Chapter 158 |
Honestly, Jung Inho found Lee Jaehun’s story absurd.
‘He dⁱㅌs every night at the hands of the algae monster in his dreams?’
When Lee Jaehun woke up from these dreams, he coughed up blood, but had no external injuries. This meant he was suffering internal injuries, but how exactly did he dⁱㅌ to end up like that? It was so unimaginable that Jung Inho almost laughed.
And apparently, this happened every night. He now understood why Lee Jaehun used to say he had trouble sleeping at night. It was horrifying just to hear about it.
Jung Inho also thought:
‘The algae monster must have done something.’
Sure, other survivors dreamed, but none of them, except for Lee Jaehun, had their dreams manifest in such a way. The very fact that Lee Jaehun dreamt of the algae monster and could only wake up after dying by its hand implied some kind of manipulation.
So, the algae monster must have done something. Owner Choi Jungman didn’t cough up blood, so perhaps the dreams were triggered when resisting the urge to kill. Since the monster could induce murderous impulses, it meant it could tamper with the human mind, so it wouldn’t be too difficult.
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“…….”
Lee Jaehun was probably hearing hallucinations.
“…I don’t remember clearly, but last time, when I took on your pain, Manager, I noticed something strange. I heard something I shouldn’t have.”
“…You heard something?”
“More precisely, a voice. It was just… saying unpleasant things, I think.”
“…….”
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“Manager.”
Jung Inho asked,
“Did something happen in the past?”
“…I don’t know.”
“In the past, when you came to this otherworld. What happened when we weren’t there?”
“I said I don’t know.”
“I inherited what you felt, Manager…!”
“…….”
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“…Right. Do you know this?”
Touching his loosely buttoned shirtfront, Jung Inho locked eyes with Lee Jaehun.
“I’ve come to intensely dislike the feeling of being constricted.”
“…I…”
“Do you know why I loosened my tie and rolled up my sleeves to my elbows? Even the slightest pressure feels like bugs crawling on me. I can’t stand it.”
“It’s really nothing. I was just being foolish…”
“Manager.”
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“I don’t know.”
Lee Jaehun, his face hardened, continued,
“So, don’t ask.”
“…….”
“…Let’s go back.”
He said that and walked past Jung Inho without looking back.
“…Ha.”
As if running away.
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Jung Inho could confidently say that this was the first time he had seen such a pale expression on Lee Jaehun’s face.
‘Someone who dⁱㅌs at the hands of the algae monster every night reacts like this?’
For someone who dⁱㅌd once a day, in unimaginably brutal ways, to have that expression… Jung Inho instinctively knew that Lee Jaehun’s past must be horrific. Objectively, there could be no other conclusion.
Biting his lip, Jung Inho immediately followed after Lee Jaehun.
“…Let’s go together, Manager.”
“…….”
“I’m sorry. I won’t ask anymore, so please don’t be angry.”
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“I’m not angry.”
“Then what is it about?”
“…….”
Sigh.
Lee Jaehun let out a sigh and spoke in a weary voice.
“…I’m sorry for acting childish. What you asked is a sensitive topic for me, Mr. Jung Inho. I think I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Jung In-o blinked at the unexpectedly calm reaction.
‘…It doesn’t seem like he’s truly calm.’
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He composed himself with unusual speed.
Jung Inho didn’t know if Lee Jaehun had truly suppressed his emotions. But at least outwardly, Manager Lee Jaehun seemed quite alright, and even apologized for overreacting without hesitation. This was despite Jung Inho clearly seeing the revulsion in his eyes at the horrific memory.
Perhaps, he had become so accustomed to hiding his emotions like this throughout his life.
“…I should be the one apologizing.”
Strangely, it was somewhat comforting.
That he wasn’t the only one going crazy, that there was someone worse off than him. It was disillusioning to use someone else’s pain as a source of comfort, but he couldn’t help it.
“I said something unnecessary.”
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“No, there’s no need for that. Just erase it from your mind without another thought.”
Lee Jaehun murmured in a cracked voice.
“Whatever you felt, there’s nothing to be gained from remembering it.”
“…….”
“…Besides… Didn’t you say something was about to happen? That there was a reason why the group got scattered. If what I heard is correct.”
“…That’s true, but,”
Fully aware of Lee Jaehun’s intention to change the subject, Jung Inho skillfully feigned ignorance and replied,
“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any problem yet.”
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The problem Jung Inho remembered was the dog-like monsters attacking around the time Manager Lee woke up coughing blood. Thinking back on it now, it was an absurd situation.
But unlike then, while Lee Jaehun did cough up blood, his condition didn’t seem too serious, and the sounds of the dog monsters weren’t audible. He could hear faint noises, as if animals or small monsters were prowling nearby, but nothing to be overly concerned about.
‘So, probably because Song Inmyeong didn’t kill Moon Sangun and Choi Minhong…’
Perhaps that was why the monsters within the park were remaining calm. In the previous timeline, he had concluded that the monsters became agitated whenever they witnessed a human death.
‘Then the owner of the scattered blood must have dⁱㅌd a while ago. There haven’t been any recent monster rampages, so even if Song Inmyeong did kill them, it wouldn’t have been within the last day or two.’
Thinking that far, Jung Inho asked Lee Jaehun, who was rubbing his neck,
“By the way, it seems like the monsters get agitated when they witness a dead body… Am I right?”
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“…Are you referring to the incident from the previous look?”
“Yes, we found multiple bodies. Detective Hong Kyungjun thought so too.”
“Huh.”
At the mention of multiple bodies, Lee Jaehun’s face showed a flicker of disgust, but it quickly returned to its usual impassiveness.
After a moment of hesitation, Lee Jaehun continued,
“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you about the rules of this otherworld.”
“Rules?”
“It’s embarrassing to even call them rules, but I’ll tell you what I’ve observed. Even though this world can throw curveballs in various ways, there are some common phenomena.”
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His strangely gray-tinged eyes rolled around once before returning to their original position.
“First… your guess is correct. If even one person witnesses a human death, the monsters in the vicinity go berserk, depending on the degree of psychological impact.”
“Are there cases other than death?”
“Of course. Actually, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a human death. Any kind of traumatic experience that causes mental distress can also agitate the monsters. However, in the case of death, there’s… an added layer of chaos on top of the actual impact.”
“Why…?”
“This world is essentially a manifestation of the human psyche. Fundamentally, the concept of ‘death’ itself isn’t a pleasant one. I believe this phenomenon is part of that.”
And Lee Jaehun probably had to witness the deaths of others countless times to learn these rules. Even if he didn’t see it directly, he must have heard screams or smelled blood.
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It was absurd, yet Jung Inho felt a pang of sympathy.
“This other world is built upon a pre-existing ecosystem, layered with the darker aspects of humanity. That’s why what the survivors within it see and feel is of utmost importance.”
“…You mean we need to pay attention to our mental states?”
“It’s not as easy to manage as it sounds, but it’s best to try. Like Mr. Ha Sunyoon or myself, we can overcome injuries beyond our physical capacity with mental strength. Ah, Yeonseok is a similar case.”
“Yeonseok is really unexpected.”
“He’s the opposite case. He compensates for his weak mental fortitude with physical endurance. In other words, his weak mentality puts a strain on his body. Well, he seems to be doing much better these days…”
Lee Jaehun continued talking as if eager to share any information he could.
“Do you sometimes experience moments where you can’t hear any surrounding noises except for human voices, or when the world appears in monochrome?”
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“…It’s happened a few times.”
“That means you’re reaching your mental limit. It’s good to rest when that happens. Also, sometimes, people’s appearances change depending on their personality.”
“Appearances?”
“If I had to give examples, Owner Yoon Garam… or Mr. Ha Sungyoon.”
At those words, Jung Inho blinked a few times. He couldn’t immediately understand why Lee Jaehun mentioned Yoon Garam and Ha Sungyoon. Their appearances had never changed.
Noticing Jung Inho’s reaction, Lee Jaehun lightly brushed the corner of his mouth and said,
“Changes rarely happen after entering this world. Most changes occur during the transition from the real world. I believe both of their eye colors changed.”
“But you’ve never met Ms. Yoon Garam before.”
“I don’t need to have met her to know.”
Tap.
He tapped his eye with a finger and continued,
“That grayish-green eye color isn’t something a human can be born with naturally.”
“…Grayish-green…?”
Jung Inho murmured softly.
‘Was it that color?’
He hadn’t paid particular attention to other people’s eye colors. Perhaps Ha Sungyoon and Lee Jaehun were the exceptions. And Detective Hong Kyungjun, as well. But for everyone else, he simply assumed they had dark brown or black eyes.
As Jung Inho pondered, Lee Jaehun’s voice reached him.
“Most people wouldn’t notice that color. It’s hard to perceive unless you look closely, and the same goes for Mr. Ha Sungyoon.”
“What color were his eyes?”
“Reddish-brown, I think? Brown with a reddish tinge. Well, eye color is often the first thing to change when someone’s appearance is altered.”
“Aha…”
At those words, a very old memory suddenly surfaced.
“Is it the same reason why your eyes sometimes look gray, Manager?”
“…….”
Lee Jaehun looked back at him with a slightly surprised expression.
Perhaps he was flustered, or maybe just sad. But Jung Inho couldn’t read any clear emotion in those neatly shaped, round eyes. Lee Jaehun simply stared at Jung Inho, who had brought up the subject.
Soon after, Manager Lee Jaehun replied,
“…Perhaps, that’s the case.”
He didn’t offer any further explanation.