Chapter 149 |
After his late-night conversation with the protagonist, Lee Jaehun made up his mind.
‘Let’s get out of here.’
It was time to escape the otherworld.
The protagonist, Jung Inho, as originally portrayed in the novel, was much more resilient and proactive. It seemed Lee Jaehun, heavily biased by his preconceived notions of the novel, had misunderstood him. He hadn’t completely dismissed the possibility that the Jung Inho in the otherworld and the Jung Inho here were different, but he hadn’t truly grasped it either.
However, as he’d realized during their recent conversation, the current protagonist was indeed in a vulnerable and sensitive state. Though Lee Jaehun had carefully nurtured him, his ingrained biases had led to contradictory methods.
He’d been stuck between ‘I raised him well’ and ‘He’s the protagonist, so this should be easy for him’, resulting in inaction.
‘I thought I could push things a bit further, but…’
Now he understood.
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“…I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”
“You suddenly spaced out.”
This won’t do, this is bad.
‘At this rate, the protagonist will dⁱㅌ before I do.’
Lee Jaehun couldn’t suppress a sigh as Jung Inho stared at him with suspicion in his dark eyes.
Jung Inho was already at his limit. Likely due to Lee Jaehun’s death in the previous loop and the algae monster’s level-up—though the latter was just speculation, it seemed almost certain based on Jung Inho’s account—the protagonist had been half-mad for a while now.
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No matter how much Lee Jaehun tried to soothe and comfort him, there was a limit to what he could do if the protagonist himself was this fragile. Talking things out only worked when there was a degree of situational and mental leeway. In this chaotic state, words alone wouldn’t resolve the situation.
They had to leave the otherworld first and regroup.
“But, to do that…”
They had to kill the algae monster.
“…Are you really okay?”
“…I don’t know what to say…”
Lee Jaehun, meeting Jung Inho’s scrutinizing gaze, rubbed his face. Realizing he couldn’t simply brush it off with an ‘I’m fine’, he lowered his hand and sighed deeply.
“…Of course, I’m not completely fine, but it’s not like I’m suddenly going to lose my mind. You don’t need to worry.”
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“Should we stop by a pharmacy?”
“You’re not even listening to me now, are you, Mr. Jung Inho?”
How was he supposed to suggest they go kill the algae monster?
‘He finally seems to be relaxing a bit.’
But that was just him pretending not to feel anxious.
Lee Jaehun, drawing from his past life memories, knew that in such situations, most people wanted to cling to the present stability. He couldn’t just tell Jung Inho, who finally felt like he was taking a step forward, ‘Hey, you’ve cried enough, right? Now, shall we go hunt the algae monster?’.
He might actually get strangled. Assistant Manager Jung, who’d even grabbed his manager by the collar, wasn’t likely to maintain decorum in this state. For his own safety, Lee Jaehun had to avoid provoking him.
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‘But dragging this loop out and going through more regressions wouldn’t be good either…’
Walking down the dark street, Lee Jaehun glanced at Jung Inho.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“My usually cheeky subordinate has cried in front of me twice recently. Of course, I’d be concerned. Come to think of it, you cry every time you return to the past. Like a child.”
After deflecting the question with sarcasm, he continued his inner monologue.
He felt the necessity, but he didn’t have enough time to solely focus on Jung Inho’s mental state. Since they had regressed, the algae monster would have downgraded, but if it found a new host like last time, things would become even more complicated.
In that case, another regression would be inevitable.
‘I don’t even know under what circumstances the algae monster changes hosts.’
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The original novel never mentioned the algae monster using human corpses as hosts. It just kept sʊckⁱng people’s blood until the protagonist luckily defeated it. Every time unknown information like this popped up, his mood plummeted.
Jung Inho, who had been quietly observing Lee Jaehun’s habitual frown, said with a practiced smile.
“…I’m glad that despite your condition, your mouth is as healthy as ever, Manager. Truly someone who’s been traveling to and from the otherworld since elementary school.”
“…Did I tell you that too? What are you basing this on?”
“I wonder the same thing. I wonder why you told a detective you’d just met. You never told us.”
It was unlikely that Jung Inho was jealous. He was probably just anxious and saying things without thinking.
‘Come to think of it, we had a similar conversation right before he got captured in the last loop.’
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Given the similar circumstances, it was understandable that the protagonist felt uneasy. Back then, they’d talked about regression, he’d comforted him, Jung Inho had cried, and then got dragged away on their way back, hadn’t he? In a world where mental strength was key, it wasn’t an entirely baseless fear.
Blinking once, Lee Jaehun changed his tone.
“…Are you scolding me now for not telling you first? You? Scolding your manager?”
“…It’s really annoying how you slither out of things like that. You always put on an act when it’s convenient for you.”
“You guys have a huge prejudice against me…”
Lee Jaehun, after making a joke, wiped his eyes with his thumb and averted his gaze as if exasperated. Though not as much as in previous loops, he knew that showing this slightly lighter side would put the protagonist at ease.
More importantly, Jung Inho needed to feel that the current ‘Lee Jaehun’ and the previous ‘Lee Jaehun’ were the same person.
‘…Then, I need to take care of things internally first.’
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He nodded inwardly.
He lacked the time to focus solely on Jung Inho’s mental care, considering this loop might be a throwaway. But he couldn’t just push for an immediate confrontation with the algae monster. That left him with limited options.
“Prejudice? Based on what you’ve shown us so far?”
“How dare you talk back to your elder? You have no sense, Assistant Manager Jung.”
“Shouldn’t you stop doing that too?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
First, he had to deal with internal matters. He needed to figure out Ha Sungyoon’s true motives and manage Yoon Garam’s trauma.
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Then he’d have time to investigate the park. He needed to learn about the child and the two adults from the previous loop, and in the process, make contact with Hong Kyungjun’s team.
‘If I can subtly manipulate things to ruin Song Inmyung, and then create an opportunity to catch the algae monster after the dust settles…’
Looking down at the dark road, he quietly solidified his resolve.
Yes, he had to finish everything within this loop, if possible. For the sake of the protagonist’s mental state, Lee Jaehun had to gently coax Jung Inho and help him see things through.
“…”
It already felt daunting.
‘Still, it has to be done.’
The most pressing issue was the internal cleanup. From Lee Jaehun’s perspective, Ha Sungyoon and Yoon Garam were the most urgent, but from others’ point of view, there was a more pressing problem.
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And that was ‘Lee Jaehun’ himself.
“…Seriously, why are you acting like this? I asked if you were sick.”
“…No…”
“Is it that? Do you want to kill someone? Are you spacing out, or having dreams…?”
See, even now, if he was a little quiet, Jung Inho would ask.
‘If I can’t finish this loop, I’m going to lose my mind.’
Lee Jaehun couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
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Frankly, the relationship between Lee Jaehun and Jung Inho wasn’t exactly good. Despite that, Jung Inho’s concern and anxiety meant that Lee Jaehun’s death had left a deep trauma.
And that wasn’t good news for either of them.
With a tired and troubled expression, he replied,
“I told you, I’m not that sick.”
“Did you think I’d believe that? That’s ridiculous.”
“Sigh.”
Convinced he couldn’t win this argument, Lee Jaehun racked his brain for a way to change the subject. Since he was changing the topic so abruptly, it had to be something the protagonist couldn’t refuse.
“…Anyway, I’ll… explain those minor details myself.”
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“…What details?”
“The things I told the detective. It seems I told him about my past and the algae monster… the influence it had on me. I’ll tell you everything, so don’t worry.”
“When you tell me is the most crucial part, don’t you think?”
“No, sigh… I’ll tell you tomorrow. No, today. When it’s bright today, is that okay?”
As Lee Jaehun relented under Jung Inho’s pressure, the protagonist smiled brightly, looking very satisfied.
“That sounds good, Manager.”
“…Creepy b⋏st⋏rd, really…”
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The most chilling part was that the venom in his eyes hadn’t disappeared.
‘Guys like that are the ones who commit mass shootings.’
Actually, ‘venom’ wasn’t quite the right word.
To put it crudely, he seemed to have lost it. But it was also strange how rational he remained despite that. He was crazy, but not crazy.
Lee Jaehun always called people like that ‘psychos’.
“Why is this happening in the middle of the night…”
People living their lives while being completely insane.
He didn’t bother suppressing his lament. Even from the perspective of ‘Lee Jaehun’, not just Lee Jaehun, discovering his subordinate’s regression after coming out to discreetly throw up blood felt like a bolt from the blue.
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“People usually call that karma.”
“You need to… do something about that flapping jaw of yours. I guarantee it.”
“What other joy would a lowly employee like me have if I couldn’t even run my mouth?”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t do that in front of the person in question.”
Lee Jaehun was unsure how to manage the atmosphere.
Jung Inho seemed to enjoy this light, frivolous banter, so he went along with it, but ‘Lee Jaehun’ wasn’t as relaxed as last time.
‘If I overdo it, he’ll find it strange, so I need to find the right balance…’
As he continued walking, lost in thought—
“…”
He suddenly sensed a presence.
“…Senior Associate Kang?”
It was Kang Mina, standing hidden among the trees, watching Lee Jaehun and Jung Inho.
In the darkness, illuminated only by the small flame of a lighter, the sight of a woman standing among the pitch-black trees was quite chilling. Her long, disheveled black hair added to the unsettling atmosphere of the otherworld.
Of course, neither Jung Inho nor Lee Jaeheon were easily frightened, being the crazy b⋏st⋏rds they were, but they could tell that Kang Mina wasn’t in a good state.
Jung Inho’s expression vanished, perhaps recalling the algae monster’s ability to drive people insane.
“…Um…”
After a brief silence, she spoke.
“…I woke up… and no one was there.”
“…What?”
“I was alone. No, not that no one was there. There were people, but, uh? No, that…”
Kang Mina seemed confused.
Her dark brown eyes darted left and right, then briefly glanced upwards before looking down again.
Her gaze, as it landed on Lee Jaehun and Jung Inho, trembled slightly. The stillness of her reactions was so unnerving that Lee Jaehun momentarily thought she’d genuinely lost her mind.
Fortunately for them, she soon returned to her usual self.
“…S-Sorry. I had a dream and woke up… and I couldn’t see you two, so I guess I got scared.”
“…Sorry for suddenly disappearing, Ms. Kang Mina.”
“No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have run out looking for you like that. I think I was half-asleep. I keep saying nonsense.”
“That can happen when you’re tired.”
“I’m glad we didn’t get separated…”
A thin veil of anxiety lay over her calm face. Looking at her round, slightly drooping eyes, Lee Jaehun inwardly sighed in relief. He didn’t want things to go wrong for no reason, especially when he was planning an internal cleanup.
The protagonist seemed relieved that his colleague wasn’t in as bad a state as he’d feared, but Lee Jaehun feigned ignorance and pushed Jung Inho towards Kang Mina.
“Let’s get some sleep, you guys. Why are you all awake?”
“…You’re awake too, Manager…”
Kang Mina readily approached Jung Inho, seemingly without suspicion, but the protagonist’s sidelong glance at Lee Jaehun suggested otherwise.
Lee Jaehun, noticing this, raised an eyebrow at Jung Inho, unseen by Kang Mina.
‘It would be stranger if the current Lee Jaehun casually approached other people.’
No matter how much they talked, and how much easier their conversation was compared to before, it was separate from the sense of danger ‘Lee Jaehun’ felt. That wouldn’t go away until ‘Lee Jaehun’ was either completely broken or the algae monster was dead.
“…Manager.”
“What.”
“…Nothing. Let’s go.”
It seemed Jung Inho had just remembered that too.
‘…Should I use this to lead him towards hunting the algae monster?’
Lee Jaeheon, still holding the lighter, thought to himself and continued walking. His steps were tired and listless, befitting the current ‘Lee Jaehun’.
He glanced at the back of Kang Mina’s head and slowly blinked.
“…”
That was all.