Chapter 238
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 238
âWhat the heck, Iâm in a situation where Iâm becoming a total asshole.â
At Lee Jae-heonâs words, Jeong In-ho covered his face with both hands.
âWhy on earth did you create such a situation?â
âWhat are you talking about? âSo who was the person who understood the situation just by making eye contact for a moment and immediately went into acting?â
âItâs me⦠I want to turn into dust like this.â
âEither way.â
âYou son of a bitch.â
âAre you swearing?â
In front of the particularly free-spirited mouths, beer cans were placed one by one. Five survivors were sitting around in the living room of Lee Jae-heonâs house, each having a drink. The empty and tattered bag of snacks in the middle seemed to indicate the noisy atmosphere during that short period of time.
Jaeheon Lee said, lifting the half-full can of beer with one hand.
âThereâs nothing we can doâ¦. Anyone can see that it was a situation where Kwon Yeon-hee grabbed me by the collar, and if I had stayed still, only the employee, Kwon Yeon-hee, would have been in trouble. âNo matter how bad my image is, since an employee grabbed the head of a manager at a vertically related company, people would definitely say, âThat person doesnât know what to think.ââ
âInstead, the manager will be criticized.â
ââ¦He has become a typical villain in romantic dramas who puts young men and women in danger and shamelessly leads their corporate lives, but itâs okay because it doesnât seem like the sex scandal we were most worried about will occur. âAs long as itâs not an overly dirty rumor, I can conveniently accept it.â
âPlease donât take things like that for convenience. And then people break downâ¦.â
âWhy do you break people who are living sane lives? âDonât tell me to do this or that in my life.â
âMr. Manager, please treat me kindly, too. Then.â
As Jeong In-ho, who was very feverish probably because of the alcohol, continued to talk, Kwon Yeon-hee, who was so sad about the world and sobbed in the middle, opened her mouth.
âI didnât really grab him by the collar⦠I was just checking the condition of Manager Wooâs neckâ¦â
âI⦠I should have stopped Team Leader Woo well, so Iâm sorry.â
âTeam leader Woo, this is too much. No, itâs not too much. No, but itâs really too muchâ¦â
âStop crying⦠My head hurts if I cry too much.â
Hehe, they are playing well.
Lee Jae-heon took a swig of beer and made a sour expression. The sight of fluffy chicks getting drunk and dozing off was a scene that I only wanted to see. Kang Min-ah and Noh Yeon-seok were already asleep on the sofa.
They seemed to get along really well.
âI donât know why they show their good relationship at my house.â
If you guys are that close, show it off at work. What kind of gangsters are these people who came to visit the managerâs house for no reason? Thanks to this, Jaeheon Lee was holding his head tightly to prevent the monster that resembled his wife from popping out.
âStop whining and go to sleep. âDonât you have to go to work tomorrow?â
âHuh⦠Iâll just drink thisâ¦â
âUh huh, please put down the new can. âYou promised 10 minutes ago that you wouldnât criticize me any more.â
âHuhâ¦.â
âItâs not âHuhuhâ. Put it down quickly.â
As Lee Jae-heon waved his hand and scolded her, Kwon Yeon-hee, who was already crying, shed tears.
âWhat? Are you crying now? âWhy are you crying because you did a good job?â
âThatâs not itâ¦!â
Kwon Yeon-hee shouted in a worldly sad voice.
âë¶ì¥ëì 맨ë ê°ìë¼ì¼â¦!â
âYouâre calling me an asshole for stealing some alcohol?â
âManager, you like bastards!â
âThatâs a very ambiguous statement. I like to imitate my dog, or I just like dogs. â
âBoth!â
He then told a story about the abandoned monster dog he met in the other world. We pretend to be scolded for doing something, but that dog didnât say anything even if his hand was bitten. If you like dogs that much, just become a dog, etc. Lee Jae-heon couldnât help but be amazed by the unique and unfamiliar swearing.
âI never suggested having palm time.â
âIt was bad, Managerâ¦!â
âDo you know that nowâ¦?â
âNo, it wasnât badâ¦.â
âIf youâre going to swear, then donât.â
It looks like he canât see anything right now because his eyes are blinded by the alcohol, but Lee Jae-heon has decided to put up with it this time. Itâs definitely upsetting that they break into my house and behave like this, but I guess they were willing to go all this way to comfort the frightened chicks.
âIâll sleep soon anyway.â
It was already past midnight and 2 am. If he didnât want to see hell tomorrow morning, he could voluntarily go in and sleep, or Lee Jae-heon would put him in the room on his own, so if he held on just a little longer, he too could be free.
Thinking like that, Jeong In-ho crept up to Lee Jae-heon, who was sipping the remaining alcohol in the can.
âWhat is it?â
ââ¦.â
âWhat is it really?â
As he came closer, he observed it carefully with his eyes narrowed, then raised both hands and buttoned them one by oneâ¦
ââ¦Hwaaaaaah! Argh! âWhat the fuck are you doing now?â
Lee Jae-heon, who was truly horrified, instinctively hid behind the harmless Kwon Yeon-hee chick and looked at Jeong In-ho with astonished eyes.
âDid that main character really turn around?â
Since ancient times, a married manâs buttons were something that only his wife or children could touch. It was clear that he was really crazy to undo the button that was like a sanctuary. If I had known that my button would get ripped by that guyâs hand, I wouldnât have changed into my shirt pajamas.
In the meantime, âWow, the manager hid behind me!â âIâm amazing!â said Jeong In-ho, with his crush Kwon Yeon-hee at the forefront, and as he was still looking at me as if observing me, he opened his mouth.
ââ¦I think youâll be frustrated.â
âIâm not frustrated. I usually sleep well dressed. Only I can turn it off in this world. After Mr. Jeong In-ho comes to his senses tomorrow morning, he will have to reflect and explain what kind of bizarre act this was.â
âItâs so frustrating I think Iâm going crazy.â
âAre you saying Mr. Jeong In-ho is going crazy? I can understand that, but Iâm not frustrated. âIf youâre a drunk and want to turn off your buttons, thereâs Noh Yeon-seok over there, so let him do it for you.â
âMy throat is soreâ¦â
Jeong In-ho muttered and blinked.
âArenât you tightening itâ¦?â
âWhat⦠that monster is no more. It may not be completely gone, but at least not now. Suddenly, I heard a strange noiseâ¦â
âIt was someone else.â
ââ¦.â
âSomeone else said that.â
Only then was Jaeheon Lee able to understand the full story of the current situation.
âDo you remember the time when you ate the fruit in the other world?â
Well, we did share a feeling back then. I remember that at that time, Jeong In-ho felt great discomfort when even the slightest pressure was placed on his hands, feet or neck. After drinking, it was clear that I had returned to the past and was immersed in the situation at that time.
Lee Jae-heon, who finally understood why the other person was shaking like this, answered with a shocked face.
ââ¦It was a temporary phenomenon. I donât feel frustrated, and In-ho Jeong has no reason to feel uncomfortable either. âYou seem to have completely lost your mind after getting drunk, but I think itâs really time for you to go back to sleep.â
âDoesnât it hurt?â
âStop talking nonsense.â
âArenât you sad?â
âThere is no reason to be sad.â
âIsnât it unfair?â
âThereâs a little bit of that. I still feel it now. âWhy on earth did I let you guys in my houseâ¦â
âYou always get criticized.â
Jeong In-ho said, lightly scratching his neck.
âI donât think you necessarily need to eat all of that.â
âIs that up to me?â
âMore than half of the insults directed at the manager⦠were not of his own making. âYou donât have to do that.â
ââ¦I donât know how the conversation is going right now, but is it correct to talk about Team Leader Woo Soo-youngâs matter? âCan I understand that you are nagging me because I did something pointless?â
âItâs more of a worry than a nag.â
Jeong In-ho, who was looking at Kwon Yeon-hee who was starting to nod off, looked at Lee Jae-heon again. Since I didnât avoid that gaze on purpose, he opened his mouth again.
âEveryone was cursing the manager.â
âSomething newâ¦.â
âBy typing with your mouth⦠whispering in front of me, next to me, and behind me. âThere was no one who didnât curse at the manager.â
âunder.â
Lee Jae-heon snorted and said with an evil smile. The intention was to make fun of everyone.
âDo you think Jeong In-ho would have been any different? Although he pretends not to be the case, In-ho Jeong has a surprisingly soft side. âThis is so cute and funny.â
âsorry.â
ââ¦.â
âI swore without even knowing much.â
Jeong In-ho, leaning back on the living room table, continued.
âI despised you. I thought it was pitiful, sometimes I loathed it, and sometimes I ignored it. âThere were differences each time, but in the end, I was one of the people who cursed the manager.â
ââ¦Letâs not do this, Jeong In-ho.â
âBut you lived a very difficult life. I didnât mean to do that, but in the eyes of others, I was criticized for being a terrible behaviorist. I got nervous because I saw something strange, but other people couldnât see it. In the end, the manager gave up and thought it would be easier in the future to live as an old manager.â
âStop.â
âI remember. Once upon a time in the other side of the world⦠when I was in the park. âYou said that to me.â
Jeong In-ho opened his pitch-black eyes and smiled.
âI think he said he didnât want to be seen as a crazy person.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦What would I have done if I were in the managerâs position? Did I make it up like that tooâ¦? I donât think so. âIf I were to be criticized and ignored for something I didnât intend, that alone would drive me crazy.â
âWhat are we really going to do tomorrowâ¦â
âHow can that be?â
The speed at which the eyelids moved seemed to gradually slow down.
âHow can you take such an insult and still act nonchalant? As long as youâre human, youâre going to get hurt. Iâd be angry. âIt seems sadâ¦â
âI guess Iâm not human.â
âEven a joke.â
âDo you ever think itâs real?â
âI hear it sometimes. But the manager is on our side, right?â
ââ¦yes?â
âThen of course we have to take the managerâs side.â
Jeong In-ho wiped his face with both hands.
âEveryone blames the manager.â
âI know.â
âNo one is worried about youâ¦.â
âI guess so, because of what Iâve done.â
âEven if I die, I will curse at the manager.â
âOf course.â
ââ¦Even if I die.â
Jeong In-hoâs face, with both hands down, was red from the heavy alcohol, but he was smiling brightly and vaguely.
âYes, because thatâs how you will die.â
ââ¦.â
âYouâre going to die like an old man, Manager Lee Jae-heon, until the endâ¦. Thatâs all you have left, and the real thing is that you think youâll die alone in the secret world someday. No one will curse you on your grave without knowing your real face. âReally, everyone who knows you will criticize you while you die lonely in the underworld.â
âWhy are you angry?â
âIâm smiling.â
âYour eyes arenât smiling, you disgusting bastard.â
âIâm sorryâ¦â
Then he burst out laughing, wondering what was so funny. Looking at that, Lee Jae-heon vowed that he would never give that bastard a drink in the future. I should have stopped him right away when he couldnât control his pace and hit one shot. It was a real shame.
âI⦠we are. âIf you do better.â
âokay.â
âBeing smarter, stronger, whatever⦠better. âOkay then.â
âPlease tell me.â
âAre you not going to die?â
âWhy do I have to die?â
âArenât you going to leaveâ¦?â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦.â
Jeong In-ho muttered with his eyes closed, smiling.
âLook at this, youâre such a fucking bastardâ¦.â
âUh-huh, thatâs the worst again.â
âAhaha hahaâ¦! I like Ha Geuk-sang. âYou know.â
It was a cheerful laugh, uncharacteristic of the main character.
âItâs okay, peopleâs minds change. âThe manager can change too.â
âI guess so.â
âLook, we are better than the people you had before. âIn character.â
âThatâ¦there is no room to refute it.â
âAnd thereâs still plenty of time. âThere are many opportunities.â
Jeong In-ho opened his closed eyes and made eye contact with Lee Jae-heon.
âHow dare you disappear? âJust take a look in the future, I will save everyone.â
âI think itâs a good resolution.â
âThe manager is also in it. They said we were chicks. You have to wait until he becomes a chickenâ¦.â
âHuh, when will you grow up?â
âI donât know. First of all, itâs going to be over a yearâ¦?â
âWhy are you calling it 100 years?â
âHe probably wonât like it if I call him that loud.â
âDo you think calling it a year will make any difference?â
âA real son of a bitch.â
âGood luck, Assistant Manager Jeong.â
Jeong In-ho gently rolled his eyes at Lee Jae-heonâs words.
âI have no intention of changing that damn concept.â
âNow that youâve comeâ¦? âItâs too late to ask.â
âWhen the manager gets criticized for no reason, everyone who sees it gets upset.â
âYou have excellent empathy skills.â
Lee Jae-heon sighed and said with a sour face.
âI hope you wonât be too surprised by the dark history we create tomorrow morning. I guess I have no choice but to put Mr. Jeong In-ho to sleep in order to fulfill my duty as a human being. âPlease understand.â
âWhen would you say these things if not at a time like this?â
âThere are some things you should not say out loud for your own face and honor.â
âI amâ¦â
âInho.â
Lee Jae-heon got up and pressed the head of Jeong In-ho, who was sitting with his back against the table.
ânow.â
ââ¦.â
âDonât burn your stomach.â
After saying that, Lee Jae-heon immediately went into the room. In the quiet living room, Jeong In-ho muttered with a blank face while listening to the sighing sounds of his sleeping colleagues for a long time.
ââ¦I pretended not to be drunk, but I was drunk.â
What a man.
These were words that Lee Jae-heon would not have uttered unless he was in his right mind.