Chapter 45 (2/2)
”Don't think too hard about this.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
As they left the diner and headed back to his place, Seol Ji-Hu fell into a deep thought. So, Kim Hahn-Nah offered a bit of advice.
”You're still only a level 1. No one is expecting you to do something incredible. So, you should just focus on getting used to the life on that side for the next couple of years. You can even think of it as playing a game.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
”Playing a game?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
”Right. Like video games. Like, you log in during a bit of free time - kinda like that? Of course, it'd be your main line of work, though.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
Seol Ji-Hu recalled hearing something similar to this before.
[My a*s. In the end, this is all just a f*cking game, man. A game. And you're supposed to enjoy playing games.]
But, unlike when Kahng Seok said those things, Seol Ji-Hu didn't feel disgusted this time. No, he thought that it wouldn't be so bad to view this whole thing just as Kim Hahn-Nah had said. Everyone had different ways to enjoy themselves, after all.
As they walked back to his place, they encountered an ahjumma busy sorting through the trash in front of the building where he lived. She was a cleaning lady he had seen a few times while he went about his business in the past.
The ahjumma was mouthing off her discontent while trying to sort out the mountainous pile of trash, before spotting the youth and the gla.s.ses-wearing woman, and tilted her head a little. Seol Ji-Hu felt guilty about all the c.r.a.p there, so he quickly bowed to her and ran inside his room.
After entering his home, they began preparing themselves to return to the Lost Paradise.
”This thing, is it fine to leave it behind here?” (Seol Ji-Hu)
”Do what you feel like.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
After taking out all the prohibited items, Kim Hahn-Nah produced a small slip of paper from her pocket.
”Well, then. It's finally time for us to head back to Paradise you so desperately wanted to return to.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
Seol Ji-Hu smirked and pulled his own slip of paper out. It was here that Kim Hahn-Nah spoke to him one more time.
”I'm asking this for your own good, but you know what you need to do once we go back there, right?” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
”Yes, I know.” (Seol Ji-Hu)
”Okay. Let's go, then.” (Kim Hahn-Nah)
Rip.
Along with the noise of the paper being torn, a circular light appeared in the empty air. Kim Hahn-Nah was swallowed up by this light from her head down to her feet and disappeared from sight in an instant.
Seol Ji-Hu observed this with great curiosity before deciding to rip his own paper - but then, he stopped.
He spotted his smartphone, discarded to the corner of the room. After Yu Seon-Hwah gave it back to him, he didn't even get around to charging it, so it was currently turned off.
‘The place I need to be…'
He felt a sudden urge to confirm something. If he switched that phone on, wouldn't calls from his family or Yu Seon-Hwah arrive?
It didn't take too long for him to realise how embarra.s.singly unrealistic that wish was.
‘….There's no way they'd contact me, anyway.'
Seol Ji-Hu let off a lengthy sigh, before ripping the transfer paper in half.
”Uh-whew, why are there so much trash here, I wonder…. Mm?”
Ahjumma continued to complain to herself as she sorted out the trash before she sensed the presence of someone behind her. She turned around to take a look.
A beautiful woman with a pretty dress was standing there while holding an envelope in one hand. She must've come here the first thing in the morning, because her hair was still damp.
When their gazes met, she politely greeted the ahjumma.
”h.e.l.lo there, auntie.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
”Aigoo, h.e.l.lo to you too. It's been a while…. Wait, I did see you for a little bit yesterday, so it's not a while, is it?”
The ahjumma greeted the young woman warmly as if they were familiar with each other.
”Besides that, you also came today? I thought you decided to not to come here anymore.”
”Yes, I have a business here today.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
Yu Seon-Hwah displayed an uneasy smile.
”By any chance, have you seen the guy who stays in room 405?” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
”Ahh… Him? Yes, I've seen him.”
A light gleamed in Yu Seon-Hwah's eyes.
”Is he home?” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
”Well, that. Maybe, around 30 minutes after you left yesterday? One hour? Anyways. He came home around that time after you left. I want to tell him that you stopped by, but he seemed so tired and troubled, so….”
Yu Seon-Hwah's mouth hung open a little.
Yesterday, after Seol Ji-Hu ran off, she chased after him right away. There was something she just had to confirm. So, she paid the taxi driver extra just to get to Seol Ji-Hu's place as soon as possible.
The problem was that he hadn't come back home. She waited for a long time, yet he didn't show up.
If she knew he'd come so soon afterwards, then she should've waited here. She couldn't have guessed that he'd come home after she left. He must've wandered around the streets aimlessly before stumbling back home, somehow.
”I think he's in there, now. But, what should I do…. Aigoo…”
”What's wrong?” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
”It's something a bit scandalous for me to say, but…. I wonder if it'll be fine?”
”I'm sure it'll be fine. Please feel free to speak.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
”I saw him enter not too long ago, but some pretty lady was sticking very close to him, you see.”
”Pardon?”
As soon as spotting Yu Seon-Hwah's facial expression, the cleaning lady hurriedly added a few more words.
”I'm not sure what's going on. That lady borrowed some cleaning equipment last night, saying that she's going to clean out the room number 405. She was speaking in such a curt and straightforward manner, even though she looks like a fox. All this trash, it's from that room, you know?”
”…….”
”D, did I overstep my boundaries?”
”….No, not at all.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
Yu Seon-Hwah said her goodbyes and hurriedly entered the building. She quickly ran up the stairs. She wasn't feeling something as petty as jealousy. It was definitely not lingering attachment, either.
However.
As she listened to the story from the ahjumma, the various possibilities she thought of was converging into one situation she hoped it would not happen.
If what she saw yesterday was not wrong, then….
‘No, he mustn't.'
He had finally regained himself, yet this….
If her suspicions were proven to be correct, then she swore to herself that she'd save him no matter the cost, as she arrived at the door to the room 405.
”Ji-Hu-yah!”
Thud, thud!
”Seol Ji-Hu!”
She pounded on the door for a while, but there was no response.
Yu Seon-Hwah bit her lower lip and fished out a key from her handbag. He gave her this key a while back, saying that she should use it in an emergency.
She knew that she shouldn't do this, but now wasn't the time to argue about the finer points. She inserted the key in the lock and heard it unlatch.
Yu Seon-Hwah pushed the door wide open but didn't enter. Because, as soon as she saw the interior, she displayed the expression of stupefaction.
She heard just now from the ahjumma that he was in his room, yet….
”Ji, Ji-Hu….”
There was no one in the room.
Not even a trace of a human's presence.
The room was empty.
Yu Seon-Hwah dazedly looked around the room, before she suddenly spotted items that didn't belong here. They were items for women. She could tell that those obviously didn't belong to Seol Ji-Hu.
Yu Seon-Hwah squeezed her eyes shut before quietly closing the door. She locked the door again and stood in the same spot for a long time.
”….You idiot….”
A short while later….
Yu Seon-Hwah breathed in deeply as if she had made her mind up over something. And with a grim expression on her face, she switched her phone on.
Only a handful of rings went by before the call was picked up, and a voice that sounded artificial came out from the speaker.
– ”Miss S, Seon-Hwah?”
”Yes, it's me.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
– ”Oh, my goodness! Is it really you, Miss Seon-Hwah? Really, it's you?”
”Yes, it's me. There's something I'd like to talk to you about.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
Yu Seon-Hwah spoke with a heavy voice before taking a look around her. She then brought the phone very close to her mouth and began whispering for a while.
– ”….Pardon? W, what did you say?”
”That's what I'll be doing.” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
– ”Wait, wait a minute. Miss Seon-Hwah?”
”I can't speak at length at the moment. As for the details….” (Yu Seon-Hwah)
Yu Seon-Hwah blurred the ends of her words and bit her lip again.
A short moment of silence later….
– ”….The things you said, are they coming from your heart?”
< 45.=”” to=”” paradise,=”” once=”” more=””> Fin.