NOVEL NEXT Chapter 217
Lee Ha Neul. Known by others as the Gangseo Branch Chief.
Right now, her head was pounding to the point of breaking.
“…I wasn’t like this…”
She mumbled as she stared at an inconsequential wall.
Hearing that Kim Jae Heon from the Human Resources Team had disappeared, she hurried over and found Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon from her team.
“Oh. It’s the Branch Chief.”
Yu Da On mumbled as if it was nothing, gazing at Lee Ha Neul.
“Hello?”
“…”
Yu Da On waved her hand slightly while Jang Chae Yeon looked at her with watchful eyes.
Lee Ha Neul turned her gaze to the two.
Yu Da On wore a businesslike smile, while Jang Chae Yeon showed no intention of hiding her suspiciousness.
“…”
They didn’t seem very cooperative.
Suppressing a sigh that was on the verge of escaping, the Branch Chief directed her attention to both.
“What’s going on?”
“Um, well…”
As she listened to Yu Da On’s explanation, the Branch Chief pinched her eyebrows.
“…You said she handled the thread and was dressed like a theater person? Song Ah Rin?”
“Bad Song Ah Rin… but still.”
Yu Da On mumbled ambiguously.
“…”
Does that make sense?
As the Branch Chief of the Management Agency, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say she knew everything about the secrets of this world, except for this.
Information about bugs hiding in the moon, hospitals, wedges, and so on, was all lodged in her head even if she didn’t want to know.
She dug into the old library of memories regarding the theater company.
“…”
The theater company chief is a man.
Not someone she met often, but she’d encountered him a few times. No—should she call him a monster?
At least, he was that way thirty years ago.
Had the theater company chief changed in those thirty years?
“…That doesn’t make sense.”
If that’s the case, then it’s not a legitimate succession of the position.
Did he usurp the role of the theater company chief? Is that even physically possible?
Pressing hard on her throbbing temples, she looked at the two.
“So you’re both worried about what might happen to Kim Jae Heon and Song Ah Rin, right?”
“No?”
Yu Da On tilted her head with a puzzled expression at her words.
“I’m not worried about A-Rin. But I’m worried about what might happen to Jae Heon.”
Yu Da On’s face showed concern when she mentioned Kim Jae Heon.
“…”
“…I’m worried about that guy too.”
When the Branch Chief’s gaze shifted to Jang Chae Yeon, she nodded quietly in agreement.
Poor Song Ah Rin.
After offering a simple consolation for Song Ah Rin mentally, the Branch Chief turned to the wall.
“…Branch Chief.”
Then, Jang Chae Yeon gazed at her.
“Yes?”
“…Can we go in?”
Her eyes seemed to bore into Lee Ha Neul as if saying, “You know it, don’t you?”
“…”
Jang Chae Yeon and Lee Ha Neul exchanged glances for a moment.
“…Huh.”
Ultimately, she could only let out a sigh.
“Just wait a moment.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
She had to increase the odds anyway.
Until now, he had overcome the challenges and trials that approached him well, but now it was time for trials that might be a bit overwhelming.
As a senior and as a fellow member of the Management Agency, helping him was, in some ways, a duty.
“…Thank you.”
“Thank you!”
Jang Chae Yeon gave a respectful bow, and Yu Da On greeted her back with a bright smile.
“…”
Honestly, it wasn’t a difficult task.
Just a phone call would suffice.
Yeah. Just that one phone call.
With trembling hands, the Branch Chief took out her flip phone.
With a click, she opened the phone and began rummaging through her contacts.
Soon, a name appeared on the old screen.
[Head Office Chief Bastard]
“…”
She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the call button.
The ringing tone echoed, and a voice of an old man reached her ears.
“Bow your head. I’ll open it for you soon.”
“Understood!”
Immediately, she bowed her head to the ground.
“Whoa, did you see that speed? It’s like a stone breaking!”
“…”
Yu Da On exclaimed in shock, while Jang Chae Yeon tried to stifle her laughter at her words.
I need to get serious about this.
Lee Ha Neul grit her teeth inwardly while bowing her head.
All sorts of thoughts raced through her mind.
Yeah. It’s my fault.
No, it’s not my fault.
Should I just resign?
Her thoughts were in turmoil.
*
“For now…”
She gazed at the distant Song Ah Rin.
“I guess we have to walk?”
“…Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Song Ah Rin sighed.
“But we’ve checked inside there already. Didn’t really find any significant gain.”
“That’s true.”
“Then… doesn’t that mean we should go?”
“…Well, that’s not wrong.”
Together with Song Ah Rin, they walked down the dark street.
Her thoughts didn’t stop.
The Song Ah Rin who became the theater company chief found me.
Although it’s a little different in that she came to find me, I was meeting a version of Song Ah Rin that wasn’t the one I knew.
The image of Yu Da On, who had become a holy body, briefly flashed in her mind.
Was this similar to the wedge incident?
But why?
If the wedge incident happened because something went wrong during the wedge operation while I was there, this one doesn’t have any reason at all.
Could it be really my problem?
I hope not.
“…”
In contrast to my worries, Song Ah Rin was looking at the people.
“Strange.”
“What is?”
“Look at them lying down.”
She pointed at the people.
“They’re lying down neatly.”
“Maybe the theater company chief made them lie down neatly.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Song Ah Rin looked at me.
“That means it was intentional for them to lie down neatly.”
“…Is that something we should worry about?”
“…I feel like my hypothesis is correct.”
As she murmured, Song Ah Rin stared at the ground.
“Hypothesis?”
“The theater company chief, from what I feel, is obsessively attached to happiness, almost to an obsessive degree.”
“Happiness?”
“There are various ways, but…”
Song Ah Rin muttered and looked back.
Before they knew it, the theater that had been behind them was far off in the distance.
“In her world, there are only eleven humans. The ones sitting at the table and herself.”
“…”
“The rest, well, I guess she sees them as beings she needs to save.”
“Beings she needs to save?”
At my mumble, Song Ah Rin smiled wryly.
“Such foolishness.”
“…”
“Her one painful wound causes her to hastily conclude that everyone in the world must be in pain like her.”
“…”
“And one day, if she gains a strong power, she thinks this.”
“What kind of thought?”
“Oh. I can make them happy.”
Song Ah Rin shook her head.
“Truly, I really don’t want to understand that.”
Her gaze turned to the faraway place.
“Annoyingly, the one who understands best happens to be me.”
Turning back, she looked at the name of the theater.
[Theater of Dreams and Hope]
And the names of the plays she had seen.
[The Life of Becoming Happy], [Ways to Overcome Sadness].
She had a rough idea of what Song Ah Rin meant.
Silently, they walked through the city.
An uncomfortable silence.
It’s something she always felt, but there are those whom silence suits and those whom conversation suits.
Jang Chae Yeon was the one for whom silence was suitable, while Song Ah Rin was the one for whom conversation was fitting.
“But.”
“Yes?”
Song Ah Rin looked at me.
“Um, over there.”
“Yes?”
“Uh…”
“…Just say it.”
“…”
Song Ah Rin briefly closed and opened her mouth.
“I was surprised.”
“Huh?”
“I saw you getting taken away.”
“…You saw that?”
How?
Didn’t Song Ah Rin go the opposite way from where I went?
“Well, I felt like something dangerous was about to happen.”
Song Ah Rin answered, somewhat hesitantly.
“Anyway, I followed you.”
“Yeah.”
“…Uh, yeah.”
“…Yeah.”
What is it? What is she trying to say?
“…”
Song Ah Rin entwined her fingers and then looked down.
“Uh, what is it?”
“Yes.”
“…Gosh… I truly have the worst sense of perception…!”
As Song Ah Rin was about to mumble in an agitated voice.
-Ping!
A sound echoed.
Changing her thoughts immediately, she hurriedly threw herself to shield Song Ah Rin.
“AHHH!”
Song Ah Rin fell flat on the ground, and she felt something tightening around her right arm, pulling her backwards.
-Crack!
At the same time, her right arm was completely ripped off.
“Hey!”
Song Ah Rin’s eyes widened, and another sound rang out.
-Ping!
Next, will it be her left arm?
She hurriedly tried to turn her body, but her body was not fast enough. Being a wooden puppet didn’t help either.
At that moment,
-Whoosh!
Something clung to her back, and she fell backward.
“Ugh!”
“Gotcha!”
Song Ah Rin held onto my back while letting out a breath of relief.
“…How crude.”
Soon, a voice was heard.
A familiar voice.
It was the voice of the theater company chief.
-Clop… Clop…
Footsteps approached.
A familiar figure appeared, wearing heels, in an attire that seemed quite ridiculous, or more appropriately, something a theater company chief would wear.
And her eyes were devoid of any emotion.
The theater company chief was staring at us.
“…”
Song Ah Rin gritted her teeth.
“Were you following us?”
“Following? What nonsensical words are you saying?”
The theater company chief muttered as she looked at Song Ah Rin.
“I knew from the very beginning.”
“…”
“This is my stage, after all.”
The theater company chief said, surveying her surroundings with a languid expression.
The sky opened up.
Buildings collapsed.
The sun rose.
Despite all these occurring simultaneously, there was not even the slightest sound or dust rising.
“This is my created stage.”
The theater company chief muttered as she gazed at us.
Before they knew it, numerous puppets stood and stared at us.
It was an event that happened suddenly, to an extent that it could be called magic.
“…”
It was absurd.
“…So you locked me inside the house and intended for me to escape?”
“No. That wasn’t it.”
The theater company chief slowly shook her head at my question.
“That was beyond my expectations. Thanks to that, I ended up having to deal with an intruder.”
“…”
Knowing that, she still took the leisurely choice of capturing us.
How am I supposed to overcome this?
Seeing that, Song Ah Rin narrowed her eyes and then opened them wide.
“Then why? Are you trying to play with us and then kill us?”
“Me? You? …Why?”
The theater company chief put on a genuinely curious expression at Song Ah Rin’s words.
“I had no intention to play with you at all.”
“…Then what were you trying to do—”
“Learning.”
The theater company chief interrupted Song Ah Rin.
“How you speak to him, what expressions you make while looking at him, and how he responds and replies to you.”
The theater company chief shifted her gaze between me and Song Ah Rin.
“Hey!”
Suddenly, she looked right at me.
“…”
“Can’t you understand a single part of my mind?”
Unlike before when her expression was devoid of feelings, now, she was perfectly irritated, as if she were venting her frustrations on me.
“…”
“What I wanted to hear was just a simple word of thanks!”
“…”
“…Look.”
Soon, as if nothing had happened, the theater company chief turned back to Song Ah Rin with a blank face.
“Isn’t it the same?”
“…”
“Now, can’t I take her place?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“There’s nothing about me that falls short compared to her.”
At her question, the theater company chief tilted her head expressionlessly.
“Anyway, if you just acknowledge it, I can live beside you for my entire life like that girl.”
“…So why?”
What’s the reason behind it? Why go that far?
“…You truly don’t get it.”
The theater company chief shook her head at my words.
“It’s okay. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Song Ah Rin stood before me.
“A-Rin—”
“Run.”
She murmured.
“Flee no matter what, and bring Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon.”
For the first time, mentioning their names, Song Ah Rin stared ahead.
“No, it’s okay if you can’t bring them. Just run.”
“A-Rin.”
At my words, the theater company chief stared intently at Song Ah Rin.
“Fear, sadness, solemn preparation. And… a touch of joy.”
The theater company chief murmured.
“You’re happy, aren’t you?”
“…Yes. I’m happy.”
Song Ah Rin muttered.
“Why? Is dying for him bringing you joy? Because you like him?”
“How foolish. The reason isn’t that simple.”
“…Oh, really?”
The theater company chief tilted her head.
“Yes. You could never understand with your rigid analyses and studies.”
“That’s just a lack of time.”
“No.”
Song Ah Rin shook her head.
“You’ll never understand this feeling.”
“…”
“You haven’t walked the same path as me.”
Song Ah Rin murmured, spreading her hands, while the theater company chief raised her hands as if conducting a performance.
Countless puppets stood up at her gestures.
In contrast, not a single puppet stood before Song Ah Rin.
“…”
“What are you doing? I told you to run.”
Standing beside Song Ah Rin, I said, “Thinking about it now, I can’t escape anyway.”
She can easily erase buildings at will. Isn’t it unreasonable that I should be able to run away?
“So, it seems.”
What I had now was nothing.
My arm was so damaged it wouldn’t move at my will, and my eyes were also failing me.
All I had was a wooden body, along with—
“Please handle me appropriately.”
A solid sense of self.
“…”
Song Ah Rin looked at me.
“What are you going to do if you really die?”
“A-Rin has to save me.”
“…Not that I’m crazy or something…”
Song Ah Rin muttered and sighed.
But soon, my previously immobile left arm started moving.
“…Alright.”
She murmured, extending her fingers, and my body began to take a stance.
“I’ll get you out of here. No matter what happens.”
“Yes. I’ll trust you.”
With countless puppets and the theater company chief.
Just thinking about it, the outcome was obvious.
“Let’s go.”
We would win.