# 70
Jin-ha closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Riyekan’s satisfied smile was unbearably smug. Jin-ha had been about to say something, but the thought completely vanished. It was clear from Riyekan’s face that any complaint would fall on deaf ears.
He just shook his head and turned away, but Riyekan grabbed his wrist.
“I’ve prepared a pretty good gift that’s almost ready. I’ll give it to you when you return. You can look forward to it.”
Jin-ha was confused at first by this sudden statement, but soon realized it was about information on the Abon Kingdom.
Could it be that Riyekan suddenly felt guilty about kissing him in front of everyone? Unable to understand the inner thoughts of a man whose moods changed as quickly as boiling porridge, Jin-ha just quietly nodded.
“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Good. You’ll definitely be satisfied.”
“Understood. Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
Jin-ha smiled slightly, bade farewell, and crossed the portal. Riyekan, left behind, stood silently staring at the portal for a while.
A strange silence filled the place. The children watched the atmosphere without understanding what was happening, and Seo Ji-seop stepped forward, positioning the children behind him.
Finally, Riyekan turned around, glanced at Ji-seop, and passed by them with no emotion, as if looking at a rock or a tree.
“Legas.”
“Yes, Master.”
Riyekan commanded Legas, who appeared immediately upon being called.
“It must be the Summer Palace after all.”
“I will pressure the royal family.”
“Since he said he’s coming the day after tomorrow, get a definite answer by tomorrow, and make other preparations in advance.”
“Yes, Master.”
* * *
After crossing the portal, Jin-ha staggered and stopped, overcome by a dizzying sensation. He found it difficult to move due to a strange dizziness and nausea.
“Mr. Jin-ha, are you alright?”
“Yes…”
The government official in charge of portal protection and entry affairs supported Jin-ha to a chair. After examining Jin-ha’s condition, he said,
“Did you have gate sickness before?”
“No.”
“It’s rare, but it can sometimes occur suddenly. You should get a medical examination.”
“I will.”
“By the way, did you have plans to go out today?”
Normally, logistics passing through the portal and people’s entry and exit schedules were reported in advance through documents and approved.
“I came out when I heard the Deputy Director is missing.”
“Mr. Jin-ha, it’s problematic to ignore procedures. This is a place where entry and exit are strictly controlled, and without permission from higher-ups, you can’t leave…”
It was natural for the official, as a civil servant, to be uncomfortable with sudden events. Until now, Jin-ha had never felt particularly uncomfortable about this fact, but perhaps because he wasn’t feeling well, he found it quite irritating now.
“I was supposed to receive something from the Deputy Director in exchange for entering the portal. If the Deputy Director doesn’t show up, is there any reason for me to continue this work?”
“……”
“I need to check if he’s just taking care of business somewhere or if he’s really missing.”
“But…”
“Isn’t the ‘higher-up’ you mentioned Section Chief Nam? Why don’t you just ask him?”
“Section Chief Nam is currently in Suncheon looking for the Deputy Director. So immediate contact…”
Jin-ha decided to choose a quicker and simpler method rather than trying to persuade the civil servant who was stretching out his refusal. There was an easier way, though it might cause some noise.
“…Then I’ll request coordination with the Association.”
“What?”
Jin-ha abruptly stood up and went to the locker installed on one side of the wall. After pressing the password, he took out the phone he had stored inside. The startled civil servant who had been following him grabbed Jin-ha’s wrist with both hands in panic.
“Mr. Jin-ha!”
After meeting Jin-ha’s cold gaze, the civil servant swallowed dryly and slowly let go.
“Ah, I understand. I’ll take care of it. I’ll process your outing…”
“Please call a helicopter.”
Instead of pointing out the contradiction in the civil servant’s words, Jin-ha requested a helicopter. The civil servant hurriedly nodded and rushed to the direct phone line to Cheongju.
Watching him frantically speak into the receiver, Jin-ha breathed a low sigh.
* * *
By the time the helicopter landed on the Cheongju headquarters rooftop, it was already evening. In his urgency, Jin-ha jumped out of the helicopter before it had fully landed.
His destination was the Deputy Director’s office. He let out a low groan when he confirmed that no one was in front of the office where a secretary would usually be waiting. Thinking about it, it made sense. What reason would a secretary have to work overtime in front of an office where the Deputy Director wasn’t even present?
Thinking he would have to come back tomorrow to check the Deputy Director’s office, Jin-ha turned around and, on his way back to the elevator, switched off the corridor lights out of his habit of being the last to leave.
Jin-ha’s movement froze in the pitch-black darkness.
“……”
It was light. At the end of the corridor, where the city’s characteristic gloomy light crept in through the windows creating an eerie atmosphere, clear incandescent light was leaking from the gap in the Deputy Director’s office door.
Jin-ha instinctively opened his Information Eye and walked quietly in that direction. The faint sounds of drawers opening and closing and papers being flipped could be heard from inside.
Jin-ha gripped his bracelet turned into a dagger and opened the door.
“…Section Chief Nam?”
“Mr. Jin-ha.”
Section Chief Nam, who had been leaning forward with various documents spread out on the Deputy Director’s desk, paused and then slowly straightened up. His pitch-black eyes stared directly at Jin-ha.
It was a strange gaze. Despite having worked together for a long time, there was a mix of unfamiliarity, as if meeting a stranger, and pleasure, as if meeting someone long-awaited after a very long time.
Suddenly, Section Chief Nam smiled as usual.
“What brings you here, Mr. Jin-ha?”
“That’s my line. I heard you went to Suncheon.”
“I came up empty in Suncheon. I came back to look for the next clue. And you?”
“I came when I heard the Deputy Director is missing.”
“I see.”
Section Chief Nam nodded.
“Your help would be useful. I’ll give you access to a folder of related information I’ve collected via messenger. But the physical documents have been moved to the document storage room, so you’ll only be able to check them tomorrow.”
Not long after Section Chief Nam tapped on his phone, a notification sounded on Jin-ha’s phone. Jin-ha briefly checked it and asked,
“But why did you come here?”
The Deputy Director’s office, which had been turned upside down once to find traces of where the missing Deputy Director had gone, was in a mess as if someone had hurriedly moved out. Except for a few pieces of scrap paper scattered on the floor.
As Jin-ha approached, Section Chief Nam showed him the paper he had spread on the desk.
“This is…”
“When I used to work with the Deputy Director, I once saw him stick important documents under the drawer. It occurred to me later, so I came to check and found this.”
It was the document the Deputy Director had shown Jin-ha. The one where information about Jin-ha’s father had been blacked out, making the content unreadable.
“Do you know what this is?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Jin-ha managed to feign composure as he answered.
His rational mind told him he could trust and tell Section Chief Nam. This was because his Information Eye did not read any suspicious information about the Section Chief. His name was Nam Hyun-seok, he was 47 years old, and a confirmed bachelor. He had lost his parents during the World Cataclysm and had spent his entire life as a civil servant after joining Cheongju, always watching others and being a passive man.
“Is this related to the Deputy Director’s disappearance?”
“It might be.”
“…It seems to be data about a person. There’s not much information, but he’s a man, middle-aged…”
At that moment, Section Chief Nam suddenly took out a handkerchief and offered it to Jin-ha.
“Mr. Jin-ha, you’re sweating a lot. Are you not feeling well?”
“…You mean me?”
Only then did Jin-ha become conscious of the fact that his vision was spinning and he felt chills. His stomach didn’t feel good either. It was the same condition as when he had just left the portal, with a few additional symptoms.
“I had gate sickness symptoms. I thought I was better, but…”
“Gate sickness is caused by magical power. You should refrain from using magical power. It would be better to close your Information Eye, okay?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he closed his Information Eye, the chills subsided as if it had been a lie. Jin-ha said, partly to leave,
“I’m sorry, Section Chief Nam. I should be going now.”
“Right. You shouldn’t push yourself when you’re not feeling well. Go home.”
“Yes. Then…”
After Jin-ha, whose complexion had noticeably paled, left the Deputy Director’s office, Section Chief Nam stared at the closed door for a long time.
Only after carefully waiting to confirm that the footsteps had entered the elevator and the elevator had plunged downward did Section Chief Nam bend down, pull out the desk drawer, and feel inside. With a click, he lifted and pushed the top panel, revealing the Deputy Director’s hidden secret compartment. When he inserted his hand, he finally felt what he wanted.
Zzzp— an envelope attached with double-sided tape came off. Section Chief Nam opened the envelope, took out the documents inside, and scanned them.
“…To think he died 10 years ago…”
An indescribable emotion swirled in Section Chief Nam’s eyes. He seemed to be looking at someone from the past through the documents.
Just as his trembling hand tightened, crumpling the paper,
“Oh no.”
Pssk, the color disappeared from the gem in the ring on his thumb as if the light went out. At the same time, the ends of Section Chief Nam’s hair began to fade.
Section Chief Nam clicked his tongue, then took out a small vial from the bag placed beside the desk and dropped its contents onto the gem. It was magical water. The gem, which absorbed the liquid, soon regained its light. Then, the fading ends of his hair darkened again.
After checking once more around the desk to see if he had missed anything, he left the place.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
