22. The Mermaid's Echo (3)
Upon arriving at the police station with the runaway mermaid,
I first climbed up into the truck's cargo bed and grabbed the guy.
Was the promise that he would cooperate if I was there not a lie,
or was he truly in a fish-out-of-water situation where he had no one to rely on except me?
The guy, still tied up in the net, came willingly into my arms.
When I set the guy down on the ground after getting out of the truck, he was surprisingly calm.
He didn't seem too unfamiliar with being out of water,
just staring blankly at the police station building without flailing about, saying he wanted to go back.
Without giving me a chance to speak, the police officers who were watching the mermaid scattered as if they had made a promise.
I sighed and pulled the guy into my arms, heading inside the police station.
Inside, Inspector Park was on the phone with someone, glancing over at me every now and then.
It looked like the call was about the mermaid.
Before the real interrogation began, the police officers had brought in a large rubber tub filled with water from somewhere.
As soon as I sat the guy in it and removed the net tangled around him,
he started trembling all over as if he'd been waiting for it, drenching the entire area with water.
"Ah... really! You're a dog?"
"But... it was really uncomfortable."
"It was uncomfortable, wasn't it! Did you think you were doing well just now? Just like that..."
As I raised my arm like I always did,
the guy flinched with a "hic!" and shrank back, terrified.
That sight... was a little pitiful.
But the world isn't so easy that you can get away with using your pretty face as a weapon.
Finally, Inspector Park finished his call and started cleaning up the mess.
"Everyone, if your business is done, go back to your posts. And Huntsman Jang, you worked hard, so go rest now.
...And you. Come talk to me."
"The guy won't talk unless I'm here."
"Suddenly?"
"I don't know. Police uncles are scary, and I'm a pretty unnie, so I guess they're not scared of me."
"Ah... that's a problem. Well, you're a victim in this case too, so it doesn't matter. Then stay with us."
Thanks to his seasoned experience in the field, Inspector Park smoothly directed the officers who had been flustered by the mermaid back to their places.
He pulled over a chair and sat in front of the rubber tub,
while I stood beside him to watch the upcoming interrogation.
"Well, name, age. Tell me where you live too."
The guy didn't answer right away, instead glancing at me once and clutching the sleeve of his t-shirt with his small hand.
I just nodded silently.
Listen well to the police uncle and it ends quickly.
If you ask me for help, nothing comes out.
"...Eunseo. Park Eunseo."
"Whoa... your name is even a pure Korean name."
As the interrogation continued, the guy... no, Eunseo started glancing at me before finally confessing his crimes.
He lived on Ganghwa Island and ran away because of disagreements with his parents.
He's not a mermaid, but he could swim here from that far away in a day or two.
Why this remote place in particular among so many? It was because of kids his age.
It was one of the few places in Korea where incidents were allowed for tourism, so it seemed safe.
And the most interesting part was, if it was just for tourism, he would have played nicely and left.
Why cut the other's farm nets?
"...When we were that age, we could resonate with the creatures underwater.
But... the voices we heard back then were too... too sad."
It didn't make sense, but... the other was a mermaid, so it sounded plausible.
"Inspector Park, did the village elders spray something on the farm?"
"No way. Natural farms are expensive, so why would they spray anything on them?"
"Then why did the guy cause such a ruckus by cutting the nets?"
Eunseo answered with a sniffle.
"It was... there were too many sounds... narrow, narrow, narrow..."
"The farm nets are narrow, so what about wide?"
"That's not it...! And everyone was saying they're in pain! It hurts, it hurts..."
Thinking of the fish heads, they probably shouted things like 'I'm hungry', 'It's narrow', 'It hurts',
but I couldn't figure out what guilt he felt.
"So, you felt sorry for them and let them all go?"
Eunseo nodded weakly,
and I stared at Inspector Park in disbelief.
"Inspector, is that really true?"
"I talked to Eunseo's guardian earlier, and at that age... the resonance or empathy they feel during puberty differs from person to person, he said. So..."
"This guy is exceptionally sensitive?"
"Something like that."
My head started throbbing.
So, in the end, a sensitive pubescent mermaid empathized with the fish's feelings several times more strongly than others.
"Hey. Did you even say they wanted to be saved?"
"But... they were only saying they were struggling..."
"Of course they were struggling! They're fish heads trapped in the farm! Did you ask for help?!"
As I shouted,
the guy flinched again and shrank back,
and as a result, the water in the rubber tub soaked Inspector Park's pants.
"Ehehe... this person really! Why are you yelling at a kid! You can't do anything to Nureongi and Poppy!"
By shamelessly bringing up Hana and Hayeon,
I had nothing left to say.
It seemed the names Hana and Hayeon were quite unfamiliar to the guy.
His frightened expression had vanished, and he was staring at me with clear eyes.
"Hana and Hayeon are curious?"
"Yes."
"They're kids I live with. One's a puppy, and Hayeon's a rabbit."
"Are they beastfolk?"
"Not the fluffy kind, just ears and tails."
Then the guy stared at me quietly, as if imagining something.
Is that your type?
"So, do you have a place to sleep? I doubt you can sleep in this tub."
"That's the problem... if I have Huntsman Jang, he seems manageable..."
"Our house doesn't even have a bathtub, let alone a fish tank."
It wasn't something I couldn't take on, but... the guy would suffer more.
He wouldn't even be able to go to the bathroom.
"I guess so. It turns out there's a swimming pool at the nearby pension, so I was thinking of leaving him there for a bit."
"Whoa... that's luxurious. A minor, sleeping at a pension."
"My guardian said not to worry about financial issues."
"Then what about the farm damage?"
"Same thing. The mermaid association or whatever, they'll cover it all."
Usually, runaway teens are kids turned out by parents or the community,
but since mermaids are rare, they seem to have a support structure among themselves.
I didn't know the details, but anyway, it looked like the matter would be easily resolved.
"Then the situation's over? This guy can't run away with his legs."
"Legs? They say you can turn into legs for a bit if you want,
but they said it's better not to do it when you're young. Something about not growing taller."
I didn't want to comment further on the ecology of mermaids.
"Then I'll head back now. The seawater on me feels gross, so I should wash up too."
As I turned to leave,
the guy urgently grabbed my hand.
Looking up at me with clear eyes, he was clearly asking to be taken along.
"I like pensions. There's a swimming pool right in front."
"But..."
I wanted to refuse coldly, but for some reason, I didn't want to.
Is this some kind of maternal instinct? Or... paternal? It seemed closer to the latter.
I sent a look to Inspector Park asking for help, but he just pretended not to notice, playing dumb.
Sending a few cops to the pension under the guise of protection would be troublesome,
so he was probably trying to dump it on me.
"...I'll pay."
"Pay? You turned a blind eye to me using slug rounds, so it's fine."
That's why I hate people who eat my rice.
"...I'll take you. In return, when you go to the bathroom while at our house, you have to walk on your legs?"
The guy nodded vigorously with a bright smile.
He's cute... damn it.
"I'll borrow Inspector Park's truck. I need a tank to carry you."
"Yeah, got it. Put it back in front of the station tomorrow morning."
"Tell Officer Lee to bring it."
"Him? He has a motorcycle license but no truck license."
"Haa... yeah~ yeah~."
In the end, I scooped up Eunseo and exited the police station.
Since everything was over and the tension had eased, a faint scent of seawater lingered from the guy.
But strangely, his lower body was scaled, yet there was no fishy smell.
"Hey... did you have some weird thought just now?"
"Huh? Ah, no fishy smell."
"That was rude!"
"Whoa... interesting. Do you use some kind of mind-reading? Are you an Awakener?"
"No... we of my kind can read people's minds a little."
"Really? Then you'll understand my complicated feelings too, so don't cause trouble."
Instead of answering, the guy in my arms just smiled bashfully.
'Cute... damn woman.'
I had no idea how to explain this to Hana and Hayeon.
Should I use the excuse that I was showing him a rare mermaid?
Or should I take him to Miss Jeong's place again to appease them?
For some reason, I felt like one more kid to take care of had been added to our house.
'Jang... no, now it's like getting married? Anyway, without even getting married, suddenly three daughters.'
I was going crazy.