63
Once again today, Minjae discovered Jihwan standing stiffly right as he stepped out of his front door. “You’re here.” After Minjae’s indifferent greeting, Jihwan bowed his head slightly and immediately got to the point.
“Please teach me flight techniques.”
Is this some martial arts school…? Moreover, Jihwan had come to the wrong place. Flight wasn’t Minjae’s specialty.
“Shouldn’t you be asking someone else about that?”
“No, it’s definitely you, Sunbae. I want to get used to flying together. I also want to be better prepared for unexpected situations like last time.”
The interception incident seemed to have been quite a shock for Jihwan. Minjae quietly observed Jihwan’s serious face. So that’s why he also asked Eunjeong to teach him combat skills?
Of course, improving Jihwan’s flight skills and situational awareness would benefit Minjae as well. However, Minjae was worried about Jihwan’s enthusiasm. People like Jihwan, who put their heart and soul into pursuing justice, were particularly prone to breaking down within the Center.
“We’re going to keep working together anyway, Sunbae…”
When Minjae remained silent, Jihwan added words as if he felt anxious.
Originally, Minjae had no intention of continuing to work with Jihwan. It was like having a growth forced on him by the Center Director, and Minjae wanted to remove that growth quickly.
Only after hearing Jihwan’s words did Minjae realize he had completely forgotten about his plan to remove Jihwan from the team, which made him a bit flustered. Minjae had no choice but to agree with Jihwan.
“…So.”
“So I thought it would be best to train with you.”
That made sense too. A rookie finally learning to say something sensible. Minjae felt somewhat surprised as he readily accepted Jihwan’s proposal. They immediately set a training appointment.
At that point, Minjae had no idea he would immediately regret this decision on their first training day.
***
They decided to conduct their first training session in the training room. Jihwan and Minjae headed to the training room early in the morning, dressed in work clothes.
“Let’s start by practicing takeoffs and landings. Since I can’t fly, it’s important for you to judge when to lift me and where to put me down. Got it?”
“Uh… yes…”
Jihwan answered blankly, as if he couldn’t quite grasp the concept.
“Just try it first. You’ll get a feel for it once you do it.”
Jihwan pulled back Minjae as he was heading toward the lever. Jihwan was holding a safety rope in his hand.
“…Why did you bring that?”
“What? Aren’t we going to use it?”
“Of course not. How is that any different from us being handcuffed together in a combat situation?”
“But it could be dangerous. Who knows what might happen while suspended in mid-air.”
What kind of nonsense is this? Minjae snatched the rope from Jihwan’s hand and threw it to a corner of the training room.
“In the field, you never know what might happen.”
Minjae set up the training program and pulled the lever. Several obstacles were generated.
And from far away, a fire-breathing pterodactyl appeared. He had deliberately chosen something unrealistic to create a game-like atmosphere, worried that guns or bombs might make Jihwan too tense on the first day.
“Sunbae???”
Jihwan stared at Minjae with a shocked expression. Minjae put his arm around Jihwan’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, that’s just beginner level. Let’s go.”
The pterodactyl seemed to spot Minjae and Jihwan and started flying toward them with a fixed direction. Then it opened its mouth wide.
Wak! Jihwan picked up Minjae in a princess carry and quickly took off. Flames poured down on the spot where they had been standing just moments ago. Minjae pointed to a cylindrical obstacle slightly elevated ahead.
“Go over there.”
“Uhh, Sunbae! Don’t move!”
When Minjae moved to check the pterodactyl’s position while being carried, Jihwan held him tightly.
I won’t fall with just that much movement, why the fuss? Minjae grabbed Jihwan’s neck and pulled. Jihwan’s head was blocking his view and it was annoying.
Hup. He heard Jihwan hold his breath. Jihwan quickly turned his head as if trying to pull his face away from Minjae’s hand.
What the hell. Minjae’s vision shook.
In the meantime, Jihwan set Minjae down on the cylindrical obstacle. As Minjae got down, Jihwan moved away with his arms awkwardly raised.
“…What are you doing?”
“Um… what should I do now…”
The pterodactyl could be seen targeting them again. Flames shot from far away. It was aimed at Jihwan’s side. Minjae grabbed Jihwan’s arm and yanked it hard.
The flames grazed Jihwan’s back. Simultaneously, Jihwan, whose waist had been pulled, bounced back.
“Hey, you idiot!”
Since the flames hadn’t completely died down, Minjae grabbed Jihwan’s body and turned to the side. They staggered. This isn’t a tango, what are we doing? Minjae swallowed his curses as he regained his balance.
The pterodactyl was simple in its movements since it was beginner level, but it was still dangerous.
“Hey, you bastard. Can’t you do this properly?!”
Minjae shouted. I’m sorry. Jihwan apologized while bowing his head. The pterodactyl was flying nearby. Minjae grabbed Jihwan by the collar and jumped off the obstacle.
“Up!”
Jihwan, who had his arms around Minjae’s waist, glided upward. Minjae pointed to a corner on the opposite side of the training room. Jihwan carried Minjae there.
“When that thing comes back here shortly, go to that obstacle, leave me there, and maintain position below. When I throw this and jump down, you catch me.”
Minjae showed him a training electric bomb as he spoke. Jihwan frowned.
“…You’re going to fight, Sunbae?”
“Well, what if you leave me here and fight, then the pterodactyl comes this way? What would you do then?”
“You just told me to leave you up there. How is that any different?”
“That’s standby. And is catching me important right now?”
“That’s not it.”
Ha. Minjae heard Jihwan sigh. Why is he sighing? Feeling slightly irritated, Minjae glared at Jihwan.
Jihwan looked at Minjae, then grabbed his waist and flew up. The pterodactyl had somehow flown nearby.
Jihwan landed Minjae on the obstacle from earlier and lifted off again.
“Be careful.”
Jihwan paused his descent to warn him. The pterodactyl was flying in from over there. Minjae quickly gestured for him to shut up and descend.
Jihwan’s body lowered and the view cleared. Facing the pterodactyl, Minjae calculated the timing. And when the pterodactyl began to open its mouth, Minjae jumped and threw the bomb into its mouth.
After confirming the bomb had gone in properly, he looked forward to find Jihwan right in front of him.
Minjae quickly spread his arms and legs to embrace Jihwan. It looked like a long-armed monkey clinging to a tree. Jihwan was pushed back a bit as he caught Minjae.
A small explosion sounded behind Minjae. The pterodactyl could be seen plummeting to the other side. Minjae felt somewhat relieved for some reason.
“Hey, it’s actually pretty fun fighting in mid-air.”
“…Yes, it is.”
Minjae turned his head to look at Jihwan. Then he noticed Jihwan’s slightly stiff face.
What’s that about? Simultaneously with that thought, Minjae felt a strange sensation. Something pressed against the inside of his left thigh, asserting its presence.
Only then did Minjae realize that he and Jihwan were in a rather strange position, in extremely close contact. Shit. A curse flowed from Minjae’s frozen thoughts.
Ding!
As the mission success notification sounded, the training room brightened. Jihwan and Minjae landed awkwardly.
Poker face. Poker face. Minjae kept repeating to himself as he stepped back, pretending nothing was wrong. His only thought was to hide the fact that he had noticed Jihwan’s physical state.
“Uh… hey, good work. Training’s over for today.”
“Sunbae. About that…”
“See you later~”
Jihwan called out to Minjae as if he had something to say. Minjae abruptly cut him off and left the training room. This is crazy. Minjae muttered as he quickly left the corridor.
***
Seoyeon headed to the subway station after a long time. Usually, Seoyeon traveled with flying espers or rode in Center-exclusive vehicles for business trips. However, on days when she was summoned to her family home, she deliberately used buses or the subway. Seoyeon needed to confirm that she was still grounded in reality.
“Don’t forget why you’re there, and with what mindset you walked in there on your own feet.”
Seoyeon recalled the warning her father, Congressman Shin, had given her and Taehyun recently. Seoyeon had failed to capture The Crow’s leader. Congressman Shin suspected that Seoyeon might have developed different thoughts, and had summoned her to discern the truth.
The subway station was crowded. That, at least, was exactly the same as the past Seoyeon remembered.
As Seoyeon entered the ticket gate, she thought about the ordinary life she could have rightfully enjoyed.
Coming home tired from work, stopping by a nearby mart to buy discounted side dishes, and returning home. Eating meals with living family members while discussing the recent economic difficulties. She could have complained about an annoying boss that could be found in any workplace. She might have considered changing jobs, even if she might eventually give up due to the difficulty of re-employment.
“Hero Center, admit to the murder!”
“Overthrow the Hero Center that covered up my son’s death!”
A middle-aged woman shouted next to Seoyeon, who was lost in thought. The middle-aged woman had made flyers with two pieces of hardboard, roughly connected them with string, and hung them around her neck. Her appearance was quite shabby.
The woman was enthusiastically shouting in a hoarse voice and distributing flyers to people around her.
People either received the flyers only to throw them carelessly on the nearby ground or avoided the woman as they passed by. The woman would stare blankly at this behavior, then pick up the discarded flyers again. It seemed to be because there was a child’s photo on the flyers.
Seoyeon quietly observed the woman. Nothing would be resolved by doing this. The dead child wouldn’t come back to life, nor would the media or powerful institutions take interest.
The woman would simply be remembered as someone who shouted loudly at the subway station. Even that would be fortunate if anyone remembered at all.
Without power and status, you can’t do anything. Seoyeon took out a small business card wallet from her bag. It was an old, worn brown leather wallet. Seoyeon pulled out a card and walked up to the woman. Then she took the flyer from the woman’s hand.
“What a beautiful child.”
“Yes. Such a smart child… My child…!”
The woman’s voice rose. Hope filled the woman’s eyes as she found someone who would listen. Seoyeon held out her business card to the woman.
“This won’t accomplish anything. I know a place where you can get help.”
The woman’s eyes wavered. Seoyeon pressed the business card into the woman’s hand.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
