Chapter 115 |
At first, all he wanted was to be seen as ‘He’s not that bad of a guy!’
Now, he had become ‘a madman with deep-seated trauma from repeated visits to the otherworld, but has been hiding it skillfully and his true nature is gradually being revealed thanks to his outstanding spirit of sacrifice’.
For the record, there were several minor settings in the middle, such as ‘ordinary survivor of the otherworld,’ ‘serial killer suspect,’ and ‘monster candidate dangerously influenced by the green algae monster,’ but life never went as planned, and they all failed. Even if the settings themselves remained, the desired results were never achieved.
Lee Jaehun couldn’t help but lament the current reality, where even his past life was dragged into his present life’s setting. What the hㅌll did I do wrong, you little chicks?
And then, a thought surfaced as he looked at the child’s corpse which somehow looked strangely familiar.
“Manager, that child. The one you saved on the road back then…”
“…”
“…Manager?”
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It was about time for a reset.
***
For a glorious three days, Lee Jaehun enjoyed blissful dreams with the green algae monster. Unable to bear the heartwarming peace, he attempted conversation, a crazy act to which the monster readily responded. Why a mere human like Lee Jaehun could communicate with it was a mystery.
Anyway, the conclusion was simple. Lee Jaehun craved freedom, even in his dreams, and the green algae monster offered it in exchange for one thing:
Hunt a human for it to eat.
“…”
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“…”
“…If that’s all it takes.”
The deal was that simple.
Many things remained suspicious. Was the monster in the dream the same as the one in the otherworld? And was a single human life truly a fair price for freedom? If that was indeed the case, why had it tormented him so much?
Yet, surprisingly, the situation worked out well. To distance himself from the group, Lee Jaehun needed to instill wariness and fear in them. In any case, whether ⁱnsⁱdㅌ or outside of his dreams, the green algae monster was making his life miserable. Following the arrogant Employee Kwon’s suggestion, Lee Jaehun decided to pretend to be a zombie.
The problem was the chicks were far more attached to him than he’d anticipated, preventing him from escaping. His only viable plan now was the deal with the green algae monster.
And Lee Jaehun had already chosen his prey.
‘The serial killer.’
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A staple in almost every novel involving crime. A person suffering from ‘the disease of murderous intent towards humans’ was the perfect target for Lee Jaehun to kill while pretending to be crazy.
So Lee Jaehun had two options: kill the madman in public or discreetly in a secluded spot. The park in the otherworld was deceptively vast and dangerous. With memories of his past life, Lee Jaehun was capable of either.
But he chose a public execution.
‘That was the plan all along.’
He’d cultivated his image, linking himself to the monster, partly because of the deal, but primarily to create distance. A moderate level of trust, enough to avoid being abandoned by the group, was more than sufficient.
In any case, he had wanted to escape their worried gazes, and now that had failed.
‘The deal was secondary from the start.’
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Still, Lee Jaehun stuck to the plan. His nighttime antics were meant to lessen the group’s shock at his sudden act of murder. Sowing discord among them served the same purpose.
Lee Jaehun had done his part. He might not have full immunity yet, but he’d received both vaccine doses. Whether it was because of his insane ego or objective judgment, he wanted to see his carefully laid plans through.
However, one thing had been added.
“…Mr. Lee Jaehun.”
“…”
“Do you know this child?”
He should have gone and look for the child.
‘This life is ruined, no matter how I look at it.’
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How could things get so twisted? He’d really rather not experience the convenience of a reset, but this time, he had no choice. Seeing the small corpse, he knew.
Despite all his justifications, he felt it instinctively. This child had dⁱㅌd in the otherworld because Lee Jaehun had saved him. A mere piece of meat in the original story, now resurrected and brought to this point. The butterfly effect in action.
This level of entanglement demanded a reset. While he was at it, he’d streamline his ridiculously excessive character setting and observe the situation with a clearer mind.
The conclusion: he needed to dⁱㅌ.
“Mr. Lee Jaehun?”
At Detective Hong Kyungjun’s question, Lee Jaehun simply blinked, hoping to convey his bewilderment and confusion. He was a man of action, usually swift and decisive.
“…”
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“I… I think I do.”
…Though his genuine exhaustion played a part.
The mangled body, seemingly ravaged by wild dogs, belonged to the child he’d helped before entering the otherworld. The one he’d approached to build a connection with Jung Inho.
‘I guess his name was… Minhong?’
Or something like that.
Lee Jaehun didn’t know his last name, but the woman, presumably his mother, had called him ‘Minhong.’ The child who, despite having his eyes covered, was startled by the loud noise and cried holding onto Lee Jaehun’s hand. The damp feeling still lingered, sending shivers down Lee Jaehun’s spine.
Death had a significant impact on the otherworld. Specifically, the shock that occured immediately after a living human witnessed death.
Especially the death of a child.
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“…”
“What do you mean, you think you do? You’ve met this child. Do you know his name?”
“…Just a moment, please.”
This guy was losing it too.
‘He’s interrogating me so aggressively.’
Lee Jaehun stepped back from Detective Hong Kyungjun who was approaching. A deliberate act, but also an unconscious reaction. His head throbbed.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t grasped the situation yet.”
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He was grateful that there were very few survivors present.
While heading towards the pavilion, presumably the detectives’ quarters, Lee Jaehun and Jung Inho sensed few presences nearby and recognized Detective Hong Kyungjun and another survivor. Intentionally approaching them, the detective, who’d been scanning the area, called out to him.
‘I don’t know why he looked so happy to see me.’
Perhaps he saw someone else in Lee Jaehun. The otherworld had taken its toll on Hong Kyungjun’s mental state, and he seemed to equate Jaehun with this other person.
Eventually, Lee Jaehun and Jung Inho briefly separated from their group to approach the detective and the group of survivors. The reason why they specifically left others behind was because they sensed a murder had occurred, given the detective’s grim expression and the fact that they were supposed to be searching for a child and an adult. And in this other world, it was better to avoid encountering death as much as possible. While this might be true for the ordinary world and people as well, it was even more so here.
That was how Lee Jaehun came face to face with the corpse of an extra he’d encountered before entering this world.
“…”
Recapping the situation only worsened his headache.
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People of this world were generally lenient towards the vulnerable, having a different kind of respect than he’d witnessed in his previous life. The lifeless body of a child was enough to shatter the mental fortitude of many survivors, including the main characters.
And the otherworld reacted swiftly to that.
‘Shⁱt.’
He thought he heard the amplified roars of monsters in the distance. His hearing wasn’t that good, so it could be just an auditory hallucination.
He glanced at the empty space left by Jung Inho who had gone to fetch the doctor.
‘…Will the protagonist bring the others here?’
Unlikely. He didn’t know the exact details of Jung Inho’s past regression, but Jung Inho had experienced death repeatedly. Jung Inho wouldn’t intentionally expose the group to a corpse, no matter how much he valued their unity.
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But he might not have the energy to stop someone determined to see it, and Dr. Ha Sungyoon would come this way regardless…
“…I…”
In the end, the performance had to go on.
“So, um.”
“…”
“Yes, I saw him. I did see him.”
And it didn’t need to be 100% pure.
The most effective lies blended truth and falsehood, and Lee Jaehun was genuinely confused at the moment. He instinctively revealed his tremors within the line that best fit the plan.
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“…I heard his name. I think it was Minhong.”
He felt nauseous, like someone who hadn’t slept in three days.
Yet in the midst of this, he blinked repeatedly, forcing himself to maintain his usual demeanor. He couldn’t afford to crumble now, not after the image he’d carefully constructed.
“His name is Minhong. You don’t know his last name?”
“No. When I first met him, I just… I just left.”
“…You left?”
At the same time, it emphasized the good deed he’d done.
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Detective Hong eyed him suspiciously, but this was actually a good thing. After all, if his favorability dropped at hearing ‘I left the child behind’, the eventual rebound when it went back up would be even greater.
“I didn’t want to intrude too much.”
‘Lee Jaehun’ was a madman who respected the vulnerable. He’d saved a child from being hit by a car and then left, uncomfortable with further interaction. Or perhaps some other reason, but he was capable of such modesty.
Hong Kyungjun’s expression grew even more ambiguous at Lee Jaehun’s disjointed words.
Still.
“…If I’d known…”
“…Yes?”
“…”
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Anyway, the protagonist would arrive soon and clear things up.
‘A positive swing after a negative one is more impactful.’
He concluded his thought, unable to even nod, fixing his gaze on the child’s corpse. It was a display of being deeply affected, which seemed to resonate with Detective Hong Kyungjun.
It was time to unveil his confusion without reservation.
“…If I’d known, I wouldn’t have saved him.”
This was the best he could get.
‘I’m a survivor of the otherworld.’
He was disoriented.
Why was this child here? Clearly, this child didn’t exist in the original novel. Or rather, he existed, but his corpse shouldn’t be lying here like this. It deviated drastically from the story Lee Jaehun remembered.
He had done a lot of things. He had saved this kid. But that couldn’t explain the current situation. The place where he’d saved the child was quite far from this park. So why was this kindergarten boy dead here?
Dead…
“…”
“…Mr. Lee Jaehun?”
…The child was?
Why?
* * *
“…”
Truthfully, he could have endured more.
It wasn’t arrogance. In his past life, Lee Jaehun had witnessed death and resurrection countless times, and he had become quite accustomed to his own pain and suffering. Even in this otherworld, he’d lived a harsh enough life to not lose his composure over a child’s corpse.
However, among the many facts Lee Jaehun overlooked was this: the current ‘Lee Jaehun’ possessed a semblance of humanity. A genuine sympathy and respect for the innocent, even if it was shallow and hypocritical.
And death in the otherworld had a knack for driving people mad.
“…How did this happen?”
Even those who were already mad.