Chapter 304
Theatrical Regression Life
Episode 304
Hong Gyeong-jun thought of his shooter.
ââ¦Seniors.â
âAre you here?â
I couldnât forget the relief and regret on his face when I urgently went to see him.
What on earth was that feeling of relief? What was the regret for? If I had talked to him more when he was hitting the wall saying he wasnât the right person for me, something might have changed.
âJunior.â
âWhy why did I do thisâ¦.â
âWill I regret it?â
ââ¦I can not understand.â
âI wanted to do better. I think Iâll probably get scolded.â
Who can scold you?
âI canât help it.â
He said with a smile, covered in someone elseâs blood.
He was a serial killer who killed several children. It was Hong Gyeong-jun who arrested the shooter who put the knife in the throat of that terrible villain. It was Hong Gyeong-jun who prevented the shooter, the criminal, from escaping from the murder scene, and it was Hong Gyeong-jun who found him hanging and dead in prison one day.
âSeniors.â
You are always selfish.
I felt sorry for myself for not being able to shake off the slightest respect and admiration for him while cursing him like that. In the end, what little flexibility Hong Gyeong-jun has is because I learned from him. How can one completely hate Hong Gyeong-Jun, who is only knowledgeable but not wise, when he was the one who made him this much of a person?
ââ¦.â
But wasnât there a better way?
âThere must have been a more peaceful way.â
But Hong Gyeong-jun knew. His commander was a man who hated peace. Every time he realized that he was enjoying the tranquility of a gentle and simple daily life, he made a disgusted expression. As if this was all a deception directed at me, and the favor and consideration being showered on me was ridiculous.
He always seemed to be looking for a place to die.
âHong Gyeong-jun.â
And now you have met someone who looks like you.
âPlease wait a moment. There is nothing good about having a loud voice. âIâm going there nowâ¦â
âI think it would be best to just stay there.â
âNo matter how much the teacher monsters have returned to the grade room, you never know. âYouâre under the desk, right?â
âI told you not to come.â
ââ¦.â
They seemed like actors who had found the wrong stage, speaking in a monotonous tone against a background that was not peaceful at all. No, maybe we, except you, are misunderstanding that the world is actually peaceful.
ââ¦Whatâs going on?â
âLetâs take a pick. âEither we all die together, or at least a few of us survive.â
âIf I had to choose, it would definitely be the latter, but I would like you to tell me what the situation is.â
âCould your choice change depending on the situation?â
âYou never know.â
âRemember, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun.â
Whether you put the gunner in front or Manager Lee Jae-heon in front. Hong Gyeong-jun always felt comfortable and ominous at the same time. It was like a childâs play, knowing that the soft, warm grains of sand he was holding in his hands would all scatter one day.
âYou obviously chose the latter. âRight?â
âWait a minuteâ¦â
âBut I donât think our foolish detective will kill me.â
Only then did Hong Gyeong-jun check that Lee Jae-heonâs legs had turned white. There was no way Hong Gyeong-junâs face could not harden when he saw what was happening. I really want to try to dissuade my opponent, but what on earth can I do to hold him back?
Jaeheon Lee smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders.
âI canât help it.â
lie.
ââ¦there must be a way.â
You always find a more miserable way when you know there is a better way.
Even though I know that other people are worried, I have the luxury of being a little considerate. They deceive us with their innocent faces and eventually die.
âDonât just say common movie lines, but think about it. The situation is different from the time of Kang Min-ah. âLook at the speed, you donât even have time to cut off your tail like a lizard.â
âIsnât it still just your right leg?â
âCanât you see this? âNow my right hand is also turning white.â
ââ¦.â
âItâs too fast.â
However, as he said, he could not think of a way to somehow save Lee Jae-heon. How can we save someone whose legs and hands are already turning white like a monster? How can I remain human?
ââ¦Maybe itâs other guys, but I canât be like that.â
ââ¦Jaeheon Lee.â
âNo matter how much I think about it, I donât think you can escape when I become a monster.â
Whatever the intention and process, the result is that the shooter and Lee Jae-heon sacrifice their lives for strangers. Acting as if it was really naturalâ¦
âWasnât that just using your own name?â
My head is turning completely white.
âIâm going crazy.â
âMr. Lee Jae-heon, wait a moment.â
âWhatâs happening? Everyone looks like theyâre going to die.â
Jaeheon Lee laughed. Hong Gyeong-jun leaves with a thin, possibly spiteful smile on his face that he has still not forgotten. Hong Gyeong-jun knew very well what the end of that shallow laughter was.
âTry your best.â
What on earth?
ââ¦.â
This time, I stand up after stepping on your death.
Do you have to live like that?
ââ¦ah.â
You might be right. Hong Gyeong-jun, who is not flexible at all, may have been wrong. You were always right. I know that too.
Although I know.
ââ¦Noâ¦.â
I learned that justice built on top of a personâs death is like a sand castle.
âno.â
No, actually, I just hated it.
Hong Gyeong-jun picked up his cell phone with trembling hands and pressed the shortcut key he had set in advance. No.2. It was a lot different from the original plan, but anyway, it was a call to Yoon Garam and Park Dahoon who would be on the second floor.
-â¦mister?
Fortunately, the other person got in touch quickly. I guess there were no other monsters nearby.
âIâm sorry, but this is Hong Gyeong-jun.â
-Ah, is it a situation where I have to go up?
âCan I ask you a favor?â
âIâll be there soon, butâ¦.
Park Da-hoon asked.
ââ¦Is anyone hurt?
ââ¦.â
âDetective?
Hong Gyeong-jun hung up the phone immediately without answering. Hong Gyeong-jun, who was staring blankly at his phone in the strange silence, muttered.
âYouâre hurt.â
I was hurt really badly.
ââ¦.â
âDetective Tongue.â
âPlease join the 4th floor exploration team.â
âDetective? âWait a minuteâ¦â
Hong Gyeong-jun, who checked on Park Da-hoon who had come up to the third floor, immediately followed Lee Jae-heon. I had to think and ponder the whole time while chasing after him as he headed toward Building B.
âWhat did I do wrong?â
How many times must I relive your death?
Hong Gyeong-jun has now become a good police officer who is moderately hard and moderately flexible, and has received many thanks from numerous victims and their bereaved families. Iâm a good cop even without you. He is a good person.
So please no more.
Clink!
ââ¦.â
Hong Gyeong-jun, who chased after the man, grabbed his arm.
ânot.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦Noâ¦.â
He no longer wanted to be caught in the past.
âItâs not possible. âWhy do you keepâ¦â
So you had to let me go.
Iâm not talking about wanting to achieve ordinary happiness. Police and detectives should not be ordinary. Those who dig into peopleâs pain and tear out the culprit alive should be a little more special.
ââ¦Are you crazy? Let go of this, Detective Hong Gyeong-jun. âYouâre not saying we should all die together, are you?â
âI told you no!â
And Hong Gyeong-junâs shooter was the most unusual and bizarre person in his life.
If he shines red alone in an all-white world, everyone will see him and remember him. Hong Gyeong-jun was like that. Even after seeing the corpses of countless victims, he buried them in his heart. If he thinks about the death of his one and only shooter so often, itâs all your fault.
âIâm like, âHey. I am not your gunnerâ¦.â
ââ¦.â
ââ¦Huh.â
I donât want to end up floundering in the past, so you donât have to show me death.
ââ¦great. âI wonât do it. I wonât do it.â
ââ¦sorry.â
âSo, stay here for a while, Detective.â
sorry.
âIâll be in class, so Iâll see you later.â
sorry.
He is an inflexible and selfish person. Sorry for not being a good cop. I wouldnât have taught you to look at such a dull and stupid person, so I apologize for that too. If you want, I will get down on both knees and put my head on the ground.
ââ¦.â
Butâ¦.
ââ¦in the first placeâ¦.â
You should have done better in the first place.
âIâm right.â
Hong Gyeong-junâs steps headed toward the classroom. This was the classroom that Jaeheon Lee entered.
* * *
Anyone can sit on the sleepy chair, but no one can stand up until school dismissal time. Because students have to study. Because I canât fall asleep. Itâs inevitable because I have to keep taking classes.
But what if youâre not a student?
âWhy are you sitting there like that?â
âare you okay.â
âStand up quickly.â
âDonât do anything stupid and run away.â
âYouâre not even a student.â
And what if someone breaks it?
âare you okay. âIt doesnât hurt.â
âPlease donât be like that in front of me.â
âare you okay.â
In the end, when Hong Gyeong-jun broke the sleeping chair and made Lee Jae-heon stand up.
ââ¦.â
Crackâ¦!
ââ¦Coughing⦠Ughâ¦â
With my vision blurred due to the pain in my neck, I suddenly thought that I had made eye contact with Lee Jae-heon. Hong Gyeong-jun prayed that this was not simply an illusion of me dying.
I wanted you to feel how miserable it is when someone you know dies.
* * *
ââ¦.â
âMr. Jeong In-ho!â
If we look at it properly, Lee Jae-heon has never died due to Jeong In-hoâs fault.
In those countless times, most of Jaeheon Leeâs deaths were voluntary, or he was killed by a monster. It is said that he once died at the hands of Song In-myeong, but that was the case in the end. Lee Jae-heonâs death was always sacrificial, so there was something rather disgusting and shameful about it.
âHey In-ho Jeong!â
âPlease no, pleaseâ¦.â
âWait a minute, Mr. Jeong In-ho! You shouldnât go down like this blindly! There may be a teacher monster on the third floor! Just calm down firstâ¦â
âLet go of this!â
Jeong In-ho, who came out of the art room, shook off Ha Seong-yoon who was holding on to him and immediately went down to the third floor. It was obviously a connected space, so there would usually be someone waiting in the lobby, but neither Lee Jae-heon nor Hong Kyung-jun were seen.
âDahun?â
âWhy are you here?â
In response to Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoonâs questions, as soon as they came down, Park Da-hoon, who had escaped from hiding somewhere in the third floor lobby, hesitantly opened the door.
ââ¦I came because the detective asked me to stay here for a while.â
ââ¦.â
âWhatâs going on? I suddenly got a phone call and came up, but the atmosphere was so strangeâ¦â
The adults could not easily open their mouths to Park Da-hoonâs question. Among them who hesitated for a while, Ha Seong-yoon was the first to speak.
âIâm sorry for making you come up and then saying this, but would you like to come back down?â
âWhatâs going on? âYou can tell me that much.â
âI think the manager has become a monster.â
ââ¦.â
Ha Seong-yoon smiled and said to Park Da-hoon, who had lost his expression.
âStay down.â
ââ¦Uncleâ¦?â
âDahun, itâs okay.â
ââ¦.â
âGo down.â
Park Da-hoon pursed his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he headed straight down without saying anything. I was worried about his condition when he went down to the second floor, but there was something else more important than that.
âThose who can be saved should be saved.â
Even if Ha Seong-yoon returns, he can remember the previous episode, and if so, he should die after seeing as much as possible so that he can rely on that information and prepare for survival even after all the survivors die and time goes back.
Kim Ki-jeong, who was feeling restless as he was thinking that, spoke in a voice full of anxiety.
ââ¦Then where did Lee Jae-heon and Detective Hong Gyeong-jun both go? âWhere on earthâ¦â
Kim Ki-jeongâs confused voice was heard, but Ha Seong-yoon could not answer.
ââ¦.â
He muttered softly.
âwhyâ¦?â
Why did this happen?
It was Ha Seong-yoon who held the shoulder of Jeong In-ho, who was standing blankly in the lobby.
âWe might have to go down to the second floor too.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âCanât you see it? Neither Mr. Lee Jae-heon nor Detective Hong Gyeong-jun are here. Listening to Da-hoon, it seems like Detective Hong Gyeong-jun chased after Lee Jae-heon, who turned into a plaster monster. Is he still alive? That person didnât even give us a call and just called Da-hoon and chased after Jae-heon Lee. This is behavior that is difficult to consider sane. Detective Hong Gyeong-jun may have already been killed by Lee Jae-heon, who turned into a stone monsterâ¦â â
So, letâs run away? Throw them both away?â
âIâll have to go around the entire third floor at least once to check, but Iâm talking about possibilities right now. Itâs a possibility. If one of you turned into a monster, would you be able to handle it? At least one of Lee Jae-heon and Detective Hong Gyeong-jun. No, we wonât be able to survive. âYou know, Jeong In-ho.â
âButâ¦â
âAre you going to keep avoiding me?â
Ha Seong-yoon said with an expressionless face.
âI donât think turning a blind eye to what you did will change anything.â
ââ¦.â
âEven if we leave aside the what-ifs, we must consider the risk if Lee Jae-heon becomes a monster. âSince he was appointed class president, it will be even more difficult for Lee Jae-heon, rather than anyone else, to escape from school if he becomes a monster.â
For the first time in a long time, Jung In-ho became resentful of Ha Seong-yoon.
âThe managerâ¦â
It wasnât because he was pointing out his own mistakes.
âWould you be sad if the manager turned into a monster?â
âMr. Jeong In-ho.â
âYou said that the ego remains inside. âKilling someone with their eyes openâ¦â
I resented Ha Seong-yoonâs efforts to make him face reality and somehow survive. Even in this crazy situation, I resent the behavior of trying to steer the situation in the best direction possible.
âI donât have time for that now.â
ââ¦I know, Ha Seong-yoon.â
I already knew that I couldnât afford to be immersed in pain.
âBecause I made it like this.â
This happened because In-ho Jeong recommended Jae-heon Lee for the role of class leader. It was a situation created because I couldnât come to my senses properly. At such a time, there was no way that Jeong In-ho, the culprit of the incident, was distracted again.
It was time for Jeong In-ho, who had wiped his face, to raise his head again.
ââ¦.â
ââ¦the sound of footstepsâ¦.â
Ttogak, ttogak.
Footsteps that sound completely different from the mannequin monster.
ââ¦ah.â
In the hallway of Building B seen through the window, they found a familiar face.
ââ¦Damn it.â
âBoss.â
It was Lee Jae-heon.
âManagerâ¦â
It was Lee Jae-heon, who had turned white and was just rolling his eyes. Jaeheon Lee was a plaster monster. Everyone here knew that if their eyes met that thing, no one would leave the school alive. Moreover, what if the person chasing you is Lee Jae-heon?
Is there a monster more difficult to deal with than that?
âJudging by the blood on his white face, I think Detective Hong Gyeong-jun is probably already dead.â
âAre you dying? âThat police officerâ¦?â
âHong Gyeong-jun is also a human being. Itâs no different from being a police officer. âI think we should run away quickly before we end up like that⦠Mr. Kim Ki-jeong?â
ââ¦Ahâ¦.â
âKim Ki-jeongâ¦!â
When Kim Ki-jeong, who had been hesitating and retreating, ran to the second floor without saying a word. Until Ha Seong-yoon, who was looking at me standing blankly and Kim Ki-jeong running away, went down to the second floor while also cursing.
âTake it easy and come down quickly!â
ââ¦.â
Jeong In-ho couldnât do anything.
ââ¦is that Hong Gyeong-junâs blood?â
Yes, that could have happened. Since Hong Gyeong-jun is nowhere to be seen, it could be blood from killing him. But arenât Lee Jae-heonâs clothes too tattered for that to be the case?
It was as if I had been pricked by numerous iron thorns for a long time.
âWhy did you do that again?â
Why do they always die like that?