Chapter 75

Like every character in this novel, Yoon Garam has a painful past.

‘To put it bluntly, it’s just trauma.’

Although she once explained that her ability to act like a human in the Otherworld was due to her high mental strength, it also meant she had some immunity to the horrors of this world.

Of course, pain is said to be incomparable, but the degree varies for each person. Some people can avoid recalling their trauma unless directly triggered, while others can’t even look at certain objects without being constantly triggered.

‘Yoon Garam is the latter type.’

She couldn’t bear to see ‘severely burned hands.’

“…What the hell is this…”

Jung Inho, his face twisted between frustration and irritation, immediately approached Yoon Garam as if he didn’t want to waste time muttering. His hurried steps showed his anxiety.

Then he quickly covered her mouth.

“Mmph, sob.”

“…Inho-ssi?”

More precisely, he covered her nose and mouth simultaneously.

Kwon Yeonhee hiccuped and froze at Deputy Jung’s sudden action, while Dr. Ha Sungyoon, who had cautiously stepped away from Yoon Garam, shook his head and explained.

“…That’s the right treatment, don’t be too alarmed.”

“What?”

“It’s hyperventilation.”

He touched his own lips as he continued speaking.

“Breathing difficulty, dizziness, and if severe, fainting. It’s a problem of over-breathing, so to control it, you need a paper bag…”

His gaze met Jung Inho’s dark eyes.

The protagonist replied to him.

“We don’t have a paper bag. The plastic bag we used last time is torn.”

“…As you can see, it’s difficult now.”

“Oh…”

“Can you lay her down? Place one hand on her chest and one on her stomach. It’s largely psychological, so reassure her, and she’ll be fine.”

While saying this, Dr. Ha Sungyoon seemed puzzled. It wasn’t obvious, but he seemed curious as to how Jung Inho knew the relatively unknown treatment for hyperventilation.

“…Anyway, it looks like Yoon Garam will be okay…”

Then he approached Lee Jaehun, who had been quietly observing the situation.

“Give me your hand, sir.”

“……”

“What kind of madness is this?”

In other words, ‘Are you crazy?’

“…Could you watch your language, doctor?”

Lee Jaehun obediently extended his hand.

The burned hand was where Lee Jaehun had previously cut his arm with a knife. Fortunately, the shirt he had rolled up wasn’t burnt, but the bandages covering the wound were scorched. At least the bandages hadn’t caught fire, so his whole body wasn’t burned.

But even though the bandages didn’t catch fire, his hand had been in the hot flames for quite a while. Especially in the Otherworld, where fire was particularly dangerous, his hand had taken a direct hit.

Looking at the severely burned hand, Dr. Ha Sungyoon sighed.

“If you’re going to say you’re fine, then keep your mouth shut.”

“……”

“And if you think you can’t keep a promise, don’t make one in the first place.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

If you think you can’t keep a promise, don’t make one.

“This time it was really a mistake.”

Lee Jaehun inwardly smiled.

‘So, it didn’t look like self-harm.’

It seemed they couldn’t believe he would be that insane. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t intentionally burn themselves so severely, and Lee Jaehun had been acting relatively normal until now.

In response to Lee Jaehun’s words, the protagonist asked.

“So, the previous wounds weren’t accidents?”

“…You really have a knack for making people uncomfortable, Deputy Jung.”

“If that’s the case, I apologize.”

What a creepy guy.

‘Every word he says is so sharp.’

Lee Jaehun thought as he watched Dr. Ha Sungyoon treat his hand in a daze.

In fact, most of his injuries were intentional, so he had nothing to say. The protagonist probably sensed that from the start, and his words were meant to prick his conscience.

Of course, Lee Jaehun wasn’t the type to get intimidated. He didn’t have a conscience to be pricked in the first place, and this level of injury was minor considering his plans. He knew he might have to die and start over if things went wrong, so he felt justified.

If this incident went well, it would solve many problems.

‘…Still, this is what they call a mess.’

Lee Jaehun glanced at the chaotic surroundings.

Yoon Garam’s hyperventilation had subsided, but she hadn’t fully come out of her panic, and Deputy Jung was struggling to calm her down. He seemed quite adept at it, suggesting a similar situation had occurred before.

‘With burning monsters around, it’s not a hard guess.’

It was likely she had been triggered by seeing something burnt. If his guess was right, Dr. Ha Sungyoon had also survived for a long time and had learned how to deal with such attacks.

But at the moment, Yoon Garam’s panic attack wasn’t the main issue.

“……”

“……”

The real issue was those young interns frozen in place, unable to speak.

‘By now, they should have some certainty.’

It needed to rain.

The ground had to soften and melt so it could harden when the sun came out.

The time for subtle hints and nudges was over. It was time to give the nervous interns the certainty they had been denying and then let things calm down for the next phase.

The comfortable team they thought they had was now shaken. Director Lee Jaehun seemed more unhinged than they thought, and Yoon Garam, whom they thought was stable, was suddenly overwhelmed by trauma. Even if they couldn’t articulate it, they were undoubtedly feeling significant unease.

Now that they realized they were lying on sand, it was time to gather the strength to escape before the ground collapsed.

“What… what’s going on?”

And right on cue, intern Noh Yeonseok and Team Leader Kang Mina arrived, panting.

“Director! Are you okay?!”

Kang Mina’s call left Lee Jaehun momentarily puzzled.

“…Why are they calling me?”

“Are you hurt? Oh, you are hurt…!”

“No, geez.”

The one who screamed was Yoon Garam, yet they called for him.

Lee Jaehun suddenly recalled a story about a butler who raised a dog. Not knowing what the dog was doing but calling it before it caused trouble—every butler could relate to that tiresome situation.

Thinking this far, Lee Jaehun couldn’t help but retort in disbelief.

“Team Leader Kang, do you think I’m always getting hurt? Am I some trouble-making dog?!”

“Please be quiet, sir.”

“……”

“The pot calling the kettle black….”

“Ugh.”

Not wanting to further irritate the team’s only doctor, Lee Jaehun ended his short outburst and closed his mouth. He couldn’t help but show his displeasure, though.

Seeing this, Team Leader Kang and Intern Noh Yeonseok asked hesitantly.

“Um, earlier, we heard someone scream….”

“Wasn’t that Yoon Garam? Why is she so scared? Did a monster appear?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

Dr. Ha Sungyoon, who had just finished bandaging the burned area after cooling it with water, spoke in an unusually calm and polite tone.

“Director Lee Jaehun put his hand in the fire, and Yoon Garam was startled by it.”

“……”

“……”

That explanation left a lot to be desired, but after a moment of silence, their eyes turned to the only person they could look to for more answers—Director Lee Jaehun, who turned his head away with a sullen expression.

Intern Noh Yeonseok cautiously broke the silence.

“…Director?”

“What?”

“Why did you… put your hand in the fire?”

“I dozed off for a moment.”

“…That makes no sense…?”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, sorry.”

“……”

Now even a mere intern was questioning him.

Though he backed down quickly under Lee Jaehun’s glare, the suspicion in his eyes didn’t disappear. This was the reaction Lee Jaehun had aimed for, but since they hadn’t seen it happen firsthand, it wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped.

He wished they’d just be completely demoralized.

‘Just because he spent time with someone he likes, now he’s all confident….’

Tsk.

He clicked his tongue inwardly.

Although it was better in the long run to keep them mentally strong before the next push, on a purely personal level, seeing an overly confident subordinate was annoying.

Lee Jaehun glanced at Dr. Ha Sungyoon, who was finishing up the treatment, then blinked slowly and said.

“…Thank you.”

“I wonder if you even understand gratitude.”

“I’m always grateful, doctor.”

He shrugged and moved on without waiting for a response.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His steps were directed towards Yoon Garam, who was still sitting on the ground.

“…Yoon Garam.”

“Hic, sob, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to….”

“Yoon Garam, I’m sorry.”

“…What, what?”

As she lowered the hands covering her face, Lee Jaehun thought to himself.

‘As expected, she recovers quickly.’

In this world, where even the tiniest trauma can be amplified to the point of driving someone insane, Yoon Garam’s recovery was remarkable. If Lee Jaehun hadn’t read the novel, he might have thought her trauma was fake.

Reflecting on this, he continued to speak.

“I got a bit careless and ended up startling you. This won’t happen again, so how about taking a deep breath?”

“…I’m sorry….”

“Come on, breathe in. And out. Once more? In, and out. Good.”

“…….”

Yoon Garam looked at Lee Jaehun with a bewildered gaze as he spoke.

Her eyes were wide and rough.

“…Very good.”

A laugh escaped him.

It was, perhaps, reminiscent of gray.

Or like a damp, sunken thicket, or a moss-covered bathtub. Inside those deep green eyes, devoid of any vibrancy, something highly saturated flickered.

Burning moss, gnawing at tree roots on top. Consuming the sky and turning the forest to ashes, even burning people alive. That bright red thing.

Was it only Lee Jaehun who saw this vision?

“I’m sorry for startling you.”

“…I’m sorry for making a fuss.”

“It’s all okay now. The lost ones are back, so how about we eat?”

Probably not.

“…….”

“Everyone must be starving.”

It wasn’t just Lee Jaehun who saw those flames, Yoon Garam.

In this hidden world, trauma returns a thousandfold. Even though Lee Jaehun had blatantly triggered Yoon Garam’s trauma, she had calmed her despair and fear much faster than he expected.

A weary thought crossed his mind behind his smile.

‘There’s no one sane here.’

It was hilarious how they were all mad.

Yoon Garam’s scream was genuine. Such a scream couldn’t come from anything less than sheer terror, and her hyperventilation was not something that could be faked. She was truly overwhelmed by the sight of Lee Jaehun’s burnt hand.

But was that horror truly horrific for her? Did she perceive it as such? Did she describe it as horrific? Did she only feel that way?

“…I’m okay now.”

“That’s a relief.”

“…….”

“Seeing you look so vulnerable was painful.”

“…Yes.”

Lee Jaehun never empathized with the tears Yoon Garam sometimes showed.

‘Of course, it’s true that my empathy is lacking….’

Recalling his past life, he thought it wasn’t just that.

Her tears often felt empty. Her screams were unclear in their meaning. Her legs, giving way, resembled someone resting rather than someone in despair. Her eyes, dark like a dense forest, seemed to be looking into a definitive tunnel.

Yoon Garam’s pain was always hollow, making it impossible for him to pity her.

Unfortunately.

“…Good.”

I have something,

I’d like to ask once.

“Let’s rest and calm ourselves down.”

“…….”

“All of us.”

When you saw my hand, did you really feel fear?

“How do you feel?”

Was it really just that?

If so, then why were you smiling?