The First Clipping
Chirp—! Chirp-chirp—!
The sparrows were deafening from the crack of dawn. I got up and washed my face dry. The wind sliced through my eyes like they were full of holes.
I'm exhausted enough to die.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my half-assed track pants and headed for the living room. Han Yerim was sprawled across the sofa in her outdoor clothes, out cold. I gave her head a light bonk and left the house.
I walked the streets looking like a total bum. Since it was rush hour, people in crisp suits hurried past in every direction.
Maybe I should've dressed a little nicer. I look like a complete unemployed loser.
Ah, screw it. Who am I trying to impress? Just go.
I shuffled toward the subway station in my slippers, slap-slap-slap. A container stall came into view. I propped my elbows on the counter and asked the ajumma,
"Boss, the morning papers in yet?"
"There's still young folks who read the paper these days? Check down below."
A few newspapers were lined up on the little display rack. I flipped through them one by one looking for the right one.
"Let's see… Daejin Daily is…"
"Second from the top."
"Ah, thanks. Have a good one."
I tucked the paper under my arm and headed to a nearby café. Ordered a coffee, claimed a corner seat. After that? Nothing special. I buried my face in the paper and read every last page, front to back.
I checked what was on sale in the ads, laughed twice at the four-panel comic because it was funnier than expected, and didn't skip a single word of the editorials. Forty minutes later I sipped my ice-cold americano and let out a quiet sigh.
Thank god.
That reporter bastard hadn't run the article on Yujeong.
I'd basically blackmailed him into waving the white flag, but I hadn't taken his word at face value. From the afternoon I got home until the small hours of the morning, I'd refreshed the Daejin newspaper website thousands—tens of thousands—of times, waiting for the piece to drop.
Thankfully the online edition stayed quiet, but I still worried it might have made the morning print run. That was why I'd dragged myself all the way to the subway at the crack of dawn just to buy a physical paper.
My fears turned out to be nothing but noise.
The reporter had clearly taken my sincere warning to heart. Worry receded like the tide. The online article, the newspaper, my own heart—everything was as still as a windless sea.
I smiled in satisfaction and drank my coffee.
The americano tasted as sweet as if I'd dumped thirty packets of syrup into it.
Sunlight slipped through the crack in the curtains and brushed across her eyelids. Han Yujeong scowled and stretched. She rubbed her eyes and checked the alarm clock.
07:45
How long has it been since I woke up this early on my own?
Most of her memories of mornings involved Kim Hyunwoo shaking her awake.
Yujeong smoothed her bedhead and stepped out of her room. A delicious smell hit her. Her feet carried her toward the kitchen almost of their own accord.
"What's this? You're up on your own at this hour?"
Kim Hyunwoo, flipping something in the frying pan, greeted her warmly. The look of pure pride on his face was unmistakable.
"No, just… I was tired yesterday so I went to bed early."
She deflected his proud gaze with mild embarrassment and sat down. Side dishes started appearing on the table in rapid succession.
Soft-boiled sunny-side-up eggs, golden-brown octopus sausages, and seaweed soup loaded with beef.
All of them were her favorites.
Hyunwoo sat across from her. Yujeong asked,
"What about the ajumma?"
"I knocked. No answer."
Most mornings it was just the two of them. That was why the menu always bent toward what Yujeong liked.
Only the quiet clatter of utensils broke the silence. Mid-sip of water, Yujeong suddenly looked at Hyunwoo.
"…?"
He wasn't focusing on the meal at all—just kept checking the clock. She chewed her octopus sausage thoughtfully.
Does he have somewhere to be?
"Ahjussi."
"Hm?"
"You promised me something before."
"What promise?"
Yujeong's brows knitted. Hyunwoo checked her expression and gave an awkward smile.
"Ah, that."
"That what?"
"You know, that thing!"
"You forgot again, didn't you?"
Reading the hidden emotions under Yujeong's poker face was a skill only Kim Hyunwoo among all her acquaintances possessed.
That face means she's seriously pissed right now.
He spun his brain as hard as it would go.
The optimal answer arrived almost immediately.
"You mean the dessert I said I'd buy you. I remember, of course."
"……That's not it."
"It's not…?"
Hyunwoo's smile froze. He dragged a hand down his face.
"Sorry, it came out of nowhere and I blanked. What promise was it?"
"The game."
"Huh?"
"You promised you'd play a game with me."
From the department store all the way through the hunter qualification exam, he'd already broken two flimsy promises in a row. Yujeong puffed out her cheeks.
"Can't you teach me a game today?"
"Ah."
Hyunwoo looked cornered.
"I've got something I need to do today."
"What is it?"
"Mm, sorry. It's a bit hard to say. Personal stuff."
At the clear line he drew, Yujeong's chopsticks went completely still.
She moved her lips a few times before finally managing,
"……Okay."
"Yeah."
The chopsticks quietly resumed their work.
Throughout the rest of the meal, Yujeong's face never looked happy.
It felt like thorns were stabbing into my heart one by one.
I spoke to her while she was clearing the dishes.
"Yujeong, you worked hard yesterday. Go rest. I'll do the dishes."
"It's fine. I'll do them."
Her voice was ice-cold.
It wasn't just because I'd broken a promise. If that were all, she would've sulked for a sentence or two and then bounced right back.
Parent, older brother, or maybe a young uncle with only a small age gap—
That was how Yujeong usually saw me.
And then I'd shut her down with a clean "personal business"…
Of course she was angry and hurt. I'd drawn a line and treated her like an outsider. A kid's heart could take a pretty deep wound from that.
I should've phrased it better.
I regretted it a lot.
But this really was something I couldn't help.
I didn't want anyone—especially not Yujeong—to find out what I was about to do.
I'd clear up the misunderstanding calmly later. For now I returned to my room.
I sat at the desk and opened a magazine.
The content I wanted was easy to find.
Yujeong in her school uniform was beaming and posing for the camera.
How much work it had taken to get that smile out of her. I'd told dozens of stupid jokes, and when even that failed I'd just grabbed both her cheeks and stretched them myself.
This was pure photographic luck.
A miracle of a single instant.
I carefully cut out the article with scissors. I slipped the photo into an album and smiled with quiet satisfaction.
Yujeong's very first article.
From now on this album would fill up with a lot more.
I could only hope every page until the last one would be filled with nothing but good news.
Crash!
The sudden sound of breaking dishes came from the living room.
Yujeong should still be washing up.
I finished arranging the album and stepped out.
"Yujeong?"
No answer.
What? Did something happen? My steps quickened.
And there she was, standing stock-still in front of the sink.
"What are you doing standing there?"
Her shoulders jumped and hunched up tight.
"I-I was just deep in thought!"
"What?"
I asked, dumbfounded.
"Who gets deep in thought while doing the dishes? Did you cut yourself?"
I moved closer; Yujeong frantically waved both hands.
"Ahjussi!"
"Yeah?"
"What is it? Can't you just talk from over there?"
"I heard something break. I got worried, so I came to check."
"I-I'm fine! Look!"
She flailed her arms and legs like a wooden puppet that hadn't been oiled—stiff and extremely suspicious.
I narrowed my eyes and looked closer.
The tips of her ears peeking through her hair had turned bright red.
"You running a fever?"
"No!"
"Your ears are red. Let me see your face for a second."
"I'm fine!"
"No, seriously, what is going on?"
"Don't come closer! You'll catch it!"
"You actually caught a cold?"
"N-no! I'm perfectly fine!"
I caught the arm of the girl trying to back away.
In that instant Yujeong's head whipped around and our eyes locked—hers trembling in tiny shakes.
The restless gaze and the flush climbing her cheeks looked exactly like someone who'd been caught peeking at a naked person.
She averted her eyes and said,
"Ah, Ahjussi."
"Yeah?"
"W-well, I'm a teenager, you know. Me."
"What?"
She's saying that out loud about herself?
"I just… I'm sorry for being petty earlier for no reason."
She must have meant the conversation just before.
When her grilling had flustered me and I'd cut her off flat.
"About how I said something that hurt you earlier…"
"You don't have to say anything! I know!"
Yujeong babbled excuses with a face that looked ready to explode at any second.
"I'm not upset with you at all, Ahjussi. I was a little earlier, but I'm not now."
"What does that even mean?"
"I-I don't really know either. What I'm saying."
The conversation just spun in circles without connecting.
Still, I could tell her anger had cooled. The album and magazine hidden in my room floated into my mind.
I'll just do it later, late at night. It's not like it's going anywhere. I already bought the magazine.
I had been pretty harsh. I'd kept putting it off for nearly a month with the excuse of being busy, then basically told her not to worry about it. I would've felt pretty betrayed too.
Today I would keep the promise.
"Yujeong, about the game."
"Yes."
"That thing I said I had to do earlier—I was going to do it later. If you're okay with it…"
Yujeong squeezed her eyes shut and shouted,
"No!!"
"What?"
"It's fine! T-today I suddenly feel like playing alone. You just do what you were going to do, Ahjussi!"
"You were the one who just said you wanted to play together."
"I told you! Teenager! My mood just changed out of nowhere."
Yujeong frantically attacked the dishes. I stood there arms crossed, utterly lost.
Crash! Crash!
After breaking two more cups, Yujeong wiped her wet hands on her clothes and fled like she was escaping.
I scratched my head and inspected the dishes.
They were still covered in dish soap.
Yeah, I figured when she started rushing.
I rolled up my sleeves and turned on the water. Yujeong's voice came from behind me.
"Ahjussi."
"You still haven't left?"
"Yes. I had something to ask."
She must have been hiding behind the wall; only a strand of hair peeked out past the doorframe. It swayed gently like she was too shy to show herself fully.
"That thing you were doing in your room just now."
"Yeah."
"Is it a hobby?"
"Mm, no. Not really."
I answered while scrubbing a plate.
"I just do it because I like it. Because my heart tells me to."
"That's exactly what a hobby is."
"Is it?"
Now that she mentioned it, she was right.
"Have you been doing it for a long time?"
"No, today was the first…"
Why am I just answering her so honestly?
Whenever I talked with this kid, my guard melted without me noticing.
I yanked my wariness back up and shut my mouth.
After waiting a long time for an answer that never came, Yujeong spoke in fits and starts.
"Ahjussi, you know…"
"Yeah."
"I'm really not mad."
"You already said that."
"I just… wanted to say it again."
Her humming voice faded into the distance.
I dressed properly and walked into the café.
Reporter Jo, sitting in the corner, shot his hand high into the air.
"Ah! Hyunwoo-ssi! Over here."
I sat down and asked,
"You could've just told me over the phone. What did you call me out for?"
"I have a present for you. Handing over the real thing is half the fun, you know."
"A present?"
"Yes, an absolutely killer present. I've been dying to surprise you—my mouth was itching for days."
Reporter Jo smiled in a distinctly shady way.
—Worry about yourselves. What kind of guild do you think we are? We've already got the whole board set. Just feed them money and you guys just sit back and take the free meal.
"I rewatched the black-box footage a few times. Looks like they haven't slipped any cash yet. So what else was there to do? I grabbed a camera and tailed them the whole way. Meaning they plan to hand over the money before the second test."
"What?"
Wait. The present this guy said he had for me was…
"Did you actually get a lead?"
"Yes."
Yes!
Reporter Jo pulled a photo out of a document envelope.
A manager from Taesan Guild was handing money to someone.
I pointed at the unfamiliar face.
"Who's this guy?"
"Haha, who do you think?"
Reporter Jo slurped his coffee and explained.
"You know how they use a random-number system when they form teams for the second test?"
"Like military unit assignments?"
"Right. They keep saying it's random, random, but those of us who only see the final results—how would we ever know if it's fixed or not? Whether they pre-loaded the numbers or if the system actually runs clean. In the end, only the admins know."
Reporter Jo revealed the man's identity.
"He's a staffer on the Association's system-engineer team. Turns out he was the back-channel for bribes."
"So you're saying…"
"Congratulations, Hyunwoo-ssi."
Reporter Jo grinned wickedly.
"You've just gotten your hands on a nuclear bomb."