Chapter 10: 9

Chapter Nine - TRL

 Lee Jaehun, in his previous life, had a pretty good memory.

 

Not that he was particularly gifted at it, of course. But he needed to be quick on his feet just to survive, let alone eat. 

 

At the very least, if you can organize your relationships cleverly, you can live to a certain extent.

 

So, no matter how uninterested he was, he felt a sense of déjà vu the next time he met a certain someone.

 

In addition, in this case, he had a special condition of ‘remembering his previous life’, so it was not too difficult to find out who the other person was.

 

It hadn't been that long since he remembered his previous life, so there were only a few options for Lee Jaehun to choose from.

 

So the man on the other side of the glass wall, being chased around by a strange plant-like creature for the seventeenth time, was the doctor he'd met last weekend.

 

Ha Sung, was it? uh, yeah... To be honest, he couldn’t remember his name.

 

'Was that person also a character in the novel?'

 

Lee Jaehun suddenly thought.

 

Judging from the description in the novel, if the doctor was really one of the characters, then the sloppy corpse in the flower shop that the protagonist identified was likely to be him.

 

And there’s a 99% chance that if Lee Jaehun doesn't help within the next minute, he’ll die.

 

But whether or not he should help is another matter.

 

Lee Jaehun, who always struggled for a better life, hated variables, and that man was the perfect variable for him.

 

In the case of that professional doctor, the possibility of remembering Lee Jaehun was quite high, so he was even more worried.

 

It would ruin the buildup he'd been working so hard to create.

 

Lee Jaehun slowly blinked his eyes.

 

'What conversation did I have with that doctor?'

 

Information passed quickly through his mind.

 

He must have had a misunderstanding.

 

Is it a misunderstanding that he had an illegal job? But other than those scars, Lee Jaehun's body was unharmed.

 

Of course, his exposed body was only his arms, so it's not certain.

 

No, his wounds were obviously self-inflicted, so the doctor's misconception was at least not such a ridiculous delusion.

 

So what misunderstanding? That he’s crazy? No, that's too basic, plus it's not even a misunderstanding.

 

The doctor should have built a misunderstanding on the basis of more systematic information.

 

That's where Lee Jaehun switched gears. He couldn’t figure the man's misunderstanding anyway.

 

If so, he must make a quick decision based on other information.

 

With simple information, it’s a clear advantage to have a doctor for future endeavors.

 

Right now, Lee Jaehun's wounds were not small ones, and in the park his wounds could become contaminated, pus, and start to rot. The days are getting warmer, and wounds are more prone to infection.

 

Lee Jaehun had no real medical knowledge. Yes, he needed a doctor, at least a good one.

 

Soon, the main character's group will come to Lee Jaehun, and if the doctor pretends to know him, then things get twisted.

 

It may be different from my plans. There was no doctor in his calculations.

 

‘So, do I save save him? Or leave him to die?’

 

Putting his long and dense information back into the corner of his head, Lee Jaehun muttered softly under his breath.

 

How did the other person feel about me?

 

Doubt, or some other misunderstanding about a situation that was rare even for a doctor. No, erase this. He doesn't need it. A doctor's sense of duty. Frustration after seeing signs of self-harm. He's a good man. Erase that too.

 

And, of course, his undying compassion for Lee Jaehun.

  

 "......."

  

 That doctor won't hurt him.

  

 Which meant it was a benefit to him.

 

Lee Jaehun blinked his eyes and grasped the situation.

 

The doctor was about to be torn by the teeth of a grotesque plant, and a woman hiding under a workbench was watching it with her whitened face.

 

He thought he couldn't see her through the glass wall, but it must have been because she was hidden there.

 

Perhaps she was acquainted with the doctor, as she called to him mournfully but did not bother to rise from her hiding place.

 

“Seo… doctor… .”

 

The moment he heard that small voice, Lee Jaehun thought:

 

'If I find a doctor, I'll be able to get that woman's favor as well.'

 

Convinced of his decision, he stepped inside the shop,.

 

In his hand was a pipe smeared with the slimy ooze of spider legs, which would soon be stained with the blood of another monster.

 

Lee Jaehun, who held the pipe high, grabbed the doctor's back with the other hand and pulled him towards him, and greeted him.

 

"Good to see you, doctor."

 

“…what….”

 

Sshhlick!

 

With the sound of something juicy bursting, a bright red liquid unlike the spider monster splashed in all directions. Again, there was a strong smell of blood.

 

Only then did the doctor seem to recognize the existence of Lee Jaehun.

 

“…patient?”

 

As expected, he remembered Lee Jaehun, who was just one of the many patients.

 

Maybe it was because the case was so memorable, or maybe it was because of his sense of mission as a doctor.

 

Whether it was both or neither was not the truth he needed to know.

 

Lee Jaehun shrugged his shoulders as he checked the doctor who had managed to keep his balance and the woman under the workbench.

 

The bandage on his shoulder, which had been poorly treated, was thickly oozing blood.

 

“I am still a patient.”

 

"I...well, I can see that."

 

The doctor's face, which nodded at his words, was remarkably calm for someone who had just nearly died.

 

Lee Jaehun suddenly had the idea that he wanted to tell the doctor how brutally he would have died a few minutes later.

 

Of course, instead of doing something stupid like that, he took advantage of the momentary lull in the monsters' behavior and turned his attention to the workbench. His foot trampled over a crushed monster.

 

"Isn't there a lady there?"

  

 "...ah...."

 

"Unless you plan on living with these gross things."

 

"yes, yes."

[Note: She’s not saying yes to his question.]

 

The monsters in the flower shop stood still for a while as Lee Jaehun acted so threateningly.

 

As if realising that, the woman who had been crouching quickly moved out from under the workbench.

 

The workbench was not very close to the entrance, but the space itself wasn't large, so it didn’t take long for her to run toward the doctor and Lee Jaehun.

 

The woman with her blood dripping drop by drop as if her upper arm had been cut, had an appearance that matched the description of the ‘flower shop owner’ among the main characters Lee Jaehun remembered.

 

She hesitated. The woman approached, wary of the fallen monster, and said to Lee Jaehun.

 

“Thank you, thank you so much… .”

 

“…….”

 

Lee Jaehun liked smart people like this.

 

Her face was full of tears and fright, but she had good judgment, and she seemed to know how to survive even in a trembling state.

 

The future protagonists. They were the kind of people who would do whatever they had to do, even if it made them cry all over the place. Or do it while crying.

 

Anyway, it can be said that she is a very suitable human figure to travel with in this shitty world.

 

Holding his side, which he didn't know if it was cut or chewed, the doctor asked the florist.

  

"Boss, are you okay?"

[Note: Doctor is calling her boss(sajangnim) because she’s the owner of the shop, not the same boss that Jung In-ho uses for Lee Jaehun.] 

 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm really sorry. I was so scared that I just hid... .”

 

"It's okay, dear, no need to cry like this."

 

“…….”

 

Lee Jaehun, who was looking at them, opened his mouth.

 

“For now, let’s leave.”

 

Lee Jaehun looked at the flower-shaped monster with a dry gaze. Instead of a center pistil, the monster was full of colorful teeth, which made it all the more disgusting because it was so beautiful on the outside.

 

As the doctor and the woman blinked at his words, Lee Jaehun added an explanation.

 

"Apparently, they don't go outside the flower shop. These assholes, they don't go out unless it's their territory."

 

"ah… okay."

 

"Therefore… .”

 

Clink!

 

He hit the head of a large flower that had approached their feet with his pipe.

 

“Let’s go out of the flower shop first.”

 

His voice was dry as ever.

 

The petals, shattered by the force of the blow, were delicate and elaborate, like the glass in a stained glass window, and who knows what they were meant to reflect.

  

 But the shattered petals were sharp, as if they had been turned into blades.

  

Lee Jaehun was careful not to step on it, and looked at the monsters circling around them.

 

The monsters didn't think of approaching them recklessly to see if it was worth attacking them as brutally as possible.

 

It was probably a monster with intelligence, unlike spider legs.

 

But with glass monsters like this one, you never know when they'll pounce, and it wasn't far from where they were now to the flower shop entrance.

 

They had to get out of there quickly, because the protagonist would catch up with them soon.

 

At his words, the doctor nodded his head, wiping away the cold sweat.

 

"Those... monsters, they're moving quite a bit slower now."

 

“Yes, I see.”

 

“Then shall we move now?”

 

At the same time, Lee Jaehun realized.

 

"I was just about to go to the hospital, can I ask you to treat me later?"

 

"...As long as you keep me alive."

  

This doctor knew about the underworld.

 

 The moment he realized it, he was certain of the doctor's 'misunderstanding'.

  

 He realized what the doctor's "misunderstanding" of him was, and how this man had appeared in the novel.

  

 The corners of his mouth turned up in amusement.

  

 "That's good."

  

 Very, very good.

 

* * *

 

There are different types of monsters in the underworld depending on the characteristics of the area or building.

 

For example, in a park full of plants, there are monsters in the form of plants, and in a hospital there are monsters in the form of patients or doctors.

 

Various phenomena experienced in each building also reflect the characteristics of the existing space.

 

Of course, you can only distinguish between types to a certain extent, but no two monsters look exactly alike.

 

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The main character in the novel explained that it is roughly the same context that people are all different, even if they are of the same race.

 

Perhaps thanks to this, the abilities of the monsters are also very different, which damages the main character's party.

 

And it was no different inside the flower shop, which was not described in the novel.

 

“… Huh.”

 

Lee Jaehun swept off the charcoal that covered his ankles.

 

He lightly brushed his foot repeatedly, and the charred charcoal quickly crumbled into dust, leaving no trace.

 

Right before he could completely leave the flower shop, a vine-shaped monster wrapped around Lee Jaehun's ankle.

 

At first, he tensed up, thinking it was going to be a struggle, but instead it burned itself.

 

Lee Jaehun was surprised to find himself trying to struggle instead of shaking it off.

 

His expression darkened.

 

“I can’t believe we have to deal with plants….”

 

“It doesn’t look like a plant at all, though.”

 

“That is true.”

 

However, it was bizarre to think that a monster that looked like a plant had fire-related abilities.

 

Moreover, the ability it had just demonstrated had been self-destructive, killing the creature itself.

 

Thanks to that, Lee Jaehun, the only one of the three who was burned, was not happy.

 

"Fortunately… I don’t have any problems moving.”

 

Apart from the discomfort, it wasn't such a big injury.

 

In fact, rather than the previous penetrating wound, burns seemed better.

 

The doctor's expression softened slightly at Lee Jaehun's words.

 

“… I won’t say anything because I think I know you’re not at all happy by the look on your face, but I think it’s better to receive proper treatment while you can afford it.”

 

"You're tongue-tied at the idea of being alive through my sacrifice and conscience."

 

“Sometimes people misunderstand, but being a doctor is a job that you can’t do for a long time unless you have a silver tongue.”

 

The woman, the owner of the florist shop, who had been wiping away her tears at the conversation between the two, asked with her eyes still watering.

 

“… Do you two know each other?”

 

It was a valid question.

 

And Lee Jaehun, who was curious about the exact identity of the doctor, also liked the woman's question.

 

He knew the role of the doctor and how he would appear later, but that didn't mean he knew him well.

 

Thinking that far, Lee Jaehun roughly nodded.

 

“We met once as a doctor and a patient.”

 

In fact, it was a relationship that was nothing more and nothing less.

 

They only remembered each other because the other had done something very impressive, not because they had a connection.

 

And then, a familiar voice was heard.

 

“… Head Manager?"

[Note: Bujangnim was used, which means Head Manager/Department Head/Team Leader/etc… In earlier chapters when Jung In-ho would call Jaehun Boss, he was actually saying this.]

 

As expected, it was the main character.

 

Behind him was a group of people who seemed to have calmed down.

 

The florist and doctor next to Lee Jaehun must have noticed that they were new survivors, and their gazes were became lively.

[Note: Going to refer to the flower shop owner as the ‘florist’ unless needed, because it’s less wordy.]

 

Lee Jaehun muttered to him as if he was dumbfounded.

 

“… Didn't I tell you to wait?"

 

“I came because I was worried.”

 

“Assistant Jung, are you going to keep doing this? Do you think I’m joking around?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

By now, he was probably convinced that 'Head manager Lee Jaehun' was a complete act, and didn’t even attempt to look meek.

 

Looking back, the appearance of the kkondae head manager was not particularly false, and from his point of view, in one sense or another, it was a frustrating situation.

 

Perhaps because of Lee Jaehun's sudden change of character, the flower shop owner and doctor's expressions became strange.

 

It would be even stranger if they didn't find it strange since his whole demeanor had changed.

 

"uh… excuse me… .”

 

“Ah, this is the shop owner and the doctor who were in the flower shop.”

 

At Lee Jaehun's words, the faces of the group behind Jung In-ho brightened.

 

They seemed to think that it would be nice if there were more people who could rely on each other as the situation was the situation, but since the world is already full of monsters, I can't help but be happy to see people walking around in good shape.

 

Kwon Yeon-hee was the first to speak.

 

“Nice to meet you! I bought flowers last week, do you remember?”

 

"yes? ah… Are you the one who bought that succulent set?”

 

“That’s right, wow, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

She mumbled something about how glad she was to see her, taking Chief Kang's hand, who was next to her, and moved closer to the owner of the flower shop.

 

When employee Kwon Yeon-hee, who is obviously smaller and of the same gender, expressed her favor, the florist, who had been stiff, began to relax.

 

The men's faces lightened up a bit at the sight of the women.

 

The face of the intern, Roh Yun-seok, who had always been friendly with Chief Kang, looked even better, probably because he was worried about her fragile mental strength.

 

Of course, as far as Lee Jaehun was concerned, it didn’t matter.

[Note: He actually said it was ‘like measuring the height of acorns.’ because no matter the size of an acorn it’s still an acorn and doesn’t value more or less. It’s an idiom.]

 

Realizing what was going on, he steadied himself with his pipe and sighed.

  

 Anyway, it couldn't hurt if someone could lighten the mood. Mental strength was important.

  

‘Employee Kwon's simplicity comes in handy in times like this.’

 

Lee Jaehun blinked lazily.

 

“…….”

 

Two people who should have been dead have come back to life, and he’d already met the florist, whom he’ll be able to talk to later in the park episode.

 

In the novel, the owner was incredibly traumatized.

 

Unable to interact with people, she would lock himself in a corner and stare into space, or be startled by the sound of trees or grass swaying.

 

Perhaps that's why, unsurprisingly, she joins the main character's group late.

 

Maybe it's because the doctor who she seems to be close with was killed by the flower monsters right in front of her eyes.

 

In the second half, she revealed her true feelings, saying, 'I think that the flowers I raised killed my customer.'

 

But no one is dead right now. The current party's mental strength was incomparable to the novel, and the atmosphere was excited, perhaps because they met a new survivor.

 

And Lee Jaehun thought.

 

'Is food supply a problem?'

 

What the main character brought from the kitchen was for emergencies, and the rest had to be self-sufficient.

 

Having a large group of people has many advantages and disadvantages. If you have good teamwork, you can divide up the work and keep things running smoothly, but if you don't, it's a lot of stress for each person.

 

Besides, to survive from monsters, you need to have basic physical strength, so you couldn't stop eating.

 

On top of that, they need to have basic physical strength to survive the monsters, so they can't go without food.

 

Of course, Lee Jaehun has skills from his previous life, so he can take care of that to some extent.

 

But humans are creatures that spread out when they start to stabilize, and that meant splitting up the group.

 

And when you divide, you tend to fall behind.

 

That's why he couldn’t openly kill those he’d already saved with his own hands... .

 

'If I have to, I'll try to get the monster to kill them.'

 

With that thought, Lee Jaehun leaned back against the pipe and relaxed.

 

If the problem was food supply, he had no intention of killing them.

 

If managed well, companions in the underworld were a great advantage, and surviving alone here was impossible.

 

But it was far more efficient to kill that one person who didn't get the memo and would cause division and destroy the team.

 

Of course, he had to be careful not to let the quick-witted protagonist know, but Lee Jaehun had already recalled the memories of his previous life.

 

It meant that he was not at a level that would be discovered by newbies like Assistant Manager Jung.

 

With that out of the way, Lee Jae-heon looked back at the protagonist. He wanted to see what he thought of this atmosphere.......

 

“…….”

 

“…What is it?”

 

He was looking at my leg.

 

To be precise, the doctor and the protagonist were looking at his leg, more specifically the wounds on it.

 

It must have been nice to observe because the penetration and burns were on the same leg.

 

What is it, are you checking if it functions? Lee Jaehun looked at the two characters with a confused expression.

 

“If you have something you want to say, say it straight.”

 

"You don't intend to seek medical attention now?"

 

“Forget it.”

 

Seeing that the doctor was about to say something, Lee Jaehun pointed his finger at the sky.

  

"It's getting dark, so we should probably find a place to rest."

 

Instead of the setting sun, the sky in the Underworld was gray, like ink thickening.

 

The ominous color made the doctor shut his mouth, and then the protagonist spoke.

 

“Your ankle is melted.”

 

"Don't be so gory... It's not melted, it's burned."

 

To which the doctor interjected with a chuckle.

  

 "Your skin did melt, though."

  

 "Whose side are you on now?"

  

 “There are no sides when it comes to facts.”

 

Lee Jaehun frowned at that smooth answer.

 

As he had thought before, these two were very difficult and demanding people to deal with.

 

Especially the main character.

 

He responded by rubbing his aching shoulder.

 

“I still have to eat and live. I'm not going to suddenly stop doing my job, so please remove those eyes.”

 

"...I was just looking at you out of concern...."

  

 "That was a good joke."

 

He does sound worried though.

  

 Lee Jaehun was genuinely amused and let out a low laugh.

 

It was enough to say that the relationship between the Kkondae Head manager and Artificial Assistant Manager Jung In-ho was at its worst.

  

 There was no way he would show human concern just because he had been useful a few times.

 

Of course, seeing him speak like that, it seems that he intends to treat him to some extent, but he didn't know when the relationship would fall apart.

 

The main character's expression shallowly distorted at that, but Lee Jaehun just shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Now, why don’t you get going first.”

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