Chapter 155 |
Having read a dark, R-19 survival story, Lee Jaehun, although it wasn’t explicitly stated within the story, had internally ranked the characters in various personal ways. ‘Sunfish’ was one of these categories.
Simply put, it referred to characters with a high probability of sudden death.
“I’m Lee Jaehun. Call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Lee Jaehun was about to sit down at a moderate distance, but slightly furrowed his brow at Student Park Dayoung’s intense gaze. He sensed Moon Sangun, who was patting the child in his arms, flinch, but didn’t bother looking over.
It was easy to read the mind of the student clutching her curly, long hair.
‘She’s telling me not to distance myself.’
That must be why she chattered so much beside him while he went to find Moon Sangun.
Slowly blinking, he decided it was awkward to just stand there, and he took a seat across from Moon Sangun. It seemed Ha Sungyoon was still reserved, and the protagonist was too mentally shaken to properly converse with the other survivors.
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“Ah…”
“You don’t have to tell me. I just said that so you wouldn’t feel pressured.”
Of course, Lee Jaehun was adept at subtly manipulating naive people to his side, but he knew that doing so would make him the leader of this group. Perhaps the protagonist or the doctor were also holding back for the same reason.
Since he had no intention of becoming the leader, he had to shift the focus of the conversation.
“Have you exchanged names with our group?”
“…Manager, you sound like a mob boss right now…”
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“Yeonseok, just watch the fish being grilled. Don’t interrupt when the adults are talking.”
“Like anyone would fall for that now…”
“Huh.”
Lee Jaehun was dumbfounded by Intern Noh Yeonseok’s grumbling, but he decided to let it slide since the sight of his large frame huddled over the fish roasting on the fire was amusing. Although Noh Yeonseok was awkward about taking the lead, he was surprisingly competent when given minor tasks, which Lee Jaehun found slightly entertaining.
Turning his gaze back to Moon Sangun, who wore a strange expression at their banter, Lee Jaehun continued.
“So?”
“…Um, I heard their names and… what they do for a living.”
Moon Sangun patted the sleeping child’s head and began.
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“I heard you guys work at Ohseong? Except for Ms.Yoon Garam and Mr. Ha Sungyoon…”
“Actually, other than that, they’re all just insignificant.”
“That can’t be true. They’re all employees of the nation’s top conglomerate, so they must be quite competent.”
“…….”
“Thanks to them, I’m alive.”
He shrugged slightly.
“Seeing how closely knit you all are in this situation shows how much you respect each other. I’m also grateful that you searched for us after just hearing a child’s cry.”
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“…Assistant Manager Jung does have a good personality.”
Jung Inho, who had been staring at the bonfire, lifted his head and gave a small smile.
Moon Sangun’s expression turned strange again as he realized the smile was a habitual expression, but he quickly averted his gaze and pretended not to notice. He was clearly wary of them.
‘Well, it’s understandable.’
Regardless of his original personalities, if Jung Inho and Lee Jaehun’s suspicions were right, he must have witnessed Song Inmyeong killing someone. Even if he didn’t know the details, it would be difficult for him to lower his basic wariness of other people. He might even consider Song Inmyeong to be the average person in this other world.
Nevertheless, the reason he was sitting here so readily engaged in conversation wasn’t solely due to the potential benefits of joining this team. Lee Jaehun conspicuously shifted his gaze to the boy in Moon Sangun’s arms.
The now confirmed name: Choi Minhong.
“It’s… fortunate the child isn’t seriously injured.”
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Things had become easier thanks to this little boy remembering Lee Jaehun.
‘I didn’t think he’d remember me.’
At the time of the incident, Lee Jaehun had been holding the child Choi Minhong from behind, and immediately afterward, the child’s eyes had been covered, and he had been crying so hard that his vision would have been obscured. Despite this, upon seeing Lee Jaehun again, Choi Minhong tilted his head, then grabbed his hand, startled, and remembered him.
Objectively, Lee Jaeun, covered in blood and with a harsh appearance, was bound to be intimidating. Because of this, Moon Sangun was initially wary of him. But in the end, when the youngest child greeted him with a bright smile, there was nothing they could do. Neither Lee Jaehun nor Moon Sangun.
After a moment of chewing his lip at Lee Jaehun’s words, Moon Sangun replied in his characteristically polite tone.
“He has some scr*pes from wandering around… but yes, it’s fortunate. The monsters seem to have some conscience, they try not to touch children.”
“You encountered monsters?”
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“I don’t know if you can call them monsters, but I suppose so? I mostly saw writhing, snake-like vines and… dog-like monsters.”
“It’s remarkable you weren’t seriously injured.”
“As I just said, I think it’s thanks to Minhong.”
His honest face revealed a faint sense of guilt.
“…I’m just ashamed to be an adult who takes advantage of a child.”
Just like in the novel, he was the type to suddenly drop dead somewhere.
‘Ashamed, my ⋏ss. If you’re that, then what am I, radioactive waste?’
A sigh automatically escaped Lee Jaehun’s lips.
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Of course, compared to both his past and present lives, radioactive waste wasn’t such a bad comparison, but Lee Jaehun couldn’t understand why Moon Sangun was acting like this when he was just a chick. If one of his previous team members had said something like that, he would have chewed them out.
However, that didn’t mean Moon Sangun wasn’t sincere. The people Lee Jaehun categorized as ‘sunfish’ generally had this frustrating trait, so he could understand him self-reflecting in front of them, despite having only just met.
“…It seems monsters avoid infants. I didn’t know that.”
Moon Sangun nodded at Lee Jaehun’s agreement.
“I was surprised too. I can’t say for sure, but… thanks to Minhong, there have been many times where we’ve narrowly escaped death.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“…….”
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“Mr. Moon Sangun?”
Seeing him purse his lips as if choosing his words, Lee Jaehun deliberately called his name, feigning ignorance.
‘He seems to be hesitating about whether to talk about Song Inmyeong.’
Seeing how heightened his wariness was, he probably hadn’t encountered any other survivors besides Song Inmyeong. He probably hadn’t met Seo Janghwa or Vivian either.
“…If it’s difficult, you don’t have to tell me.”
If he had met those two, Song Inmyeong wouldn’t have committed such hasty murders.
So, it seemed he was wondering if they’d crossed paths with Song Inmyeong, but it was difficult for Lee Jaehun to address that first. If Lee Jaehun blatantly said, ‘We haven’t met anyone else,’ it would only raise suspicion.
‘But it’s not difficult either.’
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It would take time, but this type of person would open up if swept along by the atmosphere.
Lee Jaehun deliberately turned his gaze and asked Noh Yeonseok, who was meticulously grilling the fish, in a lighter tone than before.
“Yeonseok, is it almost done?”
“Uh… this is my first time grilling like this. But I think it’s cooked. It feels similar to when I went on the orientation trip.”
“You’re surprisingly good at cooking. Orientation trip, you mean from college?”
“Yes, that’s right… We grilled whole fish there. It wasn’t over a bonfire like this, but we did grill it over an open fire… so it feels similar.”
“Alright, you’re in charge of cooking from now on. When the kids bring back ingredients, you can take care of them.”
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“Oh, I’m good at that.”
Talking to Noh Yeonseok, who possessed a more innocent soul than even the high-school Park siblings, lightened the overall mood of the group. It was even more effective than talking to Kwon Yeonhee, who seemed lost in thought.
‘He does have the healthiest mind among us.’
Until now, he had been struggling to adapt and was practically collapsing, but after hearing about ‘Lee Jaehun’s’ past and having a few conversations, he seemed to be strangely relieved of his mental burden. As expected, he wasn’t someone you could coerce, but rather someone you had to coax. Someone who needed conversation.
Unaware of Lee Jaehun’s thoughts, Noh Yeonseok continued in his characteristically firm yet gentle tone.
“But how did you remove the guts? Back then, I cut open the belly and pulled them out… but I don’t see any openings. Ah, you did remove the guts, right? You said you did.”
“You’re quite talkative. Oh, right. You gently insert a long twig into its mouth and twist, then they come out.”
“Yes, yes. Can you show me sometime? If you teach me, I’ll clean the next one. I’m really good at that kind of thing.”
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“Alright, just stop showing off how happy you are to have a hobby again. Do you know Senior Associate Kang is looking at you with a very pleased expression?”
“Ah…”
Kang Mina’s and Noh Yeonseok’s gazes met, and Noh Yeonseok’s usually stern face flushed bright red. Even under the direct light of the bonfire, the redness was clearly visible, meaning it was quite pronounced.
Kang Mina made a flustered face at the sight of Noh Yeonseok bowing his head in embarrassment.
“…Stop teasing Yeonseok, Manager…”
“What did I do?”
Kang Mina gave a rueful smile, and Intern Noh Yeonseok’s shoulders slumped even further. The sight of the large man shrinking was quite pathetic in the eyes of the 40-year-old man.
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“With such a lack of spirit…”
“…Not everything in the world can be solved with spirit…”
“Your problem could have been solved long ago.”
Noh Yeonseok was hesitating, trying to be considerate, but judging by Kang Mina’s personality so far, she wouldn’t have rejected him if he confessed. While it was true that she saw him as a younger man, even though their age difference wasn’t significant, Lee Jaehun thought Yeonseok’s hesitation played a part in that.
‘That guy is the type to go wild once he gets permission.’
Noh Yeonseok was holding back because he thought Kang Mina would find him burdensome, but if they officially started dating, he would go all out. Honestly, Lee Jaehun didn’t know why he was even thinking about this, but he was.
As Noh Yeonseok looked even more dejected at Lee Jaehun’s words, Kang Mina gave another rueful smile. Suddenly, Lee Jaehun detected a strange sense of discomfort on Kang Mina’s face.
“…….”
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“…Manager?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
He tilted his head slightly and asked,
“You look tired.”
And, he didn’t know the reason yet.
But he felt the need.
“…….”
“…Let’s eat first. Mr. Moon Sangun, could you wake up the child?”
He turned his gaze and addressed Moon Sangun, who blinked several times with wide eyes, as if unsure if Lee Jaehun was talking to him.
“…Yes?”
“Even though it’s late, I think we should feed the child and put him to bed. He had some water earlier, right?”
“Yes? Oh, yes. Thanks to Ms. Kwon Yeonhee …Thank you again.”
“It’s not like I drew the water myself. Anyway, his stomach must be quite empty, so if he has trouble eating, we can give him some fruit. Actually, we don’t know if it’s actually fruit, but it’ll be easier on an empty stomach.”
“Uh, well…”
“The fish… we can catch more if we set the traps. Minhong and Mr. Moon Sangun can eat whatever you’re comfortable with. Of course, it would be best to digest it before going to sleep.”
After speaking at length, Lee Jaehun nudged Moon Sangun with his gaze again.
“So, let’s wake the child first. We need to ask him what he wants to eat.”
“…Ah, yes…”
Lee Jaehun frowned slightly as Moon Sangun looked at him with a strange expression. Yoon Garam, who had been quietly observing the situation after looking away from the bonfire, smiled softly and spoke.
Her gentle voice flowed into the dark night sky.
“Manager, you seem like a father.”
“…Who? Me?”
Lee Jaehun frowned deeply, but Yoon Garam continued with her characteristically elegant smile. Her soft voice, similar to Ha Sungyoon ’s, spread over the bonfire.
“That’s how I feel. My father was always like that. He’d coax me with a gruff tone and feed me.”
“…….”
“I’ve always felt this, but you pretend otherwise, yet you’re very caring.”
“…Huh.”
Letting out a sigh, Lee Jaehun chuckled and replied.
“That can’t be true.”
It was utter nonsense.