Chapter 124 |
As expected, the protagonist refused.
“I expect I’ll be a bit tired today.”
“What an old lie. If you’re going to lie at least put some effort into it.”
“But I promised to stop by the small lake. I think it’ll be really tiring.”
It was not that Lee Jaehun couldn’t understand his reaction.
‘He probably thinks of it as my last resort.’
As had been clearly shown so far, Lee Jaehun, a survivor of the other world, felt a sense of responsibility towards the group. He would think it would be discourteous to dⁱㅌ alone without passing on all the valuable information he possessed. At least, according to the established settings built up so far.
So this was a kind of lingering attachment. Someone with a lingering attachment to life wouldn’t easily try to dⁱㅌ, so Jung Inho wouldn’t let him be at peace enough to dⁱㅌ.
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“That too… and the fish trap we left there last time is still there. I’m going to check it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Yes, the people here didn’t seem to know there were fish there.”
“Huh.”
Why wouldn’t they know?
Lee Jaehun recalled the original novel’s content and then quickly erased it from his mind. After all, even if Owner Choi Jungman had jumped into the lake in the novel, he wouldn’t do the same thing now that the circumstances had changed. If he had jumped in, he would have known there were fish in it.
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Lee Jaehun bruised the corner of his mouth once and continued.
“Bring back a lot while you’re at it. Fish… and there are also berries there.”
“I’m also planning to check the statue that the doctor saw.”
“Then take him with you. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with his eyesight, but his eyes wouldn’t have changed for no reason.”
Actually, Lee Jaehun had a hunch.
‘It seems he can see scenes from before the regression.’
He had only talked about Lee Jaehun’s death so far, but Ha Sungyoon was someone who rarely revealed his inner thoughts. It wasn’t clear exactly what subjects he could see, but it was certain that he could see even things from before the regression.
Of course, this wasn’t something to bring up right now.
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“…Alright.”
“…….”
“Are you going to be very tired?”
At Lee Jaehun’s question, the protagonist gave a picture-perfect smile.
“Yes.”
“Next time then.”
He didn’t press the matter.
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After all, ‘Lee Jaehun’ had no intention of dying. He simply lost the certainty that he could live, and this was just a common emotional fluctuation. It wasn’t anything special, so he wasn’t desperate.
He would be alright again. He would come to his senses. He’d been through this several times before and survived, so this time wouldn’t be any different. There was no need to hold onto someone who claimed to be tired and teach him a lot of information right now.
“Take care on your way, Assistant Manager Jung.”
Nevertheless, death wasn’t something one could decide, was it?
“…I will.”
“Don’t get too tired.”
Unfortunately, ‘Lee Jaehun’ wouldn’t be able to pass on everything he knew. Just like most of the dead.
Because there was no such thing as a perfect death.
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* * *
As expected, the one leading the way to the small lake was Detective Hong Kyungjun.
“I plan to bring back as much as possible this time.”
Whether it was his nature or something honed in the otherworld, Hong Kyungjun enjoyed defining and managing people’s roles.
Of course, it was too strict and dry to be called ‘enjoyment’, but it was difficult to express it in any other words. Besides, since the relatively intelligent protagonist and doctor were refusing the leadership role, the detective inevitably ended up leading the whole group.
“Officer Yeonwoo, could you stay behind?”
“…I just need to guard the perimeter like last time, right? Understood.”
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The police officer stayed behind. As a police officer who had received systematic training like the detective, she would be in charge of protecting the vulnerable who couldn’t move. Her role wasn’t much different from the one in the novel.
And naturally, those who couldn’t move were…
“Have a nice trip.”
Lee Jaehun, who was obviously a patient to anyone with functional eyes.
“Be careful!”
Firefighter Han Doyoon, with his serious leg injury.
“Don’t get hurt. This old woman is getting tired.”
The elderly Grandma Jindallae.
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“Wouldn’t it be better if we go too…?”
“Stay put, it’ll just be more complicated if we all go.”
The underage high school siblings.
“…….”
“…See you later.”
The mentally unstable teacher Lee Yoonbyeol, and her student, young Jang Seoah.
Of course, it would be difficult for the police officer alone to protect those who were clearly vulnerable, so Student Vivian and Owner Choi Jungman stayed behind as well. Conductor Kim Kijung, who had turned pale after seeing the corpse, unexpectedly recovered quickly and joined the gathering team.
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“Ahjussi, take care.”
“…Sure… I will.”
Lee Jaehun made a sullen face at Song Inmyeong’s farewell. Honestly, it sounded like a death threat and it made him uncomfortable. I need to kill that b⋏st⋏rd before he kills me.
It seemed Lee Jaehun wasn’t the only one who felt sullen.
“…What the hㅌll, Song Inmyeong. You’re not the kind of guy who asks after someone’s well-being.”
“What’s your problem?”
“You’re the problem. Why are you greeting that ahjussi like you know him?”
When Song Inmyeong’s friend, Seo Janghwa, made a bitter, almost sour expression, Song Inmyeong chuckled and put his arm around his shoulder.
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“D⋏mn, are you jealous?”
“I’m going to puke, you ⋏sshӨlㅌ.”
“I was bored yesterday so we chatted a bit, so what about it?”
“Then just say so.”
In the end, Seo Janghwa’s thick hand struck the trash’s back five or six times, and the intense force of it wiped the smile off Song Inmyeong’s face. Thanks to his exaggerated whining and complaining, he was dragged away by Seo Janghwa.
And before leaving completely—
“…….”
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Seo Janghwa looked at Lee Jaehun and walked passed by with a slightly furrowed brow.
“…Huh.”
There was something Lee Jaehun could glean from that expression.
‘She must have sensed something strange.’
If those who didn’t know the circumstances had seen it, they would have thought it was either jealousy from a friend or a human aversion, but Lee Jaehun, who remembered his past life, knew that the relationship between Seo Janghwa and Song Inmyeong was quite complicated. It wasn’t some cute, lovey-dovey feeling, whether intuitively or logically.
If Lee Jaehun had to define it, it was the uneasiness of someone caught between a victim and a perpetrator.
“…….”
He wondered if it was the intuition of someone who unknowingly had a murderer as a friend.
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‘…What a shame.’
It would have been nice if a chick like that had become a police officer.
Perhaps because he saw a promising talent for the first time in a while, his buried desire for talent grew rapidly. The protagonist was a case of nurtured ability out of necessity rather than inherent talent, but Seo Janghwa would have done well if she had become a police officer. Such talent was evident.
But it couldn’t be helped. The garbage and the chick were already friends, and Seo Janghwa didn’t know Song Inmyeong was a murderer. The fact that she remained friends despite instinctively sensing danger must mean that she valued friendship that much.
She was a good kid.
“…….”
“Excuse me, Mr. Lee Jaehun. Wouldn’t it be better if you sat down?”
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“…Alright.”
And good people were the first to break.
‘It’s a loss.’
It was an inevitable structure. They gave their hearts out because they were kind, but most people were not, and so they got betrayed. When small betrayals silently accumulated, it didn’t take long for a person to crumble.
Officer Kim Yeonwoo was a similar case.
“Grandma Dallae said you’re much better now…. But I still think you shouldn’t move around too much. I apologize if I’m being nosy.”
“Not at all. Thank you for your concern.”
More importantly, Grandma Dallae.
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‘They seem to have gotten quite close.’
Her real name is Jin Dallae. She possessed a strong mental fortitude, enough to stroll through the otherworld while carefully avoiding danger, and at the same time, she loved things that were pure and innocent. Even if it was a love as light as a feather that could be blown away by a single gust of wind.
Perhaps the ones she cherished most among them were Officer Kim Yeonwoo and the child Jang Seoah.
“…….”
He asked the police officer, who was looking outside the pavilion with an anxious gaze.
“…Is there something bothering you?”
“Oh, uh.”
The police officer, who didn’t know how to hide her expressions other than having a stiff face, seemed a little embarrassed, perhaps aware of this herself. He could also see a faint sense of guilt for causing unnecessary anxiety despite being a police officer who should protect citizens.
“It’s just… I’m worried that monsters might come around.”
Still, the fact that she answered honestly probably meant that ‘Lee Jaehun’ was someone she could rely on. He didn’t know where she got that sense of comfort from, though.
Thinking so, Lee Jaehun looked outside the pavilion.
“I don’t hear any sounds of monsters approaching.”
“I’m just feeling anxious for no reason. Like, we don’t know why that dog-like monster came last time….”
“Is that so.”
Brushing the corner of his mouth, he casually added,
“It would have been better if we had a knife.”
“Ah, indeed… it would have been helpful. Not just for dealing with monsters, but also for everyday use.”
“I see. Still, I feel relieved that you’re looking out for us.”
“Really…?”
Actually, he was glad she was being vigilant.
‘It’s a time when problems can actually arise.’
In the otherworld, mental strength could manifest physically, and death in such a world could cause significant changes. Since even Lee Jaehun had also lost his composure, it wouldn’t be strange at all if the child’s corpse caused a stir among the monsters.
However, the reason he didn’t stop the survivors from going to the small lake despite this was because, firstly, he couldn’t be bothered, secondly, the protagonist wouldn’t dⁱㅌ, and thirdly, he didn’t care if the rest of them dⁱㅌd. Another reason was that they did need to restock their food supplies.
“…….”
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen the algae monster lately.
‘I wonder where it is.’
If he couldn’t find it, he was thinking of waltzing with the trash in front of the algae lake, but he hoped he could figure out its location before such a crazy situation occurred. Lee Jaehun’s patience was running out and he couldn’t stand having a criminal right in front of him.
Watching Kim Yeonwoo’s back as she went outside the pavilion to check the surroundings, Lee Jaehun turned his head to a gaze that kept glancing at him.
“…….”
“…….”
And he made eye contact with the chick.
“…Hi…?”
At Lee Jaehun’s awkward greeting, Jang Seoah’s face suddenly brightened.
“Hello…!”
“…Hey there.”
Honestly, he wanted to fold her face up and tell her to look away.
The Lee Jaehun of his past life was a married man with three children, but he didn’t particularly like kids, and the Lee Jaehun of this life was unmarried, and the only children he’d encountered were his nephews and nieces who would rudely tug at his clothes.
Before coming up with various excuses, he simply didn’t like kids. In the same vein, he didn’t like childcare either.
But it wasn’t the same disgust he felt when he saw the protagonist.
“…….”
“Are you bored?”
“Yes…!”
Lee Jaehun eventually called the child over.
‘D⋏mn it, this is why you shouldn’t make it a habit.’
He must have gotten used to childcare after taking care of so many chicks. Unable to avoid her clear gaze that screamed ‘Play with me’, Lee Jaehun carefully poked the child’s soft cheeks with both hands.
“What does my friend Jang Seoah want to play?”
“Why am I your friend, ahjussi?”
“Then what would you like me to call you?”
“Seoah, call me Seoah. Mommy and Daddy both call me that.”
“Okay, Seoah.”
Actually, it wasn’t that difficult to play with a child of this age. Unless the child was bursting with energy and running wild, just having a sincere conversation with them usually satisfied them.
And the adults were watching with heartwarming smiles.
“…What?”
“Nothing, just keep doing what you were doing.”
“…….”
It was hard to make a living.