“Guide Park Garam?”
The one who opened the door and entered was Kim Haewon. He looked at me quietly. I turned my head away and wiped my tears. Then I quickly brought up a topic.
“You’re here? Can we leave now?”
“We just need to wait about 30 more minutes.”
“Yes. Well, we’ll be leaving soon then.”
I nodded as if relieved and stood up from my seat. I turned my body completely toward the window. I was too embarrassed to face him. After all, I had been caught by Kim Haewon crying after receiving comfort from Nam Ihyeon.
Still, he wouldn’t ask why I was crying. He wasn’t someone who had much interest in such things. I cleared my throat and continued speaking.
“What about Esper Ryu Heegang?”
“He fell asleep.”
“Still can’t communicate with him?”
“Yes, his condition is the same.”
Ryu Heegang tried to kill anyone from Pamundong on sight, but was quiet otherwise. While trembling his fists as if enduring something.
He seemed to continuously say something, but it didn’t become a sentence or language and just remained as sounds. According to people, it seemed like cursing or venting.
“So what happens now?”
“The esper associations around the world and each country’s government will decide on Pamundong’s punishment through a conference. They plan to address the four-way gate incident in Korea and Esper Jeong Sanghyeop’s case there as well.”
Once the problem started being discussed globally, it would be easier to find the culprits. However, if each country’s interests conflicted, the truth could be concealed, so those points had to be watched. Just like how China had protected Pamundong this time.
But such matters depended on how the relevant parties used their heads. It wasn’t something where results could be predicted and measures taken in advance.
‘It’s not my problem to worry about anyway.’
I quickly shook off the complicated thoughts and looked out the window. Rather than staring at something, I was just looking. Blankly, without thinking about anything.
I wished Kim Haewon would leave quickly, but it seemed he would be spending the next 30 minutes here with me. Since this waiting room was made for that purpose anyway, I couldn’t claim sole ownership.
Silence flowed for quite a while. I took my gaze off the window and fiddled with my phone. Nam Ihyeon was sending me links to good restaurants near Esper Department 1. They were all places I had never been to. As I clicked through several in order, Kim Haewon’s voice was heard.
“Why were you crying?”
“What? I wasn’t crying.”
My hope that he wouldn’t ask about such things was just wishful thinking. I tried to dodge it first, but Kim Haewon didn’t give up.
“When I came in, you were crying, weren’t you?”
“Maybe something got in my eye for a moment.”
“You were on a call with someone before I came in.”
Kim Haewon spoke quite sharply. It was a tone as if investigating a case. I recalled the fact that he suspected me. He seemed to think there was some incident that made me show tears. I continued coldly right away.
“Oh, are you interrogating me now? Unfortunately, the person I was on the call with wasn’t some suspicious organization, but Esper Nam Ihyeon.”
“You were on a call with Esper Nam Ihyeon, so why were you crying?”
“It was for personal reasons. Do I have to report even such things?”
I raised my head and faced Kim Haewon. Kim Haewon frowned and continued speaking. His voice had risen a bit.
“I never told you to report it. I asked you the reason.”
“I don’t want to say it.”
“Guide Park Garam is full of things you don’t want to say.”
“That’s how I originally am. Didn’t you know?”
The argument became increasingly childish. I thought I should stop being sarcastic and speak honestly at this point, but for some reason I didn’t want to. Kim Haewon let out a sigh, then looked at me and continued speaking.
“Do you feel better ignoring people’s concern like that?”
“Who asked you to worry? Since when has Esper Kim Haewon worried about me so much?”
“Guide Park Garam!”
“What!”
It was a tense argument like pulling both ends of a thread. Kim Haewon stared at me almost glaring, then suddenly turned his body.
“Keep doing whatever you want!”
Kim Haewon slammed the door and left. I remained alone and slowly ran my hand down my throat.
“As if I can’t? What pointless fuss.”
When does he interrogate me, and suddenly appearing to say he was worried—who would believe that? However, even though I said that, the truth was I felt uneasy. I also wondered if I had treated someone who said they were worried too harshly. Still, I had my last bit of pride, so I kept grumbling.
“Why worry? Just do what you always do. When were you being cold and distant? No. You did whatever you wanted first, so why are you making a fuss at me?”
I pointlessly rambled on with words I couldn’t even say in front of Kim Haewon. The door didn’t open again, and I picked up my phone. Nam Ihyeon was still sending restaurant links. I wanted to look at those links and decide what to eat, but somehow one side of my heart felt uncomfortable.
It felt like my heart was flowing in this direction, then that direction, making a fuss. This was all because of Kim Haewon. He didn’t act in a consistent direction. He would snap at me like lightning, act domineering, be a bit kind, then ignore me again. I kept repeating getting my hopes up a little, then being disappointed in tune with his rhythm.
“How annoying.”
The only consistent thought from the beginning was the fact that he was annoying. He really was the worst. I stopped grumbling alone and opened the novel application again.
It absolutely wasn’t to understand Kim Haewon’s heart. It was just because I needed to know what had happened in parts I hadn’t seen, or what would happen. It was something I couldn’t keep putting off, and after shedding even a few tears, my heart seemed to feel a bit better.
Episode 18 started with a scene of Kim Haewon facing Ryu Heegang at the moment he briefly came to his senses. Ryu Heegang was in a state where he had lost focus to the point of not knowing where his gaze was directed, but there was something he said clearly.
「Ryu Heegang repeated those words.
{I have to kill Suo Weiqian. If I don’t, I will, you will die.}
{Heegang, what do you mean?}
{Kill Suo Weiqian. I have to kill him.}
Haewon tried to attempt some conversation, but Ryu Heegang didn’t listen to Haewon’s words. He only repeated that he had to kill Suo Weiqian. His pronunciation, which had been accurate at first, gradually became slurred and turned into meaningless sounds. It was like some kind of growling. Haewon felt that Ryu Heegang was gradually changing.」
After that, as already known, Ryu Heegang fights fiercely with Pamundong who attacked the White Box. During that, Kim Haewon, who heard my radio transmission, quickly cleaned up the scene and moved toward where I was.
「— There are too many civilians on the plane. The Association wants a more cautious approach.
To Haewon’s ears, such words only sounded like a waste of time. Garam was arguing with Suo Weiqian without a single weapon. Where the information he was giving came from wasn’t certain. However, what was important to Haewon was Park Garam’s safety. His face lying in the intensive care unit came to mind, making his heart anxious.
“Ryu Heegang and I will enter together. I’ll make sure there are no civilian casualties. Please let Akutagawa hold the plane.”
— This is an opportunity to find out Pamundong’s secret locations. How about secretly following them like this?
“Does the Association want civilian casualties?”
Haewon spoke sharply. Garam must not be included in those casualties. He had promised not to let him get hurt anymore. Haewon’s eyes turned to Heegang, who was kneeling.
{Heegang, let’s go. To kill Suo Weiqian.}
At those words, Ryu Heegang’s eyes briefly found life. Haewon nodded and helped him up. Even at that moment, the Association was repeatedly emphasizing that Suo Weiqian must be captured alive. Not just the Korean government, but the Chinese government and other countries as well. They seemed to think Suo Weiqian would be an important key.
However, Haewon didn’t make empty promises. He would kill Suo Weiqian. It felt like he should. Garam’s face flickered before his eyes.」
The novel was trying hard to express that there was some kind of affection between Kim Haewon and me this time too. But in reality, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t know why that part made my mouth feel so bitter.
“What kind of garbage writing is this?”
I pointlessly cursed the author and scrolled down quickly. The Kim Haewon in the novel, the moment he saw my swollen cheek, felt like his blood ran cold for a moment. There was even a description that he almost killed Suo Weiqian himself rather than Ryu Heegang.
But when I actually saw him, Kim Haewon was very calm. He didn’t seem excited. All the emotions in the novel were complete lies. They were nothing but fan service written for BL novel enthusiasts.
‘From now on, let’s just skip over things like this. Just look at the incidents. Just the incidents.’
Maybe the reason my heart kept jumping around was also because of this novel’s influence. I thought there might be some affection for me, and every time I confirmed there wasn’t, I felt terrible. I scrolled down swiftly.
The next scene was inside Pamundong’s secret base.
「{Where is Chairman Suo Weiqian?}
A low voice spread through Pamundong’s secret base. The Pamundong executive who had been exchanging contact with him answered while trembling. His eyes were full of tears.
{He was murdered on the way. He was attacked by Ryu, Ryu Heegang.}
He spoke desperately as if asking for revenge for Suo Weiqian. However, the owner of the voice only chuckled.
{Thanks to Ryu Heegang, I won’t need to get blood on my hands. Go back. Give my regards to the Alliance Leader.}
The man left. The executive cried and pounded the floor. His subordinates beside him supported him.
{Damn PF Kun bastards. The Chairman treated them so well!}」
PF Kun. That organization, called Kun for short, appeared for the first time. Kun. I stroked the screen as if touching that word. It was the name of a company I knew.
