Chapter 554

Episode 554:

When Jeong Eun-woo went missing, the survivors were less upset than expected.

Seo Jang-hwa, who was most worried about Jeong Eun-woo’s safety, was confused by guilt, but did not cry out of fear that can be felt in the face of someone’s death. Other survivors simply accepted the fact that Jeong Eun-woo was missing.

The reason was simple.

“...I didn’t feel like anyone was dying??”

This was because I felt nothing was wrong.

‘Don’t you feel strange when someone dies in the other world?’

I don’t know what the mechanism is, but in the other world, when someone I know dies, I feel like my heart stops beating.

The closer I was to that person, the stronger the feeling at that time became.

‘Of course, I can’t say that we are that close to Jeong Eun-woo, but...’ When

Han Do-yoon hesitated in embarrassment, Kim Ki-jeong held her tightly and made her stay still.

“Be quiet. “You shouldn’t move carelessly in front of wild beasts.”

“No, that... yes.”

“I understand.”

Kim Ki-jeong’s expression wasn’t very good either.

He too was thinking of similar questions as Han Do-yoon.

‘...If you become a monster, isn’t that also treated as death?’

From Kim Ki-jeong’s perspective, who does not know the existence of regression, there has never been a case where another survivor turned into a monster and died. But he had a very good ear. Especially when it comes to the underworld.

Therefore, I occasionally overheard conversations between survivors who knew about regression, and I got a rough idea of the correlation between monsterization and death.

‘Yes, I definitely said that if I turn into a monster, I will die.’

I thought maybe Lee Jae-heon, who has a lot of experience in the behind-the-scenes world, would have told me about it.

‘But Jung Eun-woo really... didn’t feel anything...’

Kim Ki-jeong looked at Do-yoon Han.

I could clearly feel the embarrassment of seeing Jeong Eun-woo, who had turned white and appeared in the hole in the ceiling. Kim Ki-jeong sympathized with Do-yoon Han’s silent fear and astonishment.

“....”

That figure was clearly a monster.

‘...I don’t know why we haven’t felt anything until now...’

Kim Ki-jeong looked at Jeong Eun-woo, who was soaked in water.

The ears, which should have been apricot-colored and round, were long and covered with a thin web-like membrane. It trembled as it looked at Han Do-yoon and Kim Ki-jeong, and since its eyes were not focusing well, it seemed like it was sensing surrounding objects through the membranes of its ears.

The teeth visible between the slightly parted lips were too sharp to be considered human, and the throat inside them was also dense. The unfocused eyes were all black with no whites, and they were rolling around busily.

“....”

It really looks like a monster.

“...Ugh...”

Kim Ki-jeong’s shoulders trembled.

‘...What is that.’

I felt sick without even realizing it.

Kim Ki-jeong was astonished to see that even though the human form still remained, there was something attached to it that should not exist in humans. The instinctive repulsion and disgust that sent goosebumps down his back made Kim Ki-jeong terrified.

“...Maybe it was because he wasn’t close to us... that we didn’t know he was dead?”

Kim Ki-jeong frowned at Han Do-yoon’s whispered question. I wonder if it would be important to resolve such questions in a situation like this, but since Kim Ki-jeong was having similar concerns, the answer came easily.

“... Well... maybe...?”

“Or that Eunwoo Jeong is not dead yet.”

“That... is just as terrible.”

I thought it would be too cruel if there was a healthy living person inside that hideous outer shell that seemed to lack any sense of human nature.

Kim Ki-jeong thought that a complete death would be more merciful.

“....”

Of course, the underworld was a space far from mercy.

“...I just have to hope that’s not the case.”

It was a situation where it was assumed that Jung Eun-woo was not a good person. Even though I thought so because the other person was the secretary of this party, I couldn’t feel good about something terrible happening to someone I was communicating with and interacting with normally.

But even for a moment, Kim Ki-jeong just frowned and ended his terrible impressions. The situation wasn’t leisurely enough to just dwell on unnecessary sentiments.

“...I do not know.”

“yes?”

‘When I looked at the reactions... it seemed like the original Jung Eun-woo, who had not become a monster, was a difficult opponent to beat.’

Kim Ki-jeong saw Do-yoon Han.

“why?”

“....”

Han Do-yoon was in much better physical condition than Kim Ki-jeong, but through several experiences, Kim Ki-jeong was well aware of Han Do-yoon’s limitations. Do-yoon Han was simply in good shape, but had no talent for fighting.

‘You can’t turn your back on this friend and tell him to fight.’

It wasn’t a method I really liked in the first place. Kim Ki-jeong was not shameless enough to encourage Han Do-yoon, even though he clearly knew that he would die, even though he could clearly see the future in which he would be torn to pieces and die horribly.

‘But just waiting like this and doing nothing doesn’t mean we can all live together.’

As I thought about before, Eunwoo Jeong has already assumed the location of the prey. The reason he hesitates inside the ceiling is probably not because he is not confident in hunting, but because he wants to hunt more thoroughly.

In the end, if Jung Eun-woo completes all the calculations and attacks, Do-yoon Han and Ki-jeong Kim will inevitably die....

“....”

It would be better for me than for both of them to die.

“I’ll move.”

“....”

“How do you feel?”

“...yes?”

Kim Ki-jeong raised his head with an awkward movement and looked at Han Do-yoon’s face.

The foolish bastard was laughing.

“I think I better get moving.”

I could read the fear of death in that awkward smile.

“....”

“Kim Ki-jeong isn’t even good at running. If you can’t swim well, then it’s completely meaningless as bait, right? “I thought it would be better for me to stay and attract attention rather than for Kim Ki-jeong to stay.”

“...What....”

“How do you feel?”

Those are pretty admirable words to hear from the mouth of a young man in his 20s.

“What bullshit.”

Kim Ki-jeong was not a great man of such modest stature.

Kim Ki-jeong spoke to Do-yoon Han, who was dumbfounded by the harsh words that came out of nowhere.

“Even if Han Do-yoon were to run away as bait and bide his time, how long do you think he could go...? Hey, it’s a perfect space for piranhas to live in the front and Jung Eun-woo to run wild in the back. “How well the bait escapes has nothing to do with the monster that Jung Eun-woo is.”

“...Kim Ki-jeong?”

“No, my dear, you only call me by your last name when you are dissatisfied with me?”

He clicked his tongue loudly.

“....”

Then, I listened to the noise coming from a bit far away, probably before I even passed through the ‘underwater world’. It was very faint, but it probably sounded like footsteps.

Kim Ki-jeong let out a short sigh and looked up at Jeong Eun-woo.

“...It doesn’t matter if the bait can run well... It’s obvious that you’ll get caught in just a few steps anyway, so what’s the point? “Can’t you really figure out who would benefit from running well in the current situation?”

“....”

“The person who will buy the bait must be able to escape well. That way, at least one person will survive.”

Snap.

Kim Ki-jeong moved to ‘Friends by the Stream’.

“Mr. Kim Ki-jeong.”

“and.”

He made eye contact with Jeong Eun-woo and walked proudly.

“...And I can’t do things like run away.”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was that I couldn’t do it.

Do-yoon Han had to know that.

“So ask for help.”

“....”

“To someone other than me.”

* * *

Boom.

(Continued in the next part)