How to Rest (4)
How to Rest (4)
The ninja renowned as a philosopher and sage, Jirobo Seonsaeng, left behind these words.
'If five people gather, one is bound to be trash.'
This famous saying was often used to criticize the wickedness of humans, but it also signified the complexity of humans as organic matter.
The impossibility of unifying diverse opinions into one was an unavoidable fact of life.
Following that logic, it was perfectly natural that the political stances of the 'six women' gathered here differed.
The first to speak were the 'Hawks'.
It was Catherine and Natasha.
"He might have simply been kidnapped, you know."
"Given how long he's been a mercenary, it's not like there aren't people holding a grudge."
Next to speak were the 'Doves'.
It was Andrea and the Chairman.
"He took Eve with him—what kidnapping?"
"...Lately it seems we've been stressing him out a lot. We need to be more careful."
These two completely understood the current situation.
Calling it a 'kidnapping' was too clearly contradicted by the circumstantial evidence of him sneaking away.
Lastly, presenting the middle path were the 'Owls', Julia and Maya.
"...I think we should look into the situation first. He also had a game appointment with me...."
"......Um, maybe I'm the only one who finds this strange, but isn't it possible for a person to go out alone for a little while?"
Maya's courageous remark was lightly dismissed.
In any case, just as their stances differed, they couldn't unify their opinions.
Except on one point.
"So for now, we just wait one more day, right?"
"That sounds best."
"......Yes."
Twenty-four hours.
For these women with E-type personalities, that was the standard for 'a full rest.'
It was also the only time Lee Si-woon could rest without worry.
28. Method of Rest (4)
"......Hmm."
I quickly decided internally.
One week.
Yeah, one week.
That was the minimum cutoff I'd considered.
It was a conclusion I reached by assessing my surrounding circumstances as objectively as possible.
Surely, they can endure one week.
I chuckled to myself and explained that thought process to Eve.
"Anyway, I'll be back in a week, so just know that. It's just a week—what could possibly happen?"
"......."
But for some reason, the look in Eve's eyes as she looked at me was subtle. It seemed to say, '...Are you an idiot?'—though of course, such a thing wouldn't happen.
"Why?"
"......It's nothing."
Just then, Tom chimed in from the driver's seat.
"Aigoo, of course a week is fine."
"Right?"
I nodded, resonating with his words once again.
Tom was working his grueling taxi shift again today to earn credits.
It was fortunate for us.
If today had been Tom's day off, we might have ended up unnecessarily calling someone who was resting at home.
Knowing full well how heinous it is to disturb someone resting at home, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But that didn't mean I wouldn't have called him.
As if reading my mind, Tom, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at us through the rearview mirror.
"By the way, is it just the two of you today?"
"Excuse me?"
"Wasn't there a blonde madam with you last time?"
"...Ah, I've briefly run away from home."
"?"
Tom tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
That was because I hadn't given him a detailed explanation yet—and also because Tom had refused to hear it first.
"...Well, anyway, you said you wanted a quiet place."
"Yes, somewhere I'm not likely to be discovered."
Tom, while driving, slightly scratched his head.
It was a bit of a random request.
"Honestly, because of the gang, I thought I'd be the one contacting you first. I didn't expect you to contact me first, sir."
"You can just call me Si-un comfortably."
"Haha......."
Tom laughed as if he had heard a strange joke.
But I was serious.
I understood why Tom spoke like that.
Because originally, I had given my number to Tom precisely for such reasons.
Although I never dreamed I would be the one receiving help from Tom first.
"......."
Still, it couldn't be helped.
Just as there are times when you need to borrow even a cat's paw, there are times when you need to borrow an Orc you know.
The fact that people around me didn't know much about Tom's existence was another reason.
I figured by now Catherine, who had actually seen Tom's face, might have forgotten about his existence entirely.
In other words, he was the connection I needed most right now.
"First, we've arrived in Redwood. If we go just a little further in from here, the house I mentioned will appear."
It would have been nice if Tom's place was spacious.
But unfortunately, he said his house was a studio apartment.
No matter how kind an Orc Tom was, I didn't want to spend time with a bulky, muscular Orc in a cramped space.
That was the reason Eve and I had come to 'Redwood.'
Stopping the car, Tom guided us.
"Here, we've arrived."
The place Tom stopped was in front of a wooden house.
Maybe because it was Redwood, there were many wooden buildings you rarely see elsewhere.
Tom pointed at the house and said.
"This is where my cousin, who isn't here anymore, lived."
"...Then your cousin is...?"
I carefully inquired about the cousin's whereabouts.
I guessed that he might have had an accident with the Orc gang who shouts 'Fucking-....'
"Ah, he moved away."
"?"
"He went to New Mexico, saying he was going to play in the big water. I heard he's working for a gang there."
So the cousin was also in a gang.
It seemed the 'big water' for gang members was 'New Mexico,' not 'USA City' or 'Neo Japan.'
Tom walked to the front of the wooden house.
First, he blew hard on the old lock to dust it off, then entered the password from memory.
"It's not a biometric scanner like the ones used everywhere these days, even in dog houses, so it might be a bit inconvenient."
"...Our house also uses a password."
"......I'll send you the password via message."
The look in Tom's eyes changed to that of someone looking at an old man who hadn't kept up with the times.
Well, a person can use a password-based lock.
However, since part of my reason was nostalgia for my hometown, I remained silent under his gaze.
Tom swung the front door of the wooden house wide open.
The dust that swept out from the enclosed space stung my eyes.
"Cough, I'm not sure if the air purifier here is still working."
"I'll check it out later."
At least I was wearing a mask, so I didn't cough.
The area right near Redwood was the factory zone, Cloud Park. Honestly, I didn't even want to take off my mask inside this house.
Tom didn't go inside; instead, he explained from the doorstep.
"Anyway, since there's no owner, make yourselves at home. I'm sorry I could only arrange a place like this for you."
"No, I'm truly grateful for this much. I've really incurred a great debt."
When I bowed my head to express my thanks, Tom waved his hands to stop me.
"No, it's no big deal. Please don't do that."
...It could be a big deal, though.
Still, there probably wouldn't be any harm to Tom. And it was true that Tom helped me without weighing the pros and cons.
Gratitude was still gratitude.
I took a credit chip from my inner pocket.
"This is repayment."
"No, why are you doing this again? Please put it away."
Like two people in an old folktale, we went back and forth—me trying to give him the credit chip, and him refusing.
Finally, after I used the strength of my artificial muscle implant to forcefully shove the credit chip into his pocket, Tom accepted it.
"......It's really fine, though."
"I'm doing this because I'm thankful, really."
I had received help from him before, too.
Tom awkwardly scratched his head again.
"...First, I'll get back to work. If anything happens, just contact me right away."
"Why don't you rest today?"
"Unfortunately, if my attendance score drops, my salary drops along with it. That would be a big problem."
"......."
The life of a laborer in the bloodless, tearless cyberpunk world is a sad one.
Honestly, considering the amount loaded in the credit chip, he could probably quit right away.
But I deliberately didn't mention the amount, worrying he would feel more burdened and return it.
I waved briefly and watched Tom disappear into the distance.
"...Whew."
Now I can truly rest.
I let out a light sigh.
The house was full of dust. It wasn't the situation to take off the mask. But for some reason, the air felt refreshing.
Hmm, is this the scent of freedom?
.......
First, I turned on the air purifier.
The actions that followed were as follows.
I washed my hands, took off my coat, and changed into indoor slippers. Honestly, the carpet and floor were in such terrible shape that I couldn't walk around barefoot.
The building had two floors, and there was a huge bedroom right in the center.
Fortunately, the bed was covered with a cloth.
I was able to get rid of the dust just by folding the cloth covering the bed and putting it away.
"...Ah, this is comfortable."
Human nature is such that when standing you want to sit, when sitting you want to lie down, and when lying down you want to sleep.
Laying my body down on the bed, I felt my eyes gradually closing.
Perhaps Eve had started cleaning on the lower floor; the faint sound of the vacuum cleaner reached me.
I let out a long, languid yawn.
...Should I just sleep for a bit and then think about it?
That was when.
"Oh?"
I noticed the notification light of my vision interface blinking.
Almost all of the content was message arrival notifications.
The messages were....
From Catherine, Andrea, Julia, Maya, Natasha, the Chairman.
"......."
So basically everyone except Eve sent one.
I thought about it briefly.
And soon, I closed the vision interface.
One spoonful of 'I-type' rebelliousness.
A spoonful of a cyberpunk society member's mindset.
And about ten spoonfuls of just being sleepy.
As a result of mixing these thoughts like a failed recipe, I didn't check their messages.
I just sent a group reply, expanding 'I'll come back on my own, gg' into about three lines' worth and transmitted it.
This will be the first step that becomes the hope of all 'I-types' in this world.
My struggle—a one-week struggle—started from that moment onward.
* * *
A day later.
Neon City's top mercenary opened her mouth.
"Let's go find him now, shall we?"
"".......""
And.
Neon City's most famous singer.
The boss of the brokers who dominate Neon City.
The Chairman of Mega Corp, Black Monolith.
An ordinary wanted criminal.
Just a part-timer at a fusion-Japanese restaurant.
Their opinions became one.