Theatrical Regression Life

* * *

A sigh escaped, and unable to contain his frustration, Lee Jaehun furrowed his brow.

“Is it really necessary to get worked up like this?”

Honestly speaking, yeah. He was quite adept at parenting.

Objectively, regardless of his age in this current life, which had already crossed the age of forty, considering the years he had lived in his past life, it was more appropriate to call it ‘experience’ rather than ‘age.’

Though Lee Jaehun’s past life was a mess, he wasn’t the only one who lived such a life.

Now, with the knowledge of common sense in his present life, it might seem like nothing special, but back in his past life, he returned to the afterlife without even realizing what was odd.

Among them, Lee Jaehun’s personality was particularly unpleasant, but it wasn’t to an extreme degree.

At least, that’s what he thought of himself, probably.

Consequently, he tried everything that others typically did. Although relationships with his family were not great, he went on trips with them, experienced dating when he reached a certain age, and even got married to someone he found quite compatible, not necessarily believing in fate but going with the flow.

He remembered having a son and two daughters, living a life until his lifespan ended.

So, is Lee Jaehun’s parenting skill reasonably good?

‘Well, I had a total of three kids.’

Moreover, given his profession, to make a decent living, he had to master the ability to guide and soothe others.

Apart from dealing with the unexpected challenges of caring for those who could be a handful, Lee Jaehun’s parenting skills were decent, to say the least.

However, interest and aptitude are two different things.

Even if he could handle parenting to some extent, it wasn’t the type of task Lee Jaehun desired. Just because he was good at it didn’t mean he wanted to do it in the first place.

Yet, here he was, faced with the task of parenting once again, and it was nothing short of exasperating.

After running for quite a while, Lee Jaehun glanced back.

His entire body writhed in agony, and his vision blurred due to physiological distress, but heightened senses revealed a considerable gap between him and the green monster.

Coming to a halt, he exhaled a dry breath and muttered.

“…I might die like this.”

Of course, he wasn’t actually going to die.

Drip! Drip!

Leaning against a tree, Lee Jaehun slumped to the ground.

“…”

He knew that abruptly stopping like this after running for a while wasn’t ideal. Sure, he could take a break, but starting to run again without sufficient recovery felt twice as painful, especially in the belly, as he rolled back into motion.

Even though he was aware that taking a break now could lead to a less efficient state when he needed to get things done properly, Lee Jaehun had no choice but to rest.

“…Ugh, darn.”

His condition was not great. He opened his mouth to breathe, but all that came out was a stifled groan.

‘My throat hurts.’

His throat felt sharp and painful, as if it had been pricked by needles. Due to running without properly drinking water, the mucous membranes in his throat were parched.

A metallic scent, almost overpowering the smell of iron, filled the air as an unpleasant taste rose in Lee Jaehun’s mouth. His senses dulled, yet he still felt a vivid, stabbing pain in his throat, akin to carving a picture with a knife.

His bleeding neck seemed as fragile as shattered glass, and the smell of blood, taken in through his nose, felt like it was seeping into him and rising again.

The makeshift bandage hastily wrapped around his shoulder was not only soaked in blood but had turned a vivid red beyond saturation. With each step, fresh blood welled up, creating a gushing rhythm.

The arm and hand on the side of the pierced shoulder were trembling as if seized by spasms. Even gripping a relatively thin pipe had become burdensome.

Above all, his leg was excruciatingly painful.

“Damn it…”

Seriously. Really, it hurts like hell.

‘Life is seriously messed up.’

Lee Jaehun was a person with considerable pride, never wanting to cry, but even he couldn’t help shedding tears due to the overwhelming pain.

As the agony intensified, breathing became nearly impossible. Even attempting to take deep breaths turned into a painful ordeal. His choked breaths, constrained by a swollen throat, came out with a strained, raspy sound.

Unable to bear the pain, Lee Jaehun found it almost ridiculous that he was on the verge of crying. He let out a short laugh, but even that was quickly stifled by the intense agony.

Grasping at his muddled mind amidst the dull and acute pain, Lee Jaehun muttered to himself.

‘Everyone, just go ahead and die.’

Except for me, let everyone else be miserable…

After spewing those words, he felt a slight sense of relief deep inside.

As he cursed a multitude of unspecified people, Lee Jaehun scraped the ground as if he could claw away his despair.

His hand involuntarily clenched in pain, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch his leg.

Lee Jaehun wasn’t foolish or brave enough to mess with his leg using a hand that wouldn’t move as he pleased. What was the point of doing something to this tangled mess of a leg with a hand that refused to cooperate?

Pierced by a spider leg, burned by the fiery vines, and having sacrificed one leg to lure the green monster, his leg looked mangled, as if it had been torn apart by a shark.

Moreover, the messy wounds only worsened due to the struggles to free himself from the vines, creating larger, more unsightly injuries.

Suddenly, amid this chaos, Lee Jaehun glimpsed something white through the turmoil.

Well, I anticipated all of this.

Escaping from the intricately tangled, tooth-laden vines felt like a fish caught on a hook writhing against its own body, and it was even more brutal than that.

“Cough, ugh, huff…”

Lee Jaehun, shedding tears with dry coughs, rose again at the sound of the slithering of snakes echoing in his ears.

Midway, he stumbled as the strength in his leg gave way, but he managed to stand again.

That sound indicated that the green monster was narrowing its encirclement.

“…I’m going to die.”

Sure, he would probably come back to life, but it felt like he was going to die.

Muttering briefly, Lee Jaehun started moving his feet again.

Although blood gradually dripped down from the spot where he stood, it was no longer his concern, regardless of whether some unknown creature tangled in it or if the blood was running out. This was not just about his survival; it was a problem that almost determined his future.

‘At this rate, I might actually die.’

His labored breath blocked his throat.

In his past life, Lee Jaehun possessed regenerative abilities. No matter how injured he got, he could quickly recover. However, that was a capability from his past life, and perhaps due to not being in his right mind, he seemed to be under the illusion that he still had it.

He thought he could easily escape from this mess with such tangled vines.

In reality, it was a somewhat accurate expectation. Despite his clouded state of mind, his basic judgment hadn’t entirely deserted him, and this situation, traumatic as it was, wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

However, the problem was that the current Lee Jaehun didn’t possess the regenerative abilities from his past life.

In his previous life, he could afford to get injured with the confidence that he would recover quickly. Whether his head exploded or his body was split into five pieces, he’d come back to life, giving him every reason not to hesitate. But now, that wasn’t the case.

Of course, he hadn’t planned based on the assumption of having his past life’s regenerative abilities. Nevertheless, despite not using his past life’s body as a reference, Lee Jaehun’s condition was worse than he had anticipated.

‘Well, it’s not the exact same body, after all.’

Lee Jaehun bitterly acknowledged this fact.

He gained some of the skills and stamina from his past life, but it wasn’t perfect.

His current body had noticeable shortcomings compared to his past life, and Lee Jaehun, who hadn’t fully grasped this, was experiencing more pain than he had imagined.

This seemed like some form of karma, as if retribution for something.

Frowning, he looked at the gradually brightening sky from the distant end.

“Ugh, huff…”

Breath caught in his throat.

‘…Is it past 6 o’clock?’

Lee Jaehun quickly turned his head. He didn’t have the luxury to check the time on a watch, but he estimated it to be around 6 or 6:30.

In his past life, where he often lurked in the darkness, he roughly knew when sunset and sunrise occurred. Based on his knowledge, he guessed that the temporal concepts in his past and current worlds were similar. In early March, sunrise was around 7:03 to 7:05.

In other words, Lee Jaehun had at least another 30 minutes of being chased in the dark…

‘No.’

He couldn’t endure until then.

More accurately, enduring was the issue.

They say someone who has tasted meat knows how to appreciate a good meal. Similarly, Lee Jaehun, who had died multiple times, knew how to die well. However, among the many comfortable deaths he knew, the current situation was not one of them.

There was no ease in this. Instead of a comfortable death, his body would be torn apart, slowly embracing a painful demise, reminiscent of the agonies before his regression.

Of course, Lee Jaehun didn’t place any value on death. Present-day Lee Jaehun, like his past self, belonged to the category of humans who didn’t hold life’s value in high regard. Reflecting on his past life made him even more indifferent.

Still, he didn’t want to die right now because he could feel the pain. Moreover, if he died again?

‘Would I regress again, and that bastard Jung Inho too?’

If that were to happen, would Jung Inho be in his right mind this time?

Lee Jaehun concluded that it wasn’t likely.

Despite the protagonist’s inherently repulsive nature, there was a semblance of humanity. If warmth existed in a psychopath, it might be Jung Inho stepping onto the stage.

He believed in the goodness of kindness and couldn’t savor malevolence.

Yes, he was a chick.

Just one that hatched slightly earlier than others, perhaps a precocious acorn in Lee Jaehun’s perspective.

Nevertheless, despite feeling repulsed, the fact remained that the early protagonist of the story had a remarkably fresh mindset.

Maybe if Lee Jaehun died, Deputy Jung Inho would let go of something.

Lee Jaehun was good at parenting. He knew how to take care of a not-so-big child.

In his eyes, among the group, there was no adult, and if Ha Sungyoon, the doctor, could be considered a teenager, Deputy Jung Inho was an elementary school student.

He really set up a kindergarten, damn it.

Before being dragged away by the green monster, Lee Jaehun recalled the conversation he had with Deputy Jung Inho.

‘He was struggling.’

If he truly regressed, witnessing the death of a workplace colleague at least three times, and among them, Lee Jaehun’s death was exceptionally brutal.

The probability was high that Deputy Jung Inho, with a trace of humanity still left in the yellow chick, wouldn’t be able to endure something of that magnitude.

Observant Lee Jaehun sensed Deputy Jung Inho’s regression alone, realizing that it made him even more repulsive in a negative sense.

Lee Jaehun had an intuition that his current state of life or death would become the turning point for the protagonist.

Dying might give him another chance at action, but…

‘You can’t fix a person’s mind.’

That was the reason Lee Jaehun had to live.

If you’re hurt, can’t you heal? Bullshit.

Any kind of injury leaves scars and side effects. There’s no such thing as a perfect 100% in this world.

A broken leg is likely to break again later. The mind is the same. Once it crumbles, rebuilding is difficult, and above all, the scars don’t disappear.

Remembering the wounds leads to periodic suffering, and even if you erase memories with some kind of technology, there’s still a void left. That’s the scar, and it becomes a side effect. You can’t go back to the beginning.

While Lee Jaehun didn’t value life, he placed value on the mind.

The mind is expendable. Mental elements are even less compensatable than easily retrievable physical requirements.

Compensation for the mind is subjective, and it’s something you can’t receive just because you want it or give because you want to. That’s how precious the mind is. It’s irreplaceable. A valuable consumable that can neither be replaced nor recovered, especially in the parallel world.

He found Deputy Jung Inho repulsive, but at the same time, he evaluated him highly.

The protagonist was dangerous and ominous, but he had utility. Lee Jaehun had been managing the group’s mental strength so far, and particularly the protagonist’s even more.

Thunk!

Lee Jaehun stumbled momentarily, caught by a tree root. Soon after, he regained his balance and exhaled.

How have I raised them until now?

‘Now, you’re scattering ashes?’

Dare to mess with the Nokjo?

In the rage that surpassed the pain, his mind became distant.

“Damn it, how did I drag those damn rookie chicks here…!”

Lee Jaehun ground his teeth in frustration.

In the context of his past life, it was like barely getting a precious and talented rookie, who struggled to adapt to the job, and putting them in intense real-world situations just before firing them.

No, it can’t happen. Can’t go back.

How did I raise you only for you to escape now?

Even considering the losses incurred in raising them so far, it’s already equivalent to a bottle of Saoxingju, a pair of luxury watches, and one each of wrists, shoulders, and legs.

Adding the mental damage suffered during the pointless acting, hey, this is not acceptable. Don’t think about losing your sanity until you’ve repaid all of this, Deputy Jung.

“Besides, it’s not just about Deputy Jung.”

Intern Noh Yeonseok has good physical strength but pretends to be frail. Team Leader Kang, despite his toughness, has an unnecessary curiosity and is openly timid. And on top of that, he easily gets hurt.

Analyst Kwon from the office might seem resilient to stress due to her simplicity, but, in other words, it means she has almost no immunity to stress.

If Lee Jaehun’s death becomes a source of stress for her, the probability of her not being able to handle it is extremely high.

No, she definitely wouldn’t endure it. She already lost her composure with the recent death of Team Leader Kang, whom she met not long ago in the novel.

Actually, I’m not sure about the doctor, the flower shop owner, or the siblings.

Dr. Ha Seongyoon might overcome it efficiently since he’s the second main character, but the other three main characters could quickly recover due to their generous personalities. Yet, considering the countless favors Lee Jaehun has bestowed upon them so far…

Of course, when he regresses, those memories will vanish from their minds, but…

‘Except for the protagonist, Deputy Jung.’

Since Lee Jaehun has no intention of revealing his regression, the protagonist will continue to be alone in this journey.

Even without speaking about it, memories that only he knows are painful in any sense. It’s like feeling itchy or lonely when everyone is in sight but you feel secluded.

Humans are social animals, and because of that, they cannot easily endure it.

Deputy Jung Inho observes all these situations with his own eyes, memorizes them with a sinister mind, and calmly descends into the abyss.

No matter how repulsive it may seem, losing one’s sanity happens in an instant.

And at some point, the protagonist, who can no longer bear it, will let go of something.

‘I don’t know what it is,’

Maybe something beyond human nature.

Lee Jaehun tries to prevent that.

If Deputy Jung Inho preferred evil, he might not have taken this approach, but the protagonist, despite being repulsive, loved kindness.

He hates evil. For Deputy Jung Inho, humanity is an essential and indispensable existence for preserving mental strength.

In the otherworld, mental strength is a kind of currency, a very precious consumable that will eventually wear out.

Until they completely escape, they have to efficiently preserve their mental strength. Lee Jaehun is actively managing the flow of this currency.

So, in a way, Lee Jaehun is trying to prevent these foolish early-career individuals from wasting money right from the beginning of their independence.

These guys don’t even realize how valuable their mental strength is, and they can’t manage it on their own.

“With things turning out like this, seriously….”

Squelch! Squish!

“Oh, shut up! It’s so repulsive I could die!”

Splatter!

Unable to contain his anger, Lee Jaehun stomps on the vines, crushing some of them.

“Now that things have come to this, do I have to raise children?! Huh?!”

Of course, right after that, a sharp pain surged through his foot as if it were pierced by teeth, but this, too, wasn’t his primary concern.

With a discarded body, focusing on each bit of pain is something inexperienced chicks would do. Lee Jaehun was a survival expert who knew what efficiency meant.

Having vented his frustration, Lee Jaehun immediately swung the pipe towards the vines approaching his head, and it struck the sturdy wooden pillar with a repulsive sound, causing it to distort.

Thick blood flowed through the rough bark, and frowning at the sight, Lee Jaehun grabbed onto the tree, used it as leverage, and moved his foot again.

“This is so damn annoying….”

He couldn’t die here.

But returning to the group was equally impossible.

‘Even if I remember the path, my body won’t keep up.’

While he did have a plan, the situation was quite tricky.

Lee Jaehun remembered every step of the way he had come.

He had visited the park on weekends to familiarize himself with the surroundings, and with a basic understanding, a few hours of running wouldn’t make him forget.

To enjoy a luxurious life in this dog-eat-dog world, a bit of effort was necessary.

However, the situation was far from ideal.

Enduring a few more minutes against the vines and the Lake Monster was one thing, but the real issue for Lee Jaehun came after escaping from that grotesque chase.

Even if he could get out of this disturbing pursuit, it would bring relief, albeit unwillingly. Psychological relief would soon release physical tension.

From that moment on, Lee Jaehun would be unable to walk any longer.

“So, I need to find someone to help.”

Searching for help at this stage seemed almost impossible, but it wasn’t entirely out of the question. After all, he had reached this point without any clear plan.

Lee Jaehun had a decent memory of the park’s geography and knew the path he had taken.

Finding someone to help in this desperate situation might be close to impossible, but technically, impossible wasn’t out of the question. After all, he hadn’t come this far with no thought at all.

Having a good understanding of the park’s geography and knowing who or what was nearby, he realized this was the novel he had read in his previous life.

“Ugh, seriously.”

Because it was a novel, there existed someone to help.

‘A fellow motivator.’

Swoosh!

Lee Jaehun surveyed the surrounding structures as he moved his feet.

In many novels, there exists a character who sacrifices themselves, providing motivation to the protagonist through their death.

Not a hero, but someone sacrificed due to their inherent inability to abandon kindness. They may feel fear, despair, and agony, yet they step forward because the happiness and everyday lives of others matter more to them.

Being a work of fiction, such characters can exist in novels created through imagination. They may not be perfect, but they are realistically good adults who, despite not seeking perfection, end up in that role.

Someone who didn’t wish for it, but circumstances led them to become that way, ultimately becoming the person who dies.

“What is this, who are you… This is insane.”

“….”

Someone sacrificing themselves for the happiness of others instead of an unspecified multitude, someone who, despite not wanting it, ends up giving up their life…

“Ah, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to swear… No, why. Are you okay? No, you must not be. Can I help?”

Sigh!

“Huh? What’s with this vine… Wait, no, crazy, my leg! It’s chewing on my leg!”

The timid one.

“Just a moment, I’ll help…”

“Move.”

“…What?”

Swoosh! Thud!

With peculiar sounds, Lee Jaehun, without attempting to release the vine clinging to his leg, acted as if he were a person out of his mind.

He spoke with a muddled mind, not concealing the pain, and his voice echoed beneath the tree like a voice sinking in a drought.

“If this continues, I’ll die.”

With those words, he grabbed the opponent’s collar, pulled them behind him, and swung the pipe forward.

Thunk!

“…”

“…”

And soon, the green vine thudded onto the ground.

The vine, which had spread its teeth wide, collided with a sturdy metal bar, crumpled, and then sprawled on the floor.

It felt strangely mineralized, not quite like the convulsions of a body in pain. It was unsettling, like a malfunctioning machine rather than a living organism.

Now that the woman had finally confirmed the vine from the green monster, she tore at the distinctive uniform of a police officer and muttered.

“…Crazy.”

“Instead of helping others, take care of yourself mentally.”

“What…”

Squelch! Plop!

Lee Jaehun grabbed the vine that had been nibbling on his calf and tore it off with his hands. Thanks to that, a bit of flesh seemed to come off with it, but…

“Well, it tears off quite easily.”

It was different from the struggle for survival just a while ago.

He reached for the wristwatch on his other wrist while hearing the fading footsteps of the retreating green monster. Through his blurry vision, he saw the silver hands of the watch turning. The pointed at numbers were 7 and 12, or somewhere around there.

“…”

Lee Jaehun lifted his head to gaze at the sky obscured by dense trees.

Sigh!

The sky was rapidly being painted as if white paint was being spilled.

“I almost died.”

Thunk!

Leaning against a nearby tree after a short backward step, Lee Jaehun soon sank down as if collapsing.

His legs trembled as the tension released, but he couldn’t feel it even as he watched.

He just felt dazed, and sleep poured over him. The blocked breath seeped out thinly, once again choking his throat.

Blinking, he looked at the police officer who had somehow stood up from where he had fallen.

The short-haired officer looked at him with a calm face filled with confusion and worry. A murmuring voice reached his ears, but he had no energy to respond.

There was no need to, anyway.

In any case, Lee Jaehun was alive.

“I might die at this rate.”

“Excuse me, sir? Wait a moment…!”

And then, he fainted.

Survival is tough.

* * *

Join our Discord for release updates!

https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2

* * *