Chapter 61

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Chapter 61

‘Intern Noh Yeonseok’s condition isn’t as bad as it looks.’

He might seem to be in the worst shape, what with all the dramatic retching, but there wasn’t much in his stomach to begin with, and his mental endurance hadn’t yet reached its limit.

Intern Noh Yeonseok’s mental strength was more resilient than expected. It wasn’t the kind of strength like a steel axe; rather, it was more like a slime that gets cut by scissors only to slowly reattach itself later.

‘He may look like he’s about to drop dead, but his spirit is remarkably resilient. If we were judging purely on tenacity, he’d be one of the top contenders in our group.’

Despite his pale, sickly appearance, he hadn’t complained once and had followed the group’s intentions without protest, which said a lot about his character.

In the story, his mental breakdown was due to the death of his crush, Team Leader Kang. Otherwise, he wasn’t someone who easily broke or fell apart. There was a reason Lee Jaehun had left him be all this time.

‘…It might actually backfire.’

Lee Jaehun recalled how the intern tended to avoid his gaze and spoke less whenever he talked. He pushed the thought aside and focused back on the current situation.

‘So, that’s not his limit.’

Even though he was in pain, sad, and exhausted to the point of tears, he could still endure. The nausea was just a physiological reaction to being in an unfamiliar area. After some rest and water, he’d bounce back mentally.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was in great shape.

‘From his perspective, nothing’s going right these days.’

The intern had a strong affection for Team Leader Kang. Given that he wasn’t even sure if his crush liked him back and hadn’t shown any impressive skills since coming to this hidden world, it was no wonder he felt frustrated.

‘The one who’s been most active is probably Jung Inho… And he’s spent more time with Team Leader Kang. From the intern’s viewpoint, he’s a significant rival.’

For now, he seemed calm, remembering how Jung Inho had taken care of things, but there was a risk of jealousy. Love at that age tends to be like that.

Moreover, while his stamina, strength, and perseverance were reliable, his overly pliable spirit was taking a toll on him, likely making him feel quite self-deprecating.

However, the fact that he could love someone was a mental plus. He wanted to impress, not because he thought, ‘I don’t deserve to live if I’m useless!’ but rather he didn’t suffer from low self-esteem in a harmful way.

‘In fact, his confidence is rather high despite his somewhat goofy nature. In that sense, he’s a bit similar to Kwon Yeonhee.’

Though his fierce appearance might suggest otherwise, he was from a prestigious university, tall, and reasonably good-looking. His self-esteem wasn’t easily shaken. If he had Team Leader Kang by his side, he’d naturally regain his confidence. Team Leader Kang, while not seeing him as a romantic partner, had a fondness for her intern, so getting Noh Yeonseok back on track was just a matter of time.

Lee Jaehun’s gaze shifted to Park Dayoung, who was inspecting some fruit.

“…Ah, sir. These are really pretty.”

“Yeah, let’s eat them together later.”

“Yes…!”

Moreover, the main characters, the Park siblings, didn’t have major issues either.

‘They’re the mental giants of our group.’

They were quick-witted and had an uncanny ability to regurgitate any information that might trouble them. Lee Jaehun had brought them along for a reason.

They read situations well but never lost their nerve. Park Dayoung instinctively knew what would benefit them and had a knack for clinging to those advantages, while her brother Park Dahoon responded swiftly to her judgments.

Park Dahoon was also physically quick, making it more efficient to worry about Dr. Ha Sungyoon instead of them.

‘Though worrying about that guy is pointless.’

Jung Inho and Ha Sungyoon were the types who got more annoyed if you worried about them. They believed they could handle things alone and would be offended if someone tried to help.

Of course, there were times they couldn’t handle things on their own, but their pride wouldn’t let them admit it, and they’d try not to show it. If they could handle it alone but were interfered with, they’d get annoyed, proving how ungrateful they could be.

And Lee Jaehun believed that their current state was something they could manage on their own.

‘As long as they’re not crawling on all fours, it’s not a major trigger.’

Whatever it was about the stray dog monster that triggered his trauma, if it had truly hit him hard, he would’ve forgotten how to speak. Except for being a bit pale and dazed, he still looked every bit the intellectual, so he was in a decent state.

Combining all the information, the real issue was Kwon Yeonhee.

‘Right now, she’s at her limit… actually, she’s slightly past it, in a bad way.’

Kwon Yeonhee had a simple and bright mind, but when she experienced excessive stress, she couldn’t easily move past it. It was like someone who hadn’t received proper vaccinations suffering from various diseases later on.

Lee Jaehun approached her naturally, thinking to himself.

‘Maybe she likes dogs?’

Or she might absolutely hate them.

Either way, Kwon Yeonhee’s feelings towards dogs were clear-cut.

If it was the former, she’d be shocked by the mutated form of a dog she liked. If it was the latter, the added grotesqueness of the otherworld would have broken her already scared mind.

‘Even so, she’s a bit too broken…’

Had she been under a lot of stress lately?

Stopping his light speculation, Lee Jaehun locked eyes with Yoon Garam, who was comforting Kwon Yeonhee clinging to her.

“……”

“Sob… Hicc.”

“Employee Kwon…”

He called out to Kwon Yeonhee.

He knelt down to match her eye level since she couldn’t meet his gaze, erasing all expressions from his face. His expression became as dry as possible, to not appear monstrous.

Yoon Garam stepped back from Kwon Yeonhee, and Lee Jaehun reached out naturally.

With one hand, he held her shoulder, and with the other, he gently touched her face.

Seeing Kwon Yeonhee still averting her eyes, he spoke again.

“Employee Kwon.”

“Sob… Hicc.”

“Kwon Yeonhee-ssi.”

“Hicc… Sniff.”

Lee Jaehun had a knack for controlling and transforming situations.

“Yeonhee-ya.”

“……”

“When someone calls you, you should respond.”

His words were quite stern for someone sobbing as if dying.

Yet, Lee Jaehun’s voice, while dry, wasn’t bland. It had a straight, steady quality. His expressionless face might have seemed still, but it wasn’t harsh.

Seeing her lips twitch, she finally responded.

“…Yes…”

“Good job.”

A short praise.

Her eyes were now directly meeting Lee Jaehun’s.

‘Empty comfort will only make her cry more.’

When humans suffer great shocks, they regress.

This was why patients who had gone through traumatic events often showed signs of regression, especially in the otherworld, where mental interference was more pronounced.

But Lee Jaehun had no intention of leaving Kwon Yeonhee like that. The same went for the others.

‘There’s already so much to do and the planned schedule is complex. How dare they think they can rest as they please?’

Leaving her to crawl around on the floor and wasting a perfectly capable worker was highly inefficient and frustrating.

Humans inherently tend to blame something when they’re in pain, which drives them deep into their suffering. They question why they have to endure such pain, hardship, and agony, digging themselves deeper despite knowing there’s no immediate solution. It’s an inevitable aspect of being a sentient being.

Thus, despairing over one’s own suffering is a fundamental right and desire of humans. There are many people who, in reality, reject their situation by mentally checking out.

However, Lee Jaehun had no intention of letting Kwon Yeonhee rest like that.

“You’re crying right now.”

“…Yes…”

“First, that monster passed you by. Second, this disgusting situation is what’s making you cry.”

He didn’t ask her about her current state, avoiding questions like ‘Why are you crying?’ or ‘Why are you in pain?’ since such questions would only deepen her despair.

By simplifying her state into two reasons, Lee Jaehun dismissed her condition.

“……”

“Isn’t that right?”

“…Yes…”

“Good.”

Another short praise.

‘You have to make her believe she really thinks that.’

Lee Jaehun’s tone was pressuring, which wouldn’t make the listener feel good. Instinctively, Kwon Yeonhee would try to escape this pressure, and Lee Jaehun decided to give her short praises as a way out.

She would dislike the pressuring tone and, by answering, would find relief from it. Through this process, the mentally shaken Kwon Yeonhee would come to believe what Lee Jaehun was saying.

‘But if I keep this up, it might sound too coercive…’

He took a slight measure.

He added a faint hint of worry to his otherwise blank face. It wasn’t an act, but rather, he genuinely cared for her while trying to appear calm.

He spoke again.

“Now, the monster is gone, and no one, including you, is hurt.”

“…But, it keeps happening. It’s going to keep happening…”

“Yes, it will keep happening.”

“……”

“Strange creatures like that monster will keep coming, and we might get hurt. We don’t know when we can escape this world.”

“…Oh…”

Kwon Yeonhee blinked, her eyes wide.

“…Will we be able to get out?”

“Do you want to live here forever?”

“N-No, no. That’s not what I meant.”

“We can get out.”

Lee Jaehun lowered his hand that was holding her head as he continued speaking.

“It will happen.”

With that, he felt the protagonist, who had been comforting the intern, turn their gaze towards him.

But despite the protagonist’s evident curiosity, Lee Jaehun had no intention of revealing his plan to the group just yet. Knowing too much too soon would only complicate things. Only the protagonist and the doctor had been informed because they were trustworthy enough to keep quiet.

‘Of course, there were other reasons as well…’

Regardless, even such a vague answer gave Kwon Yeonhee, who had felt utterly hopeless, some strength. It provided her with a goal amidst the uncertainty.

Especially since the words came from Lee Jaehun, who had shown dual characteristics and unnaturally adept combat skills, she was likely to believe them on some level. Her intuition wasn’t particularly bad.

To sharpen Kwon Yeonhee’s gradually returning focus, he began to speak.

“Today, I found some sweet fruit. It sparkles like glass or jewels, and inside, it’s like jelly. It smells good and tastes okay. If you get some sugar in your system, you’ll feel more energized.”

“…….”

“Then get some sleep. The bed is just a bunch of straw piled together, so it’s uncomfortable, right? Just wait a bit. Once we get some people with their wits about them, we’ll build proper roofs and walls. It’ll make you feel at least ten times more comfortable.”

“Yes….”

“Then, even if weird monsters are lurking around, they won’t see you. They’ll just pass by. And if they do find you, there will be others around you. I’ll probably be there too. We’ve built a bond by now, so one of us will definitely save you.”

“Yes, yes.”

“When you wake up, it’ll be morning. It won’t be the blue sky you remember, but honestly, how blue was our sky anyway?”

“…….”

“House, work, house, work, house, work…. Sometimes hanging out with friends. Have you even looked at the sky properly in the past few years? You didn’t really care about the sky much, so why make a fuss just because the color’s a bit different?”

“That’s… true.”

Her voice, still holding onto tears, wasn’t as heavy as before.

Hearing her, Lee Jaehun completely removed his hand from her shoulder. Kwon Yeonhee, who was unconsciously staring at the white sky, didn’t notice his subtle and natural movement.

He continued speaking as if nothing had happened.

“Eat, drink, sleep, and get through today.”

“…….”

“Then tomorrow will come. The day after will come. It won’t be easy, but it’s not like you didn’t think similar thoughts while working at the company.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You didn’t want to go to work.”

“Oh.”

Hiccup.

Her hamster-like shoulders trembled.

Watching this, Lee Jaehun let out a silly chuckle, as if he had seen something amusing. It wasn’t a harsh laugh, just light enough to be comforting without being dismissive.

The dry demeanor he had when he first called her was gone.

“No way, you’re still just an employee. You’ll have to work tomorrow too.”

“…Yeah, I guess so…?”

A strange expression.

Seeing her face twisted between a smile and tears, Lee Jaehun spoke.

“It’s okay.”

“…….”

“Maybe not completely… but at least more than you think. It’ll be much better than you think.”

He said it firmly.

“Later, check out what we brought back. Listen to how beautiful the sight was, from the ones who brought it. Smell how good that thing that looks like a glass bead smells.”

“…….”

“If you’re curious, you can come with us next time. You haven’t seen the small lake yet, have you? The surface keeps rippling, so I’m sure there are at least a few fish in there. If that’s true, we’ll need to make traps for the lake. You don’t know how tricky that is, do you?”

“…Of course not, Director.”

“I’ll show you. Later, you can make them with the students. Those who have energy left will either build houses or look for other food nearby.”

“I see.”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“…….”

The air wavered with a faint sense of unease.

For a moment, Kwon Yeonhee’s gaze wavered, and Lee Jaehun, noticing this brief reaction, rolled his eyes slightly. He could read a subtle sense of defeat or guilt in her eyes.

He continued naturally, without missing a beat.

“And… Kwon Yeonhee, you’ll make it happen.”

“…Me?”

That was the correct answer.

Lee Jaehun nodded as if it were a given, without any particular thought.

“Of course, everyone has to work, right?”

“…….”

“Even creepy Deputyr Jung, timid Team Leader Kang, and that weak doctor over there. The students who are always wary and the boss who loves trees too.”

“…Yes.”

“…No one died, and in the end, we’re all together.”

He continued speaking.

“It’s okay.”

You soft little chicks.

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