Clatter
Clatter. I fiddled absently with the rosary bracelet on my wrist as I strolled through the park in front of the gym. At the center of the neatly trimmed hedge enclosure stood a bench, with paths radiating out in the four cardinal directions. This park was the hub of all the conveniences—the gym, café, convenience store, restaurant, and more.
The garden ringed by hedges bloomed with flowers of every color. Watching the dew clinging to the leaves sparkle in the morning sun eased my mind without me even realizing it.
[Briar rose. Such a cute name.] Granbwa whispered softly. A gentle amusement colored his tone.
I'd heard of briar roses before, but I'd never actually seen one. Or maybe I had, at some point. But this was the first time I'd known its name and looked at it with that knowledge. No flower is nameless; we just don't know their names. A flower seen after learning its name felt prettier, cuter than one glimpsed in passing. Probably because I was looking more closely now.
"Oh?"
She approached before I knew it, giving me a friendly wave. A mole just below her lips appeared with her smile. It was Seo Ha-rin.
I was a bit flustered. She wasn't the one I'd called here.
Seo Ha-rin beamed at me, her eyes crinkling in a grin. "It's been a while. Since the reelection exam, right?"
"Has it?"
Come to think of it, yeah. I'd first met Seo Ha-rin during the reelection exam, but for some reason, we hadn't exchanged greetings since. Even though we were in the same class, I couldn't recall ever crossing paths with her face-to-face. Maybe her unremarkable features meant I wouldn't recognize her even if I saw her.
"What are you up to?" Seo Ha-rin sat on the bench and asked. Her tone held genuine warmth, but not overly so. I could sense her deliberate effort to keep things comfortably casual, without making me uneasy.
"Just waiting for someone. You?"
"Ah. I was on my way to morning workout..."
Seo Ha-rin trailed off, then shot up from the bench. Her eyes twitched. "...Oh, gotta hurry. If I don't go now, I won't have enough time. Bye!"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
She muttered something between a goodbye and a mumble, then bolted off abruptly. I watched her quick, fleeing steps toward the gym. It was early enough to call it dawn; even if she took it slow, she wouldn't run out of time. She seemed to be rushing too much.
Everyone's got their reasons, I thought, turning away—
"Who's that?"
Our eyes met. The one I'd actually called was striding toward me, her sharp gaze fixed in piercing scrutiny. I instinctively stepped back.
"Running away?"
"...When did I say that? Just caught off guard."
I barely managed a reply to her interrogating tone. Kim Jin-seo closed the distance in an instant, tilting her head and looking up at me with narrowed, suspicious eyes. She was close—too close. A chill ran down my spine.
"So, who was it?"
"Classmate... Just someone I know."
"Yeah? Chatting up someone you know while waiting for me?"
She smiled as she said it, but the probing edge lingered in her voice.
"We weren't chatting... She just said hi and left."
I explained while observing Kim Jin-seo. She was in workout gear: a sleeveless top and shorts, with a white windbreaker tied around her waist. It looked like she'd rushed out mid-session after getting my call. And her hair was tied up... There it is.
"I see. You've got a lot of 'people you know.' Last time it was your 'little sis,' now it's 'just someone.'"
"Tied your hair up? Looks good on you."
Kim Jin-seo's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at me. "...D-don't change the subject."
"No, really. It suits you. Came straight from working out, right?"
I held her gaze steadily. A flicker of fluster crossed her face. She dropped her eyes to the ground, avoiding mine, and gave a small nod. Her ponytail bobbed at the nape of her neck.
She still looked dissatisfied—probably annoyed that I'd dodged her question and shifted topics.
Clatter. I pulled the rosary bracelet Kang Ji-a had given me from my pocket and handed it to her. Kim Jin-seo glanced between the bracelet and my face.
"You used to wear something like this, right?" I asked with a light smile, nothing overdone.
She'd once worn a braided bracelet on her left wrist. I remembered it snapping during the chaos at Eden Hill when new magic beasts appeared. She'd looked unusually sad back then. Whoever gave it to her, it must've been precious. I couldn't replace it, but I hoped it might fill the emptiness on her wrist, even a little.
"Got it from an acquaintance—had an extra. Not exactly a replacement, but..."
"Thanks."
She slipped it on, her cheeks faintly flushed. She glanced up at my face, then dropped her eyes again. "You called me here to give me this?"
Kim Jin-seo fiddled with the bracelet, twisting it this way and that. Seemed like she liked the gift. It wasn't much of a present since it was a leftover, but if it pleased her, that was enough. Her mood looked better now, too—time to get to the point.
"That, and I need a favor."
"A favor?"
"Need to get into the Central Library, but they say I need a permit..."
I laid it out smoothly. For the project proposal, I needed the Central Library, but permits were required. I'd gone to the chairman's office, but Kim Chang-won was out. I planned to finish by noon and submit before lunch, but without the permit, things were stuck.
"...Anyway, could I get the chairman's contact? He's never there when I visit. Seems busy, so better to call ahead."
"Ah."
Kim Jin-seo looked up at me. Her face was still a bit red, but her eyes were cool. She stared coldly before continuing. "So this isn't a gift—it's a bribe?"
"No, I just gave it to you. Thought it'd look pretty on you."
It was a bribe, honestly, but admitting that would show too much. Better to dress it up.
Her chilly gaze trembled sharply before dropping. When she looked up again, her expression was composed—no longer cold.
"You say that to other girls too? Besides me."
"No? Why would I say that to anyone else."
"...Okay."
Kim Jin-seo pulled her wallet from the windbreaker pocket at her waist and handed me a card. It was a staff ID reading 'Chairman Kim Chang-won.'
I stared blankly for a second, double-checking. No doubt about it—the chairman's ID.
"Use that to get in."
"...Is that okay?"
"Yeah. He gave it to me for that. He has multiples, so no issue."
She said it casually, her tone brimming with confidence—like she could handle any fallout herself. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.
"I'll put the bribe to good use."
"It's not a bribe."
"Kidding. Thanks."
She flashed a bright smile, waved, and headed back to the gym. I looked at the chairman's ID she'd given me. I'd planned to get his contact through her, secure verbal permission, then enter the library. Now, no need. All good.
Kim Jin-seo occasionally glanced at the bracelet he'd given her during her workout. She liked its simple design—no burden to wear daily. Not that the design mattered much.
What touched her was that he remembered she'd once worn a bracelet... and that it had broken. No matter how she tried to frame it as a bribe for library access, his words echoed in her ears.
"Thought it'd look pretty on you."
Do Seon-woo's tone had been too tender, natural and nonchalant, like he'd said it a hundred times before. It annoyed her so much she wanted to smack him. She'd barely managed her expression, unable to even look up properly...
Recalling it now made her face burn again.
"Hoo..."
She hadn't even hit half her target reps, but she was already winded. She couldn't focus on her workout today. Catching her breath during a break, she heard footsteps.
"Um, how many sets do you have left...?"
The timid question came from a hesitant girl. Kim Jin-seo eyed her closely. Nothing standout—hard to remember. It was the girl who'd been chatting animatedly with Do Seon-woo earlier.
"...Looks like about twenty sets left."
"Pardon?"
"Nah, I'm done. Go ahead."
She'd meant to be petty but felt embarrassed instead, so she packed up and stood. Morning workout was over for today. Heading out, she glanced at the bracelet again. It would've been nicer if it weren't religious, but that was a thought she shouldn't have—greedy, even. She shook her head.
Finally reaching the Central Library, my first impression was vast. Compared to the general library, its floor space was smaller—which made sense. The general one was open to all students without permits; this was staff-only. Even accounting for that, though, the Central Library was ridiculously spacious, every inch dedicated to storing books.
The general library split space between storage and study areas. Here, it was storage all the way.
[In sheer volume of stored knowledge, this place dwarfs it.]
I nodded at Legba's words, wandering the shelves. A few novels, but the language was archaic—tough reads. Some tomes were too thick to even consider. There were Latin Bibles from early Romanica propagation eras, and countless books in languages I didn't know.
[If you wish, I can translate. Do you?]
"..."
I nodded cautiously, pretending to browse. Legba knew every language as a Loa. Existing tongues, even ancient ones no longer spoken—he could render them into Korean.
I picked a promising-looking book, pointing at the title.
Apocalypse Interpreted from a Geocentric Perspective. Author... not listed.
No need to read that. I grabbed another.
Origins and Correlations of Prayer and Miracles. Author unknown.
"Hm..."
Good for patching weak spots in Seong Ha-yeon's proposal. Not too thick—Legba's translation would suffice. I tucked it under my arm and moved on.
Palace of Memory. Matteo Ricci.
Needed? Not sure, but I'd take it.
Rule of Saint Benedict... Ah, a copy.
Better grab it.
Latin-Vietnamese Catechism. Alexandre de Rhodes.
Records of Doctrine. But the author isn't Doctrine.
A few more, but nothing useful. Three books for the proposal—would skim key info, not read fully. I set them on a polished wooden desk and browsed again. Passing countless irrelevants, one spine caught my eye: no title, just a goat emblem.
Identical to the one on Satanists' napes—and the dead cat in my old room.
I pulled it out.
List and Information on Active/Imprisoned Satanist Cults in the Country... No translation needed. Author section seems deliberately erased.
The title was engraved, filled with blood-red ink in the grooves. Ominous from the cover.
"..."
This book likely held everything I'd been dying to know.
(To be continued)