Chapter 102 |
Honestly, no one had ever thought of associating Manager Lee Jaehun with a child.
Jung Inho had started as an intern and worked his way up to the assistant manager position, steadily climbing the corporate ladder, while Lee Jaehun, on the other hand, had abruptly appeared midway through, essentially a newcomer. Of course, most people in their company were hired with prior experience, so the ‘newcomer’ label might seem a bit much—but in this case, he was a parachute hire, so the label might be true.
Moreover, Lee Jaehun, who had suddenly inserted himself into their midst one day, was a typical condescending old-timer. Those working under him suffered, while the higher-ups favored him.
It was incredibly baffling.
‘Who would ever associate someone like that with a child?’
Furthermore, Manager Lee Jaehun was single. It was a well-known fact within the company that he was one of the few department managers who was still single at his age, so it was natural to wonder how well someone without a family could care for a child.
And the company employees, momentarily fooled by that preconception, were now dumbfounded.
“…Manager… Does he actually have a child at home…?”
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“I am not sure, but he’s not the type to get someone pregnant… He doesn’t even have a girlfriend.”
“Wow, that’s really unexpected… No, wait. But there were rumors about him harassing female employees.”
“Ah, that…”
Jung Inho paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.
“It probably… started after that incident with Ms. Kang Mina.”
“What happened with Ms. Mina?”
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“After Senior Associate Kang made a mistake once, he, um, kept scolding her excessively, even for trivial matters. Because it happened so often, those rumors started spreading.”
“Oh…”
“I can’t think of any other reason. Our manager really isn’t the type to treat people differently based on gender. Men and women alike, he’s equally harsh to everyone.”
“…Is that a good thing?”
“I’m not sure.”
He pressed his brows together and continued.
“If I had to guess… he must have taken care of his nieces or nephews a few times.”
“Nieces and nephews? Ah, did he say he had any?”
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“Well, he mentioned having an older sister and an older brother. They all have families and children… So, he might have looked after his nieces and nephews occasionally.”
“…You know a lot about him.”
“Well, his family is quite prominent. They’re a famous electronics company, aren’t they? It’s easy to find information if you look it up.”
“Why did you even bother to look it up…?”
“I was curious how impressive he must be to land in this department.”
Jung Inho’s gaze fell upon Manager Lee Jaehun, who was playfully bickering with Intern Noh Yeonseok. Yeonseok had probably made another vague clueless remark, and Lee Jaehun was being childish in response.
He muttered, a strange feeling washed over him.
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“…But now that I see him like this, he’s a bit…”
Family background aside, Lee Jaehun was a strange man.
“…….”
“What? A bit childish?”
“…That too.”
Seeing him acting nonchalant and playful like he had nothing to worry about.
‘He’s someone who has no time for such things.’
A child’s perspective was far more direct than an adult’s. Manager Lee Jaehun, seen through Seoah’s unbiased and innocent eyes, was probably just ‘an ahjussi in zombie makeup’, nothing more, nothing less.
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Of course, Jung Inho knew that Jang Seoah was quite a bold child, but even so, she wasn’t the type to readily approach and talk to someone covered in that much blood. It meant that Manager Lee Jaehun was acting nonchalant so that other people wouldn’t be bothered by his injuries.
Moreover, considering Manager Lee Jaehun’s true personality, revealed during their heartfelt conversation, such frivolous playfulness didn’t suit his nature.
‘He must be acting like this because of the atmosphere.’
So that others wouldn’t overly focus on his serious injury, or so the mood wouldn’t dampen. Just like when he had previously acted like a condescending department manager, he was putting on a facade.
In a way, it was quite comical…
“…….”
But it also made Jung Inho feel a little relieved.
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His toes curled at the unfamiliar sense of stability.
“…Mr. Inho, are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
“You look a little dazed…”
Kwon Yeonhee stealthily approached him from behind and began massaging his shoulders. He glanced at her and noticed that even though he was on his knees, her hands reached his shoulders just right, confirming that she was quite short.
Habitually analyzing others, Jung Inho suddenly felt bewildered and asked,
“What… are you doing?”
“…U-Uh. Um. My father… he used to like it when I did this.”
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“I’m not quite that old…”
“But you’re the head of our team…?”
She looked as if she herself didn’t quite understand the situation, but seeing how her hands kept moving regardless, any desire to protest faded away. Her grip wasn’t particularly strong, but it was somewhat soothing.
As Jung Inho remained dazed, Restaurant Owner Choi Jungman, observing the two, interjected.
“I don’t know if I can ask this, but are you two… dating?”
“No.”
“Nope.”
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“Y-You’re not?”
At Jung Inho and Kwon Yeonhee’s swift and firm denials, Owner Choi Jungman’s expression turned sheepish.
“I was going to say you’d make a nice couple… I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh, we know you didn’t mean anything bad, Owner.”
“I’m glad you understand. It’s just that, well, you’re both so good-looking that I was just trying to find an excuse to talk. Sorry for misunderstanding so thoughtlessly, okay?”
Jung Inho had braced himself for the typical ‘There’s no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman!’ line often heard from people of Owner Choi Jungman’s age, but Owner Choi quickly retracted his statement. This, too, was a consideration Jung Inho hadn’t seen before.
Choi Jungman continued, putting on a smile as if trying to dispel the awkwardness,
“By the way, about your department manager. Lee Jaehun? Was it?”
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“Yeah… Manager Lee Jaehun.”
“Right, he’s very kind to the child. He’s a good person.”
A faint guilt tinged Owner Choi Jungman’s face as he spoke.
“I said some harsh things earlier when I first saw him. I overreacted…”
“…Harsh things, like what?”
“I think I said something like, ‘How do we know he’s not a monster?’… I did apologize, but, um. I was wondering if I could talk to him again later, when things calm down.”
“…….”
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“He seems to be a very reliable person. I’m sorry I said that.”
The smile on his round face was awkward and sheepish, but Jung Inho could sense his sincerity. It seemed something had happened before Jung Inho and the other two met Manager Lee Jaehun.
He unconsciously nodded.
‘Well, he might look a bit scary in the middle of the night.’
Even Jung Inho had felt that way.
“…You don’t have to apologize to us.”
“That’s… That’s true. Yeah.”
“But it’ll be alright.”
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Recalling the moment Manager Lee Jaehun had gotten up coughing up blood, Jung Inho blinked. A sidelong glance revealed Lee Jaehun’s front was stained a sickeningly dark red.
Did this person still want to dⁱㅌ? Was he trying to do everything he could and then disappear from this world? No matter how much Jung Inho thought about it, something must have happened that night when he was dragged away by the algae monster, but did he not want to talk about it yet?
His head throbbed as he was wondering what he could possibly do.
‘…Can I save him?’
Suddenly, the pitch-black sky from before he almost dⁱㅌd flashed through his mind.
He remembered the sound of shattering glass, various screams, and the squelching of blood.
As far as Jung Inho could tell, the algae monster had the ability to draw out nonexistent murderous intent. That was why Jung Inho was the only one left under the sky that had turned white.
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And so, a thought occurred to him.
“Manager will talk to you again anytime, if you want.”
Could it be that Lee Jaehun had fallen victim to that ability?
Dragged by the monster, steeped in malice, and now back, yet still alive. Was he enduring it, trying not to cause any harm because he was still alive? Was that why he was coughing up blood like that?
Suspicion arose.
‘He’s already half a monster.’
The thought that they had run away because they were terrified of that change continued to torment him. The fear that he would no longer be able to save Manager Lee Jaehun.
The algae monster had watched silently as Owner Choi Jungman butchered people, and to Jung Inho, it had looked like it was waiting for its subordinate to bring back prey. If Lee Jaehun knew that as well, he would kill himself without hesitation.
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Better to dⁱㅌ than to harm the people he had protected all this time.
“He’s not as scary as he looks. Really.”
“…Is that so?”
“In the first place, he’s not the type to dwell on things like that.”
In that case, was Lee Jaehun’s death already a foregone conclusion?
A sudden sense of emptiness washed over him. It was the kind of emptiness he felt as a child when he realized the shiny pebbles he diligently collected were worthless, the emptiness he felt when he couldn’t find universal value in anything he did. It was a void.
Jung Inho recalled the conversation he had with Lee Jaehun amidst the flames.
‘I shouldn’t have gotten so angry.’
Owner Choi Jungman clearly wanted to apologize to him again.
“So… I don’t think you have to worry too much.”
Then when should they apologize? Would that person even understand their apology?
Jung Inho felt worried.
“…By the way, do you like children?”
Jung Inho deliberately changed the subject, but it wasn’t a completely unrelated topic. Owner Choi Jungman had been very kind to the child Seoah even before the incident.
At his question, Owner Choi Jungman scratched the back of his head.
“No… it’s not really liking, it’s just, you know. I have a son about her age.”
“…He must be around the same age as Seoah.”
“He is six years old, the same as her. He’s a real handful, always running around.”
His tone was gruff, but the affection on his round face was genuine. He went on about how active and brave his son was, never hesitating to jump into things. The affection was so palpable that Kwon Yeonhee, who had been steadily patting Jung Inho’s shoulder, subtly moved away.
Choi Jungman’s face, chatting cheerfully like that, looked really happy.
“Last time, he came home with his palms all scr*ped up. There was an accident, you see. But he tried not to cry…”
“…I see.”
A strange feeling washed over Jung Inho once more.
That must have been why Choi Jungman had laughed so hard he collapsed when Seoah called Manager Lee Jaehun a zombie.
It must have been the first time in a long time he felt he could laugh. That was probably why he felt so restless and hazy like this.
Jung Inho felt like laughing at all these changes, yet he also felt empty.
“That’s wonderful.”
“Oh, ahem. Well, it’s not that wonderful…”
“No, it really is.”
It was truly interesting.
That just one person being alive could change so much.
“It’s really… wonderful.”
That this person was trying to dⁱㅌ again,
I…