Theatrical Regression Life

‘I know I have a bad personality.’

These weren't empty words, it became more clear after thinking about his past life.

He was really bad-tempered, to the point where people around him would raise their hands and feet and walk away.

However, it was a little embarrassing, so to speak.

“If your previous life was like a dog, shouldn’t your next life be a little better?”

How can life be one dog after another?

Lee Jaehun murmured to himself as he lay down on the bed.

He was so distracted that he couldn't even change his clothes properly. It's crazy that today was the weekend, he almost missed work without notice.

Lee Jaehun, who had been staring blankly into space, salivated and tore his hair.

“Fuck my life… .”

Even though he was old-fashioned1, he refrained from swearing if possible. But when he remembered his previous life, swears clung to his mouth.

If the people who knew him were to see this, they would lament that the old-fashioned trash has evolved into a potty mouth.

However, the world in his previous life was a place where he could not survive without swearing.

In order to survive in a place where there is no value in life, no human rights, and people die frequently, it was impossible not to be squeamish.

Lee Jaehun, who was brooding over the memories of his previous life, scratched his head and raised his upper body.

‘The situation comes first.’

It was a kind of obsession, a habit he could never shake off from in his previous life.

Lee Jaehun, who always wanted a better life even in such a world, learned how to judge calmly in order to avoid the worst outcome no matter how bad he fell.

Even if he had the ghastly experience of recalling his previous life, it was no exception.

He got out of bed and headed to the kitchen first.

It was cold because he had only eaten out recently and hadn't cooked much. He took out a sharpened kitchen knife from the kitchen.

‘What was it called? I think I heard it was a Damascus cleaver.’

After examining the sharpness of the knife for a moment, he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hand.

“Let’s see… .”

Whirik, Tak.

Lee Jaehun tossed and turned the knife, which was not very large, to check the feeling of it in his hand.

He was an ordinary office worker.

Although he occupied the high position of a manager, he did not have the skills to boldly throw a knife and play with it in the least.

Even if he used a knife, wasn’t it only to the extent of cutting steak?

And yet, Lee Jaehun easily performed techniques that would have been impossible just yesterday, and this led him to a hypothesis.

It was a pretty plausible hypothesis after thinking about it for a while.

Just like inheriting memories from a previous life, wouldn't it be that he inherited the skills and powers of his past life?

'But I can't imitate my past self with just my memory.'

If he wanted to use a technique, he had to build the required muscle and learn the timing.

No matter how clearly he recalled his previous life, there would be limitations, but surprisingly, he was able to display hand-coordinate abilities similar to his previous life.

It meant that the muscles that did not exist yesterday were developed overnight.

In addition to simple memories, his body became capable of learning skills from his previous life.

‘… Of course, recalling memories from a previous life is unrealistic, but... .’

He was a little puzzled.

The world of his previous life and the world of today was not at all the same.

In this place, abilities that could only be found in novels were taken for granted in the previous world, and the environment here could not be the same as there.

However, if you can learn the skills of your previous life, how will abilities that cannot exist here appear?

“… It's a bit embarrassing.”

Jiik.

He murmured softly, then grabbed the knife he had been playing with in one hand and slashed his forearm.

With the familiar sound of his skin tearing, bright red blood dripped like water.

Looking at the wound that, of course, did not heal right away, Lee Jaehun tilted his head.

“Are you saying that this isn’t possible anymore?”

Standards are weird.

[tl/note: he’s saying the world’s standard is weird if he can gain muscles in a day but can’t heal fast.]

He muttered while looking for bandages in the living room drawer.

His body in his previous life would regenerate within 10 seconds of being injured.

Seeing that it doesn't work now, it seems that unlike the technique demonstrated with the knife, the ability to quickly regenerate itself cannot be inherited.

Lee Jaehun, who found a first-aid kit, applied medicine to his wound and wrapped a bandage over it.

He had applied gauze and pressed it to stop the bleeding. Judging from that natural action, it seemed that he learned not only knife skills but also other actions along with his memory.

Plus, the pain of his wounds felt very dull.

Before he recalled his past life, even a single cut on the palm of his hand would make him panic.

Maybe his mental state has become similar to that of his previous life.

After that, Lee Jaehun tested his entire body for a long time to figure out how much he resembled his previous life.

He wanted to know what he can do, what kind of thinking he can have, and how far his capacity and limits were.

After about three hours had passed, he was able to come to a shallow conclusion.

Lee Jaehun sighed.

“Are you saying that only things that can exist in this world are possible?”

No matter how bizarre the ability, it meant that it was only possible if other people saw it and said ‘wow, that works?’ instead of ‘what nonsense?’.

After coming to that conclusion, Lee Jaehun lay down on the living room floor and stared blankly into space.

The smell of blood lingered in the sunlit living room.

“…….”

Ruined.st

'It's completely ruined.'

pfft3

Dumbfounded, he laughed.When he recalled his previous life, he had panicked a little and checked his body, but now that he had regained some composure, the reality of the situation that he should have felt a moment ago surged.

It's ridiculous, but he really did reincarnate.

However, even if reincarnation itself is unreal.

Even taking that into consideration, how can life be so twisted? Why did he recall his previous life only now?

“No, if you’re going to reincarnate, do it right… .”

Lee Jaehun muttered in a dejected voice.

This is the world of the novel he read in his previous life, and the main genre was survival and gore rated 19+.

For reference, it's R19 not because it's erotic, but because it's that cruel.

* * *

In this world, there was a place called the 'Underworld'.

Technically, that wasn’t the official name nor was it the common name.

It was because most people did not even know the existence of the underworld, and even those who knew it had different names.

However, since he was used to referring to this place as the "Underworld" from the novel he had seen in his previous life, Lee Jaehun continued to refer to it as the "Underworld".

In the novel, Lee Jae-hun2 was killed.

'Although the main character's party didn't kill him.'

Lee Jaehun left the house wearing a light coat. He intended to organize his thoughts by touring the places that appeared in the novel.

The Underworld is another world that reflects the original world.

Because they share time and have the same changes, the buildings built in the original world are also built in the other world.

Although it's not quite the same. The buildings are much older, scorched, or mostly broken.

In such a place, there are no humans, only beasts, and monsters created by the thoughts of humans in the original world exist.

They attack those who have been devoured by the Underworld every year.

Lee Jae-hun in the novel was torn limb from limb by those monsters.

“…….”

Even thinking about it now gives him goosebumps.

The novel he read was rated R19 for being cruel, but the world of his previous life was already cruel and impoverished enough.

Needless to say, even in such a world, it was judged as R19.

Of course, Lee Jae-hun in the novel was a guy who deserved to die.

There were two high school students who were devoured by the Underworld, and after tricking them into being bait, Lee Jae-hun escaped from the monster-infested building alone.

As soon as he got out, he was chewed up by monsters. This scene was clear in Lee Jaehun’s head because the description was so detailed.

Lee Jaehun drove his car to a park near the company.

It was a newly constructed park, and it reminded him of an advertisement that said it was the only forest in the city.

He stopped near the park and gazed out the window at the park.

“…This is the place.”

It was here that the people who were swallowed up by the Underworld gathered for the first time.

The main characters were people who were near the protagonist's company.

A grandmother taking a walk in the park, a high school brother and sister pair buying cakes at a nearby cafe, and the owner of a flower shop who was taking a break after making a bouquet for a customer.

Plus a few passersby who were on their way and several employees who were working at the company.

By the way, all people except Lee Jae-hun and the main character's party were torn to pieces by monsters in this park.

Even Lee Jae-hun died not long after, so it can be said that there are a total of five people in the main character's party.

'There could have been more people who just didn't appear in the novel.'

The people who gathered in this park were confused by the empty roadside and gathered at a park where they could be heard by others. So some who did not move hastily or were less aware of the situation may have been outside the park.

Judging from the description given later, it seems that no one but the five survived.

Lee Jaehun, who had been looking around the structure of the park, moved the car again and parked on the side of the main road.

His destination was none other than the hospital.

'Secondly, I'll pack the medicines I need from here.'

He had gone to the nearby pharmacy, but the medicines were too specialized. This hospital was the first place the main character and the others found after leaving the park.

Lee Jaehun remembered reading about him stopping by to treat a female student whose leg was severely injured by a monster.

Lee Jaehun approached the counter at the hospital, which was deserted for some reason.

“I made a reservation for Mr. Ha Seongyoon.”

“Ah, you can go to room 12.”

"Thank you."

He ignored the reply and headed for room 12 as he had heard, and the hospital's distinctive white treatment room caught his eye.

Inside, equipment for treating patients was lined up.

The doctor sitting in front of a monitor looked up at him.

“Patient Lee Jaehun?”

"Yes."

“I heard you injured your arm, can I have a look?”

Lee Jae-hun nodded, took off his coat, pulled up his shirt, and held out his arm, which was wrapped in bandages.

As if the hemostasis had worked properly, no more blood flowed.

Maybe it's because he saw the wound treated better then he thought; the doctor widened his eyes for a moment in surprise, then returned to his calm face to find the little scissors. He asked as he placed it on Lee Jaehun's bandage.

“I will cut the bandages. Is that okay?"

"it's okay."

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

Snip, snip

Well-maintained scissors quickly cut through tightly wrapped bandages, and Lee Jaehun lazily blinked at the sound he had heard so much in his previous life.

A reflexive drowsiness poured in.

But the sleepiness disappeared at the doctor's voice.

“… The wound is bigger than I thought.”

"Is that so."

He had nothing else to say, so he just kept his mouth shut.

Was it because he failed to consider the regenerative ability of his previous life compared to now,or if not that, was he just unable to make a cool judgment at the time because of the panic?

What should have been a small cut, he dared to make a big cut.

'I was out of my mind.'

Lee Jaehun shook his head inwardly.

At the time he held the knife, he couldn’t help but panic.

The wound was made to confirm his regenerative ability, but he had identified himself with his previous life's body, and did not hesitate to inflict a large wound.

If he had any sanity, he would have prepared in the possibility of incapacitating himself.

However, there were no treatment tools in Lee Jaehun's house except for the small first-aid kit.

In particular, there were no threads or needles for clothing that could be used to sew up open wounds. This was the reason why he had stopped by the hospital to treat the wound.

He saw the doctor's brow furrow and quickly straighten.

As if looking at the wound offended him, Lee Jaehun turned away.

The doctor asked as he removed the gauze from his arm.

“Did you take medicine? Painkillers or... .”

“I came without eating, just in case.”

“It must be quite painful.”

“…….”

Only then did Lee Jaehun realize that he had reacted wrongly.

“… Yes, it hurts.”

If it was Lee Jaehun of the past, he would not have reacted so calmly to such a wound.

That's probably not how most people would react. There was a long wound on his arm and blood was flowing, but he was so indifferent.

Isn't it a reaction that can't be shown unless you're used to the wound.

Lee Jaehun checked the doctor's reaction, wondering if he had misunderstood.

“May I ask how you got hurt?”

“…….”

Oops, misunderstood.

Lee Jaehun didn't know what the heck he was misunderstanding, but judging from the doctor's embarrassed gaze, it seems that he was misunderstanding something bizarre.

‘I don't know what it is, but I don't think it’s right.’

Lee Jaehun took out an excuse he had thought of beforehand at his house.

“I was injured while cooking.”

Of course, it was an excuse that wouldn't work.

But that too had circumstances.

You can't say, 'Sir, I came to the hospital because I couldn't regenerate after testing to see if I could regenerate like I did before,' so it was difficult to come up with a convincing excuse.

Ten out of ten doctors who saw this wound would see it as a knife wound.

It wasn't even a very shallow wound, so it was clear that the wound was deliberately inflicted with will. But in this case, who had that will was another issue.

If someone else did it, it's a crime, and if I did it, it's self-harm.

It was an unpleasant result to be dragged into the Underworld in two days.

However, I thought that if I told the story truthfully, the doctor would also take care of it.

In any case, it would be quite a headache if it was related to a wound like this, so from the point of view of a busy doctor, if the patient just passed it on, he would take care of it.

However, the doctor in front of him seemed to have a stronger sense of duty than Lee Jaehun thought.

“It can’t be. This is obviously someone who gave strength and cut it.”

“… Huh.”

“If the police are needed, I will contact them on your behalf.”

It was deplorable. That there are people like this in this day and age.

Lee Jaehun opened his mouth slightly, half dumbfounded.

Putting aside his previous life, even in the current world, it was rare for a doctor to care about each patient's situation like this.

On a whim, Lee Jaehun had chosen such a rare doctor and made an appointment.

For some reason, he shook his head.

“All right. I did it, so please treat me.”

"Okay."

The doctor silently nodded his head.

Perhaps he had roughly predicted this answer. Lee Jaehun sighed once more without bothering to hide it.

“It looks like it will take quite a few stitches. Would it be all right if I gave you anesthesia?”

“All right… No, I see.”

Ah. He made another mistake.

'What kind of crazy person would not ask to be anaesthetized after being stitched up several times?'

Lee Jaehun, who was a madman and almost became a modern-day Guan-wu4, clicked his tongue inwardly for no reason.

Even if he recalled his previous life, his existing personality was not going anywhere.

The doctor asked in his characteristic calm voice as he was partially anesthetized and the wound was stitched up with medical thread.

“You must have studied first aid.”

“… I studied on my own.”

“Yes, the average person puts gauze over the wound. That’s why it doesn’t do well to stop the bleeding.”

sigh,

The doctor continued, putting a thread around the edge of his wound.

“I don’t usually think of putting gauze all the way into the wound.”

“…….”

“Just the thought of putting something into a wound is painful. In fact, I’ve seen people fainting after trying to stop the bleeding like that.”

"Is that so."

“Patients have good patience.”

Lee Jaehun's expression darkened considerably. It was very natural to try to dig up information, and, apart from the doctor's skill, he must have really misunderstood something about him.

When the treatment was over, the doctor opened his mouth with a carefree smile.

“The thread is a melting thread, so there is no need to come back to the hospital. For the time being, don't use your right arm, and even if you use it, don't let it shock you. You can get a prescription at the counter.”

"Thank you."

Lee Jaehun, who was largely silent, left the clinic without haste.

Until now, Lee Jaehun hadn't done anything illegal that would have hurt him, but he felt embarrassed because he didn't know how the doctor misunderstood him.

He stopped by the pharmacy to buy some medicine and drove the car with a much more comfortable appearance.

* * *

“… I feel tired."

It was almost 8:00 PM when Lee Jaehun finished his drive and returned home.

Is it because he wandered around thinking about the location or place of the building that appeared in the novel, or is it the aftereffects of going quite far for a long time?

Perhaps it was because of his worries about the Underworld that he would be taken away to in two days, he was quite exhausted.

Lee Jaehun, who quickly changed his clothes and lay down on the bed, blinked his stiff eyes as he looked at the calendar in his cell phone.

'Tomorrow is the 28th.'

And the next day was March 1st, the starting date of the novel.

‘The timing is really too good. If I’m going to recall my past life, let me know at least a month in advance.’

As soon as he remembered his previous life, tears naturally flowed at the prospect of being dragged away by the 19-year-old devastated survivors.

Lee Jaehun habitually stared at the ceiling with his cell phone down, he opened his mouth.

“… What will happen when I die?”

In his previous life, he had a body that could not die even if he wanted to die.

If you die before the set time, no matter how horribly broken the corpse is, it will come back to life. Of course, no one liked that kind of resurrection, but now that he was reincarnated like this, he was curious.

Forget about resurrection, there was no way something like his past life would happen in this world where the limits of medical technology were clear.

However, he had a ridiculous incident that brought back memories from his previous life, and he was able to replicate his skills.

Nothing was consistent, and it gave Lee Jaehun a headache.

‘If I die, will I be resurrected like in my previous life? Or will I just die?’

“…….”

He didn’t know.

'I'll know when the time comes.'

Lee Jaehun closed his eyes to clear his somewhat complicated mind.

It was decided that he would be dragged into the world anyway, and it was difficult for him to survive in it.

In the end, someday Lee Jaehun will have to die as well.

Wouldn't he know then? If he will be resurrected or just die?

‘It would be fortunate if I die, but if I come back to life….’

Lee Jaehun let out a sigh.

“I’ll be thrilled.”

He didn’t know what he would face, but he could be in a position where he could not die right away and come back to life.

If so, Lee Jaehun had to buy the main character's favor at least for the sake of minimum safety and survival.

Because only the main character found the right path.

'Of course, the relationship between me and the main character is the worst...’

He came to a quick conclusion.

If he could get what he wanted even by putting on a play that wasn't even funny, he would do it.

In any case, it was better to put aside his pride because he will attach himself to the protagonist.

If you have to live anyway, shouldn't you live a better life than the last time?

___________________________________________________

1. I decided to add a dash for the Lee Jae-hun of the novel and not for Lee Jaehun Our MC. Just for those who might get confused.
   

2. [note: The word used is actually 꼰대 which transliterates to Kkondae meaning a condescending older person. This is a slang in korea used towards a person older than you(usually a man) who forces their outdated way of thinking onto another person. Kinda like calling someone a Boomer. An example would be if you had a male boss who kept giving you menial tasks because you’re a women. That person would be called a kkondae. I’m replacing kkondae with old-fashioned
   

3. [Note: the actual phrase was 피식, which is the onomatopoeia for the sound you make when a laugh slips through your lips. This was the only phrase i could think of that was similar.]
   

4. 여유가 없었다 means Modern-day Guan-wu. Based on a historical figure prevalent in Korean and Chinese history. However, I don’t know what this particular phrase is indicating.