Prologue
On a moonless night where darkness reigned everywhere, a car stopped at the foot of a mountain. A woman who had turned off the engine got out of the driver’s seat. Looking around, she went to the trunk and took out two large bags, shouldering them.
“Let’s go. We have a long way ahead of us.”
The woman said as she opened the passenger door. The man sitting inside pushed up his slipping glasses and got out of the car.
“Chief Lee, do you believe what I say? We might climb up there and come back empty-handed.”
At the man’s words, the woman, Chief Lee, scratched the back of her neck.
“Since we don’t have any new experiments to proceed with anyway, we have nothing to lose.”
“When I look at you, it’s fascinating. You don’t seem like a bad person, but…”
The man who made a meaningful remark took one of the bags from Chief Lee’s shoulder. Chief Lee readily handed over the bag to the man.
“I’m not a bad person. I just have my own priorities.”
Chief Lee, who spoke without any particular emotion, took out a large flashlight from the bag and turned it on. As she shone it toward the pitch-black forest of trees that was indistinguishable from the night sky, startled by the sudden light, animals flapped their wings.
“In my opinion, Director, you’re more fascinating.”
“Why?”
“Even if there might be clues, people don’t usually dig up their ancestors’ graves.”
The mountain that had lost sunlight gave off a secretive scent. Chief Lee glanced at the silent man and took the first step. The man, who had been looking down and smiling, leisurely followed behind her. Thud, thud, heavy footsteps echoed through the quiet mountain.
Around the same time, in a dark alley some distance from the bustling, glittering downtown, a cat’s pleasant meowing sound rang out.
“…Is it good?”
The cat that had quickly devoured the tuna can for cats looked up at the man sitting in front of it drinking alcohol, Joo Seonghan. Joo Seonghan filled a paper cup he had gotten from the convenience store with clean water until it overflowed and pushed it in front of the cat. The cat that had been smacking its lips lapped up the water. Perhaps feeling good now that its belly was full, the cat sprawled out flat on the smoothly paved asphalt floor and acted cute. Joo Seonghan forcibly lifted his eyelids that had become too heavy from being soaked in alcohol and watched the cat’s antics.
He slowly reached out his hand. Just as he was about to touch its belly, the creature perked up its ears and suddenly got up. It tilted its head side to side several times with its big eyes shining. Then it quickly ran away. At the drinking companion he had suddenly lost, Joo Seonghan blinked his eyes slowly and quietly looked down at only the empty paper cup and can.
“Hey, haven’t you packed up the body yet? What, why is the gun out here too? Can’t you do your job properly?”
An unfamiliar voice leaked out from not far away. Joo Seonghan raised his head.
“I just brought the bag. It took time because someone from somewhere didn’t finish up properly.”
“What? I shot right in the neck?”
“You missed. Just clean up the gun. What about witnesses?”
“Dealt with them cleanly.”
“Ah, your words… It sounds like you killed them.”
“Then what should I say? Move on if you understood.”
“Sunbae-nim, you’re going to get in big trouble later because of that mouth of yours.”
“The bastard has nothing he can’t say. Hurry up and tie it up and put it in. It’s starting to smell.”
Even though he heard the conversation, he couldn’t understand what they were talking about. Joo Seonghan carefully moved his heavy bottom backward and leaned his body toward another dark alley from where the voices were coming. A man in a black suit was putting something into a long bag. Right, probably a person.
But that person was a bit strange. What Joo Seonghan could see from his side was about the soles of the feet, and they were large and glossy. They looked hard enough that even putting on solid metal horseshoes wouldn’t hurt. They weren’t shoes though… It would be common sense to say they were horse’s feet, but the arm sticking out of the bag was definitely human… Joo Seonghan thought intermittently and then straightened his body that he had been leaning with difficulty.
“Let’s go if you’re done.”
“Where did you park the car?”
“Over there, in front of the playground.”
The reason he didn’t report it immediately and leaned against the stone wall with his head spinning round and round was because another man was putting a long gun with a silencer attached into a black bag. Seeing him, he became certain. I’m dreaming right now. Joo Seonghan, who had come to a conclusion, closed his eyes. And while receiving with his whole body the world spinning fiercely in the darkness, he exhaled a breath full of alcohol smell.
“Sunbae-nim…? There’s someone here though…?”
“…Fuck. It’s a blind spot so I couldn’t see. Excuse me. Hey?”
Tap, tap. Sunbae-nim tapped Joo Seonghan’s cheek. Joo Seonghan drowsily opened his eyes and looked up at him.
“How many of these do you see?”
“…Three…?”
“He’s gone. Hey, let’s just go.”
“No, but isn’t that a bit dangerous? Since we’re at it, let’s take care of it before we go.”
“Crazy. I told you not to use that word with me. Just go. I don’t have any drugs. There were quite a few witnesses earlier.”
“It won’t cause problems, right?”
“Even if it does, they’ll think they saw something imaginary. That’s enough so let’s hurry and go.”
The irritated Sunbae-nim’s footsteps faded away. He’s going to cause trouble one of these days. The large man shouldering a big bag muttered and followed behind him. Joo Seonghan looked at the black suits they were wearing and the bags they were carrying, then closed his eyes again.
The dream continued. The strangely-shaped life form he thought was dead secretly escaped from the black bag. It chased after Joo Seonghan, who was somehow in the water, to death. Joo Seonghan swam across the wide river without rest. After fleeing like that until his limbs were about to break, he finally opened his eyes after a long while.
“Hey. Hey! You can’t sleep here! Please wake up!”
A police officer shook Joo Seonghan’s shoulder. Joo Seonghan, who had been staring blankly at the police officer, rubbed his eyes with his heavy hands and got up from his seat. He said sorry with slurred pronunciation and walked away unsteadily. What dream did I have? His head hurt.
**Part 1. The Gate of Demons**
**(1)**
You could call it a life like running on a hamster wheel. Ordinary days of waking up at a set time, filling one’s hunger, and working at the company until the sun sets. He could easily predict what he would look like in a few years. Joo Seonghan didn’t think that was bad. Rather, it was good. If possible, he hoped such daily life would continue.
“Assistant Manager Joo, you got a call earlier. The vibration kept going off so I held back, held back, then I turned off your phone.”
At Assistant Manager Kim’s words from the next seat, Joo Seonghan paused in his motion of sitting down.
“Even so, to turn it off…”
What should I do? Joo Seonghan, who swallowed the rest of his words, answered “I got it” and sat down in his chair. Assistant Manager Kim, who joined the company at the same time, monopolized not only the love of his peers but also of his superiors with his refreshing personality and quick work processing. Joo Seonghan was the subject of comparison to such an Assistant Manager Kim. How nice would it be if Assistant Manager Joo was just like Assistant Manager Kim? If Assistant Manager Joo followed even half of Assistant Manager Kim, we’d be comfortable… It was something he heard at least once a day. So even if he expressed dissatisfaction here, Joo Seonghan would be the one to get blamed. Joo Seonghan, reproaching himself for not taking his phone when he went to the smoking room, lit up the dark screen. Before he could even check the missed calls, his phone vibrated.
“Hello.”
He answered the phone as he went to the break room. The caller was his mother.
「Is it okay to talk? You must be busy, sorry… I told them not to call, but it seems they contacted you.」
“What do you mean by that?”
He asked back as he took out a dried mug. It seemed like his mother was the one who left the missed call, but it didn’t seem to be of her own will. He couldn’t understand what the situation was.
「Well, I slipped a bit on the stairs… I’m at the hospital now.」
He stopped his hand while filling water into the mug where he had poured coffee. Joo Seonghan, who switched his grip on the phone, checked the clock hanging on the wall with a flustered face. Two o’clock in the afternoon.
“I’ll go now. Did you go to the university hospital?”
「I did, but… you don’t have to come. I can handle it alone.」
“No. I’ll come right away.”
His father, though close, was overseas. The only one who could take care of his mother right now was Joo Seonghan. Joo Seonghan added “Please wait a moment” then ended the call and came out of the break room. He was heading toward the Team Leader’s desk when he, who had been showing the top of his head, suddenly stood up.
“Meeting’s set! We have to go right now! Deputy Park, Assistant Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Lee, get ready!”
The Team Leader, who shouted loudly with a bright face as if it was a meeting he had been looking forward to, gathered materials from the cabinet next to his desk. Joo Seonghan approached him as he observed the busy scene.
“Team Leader-nim.”
“Oh, Assistant Manager Joo. Perfect timing. Assistant Manager Joo, please take care of your peers’ work. Um, it’s still two o’clock so you have plenty of time, right? I heard there’s not much work lately, so please do me this favor.”
The Team Leader, who gave orders insincerely, packed up and passed by Joo Seonghan. Joo Seonghan urgently followed behind him.
