Episode 478
Jeong In-ho said, still smiling.
“If it weren’t for you, detective, I would have been worried, not knowing where the other survivors were… .”
Thanks to Hong Kyung-jun quickly going to Unhak High School and contacting them, the survivors were able to roughly know where each other were and what their situation was.
Among the survivors, the ones who were in the worst situation were the aquarium team.
Two kindergarteners, two high schoolers, a serial killer, and even Lee Jae-heon, who doesn’t care about his own body. I couldn’t help but worry about having vulnerable children and a serial killer on the same team. Lee Jae-heon, who can even control Song In-myeong, was said to be in the innermost part of the aquarium.
“Even if the worst is over, that doesn’t mean I’m not worried.”
“That’s true… .”
Woo Joo-young agreed with Jeong In-ho’s words.
There’s no way Woo Joo-young would know what he meant by ‘the worst’, but at least he was able to figure out the location and condition of the survivors early on, so it wasn’t the worst. Even considering that, the aquarium team’s situation is still unstable.
“For now.”
Seo Jang-hwa opened his mouth in a strange sense of unease.
“Let’s save ourselves first. We have an advantage over the other survivors because we are in a familiar place with familiar teammates, but since this is the other side of the world, we don’t know what can happen. I don’t know when we’ll hear from you again, Detective, but we also need to build a safe shelter and prepare to survive in the park.”
“I agree with Jang-hwa. I think it would be better to worry about the other survivors after we secure our own safety first. We should also prepare the fire before it gets completely dark.”
Vivian’s words following Seo Jang-hwa’s. Jeong In-ho nodded with a pleasant expression, finding the two students’ words reasonable.
There was no way we could help survivors in other places when safety here had not been secured.
If even one of them died while trying to save him, Jeong In-ho would have to turn back time. That would be quite a hassle and mentally exhausting, so the students were right to say that they should deal with the immediate problem first.
“Let’s go to the pavilion we stopped by before. It’s far from the water source, but there’s a chance that something like green algae monsters could come out of that water source again… Even if it’s a bit far from a place to get water or food, it’s better to choose a shelter that’s as safe as possible.”
“But I’m glad I won’t have to see someone come out bleeding at the convenience store like they did last time at school. I still don’t understand why there are edible fruits in the park though….”
Yoon Ga-ram, who had been quietly looking at the park, asked at Woo Joo-young’s words.
“By the way, was this your first time at the park, Jooyoung?”
“Huh? Oh, that’s right. I’m the second team member to join. I never imagined that the park I used to walk in when I was feeling down could turn into a jungle like this.”
“It’ll be much safer than Unhakgo. There aren’t really any rules, there’s plenty of water and fruit, and you only have to deal with the occasional monster.”
“It’s truly a survival game… It’s nature itself.”
Jeong In-ho, who was leading the way, called Yoon Ga-ram.
“Sir, if it’s okay with you… .”
“Oh, right.”
As Yoon Garam stepped forward as if it had been a long time, Woo Joo-young asked.
“…Why Mr. Garam?”
“CEO Yoon is often seen avoiding plant-type monsters, and more than anything, he knows the paths in this park very well. When I first came to the park, I received a lot of help from CEO Yoon.”
“yes?”
Woo Joo-young asked back as if it was difficult to understand.
“You know the way? The park has changed so much?”
“haha.”
“Mr. Inho? Don’t just smile like you’re annoyed… .”
Kang Min-ah patted Woo Joo-young on the shoulder.
“Team leader.”
“Oh, uh, yes.”
“Don’t try to understand.”
“… … .”
“It’s easier if you accept it.”
Noh Yeon-seok, who was standing next to Kang Min-ah, also added.
“CEO Yoon is a hybrid of a plant-type monster, so it’s okay.”
“… What are these people talking about now? Are they crazy?”
“We just have to trust the boss.”
“How on earth did it end up like this?”
When you look at the company, there are no employees who are not so kind and honest, but when the other world gets involved, it seems like all the survivors are losing their screws one by one. Woo Joo-young couldn’t be sure if this was their nature or the influence of the other world.
Yun Ga-ram, who was standing at the very front and looking for the way, looked at Woo Joo-young and said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find my way.”
“That’s not the problem….”
The words, ‘These people are now treating you as a mysterious plant-type monster hybrid,’ were echoing in my throat again.
Yoon Ga-ram must have heard it all too, but he had such a proud expression on his face. Woo Joo-young had a hard time grasping the survivors’ sensibilities.
“I really need to go to a counseling center with these people someday.”
Seo Jang-hwa nodded at Woo Joo-young’s muttering.
“I agree.”
“I’m so grateful that there’s someone who agrees with me.”
“Don’t mention it… It’s clear that it’s not us who are crazy, it’s these people who are crazy.”
“Thank you again for speaking clearly and concisely.”
Woo Joo-young muttered in vain and looked up at the sky.
“… There really isn’t a place here that doesn’t make you explode.”
Between the gaps in the trees, fluorescent-like, painful light seeps in.
For some reason, Woo Joo-young had a feeling that it was a fake light.
Aren’t there things that don’t really glow but have a particularly pure white color that makes them seem to glow? Like office paper, or white bathroom tiles, or things like that.
But most of those guys just reflect light coming from somewhere and flashing. So where on earth is the light that’s stinging Woo Joo-young’s eyes right now coming from?
‘There’s no sun here.’
Where does that pure white sky come from?
Woo Joo-young suddenly felt like he was standing on a large, pure white sheet of paper. Or maybe he was trapped underneath. Inside a piece of A4 paper, a large piece of drawing paper, or a manuscript paper with tightly packed panels… .
“Team leader.”
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“… … .”
“Don’t look at it too long.”
Jeong In-ho, who was walking ahead, smiled at Woo Joo-young.
A sincere and neat smile.
“My eyes hurt.”
“…is it so.”
Sometimes, Woo Joo-young didn’t feel like Jeong In-ho was human.
To be honest, it was a bit much.
Even before he knew anything about the other world, didn’t Jeong In-ho give off a strange, eerie feeling as if he had fabricated even a shred of humanity?
The only real sense of humanity he had was the pathetic attitude he displayed when dealing with the old-fashioned manager, Jaeheon Lee… .
“… … .”
“…Team Leader?”
“Why are there only people like this around me?”
“Why do you say such sad things?”
“Okay, now look ahead.”
Woo Joo-young smiled bitterly. Thinking about it, it was because it occurred to her that even that old-fashioned manager, Lee Jae-heon, was all an act.
He thought he was having a fairly peaceful work life, even if it wasn’t very fulfilling, but the fact that it was all a lie made Woo Joo-young’s heart ache from time to time.
My honest coworker was a crazy person, my manager, who I thought was a Chihuahua-like old fart, was a crazy bastard, and in my country, which I thought was a safe country, crazy bastards were doing bloody things.
‘But that doesn’t mean they’re bad people.’
That was why Woo Joo-young swallowed a sigh.
Someone who is lacking in something and cannot be understood becomes an object of fear. That was the case for Woo Joo-young, and the survivors of the other world. Of course, that was also the case for Jeong In-ho, and Lee Jae-heon.
But it was clear that they were always trying to help all survivors.
There was no need to wish for more. Among the people who swarmed around the world like cockroaches, not a single one was exactly the same, so it would not be strange to wish for colleagues you met by chance to have the same sensitivity as Woo Joo-young.
She knew that my group were good people.
“… Min-ah, are your feet okay? It must be hard to walk on a floor like this in shoes with heels like that.”
“It hurts a little, but not so much that I can’t stand it. Once I get to the pavilion and unpack, I’ll either look for some abandoned shoes or try making some new ones.”
“I’ll help you too.”
Woo Joo-young turned his gaze from the park to his group.
Jeong In-ho was right. There was no reason to look at the sky that would not help them. It was a truly useless sky that only hurt my eyes and made my heart feel uneasy. It was a hundred times, a thousand times better to look at my strong allies, my colleagues, than to observe such a disgusting thing.
Noh Yeon-seok spoke up, perhaps stimulated by Woo Joo-young’s words.
“Hey, how are my shoes? They’re not dirty because I just wore them the day before yesterday.”
“Oh, our Yeonseok. Did you wash your shoes because you were on a date?”
“Ah, no… no, please stop teasing me… .”
“Even if you’re blinded by love, why are you wary of the team leader? Wow, you’ve grown so much. You’ve grown so much. It’s sad for the team leader to be treated like this because I spoke to the lovely Min-ah, Yeon-seok.”
“Why do you keep teasing me…!”
There was no way around it. Noh Yeon-seok was a rare talent who reacted deliciously every time he teased her. It was when Woo Joo-young was trying hard to shake off her worries and conversing with her group.
“…Just a moment.”
“…?”
When Kang Min-ah looked at Jeong In-ho’s hand and stopped the group, Seo Jang-hwa narrowed his eyes and glanced forward as if he had noticed something.
“I hear something approaching….”
The sound of something small moving through the bushes.
Vivian, who had been listening to the sound with Seo Jang-hwa, let out an exclamation of ‘Ah’ when it suddenly popped out.
“There was this guy.”
What emerged from between the bushes was none other than a stray dog monster.
A puppy-shaped monster made of colorful cloth, with several openings and shiny plastic eyes.
There was something about that strangely tangled thing that weakened the survivors’ spirits just by looking at it.
“… … .”
“…hmm….”
But now, there was an ambiguous aspect to being wary of the guy.
“Okay, for now, those of you who aren’t confident in your mental strength, please look away… ”
“Oh, well, I’m glad to see you too, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“It’s just the beginning, so you need to save your mental energy. Everyone else, except the team leader, close your eyes. Or turn away. In any case, there’s nothing good about making eye contact.”
Jeong In-ho organized the situation in a familiar manner and took care of the survivors. Woo Joo-young covered her eyes with her hands, whining at the stray dog monster, Pom-pitz, who had frequently appeared during the attack on Unhak High School.
Meanwhile, Vivian thought to herself.
‘… It seems cleaner than before, is it just me?’
Anyway, Vivian, who had covered the eyes of Seo Jang-hwa who still had not fully grasped the situation, also turned her gaze away.
Until then, Pompitz was just waiting obediently.
“At this point, it’s almost like a monster born from the heart.”
“In reality, it’s like a dog raised in a yard.”
Jeong In-ho, who had been responding to Yoon Ga-ram’s words, continued speaking in a self-mocking voice.
“But the real owner isn’t here.”
It’s so hard to make people feel this anxious just because they’re out of sight.
That guy named Lee Jae-heon also had a really wicked side.
* * *
Jaeheon Lee suddenly became a terrible person.
“I guess I should go inside there and take a look.”
“There doesn’t seem to be a separate entrance. It looks like you’ll have to climb up to the ceiling and break it to get in, or go through a process that follows the rules of this aquarium.”
“Let’s proceed with both of these in mind.”
He was thinking of a way to get into the mermaid tank with Jeong Eun-woo.
Conclusion: Lee Jae-heon was a really bad person.
(Continued in the next episode)
