Chapter 71
“Don’t you know? Did he find something good somewhere?”
Jang Jae-gyeong merely tilted his head slightly. Feeling both urgent and bewildered by his answer, I grabbed Jang Jae-gyeong and shook him.
“What are you talking about? Speak properly. Where is Doyun-ssi?”
Jang Jae-gyeong pressed his lips together and looked at me, then just tilted his head this way and that again. What’s wrong with this person? I felt like my insides would burst from frustration.
After stamping my feet anxiously, I practically ran to the window and clung to it. I could see men running wild in the forest, albeit partially. Specifically, only their hurriedly moving legs were visible, obscured by trees. If they had moved a bit further away, not even their toes would be visible because of the trees, but perhaps they hadn’t given up on the building yet? They hadn’t moved far.
Thinking that Kim Doyun might be somewhere nearby, I frantically looked around trying to spot his legs. Seungwoo approached me and spoke.
“That man, you know.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
As I was so out of it that I couldn’t even hear Seungwoo’s words, he patted my leg, telling me to calm down. Only then did I come to my senses and rubbed my eyes. I must have been really out of it if a child had to tell me to calm down.
“I’m sorry. Uncle is a bit distracted…”
“It’s okay. My mom and dad were like that too when they saw the monsters.”
Looking at Seungwoo, who was shrugging and saying he wasn’t that scared, I couldn’t help but smile. Just one action from the child immediately calmed me down. After taking a deep breath, I asked Seungwoo.
“What did you say earlier?”
“I know where Doyun ahjussi went.”
“Where did he go?”
Seungwoo opened his eyes wide at my urgent questioning. Then, glancing at me cautiously, he spoke carefully.
“Um, Doyun ahjussi said he had an urgent matter and would be back soon, then he climbed down from the tree.”
“He said he had an urgent matter? And left you two alone?”
I asked in surprise at Seungwoo’s words. Leaving when there was a sick child, Kim Doyun? My mind became complicated. The Kim Doyun I knew would never do such a thing… I felt worried and thought something was strange. Besides those men, there were only us around, and the only urgent matter was Junwoo being sick. We had enough food and supplies… What could possibly have made him leave two children behind? Seeing my serious face, Seungwoo spoke cautiously.
“Yeah… But right after ahjussi went down, Jae-gyeong ahjussi came… I think he left after seeing Jae-gyeong ahjussi coming.”
“Really?”
I turned my head toward Jang Jae-gyeong to confirm. Jang Jae-gyeong was tapping the floor with his heel, wearing a face that suggested he knew nothing. When our eyes met, he was about to turn his head away but saw my frown and waved his hand in acknowledgment.
“I saw him. That guy going down.”
“Then why didn’t you say something?”
“Why should I?”
Jang Jae-gyeong sharply turned his head as if displeased. Since this wasn’t the first time the two had acted this way, I had nothing to say. I sighed and then patted Seungwoo’s head. When I thanked him for telling me, the child smiled brightly and was pleased.
With a troubled face, I looked out the window. I could still see the increasingly thick dark clouds and the legs of men still running around, squawking. Apparently, they hadn’t found a place to escape to. Either they couldn’t find a tree to climb, or they didn’t have the ability to do so. It was impressive that they had survived this long. Kim Doyun… Unable to suppress my restless feelings, I scratched the innocent windowsill with my nails. Scratch, scratch.
“…I don’t like this.”
Jang Jae-gyeong, who had somehow approached my side, clicked his tongue and pressed down on my head. It seemed to have become his habit to press on my head whenever something happened. Forgetting my anxiety, I looked up at him in disbelief.
“Nothing’s going to happen to that guy, so don’t make such a dying face.”
“…Was I doing that?”
Was my expression that bad? I rubbed my face and lowered my gaze. I saw my fingers still clawing at the windowsill.
“It looked like you were about to jump out at any moment. Are you that worried?”
“Of course. He went alone without any belongings. What if something happens…”
Moreover, I had experienced being separated from Kim Doyun before, which made it worse. The result wasn’t very good then either… The only good thing about being separated from Kim Doyun was meeting Jang Jae-gyeong. What if we can’t meet again for a long time? Anxiety settled back into my fingers. Just when I finally realized how I felt, and when Kim Doyun knew it was similar for him…
I recalled his face as he quietly watched me when I chose Jang Jae-gyeong over him. Belated regret welled up in my stomach. Jang Jae-gyeong, who was staring at me, poked my cheek repeatedly with his index finger.
“I said it’s fine. He’s the kind of guy who wouldn’t die even if I performed a ritual praying for his death. Rather…”
Jang Jae-gyeong, who had been slowly speaking, suddenly closed his mouth and glared outside quietly. Was there something out there? I shifted my gaze following Jang Jae-gyeong’s. Dark clouds gradually filling the sky, and a brightly shining pattern bizarrely tinting the sky. It was bright and frightening in the darkness.
But Jang Jae-gyeong’s gaze was not directed at the sky but below it. Where is he looking? Curious, I moved my gaze along his. I saw the men who had been frantically running around and shouting now standing still.
Since it was getting darker, I had to look carefully to make out anything. It looked like someone was standing in front of the men. I still couldn’t tell who it was, as only legs were visible. Were they having a conversation? As I was watching closely, the wind blew, shaking the branches.
“Huh?”
Between the swaying branches, a figure briefly appeared and then disappeared. I stared at that spot, dumbfounded. If I hadn’t seen wrong, the person standing in front of the men was Kim Doyun. Why Kim Doyun? Why in front of those people?
“Jae-gyeong-ssi, just now, over there…”
I tried to call him, frantically waving my hands. I wanted to confirm if what I saw was correct. But the person presumed to be Kim Doyun quickly disappeared inside. The men who had been standing also hurriedly followed and vanished. What on earth is going on?
“Seongho.”
“…Yes?”
As I was trying to process this with my stunned mind, Jang Jae-gyeong suddenly called me. He had been frowning and glaring outside, but then he smiled slightly and smoothed my hair.
“I have something to do for a moment. Will you wait with the kids?”
“What?”
What’s this now? I asked in surprise, but Jang Jae-gyeong didn’t answer. He turned his back on me and walked casually toward the stairs to the second floor. I was about to hurriedly chase after him when I saw Seungwoo with wide, surprised eyes. I wanted to follow Jang Jae-gyeong, but seeing the startled Seungwoo made me turn my steps.
“Seungwoo, uncle will just go check downstairs for a moment, stay with Junwoo.”
“…Uncle is going somewhere too?”
“Where would I go? I’ll be right here, just look after Junwoo for a moment. Okay?”
Seungwoo, who had been asking with trembling hands, finally calmed down and climbed onto the bed where Junwoo was.
“Come back quickly.”
I nodded to Seungwoo and hurriedly ran down the stairs. On the second floor, Jang Jae-gyeong was crouching in front of the struggling man, quietly studying him. The man facing Jang Jae-gyeong twisted his entire body and let out screams.
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmmmph!”
“Why are you so scared? Am I going to eat you?”
He might not eat him, but he did break his leg. I approached Jang Jae-gyeong’s side and took a deep breath to recover from running down the stairs.
“Jae-gyeong-ssi.”
“Oh, you came down. Stay with the kids.”
Jang Jae-gyeong grabbed the back of the man’s neck and stood up, as if picking up trash. The half-raised man screamed more intensely and twisted his body. With one twisted leg and his body writhing around, he looked just like a giant caterpillar. His bloodshot eyes moved wildly before fixing on me. Feeling uncomfortable and uneasy, I tried not to look at the man. Although he was garbage who had targeted children, seeing his pleading eyes made my heart uneasy and hard to look at.
Just one thing. Just one. I muttered inwardly while thumping my chest.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get rid of this guy.”
“Now?”
“Isn’t it better to get rid of him quickly? There’s nothing good about showing him to the kids.”
That’s true. Especially since he’s the one who killed their parents. If the children saw him and their trauma resurfaced… But even so, the situation outside wasn’t good, and his sudden decision to get rid of him was bewildering. Couldn’t we just stash him in a corner of the storage room on the second floor? Jang Jae-gyeong shook his head at my suggestion.
“What if the kids find him while wandering around? That would be a disaster. And what’s the point of us being considerate to this guy? He beat people to death. He should get a taste of his own medicine.”
“Mmmmph! Mmph!”
As the man’s struggles intensified, the weight on Jang Jae-gyeong’s arms must have been considerable, but his expression remained unchanged. Yet he wasn’t just standing still. With an indifferent face, he kicked the man’s broken leg. Seeing the man in pain made my body shrink. This wasn’t something I thought I’d ever get used to, no matter how much time passed. Jang Jae-gyeong stroked my shrunken head.
“I’ll be back soon, so just wait a bit. It won’t take too long.”
“…Please come back quickly.”
I found myself laughing helplessly without realizing it. The conversation I had just had with Seungwoo was being repeated exactly with Jang Jae-gyeong. Feeling like I was acting too childishly, I became embarrassed. Jang Jae-gyeong seemed to find it funny too, laughing before walking toward the window. The man being dragged along cried more intensely.
“…You’re going that way?”
“Where else would I go?”
“The first floor or…”
“What if a monster comes in when we open the door?”
Jang Jae-gyeong hoisted the man onto his shoulder and placed one leg on the windowsill. After turning his head this way and that as if loosening up, he smiled at me and then suddenly disappeared out the window. I thought he would go down slowly, but he vanished so quickly that I was startled. After being momentarily dazed, I rushed to look out the window.
Jang Jae-gyeong, who had already reached the ground, dropped the man from his shoulder as if throwing him down and was walking away lightly. Despite the sounds of monsters crying in the dark forest, his steps were light. I anxiously stared at his back, then noticed the sky shining brightly and looked up.
Meteor showers were falling from the sky once again.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
