* * *
Lee Jaehun fundantally disliked people.
It wasnt just a matter of being not nice, he simply disliked them.
If people were kind, he found them frustrating and couldnt empathize, so he disliked them. If they were bad, he thought of them as social trash, so he disliked them. People who were flexible annoyed him, and those who were straightforward didnt communicate well, so he disliked them.
But what if there was soone who had so similarities with him?
In that case, whether the person was helpful or not, you could assu that he criticized them internally every day. A pri example of this was Deputy Jung Inho.
Of course, Lee Jaehun, who liked the word efficiency, didnt undervalue soones worth without a reason. However, he fundantally disliked people and didnt invest more attention than necessary. That was the best approach.
In this way, Lee Jaehun, with deep distrust for humans, made an effort to maintain a facade when needed in social situations. He generally tried to morize faces to so extent for the sake of social life. However, in a situation like this, he had no room to keep his composure.
The main reason was that, first of all, his body was in pieces.
In the previous world, it might not have been strange for him to faint right after leaving the company. However, the other world was a space that relied on thoughts and consciousness.
The reason Lee Jaehun could run and endure so far was precisely because of his exceptional ntal strength, not because of good physical fitness or regenerative abilities. Of course, the influence of his past life had improved his conditions sowhat, but it wasnt due to strong physical attributes.
Moreover, Lee Jaehun had a sowhat superstitious belief in the novels he read in his past life. He was aware of this aspect of himself, but at least in terms of character settings, with the exception of Deputy Jung Inho, he had been right so far.
Therefore, finding solace in the face of a character who sacrificed even his life because he was too good-natured was inevitable.
The nerves that had been on edge since recalling his past life. The brain that had rolled like crazy once it was swallowed by the other world. A body that could easily die at any mont. Furthermore, a kind character whose eyes t his right after surviving being chased by a monster.
No matter how much he tried to maintain consciousness, it was a composition where Lee Jaehun could no longer hold on.
Having barely escaped from the worst situation imaginable, Lee Jaehun eventually lost his consciousness. The kind character who witnessed it in front of his eyes saved him with a pale face, just as Lee Jaehun had desperately expected.
With her short black hair, Constable Kim couldnt hide her shaken gaze as she spoke.
Sir? Sir, please wake up.
.
If you do this here, its not all right No. What on earth is this situation?
Tuck!
Although trembling hands touched Lee Jaehuns shoulder, they recoiled at the cold sensation of blood.
.
It was real blood.
Unlike what one might see in movies, it wasnt gushing and squishy; instead, it spewed out fresh, red blood. However, the blood had cooled and settled in the early morning breeze.
Whats going on here?
Even though Constable Kim already knew that this was reality, the touch of the slippery texture and the cold temperature on her fingertips made her suddenly feel nauseous.
Despite being nothing more than a scrape from stumbling and falling, the strange and dizzying sensation of the blood oozing from her whole body to her feet overwheld her.
She witnessed the bizarre illusion of a single drop of blood spreading across her entire hand.
Ha, da, how do we handle this, seriously.
Squish!
Her trembling hand clenched with weakened strength.
Literally, the force wouldnt go in. The overwhelming sensation of detachnt spread throughout her body, tingling, reminiscent of insects crawling up her spine. Struggling to face the situation as much as possible, Constable Kim took a deep breath.
Then, suddenly, she rembered the words the man in front of her had just said.
Dont die while helping others; take care of yourself.
.
Even in the midst of being terrified, Constable Kim couldnt help but be incredulous, and she bit her lip.
For now.
.
For now, lets move, move him.
Constable Kim tried to roll her unresponsive head as much as possible, but even after her effort, things didnt seem to be coming together. Nevertheless, she blurted out, For now, lets move him.
It was just the beginning of March. Even though winter had recently passed, it was still cold, especially during the hours before the sun rose.
If it was the oldest dawn, when the sun hadnt yet graced the world with its presence, it was even more chilling. Placing a patient, bleeding profusely, in the midst of this jungle was a crazy idea.
So, they had to go where people were. Sowhere with individuals who could provide so assistance.
Where on earth is Detective?
Why does this have to happen today?
Constable Kims eyes reddened with a mixture of fear, injustice, and an unfamiliar sense that went beyond those. The anxiety of having a stranger who might die at any mont in the middle of this jungle heightened her emotions to an extre.
Indeed, she didnt even know who this person was. Not just personal details, but she didnt even know how this person ended up in front of her. If he showed up while she was patrolling the area and making noise, she probably didnt even realize it.
But he was a dying person, and not only that.
.
He was the one who helped her.
So, she wanted to save him.
Lets move him, get treatnt. Ah, treatnt.
.
We should start with treatnt. I learned ergency first aid, Ive learned it all.
Constable Kim muttered continuously, searching her pockets, but her fingertips continued to grasp at thin air.
Naturally, there were no appropriate dical tools for soone who had fallen into this strange world without anything. All the knowledge she had learned required tools that were based on concepts of necessity. At the very least, she had to create those tools.
In other words, Constable Kim had no imdiate way to treat the man in front of her.
Once again, her face turned pale.
What should I do?
.
Oh, darn He better not die on the way.
In the end, Constable Kim awkwardly lifted the naless ergency patient onto her back.
She felt helpless and lacked knowledge to treat the man in front of her. If she couldnt do it, she needed to find soone else who could. Staying in the sa place out of fear wouldnt accomplish anything.
Suddenly, Constable Kim sensed the feeling of her back soaking with thick blood. It was akin to thawing a frozen piece of at delivered to room temperature, but more detailed sensations of temperature, touch, and sll penetrated her skin, making her tremble.
Drip! Drip!
The sound of blood dripping onto the ground echoed.
Constable Kim, with eyes tightly shut as if she had seen sothing terrifying, took a mont, then exhaled shakily, opening her eyelids. She muttered, thinking of an elderly person who might not be far away.
Maybe you know so folk redies.
Speaking nonsensical words to herself for her own comfort, Constable Kim struggled to move her feet.
While her job demanded physical strength and endurance, lifting a fully limp adult male was not an easy task.
As the sky brightened, she extended her trembling legs, checking the path ahead, which was gradually turning white.
Thud!
.
Once again, the sound of blood dripping echoed. It was unmistakably a sound, yet it passed through the deepest part of the ears, leaving an unfamiliar sensation that gnawed at the brain. It was the most dreadful noise in the world.
The most dreadful sensation.
* * *
Mina-ssi.
Oh.
Kang Mina lifted her head at the voice calling her.
That the boss.
Yoon Garam, was it?
Thinking of the persons na, Kang Mina blinked her eyes a couple of tis.
Although it was a flower shop near the company, flower shops werent places she would often visit unless there was a special occasion.
Yoon Garam, the flower shop owner, whom she hadnt properly faced before, wasnt exactly a familiar person to Kang Mina. Part of it was due to his reserved nature.
What should I say? Why did he approach ? Carefully considering her words, lips quivering, Yoon Garam spoke with a smiling expression.
Its nothing special, just thought we could have a light chat.
A chat?
Just sotis, even having a conversation can be comforting.
After saying that, Yoon Garam took a seat next to Kang Mina. As Kang Mina, slender and tall, settled into her seat, she lowered her gaze, following the line of sight that had been staring at her. Her short hair, reflected in the flickering firelight, showcased a rich brown hue. It almost seed like the color resembled the flas.
Playing with the fabric that lightly covered her hand over her wrist, Yoon Garam, who had been staring into the fire, turned his gaze back to Kang Mina.
Just wanted to chat with you. I thought about talking with Yeonhee-ssi as well, but she seed busy chatting with the kids.
Yeonhee-ssi is because she has a good personality.
Yes, she really had a great personality. I rember when you bought succulents last ti. It was a unique one with flowers attached
A soft voice continued.
Talking about the people who ca and went to the flower shop, what kind of flowers they wanted, the reasons for making bouquets, and any interesting incidents that occurred. Yoon Garam continued the conversation with his distinctive soothing voice.
In response to his gentle tone, Kang Mina occasionally nodded, expressed small admiration, or gestured understanding. She realized that Yoon Garam was deliberately sharing such stories to make her feel comfortable.
As soone not particularly talkative, Kang Mina wouldnt have been able to present mundane things interestingly like Yoon Garam.
But
.
Well, Kang Mina simply kept her lips sealed, attentively listening to his voice.
After a considerable ti of storytelling, as silence settled between them, Yoon Garam hesitated before asking.
May I bring up a story about Director Lee Jaehun?
.
He was a kind person.
Or maybe cruel.
In the sinking silence, asking for permission to bring up that na was either affectionate or cunning, knowing the weight it carried.
Kang Mina suddenly felt a profound exhaustion. It was a fatigue that pulled at her ankles and choked her breath.
She intended to say, Its okay, but in a blink, she uttered different words.
Our company has many floors.
It seed like an oddly abrupt start.
I think it was around the 45th floor. I work on the 23rd floor.
Thats a really tall building.
So, coming down was really challenging.
.
No It felt stifling, just.
When she first landed in this colorless world, and when she saw the vast black-and-white city through the glass wall. Even though there was clearly color, the world appeared pale as if it were devoid of it, and her breath got caught in her throat, making it difficult to breathe.
Kang Mina realized it was an instinctive fear.
It wasnt the fear that cos from knowing sothing, but rather the threat one can feel just by being alive.
In that mont, recalling how many floors she was on, she once again felt a dreadful sense of helplessness and despair.
I needed to go out, wanted to go out but it seed impossible. I thought it was impossible.
Ironically, she had this thought less than three minutes after arriving in this world. Kang Mina had no idea what was in this world, yet she found herself thinking and speaking that way.
Without any basis, her mind was consud by baseless fear.
But Director Lee Jaehun was different.
.
He was perfectly fine on his own.
Kang Mina regained her composure as she observed Director Lee Jaehun. It was possible.
Naturally, Kang Mina was soone greatly influenced by the people around her.
If those around her were fearful, she too would beco frightened, and if those around her were composed, Kang Mina would regain her own composure. For her, Director Lee Jaehuns composed deanor was a significant source of support.
He instructed Deputy Manager Jung Inho to pull out a pipe protruding from sowhere on the wall. The aged and corroded pipe broke along the seams as it was pulled, and around that ti, Deputy Manager Jung Inho erged from the break room with sothing.
It was a container, either holding snacks or tools.
Jung Inho had been assigned a task by Director Lee Jaehun.
Observing this scene, Kang Mina sensed an unknown anxiety.
For so reason, I had no idea why.
Jung Inho took Kang Mina and Noh Yeonseok, who was still working as an intern, and brought them to Director Lee Jaehun. It was then, standing before Director Lee Jaehun, that Kang Mina realized one significant fact.
Except for us, everyone else was in no state to communicate.
Despite not knowing the reason, Director Lee provided us with so order, those of us who managed to co to our senses.
If were talking about the order, that from when we ca to the park?
Yes, exactly. Thats right. It was already decided by the company, so
It felt familiar, so I did it that way. Since Ive done it once.
She spoke, looking at the flas flickering gracefully.
Since Ive done it.
Kang Mina had a good relationship with Noh Yeonseok, who was still working as an intern. Not only because he constantly considered her reserved personality, but it seed that Noh Yeonseok himself felt most comfortable with Kang Mina. It seed like there was sothing more than just familiarity.
Thanks to him, she found out that Noh Yeonseok, the intern, engaged in regular exercise.
He does boxing, taekwondo, and often goes for runs. He even cut ties with a gym and goes there regularly.
I thought Noh Yeonseok would be at the front. Turns out, I, who dont know how to do anything, wanted soone else to do it for .
Mina-ssi.
But the one at the front was Director Lee.
He was at the very front.
I really didnt expect that.
It was sothing Director Lee Jaehun himself decided.
They didnt have frequent conversations with Noh Yeonseok, and the fact that he exercised wasnt a well-known story. Nevertheless, Director Lee Jaehun surprisingly knew what hobby the intern had. He pointed out that Noh Yeonseok, who was convenient to assign to either end, was suitable for the role.
For this reason, Kang Mina guessed that Director Lee Jaehun would place Noh Yeonseok at the very front.
After all, Noh Yeonseok was just an intern who pretended to be a strong individual, and he was obviously the most physically fit among them. Kang Mina couldnt help but imagine the obvious future where he would be sacrificed.
However, it turned out that Director Lee Jaehun himself took the lead, and Noh Yeonseok, the intern, was placed at the very back.
It was a perfect dedication and logic that left no room for objections.
Its truly impressive. How did he, in this unfamiliar world decide to take the lead despite witnessing such a situation?
Ill never understand it in my lifeti. Even if I do, I probably couldnt do the sa.
She was just scared.
She was overwheld by fear, trapped in terror because she had no idea what would happen. It was true now, and probably in the future as well.
As she thought about it, Kang Minas voice was drowned out by dampness.
I was just too busy trying to get my act together.
She didnt know or do anything properly.
Kang Mina knew herself well. She wasnt strong, didnt have good physical stamina, wasnt brave, and lacked the intelligence to endure all of that.
She was just a diocre individual who couldnt handle things perfectly, even if they were just simple tasks.
Nevertheless, aware of her own integrity, she realized that she needed to rely on her companions.
Not wanting to die and not wanting to feel pain, she eventually realized that she needed soones help. To avoid experiencing pain, she understood that soone else had to sacrifice themselves. She was the fool who couldnt pay a price without inflicting pain on others.
Nevertheless, Director Lee Jaehun assigned a task.
He told to draw lines on the wall with a pen.
Since the company is like a maze, he said to leave a trail or sothing like that.
It was a trivial task, but ironically, she found solace in it.
The director used to say all the ti, Im getting angry for your sake. If I didnt care about you, I wouldnt bother scolding you.
Hes quite old-fashioned.
Yes, whenever I got scolded, I would go to the restroom and cry or sothing. But now that it turned out like this.
Yes, now that its like this, it sohow brings comfort.
Ah, he wont abandon .
Even if Im useless I wont be abandoned.
That was her consolation.
Director Lee Jaehun assigned her a trivial task, and it ant that he sohow wanted to give her work. Without saying a word, in his rough consideration, Kang Minah sensed that he wouldnt abandon them.
Of course, that didnt an the process of leaving the company wasnt at all frightening. Nevertheless,
You saved .
Saved you?
I was about to die, and you saved .
Kang Minah still rembered that ti. It felt like having a hangover, her vision swaying, her head feverish, her limbs weak. Nevertheless, she had to run for survival during those tis.
Her mind was too scattered. But she wanted to live, so she ran. However, due to her scattered mind, Kang Minah almost fell from the railing inside the building.
At that mont, I looked down.
It would have been better if she hadnt seen it.
Below, there were monsters gathered like baby birds waiting for food.
They were gathering to eat , to chew and swallow .
Monsters?
They were so grotesque, frightening, and just I hated it. I couldnt even scream.
At that mont,
Director Lee Jaehun grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.
Since her body was already halfway over, it wouldnt have been easy to grab her easily, but he grabbed her by the collar and threw her towards the corridor.
In an instant, Kang Minah couldnt co to her senses, but at that mont, Director Lee Jaehun shouted at her.
I told you to run.
So, she ran.
Without the luxury to think, she ran as commanded.
Later, I found out that you got hurt. While you were lifting , the monsters stabbed your leg. That was the wound you got at that ti.
After that, you kept getting injured. I dont know why, but there were wounds on your arm, and when you visited the flower shop, you got a burn on your ankle. Its so absurd and funny that you got hurt trying to save soone else.
Thats
But still, you stayed alive.
Kang Minah, who had been looking at the campfire, shifted her gaze to Yoon Garam. Her eyes, filled with emotions, had already settled calmly.
It was both conviction and greed.
So, youll stay alive.
More precisely, it was the conviction born out of greed.
Director Lee Jaehun couldnt have died.
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