“Sunbae-nim, how far did you go? I thought you were dead.”
“You wished I was dead? I ran into those bastards on the way, fuck.”
Speaking fiercely, he roughly washed his face with river water. Dried blood was stained in various places on his clothes.
“Were there many?”
“Two.”
Hearing the answer, Kang Hyeonjoo narrowed his brow. That made sense. Han Jaejun was skilled at long distances as much as he had good eyes. That meant there shouldn’t have been much reason for blood to splatter on his clothes.
“Did they have wings or something?”
“No way… Wings. Even imagining it is fucking terrible.”
“Then what was it?”
“The legs were kangaroo.”
“……”
“A kangaroo with a proper tail.”
He heard that semi-humans generally didn’t have tails. Semi-humans with tails were a more evolved form, stronger and also much more aggressive. Feeling inexplicably chilly, Joo Seonghan checked the knife fastened at his waist for easy drawing.
“Those guys are crazy. Incredibly fast and they jump fucking high.”
“…We’d better not go that way.”
“Yeah. There are no human traces over there either. Let’s just go up along the river.”
“Yes.”
“Did you rest well?”
Han Jaejun, who wiped his face with his sleeve, asked Joo Seonghan as he straightened his bent body. Joo Seonghan answered yes. Then let’s go. Han Jaejun, who nodded his head, led the way.
“He always acts like the leader when Team Leader-nim isn’t around.”
Kang Hyeonjoo, who whispered quietly in Joo Seonghan’s ear, chased after Han Jaejun. Joo Seonghan, who rubbed his ear, shook off his not-quite-dry hair and took steps without falling behind.
The journey was smooth. Not a single semi-human was visible, and they were relieved to find one worn-out shoe. Thanks to the sound from the river right next to them, it wasn’t boring either. Just as they were going along well like that, Han Jaejun stopped walking.
“Hey, there’s something strange over there.”
“What?”
Kang Hyeonjoo and Joo Seonghan, whose eyes weren’t as good as Han Jaejun’s, looked at Han Jaejun’s face rather than upstream of the winding river. Han Jaejun, who tilted his head, frowned around his eyes.
“Semi-human corpses…?”
“What?”
“The semi-humans are all collapsed. In a group.”
“…Should we abandon the river and enter the forest?”
“That seems like a good idea, but… Let’s go a bit closer. The feeling is strange.”
Han Jaejun drew his pistol. Joo Seonghan also gripped his knife in his hand, and Kang Hyeonjoo also released the safety on his gun and moved forward. Holding their breath, they entered behind the tree path a bit away from the river. After walking to some extent, the scenery Han Jaejun mentioned began to appear in Joo Seonghan’s eyes too. Semi-humans were sprawled along the riverside where blue moonlight descended. And there was some strange smell.
“Sunbae-nim, they’re alive.”
Kang Hyeonjoo whispered quietly. As if proving his words, one of the sprawled semi-humans tossed its body.
“Let’s enter the forest.”
Han Jaejun, who examined the lush forest behind them, decided on a direction and quietly moved. Kang Hyeonjoo and Joo Seonghan also stepped on the soft soil following Han Jaejun while killing the sound of their footsteps. A wind blew once from behind. Joo Seonghan didn’t avoid the vine leaves brushing his cheek and moved forward while concentrating all his nerves on his feet.
“…Good…”
He blinked while putting strength in the hand holding the knife. He stopped walking and turned around. One semi-human with curly hair was beautifully smiling with closed eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Kang Hyeonjoo asked quietly. Joo Seonghan, who moistened his lips, shook his head and moved his stopped feet.
At that moment, unless he had dreamed it, what Joo Seonghan heard was definitely a young child’s voice.
* * *
Beep. Yeon Dogyeong, who locked the car, entered the narrow alley carrying and wearing several bags. A short man followed closely behind him while watching his face.
“What’s the matter?”
When the glancing gaze continued, Yeon Dogyeong asked with a smile toward the man. The startled man mumbled his lips and frantically waved his hands.
“No, nothing. Just… it’s my first time seeing you…”
“It’s my first time seeing you too. Nice to meet you, Park Gyujin-ssi.”
“Yes! Likewise… Uh, shall I carry something for you?”
The man, Park Gyujin, asked while pointing at the bags Yeon Dogyeong was carrying on his head, back, and shoulders. Yeon Dogyeong looked down at both his hands then handed him a small metal case.
“You mustn’t drop it. There are eggs inside.”
“Yes, I under… Eggs?”
Park Gyujin’s eyes grew large. Yeon Dogyeong answered yes and walked diligently, stopping at his desired destination. It was an abandoned tennis court without a single streetlight.
“What kind of eggs… Where is this?”
“It’s a tennis court. Can you open that case for me?”
Yeon Dogyeong said while opening the ice box he was holding. Ah, yes! Park Gyujin, who answered, put the case down on the ground and carefully opened the lid. As Yeon Dogyeong said, there were eggs inside. To be exact, semi-human eggs.
“…Team Leader Yeon?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who took out five small blood packs from the ice box, answered in a calm voice. Park Gyujin swallowed dry saliva.
“What situation is this right now?”
“It’s a situation of opening the Guimun. I don’t know how much blood will be needed, so I brought a lot just in case, and I hope it goes well.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who spoke while closing his eyes, took the egg from Park Gyujin’s hand. He carefully put it down on the ground and tore open a blood pack with his teeth. Park Gyujin anxiously looked around while watching his actions.
“How do you know such things…?”
Yeon Dogyeong, who had been pouring blood packs one after another on the egg, put one blood pack in Park Gyujin’s hand.
“I found out by chance, but didn’t you know, Park Gyujin-ssi? Please tear open that pack and pour it on the egg.”
“I, I don’t know such things. My major is in biology, specifically plants, and this, this time I came with Team Leader Yeon on Chief Lee-nim’s errand.”
Park Gyujin, who let his hands droop, spoke rapidly. Thud. The blood pack that was clumsily placed in his hand fell to the ground.
“I see.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who poured the fourth pack, picked up the fallen blood pack, tore it open, and poured it on the egg. The black ground that couldn’t receive a single ray of light began to be dyed even blacker.
“Four would have been enough. Will you hold my hand?”
Yeon Dogyeong smiled and held out his hand to Park Gyujin. Park Gyujin, who had been covering his mouth at the vibrating smell of blood, grabbed Yeon Dogyeong’s hand while trembling. Shortly after, the two people sank into the ground with a whoosh.
Chief Lee walked rapidly down the brightly lit corridor. Tak, tak—the echoing footsteps stopped in front of Laboratory 1. She pressed the keypad and entered inside, closing the door with a kwang sound. And she organized her rapid breathing and spoke clearly.
“Director-nim, the signal disappeared.”
The man who had been looking into the microscope, the Research Director, raised his head. He, who pushed up his glasses, quietly looked at Chief Lee.
“Explain more.”
“…The Guimun opened even though we didn’t release a pregnant semi-human, and the signals of Team Leader Yeon and Park Gyujin-ssi disappeared.”
The Research Director slowly nodded his head.
“Team Leader Yeon opened the Guimun by himself.”
“Yes.”
“That’s unexpected… How did he open it? Did he use our blood and eggs?”
“The number of blood and eggs in the laboratory didn’t decrease. We don’t know how he opened it at present. The people who were following Team Leader Yeon lost him.”
The Research Director, who took off his glasses, pressed hard on the bridge of his nose. Does that mean the Guimun can be opened without blood and eggs? Or does it mean Team Leader Yeon separately has those things? The Research Director, who had been considering the possibilities inwardly, stopped thinking. However various those numbers were, he had to reestablish the premise first. How does Semi-Human Department Team 3 Team Leader Yeon Dogyeong know how to open the Guimun?
“Wasn’t Team Leader Yeon not interested in semi-humans?”
“Yes, that’s correct. He never specially requested materials, and only cleanly handled the work he was given. His team members are the same too.”
As Chief Lee said, Team 3 led by Yeon Dogyeong was unique, but it was an obedient team that had never received a single warning from the Semi-Human Department. Even searching through the materials about him in his head, there were no suspicious corners. Rather than wasting time with useless speculation, it was right to wait and see for now, and hear it through Park Gyujin’s mouth when he returned. So he’d better return alive. The Research Director, who thought quietly, put his glasses back on and turned his body. He brought his eyes to the microscope’s eyepiece and carefully adjusted the diaphragm.
“Go out. If the Guimun opens again, report to me.”
“Yes, understood.”
Chief Lee bowed shallowly to the Research Director, who had already distanced himself from reality, and came out of the laboratory. A sigh flowed from her mouth as she closed the door behind her. Team Leader Yeon… Since when, how did he know? She, who touched the corners of her mouth, hurriedly took steps.
-End-
