The Timing of Escape (3)
I washed and dried my hair quickly, leaving no room for idle thoughts. Cream, lying sideways on the sofa, narrowed her eyes at my bustling movements.
“Cream, you get ready too.”
“Meow.”
“What do you mean ‘what preparation’? Of course, we’re going to…”
My lips, about to speak frankly, twitched and then clamped shut. Just minutes ago, I had thought about the possibility of hidden listening devices, and here I was about to act carelessly. I calmed my startled heart and fumbled for words.
“Go, going to prepare for a nap together. When you’re ready, come to daddy’s bed. Okay?”
Cream flapped her yellow ears as if she had heard something strange, then rolled exactly half a turn on the sofa to turn her back on me. I looked bewilderedly at Cream, who was now lying with her back to me, breathing softly, then shifted my gaze to check the time.
2:30 PM. It hadn’t been long since Sa Hae-geon left, so I couldn’t move hastily yet. Although he had removed the shackle that would alert him, that meticulous guy must have taken some measures with the front door.
‘He even messed with the CCTV, so it can’t hurt to be careful.’
Opening the door might send an alert to Sa Hae-geon’s phone like the shackle did before, so it seemed best to wait at least an hour and a half before moving. I checked the time and entered my room.
First, I planned to find suitable clothes to wear to my house. Even if it meant choosing from a few bizarre pajama designs, I had no choice. The outdoor clothes I wore to the training center seemed to be stored in some secret space by Sa Hae-geon.
I hadn’t seen any clothes in my size in his room during my few peeks either. And if he’s confident enough to leave his room open regardless of whether I enter or not, he must be sure. He must have hidden things well out of my sight and left the door open as if to show off.
‘I can change clothes when I get home anyway.’
I chose an outfit from the drawer that wouldn’t be too embarrassing if caught on CCTV. Considering that someone else might see, I deliberately chose hooded pajamas. The problem, if any, was that it was shaped like a green dinosaur.
‘To think I’d voluntarily wear animal pajamas…’
Perhaps the only fortunate thing was that no one would see me like this unless they checked the CCTV.
After roughly packing Cream’s things that Sa Hae-geon had brought from my house and taking the dishes from the bedroom floor to the kitchen, I saw the table set with plenty of food. Appetizing dishes like pork kimchi stew, rolled omelet, chive pancakes, and fresh kimchi salad were under covers.
Being a person with a conscience, I had no intention of eating the food he prepared while escaping. I deliberately turned my gaze from the table and moved to the sink to wash Cream’s dishes. By the time I finished drying them, it was almost 3 o’clock.
Time seemed to pass particularly slowly today. I went to sit on the sofa where Cream was sprawled out. Cream blinked, yawning widely after slightly raising her head to check on me. Seeing her sleepy eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Cream, are you still that sleepy even though you sleep all day?”
Cream answered by lazily swishing her tail and closing her eyes. I leaned back on the sofa, fiddling with the fat belly of the pig-like cat. To think that today would be the last day I’d eat the food Sa Hae-geon prepared…
It was quite regrettable. I felt like I’d keep thinking about Sa Hae-geon’s food every time I ate energy bars or rice balls in the dungeon that were high in calories but paid no attention to taste or texture. If possible, I wanted to hire Sa Hae-geon as a chef in the dungeon.
Of course, if I used an S-class Esper in such a way, I’d surely be beaten by public opinion and the Ability Department, but was that my concern?
As I sat on the sofa indulging in these idle thoughts, time steadily passed. And finally, the clock showed 3:30 PM.
It was just the right time. I jumped up from my seat and picked up Cream. Cream, who had been sprawled out comfortably and was suddenly manhandled, struggled and showed signs of displeasure, but it couldn’t be helped. I pushed the fat cat into the carrier, gathered her belongings, and headed for the front door.
To think that after all the time I spent here, all I had to take were Cream and her things. I really came and left with just my body. The thought that the only traces of me left in Sa Hae-geon’s house were the clothes I changed out of made me feel a bit empty. It wasn’t much different from my previous confinements.
Feeling strange, I stepped into the entryway. Of course, there were no shoes for me to wear, just like the clothes. I carefully lowered the doorknob, and the front door opened without any resistance. Fortunately, it seemed Sa Hae-geon hadn’t done anything underhanded like locking the door from the outside.
I started moving, keeping in mind that Sa Hae-geon must have received an alert that the front door had opened. I quickly went home, threw off the cumbersome dinosaur pajamas with a tail, and found and put on decent outdoor clothes. Cream in the carrier voiced her complaints.
“Meow, meow!”
“Oh, Cream. Wait a little. Let’s go see grandma and grandpa.”
The sound of the carrier shaking made me feel urgent. After packing several changes of clothes and underwear into a backpack, I searched around the house for my emergency wallet and work cell phone. My original wallet and phone were surely hidden somewhere in Sa Hae-geon’s house.
The items were on a small table next to the entrance. Fortunately, the phone’s battery was fine thanks to being plugged in. I stuffed them into the thick padding pocket and laid a thick blanket in the carrier. Cream, who had been complaining the whole time, hit my hand sharply, but I was used to the pain and didn’t pay much attention.
Occasionally I felt a heavy sensation and a tingling pain, but I tried to ignore it. After arranging the blanket well and closing the carrier door again, Cream glared at me, breathing heavily.
“We’re going to see grandma and grandpa. Stop being angry.”
I picked up the hat I had carelessly thrown on the floor, put it on, and then carefully put on all the hoods attached to the hoodie and padding. The image I checked in the mirror attached to the shoe rack by the entrance was very satisfying. It was just an ordinary appearance you might see on the street.
‘Who would see me as Chae Do-min?’
At this point, no one would see me as the missing Guide, Chae Do-min. With a satisfied smile, I roughly adjusted my appearance, then picked up the backpack and carrier and left the entrance. While waiting for the elevator to arrive, I took out the work cell phone I had put in my pocket and called my parents’ home.
After a few monotonous dial tones, a warm voice came through the receiver.
* * *
Due to slightly more traffic than usual, it would take about an hour more to reach his parents’ home. Sa Hae-geon was in a bad mood due to the chilly feeling running down his spine. Throughout the highway drive, he kept thinking of Chae Do-min. The image of Chae Do-min greeting him at the entrance filled Sa Hae-geon’s mind.
‘Goodbye.’
It was a common greeting, but coming from Chae Do-min’s lips, it somehow felt unsettling. After being lost in such thoughts for about ten minutes, a ding-ding sound from the car connected to his mobile phone made Sa Hae-geon’s hand on the steering wheel twitch. He slightly furrowed his brow and pressed a button embedded in the steering wheel. Soon, a guidance voice flowed through the audio.
– One message has arrived from ‘Entrance Guardian’. Would you like to check it?
A text? There’s nowhere else it could be from. Could it be… Sa Hae-geon momentarily felt as if all the blood in his body had gone cold, then pressed the button again.
– Front door opening notice. If this wasn’t you, please call the number below. 1544-XXXX
For a moment, he felt dizzy. Sa Hae-geon wanted to turn the car around immediately, but that wasn’t possible on the highway. Instead, he checked the road signs. Fortunately, there was a rest area not far away where he could make a U-turn. Sa Hae-geon’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He desperately hoped that the message he received was just a system error.
After driving for a while, Sa Hae-geon arrived home and hurriedly opened the front door. There was no Cream to greet him wagging her tail, no Chae Do-min to ask curiously why he was back so soon. Only a cold silence flowed through the house.
Could he have had something to pick up from home? Is that why he opened the front door? Sa Hae-geon urgently headed to Chae Do-min’s house. He quickly entered the front door password and opened the door to see the interior with traces of Chae Do-min’s hasty movements. Chae Do-min and Cream were nowhere to be found.
Sa Hae-geon stood blankly at the entrance.
“…It’s a lie.”
How could hyung do this to him? How could he leave him behind? This doesn’t make sense. He couldn’t believe it.
Sa Hae-geon grabbed his throbbing head and tightly closed his eyes. He couldn’t grasp what was what, whether his understanding of the situation was correct. He just couldn’t accept this situation. To think that Chae Do-min, whom he had barely managed to catch, had left him behind. His heart pounded violently.
At that moment, the cell phone in his pocket rang. The sudden noise seemed to bring him back to his senses a little. Sa Hae-geon took a short deep breath and slowly answered the phone, glancing at the table by the entrance.
– Where are you now?
The wallet and cell phone that had been carelessly placed on the table were gone. Sa Hae-geon blinked a couple of times and abruptly said to the person on the other end of the call:
“There’s someone I need to find.”
– Huh? What did you say?
“I need to find them before it’s too late.”
– What? What are you talking about? Who do you need to find?
A voice full of bewilderment came from the other end of the line, but Sa Hae-geon only stared at the photo of Chae Do-min hugging Cream tightly, placed on the table, without answering.
