Theatrical Regression Life - Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

After that, escaping from the company surprisingly proved to be easy.

Originally, at this point in the story, it was merely a prologue, and the episode of escaping from the company was just a device to show, ‘In this parallel world, people die so easily!’

The real battles and survival began from the park, so the escape itself was not difficult.

The group navigated through the maze following the line they had consistently drawn, at least until escaping from the spider-like monster.

Of course, there were moments where they felt like they would die, possibly due to the trauma of being chased by monsters, but with the small within the group rifts already healed, the team’s camaraderie had noticeably improved, which made the cooperation between them smoother.

Hence, It didn’t take long for them to find a proper emergency exit.

However, there was something peculiar…

“…The stairs seem ordinary?”

“This is really strange.”

The emergency exit, which should have also become the same as the whole company after being devoured by the other world, remained the same.

Lee Jaehun was surprised by this as well.

Since he hadn’t paid close attention to the arc of the group leaving the company, he couldn’t recall the exact description. However, unlike the twisted and convoluted corridors resembling a maze, the emergency exit was not at all different from what they knew.

Lee Jaehun was impressed. Somehow, it seemed like they had managed to get out before sunset, considering how the emergency exit remained unchanged, unlike the distorted corridors that made one wonder how the mentally shattered individuals managed to leave before nightfall.

The fact that the stairs were not like the other places in the company and were ‘normal’ was mentally taxing.

“Um… I don’t feel well.”

The statement was not said sarcastically, the face of intern Noh Yeonseok had really turned pale.

Perhaps it was because he was a fresh recruit, unlike those who had wandered around the company several times. The novel mentioned that entering a building unrelated to oneself would rapidly deplete mental strength.

As Lee Jaehun worriedly looked at Noh Yeonseok, the protagonist’s gaze met his, and Deputy Manager Jung Inho stared at him as if to ask if there was no solution.

In response, Lee Jaehun gestured with his eyes and said, “Well…”

‘What can we do?’

‘Is there anything we can do?’

‘Then what should we do?’

Lee Jaehun’s gaze hardened.

In his opinion, the protagonist had a subtly cold side, so the question was probably not just meant to comfort the intern Noh Yeonseok. It seemed more like an inquiry about whether there was a solution to the continuous decline in their mental strength due to the influence of the OtherWorld.

However, no, there wouldn’t be such a solution readily available. Of course, there were ways to address it, but currently, everyone was too inexperienced to even understand the workings of the OtherWorld.

It was better to endure for now than risk depleting what little mental strength they had left with unnecessary attempts.

Lee Jaehun opened his mouth with a nonchalant expression.

“If you feel like vomiting, can’t you do it outside? It might be awkward for everyone if you do it here.”

“You have a bad personality.”

“That’s a really belated observation.”

And right after escaping the company, intern Noh Yeonseok couldn’t hold back his nausea and vomited.

From behind, the sound of the group murmuring with small screams could be heard.

He suddenly felt grateful for taking the front position.

* * *

The protagonist in the novel was in a very unfavourable state.

While Lee Jaehun could calmly think like this because of the memories from his past life, where murder was as common as robbery in this world.

The criteria for hardship and adversity in his eyes are worse than death in the eyes of the people here.

Therefore, when the group in the novel escaped from the company, they were almost in a daze, as if their souls had left them.

It wasn’t just because the world they were in right now was one where mental strength dropped just by breathing.

Even in a perfectly sane state, the sudden distortion of the company, being chased by monsters, and the inevitable result of a colleague, who had worked together just a few hours ago, dying – these were all overwhelming circumstances.

Even with Lee Jaehun, who recalled memories from his past life, joining, it was hard to say that the state of the group was in perfect condition.

Ultimately, what Lee Jaehun changed was taking on the role of the leader to alleviate the protagonist’s burden, preventing the death of Team Leader Kang Mina, and providing minimal psychological support to the group which would have otherwise perished.

“….”

Of course, even doing just that made quite a significant change. If not, the balance of give and take wouldn’t be right if only one shoulder or one leg was offered.

However, in Lee Jaehun’s view, human suffering is a highly subjective matter.

‘If you go to a hospital, you’ll find many people claiming that they are in more pain than others, and just looking around me, I am sure there will be people bragging about leading a more miserable life than mine.’

In most cases, considering the sincerity of those statements, humans easily get swayed by others’ opinions when it comes to suffering.

In the same context, there was no reason for the current group to feel reassured.

Originally, when a person loses mental or physical health, they tend to lose their composure. In the OtherWorld, both could be easily lost.

So, the case of intern Noh Yeonseok vomiting immediately was serious if he considered that a person in the right state of mind wouldn’t vomit to that extent.

Since Lee Jaehun was already mentally unstable, even vomiting to the point of tears was not considered normal.

Lee Jaehun wiped his mouth as he watched the murmuring group.

“We should hurry to the park.”

It might sound contradictory, but in the current situation, surrounded entirely by grey buildings, there was no better refuge than the park.

The park, in a way, had become a kind of jungle.

While it seemed dangerous with monsters coming out in the evening, thinking inversely, there was hardly a place in the OtherWorld where monsters didn’t appear. There were some, but they were currently inaccessible.

Considering they were just chased by a monster in broad daylight, a building blocked by walls might be even more dangerous. Similarly, they couldn’t visit convenience stores or supermarkets.

In this context, the park, where they could self-sustain themselves with food and resources, might be the best option for the time being, albeit a somewhat amusing choice. Although most of its boundaries could be wiped out due to the terrain filled with trees resembling a wall, if well-defended, it would be a better shelter than the monochromatic buildings.

Jaehun hence had no hesitation, if they wanted to survive,going to the park would be the best choice right now.

‘But, I don’t know what the others are thinking’

Lee Jaehun looked at the frightened expressions of the rest of the group.

Talking about heading straight to the park in the current situation didn’t seem appropriate, given the condition of the group.

“Uh, how, how is this world…”

“….”

“The colours are gone. My eyes hurt, and my stomach feels bitter. Team Leader Kang, I’m really struggling. What should I do…”

“Yeonseok…”

Just like the company, everything in the world was distorted.

Buildings were either burned down, damaged, twisted like mazes, or devoid of colour, making it painful for them to look at and gave an eerie feeling. It didn’t mean that the world was literally black and white, but it was still strange.

It wasn’t for no reason that intern Noh Yeonseok vomited as soon as he came out.

For those who were already suffering from the pressure of the parallel world, it might not have been a splendid sight.

Lee Jaehun didn’t show it, but he inwardly sighed.

‘I need to lead them subtly.’

As far as he could recall, Team Leader Kang had always been mentally fragile, and intern Noh Yeonseok, despite his robust appearence, had a tender heart. Of course, they might be better off than the other employees left in the company, but it didn’t meet Lee Jaehun’s expectations.

As for Employee Kwon, she was… a bit simple, but paradoxically, due to that trait, her reactions in various situations were very straightforward. It was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

And the same applied to the protagonist, Deputy Manager Jung Inho.

Like any other person, he couldn’t help but feel fear, and due to the influence of the parallel world, he couldn’t avoid struggling.

It should be emphasised once again that the protagonist truly assumed the role of a proper leader starting from the park episode.

Those who were scared tended to be passive in their movements unless faced with extreme fear or despair.

For them, facing the parallel world for the first time was enough pain already, and the group’s actions were a little sluggish.

‘It’s because of me.’

Lee Jaehun blinked his eyes and looked around.

The characters in the novel when they came out of the company were in a half-crazed state, most probably due to Team Leader Kang’s death.

Moving to a different place wasn’t a difficult task if there was a reason for it.

But now was not the time.

Lee Jaehun had tried to stabilise the mental strength of the group as much as possible, and despite the group being scared, they hadn’t completely fallen apart. It was a situation where about half of their judgement remained intact, making them unable to move due to fear.

And Lee Jaehun knew that before they settled and felt a sense of security on their own, he had to throw that ‘trigger.’

“…Deputy manager Jung.”

“…Ah, yes, Manager.”

“Keep an eye on the kids for a moment.”

For example, the emotional support they had been receiving so far, getting disrupted.

“Yes.. but where are you going?”

Sure enough, the protagonist’s expression subtly stiffened.

The observant protagonist knew Lee Jaehun’s role within this group, and he wouldn’t be pleased with Lee Jaehun deviating from the balance they had maintained so far.

Whether it was a momentary kindness or a purely calculated judgement, Lee Jaehun found the outcome not too bad.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was giving up on the ‘trigger.’

“Do you see that flower shop over there?”

“…Yes, I see it.”

What Lee Jaehun pointed at was the flower shop right next to the company.

Occasionally, if there was something to celebrate among the employees, they would quickly get flowers from there. Considering the diligent nature of Deputy Jung, he would likely remember it well.

After nodding towards the indicated location, Lee Jaehun spoke again.

“Do you see the tree roots extending towards the park from there?”

“…Ah…?”

“Exactly which part of the park those roots reach, I’m not sure.”

Listening to his words, the protagonist’s expression became peculiar.

From the entrance of the flower shop, there were tree roots extending towards the park on the opposite side.

These tree roots, sneakily piercing through the cement floor, were connected to the flower shop, as if being led by someone.

‘In the novel, the protagonist saw that and decided to head towards the flower shop.’

Although the protagonist in the novel was in a state of mental breakdown, he cleverly noticed the need for them to move.

Instead of staying in a state of lethargy, it was a judgement to at least make an effort, and the group agreed.

The protagonist witnesses the tree roots between the flower shop and the park.

Driven by an apparent intention, the protagonist instinctively approached the flower shop. However, inside, there was a fragmented corpse and traces of someone having fled. Apart from that, there was no sign of a living person.

And those traces led to the park, marked by the trail of someone’s blood.

“Anyone can see that it’s strange. If there’s a weird monster nearby, it’s going to be a problem. Instead of discovering it later, we need to understand the current situation now.”

“Right, you’re right. But…”

“I’m not saying we should go together. Look, everyone’s not in good condition. Just stay put. I’ll check and come back.”

With those words, Jaehun took a step forward. Deputy Jung didn’t stop him, perhaps judging that personal anxiety shouldn’t interfere with reconnaissance. However, his expression wasn’t very pleased.

Jaehun was confident that the protagonist would lead the others towards the flower shop, avoiding the interference of personal unease.

‘What a disgusting guy,’ he thought inwardly.

Unlike in the novel, where they were not able to judge the situation correctly, it seemed that the conditions were not as favourable.They by now must have realised how useless hierarchy and ranks were, and there was no absolute need to follow the orders of the section chief.

Of course, he felt a surge of rebellion, but he deliberately suppressed it. Having only gained recognition from the protagonist after getting two holes in his body, he wasn’t foolish enough to create conflict over pointless emotions.

As Jaehun approached the flower shop, he was a bit surprised.

“…”

Near the tree roots, there were no bloodstains.

“Ugh.”

In one word, it meant that the story has been deviated from its original path

‘It seems I came out too early.’

Jaehun inwardly chuckled. If his existence itself was a variable, then the details in his memories could change. However, encountering such a situation so soon was still surprising to him.

The absence of bloodstains meant that someone hadn’t left the flower shop yet, and at the same time, it implied that the gruesome corpse described in the novel might still be alive.

Regardless of which scenario it was, it was unfortunate for Jaehun, who wanted to guide the group to the park quickly.

However, he had no intention of wasting time just because it was unfortunate. Without hesitation, Jaehun peered into the flower shop.

Fortunately, the walls of the flower shop were made of glass, making it easy to see the interior.

Or, to be honest, whether it was fortunate or not was debatable.

“Huh?”

It was because there was a man who seemed familiar.

And unequivocally, the original Manager Jaehun was not the type of person who
remembered the faces of unfamiliar people.

So if he felt, ‘I don’t know, but I’ve seen this person somewhere,’ it was likely someone he had encountered after recalling his past life.

Through such propositions, it can be inferred that the person was the doctor who fixed his arm.

“….”

What? Why are you here?

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