Theatrical Regression Life

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It might not have been a day or two since my life got tangled up, but by now, I wonder if I’ve ever grabbed the collar of fate between heaven and earth without my memory recalling it.

Why is it that things never go my way?

Lee Jaehun pressed his slightly aching head while looking around.

“……”

…This really feels like a regression.

Whether he possessed the body of an old-fashioned senior manager or was reincarnated, in the midst of not knowing, he called it a regression.

Now, to the point where the boundaries between reality and fantasy were beginning to blur, his life was excessively spectacular.

However, no matter how much he looked around, everything seemed to be as he remembered.

The sky began to darken gradually, and those guys who had sent the wooden boards without thinking about the future created a strange atmosphere, covering the world with a deep gray hue during that time of the day when the awkward tension prevailed.

Of course, Team Leader Kang and Intern Noh Yeonseok were still alive.

“…Director?”

“…What is it?”

“No, um. I was just wondering if you might have a fever or something….”

In response to the intern’s words, Jaehun subtly lowered the hand that had been pressing against his head.

When a perfectly fine person suddenly presses their head as if in pain, it probably looked a bit painful to others.

Seeing even the timid Team Leader Kang glancing in his direction, there was no need to say much.

Considering that he wasn’t in great shape to begin with, it was a natural reaction.

Of course, for Jaehun, who was not experiencing any symptoms other than feeling quite embarrassed, it was an uncomfortable concern.

“It’s nothing, just leave it be.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Although the intern didn’t seem particularly convinced by his words, he crouched down more than necessary. It was a posture that seemed to say, ‘What right do I have, as if I’ve committed a crime.’

In response, Jaehun blinked his eyes slowly.

“What time is it exactly…?”

From the atmosphere, he could roughly gauge the situation.

Thanks to the perpetrator reversal incident, the awkward air had just begun to dissipate, and it wasn’t the time to feel uneasy about the mysterious whereabouts of the protagonist and his group, who had gone to collect evidence.

Team Leader Kang and Intern Noh Yeonseok were still unharmed. The scent of blood was still faint.

Although it was much darker than before entering the park, the sky was much brighter than just before the regression.

Clear eyes. Functioning legs. Breathing throat. Calmly tense shoulders and arms.

And only four members in the investigation team.

“So…,”

Before Team Leader Kang and Intern Noh Yeonseok went to collect evidence, before the protagonist and the rest returned, it was the situation just before the high school siblings came to find them.

Realizing this, Lee Jaehun immediately stood up from his seat.

“…Director? Why aren’t you resting more…?”

“Just stay quiet.”

Honestly, it was quite regrettable not to have been able to finish them off immediately. However, now that Jaeheon had confirmed that they couldn’t die anyway, he had no choice but to step back.

He quickly revised his plans.

There was no longer a need to keep a distance from them.

“Hey, students.”

“….”

“It seems like you’ve been following us for a while now.”

Hm.

He spoke while looking at the rustling bushes.

“Can we have a little chat?”

In Lee Jaehun’s face as he said this, there was a genuine concern that no one could refute.

“Students…?”

“Over there, can’t you see? They’re wearing school uniforms.”

“Uh, yes.”

The sudden action of the Director left the group puzzled, and they looked in the direction he pointed with widened eyes.

There were two students vaguely hiding between the dense bushes and trees.

Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, the siblings awkwardly revealed themselves, and the group couldn’t help but be surprised by the school uniforms they were wearing.

They hadn’t thought that even minors would get involved in such a place.

Observing their reactions, Lee Jaehun, while maintaining a rough exterior, expressed his concern in a seemingly genuine way.

“You both seem quite young. Isn’t it better to be together than just the two of you?”

“…Uh…”

“The place isn’t bad either. It’s dark, and being together is better than wandering around elsewhere.”

Of course, it wasn’t an overtly emotional statement. There was the typical sternness and condescension of the old-fashioned director, yet at the same time, an effort to not overtly show his usual teasing.

Despite the hardened exterior, there was an undertone and expression that conveyed a shallow but sincere consideration for the other party.

Naturally, his words were not just thrown out because of genuine concern for the siblings.

“Worry? What’s there to worry about? They have the best chances of survival here.”

Rather than worrying about those kids, it would be better to worry about the group’s current precarious situation.

These students were exceptionally perceptive, quick on their feet, and they weren’t even aware of it themselves. They were the kind of people who were adept at sticking around without feeling guilty, making them the ones who would survive the longest.

But Jaehun realized.

Having gone through the mind-boggling situation of regression and accepting the fact that he couldn’t die, he was not a fool to deny reality.

If that’s the case, there was no longer a reason to be passive.

“It might get dangerous if it gets darker, don’t you think?”

While he naturally managed his expression, internally, he was sharpening his teeth, ready to play the role.

Show them what real acting looks like.

***

To say the least, everything Jaehun had shown so far was just a glimpse.

He didn’t know if he could die. If he could, then he could throw away his current life or whatever else, but if he had to keep living, he at least wanted to live a better life than his past life.

And in the latter case, even if it was an ignorant era, he had to manage his image.

But now, he was certain that he couldn’t die.

Whether it was some divine force or whatever that turned him into an old-fashioned villain through possession or reincarnation, Jaeheon had to plan not just to survive but for a more distant future.

In other words, Jaehun, in the body of an old-fashioned villain, needed to gain the favor of the characters, further earn the trust of the protagonist, and ultimately manage his image until he could completely escape from this crazy world.

Human relationships, movements, health, and more. Until now, he had been moving with minimal effort, but from now on, everything had to be aimed at being the best.

“Can we join you?”

“And leave the kids alone? Stop talking nonsense and come here. It’s dangerous.”

And Jaehun had quite the talent for acting.

He behaved as if such concerns and considerations were extremely awkward for him, appearing rough and unpolished.

Since he had built up a certain image so far, it would be strange if he suddenly became lenient in dealing with minors.

In response to Jaehun’s words, the group subtly agreed with him.

“Yeah, were you hurt on your way here? There are so many strange things around here…”

“Director’s right. It seems more dangerous to be alone. How about coming this way?”

“The sky is getting darker too…”

In turn, it was Team Leader Kang, Employee Kwon, and Intern Noh Yeonseok who spoke.

Lee Jaehun admired their reactions.

While it was manipulation with a purpose, he couldn’t help but be curious about the group’s mindset, as they accepted the students without any suspicion of Jaehun’s intentions.

Be careful not to get scammed for real later.

Originally, mental strength wasn’t categorized as good or evil, but it seemed these guys hadn’t tasted the harshness of society yet.

To end up like this even after experiencing my old-fashioned antics.

Jaehun looked at the students with a strange embarrassment.

“At least we can protect you.”

“…Thank you.”

The younger brother, with a humble appearance, folded his tall frame and moved, followed by the older sister who was flustered.

In the way he gently touched his brother’s jacket, it was evident how much they relied on each other.

While there might be an issue if they relied too much on each other, neglecting the safety of their surroundings, it wasn’t a significant problem since they were somewhat similar to the protagonist in that regard.

Initially, Jaehun had a liking for such efficient traits.

The student, the sister among the siblings who had approached from the bushes, lowered her head slightly.

“T-Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

After glancing around for a moment, the female student spoke.

“I… My name is Park Dayoung.”

“Oh, I’m Park Dahoon.”

“We’re siblings.”

After the sister introduced herself, the younger brother added, and Employee Kwon, who was the most sociable among the group, blinked his eyes as if surprised, saying, “Oh, I thought you two were a couple…”

“Me with this guy?”

“Me with this kid?”

As the words overlapped, Park Dayoung, the sister, reached out her elongated hand and pulled her brother Park Dahoon’s hair.

Though Dahoon muttered a small curse at her gesture, he quickly shut his mouth, seemingly refraining from openly cursing in front of unfamiliar adults.

He just lowered his head again, looking at Jaehun.

“…Thank you for calling us.”

“Well, yeah.”

“We couldn’t find the right time to talk since earlier…”

Jaeheon responded, hiding a subtle smile.

‘They don’t seem to suspect me.’

Before the regression, the students had approached them first, and even now, without being sure if they could trust them, the group continued to harbor suspicions.

While the others might not have noticed, the siblings were undoubtedly viewing them as a shield.

Perhaps that’s why, before his death, the siblings had been constantly watching Jaehun’s reactions.

They might have noticed to some extent that Jaehun, with his keen perception, was seeing through them.

However, as they were still young students, now that Jaehun had dispelled their suspicions first, they quickly changed their demeanor.

‘They must be feeling quite bewildered.’

Suddenly dropping into another world, where all the people in the cafe, who had been there to buy cakes, disappeared. The people they had found were all sitting there holding blood-stained pipes, looking eerie.

Amidst the fatigue and confusion, even if they were clever, the ones who had lived peacefully in their own world couldn’t have anticipated Jaehun’s plot.

What could one possibly gain by pretending to be affectionate with students who originally had nothing?

Lee Jaehun, massaging his stiff shoulders, spoke to Team Leader Kang Minah.

“Team Leader Kang, it seems like the ones who went to gather wood are running late.”

“…Is that so? I wonder if something happened?”

“I didn’t hear any loud noises… They might get lost on the way or something.”

It was a reasonably good guess.

“In this other world, judgment is much lower than usual.”

Just breathing in this world took a toll on mental strength.

The guys who left just to pick up a bit of wood probably didn’t intentionally distance themselves from the group. It seemed like they might have let go of their sanity due to the disorientation, possibly because of their throbbing heads.

In novels, too, similar scenes were often depicted.

When Jung Inho first faced the night in the other world, despite having a lighter in his hand, he couldn’t utilize it properly. It wasn’t just because he was in a panic state.

Only in the morning did he admit that he had been more confused than he thought.

And at that moment, he realized the premise that ‘mental strength diminishes in the other world’…

Even Deputy Jung Inho, who should have already known this fact from the company, was now seen wandering, emphasizing how threatening this world was.

Lee Jaehun warmly welcomed the students and then approached Employee Kwon, who had gotten close to them.

He glanced at Kang Minah, who looked worried, and then turned to the intern Noh Yeonseok, who was staring at the darkening sky.

With a calm tone, he spoke.

“Waiting any longer seems unreasonable. It looks like we need to start a fire ourselves.”

“…What about Director Jung Inho and the others?”

“They’ll find us once the fire is lit. With just one lighter, we’re at a disadvantage if the night gets too dark compared to them.”

This was a fact he had experienced firsthand before the regression.

Even before death, when they accepted the students, they felt that the night was getting too dark, and they sensed that they wouldn’t be able to secure visibility. They needed to light a fire.

However, when Lee Jaehun tried to gather materials, the team, already burdened with guilt, stopped him. The students were put on hold because of their young age. In the end, Kang Minah and Noh Yeonseok were the ones who decided to gather wood and dry grass nearby.

‘And then he died.’

Swish!

Jaehun took out a lighter from his suit and continued his thoughts.

He didn’t know exactly what had happened. All he knew was that screams were heard from the broken side of the sculpture while they were waiting with Employee Kwon and other students. Immediately after, he got up and ran towards them.

What he saw was Noh Yeonseok intern impaled on a tree.

‘The rust monster.’

That bastard is the culprit.

In the novel, it was often referred to as a rust monster. Among the monsters living in the park lake, it was one of them.

It wasn’t particularly fast or powerful, but it had a unique ability.

However, the rust monster had a wide and relentless search range, making it difficult to evade pursuit. It was especially depicted as being able to communicate with other plant-like monsters.

Perhaps the vine that corroded Jaehun’s ankle was one of those communicative creatures. The rust monster fed on the blood of fallen corpses.

The reason why this creature, which hadn’t appeared on the first day in the novel, emerged was probably due to the sorry state of Lee Jaehun himself. While the monsters were approaching, Kang Minah and Noh Yeonseok, who had separated from the group, became the first victims, according to Jaehun’s judgment.

He suddenly looked up at Kang Minah and Noh Yeonseok.

“….”

“Why, why?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

*Tic,*

Jaehun lit the lighter and spoke.

“Just be careful not to get hurt.”

“…I don’t think the Director has to say that.”

“Do you know what the bottom is right now? How dare an intern speak to the director like that.”

“Hahaha….”

Team Leader Kang seemed to think his words were a joke and laughed quite cheerfully. But well, was it really just a joke?

Jaehun, feeling uneasy, cleared his throat and shook the lighter.

“Anyway… since we have one lighter, let’s try to make a fire with it, even if it’s in a hurry.”

Then, the siblings who had been quiet spoke up.

“Uh, then we’ll go pick up some firewood for you.”

“Just some dry branches will do, right?”

Ah.

Jaehun couldn’t help but admire.

‘Look at them throwing the bait.’

No, this is not a sincere compliment right now.

Well, it’s not insincere either, but it wasn’t more than words thrown out of a pure heart trying to be of some help.

By stepping forward like this, the siblings were assessing their position within the group.

What was even more surprising was that this ploy was, unlike Jaehun, 100% unconscious.

It wasn’t a calculated move with a thought like, ‘Let’s use them like this!’ Instead, it was just their instinctual action, which became their strength.

Having already known this and having eliminated all suspicions I might have had before the regression, Jaehun’s reactions were limited. With a rough expression of concern on his face, he spoke.

“…What about you guys?”

“Yes, we’ll go and…”

“Alright, just stay quiet. There are plenty of people here who can work besides kids like you.”

“Ah…”

At Jaehun’s words, the siblings’ tense shoulders relaxed a bit.

‘They probably feel relieved.’

It wasn’t that these siblings had particularly bad personalities or were selfish, and it wasn’t about throwing such a ploy with a calculated mindset.

They don’t boast about assessing their position, and they are quite cooperative, doing everything they can. They are simply more observant than others, nothing more.

Jaehun, having thought about this, suddenly remembered the sensation of a rope being tightened around his neck from before his death. At that moment, a gloomy feeling swept over him, and he cleared his throat with a cough.

‘Well, I should throw in at least one old-fashioned comment.’

“So, the kids should just stay quiet…”

“….”

“…What’s with those expressions?”

Jaehun was momentarily taken aback.

The siblings, for some reason, seemed vaguely pleased, and the other three members of the group were looking at them with softened expressions. Jaehun felt an inexplicable discomfort and unease in their reactions.

“What’s the matter? Why are you all like that?”

“No… it’s just…”

“Yeah, just. Well, I see.”

“What’s going on?”

As Jaehun furrowed his brow with a subtle sense of discomfort, he spoke.

“Anyway, I’ll be the one to gather the firewood…”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Since earlier, I’ve been the one making all the casual comments, right, Yeonseok?”

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