Theatrical Regression Life

After that, it was surprisingly easy to get out of the company.

In the first place, this point in time was just a prologue in terms of the novel, and the ‘escape from the company’ arc was just a device to show that “people die so easily in the underworld!”

Full-fledged combat and survival started from the park, so there was no difficulty in escaping.

The group walked around the maze following the line they had drawn before they escaped from the spider legs.

Of course, the trauma of being chased by the monster caused them to stumble for a while, but the sense of camaraderie had already healed the small cracks, and the teamwork was good.

It didn't take long to find the right emergency exit.

If there was one thing that was a bit unusual, it was this....

“… Are the stairs normal?”

“It’s really weird here.”

Of course, the emergency exit, which was expected to be twisted like a company corridor, remained normal.

This was actually quite interesting to Lee Jae-heon.

He didn't remember the exact description because he hadn't read the story of the group's exit from the company carefully, but unlike the maze of twists and turns in the hallway, the emergency exit was no different from before.

Lee Jaehun was amazed. Somehow, those who had mentally broke down after Chief Kang died, had managed to get out before the sun went down, but the reason they were able to get out quickly was because the emergency exit did not change.

Of course, that didn't mean it wasn't the underworld, so it was all the same that their mental energy was low.

"I… I feel a little sick.”

Intern Roh Yun-seok's face was pale.

It was probably because he was a fresh newcomer unlike the rest who had been to this company many times.

In the novel, it was said that ‘when you enter a building that you are not normally associated with, your mental power decreases more rapidly’.

The protagonist, who was looking at intern Roh Yun-seok with concern, met his eyes, and Assistant Manager Jung In-ho looked at him as if he didn’t know what to do.

Then Lee Jaehun said with a gesture.

'What do you want me to do?'

'Something?'

'Like what?'

Lee Jaehun's gaze cooled.

In his opinion, the protagonist was secretly cold, so perhaps the question was not simply to appease intern Roh Yeon-seok.

He felt that his mental power is continuously declining due to the influence of the underworld, and he wondered if there was a way to solve it.

But, no, is there such a thing? Of course, it's not that there's no way at all, but everyone was too young to use now.

He had no choice but to put up with it for now rather than destroying their mental strength through futile attempts.

Lee Jaehun opened his mouth with a face that was no different from usual.

“If you’re going to throw up, can’t you go outside and do it? I think we will be embarrassed by each other.”

“You have a bad personality.”

"That's a very strange thing to say."

Shortly after escaping from the company, intern Roh Yun-seok vomited.

From behind came a small shriek and the sound of the party murmuring.

Suddenly, he felt that he was really good at taking the lead.

* * *

The main character's group in the novel were in very poor condition.

Lee Jaehun can think calmly like this because he recalled the memories of his previous life, unlike those who have lived in this world where even murder is reported on the news.

To him, the standard of hardship and adversity was more likely to be death.

That's why, by the time the party in the novel left the company, they were almost stunned.

It wasn't just because it was a world where even breathing was mentally draining.

No matter how sane you are, if the company was turned upside down in an instant, you were chased by a monster, or a colleague who had been working together until a few hours ago died because of that, it was an unavoidable result.

Even if Lee Jaehun, who recalled his previous life, joined, it was unlikely that the group would be in a completely healthy state.

In the end, what Lee Jaehun changed was that he took on the role of a leader and relieved the main character's burden, prevented the death of Chief Kang Mina, and provided minimal mental support.

“…….”

Of course, it was true that quite a few things had changed. If not, it wouldn't be a balanced exchange to sacrifice a shoulder and a leg.

However, in Lee Jaehun's opinion, human suffering is very subjective.

When he went to the hospital, there were many people claiming that they were in more pain, and just looking around him, there were many people boasting that they lived a more painful life.

Considering that most of them are sincere, he wondered if there is anything that is swayed by others' opinions as much as human suffering.

In the same vein, he wasn’t particularly reassured by his current teammates..

Originally, human beings lose their minds when they lose their mental health or physical health, but in the underworld, they could easily lose both.

Therefore, the case of Roh Yun-seok, the intern who vomited immediately, was also serious.

Because Lee Jaehun is really deranged, even vomiting to the point of shedding tears was normal.

Lee Jaehun wiped his mouth as he was watching the buzzing party.

'I'll have to go to the park soon.'

It's ironic, but in the current situation surrounded by gray buildings, there was no better base than the park.

The park had become, so to speak, a kind of jungle.

It seems very dangerous in that monsters come out at night, but if you think about it conversely, there is no place in the underworld where monsters do not appear. Well, technically there was, but it was hard to get to now.

Even in broad daylight, he was chased by a monster, so wouldn't a building blocked by walls be more dangerous? In the same sense, he couldn't stop at a convenience store or a mart.

Instead, a self-sufficient park where he could gather food and resources was the best option for the time being, as ridiculous as it sounds, since it was difficult to roam around to the fullest.

Of course, most of them could be annihilated like in the novel because of the terrain where trees were thick like walls, but if they survived, it would at least be a better hideout than achromatic buildings.

Jaehun had no hesitation in agreeing that the park should be their next stop if they wanted to live.

'But, I don't know what the others think.'

Lee Jaehun looked at the group who had terrified expressions.

They weren't in the best shape to be talking about going straight to the park at this point.

“Oh, how, how the world… .”

“…….”

“There is no color. My eyes hurt... I feel sick to my stomach. Chief Kang, I'm really having a hard time. What do I do… .”

“Yun-seok….”

As with the company, everything in the world was twisted.

Buildings were destroyed by fires, twisted like mazes, or stripped of color, hurting the eyes, and making the viewer feel grotesque. Even though that doesn't really mean the world is black and white.

It meant that the intern Roh Yun-seok didn't vomit as soon they came out for no reason.

It was also a great move for those who are suffering from stomachaches from the pressure of the underworld.

Lee Jaehun didn't show it at all, but he clicked his tongue inwardly.

'I should take up judo.'

As he remembers, Chief Kang was originally mentally weak, and intern Roh Yun-seok was soft-hearted, unlike his appearance. Of course, it was better than the other employees left at the company, but that didn’t make him any happier.

Employee Kwon... is a little on the simplistic side, but because of that, he thought her reaction according to the situation was very straightforward. That had both advantages and disadvantages.

And it was the same for the main character, Jung In-ho.

Since he was a human, he had no choice but to be terrified, and he had no choice but to struggle under the influence of the underworld.

Once again, it was from the park episode that the main character played the role of a proper leader.

Frightened people are reluctant to move unless they are in a state of fear or despair.

Their first encounter with the Underworld has been painful enough, and the movement of the party has slowed down.

'It's because of me.'

Lee Jaehun narrowed his eyes and looked around him.

In the novel, the party was in a dazed state, and the death of Chief Kang made them nervous.

It wasn't difficult to change places if there was a simple reason.

But not now.

Lee Jaehun managed their mental powers to a minimum, and although the party was terrified, they were not broken.

Half the time, they’re too scared to move because they still have some judgment left in them.

And Lee Jaehun had to throw a 'trigger' before they lulled themselves into a false sense of security.

“… Assistant Manager Jung.”

“… Ah, yes boss.”

“Wait a minute, look after the kids.”

For example, the loss of my mental support.

"Yes? Where are you going?”

As expected, the main character's expression hardened slightly.

The quick-witted protagonist was well aware of Lee Jaehun's role in the group, and it would not be nice for him to slip out of balance right now.

Lee Jaehun didn’t know if was out of goodwill or an extremely calculated judgment, but it wasn't too bad for him.

Of course, that didn't mean I would give up on the ‘opportunity’.

[Note: Trigger and Opportunity were actually the same word in the korean raws.]

“See the flower shop over there?”

“… Yes, I can see it.”

Lee Jaehun had pointed to a flower shop right next to the company.

Occasionally, if there was a reason to congratulate someone from the staff, it would be rushed from there, so the sincere Assistant Manager Jung would have remembered it properly.

Lee Jaehun, who nodded, spoke again.

“Can you see the roots of the trees extending towards the park from there?”

“… ah… ?”

"I'm not sure exactly which side of the park it extends to."

At his words, the protagonist's expression darkened.

At the entrance of the flower shop, there were tree roots heading towards the park on the other side.

Other tree roots that poked through the cement floor were connected to the flower shop as if they were being led by someone.

'In novels, they see that and head to the flower shop.'

The main character in the novel was mentally unstable, but he was cleverly aware that they needed to move.

It was the decision to at least struggle, rather than remaining lethargic and stunned, and his companions agreed.

Such a protagonist spotted tree roots between the flower shop and the park.

It was an obviously intentional composition, the main character instinctively approached the flower shop, but there was no living person to be found except for a corpse in pieces, and traces of someone’s excape.

And the traced, a trail of someones blood, led towards the park.

“It’s strange no matter who sees it. We're in trouble if there's a strange monster nearby. Better to find out now than later.”

“Right, sir. but... .”

"I'm not asking you to come with me, you're all in bad shape, so stay put. I'll check it out."

After those words, Lee Jaehun started walking away.

Just like the main character of a survival story, Assistant Manager Jung didn't go after him, perhaps judging that he shouldn't interfere with the reconnaissance due to personal anxiety, but his expression showed he wasn’t happy.

In response, Lee Jaehun was convinced that the main character would come with the others to the flower shop later on.

'Disgusting bastard.'

He clicked my tongue inwardly.

Unlike the novel, there is still some mental strength left.

Jung In-ho must have realized how useless the existence of rank in the underworld is, and he will also have realized that he did not have to listen to his managers orders.

Of course, there's a part of Lee Jaehun that thought, "How dare he disrespect the Head Managers orders," but he ignored it.

It wasn't until two holes were made in his body that he was recognized for his usefulness by the main character, but he wasn't stupid enough to cause conflict with useless emotions.

And Lee Jaehun, who arrived near the flower shop, was a little embarrassed.

“…….”

Near the tree roots, there were no bloodstains.

“… Huh.”

In a word, it was different from the novel.

'I must have come too early.'

Lee Jaehun inwardly clicked his tongue.

He has always thought that as long as his very existence was a variable, things could differ from what he knew, but it was embarrassing for him to have already encountered such a situation.

The fact that there were no bloodstains meant that 'someone' had not left the flower shop, and at the same time, it meant that the gruesome corpse described in the novel might still be alive.

Either way, it was unfortunate for Lee Jaehun, who wanted to lead the party to the park as soon as possible.

But he wasn't about to waste any time, so he didn't hesitate to peek inside the flower shop.

Fortunately, the walls of the flower shop were made of glass, so there was no difficulty in grasping the situation inside.

No, actually, I'm not sure if I should say it’s fortunate.

“… ah?"

Because there was a man I recognized from somewhere.

And let's face it, Lee Jae-hun wasn't the type of person to remember the details of someone he didn't know very well.

So, if he felt ‘I’ve seen him somewhere even though I don’t know’, it must have been someone Lee Jaehun met after recalling his previous life.

What could be known from the proposition above was that this person was the doctor who fixed his arm.

“…….”

Huh? What are you doing here?

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End Note:

Huge thanks to the person who gave me a better

MTL to edit for the novel. It will make it so much easier!

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