Chapter 169

Episode 169

Yoon Garam’s ability due to her constitution is to burn things other than herself, and her thoughts are all over this park. When I thought about why the spontaneous combustion vines I saw at the flower shop were all over the place, the answer came easily. This means that just because you go for a walk often doesn’t mean you have a good understanding of the geography of the park, which has turned into a hidden world.

‘So… about half of the stages were created by Garam Yoon.’

As expected, it is a hidden world where everything can be achieved with just mental power. It’s surprising that even a person who was a survivor can become the boss of the underworld. Actually, I’m not that surprised, but I thought that we should take better care of our little girls’ mental health. This is a world where a survivor with intact limbs can evolve into a boss in the underworld at the moment of a miss.

‘The protruding tree roots were probably in the same vein.’

In the original novel, CEO Yoon Garam sees the scene where Ha Seong-yoon is killed by a monster and realizes his own constitution and faces his trauma at the same time. Anyway, I was shocked, and as a result, my mental power must have become stronger in some direction, so it was understandable that it caused a visible change called ‘tree roots’.

If CEO Garam Yoon loses his mind, it becomes difficult to find anything different from other monsters in the underworld. At least that’s how it was portrayed in the second half of the story.

‘How did it start…’

Ha Seong-yoon’s voice was heard in Lee Jae-heon’s ears as he was going over the setting of the character Yoon Gar-ram step by step.

“The green algae monster suddenly got faster and killed people one by one, and President Choi Jeong-man went on a rampage just like you did… Then, at some point, I heard the sound of President Yoon Gar-ram laughing. “Right after that, almost everything in the park started burning.”

It was like that in the novel too.

Jeong In-ho smiled and said.

“It may be an inappropriate thing to say now, but it seems like the final boss in the game is awakening. NPCs turn black.”

It’s actually similar.

‘I think he was accepted as part of the group even though he only vaguely noticed it during the story.’

The direction of movement of the main character in the novel is that the first is the park, the second is the hospital, and the third returns to the park, defeats the green algae monster that is the boss of the stage, and returns to reality. From the moment the protagonist first entered the park, he knew that Yoon Garam had a constitution that could summon fire, but he kept her as a member of his group until the end.

At the same time, I was suspicious and hopeful at the same time. The protagonist wanted to make Yoon Garam his companion even if he was just another type of monster in the other side of the world. As the protagonist understands and accepts her uniqueness, Garam Yoon gradually demonstrates his abilities.

‘As a result, I ended up killing Yoon Garam myself.’

The main character, who has been in and out of the secret world several times and has passed many episodes, enters the final chapter and kills Yoon Garam, who has become the new boss of the park. If Lee Jae-heon’s memory is correct, the main character, Jeong In-ho, had to kill Yoon Gar-ram just to escape the underworld.

“….”

Because that was the last chance.

Lee Jae-heon, who was originally looking at the flow of the story, heard Ha Seong-yoon’s voice sound as if it was absurd and empty.

“…It was a remark that clouded the mood, but I will affirm that it was an appropriate analogy, Mr. Jeong In-ho. I didn’t know I could feel this light while describing scenes of people dying or being killed. “I didn’t even want to know.”

In Lee Jae-heon’s opinion, all three were just crazy people.

‘It seems like I’m slowly growing, but I really need to get out there.’

Continuing to rush through it is not helpful for growth.

“To put it another way, Garam at that time did not seem to be the child I knew.”

“It’s a cliché.”

“I know too, so please be quiet. I’m going crazy because I’m so confused by the sight I see. How can I organize information in my head if you talk like that next to me? We ask for your cooperation.”

“Of course.”

“…Anyway, what I want to say is… So…”

Lee Jae-heon spoke to Ha Seong-yoon, who hesitated.

“Did Garam Yoon burn down the park?”

“…That’s how I felt.”

He sighed.

“I think you already know, but Garam is a child who enjoys the fear of fire. In our heads, we think it’s terrible, but in reality, we’re really happy when problems come our way. “I want you to know that it’s not because the child is particularly bad.”

“I know, so I don’t think you need to worry.”

“Well, that’s fortunate, but… I think that’s probably what happened because of my constitution and disposition. It’s so contradictory that I don’t even know what to say. “Uh…”

“…Ha Seong-yoon?”

“…I never thought the day would come when I would be unable to explain things like this. “He was a person who always kept his mouth shut even in front of terminally ill patients…”

He pretended not to, but he had an expression of secret self-destruction.

“I’m sorry in advance, but do you know the feeling of discomfort you sometimes feel from Jaeheon Lee? “It’s that feeling of discomfort that makes you feel like you’re not human.”

“Is this something you want to say in front of the parties involved? “Are you saying it’s turning into a monster?”

“Pick… ha no. So, I told you I was sorry in advance. I just wanted to express the monster-like feeling I felt towards CEO Yoon Garam at the time. I felt like I had let go of the opposite sex, and we were able to have a little conversation, but even then, the park burned down… They say there are almost no survivors, but Ha Seong-yoon and Kang Min-ah were still alive. “I thought I had to stop.”

“You are describing yourself as if you were a stranger.”

“….”

His expression subtly distorted.

“…I can’t help it. I just see what happened and I don’t feel like I’m recalling the original memory at all. “It’s like watching the story of another person with the same face and the same body.”

“So then, strictly speaking, it doesn’t seem like you were ‘recalling a memory.’ As I said before, Ha Seong-yoon has gained eyes, so he seems to be able to understand the previous situation as an exception. Is that correct?”

“If you ask me, I guess so. “I don’t know why my mind goes back and forth sometimes, but I’m trying to understand why Jaeheon Lee was always bruised or acting strange.”

“You just have to express it.”

“To get to the point, that’s why I killed him.”

“….”

“Ha Seong-yoon and I wanted Kang Min-ah not to die, but… honestly, I think he just wanted CEO Yoon Gar-ram to die as a human being. “I thought Garam would have wanted that too… Yes, it seems that way.”

Suddenly Jaeheon Lee thought.

‘You managed to kill that thing.’

He may have been a bit sloppy due to his early awakening, but he was still a boss in name and appearance. Considering the description of the entire park being burned, it would not have been a very different situation from the story in the original novel, but it seems that the skill shown when killing Song In-myeong in the last episode had not gone anywhere.

“He even gave his head obediently.”

“aha.”

Actually, it would have been easier to deal with it if he had offered to die himself.

‘It’s still surprising that Ha Seong-yoon did it… but it wouldn’t be strange if he was that crazy.’

Jaeheon Lee nodded inwardly.

It’s a very bizarre thing and idea for Ha Seong-yoon to do now, but for Ha Seong-yoon in previous episodes, it was completely understandable. When I remembered how abnormally obsessed I was with my patients, it was quite vague as to how I was trying to help them. He could have killed Yoon Garam in his own way, saying he wanted to help her.

“But in the end, I died of suffocation from smoke before I could escape from the park, and the only one left was Kang Min-ah. “It would be better to hear directly from Kang Min-ah about what happened next.”

“…I don’t know how and where I came up with it.”

For some reason, Jeong In-ho’s voice seemed unimpressed when he said that.

“…?”

Shouldn’t it be like this?

‘I thought you’d like it better if someone else remembered it?’

Didn’t they target that point from the beginning and throw away rice cakes? Although the purpose was to satisfy Lee Jae-heon’s personal greed, there was also a clear purpose to soothe the protagonist’s spirit. But if he seemed so indifferent to the appearance of a new comrade, half of it was for nothing.

‘If it’s true that the last survivor will be able to recall his memories, I was going to survive next time and try to pull off a trick… If this happens, things get weird.’

No, if you’re really unimpressed, why did you show such weakness right after the regression? If he whined about how lonely and difficult it is for no one to remember him, if he behaved like that now, wouldn’t it be funny to see Lee Jae-heon, who has been throwing rice cakes and picking on the main character so far?

Jeong In-ho stared at Lee Jae-heon with pitch-black gaze.

“Wasn’t there more to talk about than that?”

“….”

“Where did you go with Kang Min-ah, so you came here with a leech called Song In-myeong?”

Damn, I’ll put this question on hold for now.

Lee Jae-heon, who swallowed the complex question as it was, slowly averted his gaze and answered.

“There was something I wanted to check. “I wanted to go myself because I knew other people wouldn’t be able to do it properly, but it was obvious that In-ho Jeong and Seong-yoon Ha would stop them, so I jumped out in the middle.”

“Aren’t you asking what happened?”

“…Um….”

He said after a pause.

“…trying to communicate with a monster abandoned dog….”

“Are you crazy?”

“Speak kindly, Assistant Manager Jeong. “I feel bad listening to the manager.”

“You need to break the habit of trying to move on like that. If that’s not crazy, what is? Do you communicate with monsters? “Is this a new method of suicide?”

“Wow, this person is really…”

He continued, holding back the seething spirit of an old man.

“…I was wondering if there would be no need to fight if they didn’t attack first. “Of all the monsters nearby, the only one that wasn’t hostile was the abandoned dog monster.”

“Wait a minute.”

Ha Seong-yoon intervened as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Where on earth did the ‘non-hostile monster’ standard come from? More like an abandoned dog monster? “Did you already know where those monsters came from?”

“Then you didn’t know? How long have I been here? There’s a reason why I keep telling people not to go to the pharmacy. I know the monsters of this world better than you. In particular, abandoned dog monsters are common monsters that can be seen here and there. “There are a lot of them, especially in the park.”

“Don’t suddenly boast about your knowledge. So why did someone who knew very well the dangers of those monsters commit such a bizarre act? “I also saw that monster as an abandoned dog… I’ve met monsters before, but I can’t say they weren’t hostile.”

“There is no real damage done, man.”

‘Lee Jae-heon’ frowned as if he was embarrassed.

“…Most abandoned dog monsters do not touch survivors first. Even when Kwon Yeon-hee fell to the floor and cried, didn’t he eventually take care of her and leave? “I have no intention of attacking you, but since you look sick, I will make room for you.”

Around that time, Ha Seong-yoon intervened.

“You are a very good animal communicator, sir. Couldn’t you look after us first with that considerate and kind heart? A person who knows the insides of monsters so well is just…”

“Ah, so you came here because you were successful. It’s not that I failed, it’s that I’ve learned that it’s possible to communicate with monsters… to some degree. It was quite a challenge for me too. Are you really going to keep doing this? “This is an attempt to help in some way.”

“Why do you go to the extent of burning us inside to make that attempt?”

“You said you were sorry about that, didn’t you?”

Ha Seong-yoon was a little shocked because of the memory of him being force-fed fruit the other day and being scolded for something inappropriate for his age, but Ha Seong-yoon seemed to be trying to calm himself down, as if he still had the perception that ‘Lee Jae-heon’ was a patient. It was true that he was wrong to break his promise first, so I didn’t have anything to say.

In a slightly calm atmosphere, Lee Jae-heon opened his mouth with a shy feeling.

“really… “It was no big deal.”

On the contrary, this point seems to have made him angry, and this time, Jeong In-ho began to criticize him.

“It wasn’t a big deal?”

“There is no particular injury…”

“You didn’t get your hand bitten. Even Song In-myeong, who is more dangerous than a monster….”

“I wasn’t attacked.”

“I guess I can take that kind of leeway because I haven’t seen in person what a piece of trash Song In-myeong is. That bastard even killed Minhong, that little child. Do you even know how you were killed by that person? “Do you know how tattered the manager’s body was?”

“…No, I came too and found out what the name was… Oops. “I was so distracted at the time that I couldn’t attach meaning to Kang Min-ah’s reaction or Song In-myeong’s announcement of his resignation.”

When Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho made excuses in advance, their expressions sank at the same time.

“…I don’t think that will work.”

“Yes, I don’t think that will work.”

The two men spoke to each other, and Ha Seong-yoon approached Lee Jae-heon, who had not yet figured out what they meant. Then he grabbed my shirt, almost as if grabbing me by the collar, and dragged me.

“uh? Uh oh…! Now wait a minute. “What do you mean, say it with words!”

“I always say it in words, sir. “I’ll just put you near the campfire, so you know that and I won’t do anything, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“I will go on my own. Mr. Munsan already looks at us strangely, so please refrain from acting like this…!”

“I tell you to misunderstand on your own, because right now our priority is to hold on to the teacher’s life. “I hope you feel lucky that you are not tied up somewhere.”

“….”

Lee Jae-heon wisely kept his mouth shut because it seemed like he was sincere.

It’s really not right to be tied up while there’s a killer that needs to be caught in a flash.

* * *

“….”

Jeong In-ho nodded inwardly as he watched Lee Jae-heon being dragged away and Ha Seong-yoon being dragged away.

‘Is this right.’

Director Lee Jae-heon was more important to them than Munsan-gun, who would have died anyway. Since he was already under the influence of the green algae monster, he would need to be more careful.

‘There’s no need to join Detective Hong’s team since it’s already come to this…’

I didn’t know there was any need.

Okay, let’s just let it die.

Choi Min-hong had to be returned to his parents, but there was no need to merge the detective’s team and our team. It seems like it would be hard to survive on our own, so why do we have to deal with them? To borrow the words of Director Lee Jae-heon, it was truly inefficient.

I felt like my brain was being crushed by self-destruction.

“…That won’t work. No matter what…”

Jeong In-ho muttered like a sigh.

No matter how crazy I was, no matter how broken or distorted I was, I could not abandon humanity. I might not be able to become a good person like Police Officer Kim Yeon-woo, but I didn’t want to remain an evil person like the ones my parents cursed me with.

If even that is thrown away, what will Jung In-ho become in the end?

“…Ugh.”

But I couldn’t shake it off.

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu that

that we were unable to hold back the disgust that was spreading in our brain that we ended up gagging. All that came out was gastric juice, but to Jeong In-ho’s eyes, it looked just like the sap surrounding the brain. If I vomit more like this, will my intestines also come out?

I couldn’t bear it and thought about it.

‘why me?’

Why can’t I give up my humanity?

“….”

Jeong In-ho wiped his mouth and took a step forward, remembering the person who had now become an indicator.

‘Yes, I said it was an abandoned dog monster.’

As expected, there was a lot of information that Director Lee Jae-heon had not yet shared. It seems like he’s still trying to decide when to tell rather than hiding it, but since he promised not to die, it would have been better to include that information again.

Does the fact that he drew us to the park mean that this space is easier to survive than other areas? If we were to judge it as something that stopped people from going to the pharmacy, the probability of that happening would be high….

“…Ha.”

Jeong In-ho suddenly remembered part of a conversation he had with Lee Jae-heon before. It was a story that came to mind really suddenly.

They said,n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Mental shock is reflected in the other side of the world….”

“….”

I was definitely shocked, too.

‘…Why wasn’t the shock immediately after I returned to the past reflected?’

I rolled my eyes.

If Kang Min-ah really came back to the past like me, what would her shock be?

“…Why…”

Are you saying that recalling previous memories is not treated as a shock? But it’s definitely a factor that has a huge impact on one’s personality, so it’s not reflected in the other world? Why is this the only exception?

“….”

Jeong In-ho, who stopped for a moment, took another step.

‘…two questions remain.’

I wonder if the favoritism I felt was true and where this time travel came from.

These were questions that could not be resolved yet.