DP Episode 137

Episode 136

Red, green, yellow, blue.

The end-of-year season had turned the city into a spectacle of dazzling light decorations. It was an unsettlingly festive backdrop to the collapsed orphanage, the site of a recent Ratworm attack.

“This is Agnes. Moving in.”

Seo-joon reported through his comms before stepping into the half-demolished orphanage.

Crash! Sssk, sssssk.

The enormous Ratworm swirled through the narrow interior, sending furniture and debris clattering everywhere.

Seo-joon’s face twisted as he surveyed the scattered corpses. Too late. There was no way any survivors remained. First, he needed to eliminate the Ratworm…

Waaa, waaaah…

A faint cry broke through the cacophony. A baby’s wail? Seo-joon froze, straining to pinpoint its source. He moved carefully, but the sound of the Ratworm shifting—ssssk, sssssk—masked the cries.

Clang! Crash, rattle!

The metallic scraping of chairs and debris made him whirl around. Charging toward the sound, Seo-joon saw the Ratworm rear its massive head, looming over a small, trembling figure huddled on the floor.

He immediately readied his gun.

Screeeeech!

The creature’s agonized shrieks echoed as his bullets tore through it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Seo-joon didn’t relent until the Ratworm’s transformed body lay lifeless on the ground. Suppressing his nausea, he caught his breath.

Survivors. He still needed to find survivors.

A shaky hand raked through his hair as he pulled himself upright. He turned—and there was a child, miraculously unscathed. The crying he had heard earlier must’ve come from them.

“Hey, kid, are you hurt?”

The child flinched and gasped, their wide, teary eyes looking up at him. Their pale face was streaked with tears and snot.

Seo-joon couldn’t help but notice their delicate, doll-like features, though he chastised himself for the thought.

“You’re beautiful. It must be your birthday today.”

He gently removed the paper crown perched on the child’s head and patted their hair.

“Hic… Hmmp…”

The child tried to stifle their sobs, trembling violently. Seo-joon quickly shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around them.

“It’s okay now. You’re safe.”

Kneeling to meet the child’s eyes, Seo-joon offered a comforting smile before standing again.

“This is Agnes. I found one surviving child inside. Requesting immediate backup.”

“It’s two,” came a small voice.

Seo-joon looked down, puzzled, as the child cautiously lifted a blanket. Beneath it lay another infant.

“Not one, but two…”

Realization dawned. The wailing he’d heard earlier—there had been two sources.

“This is Agnes. Correction.”

He said into his comms, a mix of astonishment and relief in his voice.

“Two survivors. Both children.”

The older child couldn’t have been more than eight or nine years old. Yet, with their frail frame, they had protected an infant, holding onto them tightly in the face of mortal danger. Seo-joon was speechless. Even adults would struggle to show such selflessness in a crisis.

“How old are you?”

He asked, steadying the trembling child as he inspected them for injuries.

“Th-thirteen,” came the shaky reply.

“You’re brave. Taking care of the baby like that.”

Seo-joon softly brushed their cheek, praising their courage.

“Seo-joon, you said two kids?”

Came a voice from the broken window. It was the Blinker. Seo-joon turned back to the child.

“Let’s get the baby out first. That okay?”

The child hesitated before nodding, their teary eyes still glistening. He handed over the infant, His little hands reluctant to let go.

Seo-joon passed the baby to his colleague and turned his attention back to the older child, strapping safety gear onto him.

“You’re going to go down safely using this, okay? Nothing to worry about—you’re a brave big sibling, right?”

“No…”

The child’s quiet voice quivered.

“They’re… not my sibling,” He said, sniffling.

“I don’t even know them…”

Seo-joon froze, stunned. They had risked everything for a stranger. A child’s selflessness—shielding another even with a monster looming—was incomprehensible.

“You’re going to grow up to be an amazing person, you know that?”

Seo-joon finally said, suppressing his emotions. He gently lifted the child into his arms, wiping away his tears.

Hic.

As they approached the shattered window, the child clung tightly to Seo-joon’s neck, trembling. He held up the rope line to reassure them.

“See? This is super safe. Nothing to be scared of.”

“I’m scared… I’m scared…”

The tears started anew, spilling down his cheeks despite Seo-joon’s efforts to calm him.

He let out a soft laugh, brushing away the fresh stream.

“For someone so scared, you did an amazing job protecting that baby. You’re incredible. Close your eyes, okay? Trust me.”

Soft and small, the child nestled tightly in Seo-joon’s arms.

He gently patted the arms clinging around his neck and adjusted his grip, securely supporting the child with one hand under their round bottom. Slowly, he descended on the rope, the world around him swaying as they lowered.

Red, green, yellow, blue.

The shimmering lights of the tree ornaments flickered in his peripheral vision.

“Survivor rescue complete!”

Someone shouted from below as they took the child from him. Cheers erupted from the surrounding rescue team. Seo-joon handed over the child and unfastened the equipment connecting him to the rope.

He glanced over, seeing the child cradling the tiny infant once again in their arms, an instinctive gesture of protection. For a fleeting moment, he thought about approaching them, maybe offering a few more comforting words, but a voice called him back.

“Hey, Seo-joon, good work.”

Captain Jin Cheong-oh appeared, holding out a cigarette with a nod. Seo-joon followed him to the back of the building, the nausea from earlier surging back now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Ugh, urgh!

Doubling over, Seo-joon emptied his stomach. Without a word, Jin handed him a lit cigarette. Seo-joon took it with a trembling hand, coughing as he brought it to his lips.

Red, green, yellow, blue.

Through the flashing lights, smoke drifted lazily into the air. Seo-joon didn’t usually smoke, but on the field, moments like these sometimes helped him settle his churning nerves.

He took a few drags before handing the cigarette back to Jin, who took it with a grim expression.

“I’ve stationed the rookies nearby. Go get guided,” Jin muttered, exhaling smoke.

“I’m fine,” Seo-joon replied curtly.

“If you keep skipping your guiding sessions, you’re going to—!”

Jin’s scolding trailed off into the background as Seo-joon’s gaze drifted. The lights of a Christmas tree swam in his vision.

■■, ■■ was always so good■■. Is■ driv■■■ now?

Red, green, yellow, blue.

The ornaments flickered slowly, a hypnotic rhythm.

■■ kissed■■■ good■■ too. The middleman’s kisses are the best, aren’t they?

Red, green, yellow, blue.

The moment all the lights on the tree blazed at once…

“If the lieutenant swallows me, I’ll be ready to go at any time.”

“Before we go for a drive, you should change your clothes, Lieutenant.”

Seo-joon blinked, the fragmented memories dissolving into the present. His gray eyes focused on Yeon-woo, standing by the window, hands busy tying back the curtains. The slender back he had once watched from afar now filled his view.

“What were you thinking?”

Seo-joon murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

“How could you do something so reckless? What if you’d died?”

Yeon-woo’s movements stilled. Seo-joon’s voice dropped, heavy with emotion.

“You knew how hard it was for me to leave you, didn’t you? Even so, why… Why would you do something so foolish?”

Gray eyes tracked Yeon-woo’s every move as he turned, lips parting hesitantly.

“…Yeon-woo.”

The hands that had been tying the curtain halted. Seo-joon took a deep breath, his heart pounding.

“I remember now. The first time we met.”

Yeon-woo remained silent, his back rigid.

“You were beautiful then, too.”

The room fell into stillness, the weight of unspoken words hanging between them. Slowly, Yeon-woo turned, his eyes red with unshed tears. They trembled, wide and glassy with shock.

Seo-joon met his gaze steadily, his tone calm yet resolute.

“…I’ve come back, Yeon-woo.”

D- 82 after the gate’s closure.
Ji Seo-joon had returned.