“Right? It’s delicious! Expensive but delicious!”
“It is….”
Even if it was impossible with one person’s budget, couldn’t they buy it if they combined two people’s budgets? As if possessed, Surim searched for the name written on the chocolate wrapper and found a sales site. And he looked back at Lee Myeongho with a horrified expression.
“…That won’t work…. Yeah, got it….”
Lee Myeongho, who had slumped his shoulders dejectedly, walked away tottering. What the—they’d have to combine five people’s budgets to barely buy a dozen or so pieces.
Suddenly, Lee Myeongho didn’t seem pitiful at all. Right, there was no reason to pity a lobbyist.
* * *
But where could this underground place be?
As soon as he had the question, the existence of the real Research Lab 5 flashed through his mind. This research lab was officially designated as Research Lab 5, but the actual users were the personnel of the unidentified Research Lab 0. Until now, he’d thought Research Lab 5 was like fake paperwork that didn’t exist at all, but could it perhaps be underground?
‘Hazard pay.’
Surim shook his head to shake off the strange thoughts. Assistant Manager Seong had said. See but pretend not to see, hear but pretend not to hear, just work like that.
But how could he pretend not to see or hear when it was related to Song Hanyeong? The rebuttal that immediately came to mind poked at Surim. If it was dangerous work, it was even harder to pretend not to know. Because Song Hanyeong couldn’t be in danger.
While worrying about Song Hanyeong, Surim even forgot about the fact that there were dangerous chopsticks in his bag and groaned. This situation continued all the way until 5 o’clock when Song Hanyeong returned.
[Song Hanyeong] Jin Surim-ssi.
When did he come back? Surim replied with delight.
[Jin Surim] Yes, Manager-nim!
[Song Hanyeong] This weekend will be two weeks since the last blood draw.
That meant it was time to draw blood again. Surim suddenly felt a chilling and fearful feeling. Because hearing about the blood draw made him realize that this place, Research Lab 0, was created to replicate his blood.
[Jin Surim] Um, Manager-nim. You said before that the others don’t know my blood is the sample. I’d like them to continue not knowing—would that be okay?
[Song Hanyeong] Then we’ll have to do it secretly without the others knowing.
That was exactly what Surim wanted.
Surim was about to type “let’s meet on Sunday” with a happy heart, but hesitated. Surim met Song Hanyeong at the company all weekdays, and had contracted to have meals at the restaurant he reserved every Saturday. But in this situation, to meet even on Sunday?
Of course, for Surim it was a happy thing. But would it be a happy thing for Song Hanyeong too?
‘No way.’
It would probably be bothersome instead. Surim wanted to avoid being greedy and ruining their current relationship. Firmly steeling his wavering heart, Surim answered.
[Jin Surim] Then shall we do it on Friday?
[Song Hanyeong] Friday?
[Jin Surim] Yes, I think Friday would be better than Saturday.
Because he wanted to enjoy Saturday with a date-like feeling, so he didn’t want something like a blood draw to interfere.
[Jin Surim] How about doing it on Friday after everyone leaves work?
There was no answer from Song Hanyeong for a moment. As the silence lengthened, Surim began to feel anxious. Thinking about it, this meant he, a subordinate employee, was requesting Friday overtime work. It was possible that Song Hanyeong, as his superior, would be displeased.
Just as Surim was about to quickly apologize, Song Hanyeong’s reply came back.
[Song Hanyeong] Alright. Friday. Understood.
[Jin Surim] Thank you!
Wasn’t he displeased? Surim tilted his head and scanned through the messenger conversation once more. Looking at it again, it didn’t seem like there was particularly a problem. Because working brief overtime on Friday would be better than meeting a subordinate employee Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday.
Surim returned to work, satisfied with his excellent judgment, but then became concerned again about the chopsticks in his bag and started shaking his legs nervously.
The afternoon hours felt like a year. After receiving the lunchbox from Lee Myeongho, Surim left work like clockwork as soon as it was time to leave.
About 45 minutes until arriving home. On the bus, Surim thoroughly guarded his bag, worried someone might pickpocket the chopsticks.
Having arrived home clutching his bag so preciously, Surim looked at himself in the mirror by the entrance and thought:
‘I look like an industrial spy….’
No matter how you looked at it, it was a suspicious appearance. It felt like a miracle that Song Hanyeong and Lee Myeongho hadn’t interrogated him about what was in there.
If they had, he would have been caught for the theft he committed today.
“…Ahhh. I’ve gone crazy, really.”
Even as he said that, the hand movements taking out the chopsticks were as careful as if holding something precious. Surim carefully placed the chopsticks next to Song Hanyeong’s cup.
A sense of fulfillment for some unknown reason bubbled up abundantly in his chest. What was this that made him so happy?
Surim ate his meal next to it, and also drank tea next to it, spending time until finally entering the bedroom past 1 AM.
He didn’t tell hyung at all what restaurant the dinner lunchbox was from or what menu it was, but he didn’t vomit nor was he unable to sleep.
Rather, he slept more deeply than usual, very deeply.
* * *
Surim was in a dark, narrow place where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead. It smelled moldy and was full of dust. Each time he groped around in the darkness, dust stuck to his hands.
‘I need to get out of here.’
But he couldn’t. Because someone had pushed him against the shelf. His back was painfully pressed against the shelf compartment, and his head bumped against the spine of a book that had been stuck in the shelf.
As dust poured down, Surim quickly turned his head and ducked down. At the same time, the person who had been pushing him pressed their body close. A tall man enveloped Surim as if covering him.
‘…Why….’
Surim asked toward the man who had blocked the dust for him. It was a question mixed with multiple meanings.
Why was he here alone with him, why was he pushing him against the shelf, why did he block the dust, and also why was he licking his neck….
‘Ugh….’
As the man’s teeth touched the nape of his neck. Hot breath tickled the fine hairs. However, what Surim felt wasn’t so much ticklish as a chilling sensation. A strangely chilling sensation covered his entire body.
‘Hngh…!’
At the sensation of fangs piercing through his skin, Surim’s legs gave out. The man grabbed the waist of Surim, who had almost collapsed, and pulled him toward himself. The lower bodies of the two people were completely pressed together.
Surim could tell that the man in front of him was erect. The man’s hardened member rubbed hotly against Surim’s crotch.
What on earth is happening right now?
Surim flailed trying to push the man away. He pushed his shoulders, hit his chest, and shook his head. However, the rebellious movements were immediately suppressed and only resulted in being held even more firmly in the man’s arms.
Having realized that nothing he did would be of any use, Surim stopped all resistance in despair. Then the man removed his mouth from Surim’s neck. At the sensation of something hot trickling down from where the man had removed his mouth, Surim trembled.
He suddenly felt cold. The man’s hot tongue slowly licked up Surim’s neck.
Only then did Surim realize he was the man’s prey.
‘Are you going to eat me…?’
When Surim asked while trembling, the man, who had been burying his face in his neck, stopped his movements with a start and raised his head. Light suddenly poured into the place that had only been dark.
‘…You are….’
The man was someone Surim knew well. As the stunned Surim stared blankly, the man, with those cold eyes unchanged, raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.
And the moment he opened his mouth to say something.
“Haaaaak…!”
Surim bolted upright. He was on the bed. His whole body was soaked with sweat, and his hands were trembling. It felt like that chilling sensation from a moment ago still remained on his lower back. Surim crouched down, pulled the blanket to cover his body, and pressed his back against the headboard.
As he slowly caught his breath like that, his dizzy head soon returned to normal. Surim clenched and unclenched his fists several times. The dizziness subsided, but the trembling of his body wouldn’t subside.
Even though he knew it wasn’t from cold, Surim wrapped his trembling body even more tightly in the blanket.
‘Who was it…?’
He’d definitely thought it was a familiar face, but after waking from the dream, he couldn’t remember at all who it was. No, since it was a thought he had in the dream, perhaps thinking it was someone he knew was also a mistake.
In the first place, a dream about being eaten by someone—wasn’t that really a strange dream? What bizarre dreams he has. To have such a dream, it was definitely emotional instability.
Surim took out his phone and searched for “dream of being eaten by a person.”
“The work you’re doing will be interfered with or disrupted, causing you to suffer losses….”
Reading the fortune-telling text that was obviously superstition made him chuckle, and he finally felt like he’d escaped from the dream. The trembling in his hands had also stopped at some point.
However, the moment he lay down and closed his eyes, that chilling gaze once again filled his mind completely. The sensation of becoming a herbivore before a predator. The despair of being unable to resist or escape. The strange excitement that existed between that fear. All of it stiffened his body.
