kill.
Jeong In-ho saw a man slamming down a pipe with bloodshot, red eyes. He was laughing as he killed people and turned them into speckled pieces of meat with the only thing that Director Lee Jae-heon had left before his death.
He remembered that man’s name.
“Choi…Jeongman.”
He was the person who patted me on the shoulder and comforted me in his misunderstood situation.
President Choi Jeong-man may have a rough accent and a dull nerve, but he was not a villain by nature. The kindergarten teacher whom he turned into porridge said that she had a son the same age as the child she was carrying in her arms, and she gave him food and comforted the child when he cried.
“…Choi Jeong Choi Jeong-man…! Wait!”
“Please, die, die…!”
“Wait a minute, what are you doing! Please stop it!”
At the time, he seemed crazy.
President Choi Jeong-man’s face was so distorted with murderous intent that he looked like a different person, and the raised corners of his mouth and the opposite tears flowing from his droopy eyes were contradictory. It looked like a monster created by carving out the eyes, nose, and mouth of a passerby.
In-ho Jeong really did his best to stop him. Although he may not be a good person like Police Officer Kim Yeon-woo, he could still be a great adult. I was even more desperate because he was an ordinary good person.
But I couldn’t stop it.
“Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. Breathe. Die, die…”
“….”
“Die, die. Please die…!”
The woman who introduced herself as a kindergarten teacher could no longer be seen, and of course, not even the slightest wriggle was visible. It was already dead, and even if it had been stopped before that, it would not have been able to be saved.
President Choi Jeong-man, perhaps not satisfied with such a piece of meat, repeatedly muttered ‘I’m dead’ and turned to someone else.
“….”
I didn’t want to stop him.
“…ha ha ha.”
It was just absurd.
The day is getting dark. For some reason, the bonfire that had been lit was extinguished, and even the gray sky would soon turn black. Then we won’t be able to see anything anymore.
Jeong In-ho instinctively went through the confused people and searched for a lighter.
“What are you doing!”
“I want to live, I want to live…! Help me!”
“Stop it, please stop…!”
The dull sound of beatings that made my ears ring and the screams of those who could no longer distinguish between children and their friends. The sound of crying and footsteps running away, unable to overcome the harsh reality. Sound sound sound.
And with a jingle,
“…found.”
The sound of breaking glass bothered me.
Jeong In-ho, who found a lighter in the clothes worn by the dead fish, urgently looked around, but couldn’t see anything. He was so nervous that he felt like he was going to lose his mind, and the only noise that was his heart pounding was the only thing that resonated in his brain.
Among these countless things, there was nothing that Jung In-ho had to protect.
“….”
Because they have already died or changed.
“…Uh….”
He already died because I couldn’t save him, and he changed because I wasn’t strong enough.
There was no longer Garam Yoon by his side, nor was Seongyoon Ha who treated his painful areas. Kwon Yeon-hee was crushed in the fire and lost her form, and Kang Min-ana and Noh Yeon-seok were crushed into dolls a long time ago. Director Lee Jae-heon was also dragged into the lake, leaving behind only blood stains and a pipe.
So what can I protect? A weak child who couldn’t do anything but cry? I don’t see that child anymore. The students who ran away excitedly wearing the school uniform that caught their eye? They have become butchers and meat among people who have already gone crazy.
‘How could you not? why.’
Why did this happen?
My brain was tickled by unbearable questions and I felt like I was going crazy.
The time that Jeong In-ho was away was not very long. I don’t have a watch, so I don’t know how many minutes or hours really passed, but at least it wasn’t enough time for people to turn into human butchers like this. That much was certain.
Then why are they killing people? There were certainly conflicts and contradictions between them, but they still behaved like human beings. He was polite, respected others, and cared for his children. It was so funny how he suddenly turned into a pleasure killer.
I wanted to ask.
‘Did you drive me so hard to do this?’
Did they push me so hard just to create this ear-piercing madness?
In the end, the reason you agreed to my death was for the sake of better survival. I just agreed with that, so at least I shouldn’t have died like this. You shouldn’t go crazy like this.
Even if you are dead, it is more touching, heartwarming, desperate, sorrowful, and sheds quiet tears instead of desperate or loud screams. It had to be that kind of death. Only at that level can the thorny path I have walked down for such a long time be worth the price. Oh my…
It’s not a dog’s death.
“Ugh…”
“….”
…A pipe of a familiar shape touched my toes.
But it was much more dented, dark red, and fishy than I remembered. It’s even more disgusting and disgusting than the sight when Director Lee Jae-heon’s blood rolled over to me.
A disgusting monster touched me.
“….”
I picked it up.
He bowed his head like that, as if he had ignored the death of someone who was strangled to death. If you lift up the pipe frame, which feels much more slippery than before, and look at the world again.
“…ah.”
Would you say this is hell?
At first, Choi Jeong was the only monster, but then he became three or four and started biting off the pieces of meat. Well, the butchering process was so explicit that it looked as if it was being torn apart with teeth. What on earth can those lumps be used for? If I burn that thing, will there be ashes that can be put in the charnel house?
Blood, blood, blood splattering and flesh falling off. Your vision becomes red, black, or gray, and your brain melts. My teeth are shaking, my heart is scratching my bones, and every sound in the world is screaming to kill everything.
At that moment, I didn’t know if I was dead or alive.
I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive.
“….”
Jeong In-ho saw a green vine passing by as if passing by.
I only realized now that the green algae monster was watching all of our funny behavior. I was taking in all of this noisy and colorful mess with my unseen eyes, one step away.
I instinctively knew it was your fault.
“…and.”
In the end, Jeong In-ho couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst out.
Salt-filled water fell into my mouth, and the corners of my mouth that contained it rose to the sky. As you look up, what you see is a ceiling that is turning black. Yes, it is heaven.
Who can I save?
“Nonsense.”
Who can I kill?
Also, the darkness ate me like that.
* * *
Clink.
* * *
Hong Gyeong-jun looked at the pipe in Lee Jae-heon’s hand and asked.
“It’s a very unexpected question in this situation.”
“What is it?”
“Where did you get that pipe?”
Lee Jae-heon blinked a couple of times and answered.
“…This is a really random question.”
They had just killed three monsters.
After talking for a while, Lee Jae-heon and Hong Gyeong-jun agreed to take a look around. For reference, the ‘agreement’ here was a story about Lee Jae-heon, who was close to a corpse, insisting on his own activities and Hong Gyeong-jun rejecting him.
In the end, Lee Jae-heon, who had just killed three monsters with Hong Gyeong-jun through stubbornness, cajoling, and threats, opened his mouth while looking at the strong pipe he was holding.
“Where… I just ripped it off before leaving the office.”
“Now that I think about it, you said you were the manager.”
“Even though he is like this, he is the manager of a large company, so please respect him.”
“The top of my head tends to fall down often, so don’t worry. Rather…”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was fiddling with the corner of his head, continued.
“So the people you said were part of your group are all employees of the company?”
“Not all, but most.”
“…okay.”
Lee Jae-heon, who said that, seemed to quite trust the group, so Hong Gyeong-jun secretly kept his mouth shut.
‘No matter what else I ask, I think the reaction will be similar.’
To be honest, police officers Hong Gyeong-jun and Kim Yeon-woo were a little suspicious of Lee Jae-heon’s group.
Of course, the branches of suspicion that Hong Kyung-jun and police officer Kim Yeon-woo had were slightly different. While he was wondering if the criminal they were chasing was among them, Lee Jae-heon’s group was caught in his sights, and police officer Kim Yeon-woo was wondering if Lee Jae-heon was being forced to make a sacrifice by the person he said was his ‘partner.’
Of course, in Hong Gyeong-jun’s opinion, there was a high probability that Constable Kim Yeon-woo’s suspicions were wrong. From the beginning, he wasn’t the type to allow himself to be pushed out like that, but he only realized it now, but wouldn’t he say that he was a survivor of this world?
‘It’s just that the probability of someone being crazy like this is much higher.’
There was no way that a great man who had been in and out of this world since his early teens and had survived would be pushed out just because his companions looked at him. So, it is correct to say that he is truly an altruistic psychopath.
But….
‘Is there really no one around to point out?’
Hong Gyeong-jun rubbed the back of his neck in confusion.
‘I have a feeling… I think there’s one of these.’
I don’t know if it’s in this person’s group, though.
For some reason, there were so many people whose minds were particularly disturbed that it was impossible to narrow down those who felt uncomfortable to Hong Gyeong-jun into one group.
Hong Gyeong-jun is also not happy about wasting his mental power like this for no reason, but it was his intuition that he has put to good use and helped him rise to this position. Above all, since it is currently impossible to interview nearby citizens or analyze scientific evidence, it was right to use this sense at least a hundred times. Since the range of actions he can take has been drastically and primitively reduced, he cannot ignore this intuition that continues to irritate his nerves.
Then, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Jeong In-ho’ mentioned by Lee Jae-heon.
‘I’m not sure about that either.’
Hong Gyeong-jun clearly felt a familiar sense of discomfort when looking at Jeong In-ho. It was similar to what I felt from Lee Jae-heon, but it was a different, lighter and cloudier feeling, but at the same time, it was a dangerous feeling.
Therefore, he predicted that if any of the survivors committed murder, it would be Jeong In-ho.
‘There are many people who look at the criminal’s work and say it’s hedonism… but it’s more about restraint than that.’
The culprit is not just a pleasure killer, but a guy who thinks of himself as an ‘artist’. It’s a very disgusting thing, but if you don’t know that the main material of the criminal’s traces is a human being, there are often police who think it’s just a fantastic work.
Hong Gyeong-jun looked at the word ‘work’ used by the criminal and saw the restrained emotions of a butcher rather than excessive pleasure. That was not the image of an asshole going crazy over the act of murder.
Even more vicious, trashy, and disgusting…
“…Detective Hong?”
“…ah.”
He blinked at Lee Jae-heon’s call.
“Why are you doing that?”
“I heard people’s footsteps.”
“Footsteps…”
Since Hong Gyeong-jun couldn’t hear it, he wondered if Lee Jae-heon was hallucinating, but in the end, he was right. Hong Gyeong-jun walked slowly and heard the sound of footsteps getting closer.
And before I could react, the other person appeared.
“…Boss.”
“…Uh….”
A face full of discomfort with round glasses.
Jaeheon Lee called him.
“Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
It was Jeong In-ho, who was still suspected as a suspect.
