Theatrical Regression Life

Chapter 91

Noh Yeonseok was afraid of Director Lee Jaehun, and that fear turned into guilt.

If he were to judge who was worse between the two, he would undoubtedly say it was himself. When comparing a few harsh scoldings to the blood from torn skin, the latter seemed far worse. Regardless of what Director Lee Jaehun had said to him, Noh Yeonseok knew he should be grateful to him.

But that was difficult. No matter how much he thought about it, he felt he had endured too many insults from Lee Jaehun, who not only possessed far more than him but also had the leisure and confidence that Noh Yeonseok lacked. Even Kang Mina, whom Yeonseok admired, relied on Lee Jaehun.

Indeed, it was laughable, but he realized he felt jealousy. He had even felt jealous when Kang Mina hugged Jung Inho to comfort him, and he was definitely jealous of Lee Jaehun, who was stronger and more accomplished than Jung Inho. It felt pathetic and foolish to him, but it was hard to swallow these feelings. Why, when he could barely breathe or walk?

So, when he heard those words, his heart skipped a beat.

"...I, I..."

Strangers were calling him a monster.

While strangers who had never experienced his pain criticized him casually, Noh Yeonseok, who had known him for much longer, had only recently come to this realization. The frustration of not being able to define the injustice he felt made his heart pound with anxiety.

So he got angry.

"I didn't mean to..."

"......"

"I didn't intend for that to happen."

He felt he couldn't leave it like this.

"I didn't mean it."

Noh Yeonseok knew he couldn't leave things as they were.

Regardless of who was worse, who among them was truly justified, who people would most likely criticize or speak ill of, he felt it simply and instinctively.

"Director, I... really... I'm not lying, really."

"Uh, uh, hmm."

"I'm not a bad person."

But what if he didn't realize that himself?

"Director, you're really not a bad person..."

How could he not know something even a fool like me understood?

Suddenly, regret surged in from somewhere unknown.

It could have been from the time Noh Yeonseok first entered the company as an intern, or when he entered this world, or maybe he was regretting something from just ten minutes ago. The anxiety filling him from fingertips to his mind made it hard to be sure.

He realized that person considered himself a villain.

"That's not true..."

Just as Noh Yeonseok had once thought, or had tried hard to convince himself.

He was calling himself bad.

"...That..."

Yet, he had nothing to say.

Lee Jaehun spoke with such conviction, as if he had never once thought of himself as a good person, that Noh Yeonseok, who had pondered it countless times, found himself at a loss for words.

It felt as if he had glimpsed fragments of that person's life, leaving him breathless.

"......"

"......"

Noh Yeonseok's face gradually contorted, and everyone present found themselves unable to speak. Lee Jaehun, realizing something was amiss, closed his mouth.

It took a while for the situation to settle down.

* * *

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Jaehun."

Detective Hong Kyungjun bowed his head slightly and responded.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Hong Kyungjun."

And the people watching the scene began to murmur.

“…Even when greeting each other, they have to do it like that….”

“Wow, they seem like really boring people.”

“It’s surprising there’s another person like Hong Kyungjun under the sky.”

“Well, it has been a while since I’ve heard anyone say I’m fun.”

“Of course, I didn’t mean that as an insult.”

From the hefty man looking back and forth with a grimace to the young man muttering seriously, and even the conductor Kim Kijeong, who quickly added an explanation to what was clearly an insult in Hong Kyungjun’s words.

Lee Jaehun scanned the other party and nodded inwardly.

‘The atmosphere is better than the novel.'

Compared to the human-shaped trash he remembered, the current state seemed much better.

Securing drinking water from the Mirror Lake surely played a big role. People can go without food for a while, but without water, they collapse without the strength to act out. It was wise to tell them where the small lake was during the last encounter.

As Lee Jaehun thought this, the man who had been speaking in a characteristic gruff voice cleared his throat and spoke again.

“I’m Choi Jungman. I run a restaurant down the main road. Come by if you ever crave some stew.”

“Isn’t it the restaurant right next to the macaron shop? I often stop by and enjoy your food.”

“Oh? You’re a customer, then. It’s good, right? I might not know much, but I make a mean stew. Come by again.”

“Thank you for running such a great restaurant. I’m always grateful.”

As Choi Jungman quickly put on a friendly face and extended his hand, Lee Jaehun responded with a smile. He wasn’t just being polite, as it was a place he actually visited or ordered from after a heavy night of drinking. Of course, that was before recalling his past life.

Immediately after, a young man with a gentle face like a potato introduced himself in a confident voice.

“I’m Vivian, nice to meet you. If I may boast, I’m a student at Korea University.”

“Go on, go on. Attending Korea University is something to be proud of.”

“I’m ranked second in my department...! Soon, I’ll push the top student off the rooftop and take the first place!”

“Oh, good job. Great job.”

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HELHEIM SCANS

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Demon God ]

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Even though the Korean University student seemed to spout nonsense and the stew house owner clapped along, they seemed similar to Lee Jaehun, who still smiled. Disrupting the atmosphere now wouldn’t be wise.

Watching this lively scene with a sour expression, the tall and thin conductor Kim Kijeong sighed and began to speak.

“…I’m Kim Kijeong. I’m a musician, and I apologize for my earlier outburst.”

“No, it’s fine. I would’ve been startled too.”

“I have a bit of a bad temper. If my words upset you, just think of it as the quirk of an eccentric artist.”

Though his voice trailed off, he wasn’t the type to hold back his words.

Despite the self-deprecation in his words, he didn’t seem to genuinely believe it. He was likely stacking up excuses for future conflicts, something like, ‘I told you I had a bad temper.’

Thinking this, Lee Jaehun plastered on a polite smile and said,

“Once again, nice to meet you all. This is the person who will be your Director.”

“…I’m Noh Yeonseok…. I’m interning under Director Lee Jaehun.”

As Lee Jaehun gave his shoulder a reassuring pat, Noh Yeonseok, after a moment of awkwardness, bowed his head in greeting. He seemed to be thinking, ‘Did this guy just introduce himself normally?’ making Lee Jaehun feel oddly amused.

He chuckled inwardly at the thought.

‘I haven’t made such an introduction since visiting my kid’s class for observation.’

Of course, this was a story from his past life.

In this life, Lee Jaehun had been clumsy in relationships, having been rejected three times, and thus hadn’t even touched on the idea of having children. His conservative parents had also ensured he lived a relatively virtuous life.

Unaware of these inner thoughts, Detective Hong Kyungjun looked around and then turned his attention back to Lee Jaehun, speaking.

“… Anyway, your grand entrance momentarily paralyzed the situation….”

“Is that what you call grand?”

“Well, it was quite something, to be fair….”

“Now that the atmosphere has somewhat settled, can we proceed with the proper discussion?”

“This is what you call settled?”

Ignoring Kim Kijeong’s muttering, Lee Jaehun blinked and asked.

“Will my right to remain silent be guaranteed, Detective?”

“It’s possible, but please be aware that it might not work in your favor.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Oh, come on! This isn’t a courtroom, is it?”

“Hey, keep it down, will you….”

Despite the bickering between the burly Choi Jungman and Conductor Kim Kijeong being clearly audible, Lee Jaehun and Detective Hong Kyungjun paid no attention. Even Vivian, who was part of their group, showed no reaction, leaving Noh Yeonseok, who was awkwardly sitting next to them, the only one visibly uncomfortable and distancing himself from the situation.

Detective Hong Kyungjun glanced at Noh Yeonseok and asked,

“For the first question… I’m curious how you fixed him.”

“Ah.”

“I definitely saw you put something in his mouth. It wasn’t that big. Did you bring it with you?”

Lee Jaehun rolled his eyes at the phrase ‘brought it with you’. Having experienced enough of the otherworld on both sides, he knew exactly what that implied.

‘So, they’re asking if I anticipated this situation.’

In other words, they were suspecting whether Lee Jaehun had a significant role in this incident.

Of course, he did know. If asked for a reason, he could only say something like, ‘Oh, I remembered my past life, and it turns out this place is a novel~’ so he decided to stay silent for now.

Moreover, showing that he knew would ruin all the buildup he had carefully constructed. The persona of ‘Lee Jaehun’ he created was supposed to return to the otherworld eventually, but he didn’t know it would be on March 1st.

After organizing his thoughts, Lee Jaehun kept his expression neutral and shook his head.

“It’s something I acquired after coming to this world.”

“I see. Then how did you know it was for treatment?”

“Well….”

He expected that question.

Lee Jaehun looked up for a moment, glanced at the intern crouching next to him, and then looked back at Detective Hong Kyungjun, trying to show he was deliberating whether to speak.

And the detective took the bait perfectly.

“I’ll remind you again, this could work against you.”

“Hmm.”

Honestly, it was a good time for Lee Jaehun to talk.

‘I’ve held onto this bait long enough.’

No matter how great the bait is, dragging it out too long diminishes its effect.

He had already hinted at ‘Lee Jaehun’s’ past to everyone except Jung Inho, so unless he could completely dismiss his persona as a lunatic, it was time to start revealing things. Plus, with Intern Noh Yeonseok and Detective Hong Kyungjun present, the story would spread appropriately between both groups.

Lee Jaehun glanced at Intern Noh Yeonseok, who was looking at him anxiously, then swept his hand over his mouth and began to speak again.

“… Just to be clear, I don’t actually know much about this world.”

“You seem quite composed for someone claiming that.”

“It’s true. I know a few things, but… I don’t know why this world exists or why there are monsters.”

“…….”

“I’ve only visited here a few times.”

Detective Hong Kyungjun then asked.

"'Visited a few times'?"

"...I'm not trying to be vague...."

After a brief pause, Lee Jaehun answered.

"I used to live here."

"......"

"For quite a long time."

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