Chapter 166 |
Jung Inho couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘…Can those eyes see the previous timelines?’
Of course, he was surprised by that. Jung Inho had been convinced that he was the only one who remembered the previous timelines, so Ha Sungyoon’s clear mention of events from the last iteration sent chills down his spine. The thought that it was impossible was the first thing that spread through his mind.
But right after that, he was surprised again.
“…Mr. Ha Sungyoon?”
Because the name of Owner Yoon Garam came out of his mouth.
“No way, no, why…”
“…….”
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The previous Ha Sungyoon, although he often acted half-mad, had always tried to maintain a line with Yoon Garam. It was clear how much he cherished her.
At least until Jung Inho dⁱㅌd.
“…….”
…Even for him, who had committed suicide, it wasn’t a situation where he had much to say.
‘Should I ask him what happened?’
But do I have the right to?
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Both the very first Jung Inho and the Jung Inho who got a new chance ended up committing suicide because they lacked the courage to be left alone. Probably even in this third timeline, if things went wrong, he would dⁱㅌ without hesitation. There was no sense of responsibility or restraint in that action.
Did such a Jung Inho have the right to ask about what happened after death? He had already run away, so what right did he have to ask why Ha Sungyoon killed Owner Yoon Garam, someone he cherished so much?
“…Are you alright?”
He couldn’t.
“Let’s go back for now. It would be good for you to rest.”
“…….”
“It seems like you’re having trouble adjusting to your eyes.”
“…I think so.”
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“I understand.”
The first time Jung Inho returned to the past, despite his swift actions, his mind was in turmoil. If Ha Sungyoon was like this because he remembered the previous timelines, it was understandable.
However, he did think this:
“I’ll help you.”
That he hadn’t completely given up yet.
‘That’s a relief.’
He barely swallowed a sigh of relief.
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Whatever Ha Sungyoon was seeing through his eyes, the source of the strongest emotion Jung Inho felt after confirming his state stemmed from the information that ‘Ha Sungyoon killed Yoon Garam’. He focused more on the fact that he had killed someone he cherished, rather than on the fact that ‘Ha Sungyoon was in the same state as me’.
That gave Jung Inho some comfort. It meant that he hadn’t abandoned the value of life, rather than rejoicing that Ha Sungyoon had stepped into the same mud pit. Even this was difficult to describe as a positive development, but it was a relief that he wasn’t as crazy as he had imagined.
So maybe this time, things would be alright.
“…Alright, let’s go back quickly.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Unlike last time, many things had changed, and Manager Lee Jaehun said he would help him. Maybe this time, they could truly succeed. That was quite encouraging for Jung Inho, who was finding it increasingly difficult to recall his very first self.
As he organized his thoughts, he heard Ha Sungyoon rambling.
“…My eyes hurt so much. It feels like my brain isn’t working properly… I can’t tell what I’m looking at. I think I understand why I did that.”
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“You shouldn’t understand.”
“I know. So let’s go back quickly, I…”
Doctor Ha Sungyoon mumbled.
“…I need to see Ga-ram.”
For some reason, the tone was tinged with an almost childish obsession, and Jung Inho blinked.
“Are you anxious?”
“Yes.”
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“Why?”
“I can’t leave it like this.”
“Why?”
“Garam, she…”
“Why don’t you try to calm down?”
“Alright.”
Contrary to his words, he didn’t seem to be calming down at all.
It wasn’t that Jung Inho wasn’t flustered, but he tended to become calmer when he saw someone reacting more strongly than him. Perhaps it was a sense of responsibility as a sort of senior who had experienced a similar situation. He managed to maintain a relatively composed demeanor.
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“It seems like you’re overwhelmed by the amount of information you’re receiving. Nothing is happening right now, so it would be good to rest first and then take action. Do you understand?”
“…….”
Ha Sungyoon, who had been looking at Jung Inho with a strange gaze, opened his mouth.
“…Do you know?”
“Know what?”
“Right now, you’re quite… similar to Manager Lee Jaehun.”
“…….”
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“I can tell you didn’t intend to be.”
Indeed, he hadn’t intended to.
“…Nevermind. Seeing you like that makes me feel a little calmer.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“I think I can sort things out…”
“Do I resemble the Manager?”
“Not exactly, but there’s such a thing as an atmosphere, isn’t there? If you look at the details, it’s completely different, but the overall impression is familiar. I’d appreciate it if you considered it a slip of the tongue.”
At Ha Sungyoon’s words, this time Jung Inho felt more complex emotions.
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Perhaps Lee Jaehun felt this way too. Did he also feel this endlessly repeating, suffocating feeling? Jung Inho couldn’t pinpoint what aspects of his situation made him similar to Lee Jaehun.
He looked at Ha Sungyoon, who was still spouting random information.
“A lot of people dⁱㅌd. It’s painful. Am I one of them? Ah, just, where did these d⋏mn monster fellows leak out from?”
“…Calm down.”
“Maybe it was a stroke of luck that we chose the park as our first destination. Did Mr. Lee Jaehun make that decision knowing this? At least we don’t have to get on that kind of playground. No, maybe we’ll end up going anyway… It would be better to escape this world first before doing anything unnecessary. Mr. Jung Inho, are you listening?”
“I’m listening, but I don’t understand, so calm down.”
“I can’t calm down.”
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He muttered softly.
“…Are there ghosts here too?”
“…Yes?”
“No, that’s not something I should be asking Mr. Jung Inho.”
“…….”
“Let’s go back.”
Jung Inho realized why the Ha Sungyoon of the previous timeline was so unstable. He had sensed it before, but it would be more accurate to say that he was only now truly experiencing it.
“I have something to ask Mr. Lee Jaehun. I have a bad feeling about this.”
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“…I see.”
Just having those eyes was enough to put him in that state.
‘If the previous Ha Sungyoon obtained the eyes when the situation was even worse, there’s no way he could have coped without going insane.’
Perhaps it was fortunate that the current Ha Sungyoon seemed to be trying to control himself. Even though the information coming out of his mouth was disorganized and confusing, Ha Sungyoon himself knew that his condition wasn’t normal. He would shut up once he got used to the eyes.
Looking at Ha Sungyoon shuffling his feet, he murmured softly.
“…Ghosts, huh.”
If it wasn’t just nonsense.
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It wouldn’t be so bad if such things existed.
“…….”
After staring blankly into space for a moment, Jung Inho asked the doctor,
“…It seems like you’ve remembered the previous memory, is that right?”
“…Probably.”
“How far back?”
“Unfortunately, only right before. Only after I obtained these eyes. Even that is closer to accessing the information stored in these eyeballs than recalling… Yes, that seems right. I can only see what’s recorded in the eyes themselves. I don’t know the exact circumstances.”
“…….”
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“…Wait a minute.”
Blinking a few times, he asked Jung Inho,
“Did you say you were the last one to dⁱㅌ in the first iteration?”
“…That’s right, but…”
“Then what about Ms. Kang Mina, who dⁱㅌd last right before you?”
“…….”
“Did she not remember anything?”
It was an unexpected question, and Jung Inho couldn’t immediately answer. Kang Mina’s actions in everyday life, which had only flashed through his mind, came to him.
Had he ever felt something was off about her?
“…….”
When she woke up from a nightmare.
‘…No, that can’t be.’
Jung Inho reflexively started with denial.
If things were going to turn out that way, why did Jung Inho, who didn’t dⁱㅌ last in the previous timeline, remember that time? If it was simply a system where the ‘last survivor’ remembered the previous iteration, it couldn’t explain Jung Inho’s situation.
“Her behavior has been strange lately. Well, not as much as the previous Jung Inho…”
“…Why would that be?”
“Huh?”
“If she remembered everything at once, the shock would have been significant.”
“…Maybe she only remembered parts of it?”
“So, why?”
If Kang Mina really did remember, and that was why she was so distorted, why was she different from Jung Inho? Why was there a difference in the extent and method of recalling memories between them? Even if Ha Sungyoon was explained by gaining the records stored in his eyes, why? Because he was the first?
It might be a far-fetched guess, but Jung Inho felt like he might be receiving some kind of unfounded preferential treatment. He didn’t know who was giving him this affection, and he didn’t even know if it was truly affection.
“…….”
He decided to bury this headache for a while.
“…We have more reason to hurry back now, don’t we?”
“I certainly understand that things are getting more complicated.”
That’s what he wanted to say.
“It’s really gotten complicated.”
Although he really didn’t like it, Jung Inho felt like he could understand Lee Jaehun. If he was becoming more like him, it couldn’t be helped. The fact that he couldn’t escape even in death was more miserable and strange than he could have imagined.
Ha Sungyoon could already partially see the previous timeline, and Kang Mina, who had been acting strangely, was also likely to have remembered. So why did he only feel this unpleasantness?
“…I was lonely.”
He didn’t feel the need to stop his voice.
“I was so lonely remembering alone, I wished someone else would remember too…”
“…….”
“Even though I witnessed the possibility, I’m not as happy as I thought I’d be. Why? Why did it turn out like this?”
“Stop it, I’m not in a state to handle you right now.”
“Since when have you cared so much?”
“I already have a lot on my plate, so please don’t do this too, Mr. Jung Inho…”
“But, aren’t you curious?”
He was losing control.
“What am I even thinking?”
The feeling of the most important thing being twisted.
The reason he couldn’t hold back, even though he knew it was a question without an answer, was probably because he was too tired. This feeling of having lost something he shouldn’t have lost was probably just because he was exhausted and craved sleep. So if he could just bask in the warmth of a bonfire and drift off to a drowsy sleep, all of this would be resolved.
That had to be it.
* * *
And here,
There was another survivor who was having a hard time because of what had happened.
“Hey, why are you doing this? I just greeted you because I was happy to meet a fellow human being…”
“Go away.”
“You don’t know how much this hurts my feelings. What did I do? You’re the one being rude, aren’t you? Are you saying you’ll kill us?”
“I told you to leave.”
Please stop it, you crazy b⋏st⋏rds.
‘In a way, the fact that they’re actually crazy b⋏st⋏rds makes me even sadder.’
The abandoned dog monster he had barely befriended had already run away. To think it ran away even after smelling blood from Song Inmyeong, it was quite a docile creature even for a park monster.
Lee Jaehun, having briefly escaped reality, forced a smooth expression onto his contorted face and looked at the two lunatics.
‘D⋏mn it, just trying to make a living.’
If the protagonist found out about this situation, would he let him live?
‘I’m already anxious as hㅌll because of the hole in my hand.’
Kang Mina had pulled out her hammer as soon as she sensed Song Inmyeong’s presence, and in response to her, Song Inmyeong was sneering and raising a wooden plank. It was a scene that looked like it would drive anyone insane. At this point, Lee Jaehun’s act was practically meaningless.
Of course, maintaining his ‘Lee Jaehun’ persona was important, but in front of these guys who were about to draw blood…
“…Wait, wait. Just wait a minute.”
He desperately stepped between the two.
“Everyone, calm down. Ms. Kang Mina, put the hammer away. You too, put the plank down.”
“You don’t seem to know what will happen if you get between us?”
“Please, student. Do you really have to provoke even in this situation…?”
Of course, he’d stepped in without hesitation because he wanted to stir things up.
The idea he’d come up with while talking to Jung Inho earlier, the ‘Lee Jaehun Bait Tactic’, hadn’t been discarded yet. Since they had met like this, it wouldn’t be a bad option to coax them and create a plausible situation. But to do that, he needed to calm them down first.
Lee Jaehun, playing the role of someone who was thinking, ‘I don’t know why Kang Mina is so agitated, and I don’t know who that man is, but let’s calm things down first,’ said with a troubled expression,
“Calm down, and let’s talk.”
Because I need an excuse to kill you right now.