‘As if I’d fall for such an obvious provocation.’
Whether he intended it or not, it seemed clear he was testing me. I swallowed my rising emotions and said,
“I’m quite tired today and would like to talk quickly, so may I get straight to the point?”
Using my ability as a good excuse, I directed the conversation to its main point.
The Center Director, seeing my approach, seemed to lose interest as he put up a sound barrier and nodded slightly. I spoke as previously arranged with Peter, and the Center Director stared at me with inscrutable eyes while tilting his head at an angle.
“Is that all?”
“Yes. That’s all I’ve found out.”
It was abundantly clear from his reaction that what I said wasn’t what the Center Director wanted to hear. Unlike his initial eagerness in setting up this appointment, his attitude had become bland. I checked the watch on my wrist. It was about time for the contact to come in.
“Well, you’ve tried. You seem to have gotten quite close to Peter in the past week.”
The Center Director was about to say something more, but the ringtone beat him to it.
After briefly looking puzzled at the unfamiliar number, his face instantly hardened. He ended the call with an icily frightening expression and got up hurriedly.
“Something’s come up at home that I need to attend to urgently.”
Watching him leave with barely a goodbye, I had to bite my tongue to suppress a smile that was threatening to emerge.
“I don’t know what happened, but it must be quite urgent.”
As I spoke to his back, his body paused.
“…Come to think of it.”
Whatever thought had occurred to him, he turned only his head to look at me. His strange gaze held a trace of suspicion. It was probably due to the association with the word ‘fire.’
“Did you have something to say to me?”
But for that reason, the Center Director shouldn’t suspect me. I had been with him the whole time, and he himself could prove it. The Center Director must know this fact, which is why he was looking at me with such an ambiguous attitude.
The Center Director turned his body and approached me again.
“Do you have a moment?”
When planning Operation Flower Viewing, I had anticipated various reactions from the Center Director. But regardless of how he might respond, my answer was already decided.
“No, I don’t have time.”
I straightened my back, stood up, and politely declined.
The Center Director, who had apparently expected me to follow him, looked at me with an expression of incomprehension.
“I have a prior engagement. Since our talk seems to be over, I’ll take my leave first.”
I walked past the frozen Center Director and left the scene.
For someone who needed to have everything under his control, he must be feeling quite upset that suddenly nothing was going his way.
‘Ah, that feels satisfying.’
When I recalled his eyes wavering at my refusal, a chuckle leaked out.
“Now, let’s enjoy our flower viewing.”
I hummed a tune as I headed to the promised location where everyone was waiting.
A short while later, I arrived at a low hill overlooking the Center Director’s house. In terms of good viewpoints, there was also the rooftop of a building near the Center Director’s house, but I chose this place, which was the farthest away.
Well past dinner time, I walked up the deserted path and came upon a clearing lined with exercise equipment and benches. And at the gazebo built just below the mountain peak, the entire group had gathered.
“Welcome.”
Do Wonjin, who spotted me first, waved his hand widely. Although there were lights installed, the moonlight was brighter tonight. Seeing Do Wonjin’s bright expression, I could tell that the plan had proceeded smoothly.
“Hyung, good work.”
Though I hadn’t done anything, Yang Garam looked at me with uncomfortably sparkling eyes, and Jeong Seyeon, though silent, nodded steadily.
“I’ve saved you the best seat. Sit here.”
Do Wonjin led me to a spot he had prepared in advance and showed me the view down the mountain. I was worried that we might not find it easily due to the distance, but the blazing flames were quite conspicuous in the dark night sky.
Each time the flames surged, black smoke filled the night sky. Though I couldn’t see it clearly, judging by the amount of smoke, it seemed fair to assume that more than half of his house had already burned down.
“So, do you like it?”
Do Wonjin put his arm around my shoulder as we gazed at the scene together.
“Yeah, it’s burning well.”
I thought that after so much time had passed, I wouldn’t remember anymore, but seeing this sight made me feel as if I’d gone back to that winter when I was twenty. The day I lost both my home, filled with memories of my father, and my mother at the same time. Me rushing into the fire like a madman, and my younger brother just stamping his feet as he watched me. The sensations of that moment came back to life vividly, as if I’d returned to the past.
“I hope it all burns down without even leaving ashes.”
Even for someone like the Center Director, having his house suddenly reduced to ashes must be somewhat of a blow. But considering what I went through, it was still far from enough. That day, I lost my family and my home.
“Yeah, may it all burn away without leaving even a speck of ash.”
As I listened to Do Wonjin’s words of support beside me, I gazed endlessly at the Center Director’s burning house.
The guides stayed by my side until the fire trucks arrived, the fire was extinguished, and all flames disappeared.
As I got up to go home with a much-relieved heart after the flower viewing ended, I suddenly remembered the errand I had given to Yang Garam.
“Oh right, where’s Serubi?”
I had given Yang Garam the mission to take Serubi and circle the Center Director’s house once while Do Wonjin prepared to set the fire. The reason I specifically chose Yang Garam was because, since Joo Seolhyeon disappeared, he was the one Serubi most easily bossed around. He should have come directly here from the Center Director’s house, but Serubi wasn’t in Yang Garam’s hands.
“Ah, well, you see, hyung.”
Yang Garam looked at me with visibly flustered face, and Do Wonjin also turned toward us at the mention of Serubi’s name.
“Jeongjae, actually.”
Do Wonjin called me with an awkward smile.
“I asked the youngest to help a bit, and Serubi disappeared during that time.”
“I’m sorry. I lost Serubi.”
They both told me at the same time.
The dejected Yang Garam said he should have been more careful, while Do Wonjin shrugged, saying that Serubi was already hard to see because he’s so black, so how could they possibly find him.
“It’s okay, Garam. Serubi has legs too, so he might be wandering around a bit. No need to be sorry.”
“Yeah, they say cats have a homing instinct, so he might be at home when we get there.”
Somehow, Do Wonjin and I ended up consoling Yang Garam, then looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
“Jeongjae, are you really okay with Serubi being missing?”
“What about you? Aren’t you being a bit too unconcerned?”
Do Wonjin suddenly changed his attitude at my words.
“I am worried. Right now, he’s probably realized he’s lost his hyungs and is crying while looking for us.”
Do Wonjin made a pitiful expression with drooping eyebrows. But at this point, such words didn’t feel sincere at all.
“Never mind, just be your usual self.”
I should wish for what I really want.
When I spoke with a sigh, Do Wonjin’s expression returned to normal. He smirked and started teasing Yang Garam who was walking with low energy, and I fell into my own worries with their bickering as background noise.
‘I should reveal Serubi’s true identity soon, but when should I tell them?’
I felt uneasy whenever I saw the guides who firmly believed Serubi was my pet cat. Especially seeing them jumping into this plan as if it were their own business, I had been feeling increasingly guilty lately.
“Has the presence of a Masu been confirmed?”
With the word ‘Masu’ filling my head, I was startled for a moment when I received a question related to it, thinking it was about me.
“Yes, a Masu?”
“I mean the Masu that the Center Director is raising.”
The one who asked me the question was Jeong Seyeon, who hadn’t said a word until now. I nodded in response to his question, calming my fluttering heart.
‘Serubi’s disappearance itself is evidence that there’s a Masu. It’s definitely there.’
The clue about a Masu being in the Center Director’s house was discovered while reading Joo Seolhyeon’s memory, so it was uncertain whether it still existed now, five years before that time. However, Serubi had confirmed its existence by detecting traces of a Masu from Joo Seolhyeon, and based on Serubi’s disappearance at the Center Director’s house, we could also infer that the Masu was in the basement of that house.
‘The key is whether Serubi made contact with the Masu.’
I had told Serubi to run away if the Masu was hostile to us, and to persuade and bring it if possible, but I wasn’t sure what the result would be.
“The presence of a Masu has been confirmed, but I still don’t know what its purpose is.”
I wasn’t sure whether the Center Director was raising the Masu simply for disposing of bodies, or if he was planning something using the Masu. I thought I would need to hear from Serubi to know for sure.
Thinking that if Serubi was at home, I would confess without further delay that he was a Masu, I headed home. And in front of the house, Serubi was already waiting for us.
But the problem was that Serubi wasn’t alone.
Woof!
A dirty dog was sticking close to Serubi’s side. I had no idea where he had brought it from. Even though Serubi threw annoyed cat punches, the dog only avoided them momentarily before quickly attaching itself to Serubi again.
“Serubi!”
Yang Garam, perhaps moved that Serubi, whom he thought was lost, had returned home before us, ran out like a bullet and hugged him. The dog next to Serubi wagged its tail happily at the sight of Yang Garam.
“Where on earth did this dog come from?”
Do Wonjin, probably thinking it was a stray dog based on its filthy appearance, waved his hand to chase it away. But the dog seemed to think he was playing and instead excitedly rushed toward Do Wonjin.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
