***
Perhaps because it was a place where traces of Haeju remained, his heart felt at ease, and he slept soundly without waking even once. After sleeping deeply through the night, he only opened his eyes when he became aware of birds chirping.
“Huk!”
The surroundings were bright. Although his condition was good from sleeping so well, it was a disaster.
He hadn’t even met Haeju yet, and in a situation where he didn’t know when those Earth bastards might chase after him, how did he sleep so well?
At the sound of birds coming from outside the window, Kkamang tilted his head while looking in that direction, then flew off with a flutter. Soon, sounds of flapping wings came from outside—flutter, flutter—followed by sharp bird cries. It was chaotic from the morning. Thanks to that, his mind snapped awake.
As soon as Yeojin jumped up, he took out his phone. But the power was off. Obviously. Next, he checked his gun. The gun was safely intact. His wallet was safe too.
He’d need to charge his phone, but the problem was where on earth can you charge a 2G phone? Yang Sujin should have sent charging equipment separately when she sent the phone. Anyway, since it felt uncomfortable to keep using the phone Earth had given him, it seemed better to buy a new device.
But if I make a new one under my name, won’t I be tracked? This thought made him hesitate. There wasn’t just one or two troublesome points. You only know when you’ve become a fugitive. The phone would be useless unless he charged it, but the gun was extremely useful. Just having a weapon was reassuring.
Doctor. Be careful. Take care of yourself first, okay?
The message Yang Sujin had written when sending the quick delivery. The thought occurred to him that perhaps Yang Sujin had secretly sent the gun without the Rebels knowing. The words about wanting to repay her debt to her doctor probably weren’t a lie.
After drinking an entire bottle of water, he organized his thoughts.
What should I do from now on? I need to get out of here. Let’s go into any restaurant or cafe, borrow a phone, and contact Director Im Suhyang. But if I call Director Im, she’ll nag endlessly. And where’s the guarantee that Director Im Suhyang is on my side?
Just as he thought that far, he heard signs of someone outside. Right in front of the door. Before he could even prepare to respond, the door creaked open.
Yeojin reflexively grabbed his gun, jumped up, and aimed the barrel toward the door.
“Junwoo hyung, but you know… Uwaaah!”
The guy who had opened the door while talking with his companion saw Yeojin aiming the gun and was startled out of his wits, throwing his hands up high. The plastic bag he’d been holding dropped with a thud. A man who had mindlessly followed him through the open door also screamed.
“Heueok!”
“Hands up!”
When Yeojin shouted, the second man also raised both hands. If they were guys Wi Seokwoo had sent, they would use their abilities, but the two men were just terrified.
“What are you bastards?”
“Then who are you?”
The younger-looking of the two men asked back.
“Answer my question first.”
Yeojin threateningly pointed the gun at them, urging an answer.
“Are you asking for names? I’m Han Daesik and this is Im Junwoo.”
Is he an idiot? Why is he suddenly introducing himself? Are we exchanging names? He was so dumbfounded that he lost his momentum.
“Why did you come in here?”
“Then why are you here?”
Another question back. Just as he was getting irritated and decided to knock both of them out and leave, Kkamang, who had gone out to fight with the sparrows, hopped back in through the broken window.
“Oh! Isn’t that Haeju’s crow?”
A familiar name came from one of the men’s mouths.
“What did you just say? Haeju?”
“Yes. Haeju. Do you know Haeju? Ah, seriously, put the gun away!”
“Are you guys Rebels?”
“Rebels?”
“Are you Earth?”
“Uh, what? You’re Earth too?”
The face of the man who had introduced himself as Han Daesik brightened considerably.
“Did Wi Seokwoo send you?”
“Why would that fucking bastard’s name come up? I grind my teeth just thinking about that bastard.”
Nothing was making sense. Those two men were also Earth, but they got furious when Wi Seokwoo’s name was mentioned. What the hell are they?
“Okay. Let’s sort out the situation.”
The other man, Im Junwoo, who had been silent until now, intervened.
“Yes. We’re Earth. According to Haeju, a person named Doctor Min Yeojin signed up for membership at our cafe on his behalf. It seems Wi Seokwoo’s gang approached Haeju first after seeing that number, and Haeju got injured. Haeju came all the way here with injuries and collapsed, and we discovered him late and have been taking care of him.”
“You’ve been taking care of Haeju?”
Yeojin asked Im Junwoo.
“Yes. The crows’ protection was so intense that we couldn’t move him until Haeju woke up, so we laid him down here and went to take care of urgent business before returning. But Haeju isn’t here and you’re here, Doctor. Pointing a gun at us like this.”
“Is Haeju okay?”
“Yes. Since the injured part was his head, there was a lot of blood, but it’s a light wound. He couldn’t wake up from the anesthesia because he was hit with a tranquilizer gun.”
If so, that was fortunate. He felt relieved.
Just then, he heard the rustling of a bag. Kkamang, who had arrived at some point, was rummaging through and pecking at the plastic bag the men had dropped. It seemed there was food inside.
“This guy is also a crow Haeju commands, right? Being with this guy means you must be well acquainted with Haeju too. We’ve already revealed our identities, so may we ask your name, Doctor?”
“Min Yeojin.”
Only then did Yeojin lower his guard, put down the gun, and reveal his name.
“What?”
“What did you say?”
Both men exclaimed in surprise at the same time. Yeojin was also startled by their overreaction.
“Doctor Min Yeojin?”
“You’re really Min Yeojin?”
Why are they acting like that?
“Yes. Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing’s wrong, but… Haeju definitely said Doctor Min Yeojin was the prettiest person in the world… He definitely said you were a drop-dead gorgeous beauty…”
Han Daesik kept glancing at Yeojin at the end of each sentence, and Im Junwoo broke out in a cold sweat while laughing awkwardly.
“Hahaha. You’re a man. Of course, we thought you’d be a woman. Hahaha!”
Where’s a mouse hole? I need to dig a mouse hole to crawl into. Whatever else, he absolutely had to make sure that bastard stopped saying he was pretty. Having no manners, Han Daesik kept sneaking glances at him. Im Junwoo at least didn’t keep glancing at him embarrassingly, but he smiled awkwardly with an expression that said, Ah, this isn’t right.
“So where is Haeju?”
To change the insanely awkward atmosphere, Yeojin brought up Haeju. Only then did the two men go “Ah, right!” and look around.
“Right, where could he be?”
“Until yesterday, he briefly regained consciousness and then fell asleep again. We went out after seeing him sleeping like the dead. Where did he go in the meantime? The crows are gone too.”
Even in the midst of this, the rustling sound continued. Kkamang was very brazenly pecking at the food in the plastic bag. “This guy!” Han Daesik waved one hand to chase Kkamang away and lifted the plastic bag with his other hand. But a hole had already been made and everything inside had spilled out.
Kkamang was pecking at the fallen bread with the bag still attached, Han Daesik was trying to stop him—it was chaos. Im Junwoo came into the living room and chuckled.
“We bought these to give to Haeju, but this guy is tasting them first.”
“Don’t you know where Haeju went?”
“Well. When he briefly regained consciousness, he kept worrying and talking only about Doctor Min Yeojin, so maybe he went to find you?”
“But I’m right here.”
“Exactly. The timing didn’t work out.”
Im Junwoo’s tone was frustratingly calm. This isn’t the time to be spouting off so leisurely. What if Haeju wandered around and got discovered by those SP bastards or caught by Wi Seokwoo’s gang?
“Shouldn’t we go look for him right away?”
“Let me send a text to my team members first. Please rest for a moment.”
Im Junwoo politely asked Yeojin’s understanding, then took out his phone and made a call. He was a man who appeared to be around Yeojin’s age, but was extremely mature. While he was talking to someone, Han Daesik also picked up the items that had fallen on the floor, carried an armful of them into the living room, and plopped down on the floor.
“Have you eaten?”
At the same time as asking, he put down all the groceries in his hands. Canned food, bread, fruit, snacks—various kinds. Han Daesik handed Yeojin a piece of bread and took a banana for himself. Yeojin accepted it obediently without protest. He was already so hungry his eyes were spinning.
As Yeojin was sitting on the floor munching on bread, Kkamang hopped over and snatched Yeojin’s portion of bread. He tore off exactly half and handed it to the bird, and the bird took it with his beak.
“Amazing. He attacks everyone except Haeju, but he follows you really well?”
Han Daesik said this while offering the banana he was eating, but Kkamang ignored it.
“Is it because you’re the doctor Haeju loves?”
The bread he was eating felt like it got stuck in his throat.
“That, well, the word ‘love’ is a bit…”
“That’s what Haeju said though? That he really, really, truly loves Doctor Min Yeojin so much?”
Yeojin pounded his chest and quickly gulped down water. When he met Haeju again, he’d have to discipline that guy’s mouth first.
“I told the team members to track Haeju’s location, so we’ll get word soon.”
At Im Junwoo’s words, Yeojin, who had barely swallowed the bread and was peeling a banana, was startled.
“You put a location tracker on Haeju?”
“Haeju has a phone, doesn’t he? The battery ran out and the power went off, so I charged it with a portable battery, and it seems Haeju took it when he left. We can just use phone location tracking.”
