Chapter 170 |
After confirming there were no monsters nearby, everyone gathered for dinner.
“Ahjussi.”
Choi Minhong called out to Lee Jaehun.
“Yes?”
“Hand.”
“What disrespectful language to use with an adult.”
Even as he said this, Lee Jaehun obediently offered his hand to Choi Minhong. The child pressed his small fingers into Lee Jaehun’s hand, beaming. Lee Jaehun’s palm didn’t have cat paw jelly pads or anything, but Choi Minhong seemed genuinely happy.
Of course, Lee Jaehun, who had become the child’s toy, couldn’t understand it at all.
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His hands, bloodied, blistered, and chapped, were far from pleasant to look at. Owner Choi Jungman, the child’s father, seemed to have pretty ordinary tastes, so Lee Jaehun couldn’t fathom where his son developed a liking for practically corpse-like hands.
‘Jang Seoah was like that too. Kids these days are strange.’
Jang Seoah, who had cautiously approached him upon first seeing a zombie, and Choi Minhong, who was now playing with his bruised and bloody hand as if it were a toy, were pretty much the same. It made Lee Jaehun think that perhaps they weren’t just ordinary children who’d been caught up in the otherworld.
‘At first, I thought they were just unlucky to be near crazy people.’
Noh Yeonseok’s eyes sparkled as Choi Minhong comfortably settled onto Lee Jaehun’s lap.
“Ah, isn’t that like, a comfort doll?”
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“Yeonseok, didn’t I tell you to think three times before you speak?”
“…S-Sorry…?”
“Why the question mark?”
It was absurd.
‘Did he look quiet at work because he was being careful of what other people thought?’
The current Noh Yeonseok was relatively well-behaved for a young man of his age, but now that he no longer feared ‘Lee Jaehun’, his occasional blunt remarks often left Lee Jaehun bewildered. He wasn’t a completely clueless guy, so Lee Jaehun wondered if he was being deliberately provocative.
“Putting aside the fact that Choi Minhong treated me like a dog, you shouldn’t do that. Do you think the title of ‘Manager’ is a joke?”
“That’s not it, but…”
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Even as he mumbled and shrunk back, Noh Yeonseok’s spirit remained unbroken, leaving Lee Jaehun to lament. While he had cultivated this image on purpose, now people genuinely didn’t take his nagging seriously. It was good in the long run, but the bitterness was unavoidable.
At that moment, Choi Minhong, comfortably nestled in Lee Jaehun’s arms, asked,
“What’s a manager?”
“…….”
After a moment of contemplation, Lee Jaehun replied,
“Someone with power.”
“What’s power?”
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“Someone who has a lot of money and can bully others.”
“But we’re not supposed to bully people.”
“You’ve been well-taught.”
Lee Jaehun nodded.
“Don’t grow up to be like me.”
He didn’t love his life, but he’d never regretted it. In both his past and present lives, he’d lived by exploiting others for his own gain. However, he’d never once thought that this way of life was right. Lee Jaehun was the kind of villain who knew he was bad.
Choi Minhong blinked twice, then tilted his head.
“…Why?”
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“Friend Choi Minhong, what have we been talking about so far?”
“A manager is bad, but they don’t have to be?”
“Kids these days are so smart. Should I give you a sticker?”
“Do you have any? I like those.”
“I’ll buy you some later. This ahjussi has a lot of money.”
“That’s a line from TV.”
“……?”
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Mr. Choi Jungman, what kind of dramas are you watching?
“Our friend has a good vocabulary.”
“Hee.”
“Anyway, don’t be like me.”
“Why?”
“…….”
“Why?”
Lee Jaehun was speechless.
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“…….”
“…Is now the time for me to criticize myself?”
“Manager, why are you digging your own grave?”
“Ahjussi is not a manager!”
“…….”
“That’s what he says, Manager.”
“Assistant Manager Jung, shut up.”
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Lee Jaehun rubbed his eyes with the hand not occupied by Choi Minhong. Jung Inho, who had been watching him, spoke in his usual earnest tone.
“Well, it’s probably better if he doesn’t turn out like you. It would be heartbreaking to imagine a child with a bright future growing up to be like you…”
“Am I that easy to pick on?”
“You seem to be unaware of why you’re in this situation.”
“You think I got hurt on purpose?”
And why is this guy being so vague?
‘Is this b⋏st⋏rd trying to abandon Hong Kyungjun’s team?’
Jung Inho showed no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding with the still-pale Moon Sangun. This made Lee Jaehun, who already had a plan in mind, quite uneasy. Jung Inho might not intentionally abandon them, but judging by his words, he seemed to have half-given up.
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‘That’s the reaction of someone who’s given up.’
As Lee Jaehun habitually furrowed his brow, Choi Minhong tugged on his hand. It was a clear gesture for attention, and Lee Jaehun lowered his gaze to the child.
“Ahjussi, blood smell.”
“…….”
“It smelled like blood then, too.”
Confused by the sudden change in topic, Lee Jaehun wore a perplexed expression. Choi Minhong continued,
“It smelled like medicine, too. This, it was there then, too.”
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“…Ah.”
Lee Jaehun finally understood what the child was talking about.
“I scratched my hand on a nail.”
Choi Minhong was referring to the wound Lee Jaehun had inflicted on his arm in a panic after recalling his past life. Thanks to the stray dog monster rubbing its head against him, the bandage had come loose. The child must have seen the red g⋏sh hidden beneath, the long wound that wouldn’t heal because it had been inflicted outside the otherworld.
Lee Jaehun gently grasped Choi Minhong’s hand, which was lightly touching the loose bandage.
“Eww, yucky. Don’t touch things like that.”
“This isn’t yucky.”
“…….”
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“It hurts, right? I know about this.”
Before Lee Jaehun or any of the other adults could react to the strangeness of the situation, the child continued,
“If you stab yourself with a knife, it looks like this.”
“…Wait a minute…”
Hey, you’re making things weird.
‘My head already hurts because of the seed Song Inmyung sowed, and now you’re bringing this up here?’
Lee Jaehun’s head was throbbing from all the stares directed at him. He couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a fuss. It was his body, after all.
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But more importantly,
“Young Choi Minhong.”
“Yes.”
“What does your father do?”
Why does a six-year-old know about this kind of wound?
“I know, Daddy… makes this much soup. He has a restaurant.”
“Oh, right. That’s right…”
Lee Jaehun felt dizzy.
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‘Does even a kindergartener have to be like this to survive in the Otherworld?’
This is insane.
The original novel’s Choi Minhong dⁱㅌd early on due to a car accident, so Lee Jaehun didn’t know his backstory. Considering Owner Choi Jungman’s ordinary nature, this was even more baffling. How did the child really know this information?
At this point, even Jang Seoah, who had readily approached intimidating men, seemed unsettling. Lee Jaehun had assumed she was a bit twisted compared to other children her age, but…
No, seriously. What’s with the settings for these kindergarteners?
‘You still liked kids…’
As Lee Jaehun struggled to maintain his composure, Kwon Yeonhee stealthily approached him.
“M–Minhong…?”
“…….”
“We said hello, didn’t we? Nice to see you again. Do you remember this ahjumma’s name?”
“You’re not an ahjumma, you’re a noona.”
“Oh, thanks… No, that’s not it.”
Kwon Yeonhee cautiously asked Choi Minhong, who had somehow managed a perfect response.
“Have you ever seen a police officer, Minhong…?”
She was likely suspicious of domestic vⁱӨlㅌncㅌ. Self-harm was generally an act undertaken by someone under immense psychological pressure, unless coerced, and such pressure within a couple wasn’t uncommon.
‘His mother? Is it his mother’s side? What kind of situation would lead a kindergartener to recognize self-harm scars?’
Lee Jaehun’s parenting stress was already at its limit with the Park siblings, and the unsettling feeling that Choi Minhong and Jang Seoah might also have complicated backstories made him shudder.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the child shook his head.
“Nnnnnope.”
“Don’t be rude and say ‘nnnope’. Say ‘no’.”
“No.”
“…Manager…?”
At the questioning look that asked why he was suddenly nagging, Lee Jaehun pretended to shield the child’s forehead, blocking his view, and subtly shook his head. Honestly, he was a bit desperate.
‘Let’s not make things more complicated here.’
Every survivor in the otherworld had their own brand of crazy. He’d had to delve into Yoon Garam’s past because of her destructive abilities, but Lee Jaehun had no intention of caring for each and every one of these lunatics. Even if they were still innocent kindergarteners.
Perhaps sensing Lee Jaehun’s utter weariness and awkwardness, Kwon Yeonhee cautiously nodded. She seemed to think he was being considerate of the child. Whatever misconception she held, Lee Jaehun was just grateful that she dropped the subject.
“…So….”
Desperate to change the topic, Lee Jaehun said.
“Minhong, are you sleepy? Or do you want to play more?”
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Then go ask tha hyung and noona over there to play with you. My legs are getting numb.”
“I like it here.”
“No, you’re cutting off the circulation to my already insufficient blood supply.”
“Is ahjussi going to dⁱㅌ…?”
“Why is this kid so extreme? I won’t dⁱㅌ, but it hurts.”
“Ah.”
It seemed he’d finally noticed the blood on Lee Jaehun’s leg. Despite this, his unfazed expression was so nonchalant that Lee Jaehun couldn’t help but question Owner Choi Jungman’s parenting once more.
‘Is a 6-year-old not being afraid of blood nature or nurture?’
Fortunately, Choi Minhong readily ran off to the Park siblings, and the two high school students, who had been watching Lee Jaehun, also welcomed the child. Park Dahoon, in particular, seemed quite pleased with the arrival of a younger child.
“…….”
“…Minhong seems braver than me, Manager…”
“It’s sad that I can’t deny it.”
Kwon Yeonhee’s head drooped at Lee Jaehun’s affirmation.
‘But what can you do? She’s a chick.’
While Kwon Yeonhee’s soft-hearted nature wasn’t bad, it wasn’t exactly efficient. Lee Jaehun wondered when these soft chicks would finally grow up.
“…….”
Wait a minute.
‘This actually hurts.’
He suddenly realized something was wrong with his health.
To be precise, his mental strength was plummeting. In a world where mental fortitude could keep even a dying person alive, this noticeable decline in his mental state couldn’t be ignored. Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if his current body collapsed in the next hour…
“…Ah.”
“Manager?”
“Ah, no, I’m fine.”
Well, I guess I have done a lot of shady things.
‘Either my physical or mental health should be in good shape, but I was too careless.’
His mental strength was steadily draining when he encountered the stray dog monster, but he didn’t notice it because he was focusing so much on Song Inmyeong. Or maybe the mental strain from before and after his return had accumulated to the point where he couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Can I go to sleep first?”
“…It’s almost bedtime anyway, so it doesn’t matter, but are you feeling unwell?”
“No, I’m really fine.”
Lee Jaehun shook his head at Jung Inho’s question. Jung Inho was probably wondering if he was losing my mind because of the algae monster. Of course, he hadn’t lost it to that extent, so he could honestly deny it.
“I’m just tired.”
Jung Inho’s jet-black pupils stared at Lee Jaehun, but the smile on his lips remained.
“Get a good rest.”
“…Okay.”
“I hope you feel better.”
As Jung Inho’s eyes crinkled slightly, Lee Jaehun clicked his tongue and turned away.
‘He’s going to cause trouble acting like that.’
Whenever the protagonist made that expression, Lee Jaehun felt the urgent need to kill the algae monster. To do that, he first needed to sacrifice himself and reveal Song Inmyeong’s true nature.
For the sake of his own wealth and glory, of course.