episode_0151

Tingling. A peculiar unpleasant feeling spreads from the part where Jinyeseo’s flesh touched. It soon goes up her arm and begins to wrap around her body.

It’s not unbearable because I’m wearing a mask, but it’s still unpleasant.

I wanted to shake off that unpleasant feeling right away, but I couldn’t.

Jin Ye-seo is already receiving all the attention of the women in front of her by shouting loudly and waving her hands.

At first glance, they looked tough and tough, and it seemed like they had already built up a good friendship with Jin Ye-seo.

If the author, who is the husband, cruelly rejects his wife who welcomes him warmly… it is obvious what kind of uproar will ensue.

“They were taking care of me. I can’t believe how kind they were… ”

Jin Ye-seo, taking advantage of my confusion, tightens her grip on my arm and guides me. Her face is still filled with a bright smile.

Now that I think about it, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him smile properly.

Maybe it’s because I always see him picking fights with an annoyed expression or his face distorted in pain, but it feels a little refreshing.

The problem is that we can’t guess what’s inside.

Didn’t you just storm out of the room this morning, complaining to me?

Pretending to be a married couple is just a formality. What reason would there be to show off your friendship so blatantly in a place like this?

“… ”

Along with him, dozens of gazes pour in from all directions.

But somehow, those eyes don’t feel pretty.

On the contrary… it feels like it contains a certain contempt, as if looking at a pathetic punk…

“Is that guy?”

“You put something like that on your face just to breathe the fresh air by yourself?”

And then the talkative ladies with strong voices started gossiping and chewing me out.

“Oh my god, but you left your wife behind, believing in you… ”

“… ”

What is this?

I, who had been blankly staring, looked down at the book of truth.

“Huh? Honey… Why are you looking at me like that…?”

Dense, long eyelashes, large, bright eyes between messy bangs, and sharp, detailed facial features. The finishing touch, moist lips that look like they’ve bitten into a red berry.

The world can’t stand her, seeing her smiling brightly with a beauty that can’t be hidden even when covered in soot.

I once heard from Seungheon that there were a lot of male students who approached Jinyeseo at the beginning of the semester.

Of course, Jin Ye-seo said that she handed all of those men over to the student council, but looking at this, I think we can roughly guess the reason.

But it was only in the midst of all this that I was able to realize it.

I’m talking about the shadow of some sinister and evil conspiracy hidden behind that smile.

“Tsk tsk… Huh-woo-dae looks fine, but the person is… ”

“How did a beautiful bride get caught by a guy like that… ”

“You bastard! Live upright. You young man… ”

“… ”

You got hit.

***

The beginning was truly the worst.

Not only was I horribly toyed with for one night, I was forced to wander the streets in a miserable state with disheveled hair and soot all over my body.

But looking back, it wasn’t all that bad.

Rather, there were aspects that were refreshing.

“Ahem~”

nightfall.

It’s time for the city to be covered in orange fog again.

This was Jin Ye-seo’s feeling as she returned to that cheap motel from yesterday.

I was so happy that I found myself humming, even though I usually don’t.

Then Jin Ye-seo turned her head to the side.

They had taken their arms out a long time ago, but they were still walking side by side like a married couple.

However, the man was walking with a stumbling motion, as if he had lost his mind.

“Hmm… ”

Jin Ye-seo had to put in a lot of effort to control the corners of her mouth that were about to go up.

It was a speech that felt quite rough even to me.

Surrounded by dozens of such women and receiving harsh criticism, it was only natural that such a vicious man would lose his mind.

‘Phew… ‘

Jin barely managed to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.

He was clearly a fearful man until last night, but now he looks like a puppy soaked in rain.

Looking at it this way, I even feel a little sorry for it.

It was my first time experiencing the lower class, but it wasn’t too bad. Above all, the women were quite kind.

‘Oh my god… Leaving my wife like this alone…’

Women who treated their husbands kindly but then hurled abuse at them for sending their new brides out into the streets alone.

It was truly the best, as they even used their power to deliver a refreshing blow.

“Ahem… Sometimes, this isn’t so bad. People are surprisingly kind… I guess I had some prejudices too.”

“… ”

There was no answer, but that didn’t mean Jin Ye-seo had to stop talking.

“My husband gets a lot of hate? He’s such a bad guy that he makes his new wife suffer like this.”

“… ”

“But I’ve taken your side a lot. He’s not that bad of a bum. If you get to know him, he’s a good person. Didn’t you hear that before? What can I do? If you get cursed at, I get cursed at too. We’re a ‘couple’.”

“… ”

“Honey. Why are you so quiet? Stop being so quiet and say something, okay? ”

“… ”

“Honey~”

The more the man remains silent, the more Jin Ye-seo’s mood soars.

Then he suddenly stopped walking.

And then he looked at the book of truth and blurted out:

“Hey. Can you stop it?”

“What?”

“That honey voice.”

“Why? You said we were a couple. So you’re working hard to fulfill your duty as a wife?”

Jin Ye-seo asked back naturally.

As she observed the man closely, she was able to realize one more fact.

On the topic you brought up, men do not like to be addressed with such a strong sense of relationship.

‘Oh my… You’re the one who forced yourself on me… When a woman like me calls you honey, I feel like I shouldn’t bow in gratitude…’

I was acting like a wife to another man, something that wasn’t even in my fortune.

It was the only way to deal with a man who couldn’t be helped without any repercussions.

Since the justification was hers, there was no reason for Jin Ye-seo to give up the title.

“You just had to sing it excitedly in front of people.”

“Someone might be watching here too?”

“So… Oh, that’s enough… ”

The man shook his head as if he was shivering. Somehow, the aftertaste of his thoughts seemed to be a hint of yesterday’s loneliness.

He changed the subject and opened his mouth again.

“… Have you heard anything else?”

“Well… It wasn’t much different from what the old man said yesterday.”

Jin Ye-seo, who was moderately satisfied, shook her head as she recalled the conversation she had had with the women.

“Don’t wander around at dawn because the smog is more toxic. If you get lost, you’ll never find your way back. I think the reason why there are more and more crazy people is because they’ve inhaled the toxic fog… ”

“Are you crazy?”

“Yeah. Not long ago, there was a case where someone was arrested by the security service for cooking and eating their newborn daughter whole. I guess there are many other cases like that. It’s even stranger when people who were fine suddenly become like that overnight… ”

Then the man stopped walking and said.

“Wait a minute. Those symptoms… ”

“I know. I felt it too. Doesn’t it seem a bit like that guy in the newspaper?”

“… Was there anything else found at the scene? Was there something like the decoration I showed you? ”

“I had already taken a quick look, but I didn’t know anything more than that.”

“Is that so… ”

“Yeah. And what else did he say… If you want to find a job, go to District B. The situation there is a little better. It has nothing to do with us, but… ”

“B District… B District… ”

The man muttered as if remembering something.

“I should go there tomorrow.”

“What? Are you trying to find a real job?”

“No way. I was planning to check everything at least once anyway. And since it’s right next to District A where the body floated, there might be something there. Even though the districts are separate, they said the sewers all connect to one.”

“Is that so… ”

Jin Ye-seo looked at him and asked.

“Hey. Did I help you this time?”

“… It’s a little better than yesterday.”

It was something I said reluctantly, but I felt like I was being acknowledged to some extent.

Jin Ye-seo couldn’t hide her joy.

Before we knew it, the place they had stayed yesterday began to appear in the distance.

‘Ugh… What would Seoyeon unnie say if she saw this…?’

I feel like the excitement has subsided a little.

Jin Ye-seo let out a small sigh.

‘If you knew that your dear junior had become a one-night stand… you would be very sad, right…?’

She vowed again that she would never let Baek Seo-yeon know about this.

But for some reason, I no longer felt the same fear as yesterday.

I wonder if I’ve already gotten used to this unusual routine.

Maybe it’s because I’ve come to realize that even that vicious man has a bit of a sly side.

As I was entering the lobby of a motel that was now somewhat familiar to me.

The kind hostess who was guarding the counter gestures something to Jin Ye-seo without the man knowing.

“… ?”

The hostess hands something to Jin Ye-seo, who approaches her after seeing him.

And whispered in a small voice.

“Men are so indifferent that they don’t even care about this. They should know how to protect themselves. If necessary, I’ll tell you again… ”

Jin Ye-seo turned around and spread her palms with a look of bewilderment.

Several small plastic-wrapped packets of something that at first glance looked like vitamins.

“… What is this…?”

Jin Ye-seo tilted her head with a puzzled expression when she saw him.

***

The third day after arriving in the first city.

I walked in a different direction than yesterday and this time I walked towards District B.

A love letter, a dead man in a pigsty, symbols of the cult, a burned-out workhouse, a missing nun, corpses washing up from the sewers every day, and a foul, toxic fog.

A series of events seemed to be continuing, but they didn’t.

I couldn’t ignore the heartbroken widow’s plea, so I accepted the commission, fearing that there might be something that could stain Yeonmin-ha… but somehow, now I feel like the painting has become bigger than before.

“… ”

I looked down at the manhole cover blocking the sewer.

Each section of the First City is separate, but the sewers are all connected. Maybe even to the capital city, since the First City is located almost directly above the capital city.

That means… it is an appropriate means to plan and spread a conspiracy without being noticed by others.

If nothing comes out properly today, I’ll have to consider crawling into the sewer myself. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to reveal my identity and get the cooperation of the local security branch…

While I was walking with those thoughts in my mind.

“Huh?”

A rather heterogeneous landscape unfolds before your eyes in an instant.

The toxic smog that covered the city was nowhere to be found. Just like in other places, only warm sunlight and cool breezes lingered in the air.

The roofs, once covered in a dull gray, reveal their original, colorful colors.

There is the sound of birds chirping and the shouts of children running around the lively alley.

“… ”

What is this?

Even as I step into that scenery, I feel quite bewildered.

It was as if I had fallen into another world, even though I had only just exited one block.

How can there be such a difference?

“Hey! It’s a monster!!”

As we gradually moved deeper into Earth B.

I turned my head at the sudden, boyish voice coming from right behind me.

There was a little kid with his finger up and was screaming.

The direction the finger is pointing is clearly towards me.

“… ”

You’re calling me a monster all of a sudden? I guess not all kids are innocent. I guess I’ll take back what I said yesterday.

No, I think that kid was acting strange yesterday.

Three or four kids rush in and surround me in an instant. Contrary to their words, their bright eyes show more curiosity than fear.

It is noticeable that they are all holding small snacks such as biscuits or candies in their hands.

Is someone taking care of the kids? If so, maybe…

“Guys. Can I ask you something? ”

But as soon as the kids heard my voice, they started to run away.

“Ouch! The monster spoke!”

“Run away! You’ll get eaten!”

These guys.

I followed the kids who were running away laughing.

With its small body, it slips through the walls, coming and going from sight repeatedly.

Eventually, as you come out of the alley, a small, empty lot and a building with a red brick wall appear.

The little ones opened the door without hesitation and ran to hug someone standing there.

“Sister! A monster… A monster is chasing me!”

“Yonsuk. I told you not to say things like that to anyone. And I told you not to go too far because it’s dangerous. Anyway… ”

The owner of the voice stroked the little one in his arms with gentle hands, but also urged him in a stern voice.

Then, he saw me following him and only then gave me a belated greeting.

“Because the kids didn’t know anything… there were a lot of rude things.”

“… ”

I looked at the woman for a moment, forgetting to answer.

It was a strange, solemn appearance at first glance.

A black hat that resembles a hood. The face is completely hidden by the veil hanging down.

He was wrapped tightly in a coat of the same color and even wore white gloves on his hands. It was as if not even a single hair could be found.

The appearance feels even more alien due to the wind blowing against it, contrasting with the warm sunlight.

If you listen to her clear voice, you can tell she’s definitely a young woman.

Why is it like this…?

“Umm…guest?”

“… Ah.”

Only then did I come to my senses and answer the strange question.

“… No. They’re still kids, so that’s possible. I was going to ask them something, but they ran away… ”

“Haha… I would appreciate it if you looked at it that way.”

A woman with her whole body covered pretended to smile, slightly raising her hand to her mouth.

“… ”

As I looked at that sight, a strange feeling that I couldn’t describe in words enveloped my whole body.

What on earth is the reason?

Are you in a gloomy city full of smog when suddenly you see a clear sky? Do you find a building with a solemn appearance and a woman dressed in a very creepy outfit?

… Those are certainly things worth thinking about, but at least they are not the source of my current doubts.

Rather… it was probably because the woman in front of me, whose face and voice I clearly did not know, felt so friendly and familiar.

Like decades.

No, as if we had known each other for hundreds of years or more.