The Secret Rhythm of the Night
Leaning back against the sofa, Taegon toyed with the remote control. On the TV, a weekend drama was in full swing—the tear-filled eyes of the heroine, the embrace of the hero watching over her.
“……That’s how it ends?”
Taegon crossed his arms, his brow furrowing as if he were trying to bore a hole through the screen. He had never been one for dramas, but lately, whenever he flipped through the channels and landed on one, he found himself setting the remote down. His face remained expressionless, but his eyes tracked the protagonists with obsessive intensity.
On screen, the man reached out and gently brushed the woman’s hair back. Taegon nodded, as if he had just grasped a complex mathematical formula. Oh, is that how you’re supposed to touch someone?
The woman on screen wept silently in the man’s arms. Taegon thought the plot was a bit pathetic, yet he didn’t change the channel. That guy, his acting is fine, but his expression is too stiff. Can’t he be a bit more affectionate?
He uncrossed his arms, critiquing the actor. His thumb, still gripping the remote, subconsciously turned up the volume. The room filled with the drama’s original soundtrack. Amidst the calm piano melody, the two on screen exchanged longing gazes. Taegon’s eyes wavered slightly.
Would she have that kind of look on her face if we were sitting across from each other eating?
The image of someone blowing on a spoonful of kimchi stew across from him flashed in his mind. "Ha…… what am I thinking……" Taegon wiped his face with his hands, trying to shake off the thought.
He tossed the remote onto a cushion and stretched, his shoulders popping with a sharp crack. The clock had already ticked past ten at night.
She must be starting her shift by now. Taegon smiled faintly, thinking of her working at the convenience store.
Just then.
— *Vrrrrrr*
The phone, wedged between the sofa cushions, vibrated. Taegon’s hand moved toward it naturally. Is it Ihyeon?
The smile on his lips deepened. His fingertips were filled with the anticipation of whatever message she might have sent. But the moment he picked up the phone:
Taegon’s smile vanished in an instant. It was as if a switch had been flipped, stripping all emotion from his face. He straightened his back and stood up from the sofa. He grabbed the remote and hit the mute button. The living room fell into immediate silence. The only sound was the vibration of the phone trembling in his palm.
Taegon pressed the call button with a blank expression. He held the phone to his ear but didn’t speak. Neither did the person on the other end.
Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds. Silence settled over the living room. In the stillness, Taegon’s finger tapped the front of the phone.
— *Tap. Tap-tap. Tap.*
A rhythm of alternating short and long intervals. A moment later, a rhythm returned from the other side.
— *Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap.*
Taegon’s ears perked up, focused. Finally, Taegon tapped once more.
— *Tap.*
The answer came back.
— *Tap.*
Identity confirmed. Taegon checked the perimeter outside the window before speaking.
"Deputy Yoon Taegon, receiving."
His voice was stiff and dry. It was impossible to believe this was the same man who had been muttering to himself while watching a drama just moments ago. A short breath sounded through the receiver, followed by the sound of a lighter.
— *Click!*
The friction of the flame igniting followed. "Yeah, it’s me." The voice on the other end was relaxed, the words punctuated by a breath that sounded like a long exhale of cigarette smoke. Taegon didn’t change his expression.
"What is it, Section Chief?"
"Well, nothing major." The Section Chief trailed off. The sound of him taking a deep drag of a cigarette came through the receiver. "Just a disciplinary check-in. You know how it is, once a month."
"I am aware."
"So, I’m asking—how have you been lately?"
A routine, administrative question to check on a suspended agent. Taegon replied in a flat tone.
"I’m managing."
"Are you eating well?"
"Yes."
"Exercising?"
"I do it every day."
"Good. Take care of yourself."
The Section Chief exhaled a long cloud of smoke. Through the short silence, the sound of wind was faintly audible. He must have been outdoors. Taegon naturally steered the conversation elsewhere.
"How have you been, Section Chief?"
"How do you think? Busy."
"Same as always, then."
"What do you mean, 'same as always'?" The Section Chief’s voice was laced with irritation. "The field is a mess since you’ve been out."
"……"
"It takes twice as long to wrap things up today. I can’t stand looking at the cleanup job those rookies did." The Section Chief clicked his tongue. "If you’re deployed, you should finish the job cleanly. What’s the point if you leave traces behind? Haven’t they learned the basics?"
Taegon’s eyes twitched slightly. For a moment, his own work flashed through his mind: neutralizing the target, erasing the traces, returning safely. Taegon had never made a mistake in that regard. Except for that one time.
"I recall there were always issues with the cleanup, even before I was suspended."
"No. When you were here, at least I didn’t have to go out and stir up the field myself." The Section Chief took another deep drag. The sound of burning tobacco crackled through the receiver. "These days, I have to go finish things myself. You know how things get complicated once I start stepping into the field."
"……Yes. I am well aware."
A faint smile flickered on Taegon’s lips before vanishing. If the Section Chief was stepping into the field, it meant the juniors’ work was that unreliable. In the past, Taegon would have handled it, and the Section Chief would have only needed to sign off.
"How is Staff Kim doing?"
"That guy? He’s fast, but his finish is sloppy. I have to follow him around and wipe up after him every single time."
"And Assistant Section Chief Park?"
"His work is incredible, but he can’t time his exits. Last operation, he almost got caught on CCTV and blew the whole thing."
"That habit…… I guess he hasn’t fixed it yet."
"People don’t change easily. To get him to work properly, you need to be there to cover for him, but since you’ve gone and vanished……" The Section Chief sighed. The wind grew stronger for a moment before dying down. "Well, anyway."
The Section Chief lowered his voice, changing the subject. "That aside. What about that witness?"
Taegon hesitated. The Section Chief took another drag of his cigarette. Finally, Taegon spoke.
"……I am still monitoring them."
"Still?"
"Yes."
"It’s already been a month."
"……That is correct."
"Usually, the surveillance period isn’t that long, is it?" The Section Chief’s follow-up was heavy with suspicion.
"The witness is a civilian. It’s difficult to identify their social connections, and there’s no justification for forced measures."
"I know that."
"You know we can’t just lay a hand on a civilian." Taegon’s voice stiffened slightly. The Section Chief didn’t react to the change.
"Well, I’m sure you’ll handle it." He exhaled a long cloud of smoke, as if he had lost interest. Taegon’s tense shoulders relaxed.
"I’m hanging up now."
"Understood."
— *Beep, beep, beep.*
The call ended. Taegon pulled the phone away and looked down at the screen. Call duration: 3 minutes and 42 seconds. As the screen went dark, his own face was reflected in the black glass. Taegon sank deep into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.
Is it really just because they’re a civilian that I’m not laying a hand on them…… or is it——
He didn’t bother to finish the sentence. Instead, he grabbed the remote and unmuted the TV. The man and woman in the drama were still looking at each other with longing. Taegon stared blankly at the screen before changing the channel. The screen shifted to the news, and the anchor’s monotonous voice filled the living room.
#
The Section Chief hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket. He was leaning against a gray concrete wall in front of the emergency stairs behind the building. Deep darkness lay at his feet, as the streetlamp light didn’t reach that far. The items recovered from the field were in the inner pocket of his coat. As the wind whipped the hem of his coat, a rattling sound could be heard. The cigarette in his mouth was already half-burned, a glowing orange ember flickering near the filter. He took one last deep drag and exhaled slowly. The white smoke dissipated thinly into the night air. He flicked the butt to the ground and crushed it with the tip of his shoe.
"This kid……" A mutter escaped his lips. "He’s gotten quite bright, hasn’t he?"
The Section Chief retraced the sense of dissonance he had felt during the call. Yoon Taegon. There was no emotion in that guy’s voice. It was the same in the field. He was a guy who never changed his expression during pre-op briefings, right before deployment, or when returning after the job was done. A guy who only said what was necessary, got confirmation, and turned away. Even a month ago, when he delivered the disciplinary notice, he had been the same as always.
"But today was different……" The Section Chief’s hand, reaching for a new cigarette, stopped dead. "When I asked how he was doing, he didn’t just say 'Yes' like usual. He said, 'I’m managing.'"
It was a subtle difference. A trivial change that others wouldn’t have noticed. The Section Chief chuckled through his nose and put the cigarette back in his pocket.
"Can’t lay a hand on a civilian, huh." He mimicked Taegon’s words. "It’s not exactly wrong."
He pushed himself off the wall and turned toward the stairs. The sound of his shoes echoed rhythmically. "……Interesting."
The Section Chief left that one word behind as he climbed the stairs. His footsteps faded, and in the darkness, only the crushed cigarette butt remained.
#
The mop glided across the floor, leaving a long, damp trail on the tiles. Ihyeon hummed an unrecognizable tune while holding the mop. As always when she was in a good mood, the pitch kept drifting upward. Every motion of pushing the mop forward and pulling it back was filled with rhythm. *Swish* when pushing, *shhh* when pulling. With the humming added, it was almost like she was dancing.
Tomorrow, the mart with Taegon-ssi~
Push.
We’re grocery shopping together~
Pull.
What should we buy~
Push again.
The tip of the mop slid deep under the display shelf. Ihyeon bent at the waist, tapping her toes. The mop, which had stopped, began to move again.
"Tomorrow, mart date with Taegon-ssi~"
The humming turned into lyrics that spilled out of her mouth. Ihyeon’s hands froze. The mop scraped against the floor tiles with a screech and came to a halt.
"……"
Ihyeon’s eyes widened slowly. She had realized what she’d just said. "Gasp!" She hurriedly covered her mouth, but it was too late. The heat that flared up instantly turned her earlobes bright red.
"……N-no, that’s not it."
Ihyeon shook her head violently. Her hair flew about, swaying left and right. "What kind of date! It’s not a date!"
She writhed in shame, clutching the mop and stomping her feet. "It’s grocery shopping! Buying groceries! Just the mart! We’re just going to the mart!"
The sight of her explaining herself alone in the empty convenience store was truly a spectacle. Only the empty counter and the display shelves silently listened to her monologue. Ihyeon buried her burning face in the mop handle and whined.
"Still……" Her eyes, peeking up, sparkled. "It is true that we’re shopping together."
Her lips curled upward on their own. "And pushing the cart together."
Her cheek muscles twitched involuntarily. "And worrying about what to buy together…… ahhh!"
Overcome by an uncontrollable flutter, she dropped the mop and pinched her flushed cheeks. If Taegon-ssi says, 'Should we put this in?' with the sweetest look in the world, I’ll sparkle and say, 'Yes!' And then I’ll pick up an onion and say, 'This too!' and smile bashfully……
The navigation in her brain sped past the vegetable section, blasted through the tasting and fruit sections, and reached the final boss: the checkout counter. The moment she imagined the pink-hued two-shot of them standing side-by-side, sharing the receipt—the finale of the mart trip—
— *Thump-thump-thump!!!*
Her heart began to race wildly, like a rollercoaster about to drop. Her delusion was on the verge of piercing the Earth and reaching space.
"That would be totally…… *hehehe*."
Laughter leaked out like a broken faucet. She covered her mouth tightly with both hands, but the irrepressible happiness squeezed through her fingers. After giggling for a long time, Ihyeon finally caught her breath. She picked up the discarded mop with renewed ambition and began scrubbing the floor again. The humming she had stopped resumed, starting the second verse. It was, without a doubt, the first time her night shift at the convenience store had ever been this enjoyable. Right now, Ihyeon’s world was entirely filled with the mart trip she would take tomorrow.