Chapter 85

It was a trap that no one could notice unless they looked at the ground.

Like a snare set for animals.

* * *

Watching Team Leader Kang being helplessly led by his hand, Lee Jaehun muttered to himself.

‘Wow, damn.’

Forget the plan, they all almost died together.

He struggled to calm his pounding heart, which felt like it was beating against his ribs, as he approached the students. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one startled by Kang Mina’s sudden action; the siblings on the tree were looking down with worried expressions.

The first to speak was Park Dahoon.

“No… Noona, are you okay…? I mean, why is ahjussi also… in such bad shape…?”

Whack.

Park Dayoung pulled her brother’s head down and shouted softly.

“Unnie…! Ahjussi!”

“Ah, seriously, you crazy…!”

“Whoa, whoa, don’t come down. Stay right there.”

Although it was troubling enough that Kang Mina was being dragged along, it was also clear that the Park siblings needed to be watched. Considering even their typical sibling bickering might have been a facade, Lee Jaehun thought.

He turned to Kang Mina and asked,

“Team Leader Kang, given the weather, wouldn’t it be better for you to climb up too? I can help you…”

“What is this?”

“…What?”

“Why, why did you, just now…”

Her voice trembled, and her gaze was unsteady.

Her face, illuminated by the torch, glowed a faint reddish hue, but under normal fluorescent light, her skin would have looked deathly pale. She was very confused.

Lee Jaehun blinked once, then suddenly remembered.

‘…Oh, right.’

In this world, traps like this weren’t common.

A world where people weren’t accustomed to pain felt rather pitiful, yet seeing Kang Mina’s cold, pale hand, he realized it wasn’t something to take lightly. To these fledglings, it must have felt like seeing a ghost.

Lee Jaehun pushed aside his frustration and put on the same calm expression he had shown to the protagonist, the doctor, and Detective Hong Kyungjun.

It was time to let these people in on his setup.

“…Team Leader Kang.”

“Yes, yes, Director.”

“Just to clarify, that wasn’t a ghost.”

“……”

The change in his expression and tone caused the others to freeze, but Lee Jaehun acted as if he didn’t notice, trying to appear as mentally unstable as possible.

“It wasn’t a ghost… It’s similar to the monsters we’ve seen.”

“…Monsters.”

“Kang Mina-ssi, you must have seen me, but you were momentarily enchanted by the monster.”

After a brief pause, he continued,

“…There are monsters like that.”

He needed to subtly hint that he was already under an enchantment.

It was a kind of breadcrumb.

The protagonist and the doctor would likely already suspect that his abnormal state was related to the algae monster. Though it was a basic inference anyone could make, given his current mental exhaustion, he might not even manage that basic deduction.

So now, it was time to show meaningful behavior. Even if they didn’t find anything strange right away, they should be able to recall later, when they have more time, and think, ‘Oh, that’s why that happened.’

‘If I just act a bit dazed and use some formal speech I haven’t used recently…’

They should be able to sense a small change at least.

The purpose of Lee Jaehun’s behavior was not just to indicate that he was affected by some condition. It was also time to explain the cause of the unease they had been feeling around him.

Of course, he couldn’t say it outright, but he could hint at it indirectly.

“That place is a flower field. I heard before that there was a flower field on the outskirts of the park, and indeed, there are many flowers.”

“I’ve heard about it too… It’s a place couples often visit…?”

“I’m not sure about that, but it seems certain that the flower field has transformed.”

Lee Jaehun openly shared his knowledge.

It wasn’t information he had discovered himself but rather something the protagonist, Jung Inho, had risked his life to obtain. Nonetheless, remembering the novel’s contents roughly allowed him to explain without issue.

“Of course, it didn’t use to be carved like a cliff.”

Lee Jaehun said, looking at the nearby cliff.

He had only glanced at it while grabbing Kang Mina, but he estimated it to be about the height of a five-story building. Falling from it could mean death if unlucky, or serious injury at best.

The cliff’s bottom was flat like the old park, forming an oval, and the various flowers filling it were enough to dazzle the eyes. If such a terrain existed in a real city, it would have been a famous tourist spot.

But this was the other world, and a centipede monster resided within.

“…It must be the monster down there that enchanted you.”

That creature devoured people whole.

‘Technically, it’s not the monster’s role to enchant survivors.’

Lee Jaehun said the monster might have enchanted her to tie it to his setup, but that wasn’t true. The beautiful flowers lured survivors to fall into the cliff, not the monster.

Flowers that shone with a transparent light like stained glass.

‘I heard they shine more brightly after feeding on the blood of fallen survivors.’

He also thought he had seen those glittering things somewhere before.

Large monsters filled the interior of a glass window. Beautiful, thin petals filled with teeth instead of stamens and pistils, walking to bite and devour a man’s side…

Perhaps in the flower shop.

“……”

…Well.

‘I can’t remember clearly.’

He couldn’t recall exactly where he had seen them, his mental state too frazzled to think. For now, this was good enough. It seemed so.

As he paused and stared at the cliff, Team Leader Kang, who had lost patience, spoke first. It was a sign she had noticed Lee Jaehun’s dazed behavior.

“There… there’s a monster down there too?”

“…There should be. Where there are such traps, monsters are usually present.”

“……”

“I was surprised that you ran towards me, but honestly, I’m also surprised you came this far, Kang Mina-ssi.”

He continued in his characteristic mechanical tone.

“I expected you wouldn’t go far.”

And this was partly sincere.

‘Did I overestimate her?’

Lee Jaehun had thought that no matter how much Kang Mina ran, she would linger around the park’s center. But seeing it in person, that wasn’t the case. Fortunately, they had left obvious traces and escaped, arriving just in time. If they weren’t fledglings, this could have been much more troublesome.

Starting with the unexpected death of Team Leader Kang, it was clear that the other team members’ mental states were far from normal. Additionally, the situation had escalated too much to deal with everything left unfinished and even touch the flowerbed.

‘In the end, it’s a huge relief that we arrived before we fell into a trap.’

Team Leader Kang, who had been listening quietly to Lee Jaehun, opened his mouth after a few moments of moving his lips.

“So, we’re all the way to the outskirts of the park.”

“It took us a while to find you.”

“Oh….”

After hesitating a couple of times, she asked.

“How did you find us…?”

“……”

It seemed like her brain was finally starting to work.

‘Given time, she might even figure out that I was ensnared by the algae monster.’

Of course, that was just a made-up story.

Hiding his inner satisfaction, Lee Jaehun tried to maintain his weary and stern expression. It was polite to wait for the chick to finish speaking.

As expected, Team Leader Kang couldn’t hide her trembling eyes and murmured.

“We, we don’t know the way here either. We were lost, wandering around.”

“……”

“And you also said you weren’t familiar with the park, right?”

“I am not.”

“So how did you find us? No, more importantly….”

A sigh of frustration escaped her.

“…how do you know all this?”

Just reincarnate one more time, you little chick.

Though Lee Jaehun muttered this inappropriate comment inwardly, his expression remained unchanged. Naturally, it was irritating to see a fluffy chick while he was struggling in the mud.

Then again, he couldn’t deny that his knowledge of this world came from novels he had read in his past life. Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud.

“Why, why… is the monster there? How do you know…?”

“……”

“Aren’t you not supposed to know that? Isn’t that right?”

The Director Lee Jaehun that Team Leader Kang knew wasn’t in a vastly different situation from their group. If anything, his wealthy background might lead to more dissatisfaction, yet he was revealing more knowledge than he should have.

Watching Team Leader Kang Mina struggle with the inconsistency and confusion, Lee Jaehun maintained his composure as he replied.

“…I just had a feeling.”

“…Ah?”

“And I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

He blinked once and continued.

“But, Kang Mina-ssi.”

“……”

“Can’t we discuss this a bit later?”

“Oh….”

“If you’re still curious… sure, you can ask Deputy Jung later. Or maybe when everyone’s gathered.”

Though by then, we probably won’t be having this conversation.

After saying that, Lee Jaehun swiftly shifted his expression to his usual tone and demeanor. He noticed Team Leader Kang flinch at the quick change, but he didn’t bother to stop talking.

In the narrow space barely lit by the torchlight, his low voice resonated.

“Before coming here, I met Deputy Jung. He was running towards the doctor with Kwon Yeonhee…. As far as I know, our intern had already fled first.”

“……”

“I thought Yeonseok would be here. Guess not?”

His words carried an unmistakable weariness.

‘Ah, is it time to reset?’

The best option he could think of now was hoping the protagonist handled things well.

Though resetting once usually increased the chances of things going better, dying was still a tiring process. It would have been ideal if the plan could be completed without anyone dying.

Finally understanding Lee Jaehun’s words, Team Leader Kang spoke up, her face pale.

“…Ye, Yeonseok… you haven’t seen him?”

“I was the last to leave because I was dealing with those four-legged monsters.”

“No, why did you do that alone? I mean, that’s not it. Yeonseok….”

“I’ll go look for him.”

“…What?”

He answered Team Leader Kang’s question.

“If he’s hiding somewhere, I can find him quickly.”

It wasn’t an empty promise.

Finding traces left by the ‘chicks’ wasn’t too difficult, and if Noh Yeonseok was alive, his personality wouldn’t lead him to panic and run like Team Leader Kang. If he was hiding somewhere, he could be found before dawn.

Unless, of course, he had been taken by some unknown monster.

‘Besides, I need to see how the other group of survivors is moving.’

It was crucial to confirm if they had indeed teamed up as expected.

Given the high likelihood of a reset, information about the other group of survivors was even more important. Considering Detective Hong Kyungjun’s nature, he wouldn’t be sitting still in this chaos, so Lee Jaehun needed to see that and plan the necessary routes.

But Team Leader Kang, unaware of Lee Jaehun’s intentions, shook her head slowly.

“No, no… Director.”

“What do you mean, no? That’s insubordination.”

“Stop changing the subject. Don’t act like it’s nothing, seriously…!”

“……”

Instantly labeled as a frivolous man, Lee Jaehun felt a pang of sadness. Though his personality had changed somewhat after recalling his past life, his previous self hadn’t disappeared.

Momentarily forgetting the fatigue etched on his face, he wore a blank expression.

“No, I mean… why is Team Leader Kang talking to me like that…?”

“Stop pretending, I’m telling you! Please, just don’t do that!”

“……”

Hey, that wasn’t acting….

‘Is this what they call a mysterious defeat?’

Not knowing Lee Jaehun’s inner thoughts, Team Leader Kang, seemingly quite angry, almost grabbed him by the collar and shook him. Technically, she grabbed his vest near the chest, but it felt just as intense.

“Yeonseok is a grown adult. He can handle himself. We can all do well!”

“…Team Leader Kang, please calm down….”

“Why do you keep looking at us like that? Why do you treat us like that? Do you think we’ll all die if you don’t bleed for a day? Do you think we’re that pathetic?!”

“No….”

As Lee Jaehun couldn’t respond to the sharp point, Kang Mina, face flushed and near tears, interpreted it in her own way.

“…We’re really grateful and sorry for your help, but… but….”

“……”

“What if you die…?”

Her voice was thick with tears.

“Director, I don’t know what happened to you or why you’re acting like this, or why you know these things, but….”

“…Team Leader Kang.”

“Can’t you not die? Can’t you not die because of us?”

“Die? What are you talking about….”

“Please, don’t die. It really seems like you might die like this.”

“……”

Damn, maybe I should start a fortune-telling business.

‘Is this chick not actually a chick…?’

Having actually died and come back to life once, Lee Jaehun found himself at a loss for words again. They say that people who don’t usually get angry are scarier when they do, and this was beyond that—her words were so sharp they pricked his nonexistent conscience.

But it wasn’t the right time to back down.

‘This is actually an opportunity.’

If he were thinking of fostering genuine trust, this would be the moment to end with a heartfelt hug, but life isn’t that easy, chick.

‘Besides… she seems to have grasped the setup to some extent.’

She had just said, ‘I don’t know what happened.’

The sentence itself meant she didn’t know, but when combined with ‘I don’t know why you’re acting like this or why you know these things,’ it indicated she had some inkling. Team Leader Kang had instinctively understood and accepted, to some degree, the story Lee Jaehun had spun to Jung Inho and the doctor.

So the initial groundwork was somewhat absorbed, and the Park siblings, who had been listening from the trees, likely understood the situation with their quick wits.

‘It’s only a matter of time before the first setup unravels.’

It seemed most appropriate to reveal everything when daylight came, and everyone was gathered. Now, he could comfortably proceed with the storyline of ‘being possessed by the algae monster and becoming an enemy.’

Lee Jaehun smiled, and Kang Mina spoke.

“Don’t go.”

He responded.

“Team Leader Kang, do what you can do.”

“……”

“And I will do what I can do. Isn’t that right?”

“…Director.”

“Go on.”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

She was still crying.

“I’m sorry….”