#88
“I’m sorry. Please understand that I was also very surprised. How shocked I was when I heard the news. I left an important guest behind and rushed here, so will you forgive me?”
Ho-woo felt Oh-yul’s body, which was supporting him, trembling slightly. Even while smiling, Yul was pretending to be calm, hiding his anxiety.
Come to think of it, he must have been very surprised.
Even if it were him, he would be shocked if he suddenly received a call saying Oh-yul had been kidnapped. Though in his case, it would be concern for the kidnapper rather than for Oh-yul.
This man isn’t the type to get kidnapped in the first place.
But then…
“How did you know I was here?”
Bae Gi-hong had left his pager behind. Since it seemed the location tracking was done through the pager, he had expected they wouldn’t be able to find him, but Oh-yul had not only come here in an instant but also pinpointed the exact location at once.
Isn’t that a bit strange?
When Ho-woo gave him a suspicious look, Yul smiled brightly.
“It’s the power of love.”
“…”
Is this a joke?
“Now let’s go back and rest. You made a promise to me, remember?”
“A promise?”
“I’ll choose the shirt for you.”
“Wait, did I promise that?”
When did I…?
“Let’s go.”
Even though Ho-woo had a bewildered look on his face, Oh-yul ignored it and only said what he wanted to say. He stood at the edge of the broken building he had burst through. Ho-woo glanced up at Oh-yul from the corner of his eye, seeing the devastating scene behind him.
Whether it was the power of love or some other power, let’s stop questioning it since I received help anyway.
“Is it okay to leave those people like that?”
“Espers who will clean up will be here soon. They were too slow to keep up with my pace, so I came first. They should be arriving about now.”
With perfect timing, several cars and a few Espers could be seen approaching the hotel from under the broken debris. Among those people, Ho-woo found a familiar face.
“Han Seong-won is here too.”
A moment of silence followed. The man with tightly closed lips slightly raised the end of his eyebrow.
“Are you close with Esper Han Seong-won?”
“Close? Hmm… Wouldn’t we just be acquaintances who know each other’s faces?”
It’s just that I’ve seen his face a few times, so I’m glad to see him in a situation like this, but it would be a bit of a stretch to call us close.
Meanwhile, Han Seong-won, who had arrived at the bottom of the hotel, seemed to have spotted Oh-yul standing at the edge of the broken hole and was waving his arms widely.
“Captain―!”
His voice was so loud and clear that it could be heard distinctly even though there were quite a few floors. At that call, Ho-woo urgently grabbed Oh-yul’s clothes, who looked like he might jump down at any moment.
“Elevator!”
“…”
“…Let’s use the things that were made for us to use.”
The Esper quietly turned around.
Tsunami
Ho-woo opened his eyes wide.
When did I fall asleep?
He remembered meeting Han Seong-won at the shabby hotel and exchanging brief greetings. He also remembered getting into the car they had prepared, but after that was a blank.
It seemed like he had fallen asleep once the tension eased, but the place he was lying didn’t look like his home. His clothes had even been changed.
Where am I?
With this natural question in mind, Ho-woo carefully looked around the dark space. The room he surveyed, relying on the faint light coming through the gaps of the heavy curtains pressing down on the windows, was indeed an unfamiliar space.
As his thoughts reached the point that Oh-yul must have brought him here, so it couldn’t be a dangerous place, his wariness eased somewhat.
Ho-woo, whose eyes had become somewhat accustomed to the darkness, found the entrance and carefully got out of bed. Cautiously moving his steps in case there was something under his feet, Ho-woo reached the entrance and turned the doorknob.
Click-
Huh?
Click- Click-
Even after turning it several times, the locked doorknob wouldn’t turn beyond a certain point.
“What’s this?”
A mutter tinged with perplexity escaped his lips.
Am I really in a safe place?
Ho-woo, who had become scared realizing that his assumption of being in a space with Oh-yul was just that – an assumption, hunched his shoulders. Meanwhile, his eyes had somewhat adapted to the darkness, and he surveyed his surroundings again, which were now dimly visible. First, it seemed it would be easier to explore the room if he removed the curtains blocking the light from outside.
Flailing his arms forward, Ho-woo approached the window and pulled back the rather heavy curtains. He barely managed to close his mouth, which was about to open involuntarily at the sight of the small garden lamp lit outside and the full view of the room that was now visible at a glance.
“Where is this place?”
Even though he muttered as if asking himself, there was no answer or place that came to mind. The scene of the room with the light from the garden lamp seeping in was quite strange.
There was a desk, chair, and table in the room that were too small for an adult to use. On that table was an open fairy tale book, which, although not clearly visible, was full of beach scenes. Despite other things being hidden in darkness, Ho-woo instinctively realized.
This is a child’s room.
Although clean, simple, and austere, these weren’t furniture for adults to use. The only peculiar thing about this room was that at least the bed wasn’t child-sized. After examining every corner of the room relying on the faint light, Ho-woo soon came to one conclusion.
I don’t know where this is, but escape is impossible!
The room Ho-woo was in was on the second floor, and while the window could be opened, there was nothing visible to grab or climb down with. In books or movies, they tear bed sheets and tie them together to use as a rope, but those must be really brave people.
Ho-woo poked his head out of the open window to look down, then quietly closed it. Let’s not make any reckless attempts that might result in injury and more danger.
After sitting on the bed pondering for a moment, Ho-woo was startled when the firmly locked doorknob began to rattle and move. Someone was opening the door from the outside. Tension circled Ho-woo’s face as the person on the other side of the door could be Oh-yul or someone else.
“Wh-who is it?”
A cautious voice, slightly muffled by fear, flowed out. At that voice, the person on the other side of the door seemed to pause their action for a moment, as the rattling of the doorknob also stopped. But soon, the small noise of rattling was heard again. As the lock was released and the door opened silently, Ho-woo faced a familiar silhouette through the gap. Only then did the tension that had risen to the top of his head ease at the sight of that familiar bulk.
“Why do you look so surprised?”
Yul’s soft voice cut through the darkness. Ho-woo frowned at that question. Is this a situation where one wouldn’t be surprised? He woke up in an unfamiliar space, and moreover, the door was locked. He should be praised for maintaining this level of composure.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Yul approached and reached out to cup Ho-woo’s cheek. It was a light touch, as if handling a delicate glass sculpture. Feeling Ho-woo’s slight nod in response to his question, his lover asked again.
“Are you hungry?”
Am I hungry? …I think so.
Even after waking up, the extreme tension had persisted, preventing him from feeling hunger. Belatedly, an embarrassing growling sound came from his stomach. Though it was a small sound, in the settled quiet atmosphere, that sound was as loud as thunder.
The man laughed softly, rumbling his throat. Ho-woo felt truly embarrassed at that laughter.
“It’s too late to eat something, so I’ll warm up some milk for you. It should help you forget your hunger somewhat.”
The hand that had been caressing his cheek came down to firmly grasp Ho-woo’s hand. Following Oh-yul’s guidance, his fingers intertwined like sturdy vines, as they left the room, bright light was shining from the stairs connected to the lower floor.
Coming down the stairs, the first floor that came into view was quite large even at a glance. An elegant brown sofa in the living room and a large window directly connected to the garden. The abstruse painting hanging on the wall made it feel like a rich house one would only see on TV.
Oh-yul pulled Ho-woo to sit at an island counter with a white marble top. There was no awkwardness in the entire process, making Ho-woo realize that this space wasn’t unfamiliar to Oh-yul.
Oh-yul opened the refrigerator, took out milk, and poured it into a cup. The white mug looked particularly small in his hand. He set it down in front of Ho-woo as it was.
Didn’t he say he’d warm it up?
Anyway, since he had provided it while Ho-woo was hungry, he didn’t feel like questioning it. Ho-woo, gripping the mug, opened his eyes wide at the subtle warmth felt from the cup.
In that brief moment, as if he had used some ability, the milk was moderately warm. Neither too cold nor too hot, the milk containing just the right warmth was perfect for drinking before sleep.
Hasn’t there been a situation like this before?
As Ho-woo felt a sense of déjà vu, he let out a silent exclamation at the brief memory that flashed through his mind.
“That time.”
Oh-yul, who was leaning on the table with his arms propped up, seemed unable to gauge which time Ho-woo was referring to and quietly waited for the rest of the words.
“When you distributed rice cakes.”
“Ah.”
It was like this on the day he had just moved in next door and came to give rice cakes.
Oh-yul, who now realized what time Ho-woo was talking about, nodded slightly. It was a gesture encouraging him to continue speaking.
“The rice cakes were definitely cold, but they suddenly became warm.”
How did you do that? In response to that questioning look, Yul lightly shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not a difficult task. You just need to quickly vibrate the water molecules contained in the food.”
…Like a microwave.
“Easy, right?”
Not at all.
Ho-woo firmly gripped the mug with both hands. It’s so annoying. What’s easy about that?
