Chapter 134 |
Lee Jaehun had this absurd hunch that if there were any characters who originally existed but disappeared, Song Inmyeong must have killed them. Even when he was practically a walking corpse, barely functioning.
Of course, rationally speaking, it was a hunch that could be dismissed as delusional, but Lee Jaehun had no other choice.
‘What can I do with him being the way he is?’
Knowing the author’s creation, ‘Song Inmyeong,’ he was certain.
That b⋏st⋏rd was created to kill, a purpose similar to ‘Lee Jaehun,’ who was meant to be used for a moment’s plɛasʊrɛ. Lee Jaehun merely anticipated that Song Inmyeong wouldn’t be able to escape that purpose either.
So, Lee Jaehun vaguely thought that Song Inmyeong must have killed the missing character, and now that he could think more clearly with Jung Inho’s help, he was convinced.
‘That b⋏st⋏rd killed him.’
Now that he thought about it, Song Inmyeong never once pulled out his jackknife.
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‘Because there weren’t many times he killed people directly.’
Song Inmyeong didn’t kill people directly unless they were particularly interesting material or unless the situation was dangerous.
‘I think he rambled something about artistic philosophy, but let’s skip that.’
But it was hard to immediately label someone dangerous just because they carried a knife, especially since the one he had was a multi-tool commonly purchased by enthusiasts. Called a Swiss Army knife, it had not only a sharp blade but also a small drill, scissors, saw, and other tools. It was clearly for display purposes too.
More importantly, if anyone tried to suspect Song Inmyeong based on the jackknife, Seo Janghwa would immediately refute them with quiet fury. Although she didn’t yell and scream due to her personality, her low voice and hardened expression were enough to convey her feelings.
Then, why didn’t Song Inmyeong take out the knife he used so well here?
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‘What’s the reason?’
- There’s a reason he can’t show it.
- He doesn’t have it.
Whether it’s 1 or 2, or even a possible third option, Lee Jaehun found it suspicious.
But if it was stained with blood or something incriminating, Detective Hong Kyungjun wouldn’t have missed it. Even though the situation was more relaxed than in the original novel, Hong Kyungjun’s nature wouldn’t change. He was the kind of person who could smell the blood Lee Jaehun coughed up in the near-invisible darkness.
So, Song Inmyeong probably didn’t have the jackknife. He had subtly hinted to Kim Yeonwoo, saying something like, ‘It would have been nice to have a knife’, and Kim Yeonwoo also expressed regret about it. If Officer Kim, who was part of the initial detective team, didn’t know about the jackknife, it meant Song Inmyeong must have discarded it before joining them.
And, one of the characters who was supposed to join them in the park was also missing.
‘Isn’t it worth suspecting?’
The fact that Song Inmyeong killed that character.
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It was true that murderers were less affected by the otherworld, but that didn’t mean they were completely immune. If anyone commited murder and witnessed the aftermath, the otherworld would definitely react to the related death.
‘The monsters would have gone wild.’
Moreover, the stray dog monsters were highly agitated and going on a rampage, and the child was confirmed to have been used as bait and killed.
At this point, it was safe to assume that Song Inmyeong killed someone, then used the child as bait for the rampaging stray dog monsters and escaped. This raised the question, ‘Why is the distance between the adult and child’s corpses so far?’ But for now, that was the only plausible explanation.
However, in this case, the outcome depended on how agitated the stray dog monsters were at the time. There was supposedly an adult male next to the child, and another unseen character too.
‘If the child witnessed the murder scene, the monster would have gone berserk….’
He couldn’t remember that part. Lee Jaehun had been out of it when the stray dog monsters were rampaging. Meaning he didn’t know if they were simply stimulated by fish guts or if they were agitated by witnessing someone’s death.
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But for now, the most likely scenario was this:
- Song Inmyeong murders ‘the character encountered in the park’ or ‘the child’s companion’.
- Song Inmyeong and the child witness the murder, stirring up the monsters.
- Feeling threatened, Song Inmyeong uses the child as bait for the monsters and escapes.
- Joins the detectives as if nothing happened.
…Something like that.
‘But I can’t figure out who, when, how, or where he killed them.’
Both victims in scenario 1 were adult males, and the former wasn’t even well-described in the novel. Moreover, with half of the corpse’s face ripped off, it seemed difficult to identify the victim from the remaining body.
‘Of course, considering neither of them has shown their face so far, even if they tried to run, it seems more likely that they were already killed by the monster…….’
Lee Jaehun had a question.
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“Why did he kill?”
‘Song Inmyeong’ wasn’t a completely s*upid character.
He was a bit different from the trash who ended up in jail, intoxicated by momentary plɛasʊrɛ and committing murder. He knew how to shrewdly use his skills to secure powerful backing and learned how to be patient until he completed a piece. Of course, from Lee Jaehun’s perspective, it was all just bʊllshⁱt, but anyway.
‘Why?’
Why at the beginning of the park episode, of all times? Song Inmyeong should have been with his other college friends then. Did he have to kill someone who didn’t even fit his theme, risking his identity being exposed to them? In such a sloppy manner?
Ethics aside, it wasn’t Song Inmyeong’s style.
“…….”
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So.
“…He had to kill.”
Why?
Otherwise,
“His plan would be ruined.”
Putting aside all other matters and focusing solely on ‘Song Inmyeong,’ the only time he became this desperate was when his art was flawed. Or when it was about to be.
And besides ‘sacrifice,’ Song Inmyeong had another ongoing project.
‘Friends.’
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That ridiculous project where the two people beside him must also dⁱㅌ when he dⁱㅌd.
“…Did his friends almost discover his true identity…?”
What on earth did this corpse say while alive to lead to this?
‘So that person knew Song Inmyeong was a murderer? How?’
Song Inmyeong was a relatively meticulous madman; he wouldn’t create problems for his own plans. Even if something like that happened, he had secured dangerous backing so he could continue his ‘art’. Then how did that person discover his dangerous nature?
As Lee Jaehun walked around looking for more clues, something caught his eye.
“…What’s this?”
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Bloodstains that anyone would assume belonged to a dead body.
“Why isn’t there a body?”
And there wasn’t even a single piece of flesh left behind.
But no monster could devour a body and leave only blood like this. At least as far as Lee Jaehun remembered, the monsters of the otherworld all left brutally obvious traces, and that included Song Inmyeong. The fact that the current scene resembled an impulsive murder made it even more incomprehensible.
It was as if someone erased this part with an eraser.
Erased.
“…….”
…This is crazy.
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“Why are things getting more complicated?”
Fʊck it, whatever.
Consciously cutting off his train of thought, Lee Jaehun quickly left the scene with a jackknife and latex gloves in hand. Since he had just witnessed two murder scenes, the monsters would start to rampage.
Yes, this was the reason why he proceeded with the plan, even without the certainty or trust that the algae monster would rampage as he asked.
‘The monsters will rampage anyway.’
Lee Jaehun was confident that he could find Song Inmyeong’s murder scene. He could roughly figure out the location based on the stray dog monsters’ retreat path, the original group of college students’ direction of movement, and the time elapsed between events.
And fortunately or unfortunately, the location wasn’t far from the small lake. A bit away from the center of the park where Lee Jaehun’s group used to stay, at a distance where even a muffled scream wouldn’t be easily heard.
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He didn’t know when the murder took place, but the skillful Song Inmyeong wouldn’t have let the victim scream carelessly, so it wasn’t strange that those nearby didn’t notice.
“…….”
Come to think of it, the stray dog monsters showed up and shattered the chicks’ mentality right after Lee Jaehun returned from the small lake.
“…Should I have considered that as agitation too?”
He hadn’t been there at the time, so he couldn’t judge.
Lee Jaehun couldn’t be certain exactly when, who, or how many people Song Inmyeong killed. It seemed that both the faceless character and the unidentified adult male were killed by Song Inmyeong. But with so many possibilities, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact timing and its consequences.
Sighing, Lee Jaehun quickened his pace before things got delayed even further. The detective would be distracted by the rampaging monsters, so this was his chance to go out with Song Inmyeong and investigate.
And Song Inmyeong wouldn’t miss this opportunity either.
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‘If the plan is going to fail anyway,’
Song Inmyeong would at least want to prepare the ‘ingredients.’
And Lee Jaehun would probably be a rather tempting ingredient for him.
* * *
“…Mr. Inho. Are you alright?”
“…Huu…”
“You’re not alright…”
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Kwon Yeonhee carefully adjusted the clothes supporting Jung Inho’s head, then hesitated and backed away, unable to do anything more. Unlike ordinary injuries where physical treatment was possible, she couldn’t do anything for Jung Inho’s pain.
Seeing Jung Inho sweating and unable to speak properly, Kwon Yeonhee lowered her head.
“…Everyone’s really going crazy.”
How could not a single person stay put?
‘I wonder if they’ve all caught some kind of disease where they dⁱㅌ if they’re not hurt.’
It was fairly common for Lee Jaehun to injure himself at random times, but Jung Inho was usually the one stopping him. However, woken by the commotion in the middle of the night, she found that the one causing trouble this time was none other than Jung Inho.
Kwon Yeonhee was dumbfounded. Intern Noh Yeonseok seemed to feel the same, pressing his temples with a grimace, perhaps feeling dizzy. It was understandable, considering the team’s emotional pillars were injuring themselves one after another.
If she had at least received some kind of warning, she wouldn’t have been so surprised, but Jung Inho had caused trouble without any notice. It was a bolt out of the blue for Kwon Yeonhee, who had been sleeping soundly.
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“Should I put a wㅌt towel or something on his head…?”
“…A wㅌt towel, you say…?”
“R…right, I guess. We don’t have one, do we?”
“Besides, wouldn’t a wㅌt towel be a bit random in this situation…?”
After confirming the safety of the siblings sitting by the bonfire, Noh Yeonseok and Kwon Yeonhee huddled together and whispered. They knew there wasn’t much they could do immediately, but seeing someone groaning in pain before their eyes made anyone anxious. That was their current situation.
Scratching his head in frustration, Noh Yeonseok looked at Firefighter Han Doyoon, who was looking down and rubbing his leg.
“…Um, is your leg alright?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Noh Yeonseok hesitated for a moment at Han Doyoon’s signature sly smile, but soon he wiggled his fingers and looked around. He was instinctively thinking about how he could help.
And soon, a bright voice rang out.
“Oppa, play with me.”
“H-Huh?”
“…Please.”
It was Jang Seoah, the youngest survivor, who acted confidently without losing her spirit despite her age.
“Teacher is sick.”
“Ah, oh… I see.”
Although she seemed to have difficulty forming complete sentences, understanding her intention wasn’t a problem. She seemed to be looking for another adult since her guardian, the ‘Teacher,’ was asleep, and she wanted to expend her overflowing energy.
Noh Yeonseok had rather sharp features with upturned eyes, but fortunately, Jang Seoah possessed a strong heart and had approached even the blood-soaked Manager Lee Jaehun without hesitation. She wasn’t a difficult opponent for him, having volunteered at kindergartens and daycare centers to gain diverse experiences.
After glancing at teacher Lee Yoonbyeol, who was sleeping with her hands clenched into fists, Noh Yeonseok turned his attention to Jang Seoah, who was approaching him.
“What do you want to play?”
“Paper. Mmm, paper… folding.”
“Paper folding is nice.”
At his words, the child excitedly pulled out a small piece of paper from her tiny bag. It was pure white, and judging from its thickness and texture, it seemed to be a piece of A4 paper rather than origami paper from a stationery store.
“…….”
Above all, the small writing on the back indicated that the paper had been reused.
Noticing this, Noh Yeonseok scratched the back of his head and asked Jang Seoah.
“So what do you want to fold?”
“Dinosaur. Uh, yes.”
“How do you fold a dinosaur?”
“You don’t know either, Oppa, right? The ahjussi didn’t know either.”
“Ahjussi….”
Thinking of Lee Jaehun, Noh Yeonseok watched as the child carefully folded the paper. Although it was taking a recognizable form, it looked more like a rabbit than a dinosaur.
Seeing this, Han Doyoon spoke in a higher-pitched voice.
“That’s unusual.”
“…Yes?”
“I don’t really mean anything by this, but…”
His voice was slightly strained for some reason.
“Your group, well. Basically, how should I put it… everyone seems very kind.”
As he spoke, Han Doyoon faintly opened and closed his fist. Noh Yeonseok glanced at the action that looked as if he were holding something in his hand, but his attention was quickly drawn back to Han Doyoon’s next words.
“I’m a firefighter by profession, but after getting injured like this, I don’t have the energy to help anyone.”
“That’s… because you’re injured, it can’t be helped.”
“That’s true. I’m usually confident in my physical condition, but it’s especially hard here. I’m tired in many ways…”
“…….”
“…….”
Han Doyoon stared blankly into the air, as if lost in thought.
Jin Dallae, who hadn’t been sleeping, glanced at him, and Park Dayoung and Park Dahoon, who were checking the bonfire, also looked at him. Noh Yeonseok blinked, not understanding the situation as he felt their gaze that seemed to contain some kind of intention.
“Excuse me.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s shameless, but…”
Just as he was listening to Han Doyoon’s next words,
“—It’s a monster!”
Kim Yeonwoo and Vivian, who were keeping watch outside, returned and shouted.
“A monster is coming! Those who can move, please help prevent it from entering!”
“Oh dear, what’s happening now…”
“H-Huh?”
“Mr. Choi Jungman, Mr. Noh Yeonseok, could you possibly help us?”
“Ah, ah…! Yes, yes, yes!”
Noh Yeonseok hurriedly got up and grabbed a wooden plank, and student Park Dahoon, who was near the bonfire, pushed his sister ⁱnsⁱdㅌ while keeping watch outside.
In this sudden situation, Firefighter Han Doyoon tried to get up but sat back down again, perhaps because of his leg.
Looking at him, Han Doyoon gave a familiar smile and said,
“…….”
“…Let’s talk later.”
“…Yes.”
Except, it didn’t look like a genuine smile.