Chapter 382
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 382
âWow reallyâ¦.â
Song In-myeong was secretly impressed by Lee Jae-heon acting calmly and normally.
âItâs so fucking toxic.â
How can you not show any signs of it?
After visiting Eonhak High School, Jaeheon Lee only showed a little bit of fatigue and did not show any signs of distress about the shock he experienced in the 4th floor swimming pool. Even Song In-myeong, who can make up any number of facial expressions as long as the purpose is clear, was amazed by Lee Jae-heonâs harshness.
âIt definitely seemed like I had touched a trauma.â
Song In-myeong, who has worked on many works so far, has learned that a personâs spirit breaks down more easily from psychological pain than from physical pain. Most of the materials that Song In-myeong coveted were of a strong mind, so if something that made it possible to withstand such pain was taken away, rather than physical torture, it would be broken.
Perhaps this is the same for Kim Yeon-woo and Munsan-gun. Of course, among the ingredients Iâve seen so far, they are on the good side and crazy, so it wonât fall apart easily, but I thought it would be possible if I put some time into it. However, Lee Jae-heon had no idea where to start before it would collapse and become ruined. This was because it was a work that had already been ruined in an elaborate form.
It is a pain that such a person cannot hide even for a moment and reveals it.
ââ¦Iâm fucking curious. âWhat happened?â
Maybe itâs because itâs been broken for a long time, or maybe itâs because thereâs nothing left to lose. Lee Jae-heon was a person who would just look on with empty eyes even if he tortured the survivors he cared for right in front of his eyes. I couldnât help but be curious because the fact that he showed such pain was clear evidence that he still had something left to lose.
I didnât have the arrogant thought that I could control a person named Lee Jae-heon with just one weakness, but wouldnât I at least be able to see a different side of myself if I stimulated his weak point?
âHow long are you going to stay here?â
âomg? Are you kicking me out?â
âWhat an obvious thing to say⦠Iâll take off your handcuffs, so get out now.â
âCan I stay here because I can wear one or three more handcuffs?â
âDo you think it will work?â
Song In-myeong also thought it wouldnât work.
âI donât know what Iâll do while everyone is asleep, so I guess the idea is to block potential problems from the beginning.â
Although there was a set watch alert, it was unclear whether we would be able to respond in time. In that case, it seemed like they decided it would be better to just kick Song In-myeong out of the police station. The reason I stopped by this time was to share information about the swimming pool, so it was a natural choice.
Song In-myeong grumbled briefly.
âItâs too boring.â
Click.
Song In-myeong, who was eventually released from the handcuffs, quenched his appetite.
âAh⦠Iâm really disappointed.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
ââ¦I know youâve been watching the manager since a while ago.â
ââ¦.â
âTurn it off, please.â
Jeong In-hoâs eyes were so damn black as he said that.
ââ¦Sure.â
The boundaries are quite severe.
âWhy donât I know that this side stimulates the spirit of challenge more?â
Song In-myeong smiled lazily and leisurely walked out of the police station.
As evening fell, the monsters in the shopping mall became more active, but it was none of Song In-myeongâs business. Strangely, the monsters in the other world did not recognize Song In-myeong well or were not hostile towards him, which greatly contributed to making the other world boring.
However, Song In-myeong didnât think enough to start a fight with the monster, so he went into the building near the police station. There was a window with a clear view of the police station.
âItâs not bad to look around like this.â
Why was he able to immediately chase after Vivian when she called him out of the police station the other day? This was possible because the police station, which was crowded with survivors, was located in a place with a clear view.
âI use it, but itâs such a waste. If I didnât know I was the culprit⦠I would have pretended not to know anything like in the park and asked what happened. âHow should I find out now?â
The more I looked at him, the more he became a twisted person, but more than his twists, he showed blind sacrifice. If you see them squeezing out all their free time to show affection, it doesnât mean they donât have feelings. Jaeheon Lee was living by cutting out or suppressing the desires that humans should have.
This means that it didnât look like it was human for no reason, like what I saw in the swimming pool.
ââ¦Who is it?â
Who made that?
âThere is no way such a work could have been created naturally without human intervention. âIt looks like someone has messed with their brains⦠The workmanship is amazing.â
Unlike other artists, Song In-myeong respected the art of all artists in the world. Even though Song In-myeongâs twisted personality made others scold him, he still acknowledges the art teacherâs art, so it seems like everything is said. Therefore, even if the direction was a little different from mine, I actually respected the artist who created a living work.
He never once thought of completing a person alive.
âWas the material that goodâ¦?â
Humans are weak. You donât die as easily as you think, but you can die in more absurd ways than you can imagine. The idea of completing a work with a living person was so absurd that even Song In-myeong, who has a rich imagination, could not come up with it. Most humans will break down and die before they are complete.
Therefore, the conclusion was drawn that not only is Lee Jae-heon, who survived the process and is still alive, amazing, but the skill of the writer who massaged his brain is also amazing.
âNo matter how good the material is, it is not easy to achieve that level of perfection. How detailed did it take for a smart person to end up like that? I donât think it would work like that even if I took a newborn baby, raised it, and controlled it myselfâ¦â
In fact, what created Lee Jae-heon was the world of his previous life, which was extremely lacking in human rights awareness, but Song In-myeong thought that it was the work of one person. It is common for one writer to put their heart and soul into creating a work, but it is impossible for writers to unite and work on one project.
However, Song In-myeong, who did not know that Lee Jae-heon had memories of his past life, had no choice but to connect the reason why Lee Jae-heon was twisted like that with the reaction he showed in the swimming pool.
âThereâs no way the two factors that had a huge impact on that personâs life are completely unrelated. So did the writer who created Lee Jae-heon instill that kind of trauma? For what? I donât think I just made this because I was bored. The practical intent appears to be greater. Butâ¦â
In the end, Song In-myeong could not come to a conclusion.
ââ¦I donât know.â
It was impossible to know why the writer created the person Jaeheon Lee until I heard the story directly from him. Thatâs natural.
Because art is deep and complex.
* * *
Meanwhile, there was someone who was worried about the same topic as Song In-myeong.
âMr. Lee Jae-heon, just a momentâ¦.â
âYes.â
âDo you have time?â
âReallyâ¦?â
âThen can we talk for a moment?â
âOf course.â
Another witness, Hong Gyeong-jun, who saw Lee Jae-heon looking pale.
âthank you.â
Hong Gyeong-jun has been watching Lee Jae-heon closely since he seems to be in bad condition recently.
Werenât you paying a lot of attention to the fact that you were exploring Unhak High School and even moving with Song In-myeong on the 4th floor? In the meantime, Lee Jae-heon showed an uncharacteristically stiff appearance, so I couldnât just leave him alone.
Hong Gyeong-jun entered an empty room, dragging Lee Jae-heon, who was acting no different from usual.
âI think youâre tired, so Iâd like to just let you go, but I feel like I need to askâ¦â
âItâs okay, just tell me. âIâm not that tired.â
ââ¦I donât know if I can ask this.â
ââ¦.â
Lee Jae-heon lowered his eyes and looked up, as if remembering what happened at the swimming pool on the 4th floor.
âitâs okay.â
âWouldnât that be a sensitive question?â
âJust⦠yeah.â
ââ¦.â
âIt doesnât matter.â
Lee Jae-heonâs reaction to saying that suddenly became droopy. When other survivors saw him, he seemed to be trying his best to control his facial expressions, but now that his gaze was blocked, it seemed like he didnât even have the time to do so.
Lee Jae-heon continued speaking with a blank expression that matched his gray eyes.
âAs I said at the time, I was a little surprised.â
âJaeheon Lee.â
âNo, Iâm not lying. âI didnât think I would react that way eitherâ¦â
âMay I ask what you saw that made you make that expression?â
âIt was dark.â
âyes?â
âItâs dark, humid, and smells badâ¦.â
ââ¦.â
âI donât like things like that.â
Jaeheon Lee was scratching his neck.
ââ¦Thatâs right, itâs not a particularly good memory.â
It was a dry voice that seemed to be evaluating someone elseâs things.
âAre you going to tell me?â
ââ¦I donât know what youâre talking aboutâ¦â
âI asked if you were going to tell other people. Mr. In-ho Jeong and Mr. Seong-yoon Ha⦠I hear you are talking about various things these days.â
ââ¦.â
He looked like he would close his mouth again if he said that, but even after hesitating for a long time, Hong Gyeong-jun couldnât lie to him. Given my personality, there was no way I wouldnât share it with others even after hearing about Jaeheon Leeâs weaknesses. It may not be a pleasant experience for Lee Jae-heon, but since Song In-myeong has been hovering nearby recently, he needed to be even more prepared.
Hong Gyeong-jun nodded, thinking that there was nothing he could do if he kept his mouth shut again.
âI will tell you.â
âWhy are you being so honest if I run away?â
âThatâs something that canât be helped.â
His half-bow belt felt strangely familiar.
âBecause everyone has to have a way to escape.â
Yes, thatâs right. Running away was an individualâs freedom.
Even if the end is death, the same is true. If the person has fulfilled his or her responsibilities but is unable to live, you must understand that unless he or she has the courage, confidence, and ability to take responsibility for his or her life, he or she will run away. Hong Gyeong-jun decided that way.
âAll right.â
ââ¦Are you telling me?â
âHonestly, Iâm tired and I want to tell it off quickly and go to sleep.â
âokay.â
âI canât even say itâs a big deal anymoreâ¦â
Lee Jae-heon muttered.
âI was scolded for a long time.â
ââ¦.â
âIt was a dark, humid, foul-smelling roomâ¦â
âAre you talking about the smell of a corpse?â
âI could smell blood too.â
He had a blank expression on his face, as if he was remembering something from the distant past.
âI donât remember who that smell came from.â
ââ¦Are you okay?â
âI think it was okay at the time, but itâs strange.â
âJaeheon Lee.â
âI guess Iâm a little scared now.â
A cracked voice flowed.
âIt wasnât that surprising.â
It wasnât surprising.
âThatâs nonsenseâ¦â
Didnât he just say âI canât say itâs not a big dealâ?
Judging from his words, he seemed to have already anticipated that his trauma might be stimulated as soon as he heard the word âswimming poolâ. Nevertheless, Lee Jae-heonâs own rejection reaction was probably greater than expected. My already tattered mental strength must have been greatly damaged.
ââ¦Did I explain things too rambling?â
âNo, I roughly understand. âI understand, so you donât have to think about it in too much detail.â
âThere was a time when I was tied up and tortured.â
âWait a minuteâ¦â
âI should have listened carefully, and I got scolded for not listening. It wasnât just me. It was so natural back then. I was used to it, there was no reason to reject it, and I didnât have the strength to deny itâ¦â
ââ¦â
âBut you guys are so soft.â
Jaeheon Lee was smiling.
âI could have just kept taking it for granted.â
ââ¦Jaeheon Lee.â
âIf it werenât for you, I wouldnât have been so scared.â
âJaeheon Lee.â
âCanât we just treat them like they are?â
It even seemed like he was crying.
âThen we can do better.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦Iâm sorry.â
Lee Jae-heon, who soon calmed down his expression, stepped back.
âYou probably shouldnât ask for this.â
ââ¦What can I do for you?â
âI donât think it needs to change.â
âButâ¦â
âMe and you.â
ââ¦.â
âThereâs no reason to change.â
Before Hong Gyeong-jun could say anything negative, Lee Jae-heon went out of the room.
ââ¦Haâ¦.â
As if he was afraid of what Hong Kyung-jun would say.
ââ¦Why is there no reason to change?â
Jaeheon Lee was a person, not a monster.
That alone was reason enough.
ââ¦.â
Perhaps Lee Jae-heon thinks he is a monster.
* * *
ââ¦Even if I say that, they wonât understand.â
Lee Jae-heon thought as he finished getting ready for bed and closed his eyes.
âFuck you chick. Fucking soft. Damn these bright yellow puddingsâ¦.â
Half of the story I shared with Hong Gyeong-jun was a lie and half was sincere.
In his previous life, he was a government dog and was trained to live as a dog. But I didnât think it was very unpleasant until now. Even though my past life self has a lot to do with it, I also have quite a few memories of being born and living as a person named Lee Jae-heon. But now, I feel that âeducationâ is once again frustrating.
The governmentâs education was meticulous and sadistic. During his punishment, he was locked in a dark room and tortured without knowing how much time was passing. It was also a difficult hardship for someone with regenerative abilities that prevented him from dying easily.
âBut being so surprised at the swimming pool was something I didnât expect.â
I donât hate Jaeheon Lee just because heâs full of water. Just because you were tied up or smelled blood doesnât mean you donât like it.
There were conditions necessary to be that surprised.
âLet me see.â
weak light. dark room.
closed space. dead body. humidity. blood.
And bondage.
ââ¦The swimming pool met all the conditions except that it was not tied down.â
Jaeheon Lee also never thought that this place would meet all the requirements I disliked. I was complacent and expected that it would be a bit dark and damp at best.
âAnyway, I tried to show a different reaction to Song In-myeong to arouse interest, but⦠I felt strangely stabbedâ¦â
Itâs all because this world is so soft.
âWould it be okay if I treated you like those bastards?â
There were many times when he was disadvantaged in his past life, but there were also many times when he fed his co-workers. The friendly exchange of two-piece clothing was abnormal from this worldâs perspective, but it was not oppressive. Lee Jae-heon felt comfortable in that atmosphere, but I also felt quite lethargic as I was stuck among these puddings.
Deciding not to rely on chicks was just the beginning. It has gotten to the point where the education I received in the past feels uncomfortable. It was clear that my mind had become quite relaxed.
âI need to go back to reality and check my mental state before I break down furtherâ¦â I
was about to lament internally.
Jaeheon Lee woke up to the sight of someone sitting next to him.
ââ¦What is it?â
Jet black eyes.
âI thought you were tired.â
ââ¦If you look tiredâ¦Iâll leave you alone.â
âBecause Iâm anxious.â
Jeong In-ho smiled neatly.
âFor some reason, I think youâll wake up late if you sleep today.â
ââ¦.â
Lee Jae-heon muttered.
âYou disgusting bastard.â
ââ¦is it that hard?â
âJust a little.â
I closed my eyes.
âIâm sleepy.â
â¦I guess I should come and check out Eonhak High School.
Since I had to escape, I couldnât waste time.
* * *
Jaeheon Lee didnât wake up for a week.
(Continued in the next part)