Theatrical Regression Life - Chapter 11

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Chapter 11

So far, Lee Jaehun’s judgments have been wise, indeed.

Because of his photographic memory, he could still remember the memories of his past life as if they had happened just a few years ago.

A world where human lives were worth less than dust, much like in the other world, had already become familiar to him.

But because of this, in reality, he was missing one important fact.

“…Right.”

“….”

“When you get hurt, it hurts.”

Unlike the world where his previous self used to live, the current world placed value on the pain and aftereffects caused by injuries.

“I forgot about this.”

Lee Jaehun inwardly clicked his tongue.

In the world of his past life, wounds were akin to a formless curse. If you were fortunate enough not to die immediately from it, it was considered lucky, and if you could survive through some intervention, that was even better. Therefore, he naturally didn’t pay much attention to the pain and aftereffects caused by injuries.

No matter how much he suffered from those wounds, it was considered natural, nothing special, as everyone goes through such experiences. Ironically, those who gained traumas from even a slight injury were ridiculed as fools by others. It wasn’t necessarily because those people were bad, but rather the overall atmosphere of the world itself.

For Jaehun, struggling with the pain of his wounds was akin to someone in the previous world lamenting the harshness of winter cold and declaring they would never step outside. So, being concerned about him just because he was a wounded person seemed quite foolish to Jaehun. However, he forgot that in this world, pain and aftereffects were substantial, and they were a matter of consideration and empathy from others.

In the midst of his sense of defeat, he shifted his gaze.

“…Should we go into the park for now?”

“Are you trying to change the subject?”

“Well, you should know that when adults speak, you should understand what they say. Are you becoming like Officer Kwon?”

“What? Why would I?”

As he was addressed by her title, Officer Kwon, who was standing next to Team Leader Kang, turned her head in this direction. Meanwhile, Deputy Jung Inho maintained a somewhat puzzled expression.

He was not a particularly unpleasant guy.

“Anyway, let’s gather again. We need to find a place to rest, right?”

“Agreed.”

The doctor affirmed his words, stating the need for a proper space to treat the injured. Shortly after, the group formed their ranks again.

In Lee Jaehun’s judgement, they had established some teamwork in a short time.

Avoiding the black gaze behind the glasses, he opened his mouth.

“Well, let’s move then.”

—

The world of his past life was developed, similar to the existing modern civilization. Regardless of discussions about survival, the point was that there was a system to form nations and technologies to support them.

So, what Lee Jaehun knew about survival in the wilderness came solely from his personal experiences.

“The first condition for a minimum shelter is water and fire.”

This was Lee Jaehun’s statement to the group, who had just realised that the inside of the park was almost like a jungle.

He insisted on finding a water source first.

“Of course, there might be monsters coming here for water in the park, so we won’t make a dwelling near the water source. It could be damp… But securing water is the top priority for now.”

“…Why do you know so much about this?”

“Our intern hasn’t climbed a mountain with me yet, right? Just remember, it’s because this is my hobby.”

Next was fire.

“Although it might be bearable during the day since it’s still March, it won’t be in the evening. We won’t be sleeping in a closed building, so having a fire to maintain body temperature would be a good idea. I have a lighter, so this will be taken care of quickly.”

“…Manager, you smoke?”

“Not really, but it comes in handy when trying to please the higher-ups.”

Jaehun pulled out a stylishly engraved lighter from inside his coat. It was a brand lighter collected due to his vintage taste.

The surface, gleaming in gold and black, was stained with Jaehun’s blood. Seeing that it ignited without any issues, it seemed like there was enough fuel.

For the time being, he decided to be in charge of the campfire. He showed the lighter to the group and asked, “Does anyone else have a lighter?”

“…I do.”

As the protagonist awkwardly offered the lighter, Team Leader Kang, who was beside him, widened her eyes in surprise.

“Deputy, you’re not a smoker…”

“…”

“…Ah.”

Team Leader Kang nodded.

It seemed like he had acquired it for a similar purpose as Lee Jaehun, and since the situation seemed a bit awkward, he was trying to move past it casually.

Then, the doctor, who introduced himself as Ha Sung-yoon, smiled and pulled out a lighter.

“I have one too.”

“…Doctor?”

“I carry it around like a charm because it was a gift. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Ah, I see.”

Then, the florist and owner of the flower shop, Yoon Garam, spoke with a slightly awkward smile.

“I’m a smoker, but I don’t have a lighter.”

Probably because she mainly stayed in the flower shop, she didn’t bother carrying one around. With the current situation, where her life was in danger, thinking about cigarettes wasn’t a priority. In response to the florist’s words, Team Leader Kang, who had become somewhat friendly with her, asked with concern.

“You didn’t bring any cigarettes? Quitting must be tough; are you okay?”

“I appreciate your genuine concern, but it’s embarrassing. Since it seems difficult to find one separately, I’ll just take this opportunity to quit.”

Listening to her words, Jaehun secretly felt satisfied.

“In novels, resisting the urge to smoke is challenging.”

Jaehun recalled a description in his mind where Yoon Garam expressed anxiety by chewing on her fingertips until the flesh was nearly torn apart, not just the nails.

In the novel, Yoon Garam hadn’t been able to quit smoking even until the end, but maybe this time would be different.

“With three lighters, starting a fire should be easy.”

“That’s a relief. I was afraid we might have to rub stones together like in those YouTube videos…”

“So, should we start a fire first? Or get water?”

“…Well.”

There’s always someone passing the buck.

In response to the seemingly obvious question directed at him, Jaehun answered with forced nonchalance.

“For now, we need to find a place to stay.”

Water or fire, that could be figured out later. Of course, if there’s time, it would be good to light a fire in the darkness to check for monsters.

However, even if they spent the night without drinking water and slept in the cold until the next day, they probably wouldn’t die. But not securing a proper shelter meant they might have to endure the night with open eyes, and in that case, the probability of death increased. Especially in this alternate world where there was no place without monsters. When the night fell, the real threats would begin. Although it wouldn’t be too intense in the early stages, securing a suitable position was crucial for defence.

In response, Officer Kwon asked, “About the water source?”

“It’s along the same lines. To avoid encountering monsters, we need to find a place reasonably distant from the water source.”

“So, choosing a location depends on where the water is.”

“That seems to be the case.”

Jaehun added, “Speaking of which… Does anyone happen to know the layout of the park well?”

Entering the alternate world had altered memories and appearances significantly, but whether it was the company or the flower shop, the structures themselves were not entirely distorted. Since the original form remained, knowing the layout of the park would be a significant help.

Quietly observing Jaehun’s words, Yoon, the flower shop owner, cautiously raised his hand.

“I… I know a bit. I often take walks here.”

“I see.”

In response to her words, Jaehun inwardly swallowed a sigh of relief.

“It would have been a bit disappointing if she didn’t come forward like this.”

In the novel, Yoon Garam joined the group as the very last member, indicating that she had survived in the park alone for several days using only her own strength. This was partly due to her constitution, but crucially, it was also because the flower shop owner knew the park’s layout well. Thanks to her habit of taking walks in the park every day at 4 PM, she knew where to hide from monsters.

However, her mental state had already deteriorated due to the incident at the flower shop, so she couldn’t share such valuable information with others. Even the protagonist only benefited from her knowledge when escaping from the park.

“But not now.”

Unlike the novel, Yoon Garam’s mental strength was currently quite good. The doctor, who was supposed to be torn apart in front of her eyes, was alive and well. Instead of wandering around alone, she now had a group to rely on. Considering the human tendency to dig in when left alone, having seven people gathered in the current situation didn’t feel too bad. Moreover, the one who asked for such an answer was none other than Jaehun himself.

He had already earned enough goodwill from her by saving the doctor and the owner of the flower shop, making Yoon Garam more willing to open up.

There was really no reason not to say it from the beginning.

Yoon Garam, who had briefly looked around with a puzzled expression, began to explain while drawing on the ground.

“Here, this is… probably where we are. We haven’t been here long since we came through the main entrance.”

“Oh.”

“Of course, I’m not sure about many changes, but, um, the original walking paths…”

The flower shop owner, with a decent memory, drew the original park as best as she could remember and pointed out where the lake was located. The park was quite large, so there were three water sources.

Confirming this, Jaehun inwardly nodded. “Seems about right.”

In reality, even last Saturday when Jaehun visited the park, he roughly remembered the layout of the original place. After all, he had memorised the map before coming.

However, as he continued to worry, Jaehun had no intention of coming to the alternate world to perform a one-man show. That was the job of our optimistic protagonist, whose future was so bright it was almost blinding. Jaehun’s role was more like rolling in the mud than playing in a dung field.

Fortunately, the protagonist, who had been attentively listening to Yoon Garam’s words, nodded and spoke up.

“Then, wouldn’t this place be okay? The lake, although I’m not sure if it’s still a lake now… it’s not too far from the water source.”

“As long as the sculptures that were exhibited haven’t changed much, it seems like the best decision.”

The flower shop owner mentioned sculptures that resembled walls. Behind them were trees outlining the outskirts of the park, and in front of them were sculptures, allowing people to walk on either side. This place was also where Yoon Garam from the novel had endured the longest.

“I think it’s fine.”

As Jaehun nodded, Officer Kang, who had been observing the situation, also spoke up.

“I’m okay with it too.”

“To be honest, I don’t know much about the park’s structure… there may not be better options than this.”

“And it’s not too far.”

One positive aspect of still being rookies was that their inexperienced comments didn’t lead to internal conflicts within the team.

Jaehun inwardly sighed in satisfaction, looking at the sky. The trees in the park had grown considerably and provided substantial shade, but there was still sunlight filtering through.

“Roughly… around 5 o’clock?”

Of course, he didn’t know the exact time, but judging by the fact that the sun hadn’t completely set, it seemed about right.

He rubbed his eyes as if covering a yawn, feeling content.

“….”

Between the drifting gazes, the figures of the people between the trees caught their eyes.

“Well then, let’s move.”

「Around 5 o’clock in the afternoon, they were still lingering near the park’s main entrance, hesitating.」

Jaehun prompted the group forward, recalling a passage from the novel.

People who were not accustomed to exercise struggled to get up from their stiff bodies, but it didn’t take long for them to form a line again.

During this process, Jaehun surreptitiously glanced beyond the trees, thinking, “Right now, those guys should be the students the protagonist first encountered in the park.”

Hidden between the trees decorating the main entrance were two individuals, siblings.

These main characters had survived by clinging to the protagonist from the early stages. While the younger brother made the judgement, it was the older sister who put it into action. There was no doubt that they had made swift and clever decisions, even beyond what most adults could have done.

When they were caught up in the otherworldly incident at the café, there was no one else around except for these siblings. Quickly leaving the café, they noticed the flower shop owner walking towards the park’s main entrance. In the strange, transformed café where there were no monsters, they followed her.

Anyone would have wished for an explanation of the situation.

However, upon getting a closer look, Yoon’s condition was beyond words, and eventually, the siblings hesitated for a long time near the main entrance. Not long after, they decided to attach themselves to the protagonist, who entered through the main gate.

They deemed him an adult worth relying on to lead the group as much as possible.

‘Perhaps, unlike the novel, our group observed them from afar as they headed to the park.’

Jaehun inwardly nodded.

Probably, the reason for not approaching and initiating conversation immediately was the large number of people, and each one seemed to have blood stains somewhere. Even Jaeheon and the protagonist were holding weapons stained with a strange, reddish liquid.

Approaching without knowing anything would have seemed suspicious.

Thinking about the appearance of the group that lost its humanity during the park episode, it was a very wise decision. Regardless of the chaotic and uneasy situation, mindlessly approaching in unfavourable circumstances without knowing the other party’s information would have been foolish.

Given the students’ intelligence and useful capabilities, Jaehun was willingly considering adding them to the group. Even with two more in the already bustling group, it wouldn’t make things worse. Moreover, the image of an adult trying to protect minors could be useful in softening the old-fasioned manager title.

“….”

“…Manager? Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I just had a moment of distraction.”

Jaehun said this while pressing his temple firmly.

“Have I already done enough?”

Even the protagonist, who had the worst relationship with Jaehun, seemed concerned about his condition. If even those who usually had a neutral stance were showing concern, but it was understandable as he had saved their lives by sacrificing his shoulder and leg, so they bound to have a good opinion of him

It might be considered the result of sacrificing shoulders and legs, along with saving his life. Of course, Jaehun didn’t particularly empathise, but he had no intention of unnecessarily complicating things when others viewed him favourably. Unless the situation got worse and maintaining a distance became impossible, there was no need for immediate action.

Maybe.

Should I try to build more rapport here? It seemed like he could go with his nature and do as he pleased, but…

“….”

Well, it’s a foolish thought.

‘Now isn’t the time for me to cover up.’

Human relationships could crumble with just one catalyst, even if you’ve built up goodwill a hundred times.

For the protagonist, who already remembers their trashy relationship in the company, the current concern from others may create a negative impact on their relationship with just a slight deviation.

Although they are building up well, there was no thought of being complacent. Given Jaehun’s personality, he wouldn’t simply live off the protagonist’s favour.

Their temperaments clashed, and they had conflicting beliefs, so there would be disputes at some point. To prepare for the potential loss of goodwill at that time, it seemed wise to accumulate as much favour as possible.

Or maybe incur more debts.

Without realising it, Jaehun stopped walking, blinking as he looked at the group.

“Uh, maybe… this seems to be the right place.”

“Was the sculpture originally this big, Manager?”

“I don’t think so… maybe, like our flower shop, it grew bigger.”

“….”

He looked around.

While monsters could move through the trees behind them, on the flip side, it could be seen as an increasing barrier. The large wall-shaped sculpture would block the sunlight, making it chilly, but it would at least shield from the wind. Considering there’s a lake nearby, the place didn’t seem bad at all.

Moreover, the paths on both sides seemed open, so they might be able to escape if necessary. Figuring out how to make a ceiling was a bit of a concern, but as far as the protagonist in the novel remembered, they managed to survive throughout the park episode without a ceiling.

As far as memory serves, there was no rain expected, so there might not be an immediate need to work on constructing a structure.

“Well, I should probably build some kind of structure by tomorrow, even if it’s roughly done…”

Jaehun placed the pipe on the ground and examined his hands.

“…Oh no.”

His palms, which previously had no calluses, were torn as if they had been drawn on extensively.

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