Chapter 126 |
Jung Inho knew very well that he couldn’t be a good person on his own.
His parents had asked him almost every day to be a good boy, an obedient son who wouldn’t cause them any trouble. Their desperate wish, too fervent to be called brainwashing, had devoured his entire childhood.
But it wasn’t because of their pleas that he longed for goodness. It was more like a yearning etched into his being, a recognition of something he could never possess. He longed for it precisely because he was certain he could never have it.
So, the shock he felt when he saw a glimpse of that goodness in someone he despised was immense.
“So, there was such a fruit.”
“Yes, a fruit resembling a glass bead… with a very strong fragrance.”
Glancing at the detective who listening attentively to him, Jung Inho continued with a polite smile.
“It wasn’t poisonous.”
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“Ah, it seems you’ve found something on your side as well, Detective?”
“We also found something in the lake… well, the smaller lake. We need to go further in.”
“Exactly which direction from the bridge?”
Even as they conversed, Jung Inho felt an underlying discomfort.
‘…Does he still suspect me?’
Having experienced a future that no longer existed, Jung Inho knew what suspicions Hong Kyungjun harbored. The detective must be thinking that Jung Inho might be the serial killer Officer Kim Yeowoo had witnessed.
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But Jung Inho couldn’t just say, ‘I’m not the criminal you’re looking for’. Even when he’d tried to have a serious conversation with Hong Kyungjun, unable to contain his frustration, the detective hadn’t believed him. Detective Hong Kyungjun wasn’t the kind of person to trust anyone, even after a heart-to-heart.
Jung Inho remembered the look in Hong Kyungjun’s eyes, a gaze that seemed to ask if Jung Inho had killed Kang Mina and his other deceased colleagues. How absurd. If he hadn’t been holding himself back, he might have grabbed the detective by the collar.
“Come to think of it, you seemed to know that little boy yesterday, Mr. Jung Inho.”
“…….”
“Could you tell me about it?”
Yes, this was what he hated.
“…I believe the Manager told you.”
Even as he spoke, Jung Inho could guess Hong Kyungjun’s intentions. He was probably trying to check if his account matched exactly with Manager Lee Jaehun’s testimony. The man was irritatingly full of suspicions.
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Sure enough, Hong Kyungjun nodded.
“I heard, but Manager Lee wasn’t in good condition at the time. I wanted to hear a testimony from someone in a calmer state.”
“That’s understandable.”
Maintaining his usual smile, Jung Inho continued.
“I often take walks around the neighborhood when I have time. I usually jog a few laps…”
The story wasn’t very long. Hong Kyungjun, despite feeling suspicious, was quite cautious and calm, so he didn’t interrupt. He even nodded occasionally, showing agreement. If the circumstances were different, he would have been a pretty good listener.
Recalling the situation, Jung Inho calmly explained.
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“…The Manager suddenly suggested we leave. I followed him, and after we talked for a bit, we parted ways. And then I saw him again the next day at work.”
“…….”
“That’s all I know about the child I saw at the time.”
At those words, Hong Kyungjun nodded slightly and tapped his fingers. Whether it was a habit he was aware of but couldn’t break, or one he hadn’t noticed yet, Jung Inho knew it meant the detective was deep in thought.
Stopping the tapping, Hong Kyungjun spoke.
“You’re certainly a unique individual.”
“…Who are you referring to?”
“Both Mr. Lee Jaehun and you, Mr. Jung Inho.”
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Hearing this, Jung Inho suddenly realized something.
“The Manager is indeed a unique individual.”
This paranoid detective trusted Manager Lee Jaehun of all people.
‘Why?’
Why Lee Jaehun?
If anyone were to be suspected, Jung Inho was certain Manager Lee Jaehun would be on the list. Even putting aside his personal biases, it was the only logical conclusion.
Jung Inho remembered Manager Lee Jaehun once saying that he would do anything without hesitation if the situation called for it. There was no way Manager Lee Jaehun, who frequented the otherworld, had never committed some unethical act, even if it was based on his own sacrifice.
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And in Jung Inho’s opinion, Hong Kyungjun had a keen ability to pinpoint those capable of such unethical acts.
‘Perhaps that’s also why he suspected me from the beginning.’
To be honest, yes, Jung Inho was not in his right mind. He himself couldn’t predict what he might do if things went wrong.
But what about Manager Lee Jaehun? Why did the detective trust him?
“You said you work at the same company. May I ask where?”
“Ah, I work at Ohseong. In the planning team.”
“Oh, you work at a major corporation. I’m envious.”
The person speaking wasn’t particularly bragging, and the person responding didn’t seem particularly envious. Nevertheless, Jung Inho and Hong Kyungjun managed to converse smoothly. This was because the masks they wore and the chasm of distrust between them were so thick.
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“So, he is the department manager of Ohseong’s planning team…”
“…….”
Jung Inho noticed Hong Kyungjun’s considerable interest in Manager Lee Jaehun.
And it didn’t seem like the kind of interest shown when narrowing down suspects.
‘So, why?’
All that most of the company, including Jung Inho, knew about ‘Manager Lee Jaehun’ was that he was a condescending, silver-spooned, parachuted executive. Even if he told the detective about the rumors now, the detective probably wouldn’t believe them, but why was the detective interested in such a person? It didn’t make sense.
For such a paranoid person to trust someone he’d just met, someone quite dubious at that…
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“…He’s a good man.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Manager, he’s a good person.”
Could that truly be considered genuine trust?
“…I am just saying.”
Lee Jaehun’s current condition was quite poor. He was in a dire situation both externally and internally, and he seemed to be losing his mind because of whatever the algae monster had done to him, much like Owner Choi Jungman before.
‘No, it must be worse.’
At least Owner Choi Jungman hadn’t coughed up blood.
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Although he hadn’t spoken to Ha Sungyoon about Lee Jaehun’s symptoms since their last conversation, Jung Inho assumed it was a reaction to some kind of rejection. The only difference between Choi Jungman and Lee Jaehun was that the former had succumbed to his murderous impulses, while the latter was desperately suppressing them.
And that wasn’t a reason to trust Lee Jaehun implicitly.
Because that man was…
“…….”
“…I’ll go this way. I saw the fruit here last time. Would you like to come with me?”
“I’ll go with my group to collect the fruit we found earlier. Let’s meet back at the bridge.”
“It would be good to have a few people fetch some water.”
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Lee Jaehun was already insane.
Lee Jaehun didn’t trust people, instead filling that void with his own suffering. Anyone who witnessed his behavior firsthand would lose their sanity. Jung Inho, who already disliked Manager Lee Jaehun, was even more affected.
Such a person ended up in the same state as previous Owner Choi Jungman. He was constantly suppressing it, coughing up blood each time, but who knew when he would reach his limit? Someone who could so effortlessly discard even the one thing they claimed was the hardest to abandon—themselves—would have no trouble harming others.
And Hong Kyungjun must be aware of this.
“I’ll fetch the water.”
“…Ah, Owner Yoon.”
“I just need to wait at the bridge, right?”
Jung Inho stared at Yoon Garam, who gently curved her eyes as she looked at him, with a strange gaze. He wasn’t sure, but Yoon Garam had an uncanny resemblance to Ha Sungyoon.
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Especially that smile, a step removed from reality…
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“I’ll check the fish traps too. Be careful, Mr. Inho.”
“You too, Ms. Garam…”
Having called her name without realizing it, Jung Inho blinked once and consciously adjusted his breathing.
“Be careful.”
“Thanks for your concern.”
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Yoon Garam, who must have sensed the awkwardness, simply curved her lips gracefully and turned away. He guessed that she was calling out to Noh Yeonseok and Kang Mina because she needed help retrieving the fish traps.
Jung Inho silently watched her retreating figure.
“…….”
He suddenly thought he saw a familiar spark ignite in Yoon Garam’s steps.
It resembled the green plant that had grabbed Manager Lee Jaehun’s ankle as he left the flower shop. A violent, self-destructive obsession, intense enough to burn itself up rather than let go. Like the bonfire she always gazed at.
Jung Inho knew it was broken.
“…….”
“Mr. Jung Inho, shall we go?”
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“…Yes, let’s go.”
But Yoon Garam loved it…
“While we’re at it, let’s take a look at that monster that ate Ha Sungyoon’s eyes.”
“My, my, such harsh words. Are you tired?”
Ha Sungyoon simply smiled, his eyes crinkling, and it looked very much like Yoon Garam’s smile. Perhaps she had learned that smile from him.
Because she admired him.
“I wonder whose fault that is.”
Because when you admire someone, you want to be like them.
Jung Inho could understand her completely.
“Aha, it seems you’ve given some thought to what I said.”
“I can’t deny that.”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Everyone seemed to have gone mad. And in order to somehow survive while being mad, they had to cling to something. Even if it was a ridiculous act of fanaticism. People became desperate.
Hong Kyungjun was like that, Yoon Garam was like that, and…
“I think I’ve gone mad.”
So was Jung Inho.
Lee Jaehun wasn’t someone to be trusted. Knowing this and still believing in him was inefficient, as the man himself had said, yet Jung Inho still believed in him. He believed in someone who was half monster, someone who could kill and turn a person into a piece of meat at any moment.
So, this was fanaticism. Like praying to a non-existent god for self-comfort, it was a crazy act that benefited no one.
Jung Inho believed in Lee Jaehun.
“I think so too.”
“Until when?”
“I don’t know, but…”
As long as he’s alive, I—we—won’t dⁱㅌ.
“It feels… shⁱtty.”
I don’t have to survive alone.
Even though Jung Inho realized the absurdity of his conclusion—a fanaticism—he couldn’t turn back. At least Lee Jaehun himself, as long as he was alive, would strive to save them somehow. Jung Inho didn’t think his faith was misplaced.
That was how much Jung Inho didn’t want to survive alone. In that relationship rife with distrust and hatred, in that slaughterhouse where he never knew when he might have to kill someone, he didn’t want to dⁱㅌ alone, staring at the white sky. That was a terribly horrifying thought.
He didn’t want that.
“…….”
“…I have to save him.”
“How?”
“I’d do it somehow.”
It was funny.
He had tried to figure out the reason for Hong Kyungjun’s irrational thinking, but all he discovered was his own flaw. A flaw he couldn’t fix even after recognizing it.
He really felt like he was going crazy.