Chapter 38

After a moment, Soram broke the silence and clicked his tongue, saying, 

"Ha, ha... Do you think I'd be hurt by those words? Han Tae-un ssi is too naive. More than a few people have cursed at me to my face, not just to that extent, and if you've seen it on TV or the internet, you should know I get cursed at a lot. A reporter even blatantly told me I was being cursed at before."

"I thought I should apologize because Jin Soram ssi's expression seemed different from back then."

Soram had no choice but to be at a loss for words again. At that time, it was undeniable that he had been momentarily shaken by Tae-un's words. However, it wasn't because he was hurt by his words themselves, but because the past memories he had suppressed unexpectedly burst out. Towards the current Tae-un who knew nothing.

The Han Tae-un who had become a little closer over the past few months noticed Soram better than before and observed him better. He would also be seeing his current reaction of stopping mid-sentence. Soram, who had been choosing his words, deliberately turned his head away.

"That's right. I was actually really hurt. After packing lunch boxes for a new team member and taking care of this and that for him, of course I'd be hurt if he grabbed me, threw me against the wall, and yelled at me. This year, only mutants and Han Tae-un ssi have yelled at me. Ah, and the deputy director."

"In my memory, there's also the chief of Guncheon Police Station, the chairman of Hoseok High School, and if we really want to add more, Hunter Kim Jae-hyeok."

"... That's only five people."

And it was only spring now. Igniting the anger of five people before a season had even passed was quite an achievement.

"Anyway, Han Tae-un ssi went too far. Even though I'm the team leader, you yelled, 'Jin Soram!'"

"Let's call it even with you calling me a pretentious bastard."

"You held onto that? Han Tae-un ssi is more petty than he looks."

"That's how people who get called pretentious bastards are."

"..."

With a stabbed expression, Soram raised his head towards the ceiling. Soon, he turned back to the front.

"Alright. I'll accept your apology."

Soram sighed and leaned the back of his head against the wall.

"I don't really want to fight with Han Tae-un ssi either."

Below his tightly bound and restrained ankles, his toes moved up and down.

"And Lee Ayoung was extremely sorry for annoying Jin Soram ssi. I think she'll probably apologize when you come up."

"Ah, she doesn't need to be sorry about that. It was my mistake for not realizing there was a son of a bitch in the Reconnaissance Bureau earlier. If I had known that bastard was strange, I shouldn't have just waited for the pager."

Soram laughed bitterly. Even with just the corners of his mouth, the bitterness could be seen.

"Can you tell Ayoung that I'm doing well, catching up on sleep all day in a dark place?"

"... Alright."

But to say that, he was in a situation where he was tightly bound and uncomfortable even sitting, let alone lying down comfortably. Tae-un had vaguely thought that since the guard floor was an internal disciplinary measure, it would be more comfortable than going to prison. However, the detention here was a heavy punishment imposed with an intensity beyond imagination.

Tae-un looked at Soram's face a little longer. Taking advantage of the fact that Soram couldn't see and would’ve asked, ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ otherwise, he secretly observed the bridge of his nose, lips, and chin under the blindfold. The hunter who had looked so big and strong had a smaller build than he thought, and his neck, which had been hidden by his shirt collar, was on the slender side.

His thoughts about Jin Soram as a person changed from time to time, and now numerous thoughts were twisted together like a rope, making it impossible to decipher.

But for now, he decided to do what he wanted to do.

Tae-un rummaged through his inner pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Holding them, he reached through the bars. The detention cell was so narrow that it easily reached Soram's hand.

Surprised, Soram's fingers tickled Tae-un's palm, saying, "What is it?" After he withdrew, Soram felt what was placed on his hand, confirmed the shape, and figured out what it was.

"... Why are you giving me this?"

"It was originally a bribe I was going to give you if you didn't accept my apology."

A memory from not long ago naturally came to mind. On Tae-un's first day at the headquarters, when he was talking about the guard floor with Ayoung and Soram at the cafeteria, Soram had briefly mentioned something. He had said that the hardest part about being trapped on the guard floor was not being able to smoke.

Ha, a sigh escaped from Soram's mouth.

"I thought you were the type to not have a speck of dust even if shaken."

"..."

"Well... I'm kind of touched. I'll make good use of it."

A sincere smile appeared on his lips under the blindfold.

"Then I'll get going."

"Ah, yes. Take care."

Small white teeth were revealed between Soram's smiling lips.

"See you soon. Han Tae-un ssi."

"Yes."

* * *

Soram's "See you soon" was meant literally. It wasn't the typical farewell greeting Koreans often exchanged at the moment of parting.

Tae-un, sitting face to face with Soram in the detention cell of the guard floor, realized this far too late.

He received a summons from the deputy director's office early this morning. Kwon Jung-oh's gaze towards Tae-un was a little different from before.

There was one more undisclosed connection between Han Tae-un and Kwon Jung-oh. It was the fact that they were alumni of the Department of Law at K University. Although there was a large gap of over 30 years, the feeling of meeting a junior who might have met as a senior and junior at the prosecutor's office or court as a hunter was extraordinary. He was even more pleased that Tae-un was the type to silently do his job.

However, the gaze that had been like a principal looking at an excellent student until just before now was like... an expression of being betrayed by something. It seemed like he would shout, "Et tu, Brute?" at any moment.

"That... Chief Han. I have something to ask you."

"Yes."

"... Did you secretly go down to the guard floor yesterday and give cigarettes to Jin Soram?"

"..."

"That bastard Soram was smoking in front of the staff who came down to monitor him and got caught, and he bragged that a team member who loves the team leader too much came through all the security and gave them to him."

"..."

There was one more thing Tae-un had overlooked. It was none other than Jin Soram's unpredictable behavior.

Thus, Tae-un was detained here for a day as punishment for unauthorized entry into the guard floor. As his offense was relatively minor, he was not restrained and only wore handcuffs with a long chain. Moreover, the room he entered was much larger than Soram's solitary cell where he couldn't even stretch his legs. There was at least enough space to take three steps, and a thin mat and bedding were laid on the floor.

And soon, the bound Soram was transferred to that room. He was fixed to one of the chairs attached to the wall, just as he had been in the solitary cell.

"Ah, please also move the books from that room. And ask the director if I can take off the blindfold. We should at least greet each other face to face."

Upon hearing the brazen voice, the expressions of the guard and Tae-un changed similarly. Eventually, the blindfold covering Soram's eyes was removed a little later. Soram smiled brightly.

"Nice to see you. Han Tae-un ssi."

As he raised his hands and shook them, the sound of handcuffs clinking together cheerfully echoed in the space. When Tae-un, a former law student who had just gotten his first criminal record, looked at him with a displeased face, Soram exaggeratedly wiggled his body. Of course, since he was trapped in a straitjacket, the movement was minimal.

"No, no matter how much I think about it, I can't just stand by and watch a team member go down the wrong path. Oh my, unauthorized entry and smuggling of forbidden items. The world is coming to an end."

"..."

"They say that once you experience the very bottom of something, it becomes easier afterward. Since this is the bottom of the Rift Management Headquarters, there's no need to worry about Han Tae-un ssi's future!"

"..."

Ignoring Soram's rambling words with one ear, Tae-un engraved a new resolution in his heart.

Never, never again would he be dragged into Jin Soram's antics.

Whether he knew Tae-un's inner thoughts or not, Soram laughed absurdly while tightly bound. His prickly and sharp attitude from yesterday had vanished without a trace. However, his uncomfortably bound appearance remained the same. It made Tae-un's situation, wearing only handcuffs with proper clothes, look much better.

"Have you eaten?"

"Thanks to you, I came here before breakfast."

"Oh dear. As someone who has frequented this place, here's a tip. When you see the corner of the guard floor, stuff a few snacks into your pockets. Unless you've done something wrong enough to wear a straitjacket, they only confiscate your cell phone and weapons with a metal detector."

It was truly a great lesson. So much so that he couldn't even tell anyone about it. Tae-un gave up on responding and just put his bound hands on his thighs.

The width of the two-person detention cell wasn't that narrow, but due to his leg length, he had to sit slightly diagonally to stretch his legs forward. Tae-un sat facing the outside of the cell instead of the direction facing Soram. Soram, who was forced to sit upright by the straitjacket, had no choice in direction.

"If you're only here for a day, think of it as a time to get away from the secular world for a bit. You know, there's a thing called a digital diet. I heard it's a big deal these days because young people can't live without their cell phones."

"I don't usually look at my cell phone much anyway."

"Huh? Even SNS... You do look like you wouldn't do it, but you don't play games either?"

"No."

"Oh dear. Then let's take this time to reflect on yourself being behind the times at a young age."

"..."

"You've had a hard time, so rest. They even gave Han Tae-un ssi a place to sleep. What discrimination in this world. But if you want to lie down, you can."

"No thanks."

No matter how annoying, he couldn't lie down in front of someone who was bound. Now, he was slowly getting used to Soram's face on the pure white straitjacket. No, he was afraid that Soram might appear in his dreams and chatter like that.