Theatrical Regression Life

* * *

Lee Jaehun fundamentally disliked people.

It wasn’t just a matter of being ‘not nice,’ he simply disliked them.

If people were kind, he found them frustrating and couldn’t 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 didn’t communicate well, so he disliked them.

But what if there was someone who had some similarities with him?

In that case, whether the person was helpful or not, you could assume that he criticized them internally every day. A prime example of this was Deputy Jung Inho.

Of course, Lee Jaehun, who liked the word ‘efficiency,’ didn’t undervalue someone’s worth without a reason. However, he fundamentally disliked people and didn’t 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 memorize faces to some 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 mental strength, not because of good physical fitness or regenerative abilities. Of course, the influence of his past life had improved his conditions somewhat, but it wasn’t due to strong physical attributes.

Moreover, Lee Jaehun had a somewhat 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 moment. Furthermore, a kind character whose eyes met 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 couldn’t hide her shaken gaze as she spoke.

“Sir? Sir, please wake up.”

“….”

“If you do this here, it’s not all right… No. What on earth is this situation?”

Tuck!

Although trembling hands touched Lee Jaehun’s shoulder, they recoiled at the cold sensation of blood.

“….”

It was real blood.

Unlike what one might see in movies, it wasn’t gushing and squishy; instead, it spewed out fresh, red blood. However, the blood had cooled and settled in the early morning breeze.

“What’s 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 overwhelmed 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 wouldn’t go in. The overwhelming sensation of detachment 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 remembered the words the man in front of her had just said.

‘Don’t die while helping others; take care of yourself.’

“….”

Even in the midst of being terrified, Constable Kim couldn’t help but be incredulous, and she bit her lip.

“For now….”

“….”

“For now, let’s move, move him.”

Constable Kim tried to roll her unresponsive head as much as possible, but even after her effort, things didn’t seem to be coming together. Nevertheless, she blurted out, ‘For now, let’s 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 hadn’t 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. Somewhere with individuals who could provide some assistance….

“…Where on earth is Detective?”

Why does this have to happen today?

Constable Kim’s 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 moment in the middle of this jungle heightened her emotions to an extreme.

Indeed, she didn’t even know who this person was. Not just personal details, but she didn’t 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 didn’t 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.

“Let’s move him, get treatment. Ah, treatment….”

“….”

“We should start with treatment. I learned emergency first aid, I’ve learned it all….”

Constable Kim muttered continuously, searching her pockets, but her fingertips continued to grasp at thin air.

Naturally, there were no appropriate medical tools for someone 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 immediate 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 nameless emergency patient onto her back.

She felt helpless and lacked knowledge to treat the man in front of her. If she couldn’t do it, she needed to find someone else who could. Staying in the same place out of fear wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Suddenly, Constable Kim sensed the feeling of her back soaking with thick blood. It was akin to thawing a frozen piece of meat delivered to room temperature, but more detailed sensations of temperature, touch, and smell 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 something terrifying, took a moment, then exhaled shakily, opening her eyelids. She muttered, thinking of an elderly person who might not be far away.

“…Maybe you know some folk remedies.”

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 person’s name, Kang Mina blinked her eyes a couple of times.

Although it was a flower shop near the company, flower shops weren’t places she would often visit unless there was a special occasion.

Yoon Garam, the flower shop owner, whom she hadn’t properly faced before, wasn’t exactly a familiar person to Kang Mina. Part of it was due to his reserved nature.

What should I say? Why did he approach me? Carefully considering her words, lips quivering, Yoon Garam spoke with a smiling expression.

“It’s nothing special, just thought we could have a light chat.”

“A chat?”

“Just… sometimes, 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 seemed like the color resembled the flames.

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 seemed busy chatting with the kids.”

“Yeonhee-ssi is… because she has a good personality.”

“Yes, she really had a great personality. I remember when you bought succulents last time. It was a unique one with flowers attached…”

A soft voice continued.

Talking about the people who came 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 someone not particularly talkative, Kang Mina wouldn’t 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 time 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 name 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, ‘It’s okay,’ but in a blink, she uttered different words.

“Our company has many floors.”

It seemed like an oddly abrupt start.

“I think it was around the 45th floor. I work on the 23rd floor.”

“That’s 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 wasn’t the fear that comes from knowing something, but rather the threat one can feel just by being alive.

In that moment, 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 seemed 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 consumed 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 someone greatly influenced by the people around her.

If those around her were fearful, she too would become frightened, and if those around her were composed, Kang Mina would regain her own composure. For her, Director Lee Jaehun’s composed demeanor was a significant source of support.

He instructed Deputy Manager Jung Inho to pull out a pipe protruding from somewhere on the wall. The aged and corroded pipe broke along the seams as it was pulled, and around that time, Deputy Manager Jung Inho emerged from the break room with something.

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 some 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 some order, those of us who managed to come to our senses.”

“If we’re talking about the order, that… from when we came to the park?”

“Yes, exactly. That’s right. It was already decided by the company, so…”

“…”

“It felt familiar, so I did it that way. Since I’ve done it once.”

She spoke, looking at the flames flickering gracefully.

“Since I’ve 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 seemed that Noh Yeonseok himself felt most comfortable with Kang Mina. It seemed like there was something 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 don’t know how to do anything, wanted someone else to do it for me.”

“Mina-ssi.”

“But the one at the front was Director Lee.”

He was at the very front.

“… I really didn’t expect that.”

It was something Director Lee Jaehun himself decided.

They didn’t have frequent conversations with Noh Yeonseok, and the fact that he exercised wasn’t 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 couldn’t 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.

“It’s truly impressive. How did he, in this unfamiliar world… decide to take the lead despite witnessing such a situation?”

“…”

“I’ll never understand it in my lifetime. Even if I do, I probably couldn’t do the same.”

She was just scared.

She was overwhelmed 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 Mina’s voice was drowned out by dampness.

“… I was just too busy trying to get my act together.”

She didn’t know or do anything properly.

Kang Mina knew herself well. She wasn’t strong, didn’t have good physical stamina, wasn’t brave, and lacked the intelligence to endure all of that.

She was just a mediocre individual who couldn’t 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 someone’s help. To avoid experiencing pain, she understood that someone else had to sacrifice themselves. She was the fool who couldn’t pay a price without inflicting pain on others.

Nevertheless, Director Lee Jaehun assigned me a task.

“He told me to draw lines on the wall with a pen.”

“…”

“Since the company is like a maze, he said to leave a trail… or something like that.”

It was a trivial task, but ironically, she found solace in it.

The director used to say all the time, “I’m getting angry for your sake. If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t bother scolding you….”

“He’s quite old-fashioned.”

“Yes, whenever I got scolded, I would go to the restroom and cry or something. But now that it turned out like this….”

“…”

“Yes, now that it’s like this, it somehow brings comfort.”

Ah, he won’t abandon me.

“Even if I’m useless… I won’t be abandoned.”

That was her consolation.

Director Lee Jaehun assigned her a trivial task, and it meant that he somehow wanted to give her work. Without saying a word, in his rough consideration, Kang Minah sensed that he wouldn’t abandon them.

Of course, that didn’t mean the process of leaving the company wasn’t at all frightening. Nevertheless,

“You saved me.”

“…Saved you?”

“I was about to die, and you saved me.”

Kang Minah still remembered that time. It felt like having a hangover, her vision swaying, her head feverish, her limbs weak. Nevertheless, she had to run for survival during those times.

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 moment, I looked down.”

It would have been better if she hadn’t seen it.

Below, there were monsters gathered like baby birds waiting for food.

“They were gathering to eat me, to chew and swallow me.”

“…Monsters?”

“They were so grotesque, frightening, and just… I hated it. I couldn’t even scream.”

At that moment,

Director Lee Jaehun grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.

Since her body was already halfway over, it wouldn’t 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 couldn’t come to her senses, but at that moment, 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 me, the monsters… stabbed your leg. That was the wound you got at that time.”

“…”

“After that, you kept getting injured. I don’t know why, but there were wounds on your arm, and when you visited the flower shop, you got a burn on your ankle. It’s so absurd and funny that you got hurt trying to save someone else.”

“…That’s…”

“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, you’ll stay alive.”

More precisely, it was the conviction born out of greed.

Director Lee Jaehun couldn’t have died.

* * *

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