Preliminary Investigation (1)
Preliminary Investigation (1)
After leaving Yoon Do-sik's research lab, Baek Woo-jin did not head to the mansion but instead made his way to the Temple of the God of Amusement on the Street of Light.
-That person...
-He's really tall.
-But why is he wearing glasses like that?
With the day's work drawing to a close, the Street of Light bustled with young apprentice clerics whose classes had ended. Amidst the sea of pristine white clerical vestments, Baek Woo-jin's deep black attire was enough to draw the eyes of everyone around.
Ignoring the stares and murmurs entirely, Baek Woo-jin stepped into the Temple of the God of Amusement while its doors were still open.
"You've arrived."
The moment Lee Ye-sol, who had been standing guard near the entrance, spotted Baek Woo-jin, she approached him with steps that were swift yet not undignified. She then drew a small box from within her wide sleeve and held it out to him.
Baek Woo-jin accepted the box and checked its contents.
It was a smartphone with a pitch-black body.
"This isn't the model I used."
"The one you used was discontinued ten years ago, Professor."
"Is that so."
"If you had given me but a little more time, I could have certainly procured one..."
"No. It's fine."
Baek Woo-jin placed the box in his bag and the smartphone into his inner pocket.
"I apologize for asking you to run such a trivial errand."
"Ho-ho, I went with the feeling of taking a stroll, so please pay it no mind."
It was no lie. She had genuinely enjoyed carrying out the errand itself.
What she wouldn't mention was the cold sweat she'd broken trying to stop him from barging into the prayer room to smash the statue of someone he revered.
"Is Claire upstairs?"
"Yes. She hasn't come down once."
As Baek Woo-jin glanced at the staircase for a moment, Lee Ye-sol quickly composed herself and continued.
"Perhaps you might stop for just a moment to see her face before leaving?"
"...She's likely asleep."
"Precisely."
"...?"
"Oh my."
Lee Ye-sol hastened to cover her mouth with her palm, her true feelings having slipped out.
As Baek Woo-jin silently observed her,
"Oh, it's the Professor."
"Hello."
Idni and Maria walked in and, upon noticing Baek Woo-jin standing in front of them, greeted him warmly.
Idni stood beside Baek Woo-jin, her pink hair swaying gently.
"Are you waiting for the Executor?"
"Don't bother the Professor. Hurry upstairs and change your clothes first."
"Ehh~"
Lee Ye-sol interjected before Baek Woo-jin could answer, and Idni clasped her hands behind her head, drawing out the end of her words.
Thwack―!!
"...?!"
"My apologies, Professor. Ha-na's been busy with assignments and won't play with her, so I think she's acting out."
Maria smiled brightly, then seized Idni—who was rubbing her back in silent agony—and disappeared up the stairs with her.
-I'm so mortified... Please, show some manners in front of the Professor. You and Ha-na are both twenty now, you know?
-He wasn't even saying anything, so why are you giving me shit?! And seriously, quit hitting my back!!
-Goodness, what a drama queen. And you still want to be a Holy Knight?
The sounds of their bickering faded gradually until, shortly after, they became entirely inaudible.
Lee Ye-sol quietly lowered her voice.
"I will take responsibility for keeping the children quiet, so please do stop by before you go."
"I'm not sure what there is to keep them quiet about."
"Oh dear, I've misspoken again."
Baek Woo-jin glanced down at the crown of Lee Ye-sol's bowed head for a beat before turning toward the staircase.
At that, Lee Ye-sol hastened to speak.
"You'll find it on the uppermost floor."
"..."
Baek Woo-jin climbed the stairs without a sound, step by step.
**
Within the darkness where nothing could be seen.
It was not that the room was dark. It was merely that Claire's eyelids were pressed firmly shut.
'...'
She had regained consciousness moments ago, but oddly, her body would not move as she wished.
To be more precise, she could not so much as move a single finger of her own volition.
She let out a silent sigh she had long lost count of.
Overwhelmed by the events of the previous day, she had failed to sleep properly. Dawn had passed, and just as the sun rose, her smartwatch at the bedside had shone, and she had ended up in this state.
There was no need to search for a culprit; the perpetrator was so glaringly obvious that Claire could not bring herself to curse even in her own mind.
She had just accepted that there was nothing she could do for the moment and was about to sink back into her thoughts when—
Click.
The sound of the doorknob turning seized Claire's attention.
Click.
The sound came again.
At the same time, Claire's heart began to race.
Though her body was paralyzed, her five senses had not been numbed. Thus, her hearing and sense of smell were both perfectly intact, yet Claire could sense nothing but the sound of the doorknob turning.
She felt no approaching presence, nor had the concentration of mana in the air changed. She could not even hear the footsteps that any person would inevitably make.
And she knew of one being who fulfilled all of these conditions.
Hoo.
The scent of the study, now grown into her favorite, seeped into her nose.
And that was not all.
Swish. With the soft rustle of fabric, a slight weight was added atop her chest.
Bewildered as she was by the situation, Claire felt grateful.
For if her body had been free, a change would certainly have shown on her face.
At the same time, Claire's mind grew complicated.
She could not properly recall what state she had been in when she'd lain on the bed, how her room had looked.
Having cast off her clothes carelessly, without washing.
'...I curled up on the bed.'
As the memory rose to that point, a vermilion bloom of heat began to slowly spread across Claire's face.
Just as she was about to bite her tongue then and there if she could, something warm and snug touched her forehead.
Swish.
He smoothed back her hair neatly and then covered her forehead with his palm.
Wha-ash―!!
The vermilion bloom spreading across Claire's face deepened steadily until it was dyed a vivid red.
The weight against her forehead vanished before long. Yet the heat blossoming across Claire's face remained in full bloom.
-Dring~!!
A short but clamorous ringtone.
It was followed by the rustle of clothing and the sound of someone tapping at something.
"On that matter, I recall having brought it to a close this morning."
Baek Woo-jin's voice bored clearly into her mind.
Claire's rampaging thoughts naturally regained their composure and began to focus on his voice.
"I believe I told you I needed time."
"Tsk."
After that short click of his tongue, Baek Woo-jin's voice did not come for some time.
Silence set in once more.
Claire waited for that silence to break, and at the end of her waiting, Baek Woo-jin's voice reached her again.
"Next summer."
Next summer.
What would happen then?
But Claire could not find the answer to that question.
Click.
Within the silence that followed, she heard the doorknob turn.
**
Baek Woo-jin emerged from Claire's room and descended the stairs.
Lee Ye-sol, who happened to be preparing dinner, set down the tableware and approached him.
"You came down early."
"There was no reason to stay long."
"I see."
As Lee Ye-sol showed a hint of disappointment, Baek Woo-jin added,
"She seemed to have a slight fever, so go up and check on her later. Though she didn't appear to have any other physical abnormalities."
"...Yes."
Lee Ye-sol covered her mouth with her hand and hurriedly replied.
Baek Woo-jin shot her a brief glare before he spoke again.
"Check on her, and if her condition seems fine, ask her whether she intends to accompany the external schedule tomorrow. If I leave a separate email, the answer will be obvious even if she isn't feeling well, so I'd like you to ask for me."
"Yes. I shall most certainly do so."
Once again, Lee Ye-sol presented the crown of her head to him.
Baek Woo-jin looked down at her for a moment before quietly turning away.
Leaving behind Lee Ye-sol's send-off that seemed almost a send-off, Baek Woo-jin exited the temple.
The first thing that greeted him was the sky, gradually dyed a scarlet hue.
Against the backdrop of the deepening color, he passed through the Street of Light, which had grown quiet before he knew it, and returned to the mansion.
Once inside the front door, Baek Woo-jin removed his coat and hung it on the rack. Then, he changed into the fur-trimmed slippers Baek Ha-na had given him and walked down the corridor.
His steps, moving through the unchanged hallway, came to a halt.
A faint scent of coffee wafted from up ahead.
Baek Woo-jin's stride shifted direction from the study to the kitchen.
He walked the long corridor, turned the corner, followed the thickening coffee aroma, and finally entered the kitchen.
"Haa."
A sigh that bordered on despair escaped Baek Woo-jin's firmly set lips.
Empty coffee sticks lay strewn everywhere, their contents—which ought to have been inside—scattered all across the shelves, the floor, and every corner of the dining table.
Rustle.
An empty cereal bag flew into Baek Woo-jin's hand.
Apparently, cereal alone hadn't been enough to fill her stomach.
Baek Woo-jin left the kitchen as it was for the moment and followed the trail of white powder dotted sparsely across the floor. The powder was sugar, and it led him straight to the study.
He pushed open the door, which was now wider ajar than when he'd left this morning.
"Haaah."
A longer breath flowed from Baek Woo-jin's mouth.
Sparkling earrings and necklaces lay scattered about the study, along with a miscellany of gleaming trinkets whose origin he couldn't even guess.
Baek Woo-jin surveyed the chaotic study and pulled open the bedroom door.
Unlike the study, which had been completely transformed, the bedroom preserved its appearance from that morning intact. Save for one single spot.
-Peeep...
The peep of a chick sounded from atop the bed.
Baek Woo-jin approached the small basket placed beside his pillow.
-Peee... peeeep...
Inside the basket lined with a red wrapping cloth, the little pure mischief-maker—its whole body caked in creamer and coffee grounds—lay curled into a neat round shape, breathing in steady, even breaths.
After watching the sight for a moment, Baek Woo-jin left the bedroom and stood before the study window.
Tok, todok.
A few pure white petals from the bush bloomed outside flew in through the wide-open window and layered themselves across Baek Woo-jin's palm.
The petals, piled to the length of his index finger, curled tightly together, and Baek Woo-jin secured them firmly between his thumb and forefinger.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He gave it a few light swings, nodded as if satisfied, and then re-entered the bedroom.
Click.
The bedroom door closed quietly.