The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 361

Chapter 361

Chapter 361 . What It Means to Change (3)

Inside, a woman was sitting on a bed staring helplessly into the air .

She seemed unaware of the saliva dripping from her open mouth, and appeared mentally ill .

Seol Jihu followed Jang Maldong’s gaze into the open room and frowned .

The patient looked oddly familiar .

He knew he’d seen her somewhere before .

“Julian Clara . ”

Jang Maldong read her name from the file .

‘Ah . ’ Seol Jihu groaned inwardly .

“I believe she was Samuel’s teammate… . Do you recognize her?”

Seol Jihu unwittingly nodded his head .

“It says here she died when she was Level 2 . She spent about seven months on the other side . ”

“Only seven months?”

“She’s one of the lucky ones . ”

Jang Maldong emphasized .

“As you said, she didn’t resort to making any extreme decisions because her time in Paradise was relatively short . But she’s not exactly fine . The disease of the mind is a terrifying thing . It grows quickly and devours its host from within . ”

“…”

“Although… it really depends on the person . ”

It was then .

A sudden sound caused Jang Maldong to stop .

It was quite a loud noise, but Clara didn’t react at all .

Seol Jihu hurried to the bathroom down the hallway, the source of the noise .

There, he saw a black man lying down on the floor, moaning and shaking .

A couple of nurses rushed to the fallen man and helped him up .

The man was tall but scrawny like a skeleton .

He had foam at his mouth, and his face was covered with age spots . He clearly didn’t look normal .

With a stiff face, Jang Maldong watched the patient leave and said .

“…Let’s go . ”

He began walking again .

Seol Jihu looked back at Clara and hesitated for a moment before he hurriedly followed the old man .

Together they left the main building and headed for the hospital’s charnel house .

Hundreds of pots containing cremated remains were neatly placed in cabinets behind a glass window .

Jang Maldong, who was rummaging through the file, soon took off his fedora and stood in front of the window .

Seol Jihu became speechless again .

He recognized a lot of faces .

“Samuel, Grace, Alex… Even Miss Veronica!”

A groan escaped Seol Jihu’s lips when he saw Veronica’s smiling face in a photo taped to the window .

They worked on the Ramman Village case together . She was Mikhail’s teammate . She must have died as well .

“For Level 4 Earthlings, the mortality rises dramatically to 50% . For Level 5, it further increases to about 60-70% . This means that six to seven in every ten people die . ”

Jang Maldong spoke calmly .

“I’m not making this up . This is what the statistics say . ”

At that point, a face flashed in Seol Jihu’s mind .

“Master . About Dylan—”

“…You’ve already met him . ”

“Huh? When?”

“At the bathroom . ”

Seol Jihu’s eyes instantly widened .

The Dylan in his memory was nothing like the man he saw earlier in the bathroom .

Dylan was a big man with a strong build and large stature . He could even pass as an NBA player .

“No— No way . How can Dylan… . ”

“He’s hooked on drugs . ”

“Drugs?”

“Yes . I suppose he turned to drugs to relieve his pain and emptiness . But he went too far . ”

Seol Jihu stepped back unconsciously before turning around .

“What can you do even if you go?”

However, Jang Maldong’s voice stopped him .

“I went to see him a long time ago when I first heard of his death . So did Chohong and Hugo . But he wasn’t in any condition to talk . Dylan doesn’t remember us . ”

“I— I had no idea . No one told me . ”

“Of course not . What good would that do?”

Seol Jihu’s face trembled slightly .

Jang Maldong sighed at the look on his face .

“…Jihu . ”

He called in a soft voice .

“You know, sometimes I feel like you’re treating the other world like it’s a game . ”

“Me? You feel that I think of it as a game?”

“I know you don’t . But your behavior makes me think you do . ”

Jang Maldong said, turning around to face the pots .

“That place is definitely not a game . It’s a different kind of reality . Your death on the other side will certainly affect your life on Earth . ”

“That’s… . ”

“But you don’t care about yourself as much as you care about Paradise . ‘So what if I die? It’s only a game . ’ Frankly, that’s how you act . ”

Seol Jihu shut his mouth tight .

“There’s a good reason why a lot of people who spend time there travel back to Earth regularly . In that sense, they perceive Paradise as a reality much more than you do . ”

Jang Maldong continued .

“Many who undergo treatment still end up dead somewhere down the road . You saw it yourself . The mortality rate isn’t the only problem . Even if you survive, you’re likely to suffer from mental illness . It suffices to say that most former Earthlings develop some kind of problem post-death . ”

“…”

“You can’t stay that way . If Paradise becomes safe again, then maybe things could change . But as of now, you shouldn’t be thinking of settling down in Paradise . ”

Jang Maldong emphasized twice .

“…That’s what I wanted to tell you . ”

He pressed his fedora down over his head, turned around, and left the charnel house .

Seol Jihu didn’t follow him .

He stood dazed in the middle of the room, his eyes slowly scanning the hundreds of pots enshrined in the charnel house .

He still couldn’t believe that Samuel, who was always so cheerful, and Alex, who was so optimistic, committed suicide because they couldn’t stand the desolation of their lives .

And Grace, too . Clara now had a mental health issue, and Dylan… .

“…”

The truth was, Jang Maldong’s words shocked him more than anything else .

[Sometimes I feel like you’re treating the other world like it’s a game . ]

He would’ve refuted that claim right away had he not seen what he saw in the hospital .

After coming face to face with reality, he could no longer be in denial .

He knew there was a penalty to death, but he never imagined it would be so horrible .

Seol Jihu bit his lips, his eyes turning again to the pots containing the remains .

*
 

It took Seol Jihu a while to pull himself together and leave the charnel house .

Jang Maldong was waiting for him outside .

The two men left the hospital without saying a word .

Both Seol Jihu and Jang Maldong’s hearts were heavy .

Instead of heading back to the hotel, Jang Maldong led Seol Jihu to the streets .

“…Well, not everyone dies . ”

The old man finally broke the prolonged silence .

Seol Jihu raised his eyes .

The street was dark, except for one streak of bright light .

“There are people who managed to return to their normal lives, some through sheer effort, and some because they were born stronger than others . ”

Jang Maldong slowed down and pointed his finger forward .

When they got to the door, Seol Jihu could see a small space inside .

It looked like a secondhand bookstore, lined with bookshelves full of old books .

A man who looked to be the shop owner sat behind the counter, his eyes fixed on the TV screen .

The screen showed a scene from a Japanese anime .

“Uhehehe . ”

The old man, dressed in an oversize robe, tilted his head back and laughed .

Seol Jihu’s jaw slowly dropped as he watched the old man from the door .

He remembered that laugh very well .

“M-Master Ian?”

The old man quickly turned his head towards the voice .

The face that was revealed was undoubtedly Ian’s face .

Ian got up from his seat and hurried to open the door .

He seemed surprised to find the two men standing on the other side .

“Mister Jang? What are you doing here?”

“I came here on a vacation, so I thought I’d pay you a visit . ”

Jang Maldong answered in fluent French .

“At this hour? You should’ve come earlier!”

Ian chuckled, stroking his long beard .

But then he looked at the young man next to Jang Maldong and tilted his head to the side .

“I don’t think I’ve seen this young man before… . ”

“You don’t think? So you’re not sure?”

“Well, he feels oddly familiar . It’s strange . Why do I like him already? I’m not that kind of person . ”

“Huhu . You’re still as quick-witted as ever . He’s the one . ”

Ian’s eyes widened .

“No way!”

“Yes, he’s the main character of the novel you’ve been writing . You said you wanted to meet him, so I brought him here . ”

Ian quickly spun around, as if he had been stung by a bee .

“Ah, come in, come in!” he said in a hurry .

Seol Jihu carefully went inside and sat down in the seat designated by Ian .

“Let’s see . I know I put it here… . ”

Rummaging through his desk drawer, Ian pulled out a notebook and smiled triumphantly .

Well-thumbed and faded, the notebook appeared to have been used for a long time .

“Huhu, so this day has finally come . Thank you, Mister Jang . ”

“I should be thanking you for staying alive . ”

“Damn you . Don’t jinx me . ”

With an upbeat smile, Ian turned to the young man .

Seol Jihu was looking at the old man with slightly wet eyes .

His heart felt heavy with indescribable emotion .

He was glad to see Ian and, like Jang Maldong, glad that Ian was alive, especially because he had just come back from the hospital .

“Uh… . Could you tell him to stop looking at me with such passionate eyes? I’m not interested in men . ”

Jang Maldong gave a light chuckle .

“…You look well . ”

He translated Seol Jihu’s words, and Ian smiled .

“So you know who I am?”

“Yes, of course . You’re Ian Denzel . ”

“Hmm? Did I tell you my name was Ian Denzel?”

“Pardon?”

“Sheesh! I can’t believe I was so immature . ”

Ian slapped his forehead and groaned .

He then bowed his head politely .

“‘I apologize . The name Ian Denzel is actually an alias . My real name is Muah-Muah Tsaerb . ’ He says… but muah is a kissing sound and tsaerb is… well, try reading it backwards . ”

Jang Maldong explained, clicking his tongue .

Seol Jihu read it backwards and burst out laughing .

He wiped the tears from his eyes and calmed his breath .

“You haven’t changed at all, Master Ian . ”

“Jeez . It’s no fun if you tell him . ”

“Still, I’m glad . I really am . ”

“Huhu . That’s right, how’s the pink princess doing?”

Seol Jihu’s eyes brightened .

‘He remembers Teresa?’

“She’s doing fine . But how do you remember her? Don’t tell me—”

“If you’re going to ask me if my memories are intact, the answer is no . ”

Ian snickered .

“Honestly, I don’t recognize your face . Today is my first time seeing it . My, as in me, who’s here and now . ”

“Then… . ”

“But I’ve got some sense of the situation . ”

‘Where should I start?’ Ian closed his eyes, stroking his long beard .

“One day, when I opened my eyes, I realized something was wrong . I woke up with most of my memories of the last few years gone . It was literally driving me crazy . ”

Recalling those days, Ian smacked his lips .

“It was incredibly painful . I suffered from a severe headache for no reason and felt so very empty that I almost lost my will to live . And then a note caught my eye . ”

“A note?”

“If one day you wake up and feel a sense of alienation, find the diary at your desk and read it . Read it, and replace the memories you’ve lost with the contents of the diary . What’s written in it is not a lie, it has actually happened… . I saw these notes all over the house . So I went to look for the diary, and it really was there . ”

Ian tapped lightly on the old notebook .

“I opened it and found a novel inside . A full-length, blockbuster novel . I couldn’t help but admire it the whole time I read it . It was well-written, sure, but what caught my eye more than the author’s writing skill was the fact that this novel was so surprisingly realistic . I've never read such a realistic novel in my life . ”

“So the diary helped you overcome your sense of alienation?”

“Perhaps . I can’t say I’ve fully overcome it yet, but… at least I know for sure that I was the one who wrote the diary . The entries described in detail the habits that only I know . ”

Seol Jihu smiled . He felt like he knew what those habits were .

Ian scratched his cheek .

“Anyway, I read the diary from cover to cover . I read it whenever my sense of alienation began to creep in . And then, people I don’t remember began to visit me . This finally made me realize that the diary wasn’t just a novel, but a reality . Mister Jang is one of those people . ”

Ian gave a warm smile, and Jang Maldong coughed awkwardly as he translated Ian’s words .

“Thanks to my previous efforts and help from dedicated friends, I now have a goal . ”

Seol Jihu listened attentively . It still felt surreal to him that he could see Ian and hear Ian’s voice .

“To complete a novel based on my diary . ”

“A novel?”

“Yes . The story stopped in the middle, but I want to see it through . And, to do that, I had to switch the main character . ”

Ian paused and winked at Seol Jihu .

“You mean me?”

“Correct . The diary says your name is Seol?”

“Yes, that’s me . ”

“But Mister Jang said that’s not your first name . ”

“Yes . Seol is my last name and Jihu is my first name . Seol is the last name character, Ji means strong and Hu means jade . ”

“I wondered, why did you only reveal your last name?”

“I was embarrassed . ”

“About what? It’s a great name!”

Seol Jihu smiled broadly .

“You said the same thing back then . ”

“Back when?”

“Just before you passed away . You asked me the same question . ”

“Oho . So that means you were by my side when I died… . ”

Ian squealed in glee .

“Good, that’s good . That part wasn’t in the diary . You’ve seen my death with your own eyes, which means you can tell me about it in detail . ”

He opened the diary, giggling as if he was having all the fun in the world .

“Let’s see, where did it end… . Ah, right, since you’re here, can I ask you a couple of questions?”

“Of course . As you wish . ”

“Good, good . I know you can’t talk to me about the names of people and places because of penalties and stuff, but I still have plenty of questions for you besides all that . Also, there’s something I really want to tell you . ”

“Me…?”

“Hold on . Where is it… Ah, this part . ”

Ian put on his reading glasses and pointed at a passage in the diary .

It was written in French, so of course, Seol Jihu couldn’t read it .

“The first thought that crossed my mind when I read this was… Why? Why did I say this? Was I drunk or something?”

“?”

“Of course, it’s only natural that what I used to think is different from what I think now . My past self had different knowledge and was in a completely different situation from mine . ”

Suddenly, Ian’s face became serious .

“This part bothered me a lot as I read my diary . If you were to ask me the same question now, I’d give you a slightly different answer . And now I finally have a chance to do just that . ”

Ian spoke .