Episode 238
“What the heck, I’m in a situation where I’m turning into a total asshole.”
At Lee Jae-heon’s words, Jeong In-ho covered his face with both hands.
“Why on earth did you create such a situation?”
“What are you talking about? Who is the one who can figure out the situation just by making eye contact for a moment and then immediately start acting?”
“That’s me… I want to turn to dust like this.”
“Or so it is.”
“That son of a bitch.”
“Are you swearing?”
In front of the mouths that had become unusually free-spirited, there was a can of beer. Five survivors were sitting around the living room of Lee Jae-heon’s house, each drinking a glass. The empty and tattered bag of snacks in the middle seemed to tell of the tumultuous atmosphere of that short time.
Lee Jae-heon said, lifting a half-empty can of beer with one hand.
“There’s nothing I can do…. Anyone can see that it was a situation where Kwon Yeon-hee grabbed me by the collar, and if I had just stayed still, only Kwon Yeon-hee, the employee, would have suffered. No matter how bad my usual image is, in a company where we have a vertical relationship, an employee grabbed the manager by the collar, so there would have been talk about ‘that person really lacking in discernment.’”
“Instead, the manager will get scolded.”
“… I’ve become a typical villain in a romantic drama who puts young men and women in danger and shamelessly lives a corporate life, but it’s okay because I don’t think the sexual scandal I was most worried about will happen. As long as it’s not an overly dirty rumor, I can accept it comfortably.”
“Don’t take that for granted. That’s what ruins people…”
“Why do you ruin a person who is living a normal life? Please don’t tell me what to do with my life.”
“Manager, please treat your life a little better, then.”
As Jeong In-ho, who was very heated, perhaps because of the alcohol, began to speak, Kwon Yeon-hee, who had been sobbing and feeling sad, opened her mouth.
“I didn’t actually grab him by the collar… I was just checking the condition of his neck…”
“I… should have stopped Team Leader Woo better, I’m sorry.”
“Team Leader Woo, you’re going too far. No, it’s not that you’re going too far. No, but you’re really going too far…”
“Stop crying… If you cry too much, you’ll get a headache.”
Oh, and they talk well.
Lee Jae-heon gulped down his beer and made a sour expression. It was a shame to keep the sight of the fluffy chicks nodding off drunk. Kang Min-ah and Noh Yeon-seok were already asleep on the sofa.
They seemed to be on good terms.
‘I don’t know why they’re showing off their good looks at my house.’
If you guys are that close, you should show it off at work. What kind of bullying is this by visiting the poor manager’s house? Thanks to this, Lee Jae-heon was in a situation where he had to hold his head up tightly to prevent a monster that resembled his wife from popping out.
“Stop whining and go to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow, don’t you?”
“Ugh… I’ll just drink this… .”
“Oh, put the new can down. You promised ten minutes ago that you wouldn’t open any more.”
“Ugh… .”
“It’s not ‘Huh-uh-uh’, put it down quickly.”
As Lee Jae-heon waved his hands and scolded her, Kwon Yeon-hee, who was already sobbing, shed tears.
“Huh? Are you crying now? What did you do right that you’re crying?”
“That’s not it…!”
Kwon Yeon-hee shouted in a voice as sad as the world.
“부장님은 맨날 개새끼야…!”
“술 좀 뺏었다고 개새끼가 나오네?”
“You like your boss!”
“That’s a very ambiguous statement. Are you saying that I like to imitate dogs, or that I just like dogs?”
“Both!”
Then he started talking about the stray monster dog he had met in the other world. We pretend to bully him no matter what we do, but that dog didn’t say anything even when it bit his hand. If you like dogs that much, why don’t you become a dog yourself? Lee Jae-heon couldn’t help but be amazed by his unique and unfamiliar curses.
“I never asked you to do palm time.”
“It was bad, boss…!”
“You just realized that…?”
“No, it wasn’t bad….”
“If you’re going to swear, then do it. If you’re going to say something, then say it.”
It seems like he can’t see anything because he’s drunk, but this time, Lee Jae-heon decided to put up with it. It’s definitely upsetting that he came all the way to his house and caused such a commotion, but he willingly brought them here to appease the surprised chicks.
‘I’ll get better soon anyway.’
It was already past midnight, 2 AM. If he didn’t want to see hell tomorrow morning, he could either go to sleep voluntarily or Lee Jae-heon would force him into his room. If he just held out for a little longer, he could be free.
While thinking like that, Jeong In-ho slowly crawled towards Lee Jae-heon, who was sipping the remaining alcohol in the can.
“What is it?”
“… … .”
“What is it really?”
He came closer, narrowed his eyes and observed intently, then raised both hands and pressed the buttons one by one… .
“… Hwaaaaah! Aaaah! What the f*ck, what the f*ck are you doing!”
Lee Jae-heon, who was genuinely creeped out, instinctively hid behind the harmless and innocuous chick Kwon Yeon-hee and looked at Jeong In-ho with astonished eyes.
‘Is that main character really crazy?’
Since ancient times, only the wife or children of a married man could touch the buttons. It was obvious that he was crazy to unbutton the buttons, which were like a sanctuary. If I had known that my buttons would be unbuttoned by that guy, I wouldn’t have changed into a shirt and pajamas.
Even in the midst of all that, as I was warning Jeong In-ho while putting my favorite Kwon Yeon-hee in front, saying, “Wow, the manager is hiding behind me! I’m amazing!”, he opened his mouth as if he was still observing me.
“… I think you might feel frustrated.”
“It’s not stuffy. I usually just wear it and sleep well. In this world, I’m the only one who can turn it off. Mr. Jeong In-ho, when he wakes up tomorrow morning, he’ll have to reflect on what kind of strange thing he did and explain it.”
“I’m so frustrated I think I’m going crazy.”
“Are you saying that Mr. Jeong In-ho is going crazy? If that’s the case, I can understand, but I don’t feel frustrated. If it’s because he’s drunk and unbuttoning his buttons, then Mr. Noh Yeon-seok is over there, so you can take his place.”
“My throat….”
As he muttered, Jeong In-ho blinked his eyes.
“Isn’t it tightening…?”
“What… That monster is no longer there. It’s not gone completely, but at least it’s not there now. Suddenly there was a strange noise… .”
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“Other than that, someone else.”
“… … .”
“Someone else did it.”
Only then was Lee Jae-heon able to grasp the full picture of the situation.
‘Do you remember when you ate the fruit in the other world?’
Well, we did share that feeling back then. I think Jeong In-ho felt a great sense of discomfort when his hands, feet, or neck were pressed even a little. After drinking, I must have gone back to the past and immersed myself in the situation at that time.
Lee Jae-heon, who finally understood why the other person was acting up, answered with a trembling face.
“… It was a temporary phenomenon. I am not frustrated, and Mr. Jeong In-ho has no reason to feel uncomfortable. He seems to have lost consciousness after getting drunk, so I think it is really time for him to go to sleep.”
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Aren’t you sad?”
“There is no reason to be sad.”
“Aren’t you upset?”
“There is a little bit of that. I still feel it now. Why on earth did I bring you into my house… .”
“You always get scolded.”
Jeong In-ho said, lightly scratching his neck.
“I don’t think you necessarily need to eat all of that.”
“Is that up to me?”
“More than half of the insults directed at the manager… weren’t you the one who brought them on? You didn’t have to do that.”
“… I don’t know how the conversation is going right now, but is it right to talk about Team Leader Woo Joo-young’s case? Can I understand that you are nagging me for something I did wrong?”
“It’s more of a worry than a complaint.”
Jeong In-ho, who was looking at Kwon Yeon-hee who was starting to nod off, looked at Lee Jae-heon again. Since he didn’t avoid his gaze, he opened his mouth again.
“Everyone was swearing at the manager.”
“What the heck…?”
“With their mouths, with their hands… in front of me, next to me, behind my back, they whispered. There was no one who did not curse the manager.”
“under.”
Lee Jae-heon, who had snorted, said with a grumpy smile. Anyone could tell that it was his intention to tease.
“Do you think Mr. Jeong In-ho would be any different? He pretends not to be, but Mr. Jeong In-ho is surprisingly delicate. This is really cute and funny.”
“sorry.”
“… … .”
“I cursed without even knowing.”
Jeong In-ho continued speaking, leaning back against the living room table.
“I despised you. I thought you were pathetic. Sometimes I detested you, and sometimes I ignored you. Although it was different each time, I was one of those who cursed at you.”
“… Let’s not do this, Mr. Jeong In-ho.”
“But he must have had a really hard life. He didn’t intend to do that, but he got cussed out because it seemed like a terrible behavior to others. He got irritated because he saw something strange, but others didn’t see it. In the end, the manager gave up, thinking that it would be easier to live as an old-fashioned manager in the future.”
“I told you not to do that.”
“I remember. Back in the past, in the other world… when we were at the park. You said that to me.”
Jeong In-ho smiled with his pitch-black eyes wide open.
“I think he said that because he didn’t want to seem crazy.”
“… … .”
“… What would I have done if I had been in the manager’s position? Would I have acted like that? I don’t think I would have. If I had been criticized and ignored for something I didn’t even intend, that alone would have driven me crazy.”
“What on earth are we going to do tomorrow…?”
“How can that be?”
I could see my eyelids moving at a slower rate.
“How can you be so nonchalant about being insulted like that? As a human, you’d be hurt. You’d be angry. You’d be sad…”
“It seems I am not human.”
“Just kidding.”
“Don’t you think it might be real?”
“I hear that sometimes. But the manager is on our side, right?”
“…yes?”
“Then we should naturally take the manager’s side.”
Jeong In-ho wiped his face with both hands.
“Everyone is criticizing the manager.”
“I know.”
“No one was worried about you….”
“I guess so, because of what I’ve done.”
“I will curse you, boss, even if I die.”
“That’s a given.”
“…even if I die.”
Jeong In-ho’s face, which had lowered both his hands, was red from the heavy alcohol, but he was smiling brightly and faintly.
“Yes, because that’s how you’ll die.”
“… … .”
“You’ll die as the old fart, Chief Lee Jae-heon… That’s all you’ll have left, and you think you’ll die alone in the other world someday. No one will know your real face, and they’ll curse at your grave. While you’re dying alone in the other world, everyone who knows you will criticize you.”
“Why are you angry?”
“I am smiling.”
“Your eyes aren’t smiling, you filthy little brat.”
“sorry….”
Then he burst into laughter, wondering what was so funny. Looking at that, Lee Jae-heon vowed never to give that kid any more alcohol. He should have stopped him a long time ago when he couldn’t control his pace and drank in one shot. It was really a shame.
“I… we. If we do better.”
“okay.”
“Becoming smarter, stronger, and better at something. Then.”
“Go ahead.”
“You’re not going to die?”
“Why do I have to die?”
“Aren’t you going to leave…?”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Jeong In-ho muttered with a smile, his eyes closed.
“Look at this, I told you he’s a f*cking son of a bitch… .”
“Oh my, it’s insubordination again.”
“Ahaha, haha…! I like that submissive behavior. You know that.”
It was a cheerful laugh, unusual for a protagonist.
“It’s okay. People’s minds change. You can change too, sir.”
“I guess so.”
“Look, we’re better than the people you had before. Personality-wise.”
“That is… irrefutable.”
“And there is still plenty of time. There are plenty of opportunities.”
Jeong In-ho opened his eyes and met Lee Jae-heon’s gaze.
“Where did you dare disappear? Just look ahead, I will save everyone.”
“I think it’s a good pledge.”
“The manager is in there too. He said we were chicks. He has to wait until we grow into chickens….”
“Hey, when will you grow up?”
“I don’t know. It’ll probably take over a year…?”
“Why, try calling for 100 years.”
“You’ll hate it if I call you out loud.”
“What difference do you think it will make if I call you for a year?”
“You’re a real son of a bitch.”
“Don’t be so stubborn, Manager Jeong.”
Jeong In-ho gently rolled his eyes at Lee Jae-heon’s words.
“You have no intention of changing that f*cking concept.”
“Now…? It’s too late to ask that question.”
“If the manager gets cursed at for no reason, it makes everyone who sees it feel like their heart is going to burst.”
“They really have great empathy skills.”
Lee Jae-heon sighed and spoke with a sour expression.
“I hope you won’t be too surprised by the dark history I’ve created tomorrow morning. I have no choice but to put Mr. Jeong In-ho to bed in order to fulfill my duty as a human being. Please understand.”
“If not now, then when would you bring up such things?”
“There are things that you should not say out loud for the sake of your own honor and dignity.”
“I am….”
“Inho.”
Lee Jae-heon got up from his seat and pressed the head of Jeong In-ho, who was leaning back on the table.
“now.”
“… … .”
“Don’t burn the old man’s stomach.”
Lee Jae-heon, who had said that, went straight into his room. In the quiet living room, Jeong In-ho, who had been listening to the breathing sounds of his sleeping colleagues for a long time, muttered with a blank expression.
“… You pretended not to be, but you’re drunk.”
Hey, uncle.
These were words that Lee Jae-heon would not have said if he were not in his right mind.
