Chapter 39
But no matter what kind of admiration the kids had for Shin Hae-jun, it wasn’t really that important to me. It wasn’t any of my business.
As long as the adults who were fully aware of the facts didn’t shoot him, then whatever.
So I left him among the kids and followed Park Eunjin into the office.
“Lieutenant Min!”
I heard Shin Hae-jun’s shout of panic, which was rare, but I just ignored it. Ah, how peaceful.
I thanked Park Eunjin with a nod for taking down the tent and then looked around the room.
“Wow, the room looks nice. Looks more livable now, huh?”
My teasing made Park Eunjin give me a puzzled look.
“A tent counts as a room? What’s wrong with your eyes?”
“Even if I say it’s good, you’ll just curse at me.”
I chuckled, teasing Park Eunjin. She told me to sit anywhere, so I really just sat down anywhere. There were only a few places I could plant my butt.
Inside the worn-out tent, there was a makeshift desk made of stacked cardboard boxes and a torn chair. Park Eunjin hesitated before sitting down on the chair that looked like it could collapse at any moment. Next was a low shelf made of discarded furniture, holding various newspapers and books. Among them was a paper flower with folded edges that made me chuckle. It reminded me of Shin Hae-jun. It was probably made by the kids who had put Sungha-joon in the most precarious situation of his life.
Overall, Park Eunjin’s office looked even more worn-out and dirty than I remembered. It was clear that things had worsened since last year. Most of all, Park Eunjin herself seemed more frantic. Well, with the world in this state, there’s nowhere for things to get better. But I couldn’t help but be concerned. I shifted on the cushionless seat, trying to conceal my distress.
Park Eunjin was the first to speak.
“So, what is it?”
“What do you mean ‘what’?”
Are you asking why I came here?
Park Eunjin shook her head slightly when I asked with a very innocent face, as if I didn’t understand what was going on.
“It’s obvious why you’re here. It’s for work, isn’t it?”
What I was curious about was…
Eunjin licked her lips and gestured towards the shadowy figures moving outside the tent. She lowered her voice and said.
“It’s about Shin Hae-jun.”
“Ah, I see.”
What else could I say? Before suspicion could creep into Eunjin’s gaze, I casually replied.
“I’m just accompanying him on a request he gave me.”
“A request? What kind of request did Shin Hae-jun give you?”
This time, Eunjin’s eyes widened with an innocent look. Park Eunjin knows that I deserted and that my boss before I deserted was Shin Hae-jun, whom reporters suck at and admire. So of course, she’d be curious. What kind of request would the military’s “dog” give to someone who betrayed the military?
Normally, instead of telling her the request details, I would have demanded an information fee. But seeing the sorry state of the tent interior, it seems I wouldn’t get much even if I tried. Anyway, she didn’t attack Shin Hae-jun when she saw him, and she even let him into the shelter.
In a rare departure from my principles, I answered Eunjin’s question about the commission for free.
“It’s about mutat infected beings emerging.”
“What? Mutat infected?”
Eunjin exclaimed, leaning forward with wide eyes, almost jumping out of her seat. Yes, it’s surprising. Especially since the information is from a military dog investigating this.
Yet, despite her shock, Eunjin hastily covered her mouth and looked at me, as if to confirm whether I was aware of the people outside, especially the innocent children. I nodded casually, as if I were accustomed to her reaction, and continued.
“Ah, so I’m in the middle of collecting samples.”
With a deep breath, Park Eunjin managed to regain her composure and settled back into her chair. However, there was something off about her expression. Her eyes were darting excessively, and there was a bead of sweat forming near her temple.
“Could it be…”
Muttering unconsciously, Park Eunjin flinched belatedly. As she glanced at me sideways, I seized the opportunity.
“Why? Do you have any suspicions?”
Park Eunjin’s gaze shifted sideways.
“…No, there’s nothing like that.”
A blatant lie. My eyes narrowed involuntarily. If she was going to lie, she could have at least done it more convincingly. I got up from my seat and approached the desk where Eunjin was sitting, pressing her.
“Really? It seems like you do have something in mind.”
“No, there’s nothing.”
“The person who says ‘there’s nothing’ can’t even look me in the eye? Come on, what is it?”
I leaned on the desk, staring at Eunjin. She hesitantly met my gaze but quickly looked away again, realizing that avoiding eye contact wouldn’t help. I leaned in closer to her, pressing for answers.
“What is it that’s making you act like you know something? Why are you behaving like that?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing!”
Eunjin finally raised her voice. She seemed surprised by her own outburst. It was almost like she was confessing to something by shouting it out so suddenly. A sense of realization dawned on her, evident from the ‘Oops’ written all over her face. Eunjin hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway, are you planning to go straight to the Gangneung Shelter?”
Eunjin abruptly changed the topic, clearly unwilling to discuss it further. Should I press her more? I could probably get it out of her if I really tried. A tempting thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I refrained from doing so.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Park Eunjin definitely knew something, but she had her reasons for not telling me. Most likely, she was conducting her own investigation separately.
I felt a bit disappointed that she was lying so blatantly, but oh well, what can I do.
“I’ll go to the shelter first to gather some information… and maybe meet the mayor.”
Seemingly relieved that the topic had shifted, Park Eunjin let out a faint sigh of relief, but her expression sharpened.
“Why that bastard?”
“Well… he’s the mayor, isn’t he? I thought he might know something more.”
At my words, Eunjin snorted dismissively. It seems she has a very low opinion of the mayor. But this actually worked in my favor.
“What would that old bastard know? Ugh… Never mind. Just ask me.”
Eunjin’s attitude had suddenly changed. Wait, why? Just a moment ago, she was claiming to know nothing. This time, I responded bluntly, my patience wearing thin.
“What’s with you? Didn’t you say just now that you had no guesses?”
“I did, but… Ugh. Asking the mayor would be worse than me just lying. Just ask me, I’ll tell you everything.”
Even as she said that, Eunjin muttered that I had to come at this particular time with this headache-inducing topic. Watching Eunjin rub her temple, I thought about the circumstances of the people taking refuge in this arboretum shelter.
In truth, Eunjin had never liked the Gangneung mayor. In fact, most people at this campsite didn’t like him. They are all outsiders. When the infected crisis first broke out, the Gangneung mayor cruelly discriminated against these survivors, just because they were not from Gangwon.
However, she didn’t seem to be so guarded or resentful before.
A strong intuition tingled at the back of my neck.
“Something happened between you two.”
Park Eunjin clicked her tongue in acknowledgment of my certainty. It was a near-surrender. Now, she wouldn’t hide much from me.
“Yeah, something did.”
“Well, what on earth happened that’s making you act this way?”
“Lots of things, really. Lots of things happened, but first…”
🕂
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