Episode 421
: A sunny weekend.
“How many snacks should I buy?”
“Let’s buy a cake instead of that. A cake. “The cafe I stopped by last time was okay.”
“Then we can go buy a few cups of coffee.”
Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon were on their way to the hotel where Kim Ki-jeong was staying.
The person who contacted me first was Jeong In-ho. Survivors of Ohseong employees, including him, have already contacted the Park siblings after asking Kim Ki-jeong for permission to visit. There was no way they would miss the opportunity to build stronger friendships with survivors and, if not better, to make the most of their weekend.
Park Da-young, who stopped by a cafe near the park, stabbed my younger brother in the side.
“Why?”
“Do you remember that place?”
“ah.”
The place where Park Da-young glanced was a place that Park Da-hoon also remembered.
“…This is the place I stopped by when I first entered the other side of the world.”
“The cake over there wasn’t bad.”
“It wasn’t really my taste.”
“As long as I ate well.”
“The ade was definitely delicious.”
Unlike their memories, the cafe they visited on their way to school was full of life. It was quite a famous place, as I deliberately researched it on the Internet and visited it, and since it was the weekend, there were many students who came together to spend time together. I did not feel the coolness and emptiness that I saw in the other world. Even the appearance was shiny.
Sometimes, I felt a strange feeling when I looked at a normal space, unlike the other side of the world.
“….”
“…Do you care?”
“That’s not true, but it’s interesting.”
“Right.”
The other side of the world is distorted into bizarre shapes depending on one’s thoughts, but even through such distortion, the original form can always be seen. It’s always been amazing how there can be such differences even though it’s clearly the same space.
“Still… it’s a bit over there.”
“I had no intention of going.”
Park Da-hoon shook his head with a tired face. As that was the space I was in when I was first sucked into the other world, I felt a strange sense of ominousness. There was no way that I would immediately fall into the other world if I stopped by that cafe again, but if that actually happened, I would be out of my mind and begging for a while.
After purchasing cake and drinks at a cafe located a little away, the Park siblings slowly moved to the hotel.
“It’s true that there must be a lot of company buildings nearby for it to be bustling.”
“It was okay for a cafe I randomly stopped by. “The ade is delicious too.”
“Ade fanatic… I’ll fill my stomach with water.”
“Who the fuck was it that said there was a separate stomach for desserts?”
“Are water pears and dessert pears the same?”
“Are water and ade the same?”
Park Da-young, who was walking bickering as usual, was startled by a cat that jumped out of the alley and dropped the cake she was holding.
“uh!”
Tup!
Immediately after that, a white hand grabbed it.
“Be careful. “It looks like I just bought it. Wouldn’t it be a shame to drop it?”
“….”
“…Student Dayoung Park?”
Park Da-young gaped at police officer Kim Yeon-woo, who approached her without warning, grabbed her by the shoulder, and held out a cake box with one hand. The bewilderment was doubled because the other person had a very calm face.
“Thank you…?”
“Where did you come from, sister?”
Park Da-hoon, surprised by Kim Yeon-woo’s vague pretense of popularity, also widened his eyes. I wonder if they didn’t notice because it was a very crowded road, but the sight of them quickly approaching and gently catching the falling cake box was enough to startle the siblings.
Only then did Kim Yeon-woo smile shyly.
“I’m sorry for surprising you. He also grabbed my shoulder without asking permission. I came over to say hello, but I guess I got anxious because I suddenly missed the box. “This is almost the first time we’ve met in real life, right?”
“Huh… yes that’s right. “It’s really my first time.”
Hong Gyeong-jun and Kim Yeon-woo, who were police officers, were people who were difficult to meet in private in real life, as they were both professions. Just knowing the direct phone number of the police would seem strange to people who don’t know the behind-the-scenes world. Moreover, as they were police officers, Lee Jae-heon had never gathered them for a meal.
Park Da-young and Park Da-hoon felt better after meeting unexpectedly.
“Your sister’s police uniform is so cool, it’s crazy! Fit well!”
“You look even better in real life. really.”
Kim Yeon-woo burst into refreshing laughter at the two’s fuss. It was a smile so bright and cool that you would not think it was a cold cat-like face.
“Ahaha, thank you for the compliment. Even though they were wearing the same clothes in the other world, it definitely felt different. “I often feel the difference when I look in the mirror.”
“The fact that you’re still wearing those clothes… were you working? “We didn’t interfere, right?”
“It’s almost time to get off work, so you don’t have to worry.”
“leave work?”
“I only worked until morning today.”
Yeonwoo Kim shrugged his shoulders.
“I was contacted by Detective Hong Gyeong-jun. “You all decided to hang out together at the hotel where Kim Ki-jeong is staying?”
“yes yes! Maybe you too…”
“Thank you for offering, but I have to at least finish the report and get off work. Besides, I was planning to go out to eat with my family for the first time in a while, so I think we will have to postpone the meeting until later.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
“I work near here anyway, so I’ll be able to see you often. Have a good weekend.”
“My sister too.”
“Take care, sister.”
Da-hoon Park scratched the back of his neck at the short but surprising meeting.
“…Since I’m moving house, I can meet again like this.”
“There’s something about it that’s a little… strange.”
The walk back to the hotel was brisk.
“It feels good.”
Park Da-hoon asked as Park Da-young’s words passed by.
“why?”
“You’re a good person, that sister.”
“…Not really.”
When Park Da-young had just started to return, there was no one she could rely on and she had to get up in a hurry. The person who believed in her clumsy actions without the slightest doubt was Kim Yeon-woo. As someone who didn’t know about regression, she must have had many questions, but she didn’t ask Park Da-young about them.
Take full responsibility only on yourself. However, I believed and followed the words of Park Da-young, a student younger than me. A person who showered them with generous affection so that they could avoid being hurt as much as possible.
“….”
“….”
Park Da-hoon was the first to open his mouth.
“…He’s a good adult.”
“…huh.”
They had been hurt a lot by adults, and of the two, the one who suffered more was Park Da-hoon. Therefore, his older sister, Park Da-young, could not interfere even as Park Da-hoon’s distrust of humanity deepened. It was because I knew that it was very presumptuous and that it crushed Park Da-hoon’s pride.
But now, Park Da-hoon was the first to say the word ‘good adult.’
“They are all good adults.”
That’s why Park Da-young was able to admit it.
Jaeheon Lee was their pillar and center. Based on that, the siblings carefully smoothed out the loose land and built a new pillar on top of it. So now I have learned that there are quite a few good people in the world and that there is a place for them somewhere.
“…Should I ask for chicken?”
“Isn’t pizza good?”
“Is this ignoring the chicken now?”
“When it comes to chicken, there are different likes and dislikes depending on the part. “Pizza is divided equally into 8 parts.”
“Where do you mix pizza with God?”
Kim Ki-jeong was the one who greeted them at the entrance of the hotel where they arrived while playfully exchanging words with each other.
“Oh guys….”
“Mister!”
“We’re here.”
“No, what did you buy like this? “I’m sorry.”
Kim Ki-jeong, who said that, rubbed his neck with an embarrassed expression, perhaps because he was truly sorry and not just empty words. Kim Ki-jeong, who was adjusting his thick outerwear as if he was very cold even on a clearly warm day, led the siblings.
“Isn’t the drink heavy? Give it to me so I can carry it.”
“It’s not that heavy.”
“It looks like I made the kids run an errand… Just give it to me so I have some face.”
Although his tone was not kind, his gaze was careful and gentle as he checked to see if the siblings were having a hard time on the way. Even though he was so tickled by other adults, he didn’t seem to be able to do that to his siblings who were students. It was like that in the other world as well.
“I’d like to invite people like you to the hotel too…”
“What about other people?”
“Everyone was already there and waiting. I went down in advance after receiving news that Da-hoon was coming. “I wonder if it was difficult on the way… well, it wasn’t difficult?”
“It wasn’t really difficult. “It’s close to home.”
“Oh yeah. “Hmm, that’s a relief.”
As if this situation was unfamiliar, Kim Ki-jeong’s face showed an awkward excitement.
“….”
“…Uh, why?”
“Do you like cake?”
“Oh, I like it. “I’m not the type of person who doesn’t like sweets…”
It was quite nice to see Kim Ki-jeong’s face muttering vaguely.
Park Da-hoon thought to himself.
‘…This guy’s personality has also improved a lot.’
At first, I was wary of everyone who approached me except kindergarteners. This might be a natural reaction in a world where killers and monsters roam, but even if that wasn’t the case, there was something obsessive about the way he wiped away everything his skin touched, as if he couldn’t tolerate it.
Unlike then, Kim Ki-jeong now looks definitely comfortable, even if he looks a little embarrassed. Following the meeting with Kim Yeon-woo, Park Da-hoon also felt at ease.
“Now here is room 3201….”
“Mr. Kim Ki-jeong?”
By the time we got to the door, someone called Kim Ki-jeong.
A middle-aged man wearing a neat suit. There was nothing particularly unusual about it, but it had a subtle hint of wealth. As the hotel itself, where Kim Ki-jeong invited the siblings, has a price range, the financial level of the guests staying there also seemed to be rising.
At that time, an educated man who seemed to have handled money approached me and nodded, looking happy.
“Oh, that’s right. Mr. Kim Ki-jeong!”
“…Who are you?”
“I saw him once at an orchestra held in London the year before last. “I never thought we would meet like this.”
“Oh yeah.”
“At that time I…”
“Yes.”
Park Da-hoon realized that Kim Ki-jeong’s face when he answered like that was red in itself.
‘Oh no.’
It’s not that my personality has improved, it’s just that I have someone I like more.
First of all, Park Da-hoon and Park Da-young felt happy because they seemed to fall into the category of ‘favorite people’. Whether Kim Ki-jeong’s personality was good or bad, or what kind of rude things he was showing off to the outside world, that was none of our business. In any case, wouldn’t it be okay if we just treat ourselves well?
Kim Ki-jeong’s vocabulary ability to embarrass others and drive them away with his choppy dialogue was clearly an innate talent of Kim Ki-jeong. The embarrassed opponent quietly expressed his dissatisfaction, but returned happily, and Kim Ki-jeong did not seem to have any regrets.
“That’s great. I’m sorry. If you suddenly stop…”
“No, that’s possible.”
“I think he’s a really cool conductor. He just said hello.”
“Not to that extent.”
The siblings thought as they smiled shyly.
‘You’re such a bastard.’
‘They don’t even treat me like a real person.’
Even though the person I had just talked to had left, he didn’t seem particularly displeased or relieved. The brother and sister smiled softly at the sight of an acquaintance who was not really an acquaintance from earlier being treated like someone who did not exist. Since he was as thin and weak as a toothpick, I wondered if he was living like a bully or something, but I eased my worries.
Kim Ki-jeong, who did not know the true intentions of the two, opened the hotel door and let the siblings in.
“My babies!”
“…Sister!”
Park Da-young, who paused for a moment when she was called ‘my baby’, recognized the other person as Kwon Yeon-hee and immediately hugged her. Park Da-hoon slowly approached with a shocked face, looking sad as if a separated family had reunited, while Kim Ki-jeong naturally walked away. It seemed like he didn’t want to be caught in the middle of that overflowing energy.
Jeong In-ho approached Park Da-hoon, who left with an ambiguous expression.
“You’re here. “Did you buy a cake?”
“Ah yes. “I thought we would all eat together.”
“What kind of money does a student have to buy something like this? “I’ll be grateful, but…”
“I bought it with money from Mr. Lee Jae-heon’s bank account.”
“Then it’s worth buying. Now, unpack.”
Among the survivors debating what to have for lunch, Park Da-hoon asked quietly.
“But you…”
“The manager has work on the weekend.”
“….”
“Detective Hong Gyeong-jun can’t be contacted.”
“….”
“Even if you think about it, it doesn’t feel right?”
“yes.”
In response to Park Da-hoon’s immediate answer, Jeong In-ho smiled his signature sincere smile.
“So, we’re going to talk about it next week.”
“I actively support it.”
“Haha thank you.”
* * *
That evening at 10:30 p.m.
Part 2 of the event has begun.
(Continued in the next part)
