Episode 230
Although he was advised to rest at a hotel because he was feeling unwell, Lee Jae-heon returned home immediately. Since there would obviously be devices or people monitoring him at the hotel anyway, why would he stay there? It would be more comfortable to rest at home, where there would be no distractions, even if it took some time.
Lee Jae-heon, who had calmly entered the front door, collapsed with his back against the door as soon as he closed it.
“… Ugh… .”
My stomach was churning.
“Ugh, huh, ugh…”
I lowered my head and retched, but nothing came out. I didn’t eat much of the snack I did eat because I knew it had medicine in it. My stomach just felt so sick that all I could do was vomit.
I was feeling really unwell.
“… I’m going to die like this… .”
No matter how much his physical abilities improved, the body he had as a base was that of the old chief of staff in his current life, not his previous life. Didn’t he see a corpse and its organs all at once, something he had never seen before? He didn’t have the regenerative ability he had before, and his mental power wasn’t as good as it was back then, so this kind of reaction was natural.
“ha….”
Lee Jae-heon staggered out of his seat and headed to the kitchen. He wanted to drink ice water, but he didn’t even have the strength to add water to the ice, so he just poured some cold water and drank it down. The cold air seeped into his throat and stomach, and he felt more alert than before.
I just felt it.
“… … .”
Lee Jae-heon blinked blankly, leaning on the table with one hand.
‘…Shall we sleep?’
I think I’ll feel better if I sleep.
As I was walking to the bedroom, sighing deeply, the intercom rang.
“…ah?”
ah.
Oh, right.
“I blinked.”
I had expected Hong Kyung-jun to come.
Lee Jae-heon stared at Hong Kyung-joon, who was staring at me through the screen on the other side of the intercom. Lee Jae-heon clearly couldn’t be seen from that side, but for some reason, it felt like their eyes had met.
“…hmm.”
Jaeheon Lee shut his mouth tightly again and turned his gaze to look inside the house.
I don’t remember when I took it off, but there was a coat lying around near the front door. The living room table where the documents I had examined were roughly spread out. The kitchen light was the only one on in the dark house. The small blood and chemicals had been cleaned up once before, so it was a little messy, but it looked neat.
“… … .”
Lee Jae-heon ignored the ringing intercom and headed to the table.
“Ouch.”
Clang!
The glass I usually used to drink water from fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
“This kind of mistake.”
It was a glass that I had been cherishing, so I thought it would be a good idea to get another one while I was at it.
Lee Jae-heon held the glass shard in his hand with a faint smile. The glass shard was placed roughly on his already peeled hand, and it quickly created a new wound. He lifted his hand, which had thrown the bloody shard of glass onto the sink, and tousled his hair.
“… This is too artificial.”
He muttered softly and then adjusted his appearance one by one.
I gently brushed my messy hair up with my hand, and wiped my bloody hands with a towel hanging in the kitchen. I put on gloves that I didn’t know I had left in a corner of the house for, and finally, I put on the coat that was crumpled in front of the front door and looked in the full-length mirror.
“Oh, get out.”
As I waved my hand at the face of my past life that was looking at me with contempt, the narrow eyes that reminded me of a snake frowned and disappeared. I don’t know where they went, but they disappeared from the mirror. Lee Jae-heon, who was now facing a clean mirror, let out a sigh of satisfaction.
Anyone can see that he is not in his right mind, but he pretends not to be.
“…flaw.”
You crazy kid.
I burst out laughing at myself for being so funny. Even though I was dragging my feet like this, the intercom still rings, which is even funnier. How can someone be so inflexible?
“Should I welcome this, or should I not…?”
Lee Jae-heon walked up to the intercom and cleared his throat.
I can’t afford to blow this opportunity that has finally come to me.
* * *
On his way to Lee Jae-heon’s house, Hong Kyung-jun thought about many things.
‘… Is it okay for me to go there?’
Although he was aware that it was a pointless meddlesome act, he couldn’t stand the nagging feeling in his gut. Hong Kyung-joon finally came to the officetel where Lee Jae-heon lived, feeling an unbearable sense of discomfort and anxiety. Of course, there was a security guard guarding the entrance, so he hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say… .
“Oh, are you Mr. Hong Kyung-jun?”
“… Yes, I will.”
“Sorry to waste your time. Please go in.”
“… … .”
It seemed that Lee Jae-heon had told Hong Kyung-joon about his comings and goings separately. Judging from the way the guard nodded as soon as he said his name. In the end, Hong Kyung-joon came right in front of Lee Jae-heon’s house without being able to resolve his nervousness.
Hong Kyung-jun put his finger on the intercom button and hesitated, which was unusual for him.
‘… Is it really okay?’
If it had been an assigned case or a sign of an incident, he would have rang the bell without hesitation, but the current Hong Kyung-joon was strictly speaking not a detective but an ordinary person. He had already finished work, and in particular, he was not involved in a case with Lee Jae-heon.
It was not a good thing for a man in his 40s, who was healthy, to come to his house at this late hour because he was worried. Lee Jae-heon had a strange hobby of showing off his pride, so he might have laughed at this kind of nonsense. It was Sunday evening, and he would have to go to work tomorrow, so he came thinking that he would have come home, but he might not.
“…hmm….”
Hong Kyung-jun, who had been hesitating, took his cell phone out of his pocket.
‘… The power is still out.’
Perhaps because of the uniqueness of the environment, Lee Jae-heon used multiple cell phones, but all three of the numbers he gave Hong Kyung-joon were turned off. Whether it was intentional or not, he couldn’t help but feel confused.
And I’m also overly anxious… .
“…ha.”
Kook.
Hong Kyung-jun’s finger pressed the doorbell.
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The sound of leisurely music echoed through the hallway, and Hong Kyung-joon waited with his arms folded for any change. Lee Jae-heon coming out from inside, someone asking what was going on through the intercom, or the sound of walking out from inside. In any case, a change in the direction that would indicate that Lee Jae-heon was safe.
As there was no change until the first and second music ended, Hong Kyung-joon began to wonder if Lee Jae-heon was not at home. He thought that if he didn’t receive it this time, he would have to go back.
“… … ?”
Hong Kyung-jun frowned.
‘… Are there people?’
I heard something breaking.
Of course, he could have misheard. As I felt last time, the soundproofing of the officetel where Lee Jae-heon lived was very good, so it could have just been an auditory hallucination or illusion created by Hong Kyung-joon who was just making a fuss out of unnecessary anxiety.
“Mr. Lee Jae-heon?”
However, because he felt uneasy, Hong Kyung-jun rang the doorbell again.
“Lee Jae-heon… .”
-What’s going on?
“… You were at home.”
Even though I knew that Lee Jae-heon was inside, I couldn’t suppress the strange feeling of unease.
“I apologize for coming to you so suddenly. I know it’s rude, but I came to see you because you didn’t answer my call.”
―I told you that it would be difficult to contact you over the weekend.
“Yes, I remember. Let me apologize again.”
―… … .
“Can I come inside?”
A voice with a layer of mechanical sound echoed through the hallway.
-There’s no problem, so go back.
“…Please open the door.”
– It’s really okay. You must be tired… .
“I’ve been doing nothing all day and just resting. My legs hurt from the long journey. Would you mind giving me a ride?”
-Do you know what kind of vending machine I am?
“Then I will drink some water and go back.”
Hong Kyung-jun said again.
“So open the door. Unless something has fallen out.”
―… … .
“No, if it really is that bad, you should open the door instead.”
-…ha….
With a slow sigh, the intercom’s characteristically small mechanical sound was cut off, and in the hallway filled with silence, Hong Kyung-jun listened to the sound coming from inside the door. Although the building was well-soundproofed, for some reason, it seemed like he could hear someone walking from inside.
As the door lock’s distinctive ringing sound rang, Lee Jae-heon appeared from inside the door.
“… … .”
“… All four limbs are intact.”
Hong Kyung-jun tilted his head.
“I don’t think so.”
The smell of blood was strong, to the point of being overwhelming.
“Can I come in first?”
“No, if you confirmed it, then that’s it… .”
“It looks like you’re hurt somewhere, but it’ll be difficult to treat it on your own. There’s medicine inside, so I’ll go in and help you treat it.”
“It’s okay… .”
“If you leave it alone, it will rot.”
Lee Jae-heon muttered with an exhausted look.
“You’re not a doctor, Detective.”
So it’s true that you’re hurt.
Hong Kyung-jun answered with a calm face.
“There is no law that says a detective can’t treat an injured person.”
“… … .”
Lee Jae-heon nodded slightly after scanning his eyes with his gloved hand. Then I knew that he had quietly allowed me to enter the house. Hong Kyung-jun did not refuse and went straight into Lee Jae-heon’s house.
And then I saw a drop of blood falling to the floor.
“…Self-harm is a bad habit… .”
“No, I accidentally dropped the glass. I picked it up and got hurt. That’s not true.”
“As you know, psychiatry is doing well these days… .”
“Don’t tell me no, okay… It’s really no problem.”
It wasn’t entirely wrong, as I saw some faintly shiny pieces on the bloody side. They seemed to be the remains of the larger pieces that had been hastily cleared away.
“Did I surprise you?”
“Yes, definitely.”
“I apologize.”
But even so, someone like Lee Jae-heon accidentally dropped a glass? There may be other reasons, but the overall atmosphere was like that, and it seemed undeniable that Lee Jae-heon was unusually tired today.
“Then you must have hurt your hand.”
“Yes.”
“But why are you wearing gloves?”
“… … .”
“Take it off right now. Stop this crazy thing.”
Hong Kyung-joon stopped Lee Jae-heon as he approached the water purifier, wondering if he really intended to bring water.
“What are you doing without taking off your gloves?”
“You said you were thirsty.”
“Of course it was a lie to get into the house. I’m sorry.”
“… … .”
Lee Jae-heon looked at me with an expression that seemed like he had a lot to say, but Hong Kyung-joon shrugged his shoulders calmly. He retrieved the first aid kit from a drawer in the living room and approached Lee Jae-heon.
“Wash the wound with water. If you treat it like this, it may fester or, in severe cases, contract tetanus. I’m not a doctor like Mr. Ha Seong-yoon, but….”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you a police officer who protects the citizens? I’ve learned first aid well. Please wash up before more germs get in.”
“Flexibility, really… .”
Even though he grumbled, Lee Jae-heon followed Hong Kyung-joon’s words faithfully. He seemed to be the type of person who would normally act annoyingly, but when he got tired, he would become quite docile. He couldn’t be this quiet anymore since the old-fashioned, annoying demeanor that he always wore on the outside had disappeared.
“… … .”
I didn’t mean to be so docile.
“…What is this?”
“I got screwed.”
“You’ll know it when you see it.”
There were traces that Hong Kyung-jun, who had seen all sorts of bizarre crimes, could not have not noticed.
“You said you were going fishing… but you were kidnapped?”
Why are there rope marks on my wrists and why are my fingernails completely gone?
What on earth was he thinking, putting on gloves on his tattered hands? When I looked closely, the shirt inside his coat was also a strangely dark red. He had changed into new clothes, but the blood from his wound seemed to have stained the new shirt.
Hong Kyung-jun, who was worried with his characteristic expressionless face, asked.
“… Should I call the police?”
“Who is that in front of me right now, then?”
It’s hard to make a living.
