SOG Ch 142

Seon Jae-chan blinked his drowsy eyes at the sudden, irrelevant turn in the conversation. Gyeong Hye-in gestured with her cheese-laden fork as she added an explanation.

“Hye-su! She’s the youngest in our family and a huge fan of Go Woo-jin!”

She’s not just pretty, she’s incomparably prettier than someone like you! She could rival an idol center! Ah, that bastard Go Woo-jin, having his eyes on his feet like this… Gyeong Hye-in mumbled, spewing unimportant information. Of course, Jae-chan wasn’t particularly affected, confident that Nam Hae-sol would be prettier than Hye-in’s sister.

However, as the night deepened and more customers arrived, Hye-in’s voice began to rise above the jazz melody, making Jae-chan conscious of their surroundings. He suggested they move elsewhere, coaxing Gyeong Hye-in.

“Alright, alright… I’ll settle the bill.”

Fortunately, Hye-in was still lucid enough to take out her card. After paying at the counter, the two staggered down the wine bar stairs, leaning on each other.

“You might not remember, but I contacted you because I had a favor to ask.”

The slightly less drunk Seon Jae-chan said, supporting Gyeong Hye-in.

“I asked for advice and you’re talking about favors?”

Gyeong Hye-in frowned. Her voice was still full of intoxication, so Jae-chan didn’t notice her eyes, which had suddenly become clear beneath her fallen hair.

“If you promise to grant my favor, I’ll give you real advice too.”

He thought idly about stopping by a convenience store to get her some hangover medicine. Even while proposing this deal, Seon Jae-chan was mentally sorting through the advice he would give Gyeong Hye-in. Just telling her to live a good life was the best he could think of.

Meanwhile, Gyeong Hye-in stared at Seon Jae-chan’s profile in silence as he supported her.

“…”

Her eyes in the darkness held a glossy sheen. Go Woo-jin’s lover harboring feelings for someone else, huh.

‘What’s this, Go Woo-jin was just as unhappy as me?’

Hye-in’s lips, flushed from the alcohol, curved into a smile. Her gaze, mixed with goodwill and malice, lingered intently on Seon Jae-chan for a moment before pulling away as if nothing had happened when he didn’t notice.

***

The next day, Seon Jae-chan, who had been dragged by Gyeong Hye-in even to a third round of drinks (something he had avoided even during his days at the Intelligence Bureau), wondered if he had done something unnecessary yesterday.

“Sis, you should work too! I’ve set up a position for you! It’s just simple office work! I know someone at the Emergency Guiding Center…”

It was because his aunt was proposing a job to his mother in a shrill voice from the morning. She said she had secured a position. And at the Guide Center, no less. He couldn’t understand why he hadn’t thought to ask his aunt earlier instead of Gyeong Hye-in.

Though he hadn’t intended to burden his aunt, Seon Jae-chan grumbled as he left the house.

“Are you leaving already? What about breakfast?”

His aunt turned her attention to him while scolding his mother, who had a tray over her head like a shield.

“I’m not feeling well. You two eat.”

Hye-in, who had been drinking excessively until the third round, had ended up vomiting.  Seon Jae-chan had spent the early hours apologizing profusely to the food stall owner, scooping up vomit from the sidewalk with gloved hands and making several trips to a nearby building’s restroom. He had no appetite for food.

“Well, I did notice you come home after drinking until dawn yesterday. Hey, you should take care of your liver health too, not just worry about my medical checkups.”

At his aunt’s nagging, Seon Jae-chan reluctantly gulped down a handful of vitamins before heading out. Since he wasn’t sure if he could settle in District 5 yet, he planned to get as much work done as possible while he had time.

That day, Seon Jae-chan busied himself following Investigator Kwon, observing the surroundings of the drug factory. The awaited message came in the evening, just as he was finally having his first meal of the day with some hangover soup.

[Hey, you piece of trash]

[If these conditions are okay with you, you can work in District 5. 5:54 PM]

It was from Gyeong Hye-in.

Jae-chan carefully read the attached employment contract while chewing a mouthful of hot soup. The conditions included being a contract worker rather than a full-time employee, unpaid work, and a system where he had to fill any vacant positions unconditionally. However, the overwhelming advantage was that his work would be officially recognized, meaning he wouldn’t have to use his annual leave.

Just as he had someone following him on Woo-jin’s behalf, it seemed Hye-in also had a separate security detail. But his effort in personally escorting the inebriated Hye-in to a luxury hotel yesterday to show his sincerity had paid off.

[That’s fine. 5:54 PM]

He replied immediately. Gyeong Hye-in seemed surprised that he accepted.

[You’re really volunteering to be mistreated? If it were me, I’d just go to District 1. You can call your mom over the phone. 5:56 PM]

Having achieved his goal, Jae-chan ignored this message and simply thanked her.

Thus, the next day, Seon Jae-chan was officially assigned to the District 5 Center as of January 26th.

After passing by the old Research Building 3, which he had visited once with Investigator Kwon, Jae-chan entered the Guide Center and received a brief handover from the team leader. He then began working alongside the new apprentices Guides of District 5 who had just joined this year.

In between handling urgent guiding tasks, he also contacted Team Leader Hong Ye-deok. It was fortunate that all the Team 2 apprentices had performed well in their exams and remained with the team as official Guides, but naturally, not all the news was good.

-Guide Seon, you might be assigned to a different team when you return to District 1.

Team Leader Hong said in a gentle voice, expressing concern about possible reassignment. Jae-chan could only reply, “It’s alright, Team Leader. It’s for personal reasons, so I’ll accept any decision. Thank you.”

Even after his call with Team Leader Hong, Jae-chan roamed around the District 5 Center. Due to what seemed to be a systemic issue resulting in an incredibly busy schedule, Jae-chan was only able to take a sip of water as the end of the workday approached.

Of course, he couldn’t afford to relax even then. After stopping by the Center’s only coffee shop, he hurriedly made his way to meet Park Yu-ram.

Finally reaching the research building, Yu-ram, who spotted Jae-chan first, waved her white hand. She was wearing a padded jacket over her researcher’s white coat and had her glasses askew as usual.

“I look forward to working with you, Sunbae.” 

Jae-chan said playfully, bowing his head as he handed Park Yu-ram a sweet latte that was supposedly a seasonal limited edition. Yu-ram’s lips spread into a grin as she took the warm cup.

“Oh, Hubae (junior). You didn’t have to do this.”

Park Yu-ram had made time before leaving work to give Sun Jae-chan a tour of the Center. When she received his call about this, she thought it was only natural.

It was because the District 5 Center staff tended to be somewhat closed off. When she was assigned here a month ago, it was incredibly awkward and difficult to ask the senior staff anything. It was still the same now.

‘The local residents were friendly though,’ Yu-ram thought, wondering if each regional center had its own characteristics as she led her colleague forward.

District 5 had a small population, so the center itself wasn’t very large. The Guide Bureau and Esper Bureau had their separate buildings, with the small research buildings located behind them. The main building, which housed the administrative offices, was a miniaturized version of the District 1 Center.

Despite its modest size, the center seemed quite large due to the vast river beside it, along the seven nuclear reactors lined up, like an ocean, to the right of the center.

“I heard they built the Center right next to it in case any ability terrorist groups try to attack the nuclear power plant.”

Park Yu-ram explained, noticing Jae-chan’s gaze toward the towering water treatment facility that resembled a chimney. Since the location of the nuclear power plants was a state secret and not clearly marked on maps, she only learned about their proximity to the Center after arriving.

“I was surprised at first too, but it’s normal once you get used to it. I came here with grand ambitions of becoming a true researcher, but it’s actually quite boring. There’s nothing to do at night either.”

Park Yu-ram smiled warmly, suggesting Jae-chan contact her anytime he was bored. Although Jae-chan had intended to help Kwon Joon-young with his investigations after work, he nodded anyway.

As Park Yu-ram’s center tour concluded and Jae-chan was walking her back to Research Building 2 where she worked, he noticed something unusual. All the researchers passing through the entrance were going through equipment similar to airport security scanners.

“Are they dealing drugs or running illegal gambling operations inside?”

Park Yu-ram giggled at Jae-chan’s suspicious tone.

“It’s a full-body contamination detector. Apparently, they’ve been conducting some biochemical experiments recently, so everyone has to be disinfected before entering the building.”

Meanwhile, a research officer was sternly supervising the contamination detection of each employee. Against this backdrop of meticulous procedures, Yu-ram continued speaking.

“But the code name for that experiment is a bit strange.”

“What is it?”

“‘Chimera’.”

The name of a mythical monster. By Jae-chan’s standards, it was a pretentious name that made him chuckle, but Yu-ram seemed to find the name unsettling and lowered her voice.

“It might not be a laughing matter. I’m not close with the people here yet so I’m not sure, but there’s a rumor that strange noises are often heard from the basement of Research Building 2.”

“We often have artificial earthquakes here too, you know? I think the epicenter is there. If those rumors are true, the government must be insane for approving such biological experiments!” Park Yu-ram’s words came out rapidly.