Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Lee Jaehun was an excellent actor.

His talent was to immerse himself in the work on stage at any time, but one problem was that he often forgot the beginning and the end. Lee Jaehun often forgot the boundaries between lies and truth. Especially when his mental strength was depleted, like now.

So, when he suddenly came to his senses,

“......”

He couldn’t recall his previous emotions.

“...Then, would you like to go first?”

“......”

“I’m a bit tired.”

Did I get angry at the person in front of me, or did I silently laugh?

It was a completely unnecessary question.

“I’ll follow you.”

* * *

“...Oh, no.”

Dr. Ha Sungyoon continued with a frown on his face.

“We lost him.”

“No, ah, no, really...”

“Wow, this is serious.”

As Kwon Yeonhee and Yoon Garam spoke in turn, Ha Sungyoon, clearly distressed, groaned and fiddled with his earlobe. It was a habit that appeared whenever he had to use his brain.

Ha Sungyoon looked around the dark surroundings and said,

“He must have panicked. He probably didn’t even realize we were following him.”

They were talking about the intern, Noh Yeonseok.

Although Ha Sungyoon hadn’t known him for very long, doctors by nature were good at analysis. It was essential to gather necessary information from patients or their guardians who didn’t provide much.

From what he could see, Noh Yeonseok wasn’t particularly mentally strong. From the first meeting until now, he had been pale and almost unable to speak. In his demeanor, Ha Sungyoon sensed the kind of tension and fear you’d only see in someone entering a haunted house for the first time.

Of course, it also seemed like he was suffering from motion sickness, though it seemed odd in a flat area like this. But given that they were in an otherworldly place, it wasn’t surprising. Ha could empathize since he had felt similar nausea when he first understood this world.

But aside from that, the important fact was that Noh Yeonseok’s mental strength was not very strong, so it wasn’t completely surprising that he had abruptly left them.

Ha Sungyoon asked Kwon Yeonhee, who looked bewildered,

“He’s your colleague, right? Was he always such a scared person?”

“...Oh... ah, yes? Oh, Noh Yeonseok-ssi?”

She stammered due to the unexpected situation but soon responded.

“No, I’m not in the same department... We just work on the same floor. I only heard rumors that he was an intern in the adjacent department...”

“So you haven’t known him for long?”

“Actually, we barely knew each other. We met at the company and escaped together.”

Kwon Yeonhee muttered with a perplexed expression,

“...Still, I didn’t think he’d leave us behind in a situation like this...”

If you had to pick the quietest person among their group, it would undoubtedly be Noh Yeonseok. But from what she saw, it wasn’t solely due to fear.

Of course, fear was a factor, but he also seemed to be holding back something physiological. Like standing in the smell of a garbage dump or feeling nauseated after riding a roller coaster ten times in a row. It was a different issue from the inevitable feelings of fear.

But given the situation, Kwon Yeonhee had no other thoughts. Noh Yeonseok’s departure, leaving the three of them behind, was clearly a panic-driven action.

While Dr. Ha Sungyoon and Kwon Yeonhee were looking around, Yoon Garam spoke calmly.

“...Does he not even have the presence of mind to light the lighter?”

One of the reasons they lost track of intern Noh Yeonseok in the first place was because the lighter Jung Inho had handed him had suddenly gone out.

“Well, it’s not easy to keep a flame while running.”

“...What should we do? Should we hide somewhere until dawn?”

“That might be the best option.”

Dr. Ha Sungyoon said, rubbing his side.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, truly sorry...”

“...It’s okay. Everything’s okay, so let’s move for now.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll do that. I’m sorry. I wanted to do well.”

Her words came out incoherently. Her head was hot, her nose was tingling, and it was so painful to realize how pathetic she looked at her age.

Following the two leading her, she murmured softly,

“How can I be so bad...”

In her hazy vision, she recalled Director Lee Jaehun. More precisely, she remembered the last time she saw him.

He was coughing up blood.

‘He was in pain.’

He was in such pain, yet she had run away in fear.

The doctor had said that coughing up blood was something only the seriously ill did, and if the timing was missed, most of them would die. Dr. Ha Sungyoon’s face had remained grim, so Lee Jaehun was likely one of those patients.

He had numerous visible injuries too. He tried not to show it, but he kept limping, and he avoided bumping into others as if even slight contact caused pain. Yet, he continued to lead, soothe, and provide what was needed.

Kwon Yeonhee had a past where she had criticized him without seeing him directly, and she had never properly thanked him for helping her.

‘And now, I’ve completely abandoned him.’

Her stomach churned.

‘...What if he dies.’

Lee Jaehun seemed like he could die if she took her eyes off him for just a moment.

So, she tried to keep smiling. Wanting to be a good person, when she smiled, most people smiled back, and after even one smile, they felt a bit better.

Kwon Yeonhee was a marketing department employee, not a doctor, herbalist, or someone with such knowledge. So, she couldn’t treat Lee Jaehun or take care of herself well enough to reduce his burden. She wanted to at least make him feel better since she couldn’t do anything else.

But Lee Jaehun became more critical as time went on. He sank to the bottom, becoming either more calm or more dazed. Sometimes, Kwon Yeonhee wondered if he wanted to die. He seemed so detached from reality.

And as time passed, she became more afraid.

“...Do you think he’s still alive?”

He seemed less like a person.

“Even if he is alive... will he be okay?”

It felt like something dead was mimicking a living person.

He didn’t seem like the Lee Jaehun she knew, and that scared her.

Coughing up blood and trying to stand, he didn’t seem like something that contained life. His severely injured, creaking legs resembled those of a broken doll, and despite his many wounds, the emptiness in his eyes was terrifying.

How could that be alive? Was he truly a living person? It seemed as though he could crumble and collapse like an old, dilapidated building at any moment. The thought that it might be more natural for him to die that way gripped her throat, forcing her to look away.

At that moment, what kind of look did I have in my eyes when I last saw him?

“...Actually, I didn’t run away from the monsters... I ran away from the Director...”

“......”

“What if he was hurt because of that?”

No matter how monstrous he looked, he was a person.

He had protected, comforted, and helped them, bleeding and limping all the while. Even now, he was probably staying behind to fend off the monsters alone.

Such a kind person couldn’t possibly be unhurt.

“What if I killed him...?”

Once again, fear crept up her legs.

He already seemed like he might die at any moment, and now she feared she had given him another reason to die. Another excuse to let go.

She was terrified that she might have pushed a person standing on the edge of a cliff.

“Really, I...”

“......”

“......”

An all-too-familiar silence settled in,

“...Ah.”

Kwon Yeonhee realized.

She wasn’t the only one who had pushed Lee Jaehun off that cliff.