“Someone who’s unnecessarily meticulous.”
Not just a meticulous person but an unnecessarily meticulous person. He nodded his head awkwardly at the explanation he couldn’t grasp. As if there was nothing more to say, Yeon Dogyeong left the sofa and went up to the loft. He could see him taking off the comfortable pants he had been wearing and roughly throwing them on the bed, then picking up jeans from the floor and putting them on. Likewise, he picked up a t-shirt that was on the floor and gathered a few items from the bed table.
Having adequately filled his pockets, he came down the stairs while putting on a short-sleeved t-shirt over his bare upper body. In his hand was an old model flip-type feature phone.
“I’ll contact you around the weekend. My number is saved, so if you have something to say, use this.”
He stood up while receiving the feature phone he offered. He opened the feature phone with a unique character sticker on the outside and entered the phone book. Just as he said, one number was saved. Joo Seonghan looked down at the screen and muttered aloud the name of the saved number.
“…Hyung…”
“You can change it to oppa or noona. Unnie is fine too.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who spoke with a laugh, swept under Joo Seonghan’s chin once with his finger and turned his steps. He followed, taking steps after him heading toward the entrance. He looked at him putting on his shoes while gathering and holding the dripping bath towel in front of his chest.
“Will you be able to go out tomorrow? If you don’t feel well, you can just rest.”
He, who had pressed his large hand against the wall, asked while looking down. Joo Seonghan thought of the cafe visit he had planned a while ago with his head that was slowly starting to work.
“I’m going to a cafe.”
“A cafe?”
“Yes. There’s a place 20 minutes away that’s said to have delicious macarons…”
Having put on his shoes, he arranged his hair while looking at the mirror attached to the shoe cabinet. His profile was neat. Strength entered the hand gripping the towel.
“Looks like going around is manageable. Tell me if it’s delicious.”
“…Yes.”
“I’m going.”
He, who smiled once at Joo Seonghan, grabbed and lowered the door handle to go outside. Joo Seonghan moistened his lips then hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Thank you for coming.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who looked back, raised his lips. His smile was slow.
“I’ll contact you.”
“…Goodbye.”
He, who had waved his hand at Joo Seonghan, opened the door and went out. The sound of the elevator arriving could be heard faintly beyond the closed door. Joo Seonghan, who had been standing for a moment, turned around and crossed the living room. He went out to the terrace and looked down. Yeon Dogyeong, who had come out of the building, went toward the parking lot.
“…Please come again.”
He spoke toward the top of his head getting into the car. Apparently, it seemed right that he still hadn’t fully recovered yet.
The cafe Joo Seonghan stopped by around 3 p.m. sold handmade cookies and cakes in addition to macarons. He wanted to taste everything, but thinking he couldn’t eat it all by himself, he only ordered two macarons with different flavors. They were sweet and delicious. They went well with the Americano he ordered together. Joo Seonghan took out the feature phone.
While running his eyes over ‘Hyung’s’ number he had already memorized, he fidgeted with the coffee cup beaded with moisture. He hadn’t taken out the phone to let him know that the macarons were delicious. He had just thought of him, who said he liked sweet things, while eating something sweet, and then just happened to remember the fact that he should express gratitude to him.
While Joo Seonghan was sick, there had been a call from his mother. Yeon Dogyeong answered that phone instead. He introduced himself as Joo Seonghan’s friend and made excuses that he had come to visit the house but Joo Seonghan was already sleeping, probably because he was tired. Joo Seonghan’s parents were touched by just that. It was the same for Joo Seonghan. Joo Seonghan took a sip of the coffee that was half remaining and entered messages.
[This is Joo Seonghan.]
He wrote and then deleted it.
[It’s Joo Seonghan.]
He deleted it again.
[Thank you for speaking well to my parents. This is Joo Seonghan.]
He looked down at the screen then closed the folder. This didn’t seem quite right. Since he said he’d contact him around the weekend, let’s say it then, he thought as he put the phone in his bag and finished eating the remaining macaron.
Joo Seonghan, who left the cafe, stopped by the mart thinking of an ordinary daily life and bought a few side dishes and fruit. He hung the black plastic bag on his wrist and headed home. The weather was humid, as if it was going to rain. He walked under the shade avoiding the sunlight that was subtly heating his skin. He passed through the crowded downtown area and turned onto the road where villas were gathered.
“Excuse me, hello.”
The woman appeared there.
“Can I ask you something for a moment?”
At a glance, she looked like an ordinary college student. Joo Seonghan stopped walking and looked at the woman rummaging through her pockets. She took out a photo and held it out.
“Haven’t you seen this person around here?”
He looked at the photo. A woman with long hair was staring at the camera with an annoyed face while smoking a cigarette. It was Woo Yoomin from Semi-Human Department Team 11.
“No.”
He spoke calmly and raised his head. She, who had made a pleading expression, was staring intently at Joo Seonghan’s face. His palms sweated. Joo Seonghan faced her while paying attention so his facial muscles wouldn’t move.
“May I go?”
“Please look one more time. She’s a really important person to me. But she went missing…”
The end of the woman’s voice trembled slightly. If he hadn’t received a hint from Yeon Dogyeong, confusion might have crossed his face. Joo Seonghan looked at the photo once more and said again that he didn’t know. The woman, who nodded with a complicated face, thanked him for his time and moved away.
Joo Seonghan withdrew his gaze that had been looking at the woman’s back and slowly walked toward home. He entered the alley and turned the corner. Letting out a belated breath quietly, he walked without resting.
He got on the villa’s elevator. Only then did Joo Seonghan crouch down and released the tension from his face. The unnecessarily meticulous surveillant Yeon Dogyeong had mentioned acted well. To deceive people, you had to do that much. Somehow, he had ended up in a position where he had to deceive most people. Should he even go to an acting academy? Joo Seonghan entered his safe home while having absurd thoughts.
* * *
At the beginning of September, Han Jaejun, who had completed about 3 weeks of hospitalization and was discharged, stopped by Semi-Human Department headquarters for the first time in a while and submitted sick leave documents to the Semi-Human Department Head. Subsequently, when he signed the documents the Semi-Human Department Head had prepared, he nodded his head.
“You’ll return next week. You know that, right?”
The return-to-work timing was something that had already been coordinated with Yeon Dogyeong. Originally, he had planned to meet and talk, but because he suddenly took two days of vacation, they ended up talking on the phone. Since becoming team leader, it was the first time Yeon Dogyeong had taken vacation. He had been about to ask him what he was doing that required two days of vacation. At that moment, a faint moaning sound was heard from beyond the phone. This crazy team leader is now taking vacation to fuck. Han Jaejun, who gave up on asking, said to take it easy and hung up the phone. I really know and yet don’t know why he lives like that.
“Yes. I talked with Team Leader Yeon. I’ll come to work on Monday.”
“Alright. You worked hard, Jaejun-ah. Go quickly and play for a few more days.”
Han Jaejun greeted the Semi-Human Department Head, who was waving his hand dismissively, then came out to the hallway. Inside the doors, each was noisy in its own way, but the hallway was wide and quiet as always. He went down the stairs, thinking about getting a drink from the vending machine before leaving headquarters. Just then, the phone he had put in his inner pocket vibrated briefly.
[Sunbae-nim, aren’t you done yet? Come out quickly. I’m hungry.]
Looking down at the impudent message Kang Hyeonjoo had sent, he headed to the lobby on the first floor. He had planned to visit alone, but Kang Hyeonjoo had arbitrarily accompanied him. It was true that he was annoyed by the nagging throughout the way, but it was also true that it was comfortable riding in the car he drove. Han Jaejun approached the vending machine and took out a bill.
He had suffered injuries that would have an ordinary person preparing a coffin. It wasn’t that major surgery was needed, but he had shed a lot of blood so his life was touch-and-go, and his internal organs that had been beaten by the semi-humans were quite damaged. Fortunately, Kang Hyeonjoo and Yeon Dogyeong had done good emergency treatment. Especially, the hemostatic agent Kang Hyeonjoo had poured in with a frightening momentum before he was dragged away by the semi-human with horns on its forehead had a great effect.
Han Jaejun thanked Kang Hyeonjoo, who had stayed by his side until he opened his eyes, saying he had survived thanks to him. He thought he would raise his nose and go on about his own praise, but for some reason, he said never mind and avoided his gaze. At first, he wondered why he was like that. As it turned out, he had guilt toward Han Jaejun. The decisive reason Han Jaejun’s hospitalization had been prolonged was largely due to the semi-human with horns on its forehead, but originally that semi-human had been trying to attack Kang Hyeonjoo. Han Jaejun had blocked it and been dragged away instead. Even Kang Hyeonjoo, famous for being selfish and holding grudges, couldn’t help it in front of sacrifice.
“Cute guy.”
Muttering to himself, he bent at the waist. He collected two drinks and change from the vending machine. The conversation sounds that had been heard faintly from afar gradually got closer.
“It’s been quite a while since the drug was administered. It’s strange that there are no side effects at all. It’s also amazing that such a long-term memory was erased this cleanly… I’m thinking of reporting it upward and calling him in once.”
“What? You’re calling him to the research lab?”
“He was given the drug at the research lab anyway. And that person thinks this is a secret national facility that helps crime victims.”
