Precision Verification (1)
"Hello?"
I snatched up my lifeline—sorry, the phone—and answered with undisguised relief.
Noona stared at me like she couldn't believe what she was seeing, but the call that had just come in dragged me straight back to my usual self.
"Good afternoon. This is Deputy Jang Il-woon of the Precision Verification Department at the Superpower Association."
"Yes."
"I'm calling because we need to discuss the matter of your precision verification application."
The call was about a precision verification of my superpower. It mattered more than dodging Noona's glare, so I fixed my attention on the voice coming through the speakerphone.
"First—my apologies for the late reply. Your ability is a rather unusual case, so the preparations have been difficult."
"Ah, that's quite all right. You explained last time, so I understand completely."
"Thank you. Originally we intended to use a zoo and were looking at Ulsan. But we found a place in Busan that closed down and yet still keeps its animals."
"Oh...?"
A small sound of surprise escaped me. I knew perfectly well that the Busan I lived in had nothing you could really call a zoo. The only one had shut its doors a few years back, and I'd already resigned myself to trekking out of town for the test. Hearing I could do it right here, I couldn't help being impressed.
"You're familiar with Children's Grand Park, I trust?"
"Ah, yes. I went a few times when I was little."
"There's a zoo on the grounds. Various problems have left it closed, but the animals inside have continued to be looked after. We're currently arranging to conduct the verification with that zoo's cooperation."
"That suits me perfectly. I was already thinking it'd be a pain to go to another city just because there's no zoo here."
I smiled, pleased by what he'd said. He wasn't calling simply to inform me that a date for the precision verification had been set, though.
"The zoo did have one condition. If we accept it, they've said they'll cooperate fully with a verification on their grounds."
"Uh... and what's the condition?"
"The ability you requested we verify is Animal Communicating, is it not? The zoo cares for a single elephant, and lately it's been having problems. They've asked that you interpret for them on that matter."
"If that's all, I don't mind. I could manage it easily enough while the verification's going on, couldn't I?"
Once I confirmed the zoo wasn't asking for anything outrageous, I agreed. If my ability was going to be tested, talking with animals was unavoidable anyway. Doing what I had to do and satisfying their condition at the same time—there was no reason to refuse.
"I'm glad to hear it. Then would you send me a time that's convenient for you? The zoo is closed at present, so we can match your schedule however you like. Do note, however, that a small fee applies to verifications on weekends or outside working hours."
I wouldn't have to travel any great distance, and I could set the schedule however I pleased. I'd never imagined a shuttered zoo would prove this helpful, so I named a date with a bright smile. There was still a great deal to prepare for the pet cafe, and I set it for the very next day.
"Very good. Then tomorrow at ten in the morning. I'll meet you at the zoo entrance."
He hung up, and a text laying out the appointment arrived almost at once.
Noona, who had been right beside me listening to every word, had both eyes shining. The Noona who had been winding up to scold me was nowhere to be seen. In her place sat a Noona on fire with curiosity.
I knew exactly why she looked like that, so I nodded.
"All right, we'll go together. I doubt they'll say observers aren't allowed."
"Boss-Unnie's-Boyfriend-Oppaaaaa! Meeee toooooo!"
"...Fine. You too."
I had no idea when she'd sidled up, but I decided to take Yeongji as well—the one currently plastered against me and screaming into my ear. I thought my eardrums had blown clean out. Wait, had they? Why couldn't I hear properly?
Tap. Tap-tap.
Still there. Whew. Thank goodness.
Children's Grand Park, in Choeup, Busan. Inside it stood a zoo you could no longer enter—a place that had gone under after a tangle of disputes between a company and the city of Busan. Anyone born and raised in Busan had likely been at least once.
Naturally, I had plenty of memories there myself. When I was small, Children's Day meant a trip to Children's Grand Park. It was practically routine.
"Whoa... I used to walk around here holding Mom's hand, dragging that butterfly toy. You know, the one where the wheels roll and the wings go whap-whap."
"Really? Most boys didn't play with those, did they?"
"How would I know? All I remember is that I did."
Crossing the park toward the zoo inside it, I had no choice but to sink into the past. I'd only been toddling then, so what returned wasn't memory so much as photographs—one scene, then another. Noona had her share of memories here too, and she couldn't help smiling along with me. Once you got older, you simply stopped seeking out places this unhurried and peaceful. Coming back after so very long made the memories stir to life, one by one.
Right up until Yeongji laughed, bright as anything, and bolted.
"Hehehe!"
"Yeongji!"
"Hurry uuuup!"
Maybe she couldn't wait another second to watch me undergo the precision verification. Whatever the reason, Yeongji was sprinting flat out like a beagle. Noona took off after her, and I had no choice but to chase the both of them.
Hey—without me, you two can't even get in!
Shouting it in my head did nothing. The two women already well ahead weren't going to hear.
In the end I wheezed my way up the path after them and found both women waiting for me at the zoo entrance.
"Hah—hahh...! I... I'm dying... huff...!"
"You okay?"
I hadn't exercised in ages. Gasping for the breath that wouldn't come, I couldn't get a single word out to Noona as she stepped in and patted my back. How was I supposed to talk when I was busy panting?
Wow. I really am gonna die. I need to start working out...
Freshly confronted with how miserable my stamina was, I swore I'd exercise. Not today, though.
"Hoooo..."
Once I'd settled enough to breathe it out, I straightened from the bend I'd been folded into. My legs were shaking, but I couldn't let Noona see that. I forced the tremble down and looked around.
The zoo before me was nothing like the place in my memory, from long ago when it had gone by a different name. Closed as it was, a sign stood near the entrance.
Zoo Closed
Just then, two men approached us. One wore a suit light enough to move in; the other looked like a zookeeper.
"A pleasure to meet you. You're Mr. Shin Suhwan, I presume?"
Of the two, the man in the suit stepped forward and offered me a slip of paper smaller than my palm. A business card.
"Ah—I quit recently, so my card..."
I ought to have offered one in return, but I didn't have a card to give. Fortunately, Deputy Jang Il-woon waved it off, as if he'd only handed his over to prove who he was.
"Let's head inside for now. Your observers as well."
He set off in the lead with the man I took for a keeper beside him. We passed the sign forbidding entry, walked a short way up the slope, and came to a place where several more people were waiting. Half wore suits like Deputy Jang Il-woon; half were dressed like the keeper. They were, of course, the verification team sent by the Superpower Association, and the keepers who looked after the zoo's animals.
After a light round of greetings, I listened to Deputy Jang Il-woon explain how the precision verification would work. The test was simple. With the various instruments the team had brought, they would first measure the strength of the peculiar wavelength said to emanate from a person with a superpower, then verify, second, how that superpower was actually put to use.
The first stage was extremely simple. Like a body-composition scan at a gym or a public health center, I only had to grip a sensor in each hand, put a helmet on my head, and let them run the machine. It was over in less time than it takes to finish a cup of instant ramen. All that remained was the practical test.
"For the practical verification, we will assess the level at which communication with animals is possible. You'll identify, through the animals, certain things we prepared ahead of time."
"Things you prepared ahead of time?"
"Yes. Nothing so grand. We showed the animals various behaviors, and you will discern them by speaking with the animals. If I may offer a comparison, you'll be taking witness statements from them. Ah, and please note that this portion will be recorded."
Deputy Jang Il-woon's instruction—to reason it out through the animals—drew a quiet laugh from me, and at the same time my interest stirred. It was a lot like the feeling of stepping into an escape room for the first time. Noona and Yeongji, beside me, seemed to feel it too; neither could hide her curiosity.
"We'll begin with the giraffe. You simply need to determine what we did to it."
So the giraffe was first. As Deputy Jang Il-woon announced it, a keeper stepped up beside him.
"Giraffes are gentle, yes, but they still belong among the dangerous animals. They can hold their own against a hippopotamus or a rhinoceros. Please take care not to stimulate it excessively."
"...Right."
I'd thought of it as nothing but a docile herbivore. Hearing it called a dangerous beast made me uneasy for no good reason.
Toe-to-toe with a hippo and a rhino...
Deciding I'd better not get cocky, I took the piece of white bread the keeper held out and stepped up close to the railing.