Chapter 127 |
In the end, Jung Inho didn’t see Lee Jaehun as a person either.
Yes, that’s right. Just like what Lee Jaehun had said last night, Jung Inho might have only seen Lee Jaehun as a third-rate villain or an extra. But now, he even openly treated him as a mere talisman? It was understandable why Lee Jaehun, who already wasn’t fond of them, would want to distance himself.
He couldn’t blame the man.
‘I really can’t be a good person.’
Even though Jung Inho now realized he hadn’t treated Lee Jaehun as a human being, he had no intention of changing. It was inevitable that he couldn’t be a good person.
* * *
The group returned near evening.
“…Did something happen?”
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For a moment, Lee Jaehun wondered if this had happened in the original novel, but they were too far gone to discuss such things now. From the moment they discovered the child’s corpse, which shouldn’t have existed in the first place, nothing had gone according to plan.
The familiar metallic scent of blood stung his nose. Lee Jaehun reflexively counted the heads of the panting survivors, deciding to focus on the fact that no one had dⁱㅌd.
“…Monster, fcking, that fcking monster…”
“Student, calm down.”
“Ugh, huff, ugh… Shⁱt…”
“Oh dear.”
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He patted Seo Janghwa’s shoulder. She seemed to be in a state of near panic, unable to compose herself. Her limbs were fine, and there weren’t any significant injuries to her head or abdomen, but judging by her retching, she must have encountered the abandoned dog monster.
Come to think of it, Seo Janghwa had always been particularly vulnerable to the abandoned dog monster in the original story.
‘She said she has six dogs at home, I think.’
Actually, things had been relatively peaceful compared to the original novel. Normally, several people would have already dⁱㅌd by now, increasing the otherworld’s difficulty. Perhaps the dam Lee Jaehun had been holding back had finally burst with the child’s death.
Lee Jaehun, who had been gently stroking Seo Janghwa’s back as she vomited, suddenly froze.
‘…Wait a minute.’
If the difficulty had been manageable until now, wouldn’t that mean there should be more survivors than in the original novel?
“…….”
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“A-Ahjussi. I’m okay now, so your hand…”
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
Lee Jaehun swallowed the sudden feeling of unease.
‘I… need to properly examine the park.’
The descriptions in the novel hadn’t been very detailed, and it was unclear exactly how many corpses the protagonist had overlooked. Only particularly gruesome deaths, like severed heads or hands, had been described.
However, this meant that since only the child’s body had been found so far, there might be other survivors, unlike the original novel. Considering the large number of people who had flocked to the park and the momentary decrease in difficulty, it was a plausible thought.
Therefore, the problem lay elsewhere.
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‘Then why has the number of people decreased?’
In the novel, the group of university students hadn’t joined the detectives as quickly as they had this time, and more importantly, there were four of them. There had been another person who met them in the park and joined their group.
So, it was puzzling why the number of survivors was currently fewer than in the original novel…
“…So, what happened?”
The immediate priority was to receive a report on the current situation.
‘Though I could roughly guess.’
Lee Jaehun’s gaze briefly flicked towards Song Inmyeong.
In response to his question, Detective Hong Kyungjun, who had been looking at Lee Jaehun with a strange expression as he comforted Seo Janghwa, straightened his disheveled clothes and answered.
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“…The monsters moved. We didn’t expect them to approach so aggressively. We don’t know exactly what triggered them, but it was quite chaotic.”
“…….”
“We directly encountered dog-shaped monsters, and also…”
As Lee Jaehun waited with a dubious expression, Hong Kyungjun continued.
“Vines, and crows… I think.”
He sounded uncertain.
“…We’ve seen the vines several times, but crows?”
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“Yes, but I can’t be sure. It might have just been dark bird feathers appearing black.”
“Huh.”
Hong Kyungjun let out a rare sigh and pressed his shoulders. He seemed to have played a major role in ensuring the survivors returned safely, as his face and upper body were covered in large claw marks.
Looking at the marks, Lee Jaehun nodded inwardly.
‘It was crows.’
The long gashes might look like they were made by some kind of wild animal’s claws, but despite the difference in size, they were indeed from a bird. And the only bird-type monster in the park capable of inflicting such large wounds was the crow.
The fact that even the crow monster, not one of the park’s signature monsters, was causing such a commotion indicated that the child’s death held significant meaning in this world. If even the small fry were this agitated, how much more so the other monsters?
Glancing at Hong Kyungjun, who was approaching Kim Yeonwoo to talk, Lee Jaehun turned to Yoon Garam, who was clinging to Dr. Ha Sungyoon, and asked,
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“Are you alright?”
“…Ah, Manager.”
It was Owner Yoon who answered, as expected.
‘I can’t say this side is innocent either.’
The clothes of the other members of the group had scorch marks.
Yoon Garam’s inherent ability had a rather violent aspect, always burning things around her, not herself. Even though she didn’t directly control the flames, it was a sufficiently threatening ability. Just look at the state of Ha Sungyoon, whom Yoon Garam cherished most.
“What’s a doctor to do with an injured arm?”
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“…Do you think… I wanted to injure my arm when I have perfectly good legs…?”
“Ah, yes…”
Lee Jaehun’s face involuntarily twisted at the implication that Ha Sungyoon would rather injured his legs if he could. The chicks were clearly not resistant to pain, so their way of thinking was quite disturbing, considering their circumstances.
‘…Still, it’s a big loss for the doctor to have an injured arm.’
It wasn’t just a scratch. It looked like something with teeth, like the monster from the flower shop, had gnawed at his arm, which was also burned. Even if Ha Sungyoon was ambidextrous, losing the use of one arm wasn’t a good situation.
Seemingly aware of this, Dr. Ha Sungyoon clutched his arm and let out an irritated breath. Lee Jaehun looked at Yoon Garam. Fortunately, the perceptive woman immediately noticed his glance.
“…….”
“…….”
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When Lee Jaehun took out a small, round fruit, hiding it from the doctor, Yoon Garam’s expression turned strange. She shook her head as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, but Lee Jaehun didn’t care.
Before Yoon Garam could stop him, he called out to Ha Sungyoon.
“Doctor.”
“? What.”
Cough.
Lee Jaehun shoved the fruit into the doctor’s open mouth.
Before Ha Sungyoon could regain his composure and understand what was happening, Lee Jaehun covered his mouth and struck his Adam’s apple with his other hand. Of course, he didn’t intend to kill him, so he hit him gently, but it was enough to make the fruit go down his throat.
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Seeing Ha Sungyoon’s throat convulse as he swallowed the fruit, reflexively trying to cough, Lee Jaehun unconsciously grabbed his left forearm. It hurt more because it was already injured.
“Ouch…!”
“Cough, ugh… This crazy b⋏st⋏rd!”
“Ah, I’m a patient! A patient…!”
In the end, Ha Sungyoon couldn’t bring himself to hit Lee Jaehun. The others, who belatedly grasped the situation, held Ha Seongyun back. Besides, with Lee Jaehun already on the verge of death, he was quite literally in no condition to be hit.
Of course, that didn’t mean Ha Sungyoon just let it go completely.
“Are you seriously kidding me?! Huh?!”
“The actual damage I’m taking is practically zero…”
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“Oh, that mouth, mouth, mouth! Kwon Yeonhee!”
“Waaah…”
Seeing Kwon Yeonhee clinging to him and whining, Lee Jaehun muttered incredulously,
“Insubordination…!”
“This is insane.”
They clearly knew that eating the fruit was supposed to cure all ailments, but strangely, Ha Sungyoon’s anger didn’t seem to have subsided. Well, if he was angry after being cured, there wasn’t much Lee Jaehun could say.
Feeling wronged, Lee Jaehun retorted,
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“Even so, it’s the doctor’s arm! Was I supposed to just leave it like that?!”
“If you want to play doctor, get the patient’s consent, consent! Get their consent, you hear me?!”
“Ugh!”
And then his cheek was pinched.
Imagine, a man over forty having his cheek pinched by another adult male of the same age. It was absurd and embarrassing enough to make him want to dⁱㅌ, but knowing that the chicks might be shocked, he kept his mouth shut. D⋏mn it, they should be grateful he was helping them.
Careful not to focus on his still-throbbing arm, Lee Jaehun looked at the protagonist, who was quietly observing him.
“…….”
“…What.”
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“Nothing.”
The protagonist smiled politely.
“I was just wondering what your intention was.”
It was a statement he couldn’t misinterpret.
‘He’s asking what I think I’m doing with so many people watching.’
Thanks to the commotion, many people were still paying attention.
Although he was still some distance away and partially obscured by his bloodstained clothes, it probably wouldn’t take long for them to realize that the doctor’s injured arm was completely healed.
Those who knew the situation, including the original group and a few other survivors, were looking at Lee Jaehun with bewildered expressions, while those who didn’t know what he had done were simply observing them.
Consciously stroking his left arm, Lee Jaehun muttered softly,
“What does it matter?”
If he was going to put on an act, he might as well do it properly.
* * *
This time, Lee Jaehun decided to play the weakling.
‘If I have to kill the murderer, this will be much easier.’
Being perceived as weak would make it easier to approach the survivors, especially Song Inmyeong, who had a strong build. The man wouldn’t be as wary of him. And if the weak Lee Jaehun were to kill Song Inmyeong, the first question that would arise would be ‘Why?’.
Once that question arose, the safety of the group after Lee Jaehun’s death would be assured. Neither the protagonist nor the doctor were helpless chicks incapable of handling the situation, and with both the victim and the perpetrator dead, there would be no one left to hold accountable.
If the atmosphere were as tense as in the original novel, they might have pursued the matter, but the current atmosphere was relatively calm. Lee Jaehun was confident he could take all the blame.
“…You’re saying if you eat that, you can be completely healed?”
Furthermore, if he could put them in his debt, it would be even better.
Just as Lee Jaehun was about to answer Seo Janghwa’s hopeful question, Detective Hong Kyungjun stepped in front of him. He was clearly displeased at this unexpected situation.
“Mr. Lee Jaehun will feel the pain multiplied several times over. The person who picks the fruit bears the pain multiplied by the number of people who consume it.”
“Ah, that…”
“Mr. Lee Jaehun is already sufficiently injured. I don’t think he needs to suffer any further injuries.”
It was extremely unwelcome interference.
“…It doesn’t matter to me, though.”
And Lee Jaehun needed to put these people in his debt.
“Huh?”
“I could only pick about four fruits at a time. There are still two left.”
“Putting that aside, the pain…”
“I don’t think that’s a big issue.”
“…….”
Seeing hope bloom in the eyes of some of the survivors, Lee Jaehun smiled inwardly.
Detective Hong Kyungjun’s eyebrows twitched. Judging by his personality in the novel, he was probably displeased with Lee Jaehun’s response. He supposed the current situation could feel quite harsh from the chicks’ perspective, but what else could he do?
He was fine with it.
“If someone has to be in pain, shouldn’t it be the person who’s already hurting?”
“…….”
“It’s not like I’ll dⁱㅌ from it.”
So hurry up and become indebted to me.