Episode 101 - Rustle
Rustle.
Before he even opened his eyes, the moment his feet touched the ground, something crunched naturally beneath them. Dry leaves, maybe... A signal that he'd arrived in the virtual world. Finally, he opened his eyes.
"Where's this?"
All around him was grass. Not quite a forest, but not an open plain either... What should he call it? A vast expanse thick with trees and grass. An open jungle(?) seemed the best way to put it.
Anyway, 'Which way should I go?'
It was the first thought that always hit him upon arriving in the virtual world. Survival documentaries had drilled it into him: wandering blindly without any sense of direction was incredibly dangerous.
'Guess I'll just pick a direction. No other choice—better move.'
- Swish, swish.
He pushed through the dense grass. The seductive rustle of blades brushing his legs teased his ears nonstop. Was it just his imagination, or were sounds standing out intensely right from the start?
"Is this the right way?"
Woojin muttered to himself as he pressed forward. The heat and humidity were brutal; sweat poured down like rain.
How long had he walked like that?
"Phew."
Reaching the end of the grass, a massive tree loomed before him.
'Catch my breath in the shade for a bit...'
Like stumbling on an oasis in the desert. Woojin hurried toward the tree.
That instant—
- Click.
A sinister sound rang out. Different from before. Everything that had prickled his ears so far was natural—rustling grass, footsteps. But this was artificial, something man-made clashing.
And as a bonus, a strange sensation at his toe.
Frozen in place, Woojin slowly looked down.
Something under his left foot.
No way—a landmine?
His mind reeled; words wouldn't come. Since Burnt and Hidden Marks, why was this happening? This was too much!
In this bind, all he could do was stand stock-still. Virtual world or not, lifting his foot off a landmine was terrifying. This place engaged all five senses vividly, just like reality!
Worst case, Burnt and Hidden Marks had been a quick death by explosion—short pain. But a landmine... He didn't even want to imagine.
Who could boldly move in this situation?
"Damn."
A curse wouldn't be out of place, but Woojin fought to stay calm.
Then—
- Click.
"...?!"
Something pressed against the back of his head. No genius needed to know it was a gun barrel.
Landmines weren't enough—now guns?
"Hands up."
A low, firm male voice.
Woojin raised his arms silently. The mystery man slowly circled in front of him.
Their eyes met. The man had a sharp, icy demeanor.
"Actor Baek Woojin?"
"Uh...? Y-yes, that's me..."
"Let's put out the immediate fire first."
The man holstered his gun and drew a knife from his belt. He knelt.
"Don't move a muscle."
"...Got it."
The man reached for the danger under Woojin's foot. Slowly, he slid the knife into the gap between foot and mine.
Tension thick enough to swallow dry saliva whole.
'As the saying goes, do your utmost and leave the rest to fate!'
Woojin squeezed his eyes shut.
- Scraaaape.
Sweat-drenched silence.
Moments later, "I've got it braced. Lift your foot slowly."
"Ah, yes!"
Following the man's lead, Woojin carefully raised his foot.
Thankfully, "All clear."
"Haa... I lived."
Nothing happened. Strength drained from his body; Woojin collapsed to a sit.
"Don't sit!"
"Huh?"
"No telling where else mines are buried. Get up quick."
"Gah!"
His words shot Woojin upright like a jack-in-the-box. Almost sat on one—eek.
"Follow exactly in my footsteps."
Woojin trailed the man. After about ten minutes, wooden huts clustered into view.
"Here we are."
Under the man's guidance, Woojin entered a wooden building. Dim but tidy inside.
However...
"......"
A shotgun in one corner. A box of assorted knives on the desk. Like special forces gear from the movies.
The air grew heavy, words failing naturally.
"Not much to offer, but this is it."
"Thank you."
"Take your time."
The stoic man finally smiled. Woojin gulped down the cool drink he offered.
Thirst finally quenched.
"Sorry for the late intro. As you probably guessed, I'm Lee Jeong-hyuk."
He introduced himself formally. As Woojin expected, the man was Lee Jeong-hyuk, the protagonist of Justice.
"Nice to meet you. I'm actor Baek Woojin."
They shook hands. Like Kyu-bo hyung and Yi-wing before, every virtual character knew who he was. No idea why—just a given in these worlds.
Woojin didn't pry.
"Must've been a shock."
"Yeah... First time stepping on a mine."
"Happens often here. Glad it was nothing."
Casual words, but the details could make your legs buckle.
"I assume you know the basics about this place."
Woojin nodded at Lee Jeong-hyuk's words.
If the virtual world mirrored the script, this was likely the hideout of Lee Jin-tae's drug cartel. In the drama, they called it "Ri Klum"—Lee's surname plus the Thai word for "group."
One of several cartels in the Golden Triangle, locked in daily turf wars like full-scale battles. The biggest of them.
"Ri Klum's hideout, right?"
"Yes. Simple name, like my father's personality."
Lee Jeong-hyuk's lips curved faintly. From what he'd shown, he still seemed unaware Lee Jin-tae was his adoptive—not biological—father.
Script not fully complete yet? Limiting what virtual characters knew?
Better hold back on uncertain or unnecessary info for now. The thought flashed through Woojin's mind.
He took another sip and asked Lee Jeong-hyuk, "What's life like here?"
Straight to the point. This virtual world had opened due to Woojin's curiosity about Lee Jeong-hyuk's life in the Golden Triangle anyway.
And that's all Lee Jeong-hyuk could share.
"......"
Lee Jeong-hyuk's expression at the question was profound. Or rather, the aura emanating from him felt profoundly enigmatic.
All the emotions accumulated from his life's experiences seeped into his very presence.
"It's a life where death greets me every morning."
He gazed out the window as he spoke.
"...When I open my eyes, that is."
He continued, "Know what my father always hammered into me most?"
Woojin looked at him curiously. He added, "One: Trust no one, get attached to no one. Two: If someone learns your identity, kill without hesitation. And last..."
Lee Jeong-hyuk chuckled, then pointed at Woojin's body parts staccato-style: "Head! Neck! Chest!"
"Ah, sorry."
Woojin flinched at the sudden move; Lee Jeong-hyuk waved it off hastily.
"Didn't mean to startle you. Just mimicking Father's tone—slipped out."
"No, it's fine. I get one and two, but what's the last mean?"
"Aim there to kill cleanly. He always stressed it. Miss, and you die."
"You've lived like that since you were a kid?"
"Yes. Father was strict. During shooting practice, one wrong hit meant no sleep till perfect."
Lee Jeong-hyuk showed Woojin his palms. Thick calluses, no smooth skin anywhere.
Life's traces could be terrifyingly vivid sometimes. You could feel how long, how fiercely, he'd gripped that gun.
Gazing at his hands, Lee Jeong-hyuk went on. "This is life here, what you're curious about. Not just me—every kid born here..."
- Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion outside. Woojin whipped his head toward it, startled.
"What's happening out there?! Something big?"
"No worries. Nothing serious."
Lee Jeong-hyuk reassured him calmly.
"Probably a mine went off. Like you saw earlier—the Golden Triangle's ringed in minefields."
"Then..."
"Animal stepped on it, or... a person."
...Totally normal to want to log out after hearing that, right?
"Told you it happens often."
"Even so, it's wild to me."
"Haha, I get it. Even if I were you. How many live inches from death every... no, every moment?"
Standing, Lee Jeong-hyuk extended a hand to seated Woojin. Up close, the weight of his life hit harder.
"Grab my hand. Got a gift for you."
"A gift?"
"Yes. Touch it, and your questions about me will clear up. Thirty years of Lee Jeong-hyuk in the Golden Triangle."
He smiled as he finished. "You'll experience my life directly... That's this world's purpose too."
Familiar to Woojin. Same as first meeting Kyu-bo hyung. The direct link to virtual characters: their hand.
As Lee Jeong-hyuk finished, Woojin grasped it. Grip tightened; vision blurred gradually.
At the same time, 'Guh!'
Something pierced his chest—or felt like it—as images began forming before his eyes.
A young boy—childhood Lee Jeong-hyuk?—crying as he fired a gun. Muddy brawls with peers, brutal and fierce.
Every raw emotion from those scenes stabbed unfiltered into Woojin's core.
'This man's life...'
One word filled his mind.
'Survival.'
Lee Jeong-hyuk's life in the Golden Triangle: nothing more, nothing less.
Or rather, forced survival.
As the panoramic scenes faded...
The sensation of their clasped hands faded into nothing.