Chapter 189
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 189
The survivors all gathered in the pavilion. Although the two teams had a strange conflict, they seemed to have no intention of dragging on an unclear controversy even when a monster was just around the corner. It was fortunate for Lee Jae-heon, who wanted to catch the green algae monster and escape the other side of the world as quickly as possible.
The problem is that there is not much Jaeheon Lee can do here.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIt would be better if you changed your clothes at all.â
âI would have done that if I had extra clothes, but thereâs nothing I can do about it right now.â
ââ¦Why are you picking on my clothes?â
From his perspective, it wasnât a big deal, but from the other party membersâ perspective, it was a different story. They seemed to be more concerned about âWhat if Lee Jae-heon smells the blood he spilled and the green algae monster kills him?â rather than âLee Jae-heon could become a monster at any time.â
In the end, Lee Jae-heon, unable to bear his frustration, glanced at the Park siblings and said,
âCan this really happen? No matter how much they donât know about my condition, if something happensâ¦â
âWeâll take care of it and run away.â
âThatâs not the problem, Kang Min-ah.â
âI donât know what the problem is.â
âNo, really.â
Kang Min-ah, who took the coat from Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, muttered as she wrapped it around Lee Jae-heon.
âItâs too bad I lost the managerâs coat. âI think Iâve seen it once near a big lake, and it would have been nice to have it wrapped around me⦠Itâs hard to find it right now.â
âOh, was that there?â
Now that I think about it, I think thatâs where I started not wearing a coatâ¦
ââ¦No, wait a minute. âDonât go the other way.â
Jaeheon Lee held Kang Minahâs wrist while she was wearing a dark gray coat without causing any pain, and made eye contact with her. Kang Min-ah also seemed to know the embarrassment that âLee Jae-heonâ was feeling, with a calm gaze without even a sign of flinching.
âIs there really a way to deal with me if I become a monster?â
âthere is.â
âI followed along because I thought it would be bad for the studentsâ mental health, but if they go on a rampage like President Choi Jeong-man you mentioned last time, it wonât just end up as a headache. Then, if I kill someoneâ¦â
âWhere should I tie you up?â
ââ¦.â
Lee Jae-heon, who hesitated, finally spoke.
ââ¦If you needâ¦?â
âLook, you donât like it either.â
âNo matter how much you think about it, isnât this because the current situation is dangerous? The green algae monster is a guy that can smell blood even if it doesnât know anything else. Needless to say, it has great durability and stamina. âI smelled the blood that I spilled, and of course I tried to get rid of it when I came, but if I end up here, it wonât be easy to get rid of it.â
âSo youâre telling me to abandon the manager? Are you serious? âCan you say that to our faces?â
ââ¦Thatâs not true, but⦠Stillâ¦â
âThey say weâre okay.â
Kang Min-ahâs eyes were colored with a pale light.
âOr is it because youâre worried about those people?â
ââ¦.â
âMore than us?â
âLee Jae-heonâ could not nod his head at those words.
âBut when it comes to efficiencyâ¦.â
âFrom now on, donât even mention the âã â character for efficiency. The manager is a human being, not a lab rat, and so are we. âI donât want to see the manager die because of me this time, so please listen to us.â
âIt wasnât Kang Min-ahâs fault.â
âI know thatâs not me. But if it wasnât for âmeâ, âmanagerâ would have survived. âI think there is a reason why I recalled that memory.â
ââ¦I know what you mean.â
In the end, âLee Jae-heonâ raised both hands first.
âInstead, if you think thereâs a problem, please move immediately, understand?â
âhow. Tie me up? Or are you saying kill me?â
âSomehow.â
He spat out a stern voice.
âNo matter what you do, make sure I donât do anything like that.â
ââ¦.â
âBecause I also donât like killing people.â
Jaeheon Lee, who had said that far, took a slight step back. I could see other people curious about what was being discussed, but neither Kang Min-ah nor Lee Jae-heon said anything else.
âMaybe Kang Min-ah will tell this to other disgusting people.â
It was because I roughly made that judgment.
âLee Jae-heonâ felt that he was becoming a monster and wanted to be isolated, while the other party members were rejecting Lee Jae-heonâs wishes. Both have different directions, but in the end, they both struggle desperately not to kill someone.
Therefore, Lee Jae-heon only spoke to Kang Min-ah for the sake of probability, and the information that âLee Jae-heonâ had the minimum will to cooperate with them would soon spread.
âHow are you feeling?â
ââ¦not bad.â
Of course, he has to avoid Detective Hong Gyeong-junâs suspicious gaze.
âI was surprised that you ran out in the middle of the day. Fortunately, it seems that Song In-myeong did not suffer any major damage. âIâm so glad you didnât die.â
ââ¦.â
âIf there is a problem, I hope you will tell me.â
After saying that, Hong Gyeong-junâs eyes passed by Lee Jae-heonâs arms and legs. Since he wasnât a man who couldnât handle eye contact, he probably acted like that on purpose to get at least a small reaction from âLee Jae-heonâ. As expected, this guy was quite disgusting.
âI thought it was okay, but itâs like this again.â
The strange favor shown towards Lee Jae-heon in the last episode was revealed again in this episode. He opened his mouth, hoping that the other personâs feelings would not make Hong Gyeong-jun stupid.
âThank you for your concern, but there is no problem. Iâm sorry for what happened back then. âI thought I heard somethingâ¦â
âWhat exactly did you hear?â
âIt was the sound of a dog whining. I could also hear people fighting among themselves. âI canât describe it exactly.â
ââ¦All right.â
As expected, Hong Gyeong-jun, uncharacteristically, obediently retreated.
âI need to know who Iâm looking at.â
Lee Jae-heon sighed inwardly.
Itâs definitely something that needs to be done, but I donât have enough time right now, so if I can do it, Iâll have to check it only after escaping from the other side of the world. Since the money is so rotten, it would be okay to conduct a background investigation. It seems like the second-highest family mate had connections in that directionâ¦
ââ¦Do you mind if I give you some advice?â
Hong Gyeong-jun nodded at Lee Jae-heonâs words.
âSure.â
âIâm not bragging, but I was dragged by that guy once⦠The green algae monster moves slowly, but its body is heavy and dense. Unlike vines, there is no significant reaction when hit, so it may be that there is no sense of pain at all. âOnce you get your hands on it, itâs almost impossible to escape.â
âThis may be an impolite question, but Mr. Lee Jae-heon, how did you escape?â
âI was not caught by the green algae monster itself, but by the vines it was using. When I hit it with a pipe, some of it loosened and I was able to escape. âAs I was walking around the park, I met police officer Kim Yeon-woo.â
âThen the green algae monsterâ¦.â
âAs soon as morning came, it went back the same way.â
In order to reveal this information, I did not intentionally ignore Hong Gyeong-junâs question.
âPolice officer Kim Yeon-woo may have confirmed it, but I felt like it was heading towards a large lake. âI donât know the exact facts, but that was the direction.â
ââ¦Do you think it has something to do with monsters being mostly active in the evening?â
âThat may be related, but I personally think there may be a time limit.â
âItâs a limited time.â
âDoesnât green algae naturally occur in water?â
Lee Jae-heon briefly made eye contact with Jeong In-ho, who seemed to have returned from scouting the surroundings.
âMaybe that group over there has already noticed.â
Thatâs right, they were the ones who had already been turned white by the green algae monsters because they couldnât face them face to face. Each case may be different, but there are similar regressors like Kang Min-ah and Ha Seong-yoon and the main character who just reverts to life. Even though they knew that the green algae monster was coming in the near future, the very fact that they left the time bomb âJaeheon Leeâ alone without taking any action was in itself showing their confidence.
Itâs ridiculously poor and hopeless to call it confidence, but itâs not like Iâm completely thoughtless.
âBut now itâs an awkward relationship to properly collaborate with these peopleâ¦â
Lee Jae-heon was the first to inform Hong Gyeong-jun.
âThis world has many monsters that seem to have been created according to peopleâs notions. A large crow that appears like a ghost in the dark, or a monster abandoned dog that looks like itâs about to collapse to deathâ¦â â
I see.â
âThen wouldnât the green algae monster be a similar case?â
âOriginally, green algae can only grow naturally in water, so if you leave it out of the water, it will die on its own?â
Thatâs it, you bastard.
âIt may just be my opinion, though.â
Contrary to his expectations, Jaeheon Lee ended his speech humbly and muttered inwardly as he felt the other survivors looking at us as if they were not looking at us.
âPlease listen carefully.â
Iâm spoiling it so openly, right? You stand right in the middle of everyone and do this. Iâve made it this far, but if you canât even get this far and send me back, youâre not even a real chick. know? Our disgusting main character is all dying. If we really canât finish it this time, itâs over for us, you peopleâ¦
âI think youâre right. âIf this place reflects human thoughts as Jaeheon Lee said, then the green algae monster will certainly have some overlap with peopleâs perceptions.â
âEven if we canât kill it, I think we can at least weaken its power. âIf youâre aiming for that part, wouldnât you be able to think of a way to get out of the park at the right time?â
âRight now, it will be difficult because there is a green algae monster nearby, but there may be a chance once the strength is moderately reduced. âThereâs no guarantee that you wonât encounter more dangerous monsters when you go out, but itâs worth thinking about.â
âEven if it follows us outside the park, there wonât be enough vines to listen to what it says, so our chances of survival will be higher.â
ââ¦Then, we need to keep that green algae monster out of the water as much as possible.â
Hong Gyeong-junâs bright blue gaze landed on Lee Jae-heon.
âHave you prepared any measures for that?â
ââ¦.â
âYou wouldnât have thought of such a foolish idea of taking the bait yourself, right?â
Itâs a problem because thatâs right, you damn bastard.
ââ¦Umâ¦.â
âSeeing that you couldnât answer right away, I guess I gave you the right answer.â
âI thought it was the most reasonable methodâ¦.â
âEfficiency is reasonable. Whatâs next? âI remember telling you when we first met that one-sided personal sacrifice is not good.â
âItâs okay to have at least one moving baitâ¦.â
âSir.â
Ha Seong-yoon, who had been listening quietly, intervened with a disgusting smile on his face.
âYou seem tired. How about taking a break? âMr. Jeong In-ho is looking at the teacher with an expression as if he is about to faint.â
ââ¦The manager said he would say something he wanted to say, but what does it have to do with the subject matter of the deputyâ¦â
âThat doesnât work anymore.â
As expected, the sincerity of 50% was ignored this time.
âBad guys.â
If I hadnât been sensitive to the death of âLee Jae-heonâ, I would have ignored the main character, the supporting character, and everything else and just ran away. Of course, Jae-heon Lee would also be unreasonable to act as bait for three days, but he was confident that he would play his role much better than the wrong guys.
âYou donât have to be a teacher, just the smell of blood is enough. You can also use the larvae that you put in the trap last time. âDidnât we just finish this conversation?â
ââ¦All right.â
This is why you are chicks.
The analogy itself is unpleasant, but there was no need to take the quick and easy route and go the long way back, just as pharmaceutical companies do not feel great guilt towards the rats that are sacrificed in the process of testing new drugs. Some say that the process wears out the mind, but not everyone says that.
Iâm not necessarily saying which side is more right or wrong, but it wasnât strange at all to think that there was no need to be so strict even in a situation like now where the escape route was blocked.
âThen⦠Iâll go inside as much as possible.â
Yes to me.
âWe will do our best to prevent the green algae monster from coming here. Teacher, please wear layers of clothing to avoid the smell of blood and be careful not to let the bandage slip off. âThatâs all.â
That canât be possible, you idiots.
âEveryone has to die once to come to their senses.â
Jaeheon Lee suddenly missed his coworkers from his past life. It was natural for them to consume each other depending on the situation, and as long as they did not cross the line, they did not resent or hate each other, although they might feel disappointed. In this situation as well, if only Lee Jae-heon stepped forward, 80% of the escape could have been accomplished in an instant.
However, since we do not feel the need or justification, the day when we will understand each other will never come. This was simply a matter of division depending on what kind of culture and rules each person lived in. If it was impossible to change oneâs innate nature, this was also the case.
If we make concessions to each other, acquire new knowledge, and adapt, we can somehow form a smooth relationship, butâ¦
âI hope no problems arise.â
The problem was that Lee Jae-heon, a born villain, was not that understanding.
He gritted his teeth and took a seat.
âJust take one.â
If only one thing was caught, Lee Jae-heon wouldnât bother to save face.
* * *
Watching Jae-Heon Lee go as far inside as possible and refuse to let others approach him, In-Ho Jeong quietly gave strength to his hands.
âMr. Jeong In-ho.â
ââ¦So, first of allâ¦â
A thick feeling lingered in my mouth.
âItâs not wrong.â
Looking at the situation objectively, it could not be said to be a wise decision to keep an adult man covered in blood with him who might turn into a monster at any time. If possible, they should have been expelled before they caused problems from within, but even if that wasnât the case, it was right to confine them to limit their movements.
But I couldnât. It was ridiculous.
âFirst, we have to find the larva. âItâs a caterpillar that smells like blood.â
How could we dare?
Suddenly, Jeong In-ho remembered the conversation he had with Ha Seong-yoon a while ago. A blurry police officer. The influence he had on Lee Jae-heon. A kind of genealogy. Even if we leave everything behind, the fact that Lee Jae-heon shows great aversion to being oppressed was a shocking fact to Jeong In-ho. I didnât want to detain him now.
I tried to pretend that nothing had happened and continued.
âBring tools because you have to dig inside the tree.â
âWhen you say that, it makes us sound like gangsters.â
âItâs kind of fun, isnât it?â
When I chimed in with firefighter Han Do-yoon, who was laughing lightly, he turned to me and opened his mouth.
âSo⦠Mr. Jeong In-ho? Right.â
âyouâre right.â
âIt would have been nice if we had time to talk more slowly, but itâs a shame we donât have that time.â
âHahaâ¦.â
âActually, Iâm still very upset.â
The gaze inside the gently drooping eyes turned towards Jeong In-ho.
âThe situation right now is so sudden. âI donât know if what we each had was a suspicion or a real thing, but in the meantime, the monster is coming, so we have to fight⦠No, in this case, rather than fighting, should I say we are throwing bait?â
âSo what do you want to say?â
âi look forward to.â
ââ¦.â
âSeriously.â
Jeong In-ho looked around in silence.
Since we donât know exactly where the blood-smelling larvae live, we needed a lot of manpower to find as many larvae as possible in a short period of time. Even then, unless there were injured or elderly people who would become obstacles, everyone was sent out and there wasnât even enough manpower to protect the remaining people. This was the current situation.
Conflict between humans was a meaningless concept in the face of the fear of death.
ââ¦Please take care of me too.â
Even that would be a luxury in the face of violence that makes no sense.
In the distance, I saw a vine slithering like a snake.