A Bloody Homecoming
I argued with Chae-yun all the way back to the studio apartment. She had waited at the university until the sun had nearly set and dusk was falling, all because I hadn't answered her calls. I'd tried calling her multiple times on the walk home, but when she didn't pick up—especially since she usually answered right away—I got worried something might have happened. So I pressed her about it, and today of all days she was being extra sensitive. I ended up grilling her without meaning to, but since I'd been the one in the wrong lately, I couldn't really push any further.
"Anyway, Oppa. You used the petals on the professor, right?"
"You already know, so why ask?"
"Well, I don't even know what the professor looks like, so of course I'm curious. I don't even know their name."
"Just come to school tomorrow and check for yourself."
I said it half-jokingly and picked up the pace, leaving Chae-yun behind. From behind me came her quiet mutter of, "What the hell, seriously." She caught up again soon enough, and we kept chatting until we reached the studio apartment.
I reached out, punched in the door lock code, grabbed the handle, and opened the door—then nearly passed out.
"...Ugh!"
I was about to scream in shock when Chae-yun, who had poked her head around from behind me to look inside the room, quickly clapped a hand over my mouth to silence me. She shoved me forward into the apartment, and I stumbled and fell.
What touched my cheek as I hit the floor was a red liquid that had cooled but was still slightly warm. The fishy smell I'd grown far too familiar with lately. Blood was splattered everywhere inside my room.
What the hell? Did something happen...? Seo-hee. Where's Seo-hee?
I scrambled to my feet and whipped my head around, scanning the dark apartment. A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. The woman who'd been staying here with Seo-hee came to mind. Fuck. I knew I shouldn't have left them alone like that.
As I stood up and tensed, ready for anything, I heard movement from the side.
"What are you two doing?"
"...Unnie?"
The bathroom door burst open and Seo-hee stepped out, looking back and forth between me and Chae-yun with an expression that said she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"...Ah, the floor? Sorry about that. I'll clean it up later."
I was still too stunned to move, standing there frozen with blood on my clothes. Meanwhile, Seo-hee—practically naked, with only a towel loosely wrapped around her body—casually apologized for the state of the apartment.
"...No, I mean, uh..."
Damn it. I was so flustered and embarrassed I couldn't even speak properly.
"What happened here?"
Chae-yun stepped forward in my place, asking Seo-hee about the situation. Even her face showed she found the whole scene ridiculous.
"Um, the kid in there wouldn't listen, so one thing led to another..."
Seo-hee gestured toward the bathroom. At the same time, Chae-yun and I followed her finger with our eyes.
In the corner of the bathroom, crouched and trembling violently, was the woman in the restraint suit. She looked much cleaner than when we'd first met her.
"....."
"What are you looking at?"
"....."
"And what are you looking at?"
When Chae-yun and I turned our gazes back to Seo-hee, her face flushed red—whether from embarrassment or something else—and she snapped at us in a sharp tone.
"...What exactly did you do to make her that terrified?" Chae-yun asked, half-scolding.
Or maybe it was just blunt. Either way, Seo-hee clearly didn't want to answer. She turned her head away, deliberately ignoring both Chae-yun's words and her stare.
Just from the state of the apartment, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.
"...More importantly, this."
Seo-hee tossed something small and black from her hand. I caught it easily.
"This is a seed..."
"Ehh?! Unnie, when did you—?!"
I casually slipped the seed into my pocket. Chae-yun rushed over to Seo-hee, bombarding her with questions, while the person who'd scared the hell out of us earlier stood there blushing, ignoring Chae-yun and getting dressed.
Of course I'd been surprised. But at this point, even my own reactions felt forced, like I was squeezing them out on purpose.
"Aaaah! Stop it already!"
"Yes ma'am."
Apparently her embarrassment had reached its limit. With a face as red as a ripe tomato, Seo-hee shouted and shoved Chae-yun away. Then, holding back tears and barely overcoming her shame, she turned to me.
"Use that well."
"...Got it."
Damn it. Now she was making me feel embarrassed too.
After the whole commotion died down, Seo-hee got dressed, I changed out of my blood-stained clothes, and we all cleaned the living room together before gathering in the room. Of course, the woman joined us.
She was far more withdrawn than when we'd first seen her—sitting quietly in the living room, carefully watching our every move. The silence that fell over all of us was eventually broken by Chae-yun.
"If you're that good at beating people up, you should've just fought in Oppa's place."
"...."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."
"Enough. More importantly, did you get anything out of her?"
"Yeah, I talked to her, but her speech is broken. And more than that, it seems like she doesn't know anything important at all."
I sighed and looked at the woman. If only she had useful information.
"...Then there's no reason for us to keep her here, is there?"
Chae-yun was right. If she had no information, there was no point in this.
"So what do we do with her now..."
My head was starting to hurt. Even if she was just some terrified woman who knew nothing, trembling in fear, I couldn't exactly throw out a girl who could swing her hair like blades onto the street...
"Can I take her?"
The unexpected offer came from Seo-hee. The woman flinched violently at her words.
Whether Seo-hee didn't notice or simply ignored it, she kept talking without a care.
"Your place already has two people living here, and three would be a bit cramped. My house is empty right now anyway, and it seems like she'd be useful."
"If that's okay with you..."
"I think it's a good idea."
Chae-yun cut in with her opinion, and her expression made her intentions crystal clear. She wanted to be alone with me. It was written all over her face.
"Alright, then that's what we'll do. We all gathered here thinking there'd be something, but it turned out to be nothing much."
"...Yeah, no kidding."
I hadn't held out much hope, but it was still disappointing. Everyone seemed to feel the same, because the apartment fell silent again.
The silence didn't last long. This time, I was the one who broke it.
"Oh, right. There's something I forgot to mention."
"What is it all of a sudden?"
"I'm thinking of learning to fight. Boxing, if possible."
————————————
"Then I'm off."
"Take care, Unnie."
I left Chan-woo's place and headed back to my own house. Chae-yun came out and waved goodbye energetically, while Im Chan-woo stood behind her yawning and waving lazily. I returned the gesture and started walking.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth. But the whole time, the bitch trailing behind me kept flinching at my every little movement. It was driving me insane.
"Ugh, seriously. The way you keep reacting like that is making them think I just beat the shit out of you. Look, this right hand—you cut it off first, remember?"
Irritated, I shook my right hand in front of her face.
Damn it. It still hurt.
It had happened right after the two of them left for school that morning. After seeing them off and closing the door, the moment I stepped back into the room, my right hand had been sliced clean off.
Thanks to what Chan-woo had told me, I immediately recognized the attack. When I looked at the girl who was supposed to be sleeping, she shot up and lunged at me. It seemed she'd been waiting for Chan-woo—the one who'd defeated her—to leave.
After that, we fought for about three hours. By the time it was over, she had become terrified of me. And now she was like this.
"...Ha, whatever."
I let out an annoyed sigh, put the cigarette back in my mouth, and pulled out my lighter. The moment I flicked it a few times—click, click—she flinched again and curled up smaller.
"...It's annoying not having a name to call you. Hey, what's your name?"
"...03. That's what I am..."
"What the hell is that?"
Was that supposed to be a name?
"That's your name?"
"...Name? What kind?"
"...We're starting with Korean lessons from the beginning."
She looked like a perfectly normal young woman on the outside, but the way she spoke and acted was almost like a child. She had almost no social knowledge and couldn't even remember basic things like her own name or age.
Was this girl really one of our kind? From what I could sense, there was no doubt. But still.
"..."
Those bastards must have done something to her. To treat one of our own like this? The humans our ancestors knew hadn't advanced this far.
But what could I do? She had no information at all. The only word she'd uttered while we were together was "Father." She didn't seem to know anything beyond that.
I had no idea what those fuckers were thinking. It was almost certain they'd sent her after Chan-woo. They'd even confirmed he'd been seriously injured, yet they hadn't sent reinforcements or tried to retrieve her. They'd suddenly gone completely quiet.
...I don't know. Fuck.
I dropped the cigarette, which had burned down to almost nothing, and crushed it under my foot. Then I pulled out a new one and lit it.
"...It's inconvenient not having a name. I'll give you one."
I couldn't keep calling her "this girl," "woman," or "bitch" forever. Might as well give her a name.
"...Name? Then... are you my mom?"
"What the hell are you saying? You want to die?"
When I raised my fist, she curled up again. Let's start with the name.
She was small and her behavior was strange, so...
"Alright. From now on, your name is Na-bi. Got it?"
"Na-bi? You gave me a name, so... you're not my mom?"
"Don't call me mom."
"Then what? Name."
"Just call me Unnie like everyone else."
"...Unnie."
Na-bi kept quietly muttering "Unnie, Unnie" as she followed me. I ignored her, tossed the empty cigarette pack in the trash, and stepped into the convenience store.
————————————
"Now that I think about it, Oppa, you're going to learn boxing? Why all of a sudden?"
"...No reason. Just because."
Chae-yun, who had been eating, suddenly showed interest in the topic of exercise. Was she planning to do something weird again?
"Why suddenly?"
"I know a gym. Why don't you go check it out?"
"...."
"It's not anything strange this time. Actually, I think you'll like it."