A Father's Sorrow
Dad is sad. In front of an entertainment bar on the outskirts of Handae District. I stopped in my tracks and looked at Yuria, who was staring at the signboard of the bar named Sinopé with a dumbfounded expression.
“This is the place.”
“This is… an entertainment bar. You’re saying Aaron is here?”
“I can sense him inside, at least.”
“Don’t tell me Aaron reincarnated as a woman?”
As if that could happen.
“I don’t really know either…”
Just as I was about to say something, Yu Seunghyeon came up the basement stairs and our eyes met. He greeted us with a bright smile.
“Hello?”
In his hands were several volume-based trash bags. He seemed to be on his way to throw them out. It had been a while, Seunghyeon. Aside from seeing him through tracking monsters, this was only the second time I’d faced him in person. We met at the pancake house with Sehwa—do you remember? Yesterday, Sehwa practically sucked the soul right out of you. The thought made me want to laugh.
Ah, right now I’m in the form of Kim Taegon.
“Hello. Good afternoon.”
When I removed the fedora from my head and greeted him like a middle-aged gentleman, Yu Seunghyeon replied in a polite tone.
“This is an entertainment bar, and we’re not open for business yet. If you just want a quick drink, head a little further down from here.”
I answered with a smile and a nod of thanks, then led Yuria away from the bar. My expression hardened the moment we were out of sight.
“Daughter.”
“Yes?”
“I felt a strong trace of Aaron from the young man who just greeted us.”
“What… did you say…?”
She whipped her head around to stare at Yu Seunghyeon’s retreating back. I couldn’t read her expression. What was she thinking? Did she like what she saw? Or not? Or was she simply longing for him because she could feel Aaron’s presence?
We locked eyes with Yu Seunghyeon again as he returned after disposing of the trash. This time he only offered a slight nod, his face filled with obvious confusion. It was understandable—being stared at so intently by a foreign beauty and a bearded middle-aged man would make anyone suspicious. Yu Seunghyeon scratched his head and hurried back into the bar.
Now, let’s hear her thoughts.
“Do you sense anything as well?”
“…. No.”
Yuria’s gaze remained fixed on the bar’s staircase, as if she were savoring the lingering image of Yu Seunghyeon’s face. Good. I’d let her see his face without them even knowing each other. That was enough for today.
“It’s only a strong trace of Aaron. Nothing is certain yet. A few more days and it should become clear, so don’t approach him recklessly until then. We wouldn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble, would we?”
“Yes…”
“What do you think you’ll do if that young man really is Aaron?”
“I… don’t know. It feels too strange.”
“Just a few days ago you said you’d definitely get him back.”
“That’s true. If he really is Aaron, I’ll find a way to stay by his side no matter what. But… is it right to approach him when he doesn’t remember being Aaron himself? I noticed earlier that he was wearing a ring…”
Don’t worry about that. He’ll take it off soon enough once he breaks up with Sehwa.
“Fate has a way of bringing destined souls together, so don’t worry too much.”
“I’m worried about the Device too. We don’t know when another monster might appear…”
“You’re an adult now. I trust you’ll handle it.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Let’s go back.”
The moment Yuria nodded weakly and took a step forward—
Beep! Beep—!
Evilion Gauge Warning from Device.
Along with the alert came the ringing of Yuria’s phone. She answered immediately.
“Yes, Doctor.”
-You haven’t charged your Device yet, have you?
“Not yet. But I’ll head over right now…”
-No, I just need you to monitor from the lab.
Yuria sucked in a sharp breath. She was angry. This was an unexpected bit of help from the Doctor. When the call ended, Yuria stared at her phone in disbelief.
“What kind of…”
I feigned ignorance and asked, “What’s wrong? What was that sound just now?”
“Father, I have an urgent appointment. I need to go somewhere. Please head home first. All right?”
“Ah, understood.”
Yuria smiled at my flustered appearance as if to reassure me, then dashed off somewhere in a hurry. Time to become Song Jihyeok again. Busy, busy. After transforming in a deserted alley, I turned on the phone I’d kept off and found two missed calls from the Doctor. She must have contacted me right after calling Yuria. Sehwa was probably already there. I called the Doctor as I left the alley.
** Inside a fighter jet flying toward Canada’s Rocky Mountains. **
After brushing off the Doctor’s scolding about why I’d turned off my phone, I looked through the monitor at Leona, who had already arrived in Canada via portal. She was standing still in her pre-Evil Valkyrie Beast Slayer suit, staring at the monster. It was the large lion monster they had been developing in the secret base right up until the moment of their deaths. The Doctor frowned at the sight.
“What the hell is she doing? Why is she just standing there?”
She doesn’t want to kill her cute pet.
-That monster isn’t moving either. It’s just licking its paw.
Just as she said, the lion monster was licking its front paw, which was as large as a person. It was probably because the wounds Sehwa had inflicted were aching. It even dug into the snow-covered ground and tucked its other paw inside, wearing a languid expression as if it were in a hot spring. When it looked at Leona, it even begged for pity with soft, gentle eyes.
The Doctor let out a hollow laugh, completely ignoring the lion monster’s adorable behavior.
“It’s a monster.”
-I know.
“Then why aren’t you killing it—”
-What if it’s a good monster?
The Doctor’s face went blank. Leona’s tone was cold, and the words “good monster” left her utterly dumbfounded. After a brief silence, the Doctor snapped.
“Are you joking right now!?”
-.....
“Immediately—”
Seated in the cockpit, I raised one hand to stop the Doctor. Then I spoke to Leona in a cold voice.
“Separate work from personal matters.”
No matter how much she disliked the Doctor, she needed to act properly while on the job.
-Ah, got it…
Leona nodded with a frightened voice, rolled in the snow, then leaped into the sky. She swung her sword at the lion’s neck as it watched her.
Swish—!
That was the end. The once-cute lion monster’s final moments. It hadn’t even been able to scream. Leona watched for a moment as red blood spread across the snow-covered upper layer, then entered the fighter jet through the portal linked to her Device.
Flash!
Her transformation released, returning her to Sehwa. The Doctor directed her anger at Sehwa.
“Do you even think before you speak? What? A good monster? Did Tyrat open the gate nicely and send it out or something?”
Sehwa flared up at those words. But she quickly glanced at me and lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry… I fought a lot with… I mean, with Jihyeok, so my mood was…”
Fought? That was a decent excuse. It could even tie into why I’d turned off my phone. The Doctor’s expression softened, if only slightly. She had clearly come to the same conclusion I had about the phone.
“Ha… Even so, you need to separate work from personal matters like Song said. Why are you so immature?”
If this went on any longer, Sehwa might get angry enough to cut the Doctor’s throat. I stood up and stepped between them.
“That’s enough. Let’s head back.”
The Doctor let out a deep sigh that seemed to come from the bottom of her heart at my intervention, then sat down without scolding Sehwa further. She pressed her temples as if she had a headache. Silently, I incinerated the lion and took hold of the controls, turning the jet around.
When we arrived at the Korean lab, we found Yuria waiting for us, biting her nails. Yuria strode over to the Doctor, who wore a stern expression, and demanded an explanation.
“Doctor. Why did you leave me out of this?”
“Simple. Your Device wasn’t charged.”
“Haa…”
Yuria had nothing to say. She’d been given plenty of time, yet she was still at a standstill. The Doctor asked, “You monitored it, right? What did you think of this monster?”
“It’s a monster I’ve never seen before. It had so many wounds… I don’t know why.”
“Got it. Song, Sehwa, good work. You can head back now.”
The Doctor spat out the words like a machine gun and disappeared into her room. Sensing that the Doctor’s mood was off, Yuria asked Sehwa, “Why is she like that?”
“I don’t know.”
“And why are you like this? Your tone is cold. Your makeup’s different too. Trying to change your style?”
“Senior, let’s talk later. I’m tired, so I’m heading back first.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Sehwa bowed to Yuria and walked past me out of the lab. Good. She was putting on an excellent act right after I told her to separate work from personal matters. I’d planned to scold her harshly when we got back, but I’d let it slide.
“Why is Sehwa acting like that? Did she fight with the Doctor…?”
At Yuria’s flustered question, I shrugged.
“She didn’t fight with the Doctor. She had a big argument with me. When did you arrive at the lab?”
“Right after the monster was killed. More importantly, you argued…?”
“Yes. The real issue isn’t that, though. The fact that a monster appeared after so long is proof that Tyrat has resumed activity… It seems you’ll need to prepare as well, Yuria.”
“Prepare, as in…”
“Your Device. You said you’d handle it yourself with Sehwa. But if it still isn’t charged…”
Yuria bit her lower lip. She wanted to defeat Tyrat, but the nature of Aether seemed to be frustrating her. “I didn’t want to rush you, but it can’t be helped.”
“Yes… I’ll charge it as soon as possible. And… Jihyeok.”
“Yes?”
“You love Sehwa, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“What if… something happened and you slept soundly for three years, only to wake up and find that Sehwa doesn’t remember you? How would that feel?”
She was asking me for advice? Hmm… I hadn’t expected this. As I simply stroked my chin, Yuria gave an awkward smile.
“Was that a bad question to ask in the middle of an argument? I’m sorry.”
“It’s not that. I was just thinking because it was an interesting question. Does the memory come back later? Or does it never return?”
“Please assume the latter.”
She was imagining the worst-case scenario. Fine. I’d give her the answer she wanted and ease her guilt a little.
“I’d approach her. To fall in love all over again.”
“Even if Sehwa met someone else in the meantime?”
She was worried about the ring. I told you not to worry.
“Then I’d have to pursue her even more aggressively.”
“More aggressively? Wouldn’t that be too selfish?”
“That’s just how people are. We were passionately in love, and then suddenly everything fell apart and my lover went to someone else? I wouldn’t be able to stand by and watch.”
“…. I see.”
“By the way, why are you asking this?”
Yuria fidgeted with her wrist. She seemed reluctant to speak.
“I’ll tell you later. Thank you for your answer.”
“Did it help?”
“Quite a bit.”
“I’m glad. I’ll be heading back now.”
“Good work today. I hope you make up with Sehwa.”
I nodded and left the lab. As a reminder to reinforce her obsession with charging the Device, I should conduct an experiment. I’d sprinkle the seasoning of guilt on top, so look forward to tonight, Yuria. I’ll be very sad, so be ready to comfort me.
Back in the form of Kim Taegon, I swept up all the high-proof alcohol from the convenience store.