Chapter 3 Part 4

Shinru’s crown, as he smoothed his torn collar and assessed whether it could be mended, was directly below Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes. The scent that brushed his nose was a faint smell of soap. He wanted to touch it.

Jeong Tae-ui, whose fingers twitched as he debated whether to touch the swirl of hair on Shinru’s head, quickly lowered his hand and gave up when Shinru lifted his head. If his uncle had seen him, he would have clicked his tongue, calling him a coward.

“You worked hard today too. The regular workday won’t last much longer.”

Shinru said that and smiled, and only then did Jeong Tae-ui realize it was already late afternoon. He turned his head, and outside the window, reddish clouds were spreading across the sky. Always being underground, he couldn’t keep track of time without looking at a clock.

“The sky is truly beautiful…”

Jeong Tae-ui murmured in admiration. It wasn’t just because he was always cooped up underground and couldn’t properly see the sky. In fact, the blending colors of deep blue and reddish-purple spreading across the expanse of the sky were exquisitely beautiful.

“I heard there are snakes outside here?”

“Yes? Yes. They come out often at night. But that’s more in the forest area; the coast is fine.”

“Hmmmm. Want to go together?”

“…Now?”

Shinru asked back softly, sounding a little flustered. Jeong Tae-ui smiled and nodded. And inwardly, he admired himself.

See, if I just set my mind to it, I can ask someone on a date without a problem. I’m not some shy fool who just blushes and freezes up, you know. Even if I look like this, I’m famous in clubs for being quick with my hands… No, that’s not a good thing, let’s skip that.

Jeong Tae-ui was proud of himself, but his face was already flushed bright red.

Shinru stared at him, making a strange face. It looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh, or perhaps he was troubled. Jeong Tae-ui flinched a little at that expression, but after a closer look, it didn’t seem to be an unpleasant one, so at least that was a relief.

“Hmm… you don’t want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I haven’t finished my work yet. You should go by yourself, hyung. It seems like the wind is just right.”

Shinru smiled faintly and shook his head. Jeong Tae-ui was disappointed but made an effort not to show it, muttering, “Right, I see.” Suddenly, the sky and everything else made his heart feel heavy.

He thought about going out alone, but once his unnecessarily inflated spirits deflated, that idea also faded. Asking on his own terms and expecting on his own terms, Jeong Tae-ui inwardly gave a bitter laugh, thinking that humans truly are arbitrary creatures.

“Alright, then, keep working hard, and I’ll see you later. Hang in there.”

“Yes, Tae-ui hyung. …Ah, hyung!”

As Jeong Tae-ui turned and walked out of the office, Shinru, who seemed to hesitate for a moment, came out to the office threshold and called him to stop. And to Jeong Tae-ui, who looked back with a puzzled “Huh?”, he offered an embarrassed smile and said.

“Tomorrow or the day after, let’s go together. I know a nice place where people don’t often go.”

“Huh? …Oh… really?”

“Yes. If it’s okay with you, hyung.”

“Oh, of course, I’m fine with it. …Yeah, sure. Anytime. Call me when you’re done with work. I don’t have anything else to do after regular hours.”

Jeong Tae-ui laughed in embarrassment at the sudden turn of events, yet quickly nodded. Then, he unnecessarily fiddled with the Pager provided by the branch and added, “You can contact me anytime.”

Shinru, who replied “Yes” with a bright smile and a greeting, went back into the office, and Jeong Tae-ui, left alone in the corridor, stared blankly at the spot where Shinru had stood for a while before silently clenching his fist. See, it was worth saying something. Anyway, even if it’s not today, we’ll be able to meet just the two of us tomorrow or the day after, right?

Jeong Tae-ui eventually gave up trying to suppress the smile that kept rising to his lips and turned away. His mood quickly brightened. He even felt like going outside and happily looking around. But since he would be going out with Shinru soon, it would be better to save his outdoor excursion for then.

Jeong Tae-ui hummed a tune as he headed for the elevator. However, while waiting for the elevator, which was stopped on B5, to come up, he shook his head. There was still a little time left in the regular workday. Normally, he would have to go back. From the start, he had planned to skip work with Shinru. Just because it was now, he didn’t feel like going back to finish sparring. If he didn’t go back, he would get into considerable trouble later, but his already excited heart didn’t want to turn back.

“…In times like these, it’s best to just roll around in a room with plenty of food and plenty to read…”

Jeong Tae-ui, muttering to himself, turned away from the elevator and went down the stairs. His uncle’s room, full of food and reading material, was his destination. The key, dangling pleasantly in his pocket, brushed against his fingertips.

After getting off on B1 and walking to his uncle’s room, as always, he didn’t encounter anyone. It truly was a sparsely populated floor. A murder here wouldn’t be discovered for a long time—… no, that couldn’t be right. Since surveillance cameras were installed everywhere.

Jeong Tae-ui pointed out each camera installed in inconspicuous places as he headed toward his uncle’s room. Before entering his uncle’s room, he politely gave a peace sign towards the one camera there, then knocked on the door. Knocking on the door was pointless, though. If his uncle was inside, the door would certainly not be locked, and if he wasn’t, it would be locked. So, at least as a request to open the door, it was unnecessary. Nor did it seem like a way to announce his arrival. His uncle would have already known someone was approaching the door from the moment Jeong Tae-ui turned the corner.

He knocked a couple of times, paused briefly, then pulled the doorknob. The door was locked. Jeong Tae-ui subtly raised an eyebrow and took the key from his pocket. It was a key he had received previously with the room owner’s permission. His uncle had readily given him the key, telling him to come and read any books he wanted whenever he liked.