INM 2 Part 3

Occasionally, a dull honk from a car in the distance reached this office on the fifteenth floor, as if it remembered. 

Looking at that winter sky, I suddenly felt like having something warm to drink. How about some hot chocolate with a splash of brandy? A generous amount of brandy would be nice. First I would enjoy the full aroma of cocoa and alcohol, then let the sweetness of the chocolate fill my mouth. The brandy flowing through my throat would soon warm and relax the taut strings of tension…

The tantalizing thought made me sigh deeply. 

“Are you okay?” 

The slightly soft tone of the young man’s voice made me blurt out. 

“I want a drink.” 

“What?” Kasim’s voice suddenly rose, sounding offended. “Did you even listen to what I said?”

“I can’t help it, I’ve had a hard day since this morning!” 

Maybe I’m just tired. My true feelings began to pour out uncontrollably. 

“I am at my limit. I was already nervous dealing with college students, and now I’ve ended up with such a stubborn guy.”

“S-Stubborn…”

I poured out more of my true feelings to the young man, who muttered as if defeated. 

“You came here saying you wanted to hear my story, but you don’t agree with anything I say! What do you want me to do?” 

“Well…” 

“I understand, you don’t even know what you want to do. I understand, but dealing with this makes me want to drink hot chocolate with alcohol!” 

“Um, I’m sorry… Oh, I have some chocolate, would you like some?”

“I’ll take it.” 

“You’re going to eat it…” 

Despite his own question, the young man pulled out a red-wrapped chocolate from between the books, looking a bit annoyed. I accepted it without hesitation, and as the chocolate melted in my mouth, I felt a little of the “compassion” that had dried up in me come back to life. With this newfound sense of calm, I steered the conversation back on track. 

“Hey, you know deep down, right? Happiness is a subjective feeling. No matter how much you ask Alan’s close friends, you’ll never really know.”

“Still, I want to know about him when he was alive.”

“Hey, Kasim. Do you realize that your desire stems from the fear that he might not have been happy?”

Kasim’s body stiffened. His blue eyes, now burning with intensity, seemed to plead with me, saying, “I know that”. The scars he saw on his classmate’s body must have left a deep wound in his heart as well.

“Well, how can I put it? I don’t intend to give you an answer to your question.” I said, my eyes wandering again as the unfamiliar guilt rose. “If you’re really curious, why don’t you investigate Alan yourself?” 

The young man lifted his head. The moment I saw his eyes, a bad feeling shot through me like lightning.

“Potter. I have a request.” 

The bad feeling intensified and I instinctively took a step back. 

“W-What is it?” 

“Will you help me? Help me investigate him.” 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.”

As I tried to escape, the stubborn lion continued. 

“I really want to know the reason for those injuries and the problems he was dealing with. But…” 

“Yes, yes. Actually, I’m going out for a drink with my childhood friend after this.”

“I have no way to trace Alan’s private life. So…”

“Serious, stubborn, a leader type, haha, you might be a bit like him.”

“I need your help.”

“No way!”

Kasim pressed on as I answered without hesitation.

“Why not?”

“Why not? Think about what you’re suggesting! What are you thinking?!”

“I don’t want to pretend I didn’t know and regret it later.”

At the word “regret,” I sighed deeply.

“Kasim, this is something I heard from a former cop. When someone close to you dies, people tend to regret and think, “Was there anything I could have done?” But Alan’s death is not your fault.

Kasim’s face took on a sad expression at my elderly words. 

“Is that what you tell yourself?” 

“What?” 

Even to my own ears, it sounded ominous. Like a villain challenging the hero right before the final showdown. In a movie, my words would have had an impact, but Kasim calmly continued without flinching.

“This is a lesson I learned from Australian football. When you give someone advice, the person who needs that advice the most is usually yourself.” 

At that moment, a strong irritation hit me, making my cheek twitch… That reaction made me realize. Though I didn’t want to admit it, he had hit the nail on the head. 

As if reading the tension in my face, Kasim magically produced a notepad from somewhere and began scribbling. Why do people who seem so prepared always have a notepad handy?

“Here’s my contact information. Feel free to get in touch whenever you feel like it.”

“I’ll reach out when I feel like it.” I replied, my tone lacking any real enthusiasm.

Kasim raised an eyebrow at my unenthusiastic answer. His intense gaze pierced me once more.

“There’s one thing I forgot to tell you. I heard this at his funeral… Alan smiled just before he died. It was a full, genuine smile, with his mouth turned up in a way that couldn’t be explained by muscle relaxation.

Then, Alan’s smile flashed across my mind and I was speechless again. My brain refused to process any more information. Give me a break. How many bombs can this guy drop on people in one day?

“So what if he did?”

“I thought you might understand why he was smiling just before he died.”

Kasim’s words, delivered with the utmost seriousness, made me swallow hard.

“So you’re saying I did something to him?”

“It is not too late to confess… Of course I do not mean that, what are you talking about?”

The young man said as if shocked and continued.

“I want to know if his smile came from happiness or relief from a painful life. I need your help to find out.”

“I just said no!”

The young man who had been staring at me intently smiled. I could feel the tension in the room instantly dissipate. It was infuriating how he could control the atmosphere so completely in my own territory.

Kasim relaxed his tense shoulders and clasped his hands.

“Thank you for listening to me today. I apologize for any rudeness.”

I felt a little ashamed of my childish behavior after his polite farewell.

As if mocking my remorse, Kasim continued without a hint of embarrassment.

“I’ll be back.”

Alexandra Roseblade… or rather Max Anderson, who had been watching me and the man entering the store, seemed to have quickly realized who it was.

His mouth was open in shock and he looked at me as if she wanted to shoot me.

“Why did you bring him here?! I told you to keep my secret!”

“When did you say that? And why are you keeping it a secret?”

“My heart is weak, you know!”

“I don’t understand… wait, do you still have feelings for Seth? Is it embarrassing to talk to Seth’s son dressed like that?”

“Shut up, you little brat!”

Alexandra jumped and yelled softly in response to my words… This casual exchange with a close friend helped to loosen me up a bit.

After a long, long series of meetings and interrogations, starting with the police and ending with Kasim, I finally felt free and had come to Cafe Alexandra with Brian. Seeing me looking pale and exhausted, Brian immediately suggested we drink at home, but I wanted to get out as soon as possible. There’s nothing like drinking with a close friend in a noisy place I know to change my mood.

And besides, Brian and I were really indebted to “Max” during our troubled middle school years. I figured Brian might want to greet his former “neighborhood big brother” just once.

Incidentally, the brother in question is looking at Brian nervously. He probably thinks we don’t know about his long-standing one-sided love for Seth. Brian has always been incredibly good at reading the situation, it’s almost annoying. I’d bet he noticed Alexandra’s feelings long ago but chose to ignore them and even went so far as to subtly support him.

Honestly, only someone as dense as Seth wouldn’t notice.

I watched Alexandra fidgeting as he tried a little too hard to act manly. Brian seemed to notice that he was looking at him, measuring his reaction. For him, he spoke to Alexandra in a surprisingly soft tone.

“Long time no see, Max. Or should I say Alexandra?”

“Nah, it’s okay. Max is easier.”

“I’ll call you whatever you want. Glad to see you’re doing well. I was surprised to hear you were in Brisbane.”

“It was a series of coincidences. What are you drinking?”

“Do you have Macallan?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll take it on the rocks.” 

After casually placing his order, Brian slipped his long legs through the seats and quickly made his way to a table in the back. He must have noticed that Alexandra wanted to say something to me.

I was nostalgic for that indifferent care when Alexandra grabbed my arm and turned me around.

“Ow, Alexandra! You’ll break my arm!”

“That boy, that boy…”

“What?”

“He’s grown into such a handsome man!”

“Brian?”

“Who else would it be?”

Alexandra, his excitement palpable, exclaimed in a hushed voice.

“You can really tell he’s Seth’s son. Just being around him makes my head spin. And he’s so much nicer now, isn’t he? It’s a little surprising.”

“Yeah, yeah…” I replied, my tone flat.

Alexandra narrowed his eyes, seeming a little put off by my nonchalant response. 

“What is wrong with you? You were also so obsessed with him. As soon as you got what you wanted, you started acting casual. I’m just saying, if you’re not careful…”

“We’re not together.” I snapped, more forcefully than I intended. 

“This isn’t even a date. You know he dumped me three years ago.”

“No, but you two definitely…” 

Alexandra started to say something, but then noticed my intense gaze and stopped.

“Whatever. Here, your drink. This is a gin and tonic.”

“I’ll have the same as him.”

“You should stop that. The scenery of Macallan will be ruined.”

She pushed the glass towards me and quickly turned away before I could reply.

I scowled at his back as he began to greet another regular, then turned to my childhood friend who was sitting with his legs crossed, drawing all the attention in the room.

“Whiskey on the rocks? You’re trying to act cool.”

I grumbled as I placed my glass in front of Brian. He raised an eyebrow and looked completely unimpressed.

“I don’t have to try anymore, I already know how cool I am… Hey, don’t drink yet. Wait until I’m finished.”

I won’t get drunk from this little bit.

“Just in case.”

“I was totally in the mood.”

I sighed and looked wistfully at the bubbles in my glass. Today had been really hard from morning till night. If I was going to wait any longer, I should have had a quick drink, even if it meant keeping Brian waiting. 

Brian, who had been looking down at me intently, let out a groaning sigh and leaned his big back against the chair. 

“Just one sip.” 

“Yes, that’s the spirit!”

I quickly pulled the glass toward me and raised it in front of me with a beaming smile. 

“To our reunion.” 

Brian, also smiling wryly, raised his glass in response to my toast. 

“Well, let’s get to it.” 

“Already? You’re so impatient.” 

Ignoring me as I sighed and put down my glass, Brian smoothly pulled a notebook out of his pocket. It was a simple, nondescript black notebook, the kind that screamed “detective”. Why do capable-looking people always have to be so… never mind. I hadn’t processed anything that had happened today. I didn’t want to remember any of it. Let the future me deal with the trouble.