MIM 11

“What kind of people were the employees who stayed in the annex?”

“They were ordinary. None of them work at this mansion anymore.”

Ordinary? It was an extremely halfhearted answer. It was clear that Butler Hwang, who had worked at the mansion for so long, had no intention of providing more information—he didn’t even mention a single name. Jae-seung placed a hand on Butler Hwang’s shoulder and met his gaze. He intended to give a specific order that couldn’t be evaded like a slippery eel.

“Bring me organized information about all employees who have stayed in the annex until now. Ah, and Shinwoo’s too. Since he’s from the Mangwol District, there probably won’t be much to find, but dig up everything—criminal records, facilities he’s passed through, aliases he’s used before—anything at all. Hire a private investigator if you need to.”

“Young master.”

“It’s not like this mansion was built hundreds of years ago, so it should be doable, right?”

It was something that wouldn’t even take half a day if one put their mind to it. After gesturing to Butler Hwang to go ahead, Jae-seung pulled out his phone. Gong Ji-un was calling.

“Hello?”

—Hey! I’m on my way to your mansion to pick you up.

Right. They were supposed to meet and hang out today. Jae-seung rubbed his temple and swallowed a sigh.

“Now?”

—I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Someone I know lent me their villa for a day? We’re all going to party there together. We’ll order pizza, and the others are bringing drinks so we just need to show up. Forget basketball, let’s swim in the pool.

It wasn’t even noon yet. From the other end came Gong Ji-un’s voice humming along to an upbeat song. Perhaps because it was right after remembering the people who k1lled his father and searching through Shin-woo’s annex, the cheerful voice in his ears felt distant. It felt like noise from a drama rather than something happening right now. Something far removed from his daily life.

He remembered Gong Ji-un’s friendly attitude and his own memories of envying what would probably be an ordinary life. He desperately wanted to spend time laughing with friends as a normal college student. To forget his anxieties for a moment, to chat with peers and party.

Finally pushing thoughts of his father and Shin-woo to one corner of his mind, Jae-seung decided to willingly accept the invitation. It was both desire and rebellion. He wanted to show everyone he was doing well. He wanted to prove to himself that his life, which others considered tragic, wasn’t completely in shambles.

“I’ll change clothes and get ready.”

—Great!

Jae-seung hung up and started walking toward the mansion. Since he was meeting new friends today, he needed to dress neatly. He already had a pile of new clothes he’d bought while preparing for college admission. What should he wear? As he pondered this ordinary concern, his headache seemed to subside.

“It’s dangerous, young master. You’re still unstable, going out alone—”

Butler Hwang, who must have been listening to the call, suddenly appeared and blocked his path. Jae-seung looked down at him with a raised corner of his mouth.

“Is it safe here?”

This was the place where his father’s corpse had burned along with all their memories. Jae-seung was living in the very scene of the crime.

Butler Hwang’s mouth opened and closed as if at a loss for words, then he dropped his head. Jae-seung passed by him and entered the mansion.

⚝⚝⚝

The villa they arrived at after a full hour’s drive was in the mountains. Jae-seung had terrible motion sickness. It was because they had to drive on bumpy unpaved roads the entire time after reaching the mountain.

The villa owner seemed eccentric. While he knew there were mountains where people often hiked and mountains with quite a few villas built on them, he couldn’t understand why anyone would build a villa here where even the path up was a mess.

It’s not like it’s a prison.

“Haha, sorry for the poor treatment, young master.”

On top of that, Gong Ji-un kept making irritating comments. Anyone would get carsick driving on such a road. It wasn’t because he was a ‘young master’. Though annoyed, Jae-seung kept his mouth shut. There was a mountain of things he wanted to point out, from the terrible driving skills to the nauseating air freshener smell and the awful ride quality, but he endured it because they were friends.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at the villa as he endured with his arms crossed and eyes tightly shut. As soon as the car stopped, Jae-seung quickly got out and inhaled the fresh air. The only good thing about a villa deep in the mountains was the air quality. To make matters worse, clouds had gathered in the sky. Though it had been clear in the morning, it looked like it might rain.

“It’s really isolated out here.”

“That’s the charm of it.”

Ji-un surveyed the villa with his mouth agape. Though he’d said it belonged to someone he knew, it seemed he was visiting for the first time too.

The wooden villa had a sophisticated exterior. There was a spacious balcony on the second floor, large enough to host a barbecue party, and it had a structure with refreshingly open windows. Upon closer inspection, the large windows didn’t allow any view of the interior. They seemed to be made of one-way glass for privacy protection, allowing those inside to look out but preventing outsiders from peering in.

It felt somewhat eerie. Despite being in a sparsely populated area and having a very unique landscape, it felt oddly familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before.

“What are you doing? Let’s go in.”

Gong Ji-un gestured towards Jae-seung, who was lingering without moving forward. Jae-seung shook off the unpleasant sense of déjà vu and followed him.

The inside of the villa was noisy with music. Those who had arrived earlier were already drinking and partying. It was so boisterous inside that Jae-seung wondered why the music couldn’t be heard from outside. Some were sitting on sofas, engaged in enthusiastic conversations, while others were on the floor playing board games. A man with a piercing above his eyebrow was focused on making cocktails at the bar, and a red-haired woman was intently staring at a dartboard. The air was filled with the sweet smell of fruit wine and a lively energy. They were all Alphas and Omegas around his age.

“The crowd here is chill. They won’t bother you,” Gong Ji-un whispered as he approached.

Indeed, everyone was too busy having fun to even glance at Jae-seung. The indifference was almost welcome. Jae-seung straightened his body, which had become slightly stiff from tension. Whether due to motion sickness or the shock of regained memories, he wasn’t feeling his best.

As Jae-seung looked around without responding, Ji-un leaned in and whispered, “Like I said, this isn’t my villa, so don’t break anything and don’t go to the basement. The second floor is fine to use freely. You know, in case of emergencies.”

Jae-seung blushed as he immediately understood the mischievous implication. Emergencies… He tried to appear nonchalant as he shook his head, but inwardly he was cringing. It wasn’t that he had no interest in such matters, but he couldn’t imagine making love with a stranger in someone else’s bed on a whim.

Ji-un laughed it off as a joke and returned with pizza.

“Anyway, just keep that in mind and relax. Come here, I’ll introduce you.”

Perhaps due to nervousness about meeting new friends, Jae-seung wasn’t hungry. He tried not to appear too stiff as he followed Ji-un. They left the noisy living room and headed towards the bar area. Despite being as spacious as the living room, it was much quieter. Three people sitting around a table in the middle of the room, eating pie, looked up at the sound of their approach. Ji-un greeted them warmly.

“We’re here. This is Ma Jae-seung. You all know him, right? Introduce yourselves, everyone.”

“Why are you so late? I’m Jang Yeon-ha. Your eyes are really pretty!”

“I’m Kwon Moon. Nice to meet you.”

As friends as outgoing as Ji-un introduced themselves, Jae-seung’s eyes met with a man sitting quietly at the end. He had long, light brown hair and a gentle expression, with a small build. He smiled slightly and pursed his lips shyly.

“Lee Si-hyeong.”

“Ah… nice to meet you.”

After the introductions, Jae-seung wasn’t sure what to say. He quietly accepted the drink Ji-un offered and, pretending to be interested in the pie, began to cut a large piece and chew it slowly.

For some reason, he felt oddly on edge about the act of chewing. Was it because Shin-wo wasn’t around? Perhaps his anxiety symptoms had worsened with the partial return of his memories. Being overly sensitive and having his nerves on edge were also symptoms of an impending rut, but… that couldn’t be. His cycle couldn’t suddenly accelerate like that.

It was just because he wasn’t feeling well. Jae-seung tried to convince himself. There had been many variables lately. He had met those who killed his father and discovered his father’s photo in Shin-wo’s notebook. It was natural to struggle maintaining composure when the men who killed his father were lurking around, and even his so-called guardian might be after his life.

Unlike Jae-seung, who was absorbed in these grim thoughts, the young people before him were bright and cheerful. With five people gathered, the conversation never ceased for a moment. They all seemed to be around the same age, but their interests varied widely. Jae-seung wanted to join the conversation if possible, but he knew nothing about topics like ‘how to disinfect a washing machine,’ ‘how to make pie crust crispier,’ ‘hanging postcards without damaging walls,’ or ‘the pain of having to please landlords while renting.’