Episode 223
Lee Jae-heon’s house was spacious, but there were many rooms that he didn’t use because he lived alone. The inside of Lee Jae-heon’s house was cold because no one came and went except for the occasional person who came to clean up. It was right to say that it didn’t feel like a place to live.
Lee Jae-heon, lying on a soft sofa, fiddled with the remote control with a blank expression.
“… … .”
Tick.
The TV screen turns on with a gentle noise.
A screen shining alone in a dark living room. The mechanical colors hurt my eyes, and the voice flowing out hurt my ears. Lee Jae-heon, who was sitting on the sofa with a blank face, muttered softly.
“…It’s noisy.”
But he didn’t lower his voice.
In the darkened living room, the TV, which was showing off its various colors, felt quite strange. Lee Jae-heon felt strangely disconnected from reality, but he just quietly stared at the screen. Without saying a word, like a corpse.
Then suddenly, the cell phone next to me rang.
“… … .”
The number that appeared on the screen was not saved, but Jaeheon Lee knew whose number it was.
“…Detective Hong Kyung-jun.”
-I’m contacting you because I think you’ve finished your background check.
“Your timing is also good.”
He said with a shallow smile.
“I just finished checking.”
It wasn’t easy to figure out and organize all the information about so many survivors in a few hours, but it was a familiar situation for Lee Jae-heon, who recalled his past life. Even if he didn’t know, he could easily guess that my two eyes would be bloodshot.
Lee Jae-heon raised the tone of his voice as if he was teasing. It was an extremely intentional action.
“I’m conducting a background check like this, is that okay with you…? Our detective Hong Kyung-jun, who loves the law?”
Hong Kyung-jun, who had been silent for a while, answered.
-it’s okay.
“Oh, corrupt cops.”
-Because I’m definitely going to put you behind bars someday.
“… … .”
-I’ll put handcuffs on you too.
“It’s inflexible.”
– So you committed an illegal act in front of the detective and hoped you wouldn’t get caught?
Lee Jae-heon muttered, chuckling.
“Considering that, Detective, you’ve been involved in quite a few accidents.”
―These were things that were done after reaching the maximum agreement within what was socially and ethically acceptable.
“You never said what the accident was, but seeing you making excuses like this, I guess you must have been pretty pressured by your superiors.”
―I don’t even have to go far, all my seniors were scolding me… .
“oh.”
―In the end, I was right. The criminal was caught, the citizens were safe, and the victim was relieved. What more do you need as a detective?
“That’s good confidence.”
He suppressed a low laugh and lowered his gaze to the spread of documents on the sofa table. They were not neatly organized as usual, but were in a mess, as if a child had been playing. Lee Jae-heon’s eyes sank as he looked at the document on top.
“… … .”
-Mr. Lee Jae-heon?
“Please speak.”
Still, the smile does not fade.
The thing I was most curious about while conducting this background investigation was who Hong Kyung-joon thought of as ‘Lee Jae-heon’. Who on earth did he think of when he saw me?
“What are you curious about that made you call me?”
―… Are you sure there are no problems?
How could I have seen so many overlapping things, to the point where I, who should have been on guard, was not on guard?
“No problem.”
A familiar face appears in Jaeheon Lee’s eyes.
A gloomy and sinister impression. Side hair that is swept back but still has a few strands sticking out. Snake-like eyes and dark circles under the eyes. Thin eyebrows. Two dots at the corners of the mouth… .
―I know you don’t like worrying about things like this, but I’m contacting you because I’m anxious.
“I guess so.”
No matter how I looked at it, it was my face from a past life.
-People like you are bound to be selfish… .
Yeah, I must have been so selfish.
Lee Jae-heon couldn’t hide it and let out a low laugh.
“Are you calling to scold me?”
-I just told you that I was contacting you because I was worried, Mr. Lee Jae-heon.
“As I just said, there is no problem. I appreciate your concern, but there is no need to worry.”
-Is there something you haven’t told me?
“well.”
Detective Hong Kyung-jun has a good sense.
‘You noticed even though I didn’t tell you.’
Lee Jae-heon once said that he would just send his errand boy overseas. I don’t think he would have thought that was a lie, but he must have felt something strange about it. He must have thought that he would do well if he did it this weekend.
That wasn’t a suspicion that could be erased just because Lee Jae-heon denied it, so they just laughed it off.
“Oh, I decided to meet my brother.”
―… You’re talking about your family, right? Why are you telling me that now?
“I’m telling you in advance because I might not be able to reach you over the weekend. Don’t be surprised if the power goes out. I keep telling you that there won’t be any problems.”
I also realized that the more I said this, the more I was provoking the other person’s anxiety.
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-Can I believe that?
“…sure.”
That’s why Lee Jae-heon wants Hong Kyung-jun to come to him after finishing all the work.
In fact, Hong Kyung-joon and Lee Jae-heon were a combination that made it difficult to recognize each other as allies. Hong Kyung-joon wants to protect the safety of citizens and the law, while Lee Jae-heon commits all sorts of crimes for whatever reason. Right now, he is suppressing his rebellious feelings because he is maintaining the minimum line… .
‘What if I kill someone?’
If you were to indiscriminately harm the most valuable thing in this world where there is only one life, without God’s permission, would Hong Kyung-joon still recognize ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as an ally?
Probably not.
“You can trust me.”
So, Lee Jae-heon had to target Hong Kyung-jun’s weakness.
At first glance, it was not strange to be wary and hostile enough. Nevertheless, Hong Kyung-joon recognized ‘Lee Jae-heon’ as an abbreviation. He recognized him as a citizen who had to be protected. The reason was that Hong Kyung-joon’s guardian and ‘Lee Jae-heon’ were so similar.
That is, if ‘Lee Jae-heon’ maintains the appearance of Hong Kyung-jun’s shooter, the opponent will not be hostile to him.
―… Honestly, I don’t really believe it.
“Detective Hong Kyung-jun is a very suspicious person.”
―Aside from that, Mr. Lee Jae-heon is a person who gets into a lot of trouble. If he were a police officer instead of a manager at a large corporation, he would have gotten in trouble just like me.
“Oh, you must have been scolded a lot?”
-I keep saying this, but… I have no regrets.
“I thought so.”
So, this time was an opportunity. A chance to become Detective Hong Kyung-jun’s perfect ally.
“Thank you for your concern. But I’m really okay. Everything will be okay.”
―When you say it like that, I find it even harder to believe… Okay, I understand.
“Thank you for calling.”
-That nothing happened.
“… … .”
-Is that true?
Well, Hong Kyung-jun is someone who has already experienced loss.
“… It’s true.”
How could someone who suffered so much blame Lee Jae-heon? He couldn’t. That’s because Hong Kyung-joon overlaps Lee Jae-heon with his shooter.
“Good evening.”
―I hope you have a good evening, too, Jaeheon Lee.
Stop.
The call was disconnected.
“… … .”
Jaeheon Lee, who had been blankly staring for a while, reached out to the documents on the table.
“… It’s strangely easy.”
Small murmurs scattered throughout the empty living room.
Lee Jae-heon stared intently at the familiar face in the documents I was holding. To be honest, I didn’t like the face that much, but it was once my face. It felt strange that I was alive and well, but the Lee Jae-heon in the documents was dead.
“I envy you.”
You are dead.
“Is that person next to you…?”
As he muttered like that, Lee Jae-heon’s gaze landed on the desk mirror that he had recently purchased with his own money. What was reflected in the mirror hanging precariously on one corner of the table was not the face of the old manager, but his thin face from his previous life.
The thing in the mirror laughs at Lee Jae-heon again.
“… … .”
Lee Jae-heon also responded with a laugh.
“That can’t be true.”
If that person was next to you, if my family was there, you wouldn’t be making that face.
“You’re the only one on the map. What a dirty personality…”
At those words, the face of the previous life became expressionless.
He narrowed his already thin eyes even further and soon disappeared from the mirror. Lee Jae-heon, who was dumbfounded by the sight of him acting as if he didn’t even want to look at them, let out a hollow laugh. They say that when you meet someone who looks exactly like you, you either become really close or really hate them, and Lee Jae-heon is definitely the latter.
The problem was that the kid in the mirror was Lee Jae-heon himself.
“… … .”
What on earth is it?
‘What’s that kid doing in there?’
Jaeheon Lee, who had been thinking for a moment, looked at the documents again.
“First of all, this side… .”
Well, I think it’ll work out somehow.
It’s not completely unreasonable, considering Hong Kyung-joon is a young 33-year-old police officer. Even if Hong Kyung-joon’s dead shooter had the appearance of Lee Jae-heon’s past life, there would be no problem with the probability itself. Lee Jae-heon gradually recalled the storyboard and made calculations.
‘It would be correct to say that Lee Jae-heon died when he was around 30 years old.’
Hong Kyung-joon’s shooter died at the age of 45, and at the time, ‘Lee Jae-heon’ would have been in his 30s, and Hong Kyung-joon… would have been a newcomer to the violent crimes unit. He would have been around 20 years old. And Hong Kyung-joon’s shooter would have first met ‘Lee Jae-heon’, who was an elementary school student, when he was around 20 years old.
Well, there was no problem with the probability.
“I don’t know how old the ‘ghost’ Ha Sung-yoon saw looked like….”
There was no rule that a ghost would always keep its face when it died. Even if the shooter of Hong Kyung-joon that he saw was a few years old, Lee Jae-heon was confident that he could add appropriate flesh to the change. The lies that had been told until now would only increase a little more.
“… … .”
therefore.
“…ha ha ha.”
It was just funny.
“Hahaha, huh, uh… .”
It was funny.
“Somehow… I keep seeing them overlap so much that I get sick of them.”
The laughter that I had been trying to hold back throughout the call suddenly burst out.
Yes, it couldn’t be helped. What can you do about the fact that none other than Lee Jae-heon in his previous life was Hong Kyung-joon’s killer? No matter how different his personality may be now, Lee Jae-heon, in the end, his essence is the same. Since he was the same person anyway, it was inevitable that they would overlap.
Lee Jae-heon muttered while rubbing his face with both hands.
“I’m sorry about this, what should I do?”
Suddenly, Detective Hong Kyung-jun’s memories were ruined.
‘The main character and the doctor have already made a dog with no answer.’
Lee Jae-heon tried hard. Still, he was very concerned about the face of my past life. Despite Lee Jae-heon’s tearful efforts, the main character’s suspicions deepened rather than his persuasion. In any case, he is not guilty.
“… … .”
But, if there is something that still concerns you.
“…What on earth is Lee Jae-heon doing here?”
‘Lee Jae-heon’.
The old-fashioned manager.
Hong Kyung-jun’s shooter. My face in the mirror.
“I….”
What kind of meaning does it have and what kind of role does it have in this world? What kind of connection does it have that makes it pop up here and there and make my head feel complicated? At this point, it’s just so frustrating. Why was I born into this world as Lee Jae-heon?
Yeah? Honey.
“… What should I do… .”
There is no ground to set foot on.
Lee Jae-heon was still a stranger floating in the air.
