I Became a Janitor and Building Owner - 2
When I returned to Galdo and announced my intention to resign, Na Hyun-soo's eyes went round with surprise.
"Really? You're actually quitting?"
"Yes. Something unexpected came up, and it looks like I'll have to leave. I'm sorry."
"No, no need to apologize… It's just strange. I always figured you'd live out your whole life here."
"I thought so too."
A life that cost almost nothing. Wide-open sea and quiet ease stretching out beside me. If I had never met Janet, I would have been content to die that way.
"Something must have happened, then."
Na Hyun-soo nodded and folded his arms. Coming back out of the blue only to resign—of course he found it odd.
"Yes. It caught me off guard as well. It's far too personal, so I really can't go into the details. I'm truly sorry about that."
"Life never goes according to plan. I never dreamed I'd end up as base commander here either."
The corner of Na Hyun-soo's mouth twisted slightly. It wasn't a sneer—just a self-mocking, faintly bitter smile.
"You'll leave once your term is up, right?"
"That's the idea. Personnel rotate, so the base commander rotates too. The term just happens to be long."
Base commanders stayed longer than regular staff—not so different from the gap between enlisted men's and officers' discharge dates.
"You still have a while left?"
"Yeah. Gets stifling sometimes… but on the other hand it's pretty relaxed. You know how it is, Ji-hyuk. There's almost nothing to do."
"Except for being almost completely cut off, it's a pretty easy post."
The watch base existed to keep an eye on Specters coming in from the sea. Once, long ago, Specters that had piled up in remote places had come flooding in all at once. That was why bases like this had been built. In practice, though, there was nothing to do. Specters almost never arrived by sea. All you had to do was weed out any that might appear on the islands during patrols, and that was the end of it.
"Anyway, quitting out of the blue like this… it does leave me a little sad. You were always so easygoing you kind of took the edge off the place."
"Thank you for thinking well of me."
"It's nothing. Just hang on until the replacement arrives, all right? You know how it is—we're state personnel, so you can't just walk out whenever you feel like it."
Even if I was only a janitor, I still belonged to a national agency. Free resignation wasn't quite the word for it. Serving on an island as isolated as Galdo made it even harder.
"Yes. There should be plenty of applicants, so it shouldn't take long."
"You never know. Island postings get avoided for that exact reason."
He had a point. With nothing left to say, I simply nodded.
"I'd appreciate it."
"Sure. Take care of things right to the end. Next time we meet, let's grab a drink."
Na Hyun-soo gave a short laugh and waved me off. Time to go.
Resignation.
People always said quitting left you feeling clean and free. Strangely enough, emptiness and a quiet ache came first for me.
Don't tell me… I've been brainwashed?
In Vichy, France, a family of deep and ancient roots held its ground.
For generations they had kept a hot-spring business at their center, carrying the line forward, expanding their influence through that heritage—and proving, in the end, that they were descendants of Joan of Arc. The Ystua family.
In France, Joan of Arc was a hero among heroes. Recognized as a saint even on the world stage, her stature was unmatched. Elodie, as a member of that house, had reaped many of its benefits. More than that, she possessed power so exceptional that people called her the Saint.
"Marriage? Emigration?"
The Ystua Hot Springs of Vichy—the very root of the family. In one of the rooms of the broad mansion set in the rear garden, a middle-aged man with yellow hair went wide-eyed and raised his voice.
Louis Ystua.
Elodie's father, and the current head of the Ystua family.
"Yes, Father."
Elodie, seated across from him, answered in a voice of perfect calm. Even facing the leader of their house, she showed no tension. That was the gift of the life she had lived as Joan of Arc.
"That you, who never showed the slightest interest in men, have suddenly decided you want to marry is something I can welcome. But to leave and live in another country!"
Louis poured feeling into his voice and expression. Not anger—bewilderment and fear. She had gone to Korea on a whim and come back talking of marriage? Anyone would have been shaken.
"A daughter leaves her home when she marries. That time has simply come."
"Even so, Korea is far too distant."
"I'm sorry. I've made up my mind to go, and there's nothing I can do about it."
Elodie spoke calmly, yet with unmistakable firmness. Louis's brow twisted hard.
There was no winning this.
As a father, he knew better than anyone that he could not stop his daughter. It was the same as a few years earlier, when she had announced she would travel the world. Still, he could not simply nod. Too much lingering attachment kept him from it.
"I can't understand where this stubbornness of yours comes from."
A heavy sigh escaped Louis's lips. If his daughter stood her ground openly, he could not bar her path. If he tried to stop her out of pure selfishness and crossed the line, the family would fracture. Were parents simply fated to lose to their children? An old saying pressed down on Louis's shoulders like a weight.
A bitter smile touched Elodie's lips.
"I never planned on any of this either. It was an unexpected meeting."
"You like the fellow that much?"
"Yes. Enough that there's no need to put it into words."
If he had never existed, you yourself would never have been born. You never would have been able to raise the family name by claiming the empty glory of Joan of Arc either.
"…Go rest for now. We'll finish this conversation later."
"Yes."
Elodie rose slowly, keeping her true thoughts hidden. "Saint" was only a symbol people had attached to her—a title without real authority. Having it or not made little difference. Even if it had been a seat of actual power, she could simply have stepped down from it.
But.
If anyone tried to bind the Saint in a situation like this, the nation's image would take damage. It would plant the fear that even the freedom of ordinary citizens could be crushed. For a French government that flew the banners of liberty, equality, and fraternity, that was fatal. Using real force would make it worse still.
The current power holders knew perfectly well that such a move would only strengthen their opponents. They had wanted to keep the Saint close for their own benefit—yet they could not afford to lose a greater benefit for the sake of a lesser one. Elodie meant to press exactly that point and get the result she wanted.
The scarcity of Holy Power? It existed, but it was not unique. Even in France alone there were people who could wield it. If Holy Power had truly been unique? She would have needed extra measures, and the headache would have been far worse.
"…Haa."
The moment she stepped into the wide, luxurious room fit for a noble young lady, a deep sigh slipped from Elodie's lips. Fatigue from trying to persuade her family. Fatigue from shaking off the power brokers.
What a nuisance.
It was hardly rare for an Awakened to emigrate to a country that offered better treatment. Yet they had been especially strict with the Saint. If she had signed a contract with some official agency it might have been different. Her parents would give their blessing in the end. No real obstacles remained. Once permission was granted, all that was left was to cross the sea.
The Korean government? The moment they heard the Saint intended to stay, they would gladly hand over permanent residency, citizenship—whatever she asked for. They would even throw in a few words of welcome.
Elodie blinked on the bed, then slowly closed her eyes. Exhaustion pulled her under almost at once.
A janitor's handover is almost nothing.
How to handle and roughly maintain the food-waste grinder. How to use the roller mop and the basic routes—that was the whole of it. Tedious, but not complicated. Just a bit of physical work.
The man who arrived as my replacement looked a good deal more at ease once he heard that. First job, he said, even if there was nothing special about it. Naturally he would have been tense.
"Take care. Hope we run into each other again."
"Yes. Please stay healthy yourself, Commander."
After exchanging farewells with Na Hyun-soo at the pier, I climbed aboard a fishing boat. I didn't say the word "last." You never knew when or how you might meet again.
The engine rumbled. Standing on the boat heading for the mainland, I looked back and bowed my head. He had come all the way to see me off. I was grateful.
Feels like being discharged.
A strange sense of release mixed with the faintest hollowness—almost exactly the feeling I'd had when I left the military. Even the part about having to cross from one region to another.
"Thank you for everything."
"Sure. Let's meet again if we get the chance."
Sometime that morning I said goodbye to the familiar fishing-boat owner and set off. Elodie's card left me with more than enough money, and I already had the address through our messages. Nothing looked like a problem. Even if I didn't know the house, I could always sleep at some motel.
So I used my own transit card for the regular bus, and swiped Elodie's card when I boarded the express coach.
Going well.
The scenery whipping past outside felt both fast and leisurely—because my own heart was leisurely. Because the Awakened and the soldiers were holding the Specters back properly.
Attention, passengers. We will soon be arriving at Seoul Express Bus Terminal. Please check that you have not left any belongings behind.
I had been nodding off, half-adrift, when the driver's announcement jolted me awake. Looking around, I saw the other passengers gathering their things as well. Some of them wore the same dazed look I did, as if they had just woken up.
"Thank you."
"Yes, thank you. Safe travels."
Once we reached the terminal, people began filing off, exchanging brief words with the driver. I was one of them.
The air's thick.
The moment I stepped down I felt the heaviness of the air. The clamor of voices and the press of the crowd. I had seen this scene not long ago, yet somehow I couldn't quite adjust. Still, walking briskly seemed to help a little. Whether that was a good thing I didn't know, but I couldn't stay completely out of place forever.
Let's see…
I switched on my phone, checked the map, searched the nearby routes, and rode a city bus at a calm pace. Thanks to the Awakened doing their jobs, there hadn't been a single Specter on the expressway either. In the city you couldn't even see their shadows. The capital region was famous for its tight defenses; that only made it truer.
Alighting.
Beep. The dry machine voice saw me off as I tapped my transit card against the bus terminal. No transfer needed, but I tapped it anyway.
Five minutes on foot after that. Following the map with the address punched in, I soon found myself standing in front of my destination.
A six-story building, clean to the point of looking almost bland. A moderately quiet street and neighborhood. You could tell Elodie had chosen the site with care.
You've got to be kidding me.
A building of this size in a neighborhood like this must have cost a fortune. Seeing it in person finally made my hands and feet start to shake. It looked like far more than something meant only for a home.
I pulled out my phone and sent Elodie a text. She read Hangul as easily as French, so I wrote in Korean.
The reply arrived in less than thirty seconds.