Here to Apologize
Han Dae-ho shot up from his seat the moment he got the call from O Hui-jin. Over the phone, O Hui-jin was spouting something utterly unbelievable. They'd found a long-term missing person. A woman suspected to be a Voodooist had appeared in the abandoned building where the missing person turned up. And they'd lost her while chasing her down.
But more shocking than any of that was something else entirely.
"...Do Seon-woo beat up the Northern Commander? By accident? Ah, not just beat him up... he broke his nose and kicked him in the gut?"
At first, he thought it was a joke. But O Hui-jin wasn't the type to mess around, and more than that, his voice was way too frantic.
He was curious about what the hell had happened during the long-term missing persons search to make things turn out like this, but now wasn't the time to ask.
"Alright, first things first... head back. With Do Seon-woo. I'll handle the Northern Commander situation somehow after that."
- The Northern Holy Knight Order Commander keeps insisting we come to his order first, so returning is proving difficult.
"Is that right? Put that guy on, then. Let me talk to him."
Han Dae-ho growled, furrowing his brow. There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, then a voice came through. It was the Northern Holy Knight Order Commander.
"Uh, Commander. So one of your subordinates beat me up?"
- Yeah! That crazy bastard Do Seon-woo—I'm gonna make sure he gets disciplined for this. A damn apprentice lays hands on a commander? Do you have any idea how far apart we are in the hierarchy...!
"I heard about it, and yeah, it's pretty ridiculous. This is a huge incident, for real."
- ....
Han Dae-ho taunted, and only then did the Northern Commander catch on to something off, falling silent. Han Dae-ho flashed a small smile and continued.
"It's awkward to beg you not to discipline him since he was in the wrong. And you wouldn't listen anyway... Whatever, let's just follow the rules. Call in the press, make it public."
- Publicizing it is...
"Publicizing it is a must. An apprentice holy knight beating the Northern Holy Knight Order Commander? That's not just insubordination—it's massive insubordination."
- ....
"A single apprentice holy knight decks a commander. Not even ambushing him alone—he had his squad with him, and you just got mercilessly pounded. Nose broken, gut kicked."
- It wasn't exactly merciless...
"Do Seon-woo's a real bad guy, huh? Don't you think? The whole world needs to know what a nasty piece of work he is. Right? Isn't that right?"
The Northern Commander didn't respond. Han Dae-ho waited for him to speak. A brief silence passed. Finally, the Northern Commander opened his mouth.
- Publicizing it doesn't seem necessary. So, just discipline according to the rules...
"Nah, I kinda want to publicize it. I heard you guys thought the abandoned building was empty and just did fire suppression?"
- ....
"We found the long-term missing person there. You chased some woman you're not even sure is a Voodooist, passed out, and ended up sprawled on the street."
If it went public, sure, there'd be criticism aimed at Do Seon-woo and the Eastern Holy Knight Order. But at the same time, the Northern Holy Knight Order's incompetence would be laid bare for all to see. That was the last thing the Northern Commander wanted.
Not only had he been subdued by an apprentice holy knight, but if his order's failings were exposed too, his reputation as commander would plummet into the abyss.
"So, do we really need to hit him with heavy charges like insubordination or obstruction of official duties? If we go with something mild like disobeying orders, it's less hassle for us, and less of a hit to your pride. Good for both sides, right?"
- ...I get what you're saying. Better to talk details face-to-face, like you said.
"Yeah, we'll hash it out then. Anyway, you did good work."
Click.
Han Dae-ho said that to the commander and hung up immediately. Then, hands on his hips, he let out a heavy sigh, over and over.
"Not even an ambush, getting beat in a standoff by an apprentice holy knight—you should be ashamed, what the... Tsk."
Once he'd vented some anger, Han Dae-ho muttered to himself. He was more pissed at the Northern Commander's pettiness than at Do Seon-woo.
Soon after, Do Seon-woo and O Hui-jin returned. O Hui-jin, probably dreading a scolding, had his shoulders hunched from the moment he walked in. Han Dae-ho strode right up to them. O Hui-jin's body shrank even smaller.
Smack!
But instead, Han Dae-ho smirked and lightly smacked Do Seon-woo on the head.
"You idiot, if you're gonna hit someone, you pick the commander? Tone down that temper. If you pull this in Central, even I can't cover for you."
Han Dae-ho decided not to chew out Do Seon-woo. He often thought about wanting to punch the Northern Commander's face himself. Seeing Do Seon-woo fulfill that wish made it hard to stay mad.
More than anything, Do Seon-woo had found the long-term missing person. Thinking of that merit, he couldn't bring himself to yell.
"So, where's this long-term missing person you found?"
Han Dae-ho asked, glancing around. O Hui-jin, who'd been shrinking, finally straightened up.
"She's unconscious, so we sent her to the infirmary first. They say no major issues."
"Got it... Good work. You really busted your asses. Name was Jeong Yun-ah, right?"
Han Dae-ho scanned the long-term missing persons list and found the name 'Jeong Yun-ah.' He nodded slowly and continued.
"I remember. Kid's been missing a while... You did good finding her."
Han Dae-ho recalled not-so-distant days. The parents had come to the order, crying for days about their missing child. They wouldn't leave until she was found. Even the sister came asking about her whereabouts. Han Dae-ho had promised he'd find her, bring her back to her family.
But days, weeks, months passed without a trace. It weighed heavy on him. Not just Jeong Yun-ah—countless missing persons he couldn't find always burdened his heart.
That's why he was even more grateful to Do Seon-woo.
"...Contact the missing person's family. Tell 'em we found her."
Han Dae-ho gave O Hui-jin the order with a small smile. That's when Do Seon-woo raised his hand.
"Ah, I'll... go pick them up myself."
"You know the family? Oh, right, the sister goes to Florence, I think."
Do Seon-woo nodded at Han Dae-ho's words.
"She's a friend."
*
Jeong In-ah had gone out for dispatch training at the priest order again today. The place she was assigned was a fairly large priest order with an attached hospital and cathedral.
Thanks to the introduction from the priest who'd given her his card on practical exam day, she'd landed a spot at a well-known order. It was competitive, but her grades were top-notch, and she'd aced the interview, so it wasn't too hard.
"...Good work today."
Finishing her daily duties at the priest order, Jeong In-ah bowed to her mentor. The mentor didn't even glance her way, just kept typing on the keyboard as she spoke.
"When are you coming next?"
"Uh, I think... Thursday."
"Right, Thursday... Two days from now. Make sure you've memorized what I told you today. If you still don't know by then, that's a problem."
"...Yes, got it."
Jeong In-ah bowed once more in greeting and left the priest order. Even then, her mentor didn't spare her a look. She just quietly typed away at her work.
By the time she stepped outside, it was night. Autumn had deepened, and the night air was chilly. Jeong In-ah let out a deep sigh.
It was cold enough, but no breath fog yet. How much colder would winter be? She shivered, pulling her coat tighter.
She glanced back at the priest order she'd been assigned to.
"..."
It was huge. With so many priests, she could build connections with talented, excellent ones. The attached hospital let her pick up healing priest duties over the shoulder. For her, who'd dreamed of being a healing priest, it was a golden opportunity.
Everything was great. Students rejected for grades or bad interviews would envy her. She was satisfied too.
Satisfied, but... still...
Vroooom!
Suddenly, a motorcycle blasted its horn right in front of her as it sped by. One more step, and she'd have been hit. Jeong In-ah stumbled back, cold sweat dripping.
Only then did she realize she'd been walking in the road, not the sidewalk. She wasn't in her right mind, apparently.
She waited at the crosswalk. Green light—she didn't want to move a step, so she stayed put. Waited for the next.
Green. Stayed put. After three greens, on the fourth, she finally crossed.
- The doors on the right will open for exit...
Finishing work at dusk, over an hour subway ride, stepping out— the sky was pitch black, no stars. Seeing that endless dark sapped what little strength she had left.
Still, she trudged home, and when she thought she was almost there and looked up, she still had far to go. Another deep sigh, and she kept walking.
Even one step was exhausting; midway, she had to stop and rest.
At home, she studied. Exams were over, but she couldn't slack. That was more accurate—she had nothing else to hold onto.
"...Feels kinda tough."
Jeong In-ah muttered, face down on her desk. She startled herself. She hadn't meant to say it aloud; it just slipped out.
Her eyes widened, then she sighed in resignation and closed them. She pondered the 'kinda' she'd said.
Kinda. Am I just kinda struggling right now?
"No, pretty? Dunno."
She couldn't tell the difference between 'kinda' and 'pretty.' Jeong In-ah shook her head to clear the thoughts and tried to focus on studying.
But a crow outside the window caught her eye, perched on the fence wall, staring with its pale, milky eyes. Like it was watching her.
I'll come back. Wait for me.
Suddenly, a voice she didn't want to remember echoed in her ears.
Forgot me?
The horrific voice she wanted to forget wasn't repeating the past anymore—it started saying new things. Words he never said, swirling in her ears.
The crow still stared. Those pale eyes creeped her out. Like he was watching her.
Hurts my feelings. Forgot me? Wanna forget?
"...Shut up. You never even said that."
Jeong In-ah muttered to chase away the voice in her ear. It stopped talking, but laughed instead. An unpleasant laugh.
Plugging her ears didn't help. Closing her eyes made it louder in the darkness.
Cold sweat dripped onto her textbook. She fumbled for her pen in panic. But couldn't find it. Her hand just groped the desk blindly.
Sweat kept pouring. Breath came short.
Knock knock.
A knock. Her heart dropped. She checked the clock. No one should be visiting. Parents weren't due back yet. And they'd never knock anyway.
She looked out the window. The crow that had been staring was gone.
Chills ran down her spine. Knock knock.
She ignored it on purpose. Figure it'd leave. But whoever was outside persisted stubbornly. Knock knock...
Each knock echoed through the house, sweat dripping to the floor. Heart pounded wildly.
Jeong In-ah grabbed her phone. Scrolled to Do Seon-woo's contact. He was the only one she could call right now.
Knock knock knock.
"...Who is it?"
She spoke to the door while prepping to call Do Seon-woo. No answer. No more knocks.
In the deep silence, she heard her own heartbeat. Her whole body throbbed in time.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Vibration startled her; nearly dropped the phone. She looked—call from Do Seon-woo.
She answered. But Do Seon-woo said nothing. Silence stretched.
Jeong In-ah wanted to tell him someone weird was at her door, ask him to come. But tension or fear choked her voice.
- It's me.
Do Seon-woo's voice broke the silence first. It came from both the door and the phone.
She flung the door open.
Do Seon-woo stood there, grinning mischievously, phone in hand.
Seeing him calmed her racing heart. His playful smile made her smile too.
Jeong In-ah wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"...What's so funny?"
"Thought you weren't home. Why didn't you answer?"
"Didn't know it was you. Call ahead next time."
She stared at him steadily.
"Why'd you come suddenly?"
Do Seon-woo didn't answer right away. Just looked at her silently, like he was choosing his words. Jeong In-ah waited quietly.
He kept his lips pressed, then finally smirked.
"...To apologize."
(To be continued)