Chapter 168 |
As Ha Sungyoon had said, he and Jung Inho had a lot to deal with.
First, Ha Sungyoon had to check on Yoon Garam’s condition, manage his own anxiety, and adapt to the flood of information brought on by his awakened ability. Once that was done, he needed to explain the situation to the others, just as Lee Jaehun had done, and share at least a part of his circumstances.
Jung Inho needed to figure out Kang Mina’s state. Did the last survivor remember the previous loops? If so, why wasn’t she as confused as Jung Inho was when he first returned? After figuring that out, he had to sort out their internal affairs. Only then would it be appropriate to approach Detective Hong Kyungjun.
So,
“…….”
“Oh, hello there.”
He had absolutely no intention of seeing that dⁱrty b⋏st⋏rd’s face.
What reaction should he have when he returned only to find a murderer casually sitting among his companions?
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“Manager?”
Jung Inho looked at Lee Jaehun. He was questioning why Lee Jaehun, whose judgment had been consistently sound, had made this choice, or rather, allowed this situation to happen.
Seeing the strangely flustered look on Lee Jaehun’s face, Jung Inho understood the context.
‘…Did I tell him about Song Inmyeong in detail?’
No, he didn’t.
Jung Inho had never mentioned Song Inmyeong’s name, finding it repulsive even to utter. He hadn’t said a word about what he looked like or his habits. He had only vaguely described the things the b⋏st⋏rd had done.
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It was just—He hadn’t expected to meet him already, like this.
“…Manager, who is this person?”
His heart pounded, but he forced a calm expression.
“Why is he here?”
Anxiety threatened to overwhelm him.
Now? With Yoon Garam, Ha Sungyoon, and even Moon Sangun’s situations unresolved? He didn’t know how that scʊm had gotten here, but judging by Lee Jaehun’s expression, It wasn’t entirely Lee Jaehun’s fault.
“…I went out for a bit on an errand….”
“Where did you go?”
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“Ah, come on. Assistant Manager Jung, you need to learn to respect your superiors. Senior Associate Kang went with me.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Anyway, in the process, he insisted on seeing the people here….”
From Lee Jaehun’s words and Song Inmyeong’s demeanor, Jung Inho understood the situation. It was highly likely that the madman had fixated on Lee Jaehun, as before, and had used Kang Mina’s excessive wariness as an excuse to come here. Looking at Kang Mina nervously fiddling with her hammer, Jung Inho’s guess seemed correct.
Then, another thought occurred to him.
‘Why Lee Jaehun again?’
Things were just changing for the better. It felt like they could finally make some real progress. The feeling that the twisted fate he had managed to unravel was being forced back into place made him dizzy. Nausea hit him, making him want to vomit.
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And, yes, if Lee Jaehun had been in his right mind, he would have recognized Song Inmyeong’s dangerous nature.
“…….”
Jung Inho took a deep breath and exhaled.
“…Manager, are you feeling alright?”
“Huh? Ah, well… not bad.”
“You don’t look alright.”
He forced his curved, stiff lips into a comforting smile as he continued.
“I’ll take care of that person. Please rest.”
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Lee Jaehun’s expression momentarily furrowed at the commanding tone, but perhaps aware that this was a disaster of his own making, he obediently moved. Two high school students and a kindergartener clung to him, distracting him. The siblings’ actions seemed intentional.
As expected, Jung Inho caught Kang Mina’s eye as she watched them. Seeing her flinch as if she sensed something, he turned his gaze back to Song Inmyeong, his lips curving back into his usual smile.
“…….”
Should I kill him now?
‘We’re not outnumbered, and Song Inmyeong’s alone… if I find the right moment, I could kill him….’
Thinking this far, Jung Inho saw Song Inmyeong’s sly smirk, acknowledging his murderous intent, and he quelled the impulse. The opponent already knew Jung Inho wanted him dead.
‘Ha Sungyoon wouldn’t condone murder in his current state, and Kang Mina’s position is also ambiguous.’
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Silently taking down a murderer who wasn’t letting his guard seemed difficult. Jung Inho asked with a smooth smile.
“Do you have any other companions?”
“…Well, yes.”
“It’s been quite some time, they must be worried.”
“Are you kicking me out?”
Song Inmyeong’s smile was strange.
“Wow, I didn’t want to say this, but—”
It was almost like the innocent joy of a student looking at a test paper they’d luckily aced.
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“Do you always do this?”
“Do what?”
“That man is an adult, fully grown, and we live in a democratic country. Well, it’s a bit of a stretch to call this a country….”
“…….”
“Do you always restrict his movements like that? Treat him like a guard dog?”
He laughed.
“That’s really messed up.”
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Only then did Jung Inho realize that this situation might appear quite strange to an outsider.
His first emotion was frustration. But he couldn’t express it. How could he explain to Song Inmyeong that this ragged man had stepped up to protect them, only to be injured or dragged away and returned half-dead? Hearing that would only make Song Inmyeong want to kill Lee Jaehun even more.
As Jung Inho remained silent with a forced smile, unable to find the right words, Lee Jaehun, whose face had been contorted by Song Inmyeong’s words, interjected. He had a truly strange expression.
“Why are you so rude, young man? Am I a dog?”
“It was a figure of speech.”
“It makes people uncomfortable when you talk like that. What kind of upbringing did you have?”
“……? Ah, well….”
This time, the expressions of Song Inmyeong and the group companions also turned strange. Lee Jaehun’s condescending remark had been utterly unexpected. Of course, perhaps understanding Lee Jaehun’s intention to change the subject, Song Inmyeong quickly composed himself, which eased some of the burden on Jung Inho.
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“…As you can see, Manager is very ill. I asked him to refrain from strenuous activity, but he broke his promise and went out again, so I couldn’t help but worry.”
“That makes sense.”
“I’m sorry, but we have no way of knowing whether you’re a monster in human form or not. It’s natural for us to be wary, so I recommend you leave before it gets late.”
‘Monster in human form’ referred directly to Song Inmyeong, and he seemed to understand this, his smile deepening. His gaze swept briefly over Han Sungyoon, Kang Mina, and Moon Sangun, carrying a faint conviction.
‘…Does he think Moon Sangun told us?’
It was helpful if he jumped to that conclusion on his own. Jung Inho intended to share information only with the bare minimum number of people who remembered. It was a good thing that he didn’t have to needlessly spread the fact that he was looping back in time.
After surveying his surroundings, Song Inmyeong gave an uncharacteristic, playful smile. It looked completely different from the languid, bored expression he wore in the previous loop.
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“Actually, our police officer noona was very worried about the ahjussi here, worried that some bad people might hurt him….”
“Oh dear, please tell her not to worry. That will never happen.”
“Wow, scary.”
“Will you leave now?”
“Alright, alright. I’m too scared to stay any longer.”
He retreated with surprising cheerfulness.
“But you know, the way you’re treating that ahjussi is a bit weird.”
“…….”
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“Especially you, you. The guy with the glasses. Like a fanatic deeply devoted to a religious icon….”
“That’s not a very funny joke.”
“It wasn’t a joke, but if that’s how you took it, I have nothing more to say.”
Jung Inho didn’t think his current behavior was normal either. But what was certain was that he was less crazy than that trash, and he could protect Lee Jaehun better than Song Inmyeong could. Among those gathered here, there was no one more dangerous than him.
Ignoring his gaze, Song Inmyeong continued, looking at the sour-faced Lee Jaehun.
“Ahjussi, you’re really pitiful.”
“This guy’s crazy.”
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“I’d run away if I were you.”
Shrugging once, he said with a delighted expression,
“See you later.”
And then he left.
“…….”
“…….”
A strange, tense silence fell over the group.
Moon Sangun’s expression was the most striking. He looked like he was weighing which was safer: the madman Song Inmyeong, or the group gathered here. In other words, he looked like he was about to lose his mind.
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‘I was planning to coax him into cooperating.’
Song Inmyeong had severely damaged Moon Sangun’s trust in them before leaving, and now he was tⁱght-lipped, likely due to some threat he’d received. Perhaps something along the lines of, ‘If you reveal that I killed someone, neither you nor your friends will be safe’.
He didn’t look like he was going to run away, but his expression was a mixture of resignation and barely-suppressed hysteria. Jung Inho probably wouldn’t be able to talk to him for a while.
“…Manager.”
It didn’t matter anyway.
“Don’t we have something to discuss?”
“…I’m really fine….”
“Not that.”
Jung Inho’s gaze fell on Lee Jaehun’s hand. On top of the already torn and tattered wounds from swinging the pipe, a particularly dark red injury stood out. It was likely related to the ‘errand’ Lee Jaehun had mentioned.
“…….”
Lee Jaehun ran a hand over his face and replied in a defeated tone,
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m glad you know that.”
If he collapsed and dⁱㅌd again, returning as a corpse… how much could Jung Inho handle?
The question arose naturally, but Jung Inho wasn’t as confused or desperately anxious as he had been the first time. Even though Lee Jaehun’s condition had deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t even sense Song Inmyeong’s danger, and even though he was being crushed by constant trauma and hallucinations, as Jung Inho had shared.
‘To which point in time will I return next?’
He would simply prepare for the next time.
“…….”
Kang Mina, whose eyes met his, stared at him with a confused look. He averted his gaze, feeling a strange mix of awkwardness and familiarity.
‘I wanted to ask her how she remembered.’
But now didn’t seem like the right time.
“…Can we talk for a moment?”
“Just you and me?”
“Mr. Ha Sungyoon as well.”
“…….”
“Don’t worry.”
This could be an opportunity.
“Everything is going well.”
* * *
After a long discussion with the doctor and the protagonist, Lee Jaehun came to a conclusion.
“It seems she partially recalled her memories through the nightmare from back then.”
This referred to Kang Mina, who hadn’t joined their conversation, perhaps because she didn’t know how to explain it yet, or perhaps because she wasn’t mentally prepared. Although he hadn’t heard the details, based on the information provided by Ha Sungyoon and Jung Inho, this was the most accurate analysis they could think of.
“And regarding the last survivor regaining their memories… we still lack samples. It’s plausible, but I don’t think we can generalize it yet.”
“I agree. Even if we consider Mr. Ha Sungyoon an exception because of his eye, Ms. Kang Mina and I have nothing in common other than being the last survivors. I wasn’t even the last survivor in the immediately preceding loop, yet I was able to recall everything.”
Ha Sungyoon, who had been listening to their conversation with a blank expression, suddenly put on his characteristic gentle smile and spoke in a calm voice.
“Then, if someone other than Kang Ms. Kang Mina or Mr. Jung Inho survives this time, we’ll have at least a minimal sample. For example, Mr. Noh Yeonseok. If we just kill everyone else and leave him, it would be perfect.”
“…….”
“Especially since Mr. Noh Yeonseok, unlike us freaks, is a person who is the same on the outside as he is on the ⁱnsⁱdㅌ, it’ll be obvious even if he keeps his mouth shut… I apologize; that was a slip of the tongue. I spoke carelessly. It was just crazy talk.”
The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Jung Inho and Lee Jaehun with strange expressions.
‘It’s like he has a split personality. Is this okay?’
It felt as if he wasn’t ‘original Ha Sungyoon + previous loop Ha Sungyoon’, but rather ‘original Ha Sungyoon / previous loop Ha Sungyoon’. Or perhaps it was more like ‘original Ha Sungyoon (+ previous loop Ha Sungyoon)’. It was a relief that the more sane side seemed to be in control, but….
“Would you like to rest…?”
“No, I need to stay informed. My role wasn’t insignificant.”
“Do you know how shocked I was when I saw you’d replaced one of your eyes? It’s such an unrealistic color, it really stands out… Owner Yoon will be worried.”
“Coming from you, that’s rich, sir.”
“That’s true, but still.”
As Lee Jaehun nodded, Ha Sungyoon sighed and continued.
“I talked about my friend, and about the eyes too, and also that Ms. Kang Mina was the last survivor… Oh, and I was the second-to-last survivor. That’s how I was able to guess that Ms. Kang Mina would be the final survivor.”
“…….”
“And the survivor right before me was Owner Yoon Garam.”
Jung Inho spoke with an earnest smile.
“You’re not calling her Garam this time.”
“She’s all grown up now. I should treat her with respect as an adult. No matter how long we’ve known each other since childhood, we have to maintain appearances.”
“I don’t understand why someone as considerate as you is always so harsh with me.”
“Don’t say such hurtful things… Yoon Garam and Mr. Jung Inho are not the same.”
“…….”
Jung Inho closed his mouth with a smile, and Lee Jaehun chuckled. Seeing their close relationship, he could understand why Yoon Garam had been in such a state in the original novel. It made sense that she wouldn’t be in her right mind after essentially killing her second father.
“So… I killed Owner Yoon Garam, I suffocated to death, and Kang Mina was the only one left.”
“…It’s still shocking even after hearing it again.”
And the fact that Ha Sungyoon killed Yoon Garam was also surprising.
“It couldn’t be helped. Owner Yoon Garam wasn’t in her right mind…. If I had left her alone, it would have ended disastrously.”
“It was already pretty horrifying before I dⁱㅌd.”
“Even more so than that. I don’t know how Ms. Kang Mina dⁱㅌd, or if she simply transitioned because she fulfilled the ‘last survivor’ condition, but I felt it would lead to an even more terrifying ending than her being left alone.”
“Good heavens.”
Jung Inho’s hollow voice echoed slightly in the space occupied by the three dark-haired men. Despite the proper smile on his face, his voice alone betrayed his mental state. The possibility of an even worse outcome seemed to have deeply disturbed him.
Pushing his own headache aside, Lee Jaehun asked,
“Exactly what state was she in?”
“…….”
After a moment of thought, the doctor answered.
“…A time bomb that exploded from a major shock?”
“The ‘time’ part is irrelevant then.”
“It felt like there was still time left, but it detonated due to an external shock.”
“This is getting worse and worse.”
He roughly understood what the doctor meant.
‘She must have awakened then.’
This was why Lee Jaehun was trying to control Yoon Garam’s unique constitution and tendencies.
In the novel, Yoon Garam was one of the bosses of the other world.