Episode 186
It’s a really pathetic thought, but Hong Kyung-jun felt that human psychology was a really difficult concept.
‘Why on earth are you doing that?’
There were often people who behaved in a way that was not only unsympathetic but also incomprehensible.
That was a story that was a little different from Hong Kyung-jun’s intuition from time to time. If I had to be specific, I would say it felt like it lacked probability. Even though I was sure I understood the process itself, there were many times when I couldn’t understand or sympathize with why that person was reacting in that way or why it had to be that way.
Jeong In-ho was also one of those people.
“You seem to see Jaeheon Lee a lot.”
“… Don’t you think it’s worth looking into, Detective Hong Kyung-jun?”
Why do you hate me so much?
‘This is a question that is no different from that of students who have trouble with interpersonal relationships…’
It may be a stupid question, but Hong Kyung-joon was serious. I couldn’t find an answer to why he hated ‘Detective Hong Kyung-joon’ so much. How should I accept a result that came out without any process?
Of course, Hong Kyung-joon was by no means a friendly person. It was not uncommon for people to get annoyed by his personality of blindly suspecting things based on intuition, and if Jeong In-ho was of a similar type, it would be an explanation.
The problem was that even if we looked at it that way, we couldn’t explain the thick wariness, irritation, and anger that he showed towards Hong Kyung-jun.
“You were hurt that much, so isn’t it natural for anyone other than me to care?”
“… That is correct.”
That wasn’t the kind of reaction you’d show to someone you’d only met twice and finally given a proper formal statement to, but it was a reaction you’d show to someone who was practically the murderer of your parents.
If we were to point out the point at which Jeong In-ho was angry… .
“I don’t think there’s anything particularly strange about us.”
It would literally be ‘Detective Hong Kyung-jun’s Suspicion’.
‘If it had been someone other than me who had shown suspicion in the same situation, the reaction would have been different.’
That was the weird thing. When on earth had we ever seen each other? At most, we only met once, last time.
“It’s not strange. It’s natural to worry about the well-being of your colleagues.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“But I think what Jeong In-ho is showing is a bit excessive.”
It felt more than just strange; it felt excessive.
“charge.”
“Yes, it’s something you wouldn’t see in a normal coworker relationship.”
“So is that a problem?”
So does that mean it might not be a problem?
‘Why are you so obsessed?’
Hong Kyung-joon’s wariness of Jeong In-ho was not just because of the stories Song In-myeong told about this team. In the first place, it is often said that defining the whole thing based on one person’s story can lead to the error of generalization. It is a crazy thing that a detective should not do to determine the culprit based on just one testimony.
But apart from that, the way Song In-myeong described the Jeong In-ho team, although a bit exaggerated, did not seem completely wrong. In particular, seeing Jeong In-ho’s inexplicable anger and hatred toward Hong Kyung-jun, suspicions that did not exist before naturally arose.
“The manager is not feeling well. But he often leaves his post without saying anything or quietly hides his injuries….”
“yes.”
“I can’t help but look at it for a long time.”
Jeong In-ho asked again.
“Is that a problem?”
Hong Kyung-jun also really wanted to ask that question out loud.
‘Then there won’t be a problem?’
I think that obsession is inevitable in all human relationships, but perhaps it was a kind of occupational disease, and Hong Kyung-jun did not like that obsession.
He had also met the person named Lee Jae-heon once. At that time, he saw a similar appearance to his senior in the other person, but that was all, and Hong Kyung-joon couldn’t help but feel strange that someone like Jeong In-ho was excessively clinging to someone who was as tattered as him.
Even though he never believed in the man named Song In-myeong… .
“… … .”
“I’m fine.”
They both just looked like similar guys.
‘It’s clear that they don’t see humans as humans.’
That was Hong Kyung-jun’s conclusion.
If we were to be exact, Song In-myeong was much more serious, but Jeong In-ho didn’t seem normal either. To Hong Kyung-joon, who was already suspicious, the problems between the two of them seemed extremely serious. He knew that the unique atmosphere of this world was destroying his mind, but it was so bad that it made him feel sick.
If Hong Kyung-joon could see into Jeong In-ho’s thoughts, he might have felt a little wronged. Hong Kyung-joon in the previous episode was different from this episode, and there was no trace of the incident that clouded his judgment like before. It meant that he may have become more sensitive than last time, but he had not become more stupid.
“Mr. Song In-myeong, are you going on a reconnaissance mission?”
“Um, I’ll just go around once. It’s so stuffy here.”
“Take care on your way back.”
So, he suspected everyone equally.
“If you meet anyone, please let me know.”
Song In-myeong’s case was not much different.
‘Rather, he is a strong suspect.’
After talking to Officer Kim Yeon-woo, the physical appearance of the criminal she saw was similar to Song In-myeong’s. If we look at height alone, there are more suspects who are more worrisome, but Hong Kyung-jun’s intuition clearly indicated that Song In-myeong was the most suspicious.
But he didn’t show it.
“Hey, how can you not stick around?”
“f*ck, why are we picking a fight again?”
“There are monsters running around outside, why don’t you just sit down and do some scouting? What fun are we having here?”
“Is our gorilla worried about me now?”
“Please stop talking nonsense, you piece of trash.”
Although his mouth was a bit rough, the expression on Seo Jang-hwa’s face was genuine concern.
‘… There’s no need to cause unnecessary trouble.’
Song In-myeong was a tough talker and rough in his actions, but he was actually quite cooperative. He took the lead by walking around the area and stood at the front to block monsters when they came, so the reputation of the survivors was not bad. It seemed like even though he was not very social, his nature was not bad.
“Yeah, our boots are right. I don’t think we really need to go out.”
“Our potatoes are worried about me too… .”
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“You need to be less of a jerk, Inmyeong.”
“If you want to worry, make it look pretty, why is it a good thing.”
“Aren’t we on an embarrassing level compared to you?”
Besides, the relationship between the three seemed very close.
‘If I reveal my doubts here, I will be attacked 100%.’
If they were that close, there was a high possibility that they would deny it even if you brought proper evidence. Hong Kyung-jun swallowed his feelings about Song In-myeong and came to a conclusion once again.
There are two final suspects.
“… … .”
This team’s Song In-myeong, and that team’s Jeong In-ho.
‘If we really have to be specific, it seems like the culprit is Song In-myeong…’
The problem was that Jeong In-ho also seemed to be going crazy, just in a different direction. It was the same even if this world had aspects that ruined people’s minds.
But in this world, there are no laws or rules like in reality, no CCTV footage to identify criminals, and no prosecutors or judges to pass judgment on criminals. Even if there were two police officers, their status would not have any effect in the current situation. Hong Kyung-joon could not rashly touch the suspects.
That is why the method used was in the name of ‘protection’.
“Where have you been?”
“Just go around to the lake over there….”
“If you go alone in a situation where there are monsters everywhere, you could get into trouble. Even if you were carrying a club, it would be the same. If you could at least take one other person with you and then tell me where you went and what you saw, I would appreciate it.”
“…Uh, um, okay.”
Song In-myeong made a sour expression, but did not get angry. Since everyone except him showed this kind of speech and behavior, it seemed that he did not feel that it was discrimination.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t annoyed.
“You weren’t influenced by that glasses guy, were you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“…f*ck, that’s enough. Anyway, there aren’t any normal people here.”
But to Hong Kyung-jun, such complaining was also a type of behavior that was trying to test his liver.
‘See how and to what extent I will react.’
It would be a pity if his suspicions were excessive, but Hong Kyung-joon’s intuition was telling him so. If he didn’t want to create a more complicated situation, he should limit Song In-myeong’s actions as much as possible. However, he knew rationally that if he limited his actions as he pleased, he would be criticized everywhere, and that it would be like putting the cart before the horse, so he just acted in a roundabout way.
Hong Kyung-jun immediately apologized before he received any unnecessary attention, as he had been overly picky recently.
“I apologize if I offended you.”
“Oh, really. Okay.”
Song In-myeong, who had said that, sat down between my friends with a strangely frowning face. I could feel Seo Jang-hwa and Vivian glaring at me as if they were not interested, but I couldn’t just leave a strong suspect alone.
‘I thought you were seeing Jeong In-ho these days.’
I wasn’t sure, but it felt that way.
I had a feeling that they were meeting under the pretext of reconnaissance between dangerous elements, but I didn’t know what the outcome would be if I approached them rashly, so I kept quiet. It was a world where the saying that fists are closer than the law was very fitting, so even Hong Kyung-jun couldn’t act however he wanted.
“Detective Hong, this time we met Mr. Jeong In-ho and his group at a small lake again… .”
“okay.”
“… Is there any way we can, um, take action against Mr. Lee Jae-heon? I can’t say for sure that he’s suffered any clear damage, but I personally feel uneasy.”
“That is correct.”
So, it would have been better to approach it differently.
“Shall we meet up sometime tomorrow?”
Hong Kyung-jun deliberately raised his voice so that it was not noticeable, but at a distance where Song In-myeong could hear. He could feel Song In-myeong’s gaze naturally moving towards him and then away, but Hong Kyung-jun did not show any sign of noticing his gaze.
‘I’m sure there will be some kind of reaction.’
It may be just their own thoughts, but Song In-myeong and Jeong In-ho were showing different directions of interest in Lee Jae-heon. Last time I saw Lee Jae-heon, he seemed to be having a slight headache due to the attention from such grown adults, but Hong Kyung-joon felt that it was not a situation that could be taken lightly.
I thought that if detective Hong Kyung-jun approached him, he would react differently.
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon.”
So we met.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“… I did have something I wanted to say, but you know this is a very unexpected first greeting, right?”
“… … .”
“…Do you really have to do it now?”
“If it is true that there is no personal problem with Mr. Lee Jae-heon.”
I had a gut feeling that something was wrong.
‘I don’t see Mr. Moon San-gun and Jeong In-ho.’
And for some reason, I had a feeling that Song In-myeong would not be in the pavilion either.
“It doesn’t really matter, but let me speak first.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…I think you have some misunderstanding about our children.”
“Oh, misunderstanding.”
Lee Jae-heon didn’t seem to feel anything special.
‘That kind of person must have been hurt this much.’
Hong Kyung-jun felt a little tired. For some reason, he felt that the person in front of him, whom he had thought to be just a ‘similar personality’, was becoming more and more similar to the shooter he knew. It may not be exactly the same, but overall, it was a twisted appearance that was pretending not to be common sense… .
“Yes. People with different personalities and backgrounds often have misunderstandings. I fully understand what you are trying to say.”
“… For something like that, the reaction is… .”
“But even when looking at it objectively, Lee Jae-heon’s situation is questionable.”
Of course, it wasn’t something to worry about right away.
“It’s only natural that a seriously ill patient like this shouldn’t move, Detective Hong Kyung-jun.”
Hong Kyung-jun turned his gaze to Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, who had come up between the two.
“There is no hospital that allows patients who are bleeding profusely and sometimes unconscious to run around freely. Even I, who work at such a hospital, agree that Mr. Lee Jae-heon’s movements should be restrained.”
“I know what you said is right, but what I want to talk about is a little different. I don’t know your circumstances well, but from someone else’s perspective, there are some things that don’t make sense. Didn’t Ha Sung-yoon also stick around to Lee Jae-heon as if he was watching him?”
They were roughly talking back and forth, but judging by the length of the other person’s speech, it seemed like he had a clear intention. When Hong Kyung-joon thought about it, it was Jeong In-ho who seemed to have given Ha Seong-yoon such an order that wasn’t an order.
‘… I’d better get out of here quickly.’
And I had to find Jeong In-ho and Song In-myeong.
As he was thinking that way, Lee Jae-heon suddenly left, and Hong Kyung-joon simply followed him. Even though he knew that things were going wrong and things were going wrong, Hong Kyung-joon couldn’t express even a single complaint.
“… Mr. Jeong In-ho?”
Jeong In-ho, who had been suspected, was half-collapsed and bleeding.
“Hong, Kyungjun… .”
Hong Kyung-jun lost confidence in himself due to the hatred and resentment that passed across his face.
Actually, I haven’t accomplished anything.
* * *
Coming back to the present, right after leaving Munsan County.
Hong Kyung-jun was holding a taser gun in his hand.
“… … .”
He didn’t particularly like this thing.
‘… No, this is not a matter of taste.’
I’ve barely had any practice with the taser gun.
It wasn’t just his problem. The cartridges, a type of battery, used in Tasers are very expensive considering they are disposable. It’s a huge expense to learn proper shooting techniques in school, so most police officers graduate without knowing how to use a Taser.
Hong Kyung-jun’s shooting skills were excellent, but that was all. I thought it was stupid to use a Taser gun on a criminal when he didn’t know how to handle it properly, which could lead to death if done wrong. Also, this country has a poor perception of firearms, so it could end up being labeled as an excessive suppression.
‘This time, the criminal’s crime was so dirty that I was forced to wear it… .’
So after coming to the other world, I tried shooting at the monster, but the taser gun had no effect on the monster. Rather, it only provoked the monster’s anger, and I couldn’t think of it as a good weapon.
“… Tsk.”
So that leaves just one cartridge.
I didn’t want to use it, but I couldn’t hesitate when the culprit was so obvious.
‘Even if a green algae monster is coming.’
The taser gun that had been hidden in a corner of the pavilion because he didn’t want to use it and it didn’t work on monsters, took its place in Hong Kyung-jun’s hand. He was used to phasing, but Hong Kyung-jun couldn’t say that he had much experience with the next step. When the distance between his target and Lee Jae-heon was a little farther, he stared at Song In-myeong.
Our eyes met.
“… … .”
“… Ah, shit.”
It was a voice that sounded like a will.
That’s what Hong Kyung-jun heard.
