Chapter 160

Episode 160

If we take a moment to reflect here, it is true that the secret world has a history.

‘Of course, it’s not at the level of civilization.’

Still, it was true that it had its own history. Wasn’t it said that the existing world existed in the first place and that human thoughts were placed on top of it, called the other world? As time has changed along with the real world, it was inevitable that they would have their own history.

However, such history has never been greatly highlighted in the work. Occasionally there are traces that hint at the time in the other world, but Lee Jae-heon’s descriptions were so sparse that he wouldn’t have paid much attention if the author hadn’t told him about it himself.

‘In fact, what is the use of history and traces in living things?’

In the end, the main character was a survivor struggling to survive, not an archaeologist exploring the past.

“Then I’ll be back.”

“...Have a safe trip.”

Lee Jae-heon furrowed his brows as he saw Jeong In-ho answer with a sincere smile.

“Do it in moderation.”

The protagonist did not respond to those words.

Jaeheon Lee, who saw Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon heading towards the lake in harmony, lowered his waving hand and returned to the bonfire. Noh Yeon-seok was sleeping nearby, curled up in his arms, probably tired from cooking for the first time in a long time.

Lee Jae-heon rolled his eyes and glanced around discreetly.

“....”

Those remaining include Noh Yeon-seok, Kang Min-ah, Yoon Gar-ram, Mun San-gun, and Choi Min-hong.

‘The rest went to pick up firewood.’

During this limited time, Jaeheon Lee had to proceed with the story.

However, Munsan-gun has not let down his guard against us yet, and since they have already saved us, their problem is not that urgent. It was a problem that would be solved on its own when he encountered Detective Hong Gyeong-jun’s team anyway, so it seemed like if he was left to his own devices, he would recover on his own.

‘But not Yoon Garam.’

President Garam Yoon was the first among the survivors to reveal his uniqueness. This also means that the idea that the outside and the inside are different is distorted. There was no way I would be the first to tell it, as I have been the one to keep quiet ever since I was traumatized by the fire.

After thinking that far, Jaeheon Lee naturally moved closer to Garam Yoon.

“What’s your problem?”

“...yes?”

“You keep staring blankly at one side.”

I wasn’t asking because I really didn’t know.

‘Maybe Ha Seong-yoon is worried about why he and Jeong In-ho went alone.’

Since the amount of resources a person can carry at one time is limited, whenever a gathering team is formed, they always send as many people as possible together. Anyone with an eye for insight would have been able to tell that Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon moved with different intentions than collecting.

Garam Yoon smiled awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. “I was distracted.”

“It’s okay if you haven’t had any problems. “I asked because I was worried.”

“Have I caused you this worry?”

The unnatural smile quickly changed into a unique, soft and neat smile.

“Thank you, Manager. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a cigarette in my mouth, so I guess I thought about it without realizing it.”

“...Is that so.”

It was a plausible excuse.

‘Because I’ve introduced myself as a smoker before.’

It is true that cigarettes are bad for the body, but that is why people in society do not easily touch them. You might be a little close, but the relationship between Lee Jae-heon and Yoon Ga-ram cannot be said to be very close. It was probably something he said with the judgment that if he said it like that, he wouldn’t touch it.

In fact, Garam Yoon must have tried all his life to hide his innate temperament, so he could have become accustomed to small lies like this.

Just like Jaeheon Lee.

“I hope it isn’t too hard.”

However, this type of person pretends not to be this type of person and the wall they put up is so strong that it is difficult to hear their true feelings.

‘Well, I already knew this.’

In the novel, Yoon Garam was the main character with a high importance. This also means that Lee Jae-heon had a lot of room to interpret the character ‘Yoon Garam’, so should we say that it is a benefit for those who read this world through writing? I was able to get a rough idea of how to approach it.

Jaeheon Lee sat next to President Garam Yoon with a calm expression. Although they saved him from death once, their relationship is ambiguous as they do not have much interaction with each other. In a location where you can feel just that level of distance.

he asked.

“Are you a bit cold?”

“...your body?”

“Every time I check, he’s always by the campfire.”

“ah.”

Garam Yoon, who let out an artificial exclamation, rolled his eyes a beat later and smiled.

“I’m not cold, but I get cold easily.”

Another lie.

‘It’s not something I would say, but I live a tiring life.’

But I could understand it.

“Sometimes he blinks or sweeps his hand over his mouth. My gaze spins like a glass ball. “I have to say that I feel like I’m not human.”

“...Is that so?”

“The fact that we calculate pain as value rather than pain makes us feel like machines or monsters. It seems like the way I think and the way I live my life are different. Because ordinary people can’t do that...”

“....”

“...So, we were grateful that you told us Jaeheon Lee’s story.”

It gave me an excuse to understand things that were different from my own, and

“thanks to that, I’m not nearly as scared anymore.”

Well, isn’t that why he said something strange like ‘he’s like his father’?

Fiction and reality are different, and the author tried to reflect that as much as possible. In a world like this, it was only in creative works that you could break down all the walls and feel gratitude just because your life was saved once. President Garam Yoon never considered Jaeheon Lee friendly.

‘But I heard an explanation as to why it ended up like this.’

Garam Yoon heard the reason why Jaeheon Lee went crazy and was convinced. I was able to see the person named ‘Lee Jae-heon’ rather than something I couldn’t understand. She says that Lee Jae-heon is an ideal father that goes beyond Yoon Gar-ram’s prejudices. It seemed like he might have been thinking.

Of course, this is something Jaeheon Lee doesn’t really understand.

“...Should I say thank you for not being scared?”

As someone who had to massage this woman’s brain, I was very grateful.

“There’s no need for that.”

“If you say that, I don’t have anything to say, but...”

Lee Jae-heon, who had read the world they were in now, was actually receiving quite a big benefit. Unlike others who could only know the results by directly hitting each thing with their body, he knew a kind of instruction manual.

It wasn’t just something that applied to the underworld.

“...I’m just saying that.”

He continued, recalling the contents of the novel.

“Are you afraid of fire?”

“...yes?”

“Or maybe it’s because I like it so much that I don’t know what to do.”

“....”

“Isn’t that so?”

Ha Seong-yoon was a doctor who treated Yoon Gar-ram almost exclusively at the time of the incident. He was the first to notice her unusual constitution, and he was also the person who embraced Yoon Gar-ram despite it.

Therefore, it was Dr. Ha Seong-yoon, not Yoon Gar-ram’s biological father, that Lee Jae-heon had to imitate.

“There was no way I didn’t know.”

It’s a good thing.

‘Because I don’t know what this man’s father said.’

Even Ha Seong-yoon barely appeared through Yoon Gar-ram’s reminiscence of him, so is there anything more to discuss about the story of his parents who only briefly appear in the past? Lee Jae-heon was thankful that there was someone who was easy for him to follow.

He remembered Ha Seong-yoon’s ‘line’.

‘Because I was always keeping an eye on my patients’ condition.’

“I tried to pay as much attention as possible to the current state of the group.”

‘I knew Garam was particularly weak to fire.’

“I knew that Garam Yoon was particularly sensitive to fire.”

‘I may feel bad, but... I want to help my patient in any way I can.’

“You may feel bad, but I want to help my people...”

And then

he said something.

“...So, if you’re having a hard time, could you please let me know later?”

If you’re having a hard time, can you tell me anytime?

“....”

“....”

How did you respond to that?

Garam Yoon was staring at Jaeheon Lee with his eyes slightly wide open, and he saw that there was something grey-green stirring inside him like fire. Clearly, Garam Yoon was reminding Jaeheon Lee of something I knew.

After hesitating several times, she nodded faintly.

“...yes.”

It was an unusually short answer.

Therefore, Jaeheon Lee knew that this situation was the correct answer.

* * *

“....”

Even the fact that Kang Min-ah is watching it.

‘Damn life.’

It’s so hard to make a living.

(Continued in the next part)