By Zephyria People who live in Central never leave the heart of the city.
They don’t need to. They procure all the conveniences they need in life within Central.
In an era where human habitation was limited, a pleasant living environment was a privilege for the few.
The city’s leaders controlled the lives of citizens with the golden ticket of ‘formal residential areas,’ and stratified the city structure.
Jin Mu-hae was one of those furthest removed from that privilege.
―He seemed to know about the existence of Return flight.
‘It seems to be more than just a simple guess. He mentioned my father.’
―He’s definitely a shrewd one. To sit tight in such a harsh place and manipulate information.
‘But it didn’t seem like he grasped the internal situation. He tried to sound me out by proposing a Deal, so I refused for now.’
―Hmm… that’s a slightly disappointing result.
Staring at the Hologram Window spread in the air, Jin Mu-hae recalled the conversation from a few days ago.
Gu-reum had been silent for a while after hearing Cheong’s story. His heart sank, wondering if something was wrong, but the voice that followed wasn’t that serious, even considering the modulation.
―That part… I don’t think you need to worry about it right now. Even if he really knows something, he won’t act rashly.
‘Are you sure it’s okay?’
―He’s a man who knows his place. He’s eerily good at figuring out how far his actions are tolerated and moves accordingly. You must have guessed while investigating the smuggling case, right?
‘…’
―Sakdal is ultimately an autonomous district of Goryeo City. Under whose tacit approval do you think he wields that paltry influence?
From her sharp and cold assessment, Mu-hae felt the gaze of someone far above.
Come to think of it, Jin Mu-hae knew nothing about Gu-reum’s identity or status. He had just thought of her as someone belonging to Central.
Now that he thought about it, she was probably some kind of manager. The kind of person one in charge of reform should avoid encountering the most.
To end up colluding with such a Gu-reum over Return flight, life was truly flowing in an unknowable direction.
‘Anyway, I’ve given you my opinion.’
―Yes. There was a Deal.
‘The stories about Return flight in the past are important, but more than that, I need a stepping stone to stand on right now.’
―Don’t worry. I’ve picked out something very useful and just right.
Thus, Jin Mu-hae received a suspicious address from her as compensation for wandering around Sakdal.
It was the coordinates of Jaegang District, west of the formal residential area, closest to the slum where Mu-hae lived now.
Visiting the residential area wasn’t difficult, as Mu-hae had often frequented it before.
But considering the surveillance, it was difficult to rashly visit a place related to Return flight.
Above all, Gu-reum had added such words.
‘You’ll be there often…’
It was impossible. For a person from this kind of place to frequently pass through the gates without any particular reason was suspicious to anyone.
Especially if the place they were visiting was the same every time, it was practically begging to be caught.
Thanks to that, Mu-hae had no choice but to stay put in the distant slum, even with the coordinates he had worked so hard to obtain.
He felt deflated anew. How on earth did Return flight in the past manage to pull this off, with so many mountains to climb with each step?
‘Well, the given conditions are different.’
He had already heard from Director Gil that his father wasn’t from the slums.
That their initial participants were all researchers, that is, from the elite class.
Even so, Return flight had achieved considerable success, while Mu-hae was still struggling just to follow in their footsteps.
His father’s criminal record was shackling Jin Mu-hae like a chain.
Mu-hae was someone who had grown up in this shabby slum from the moment of his first memory.
“Jin Mu-hae.”
A familiar call made him turn his head, and Joo-oh was approaching.
In that short time, he was rustling something busily; upon closer inspection, it was a round chocolate ball. It was a product with a tangy syrup inside.
“Didn’t you eat all of those yesterday?”
“I bought a lot in case that happened.”
“Save your money. Do you think Deals grow on trees?”
As if used to the nagging, Joo-oh sat down without answering.
The sweet scent of artificial flavoring mixed with his already fragrant body odor, wafting over him.
For the past two days, Joo-oh had taken up the hobby of buying and trying various snacks.
He had always liked to eat, but now he was practically munching and chomping on all sorts of things and even reviewing them.
There was no telling how much money was left from what he had earned in Sakdal.
“Jin Mu-hae. Working?”
“If you know, don’t bother me and go inside to play.”
“I’m not playing. But I’ll help Jin Mu-hae.”
Joo-oh held out the chocolate ball he had taken a bite of, but Mu-hae shook his head and refused.
He had already tried it once yesterday. It was too sweet and sour for his taste.
Even so, he absentmindedly licked away the syrup that had gotten on his lips. As the scent from Joo-oh filled his mouth, Mu-hae frowned for no reason and erased all the Hologram Windows.
“What can I help with? I’m strong.”
“Does it look like someone’s weak and doing this? There’s nothing to help with this time, so just stay put.”
He gave a curt retort as usual and got up from the sofa. Joo-oh, who had been subtly leaning on him, slumped onto the cushion without a sound.
Should he go to Jaegang District first? Or should he come up with a better plan?
White fingers gripped the hem of Mu-hae’s clothes as he pondered. Feeling a tug, he turned back to see Joo-oh lying on the sofa, smiling faintly.
“Jin Mu-hae. Hey.”
“What.”
“If you want to eat a hot dog, you have to go to the bus stop.”
“…”
“They only sell sausages at the grocery store. It’s no use waiting.”
It sounded like nonsense, but his red eyes were clear.
As Mu-hae usually chided him, there was a hint of confidence on his face, as if he ‘knew something.’
Jin Mu-hae frowned, suppressing a strange feeling. It was odd. Lately, he often felt like Joo-oh was understanding the situation.
“You. Are you eavesdropping on other people’s business again?”
“I didn’t eavesdrop. I just heard… I was next to you. Jin Mu-hae, you’re an idiot.”
Mu-hae’s eyebrows twitched at the cheeky reply. Indeed, Joo-oh was gradually thinking properly.
Moreover, he was starting not to even hide it.
‘Did he ever hide it?’
Of course, he never hid it. It was just that Mu-hae had subtly felt that way.
Jin Mu-hae was overcome with a strange feeling and reconfirmed the address in Jaegang District.
Certainly… whether it turned out well or not, he had to go and assess the situation first.
Was it because he had been called an idiot by a crazy guy? He felt foolish for being uncharacteristically indecisive.
His attention, which had been diverted elsewhere, quickly returned to the matter of Return flight. Mu-hae slightly tightened his jaw and checked the time.
Strike while the iron is hot. It was a bit sudden, but now that he had finished lunch, if he left now, he could stop by Jaegang District and return before sunset.
“I’m going too.”
Joo-oh, who had sensed his intention to leave the house like a ghost, came dangling from his clothes.
When Mu-hae ignored him and strode away, he thumped and rolled off the sofa onto the floor.
He immediately jumped up and ran to the study, probably to get his clothes. He always acted so urgently, even though he had never said he would leave him behind.
‘Of course, if he could lock him up at home, he would have done so long ago.’
But then he would make such a pitiful face and sulk, so he couldn’t help it.
To use him for outdoor missions, he had to feed him, pet him, and take him around regularly.
“Wear something decent today.”
“What kind of clothes are decent?”
A round head popped out from the crack in the study door and asked.
Mu-hae carefully examined his face and recalled the clothes he had.
“Not the ones you wear when you fight, not the ones that are torn or tattered or too big.”
“I only have shirts.”
“I gave you the clothes I used to wear, remember?”
The reason for passing through the gate today was a trip. Joo-oh was still temporarily registered, so he would insist that he wanted to show him the residential area of Goryeo City.
He wasn’t sure if that would work, but it was still daytime anyway. If he took off his hat and uttered a few ‘wow’s with a blank look, it would be easier to persuade them.
“If we go to Jaegang District, I’ll buy you meat.”
As soon as he said that, Joo-oh’s eyes glazed over. His face, a mixture of joy and excitement, looked like a cheerful and thoughtless tourist to anyone.
“Come out before 8 PM. I can’t give you any more time than that without a special purpose.”
“Of course. We’ll wander around for a bit and leave right away.”
Beep-.
The entry permit was sent to his Watch. Mu-hae entered Jaegang District with the humming man by his side.
“Hello.”
Joo-oh gently waved his hand at the gate. He looked so happy, like he was really going on a trip.
“Put your jacket properly in your bag.”
“La la la, la la.”
“Don’t sing. Just act like everyone else.”
Only after being scolded did he hug his bag tightly and pout. Fortunately, he seemed to be acting nicely, so there was no quarrel at the gate like last time.
Now, all he had to do was take the docile Joo-oh around to the target location. If he put some street food in his mouth, he wouldn’t look so suspicious, and he would follow without complaint.
Whoosh- Clunk!
Mu-hae got into a driverless taxi and pulled Joo-oh to sit next to him.
Looking at the GPS in front of the seat, he saw a park near the address.
He set the destination there and fastened his seatbelt. Joo-oh, who had been glancing sideways, awkwardly fastened his seatbelt as well.
“How long will it take?”
“Seventeen minutes. It says it there.”
“Hmm…”
Joo-oh’s gaze wandered into the air, pretending to look at the screen.
Whether Mu-hae clicked his tongue or not, Joo-oh, who had been staring blankly, blinked and turned his head.
“Jin Mu-hae. How fast can you run in uncomfortable clothes?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Never mind.”
Muttering a suspicious question, Joo-oh slipped his hand into the front pocket of his hoodie.
A handful of chocolate wrappers came out of the pocket, which wasn’t even bulging. Did he have some kind of magic drawer in there?
Now even the clothes he wore were strange. Mu-hae shook his head and turned his attention away from him.