Chapter 153 |
The protagonist had definitely mentioned Owner Choi Jungman and his son while confessing about his regression, hadn’t he? He hadn’t gone into detail, just saying that some crazy murderer had killed an innocent child.
Lee Jaehun stared at Jung Inho’s innocent face, then asked,
“…You saw them?”
“I’m not sure. I just felt a presence.”
It was likely a lie.
‘A presence? With his mental state?’
How could a guy who would probably stand idly by even if a monster came and killed him be able to notice others’ presence? Having just read the question ‘What is this crazy b⋏st⋏rd talking about?’ in Ha Sungyoon’s eyes as he examined Lee Jaehun’s shoulder, he couldn’t fall for it.
Of course, the perceptive Ha Sungyoon quickly masked his thoughts and continued treating Lee Jaehun’s wounds. He must have sensed something from the overnight-transformed Jung Inho. He seemed to have reasoned that if Jung Inho was lying in this state, there must be a good reason.
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“…Indeed, I did hear something moving.”
Unfazed by the protagonist’s sudden inclusion of him, Ha Sungyoon smoothly continued,
“I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t say anything.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Um… S-Sorry, I didn’t hear anything.”
Yoon Garam tilted her head slightly at Ha Sungyoon’s words, and Park Dahoon, sensing something amiss from the exchanged glances, deliberately offered a dissenting opinion. He seemed to be fishing for information.
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Of course, the protagonist wouldn’t reveal anything so easily.
“I also heard something, but like Dr. Ha Sungyoon, I wasn’t sure. Besides, we had luggage.”
“Ah, right…”
Kwon Yeonhee, who had somehow ended up carrying the fish trap, nodded, then immediately after that, startled by the sudden revelation, she continued speaking while trembling.
“Th-Then shouldn’t we go help?! It’ll be dark soon…!”
And as if on cue, Jung Inho replied,
“I think we should. I think I heard a child’s voice…”
“Oh my god, there’s a kid too…? What if something really bad happens?”
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“We should go help before something bad happens.”
He then turned to Lee Jaehun.
“Don’t you think so, Manager?”
“Well… yes.”
Honestly, it was a little annoying.
‘He’s getting bolder by the day.’
There used to be a hint of awkwardness, but now Jung Inho didn’t hesitate when he needed something. Although his improved judgment and decisiveness were commendable, his deteriorating mental state made it difficult to say anything. It was a frustrating situation.
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But regardless, the protagonist’s choice was correct.
‘If something happens, it’ll be tonight.’
Lee Jaehun lightly stroked his chin and said,
“Do you know where they are?”
“…I have a rough idea. It’s not too far from here.”
“Then we have some leeway.”
He remembered that the stray dog monster went on a rampage the evening they grilled fish. The same time he had prompted them to scatter the fish guts.
Of course, he couldn’t be certain that Song Inmyeong actually killed the child and the two adults that evening. Back then, Lee Jaehun had been barely conscious and couldn’t clearly distinguish the monster’s rampage. He couldn’t determine whether it was agitated by the fish guts or by Song Inmyeong’s murders.
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‘In the worst case scenario, they might already be dead.’
He felt like he regressed to a point in time when ‘everyone was alive’, but he didn’t know the criteria for ‘everyone,’ nor if that assumption was even correct.
However, considering the context and timing, tonight was the most plausible time for the murders. Song Inmyeong would be with Detective Hong Kyungjun’s team, limiting his freedom, so he wouldn’t have many opportunities. If he had to guess, it would be tonight.
“Yes, Dr. Ha Sungyoon also heard something… if you don’t mind, we’d like to go check the surroundings.”
“…Is that so?”
He didn’t know if the protagonist was acting this way because he knew tonight was the deadline.
“I have no objections.”
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Lee Jaehun said, glancing around.
Whether Jung Inho knew or was simply driven by urgency, Lee Jaehun intended to solidify the current atmosphere. He would have brought it up himself if the protagonist hadn’t, so this was a natural progression.
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to go alone?”
“…I wasn’t planning on going alone. I’d appreciate it if a few of you could come along…”
“Me?”
Jung Inho, who had been staring intently at Lee Jaehun, seemed to understand the implication. He blinked once, then injected a playful tone into his voice,
“…Please stay here, Manager.”
“Are you treating me like a dog now?”
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“How could I dare to do that?”
“You’re getting more and more shameless, Assistant Manager Jung.”
“Haha… I’ll try to improve.”
Their lighthearted exchange eased the tension in the air.
“…Um, then… Can I go too?”
Kang Mina, who had been cautiously observing, spoke up, holding a hammer in her hand. Intern Noh Yeonseok, who had been watching her, also raised his hand and said,
“I’ll go too…!”
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“Um, I think this is enough people.”
Jung Inho drew the line.
“Too many people might slow us down.”
He was clearly wary of Song Inmyeong.
‘He hasn’t given up yet.’
The protagonist still had the will to fight. The question was how long that will would last, and perhaps knowing that, Jung Inho was taking such a proactive stance.
Yes, even if everyone else dⁱㅌd, the child had to be saved.
“We’ll leave as soon as we’re prepared.”
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“…….”
“…Things could get dangerous after dark.”
That way, Owner Choi Jungman wouldn’t go crazy.
* * *
‘From the protagonist’s perspective, there are three dangerous individuals.’
First, Lee Jaehun. Second, Choi Jungman. Third, Song Inmyeong.
Each, for different reasons, could significantly impact Jung Inho and those around him.
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‘I seem to have become a necessity.’
He felt like ‘Lee Jaehun’ had become a sort of essential item for the protagonist. He seemed to regard him almost like a talisman, and even aside from what Lee Jaehun himself could do, Jung Inho would likely try to keep him alive at all costs. Probably.
But he was indeed a person of interest.
“You really put your body through a lot, don’t you?”
“…I’ll try to be more careful…”
“I don’t know why you’re so dejected, but you made a good decision.”
“D⋏mn it.”
Lee Jaehun cursed under his breath, but didn’t protest further.
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Currently, ‘Lee Jaehun’ was under the influence of the algae monster, lacked the will to live, and his death would shake the others’ mentality. This was why he couldn’t blame Jung Inho for treating him like a delicate flower.
The second person of interest was Choi Jungman.
‘As long as his son is alive, it’ll be fine.’
Even if he became a murderer under the influence of the algae monster, the biggest trigger for Choi Jungman’s descent into madness, from Jung Inho’s perspective, was his son’s death. If Choi Minhong survived, things would likely work out. He was the protagonist, after all.
“Manager, how are you feeling…?”
“I’m fine.”
“…Really…?”
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“No one ever believes me.”
Lamenting to himself, Lee Jaehun thought about the last person of interest.
Song Inmyeong, the one who killed him in the previous loop.
‘The key is how and when to deal with this b⋏st⋏rd.’
Unlike the others, there was no simple solution for him.
‘Lee Jaehun’ could be kept alive, and Choi Jungman could be managed if his son survived, but there was no saving Song Inmyeong. He would have to kill him or find a similar solution.
And the first step towards resolving everything was saving Choi Minhong.
‘I also have something to confirm with Song Inmyeong.’
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Now that he knew the algae monster’s skeleton was once a living human, he needed to see what Song Inmyeong, chosen as the monster’s next victim in the previous loop, was like in this loop. That would tell him the extent to which dreams and reality were interconnected across regressions.
“…….”
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
If the algae monster had changed skeletons in the first and second loops as well, whose corpses were they? Who had been chosen as the skeleton before? And if the monster’s behavior changed based on the skeleton, how did it act back then?
“Now, let’s take a look at your leg, sir.”
“…Can’t we just leave it…?”
“What did you say?”
“No, nothing.”
Lee Jaehun sighed and extended his leg to Dr. Ha Sungyoon. He had a feeling Ha Sungyoon would resort to force if he refused any longer so he had no choice.
‘There’s no medicine, so this won’t speed up the healing… but at least it’ll ease his mind.’
Doing something was better than doing nothing.
“…We should visit a pharmacy.”
“Are you still on about that?”
Kwon Yeonhee, who had been standing nearby, flinched at the word ‘pharmacy’, but both Lee Jaehun and Ha Sungyoon skillfully ignored it. Dr. Ha Sungyoon even frowned slightly, as if deeply displeased with Lee Jaehun’s wound.
He looked at Lee Jaehun’s bandaged leg, his eyes closing and opening slowly. Lee Jaehun realized that Ha Sungyoon was quite stressed by the current situation.
“I understand that this world… is quite perplexing for a doctor. It deviates from basic biology in strange ways.”
“…….”
“A prime example is you, sir. And me. We can exert strength beyond our injuries just by focusing, our injuries heal faster than they should, we bleed for unknown reasons… things like that.”
“And?”
“It means I can’t help but be worried. In a normal situation, you would have dⁱㅌd, or at the very least, this leg would have rotted.”
Ha Sungyoon carefully rebandaged Lee Jaehun’s leg as he continued.
“Right now, it’s just some lost flesh and coagulated blood, but we can’t just leave it bandaged without any medication. We have to prevent any life-threatening situations.”
“…Still, a pharmacy is out of the question for now.”
“That’s true, but because you’re the one who said it, the atmosphere has become like this. If anyone else had mentioned it, they would have been called selfish.”
“There’s no need to blame anyone.”
“But humans aren’t always rational.”
He met Lee Jaehun’s gaze.
“You seem to forget sometimes, but humans aren’t machines. And neither are you.”
“…….”
“…It scares me that I can’t do anything as a doctor.”
It felt like a confession.
But Lee Jaehun wasn’t a priest who could offer absolution, nor was he a doctor. He had to figure out what he could do to prevent this poor doctor from losing his mind. First, he had to understand why Ha Sungyoon had gone mad before.
And he had a rough idea.
“…Are you afraid of not being a doctor anymore?”
“…….”
After a moment of hesitation, Ha Sungyoon replied,
“Perhaps.”
With that, he stood up and walked away towards Yoon Garam, who was staring at the bonfire. Lee Jaehun quietly watched him go.
He muttered to himself,
‘…I guess I’ll have to test the waters.’
Ha Sungyoon’s obsession was being a ‘doctor.’ Then the just needed to figure out how the eyes he’d brought in the previous loop related to that obsession, and what he was hoping to achieve. At least if he wanted to see Ha Sungyoon function as a doctor again.
Lee Jaehun blinked slowly and addressed Kwon Yeonhee, who seemed lost in thought with her head bowed.
“Employee Kwon.”
“…Oh, yes! What is it?”
“Shall we start preparing the fish?”
“P-Preparing?”
“We can’t eat them as they are.”
There was nothing else he could do at the moment. He couldn’t approach Ha Sungyoon, who was already avoiding conversation, and he couldn’t probe Yoon Garam with Ha Sungyoon right beside her. Investigating external factors would require too much effort, so there wasn’t much he could do until the protagonist returned with the new characters.
‘Surely the protagonist can manage to bring back a few chicks…’
All he could do now was prepare for their return.
“Let’s eat.”
And try to mend the chicks’ mental states.
* * *
As darkness fell, the search party returned with two survivors.
Only two.