Chapter 97

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]

Chapter 97

In Lee Jaehun’s previous life, it was a principle to avoid interacting with anyone who posed a threat.

In his past life, even if his neck was severed, or his limbs were torn apart, he couldn't die unless it was the right time. Death in the current world could be used as a means of escape, but no matter how painful or miserable, he would keep coming back to life in the previous world.

Therefore, those in any combat-related professions would avoid interaction if they sensed danger. Those who were treated with such caution would accept it without question. This distance was a form of mutual respect and a boundary to protect their sanity.

In Lee Jaehun’s view, this wasn’t much different in the current life.

‘Isn’t it natural to cut ties if you don’t get along?’

Who would go through all that trouble to please someone else?

Sure, if you worked in the same company, you’d have to put on a capitalist smile, but if the other person was annoying, it was common sense not to pretend to be friendly unless necessary.

‘Why waste energy on unnecessary things when I’m already exhausted?’

Of course, there were more complicated aspects to human relationships, but Lee Jaehun, having only recently recalled his previous life, couldn’t fully grasp such common sense. The intense experiences from his past life overshadowed those from his current one, consuming his brain.

The previous world’s influence was so powerful that it muddled his mind, and his current poor condition didn’t help. Since he was on the brink of death, his mind focused solely on survival. And the survival instincts closest to him were those from his previous life.

The solutions his struggling brain came up with were, as always, far from perfect.

So…

“Director…!”

“…….”

He hadn’t expected those chicks to come looking for him.

“…Why did you come…?”

Lee Jaehun gathered all his patience to refrain from asking why they had come.

He didn’t know what was going on, but asking the ones who had come to find him, ‘Why did you do that?’ wouldn’t be good for their morale. No need to throw cold water on whatever effort they had made.

Of course, that didn’t erase his curiosity.

“How did you find me?”

When he tried to ask indirectly, Jung Inho, who was leading the two chicks, answered with a strangely stiff face.

“…I don’t know if you’re really asking that, but it was easy to find you with all the blood you left behind.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

That’s not really what I’m curious about.

He had tried to ask indirectly, worried that asking directly would hurt their feelings, but the protagonist answered straightforwardly. This was beyond frustrating for Lee Jaehun, who was already exhausted.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back and asked.

“Then why did you come?”

Lee Jaehun knew they felt afraid of him.

That’s why they had run away with such pale faces, and he thought he had put some distance between them. He expected them to avoid him by now.

The otherworld had the power to amplify human thoughts. From evil thoughts to worries and concerns—any negative mental element a survivor had would be magnified to drive them mad. These chicks were no exception.

So, no matter how much I did for them….

‘They should have forgotten it by now, right?’

This isn’t some romantic comedy or third-rate medieval drama where a few words or actions would make someone fall in love or swear loyalty.

Moreover, he was well aware that his actions often caused discomfort or displeasure in others. In such extreme circumstances, there was no reason for the protagonist’s group to consider the annoying villain, Lee Jaehun.

‘Especially since this is an adult-themed grim survival genre.’

He was convinced that they hadn’t come looking for him out of concern.

But then again, is that really the case? Even if they weren't worried about Lee Jaehun, they would know his usefulness. Having seen how familiar he seemed with this world several times, they probably thought he would be able to find the scattered group even in this darkness.

With that in mind, Lee Jaehun spoke more comfortably.

“Sorry, but the only one with me is our intern. Oh, and Team Leader Kang and the students…”

“No, no, wait a minute, Director.”

“Huh?”

“Uh, no, uh…”

Kwon Yeonhee, who had been hesitating, suddenly ran over and grabbed his hand before Lee Jaehun could grasp the situation. His hand was stained with blood from an unknown source, covered in spots.

As Lee Jaehun’s face twisted in astonishment, Kwon Yeonhee cried out timidly.

“I’m sorry…!”

He asked back sincerely.

“…What, what for?”

“I’m sorry for running away and leaving you behind, Director! Please punish me, I’m trash!”

“No.”

What is this?

‘…Damn, what happened to my build-up?’

What happened for things to turn out like this?

He looked up in disbelief and saw Yoon Garam apologizing with a regretful expression, while Deputy Jung Inho was looking at him with an inexplicable victorious gaze.

Lee Jaehun felt like losing his mind at the insubordination of his subordinate, even though he could somewhat understand Yoon Garam’s behavior.

‘What’s going on…? Seriously, what did I do wrong for this to happen?’

If Lee Jaehun’s efforts had been successful, a heartwarming situation like this should not have unfolded.

He wanted them to be afraid of him and keep their distance. Honestly speaking, he thought he had succeeded in instilling that fear, and since they had scattered, he expected some conflicts to arise, leading to them naturally distancing themselves.

‘But what is this, seriously, what is this.’

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]

Lee Jaehun’s head pounded as Kwon Yeonhee clung to him, almost crying. At this point, he felt a sense of betrayal, like being stabbed in the back by a trusted colleague.

In reality, neither Kwon Yeonhee nor the others had particularly strong mental resilience. They were from a softer world, so it couldn’t be helped, but it was also true that Lee Jaehun had been trying to toughen their minds.

‘Still, there’s a limit.’

Did their mental strength suddenly increase just because they received a bit of criticism? That’s nonsense.

But if that’s just nonsense, then why are they so fine?

In Lee Jaehun’s plan, there was no scenario where he quickly reunited with the group, and even if there was, he thought they would be scared of him. Given his corpse-like appearance and deliberate unease, combined with the background, there was no way they wouldn’t have been scared.

‘When it was just Noh Yeonseok, I was confident I could handle it, but now…’

At this rate, about 80% of his intended plan seemed meaningless. Had he just engaged in grandiose and magnificent nonsense, only to end up weakening everyone and making a fool of himself?

Distraught, he gently extricated his hand from Kwon Yeonhee’s grip.

“…Uh… okay, okay. I understand….”

“Waaah, don’t go…!”

“No, no, I’m not going. I’m not going anywhere, where would I go… But let’s let go of my hand.”

“Why, why, why, waah. No, don’t go. Why are you doing this?”

“Why do you think, really.”

Lee Jaehun barely managed to control his expression, holding back the urge to shout, but he couldn’t hide a drop of cold sweat. It was due to the intense gaze piercing his back.

‘It seems I’m not the only one taken aback by this sudden melodrama.’

It was the gaze of Detective Hong Kyungjun, who had been pushed to the background by this unexpected melodrama.

Realizing that 80% of his plan had gone awry, Lee Jaehun was experiencing a very complex internal conflict. It wasn’t just because of the burning gaze piercing through his back.

Why did my grand build-up collapse like a sandcastle without a sound? Why am I holding hands with another woman right now? Damn, only my kid's mom can touch my hand. What do I say to Detective Hong? And more than anything, what’s up with the protagonist’s eyes?

‘No, no, how do I fix this?’

The start of problem-solving is understanding the root cause, but Lee Jaehun couldn’t pinpoint where things had gone wrong. In short, he had no answers.

Deciding to tackle the immediate problem first, Lee Jaehun attempted once more to pull his hand away.

“Well… my hands are very dirty.”

“Who says your hands are dirty, Director!”

“…….”

Momentarily taken aback, he stammered.

“Who… who wouldn’t think so…?”

Are your eyes just for decoration, Kwon Yeonhee?

I was trying to indirectly say that it’s uncomfortable holding your hand, so please let go. I even gave you an excuse, thinking you’d be embarrassed if I asked directly. But seriously.

Lee Jaehun quickly withdrew his hand from Kwon Yeonhee’s grasp and took a step back. For some reason, Kwon Yeonhee’s face stiffened and looked like she was about to cry, Yoon Garam averted her gaze, and Jung Inho raised his eyebrows, but none of it mattered. It was more bizarre that she had grabbed his hand in the first place.

At that moment, Detective Hong Kyungjun’s voice reached his ears.

“Is this the group member you mentioned?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

But the way you say it…

‘Why are you acting so friendly all of a sudden?’

Honestly, it was a bit bewildering. Weren’t we still in the phase of feeling each other out?

Still, this reaction was somewhat understandable. Detective Hong Kyungjun was probably suspicious of Lee Jaehun, Jung Inho, and a few others. To connect with a suspect, at least some form of relationship-building was necessary, so he probably picked the most familiar person to approach.

Nevertheless, it felt a bit off.

‘He wants to get acquainted, but his attitude is too stiff.’

Detective Hong was inherently rigid but had learned to be flexible over the years. Even if he was suspicious, his personality wouldn’t let him show it, yet his current expression subtly revealed his wariness. It was at the level of dealing with a ‘stranger.’

In a way, it was accurate to call them ‘strangers,’ but still. This was different from the Detective Hong Kyungjun he had read about.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Detective Hong Kyungjun.”

“…We met once before, didn’t we? I apologize for any rudeness then. I’m Jung Inho.”

“I’m glad you remember.”

As they started conversing, leaving Lee Jaehun out, he decided to step away to clear his head. In the original novel, there were frequent confrontations like this, so there was no need for a third-rate villain like Lee Jaehun to interfere.

Having made his decision, he led Kwon Yeonhee and approached Yoon Garam.

“Are you injured anywhere, Yoon Garam-ssi?”

“Not at all. It’s you I’m worried about, Director, fighting alone.”

“I stayed because I could manage.”

Saying this, Lee Jaehun subtly scanned Yoon Garam.

‘As expected… besides some soot, there are no burns.’

Yoon Garam’s nature was to feel both pleasure and fear when witnessing fires. And in the otherworld, one of her abilities was ‘luck of not being burned.’

In any fire-related incidents, Yoon Garam would survive. She could crawl out of a fire pit with difficulty and find a way out even if trapped in an enclosed space. In the park episode, where fire-related incidents were frequently mentioned, Yoon Garam was the survivor most suited for survival.

However, this was under the assumption that there were no other people around.

“…Anyway, it’s fortunate that no one is seriously injured.”

If Yoon Garam wished for someone else’s survival, that person was highly likely to die engulfed in flames.

A perfect constitution for surviving alone.

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]