Chapter 127: Interlude (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Interlude (1)
The media erupted in a frenzy following the Olympic Bridge bombing. Countless reporters scrambled for leads, and testimonies of people spotting Team Guerrilla at the scene began appearing everywhere. The prosecution began reviewing CCTV footage, and the members of Team Guerrilla—excluding Indigo, who was left partially paralyzed, and Gainsborough, who had gone missing—were brought in for questioning.
Team Hunter Killer, who had been engaged in a duel nearby at the time, could not avoid the investigation either. Since all the Team Leaders of the Spacetro Seoul Branch had been absent, the duel naturally never took place. Upon returning to headquarters, the members of Team Hunter Killer were swarmed by reporters and subjected to an agonizing ordeal.
Ultimately, since Team Hunter Killer had no connection to the bombing, they were allowed to return home after a lengthy interrogation. But that wasn't the end of it. Insults were hurled from all directions at the Superhumans who had terrorized and collapsed the Olympic Bridge, one of the major bridges over Seoul’s Han River. All Superhumans, including those in Hunter Killer, found themselves unable to walk the streets with their heads held high.
On the day of the incident, the members of Hunter Killer had been forced into interrogation immediately upon returning to headquarters without receiving any briefing from the Director. It wasn't until the evening of the following day that they were finally able to go home.
Walking with exhausted steps and hollow eyes, looking at nothing at all, Red finally arrived at her destination: A’s studio apartment.
As summer fully gave way to autumn, the days had grown shorter. The hour that would have been bright just a few weeks ago was now dim, and the streetlights were flickering on to illuminate the darkening path.
Pulling her hat down low in case someone recognized her, Red glanced at the nearby convenience store where she worked. She was supposed to have worked the afternoon shift, but she’d had to skip it due to the investigation. Thinking she should at least show up on time tomorrow, she stepped into the apartment building where A lived.
The building she entered every day felt utterly foreign. Everything that had happened just yesterday—events that occurred and passed in the blink of an eye—felt like a dream.
Yes. It’s a dream.
That was the conclusion Red reached. Everything that happened yesterday was a dream. The person who appeared before her eyes hadn't been A; A would be at home, just like always.
They’d had a bit of a spat two days ago because she’d been irritable, but if she talked to him and apologized, A would surely accept it.
Yes. When she opened that door and went inside, A would be there, lying on the bed and scrolling through his smartphone like he always did.
With that thought, she entered the code into the door lock and opened the door.
The lightless room was dark, illuminated only by the faint glow filtering in from outside. There was no sound, no warmth. Only his lingering scent remained, as if A had been here until only yesterday.
“Oppa?”
Was he perhaps hiding somewhere, waiting for her?
With that hope, she opened the bathroom door. The vibration of the door opening caused a stray droplet to fall from the showerhead with a soft plink, but there was no sign of life.
Since the bathroom had no place to hide to begin with, there was no point in looking further if he wasn't immediately visible. She closed the bathroom door and looked back at the empty, hollow room.
Did he go to work today too?
She wondered if he was staying late again for work or if he was staying overnight somewhere else, but she pointedly excluded yesterday’s events from her thoughts.
Red wanted to believe. Even though she had seen it with her own eyes, she didn't want yesterday to be real. A, the man she had trusted and given her heart to so completely, had deceived her and every other member of Hunter Killer. She wanted to believe it couldn't be true, yet even as she thought it, she knew her reasoning was mere escapism.
She decided to sit and wait for A to return. He might come back in the early hours of the morning, so if she stayed awake and waited, they were bound to cross paths at least once.
Just then, her entire being focused on the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Red bolted upright from the bed and rushed to the entrance, swinging the door open. Driven by the thought that A had arrived, she had opened the door in a hurry, startling the neighbor who was passing by. Their eyes met.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Disappointed that the person before her wasn't A, she offered a brief apology, closed the door, and retreated back into the room.
“It can’t be… It can’t be.”
Muttering to herself, she denied everything she had seen yesterday, desperately wishing for A to arrive. But the more she denied it, the more the entire situation came flooding back. In particular, she couldn't forget the looks in the other members' eyes the moment they saw A’s face.
It was a look that seemed to say, ‘Why you?’ to one another. Within those gazes, each of their feelings for A were intensely palpable. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't erase one nagging thought.
Did he really deceive us?
If every moment they spent together was a lie—if the moments they told each other they loved one another, desired each other, and shared their bodies were all just an act A put on to deceive her—then who was she supposed to trust?
To Red, A was the only person in the world she could trust and the only person she loved. She had known the members of Hunter Killer for a long time, but the feelings she had for them were closer to comradeship. Furthermore, they had only started becoming close recently, and it was thanks to A that she had begun getting along with them.
Then, the series of conversations and situations from the past began to click together in Red’s mind. The days A had stayed out or come home late without a word to her were the days he was meeting the other members. Because during the meetings the day after A had been late or absent, one of the members would always become particularly talkative.
She never imagined they were talking about their own boyfriend. Why had none of them ever mentioned their boyfriend’s name? It was an instinctive act, like protecting what was hers from others.
It was only natural for a Superhuman, who finds it difficult to build relationships with others, to be interested in someone else who was building a relationship with a Superhuman. Even though she had a boyfriend herself, listening to the members' stories had been genuinely intriguing.
The members of Hunter Killer had all been thinking the same thing: that they were glad the other members' boyfriends were good people. None of them realized it was the exact same man.
“Oppa.”
She wanted to shake off the negative thoughts filling her head, but it wasn't that easy. She just wanted A to come home quickly. If A really had deceived them all, she wanted him to come and tell her himself.
She missed him too much to end everything without hearing a single word from his lips.
*
A full day passed like that.
After waiting for A all night, Red eventually stared at the front door that no one had entered before heading out to her shift at the convenience store. The media was still in an uproar, and various articles about Superhumans continued to be posted in real-time.
Red wasn't the only one who went to work as the weekend arrived. Pink, who had rested until Friday after being questioned, showed up for her shift in the cafe kitchen. Even though the Boss and the other part-timers had heard the news about the Superhumans, they didn't say anything to her and treated her as they always did.
She had been a bit worried, but the normal atmosphere allowed Pink to relax and start her work in the kitchen. She, too, hadn't been able to stop thinking about A all night.
I’ll be able to see him when the weekend comes. He’ll come to work at the cafe, she thought. She didn't even send him a text, choosing instead to wait for A’s scheduled shift on Saturday.
It might have been better to text him and stay in touch, but she felt that if she sent a message and got no reply, the mental strength she was using to hold out until his weekend shift would completely crumble.
She went about her tasks in the quiet shop, waiting for A to arrive. Before she knew it, it was time for A’s shift to start.
He’s a little late today.
The start of his shift passed, and A still hadn't arrived. He must be running late because of something, she thought, trying to soothe her growing anxiety. Just then, someone entered the kitchen.
She turned her head, eyes wide, to see who it was, only to meet the gaze of the Boss, who had just poked her head in.
“A is late. Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing…”
“Really? Okay.”
Since A, who was always punctual, hadn't arrived even after his shift started, the Boss wondered if something had happened. She asked Pink, and at the girl's reply that nothing was wrong, the Boss nodded and returned to the counter.
Is he unable to come because he was seriously injured yesterday?
Pink thought that it might be difficult for him to work today. In the process, she pointedly ignored the fact that A was dating all the members of Hunter Killer and was actually a member of Spacetro.
As more time passed, the part-timer working the counter headed toward the back door of the kitchen to take a break. Upon entering, she tilted her head in confusion at the sight of Pink alone.
“A isn't here yet? That’s strange. You guys didn't have a fight, did you?”
“Huh? No, no, we didn't.”
They had argued once before, and the other part-timers knew about it. Since A and Pink worked together in the kitchen, any trouble between them was immediately obvious from the change in atmosphere.
“…True. He’s not the type to skip work just because he fought with his girlfriend.”
“What?!”
While it was true that A and Pink were dating, they hadn't officially informed the cafe staff. A had suggested it, thinking that if people knew the two kitchen workers were dating, it might affect the work environment.
Of course, whenever they were out of sight, Pink would hug or kiss A at every opportunity. A also realized that Pink only did it when others weren't looking, so he didn't stop her when she was being affectionate.
Thus, while keeping it a secret from the cafe staff, Pink had been expressing her affection for A to her heart's content. So, when she heard the word "girlfriend" while she thought they were hiding it well, she couldn't hide her flustered reaction.
“Yeah. You two are dating, right? Or did I get it wrong?”
They hadn't heard a definitive "We're dating" from the couple themselves, but the cafe staff had taken it as a given. Still, there was a chance they weren't.
“As if. They’re in the kitchen sucking face every single day.”
The Boss, who happened to be passing by the front of the kitchen, overheard the conversation and spoke up with a look of mock exasperation.
“A-Ah, you knew?”
Pink, who had been being as affectionate as she wanted thinking they were hiding it well, actually blushed for once at the realization that the people at the counter knew everything.
“Of course I knew. Every time there are no customers, you’re in the kitchen hugging and kissing.”
Though the Boss spoke as if she were fed up with their kitchen antics, a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth. The Boss, who had allowed Pink to work at the shop despite knowing she was a Superhuman, was happy that she had found a decent boyfriend.
The Boss, who held no prejudice, thought of Pink as just an ordinary girl and had a high opinion of A as well. So, even when she caught them being affectionate in the kitchen, she would often watch with a proud smile.
“So, is A coming in today?”
“Ah, well…”
Pink’s face had been red from being found out, but at the mention of A’s name, her expression clouded with worry again. Certain that something was wrong, the Boss said,
“Alright. I won't ask any more about it. Just tell A to be prepared for when he does show up.”
“Yes.”
Seeing the usually bright Pink looking so dejected, the Boss decided not to bring up A any further today.
Just from the atmosphere, it was clear they hadn't fought, but something had definitely happened that she couldn't talk about. Having watched A work the weekend shift for several months, the Boss trusted him in her own way and figured there must be a reason—one difficult to talk about—why he couldn't come for the time being.
Left alone in the kitchen again, Pink was tidying up when she stepped into the storage room to check on some supplies.
On one side, A’s uniform hung, freshly laundered. And the anxiety that Pink had managed to push aside while working began to take root in her mind.
What would happen to her if A never came back for the rest of her life? Even though she always spoke and acted playfully, A was the only person Pink truly needed. The thought that she might never see him again brought a sudden surge of tears to her eyes.
“Ugh, hic… sob!”
Sobbing, she slumped to the floor, clutching A’s uniform hanging on the rack. Through the scent of detergent and fabric softener, she could smell A’s deep, distinct scent.
Just holding his clothes made it feel as if he were there, but in reality, there was no one. There was only Pink, crying alone while clutching the clothes of a master who had vanished.
“A… hic, uugh! Come back… come back quickly… waaah!”
She wanted him to return and hold her. She wanted to drink with him, share kisses, and spend passionate nights together. Pink, who had revealed her affection without reservation every time A held and kissed her, had felt that A was expressing his affection for her in return.
There was no lie in A’s love for her. She believed that.
So she wanted him to return quickly and prove it. To prove that he loved her as deeply as he loved the others.