A Gloomy Night
I let out a long sigh, stretching my arms overhead before slipping off my glasses and rubbing at the bridge of my nose. Noa exhaled heavily beside me. Isabelle, who had been reviewing the report Noa had just finished, glanced my way and gave a small nod.
“Alright. So what are you two planning to do now?”
“Normally, once a report like this is filed, new orders come down within three hours. We wrote that we’ve secured the mask whose contractor we couldn’t locate and confirmed there are no anomalies in the surrounding area. So they’ll probably tell us to spend the next three days double-checking the vicinity for any irregularities. If nothing turns up, we’ll be ordered to return.”
“And this mask… I’ll put it in the special containment case.”
Noa picked up the second mask and slid it into a white case covered in unfamiliar mechanical devices. The moment she closed the lid, a series of heavy metallic clicks echoed as multiple locking mechanisms sealed the mask inside. The case was now locked down so tightly it could withstand almost any impact. She handed it over to Isabelle.
When they bickered and snapped at each other, they looked like ordinary women their age. But the second you gave them their actual jobs, they handled everything with the speed and precision you’d expect from elite special agents.
“From now on, we intend to remain on standby until headquarters issues new orders. What about you, Master?”
“…I need to head back to the funeral home. I told my parents I was just stepping out for cigarettes, but I’ve been gone until noon. They’re probably worried sick. I’ll stop by the funeral parlor again before going home.”
I washed the sweat from my hair, then stood in front of the mirror and tidied myself up to look presentable. I put on the jacket and shirt I’d hung on the rack, then tied a black necktie around my collar. Not everything was completely over yet, but at least I’d finished all the preparations for Jaehyeok’s final journey.
I tightened the knot, brushed the dust from my black clothes, and finished getting ready.
“I’m heading out. Contact me if anything comes up.”
“…Master.”
“Don’t. Say nothing. That matter ended the moment I turned you into a Saintess. You were the woman who said you’d rather die than become one. So how do you feel now?”
“…How do I feel? I am truly, deeply happy to have become Master’s Saintess…! The old me—the human me who hated you—seems like such an idiot now…”
“Good. Then we’re done here.”
I had reshaped the life of the woman who killed Jaehyeok into Choi Woo-joo’s perfect servant. I flipped her values upside down, turned her into the very thing she once loathed, and made her believe it was happiness. Isabelle was blissfully unaware she had fallen into the abyss, happily condemning her former self.
The revenge was already complete. Jaehyeok who died, the people left behind, even Isabelle herself—none of them knew. Only I did.
The corner of my mouth twitched upward slightly at that private truth as I gave a casual wave to the two women standing there blankly.
“I’m off.”
I left them behind, pulled the heavy door shut, and walked down the dark corridor.
“Ah… Oppa.”
“Yunsol? What are you doing here? Did you know Jaehyeok too?”
I ran into her just as I was leaving the funeral parlor, which was still packed with Jaehyeok’s relatives. She was dressed in neat black clothes that suited her quiet personality. Instead of her usual long loose hair, she had it neatly braided and pinned up. She gave me an awkward little greeting.
Yunsol and Jaehyeok hadn’t really been close. I didn’t remember ever seeing them hanging out together.
“Ah, well… I heard from Haemi unnie. While you were out, she stopped by too.”
“…Really? Yeah, she and Jaehyeok were pretty friendly. Thanks for coming anyway.”
“It’s nothing. Honestly, I wasn’t that close to him either. I even thought about not coming. But he was your friend, and… more than that, he once confessed to me.”
“…What? He did?”
We found seats together. I was cracking open one of the beer cans on the table when her unexpected words stopped me cold.
“Yes. It was during freshman MT… Jaehyeok oppa got drunk and confessed. He said, ‘I like nice, pretty girls like you. Will you go out with me?’ I was really flustered. To be honest, the whole situation scared me a bit, but I turned him down politely. He took it really well. The next day, after he sobered up, he even apologized. I knew he had a bit of a temper, but he was a good person at heart.”
“…That bastard always did look kinda scary. Back in high school he was a total punk. He never stole money or bullied kids, but he was always getting into fights with other delinquents. His grades were absolute garbage and he was about to drop out. I’m the one who tutored him.”
“Really?”
I took a sip of beer and let my mind drift back to middle school and high school days.
“His family was pretty strict. He never studied and just kept getting into fights. I couldn’t just sit by and watch. So I made a deal with him—if he let me tutor him after school every day, I’d get him out of the youth center program. He was actually pretty smart underneath it all. His grades shot up fast. He even got into the same university as me on the waiting list.”
“…That’s amazing. Both you and Jaehyeok oppa.”
“He was a good guy. Except for how quick he fell for girls. He probably confessed to you because the mood and the alcohol got to him. His type was exactly like you—gentle, petite, pure-looking. Haha…”
“Oh, you knew about that too? How he confessed to Go-eun unnie recently… She’s your cousin, right? I heard they were close since they were kids.”
“What? To Choi Go-eun? …Damn, Park Jaehyeok, you really were desperate… even going after that tomboy…”
The guy who always talked about wanting a girlfriend but never once shared his own dating stories. The perpetual solo who used to give me advice about Haemi noona. In the end, I never found out whether he actually had a girlfriend or not.
Did that bastard finally get to date the girlfriend he wanted so badly before he left?
I took another long swig of beer.
“…So? Did Choi Go-eun accept his confession?”
“She shot him down. And cursed him out while she was at it.”
“Figures.”
Getting rejected by Choi Go-eun, the complete opposite of his type. His pride must’ve taken a serious hit… I couldn’t laugh out loud in a place like this, but a quiet chuckle still slipped out. There was nothing more entertaining than hearing stories about your friend you never knew.
Yunsol, who had been smiling faintly beside me, added softly.
“…Still, a lot of the girls in our department liked Jaehyeok oppa. He looked scary, but he was kind… He took great care of his juniors, and if someone was having a hard time he’d come find them first, buy them drinks and food, and listen to their problems. I’m sure there was a good woman in his life too. Don’t you think?”
“…Yeah, probably. Why the hell did he have to go so fast? That impatient bastard…”
While I was talking with Yunsol, my eyes caught a woman entering the hall. Her clothes weren’t any different from the other mourners, and her appearance wasn’t particularly striking. But she carefully removed her shoes, wiped tears from her already soaked cheeks, and headed deeper into the funeral parlor.
“…Huh? That’s…”
Yunsol had turned to look in the same direction. It seemed she recognized the woman too. Before I could even ask who she was, the young woman’s mournful sobbing echoed softly through the room.
“…She’s the president of our department. She said she got a boyfriend recently… No way…”
……
You stupid bastard. If you finally got the girlfriend you wanted so much, you could’ve at least told me.
Really…
“Alright, I’m heading out. What about you?”
“I should get going too. I have to go to school tomorrow.”
Jaehyeok’s mother and father—my best friend’s parents since childhood—needed someone who could talk about their son. Go-eun and I had done what we could. Now it was time for the lover we never knew about to take her turn.
From a distance, I watched the two adults and the young woman bowing to one another. Leaving behind the precious person Jaehyeok had left, Yunsol and I stepped out of the funeral parlor.
Yeah. Tomorrow, we had to go back to school.
After parting ways with Yunsol, I looked up at the sky. The sun was barely clinging to the edge of the horizon while a new moon was rising. I walked the streets with nowhere particular to go. Before I knew it, the faint moonlight had turned completely black, yet I didn’t feel tired at all. Even after everything that had happened today.
In the end, I sat alone in front of a convenience store, drinking more beer, when Isabelle’s call came through.
My head was spinning. The words weren’t coming out right. I swept my hair back and stared at the empty cans in front of me. This was already my fifth beer. When the hell did I drink this much?
I shoved the phone back in my pocket, cutting off Isabelle’s voice as it ended with a click.
“……”
It was cold. Spring was almost over and the heat of summer was right around the corner, yet it felt freezing. Shouldn’t I be hot if I was drunk? I was even wearing a thick suit—why was I so cold? I just wanted to feel warm. A blanket, hot water, spicy food—anything would do.
“…Haa…”
The pack of cigarettes I bought this morning only had one left. I never smoked a whole pack in a day except when I was in the military. I pulled out the last cigarette, put it between my lips, and reached into my pocket for the lighter…
Click—
“Ah.”
The lighter slipped from my weakened fingers and clattered onto the ground. I tried to stand on my wobbling legs to pick it up, but they wouldn’t listen. Did I drink too fast? Or did I just drink too much?
I was so sleepy. It felt so comfortable that I might just fall asleep right here. With the cigarette still between my lips, I leaned back against the bench and closed my eyes.
“……”
The footsteps of people walking by, the blaring horns of cars. Even amid all that piercing noise, sleep came for me. I had been so tired today, after all.
As my consciousness slowly drifted away, the last thing I felt before falling asleep was the scent of fragrant shampoo. A soft chest pressed against the back of my head. Haemi noona leaned over me from behind, looking down with a bright smile.
“…Wooju, I found you~”
With a playful laugh, noona gently pulled the cigarette from my lips. Then—
“Chuu…”
She carefully cupped my cheek and pressed her lips against mine. The kiss was impossibly soft and warm. And with that, I fell asleep.