Chapter 494
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 494
ãI will call this [Rest Area].
A cafe located in the middle of the hallway connecting the Amazon Corner of the World and the Sea Treasure Museum. Since it is not blocked by a separate wall, it is not easy to prevent monsters from entering. There are a lot of mannequins that imitate people.
It was a cafe full of mannequins, but I was lucky enough to find a table. The group I came with also found a seat. There seems to be no regularity in the time when seats are empty. However, I donât know where the mannequin disappears after leaving.
Not knowing what would happen, I tried to buy something between the mannequins, but the mannequin saw the childâs admission ticket and gave me a free drink. Iâm not sure whatâs inside. I had to drink it all because I felt like throwing it away like this was a shame.
But
thanks to that,
the people sitting next to me
knew
the rules. Itâs a struggle. You can purchase drinks according to the number of people with free pass admission tickets for minors, and only one drink is a cure. The rest only adds to the wound. It seems like a curse. It must be a curse.
People who just sit in the store and then leave seem to go crazy. The group screamed loudly, as if they were hallucinating, and were eaten. So does this mean that all people who do not have a free pass for minors must die? I do not know.
I donât know if records like this are meaningful, but they might be helpful to someone. We couldnât have been the only ones here. doesnât exist.
Actually, I think Iâll go crazy if I donât do this.
Sorry. ã ã
-Survivorâs Record 2-
* * *
While other survivors were active, Lee Jae-heon and Jeong Eun-woo also achieved considerable results.
ââ¦Itâs a lock.â
After finding the key, the lock was found.
âItâs a shame.â
I was hoping that I might find a key to open the doors to rooms 7 through 12. However, it was not strange to feel disappointed that the lock came out of nowhere.
Jaeheon Lee asked in a casual tone.
âAre any of rooms 7 through 12 still open?â
âYes, everything is tightly closed.â
âIt seems there is a separate condition for the door to open. What is it?â
âIt may be a door that only those who have passed through the aquarium before can open. âJust as we expected.â
âI think thatâs very likely.â
In the novel, In-ho Jeong was able to open the door to the room without any preparation.
âAnyway, itâs a lock.â
Jaeheon Lee saw the lock covered in mermaidâs blood.
You could obtain a lock by purchasing fish from the fish market in room 4, putting them on the table in room 6, and finishing the meal by dragging the 6 unconscious mermaids to room 5 and cleaning them. Because it was stuck in the mermaidâs intestines.
It is made of water and has rust. Just looking at it, it was a clover-shaped lock paired with the six keys I had obtained earlier.
âThenâ¦â
Lee Jae-heon came out of the torture room holding the lock and slowly looked around.
ââ¦Is there room around here to put a lock on?â
âIf you bet, you can bet anywhere.â
âThat too.â
What caught Lee Jae-heonâs eyes as he nodded was a scratch on the door handle of room 5.
Traces as if something metallic had been tightly inserted.
ââ¦.â
Lee Jae-heon rolled his eyes and moved to check the doors of the 12 rooms.
âaha.â
Only the handles up to room 6 had the scratches I had just seen.
Lee Jae-heon gave an order to Jeong Eun-woo, who was staring at me blankly.
âJung Eun-woo. Please put a lock on the door handle of rooms 1 to 6. âI think you should walk in order, starting with the less corroded ones.â
âYes, I understand.â
Eunwoo Jeong followed his words without raising any questions.
Lee Jae-heon thought to himself.
âItâs nice that I donât have to explain things in a complicated way.â
There were traces of a lock being placed on the door handle to room 6. Although it was not intended to tie the seam, it was simply a lock, but there must have been a reason for the traces left behind by previous survivors.
There were also keys that matched the lock. The purpose of the key is to open the lock, so even though it may seem like a funny action, it wouldnât be a bad idea to try it at least once.
âNo matter what I do, I canât open the room after number 7, so itâs unfortunate that I canât check it like the original, but Iâll have to do whatever I can right now. You never know. If I proceed randomly, I wonder if I will be able to open the locked room.â
I wanted to find the computer room in the novel, but all I could find was a key and a lock. I donât know where our progress is going, but I didnât have time to worry about it.
Get the information as quickly as possible and prepare for anything. So that I can help the kids when they comeâ¦.
âI put everything on the line.â
ââ¦.â
Lee Jae-heonâs thoughts stopped.
âBoss?â
Lee Jae-heon, who had been staring at the hallway outside the concert hall for a while, answered Jung Eun-wooâs call.
âyes.â
âDo you have any problem?â
âNo, just.â
âjust?â
âI was wondering if you were resting.â
ââ¦.â
Jeong Eun-woo, who understood the meaning of those words, asked back.
âWere you looking down the hallway to see if the students you mentioned were taking a break?â
âyes.â
âokay.â
âThere was a cafe, and if you got hurt, you could stop by there for a momentâ¦â
âManager?â
âYes, I think so.â
Although the context was incomprehensible, Jeong Eun-woo just smiled and nodded.
âunderstand.â
âKeep moving⦠oh how far have we gone?â
âYou asked for a lock. There are 6 in total. âI hung it on the door handles of rooms 1 through 6.â
âThen letâs open it. âBecause we have keys and locks.â
âThatâs a good idea.â
Lee Jae-heon, who was about to insert the key with a bright red lock covered in blood on the door handle of room 1, stopped.
âWhat did I just say?â
âYou said we have a key and a lock.â
âWas that all?â
For a moment, Eunwoo Jeong thought of a broken machine or a bizarre fairy tale. It was quite similar to them as they continued to randomly spit out sounds that may or may not have meaning.
Jeong Eun-woo said to Lee Jae-heon, who was smiling while holding a lock and key.
âIf youâre tired, I think itâs not a bad idea to take a little rest.â
âUhm⦠then you canât do that. Thatâs too inefficient. âIsnât that right?â
âIs that so?â
âItâs okay, Captain, you can take care of it. âYouâve done well so far.â
ââ¦.â
âWhy donât you answer yes?â
Jeong Eun-woo smiled.
âThatâs right, Captain.â
I thought they did a good job of matching the rhythm to the madman, but I think there were some parts that were questionable from the point of view of a competent madman. Suspicion filled my pupils, which were shiny like glass.
Jaeheon Lee asked, gently wiping the corner of his mouth with the hand holding the key.
ââ¦was this the first time we saw each other?â
âMaybe.â
Strictly speaking, it wasnât even their first meeting, but Jung Eun-woo didnât bother to say that.
âItâs a big deal. âAm I crazy?â
âIt seems like that.â
âItâs a big deal.â
Lee Jae-heon said once again as he inserted the key into the hole.
âItâs a big deal.â
Then he mutters.
âBut itâs okay.â
âWhy?â
âIt will all end up like nothing happened anyway.â
âokay.â
âYou will forget everything.â
Lee Jae-heon, smiling, looked at Jeong Eun-woo and continued.
âSo, my friend, donât make things complicated either. We are doing very well and will achieve good results. âYou donât have to tell anyone or organize it in your head.â
âItâs my specialty.â
âYou will do a good job. Who were you? Oh right. Junior. Come here. No, Iâm standing there. You know that I perform better than you, right? If you nag me again, I wonât leave you alone. âThatâs the worst.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦Arenât you a junior? Iâm sorry my brain melted. It hasnât melted yet, right? Was it water this time? Did it hurt a little this time? I couldnât breathe. It wouldnât have hurt. I think I was scolded for a long time. I think I forgot something, but itâs probably because Iâm tired. âWhat was I doing?â
Eunwoo Jeong didnât bother to answer and just looked at the blood he shed.
There was enough pain and confusion to destroy a human who was originally in danger. Lee Jae-heonâs spilled blood, pale face, several missing fingers, and his tattered body showed that.
ââ¦.â
But Jung Eun-woo would not describe Lee Jae-heonâs condition at all.
âOh, right. I tried to open the door. Is that correct?â
âyouâre right.â
âItâs okay, we will soon be forgotten. So you donât have to think. âIt has no value.â
âunderstand.â
What was important to Jeong Eun-woo was not making his own judgment, but the fulfillment of orders. If Lee Jae-heon thought Jeong Eun-wooâs judgment was useless, that was enough.
So, what did Jaeheon Lee do during this long time, what did he find, and what did he sacrifice? There was no need to reproduce it or tell it to anyone.
Jaeheon Lee smiled as he opened room number 1, which was dyed pure white.
âYouâre good at lying.â
âthank you.â
I received praise.
It seemed like I was doing well now.
* * *
Park Da-young said, barely able to calm her rumbling stomach.
âItâs like shitâ¦.â
âWho was it that told you to speak nicely?â
âItâs all like shitâ¦â
I didnât hear any separate rules or explanations about this cafe, but since there were two people with their heads turned around, it wasnât difficult for them to sort out what had just happened.
ââ¦So, all of them except one are poison. âThis is such a situation.â
âmaybe? It seems like a poison that causes various abnormalities. âAt least the âgreen tea latteâ I drank⦠according to what these kids say, it seems like the âgreen tea latteâ I drank was a cure.â
The dark red drink No. 1, the translucent liquid No. 2, and the ground-fiber drink No. 4 that Song In-myeong drank were poison, but the bright red liquid No. 3 was medicine.
I donât know how poison and medicine are determined, but I couldnât tell them apart because there were no characteristics other than that they were strange. In the end, it seemed like it depended on luck.
âFucking random game.â
âThank goodness I had my second latte.â
Song In-myeong laughed and made fun of Park Da-young.
âThanks to you, Iâm so lively now. âWhat should I do?â
ââ¦Fuck!â
She closed her eyes tightly.
âWhat can a ghost do if he doesnât catch that bastard?â
The drinks at this restaurant were terrible and the rules were even worse. The fact that Song In-myeong benefited from that rule was truly terrible.
Park Da-young, who hated everything in the world except Lee Jae-heon, muttered through clenched teeth.
âThen are you going to jump?â
âwhat?â
âYouâre a fucking murderer. Or are you going to kill me? âItâs going to spin, and I donât even have the strength to avoid it.â
ââ¦.â
âAre you really going to kill me?â
Seeing Song In-myeong with his eyes wide open, Park Da-young strengthened her body, preparing to crawl, and Song In-myeong opened her mouth with a still surprised look on her face.
ââ¦uh? Is that so? âCan I just leave it and run away?â
âê°ìë¼ì¼.â
âIs there something wrong with my head to remember this after hearing it from the personâs mouth first?â
âNow I blame myself for not being more vicious than a high school student. There are various testimonies. âKorea University has produced such talented people.â
âNo, really, why didnât I think of that?â
He furrowed his eyebrows as if it was absurd.
âwhat? I did my best to help you, but you died on the way, so wasnât it okay for me to tell you that there was nothing I could do? âWhy did I work so hard?â
âMinhong, Jiji. Come down. âJiji there.â
Park Da-young shook her head at Song In-myeong, who began to think seriously, and gestured to Choi Min-hong. Minhong was still sitting on Song Inmyeongâs lap.
Song In-myeong was furious at her reaction.
âMiss, please try to be quiet.â
âEbebebebe, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? âIf youâre going to kill me, kill me quickly.â
âYou are truly unlucky and annoying.â
âWhoâs going to say anything nowâ¦?â
âuh? âNo, wait a minute.â
Song In-myeong, who was looking into Park Da-youngâs strangely calm eyes, pointed and asked.
âAre you preparing to die now?â
âDo you know that now?â
âDo you look a bit like him? No, they resemble each other?â
âAlba?â
ââ¦.â
What are you thinking? Park Da-young felt a strange sense of ominousness from the shiny gaze that resembled a reptile. Why did I have the intuition that it was a little dangerous?
Song In-myeong, who was quietly rolling his eyes, soon muttered with a serious expression that had completely erased his playfulness.
ââ¦Lee Jae-Heon Syndromeâ¦?â
ââ¦are you going to look beyond art and into psychiatry?â
âNo, listen. I think we can definitely define this phenomenon where people around Lee Jae-heon are becoming Lee Jae-heon. âThis is how the invention of the century begins.â
âThere are degrees of bullshit.â
âOriginally, geniuses were called crazy or idiots during their lifetime.â
âWhat can you say about the disaster that came from heavenâ¦.â
âSpeak nicely?â
Song In-myeong said with a sassy look.
âIf you pray to me, maybe Iâll spare you out of pity, right?â
âDamn nono. How much shit do you have to go to be satisfied? âI am satisfied with just the fact that Park Da-hoon escaped alive.â
âOh, if you donât kill me, it wonât be okay. âSpeak kindly.â
ââ¦?â
âReally realo.â
Song In-myeong added.
âBet on your uncle.â
âYou are a very difficult and painful person. âDonât be so reckless.â
âSeeing as your tone has improved, it seems like you decided to listen to me.â
âI thought it might be worth listening to. âAnyway, youâre not going to kill me?â
âfor now?â
Beneath those unique languid eyes, the eyes were filled with interest and reflected on Park Da-young.
âI think I need to find out why I thought about dying so quickly.â
âWhatâ¦â
âIf you die, these little kids will die too. And yet you gave up your desire to live like this? That doesnât make sense. âI donât think you will now abandon the babies you have protected and cherished so much.â
ââ¦.â
âBesides, youâre not worried about your younger brother whom you cherished so much, are you? If you die and all the kids die, sheâll be left alone, right? âIsnât it so strange that you put aside your worries about your mentally weak little brother and think about dying right away?â
Park Da-young blinked with an expressionless expression.
I guess this was the reason for the ominous feeling I felt earlier.
ââ¦Fucking life, reallyâ¦.â
âOh, that was a bit like an old man too.â
âYouâre like a wheel-like person.â
She had to admit she made a mistake.
âI should have made sure that Song In-myeong had no idea about the regression.â
Honestly, thatâs right. I knew that I would forget everything and everything would come back anyway, so I tried to die in peace.
But that didnât mean Song In-myeong knew about regression. Even the weak-hearted Park Da-hoon, when pushed into a corner, reverts to killing kindergarten students, much less what about Song In-myeong. He would have exterminated the survivors without hesitation in order to return as the final survivor.
I had to make it so that Park Da-young wouldnât realize that she was resolute in the face of her and her kindergarten studentsâ deaths. I should have been scared. It wouldnât have been strange if he had struggled and said he didnât want to die.
âI was too tired to think about it. âThatâ¦â
Song In-myeong laughed, tearing his mouth wide, as if he knew Park Da-young, who was blaming herself.
âIâve been thinking about this since I was at Unhak High School⦠It seems like thereâs something that only some of you know about.â
âUgh, shit. Just kill, kill, kill.â
âIt seems like a kind of secret that allows you to suddenly recognize information from the distant future, but what is it?â
âAh, kill me.â
âAre you going to kill me? âYou canât miss this opportunity.â
If I were alone, I would have committed suicide, but there were kindergarten students just watching them indifferently. I had to overcome this obstacle before that psycho tortured Park Da-young and ripped off her information.
I quietly rolled my cold head.
ââ¦Wouldnât it be possible to kill that bastard so that he can forget about his current speculations and completely eliminate the possibility of him becoming the final survivor?â
Although she tried to pretend she was okay, Park Da-young was pushed to her limit.
Not only did he get bitten by the monster a few times and suffered additional injuries from poison, but he also had the mental strength to crawl through the ground. The burden of the enormous task of handling Song In-myeong and leading the team on the right path was great.
Maybe thatâs why I had no hesitation in wanting to kill the man in front of me.
ââ¦.â
âDo you want to kill me?â
ââ¦little.â
âYou want to kill a lot.â
âmaybe.â
There wasnât really any way.
âmonster.â
The monster that chased us all the way from the feeding experience corner.
Song In-myeong must have an appearance that stands out even to a monster, so if he draws attention to this, wouldnât he be able to get Song In-myeong involvedâ¦.
ââ¦.â
Huh?
ââ¦monster?â
âhuh?â
âMonster, fucking monster. Our Dahunâ¦.â
âWhat the hell.â
âDahun.â
Uddangtangâ!
Dayoung Park tried to get up from her seat and collapsed onto the table.
I had no strength in my legs. Song In-myeong wrinkled his face when he saw that, but Park Da-young didnât have time to confirm it. Seo-ah, who was sitting on her lap, was crying.
âThere might be monsters coming after me from the other side, but if only Dahun was in the hallway right nowâ¦!â
I raised my voice out of frustration.
âThen howâ¦â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦do itâ¦â
I remembered who the person in front of me was.
The other person was Song In-myeong, a serial killer, and not the right person for Park Da-young to receive help or complain about. He may be an ally now, but in reality, he is not even an enemy.
When the feeling of emptiness filled in once again, Song In-myeong spoke.
âDo you want me to help you?â
ââ¦.â
âHey, answer me.â
He asks as if he is so happy.
âHelp me?â
(Continued in the next part)