By Zephyria “The political structure of ancient nations… Not this book.”
Even without anyone listening, his acting was perfect. Mu-hae aimlessly browsed through the books, killing time for several minutes.
Finally, when all the data had been copied, he nonchalantly walked towards the space where Joo-oh was.
Crunch. The sound of biting into fruit was so loud that he could find the location even with his eyes closed.
“You’re here? Did you find the book you were looking for?”
“Got it. I need to examine it here now.”
He took a seat on a chair at the edge and touched the Reader device. The list of visitors, accumulated over decades, stretched out dizzyingly long.
The code attached to the front of the names was clearly encrypted date and time. Recalling the cryptography he had learned as a child, he could easily calculate the results.
‘From here… to here.’
Even after narrowing down the approximate period, there was still an impossibly large amount. He wanted to take it home and examine it comfortably, but even if he stole the Reader device, the data would be wiped the moment he left the building.
There were hundreds of results for ‘Kang Ju-seo’ found through the search function. Considering the long period and massive amount, he guessed that there would be people with the same name mixed in.
‘At this rate, there’s no end.’
He couldn’t waste the already limited time in vain. Jin Mu-hae changed his mind and entered completely different names into the search bar.
‘Jin Seong-jo.’
‘Gil Seong-geon.’
‘Jeong Han-yeong.’
Surprisingly, there were no records at all under his father’s name. Rather than assuming that he had never been here, it was more accurate to say that his name itself had been erased from everywhere.
However, Director Gil and Teacher Jung’s records still remained here and were searched as is.
Filtering the dates that overlapped with their visits and entering the missing person’s alias…
“Did you find it?”
“Yes.”
There was a ‘Kang Ju-seo’ overlapping on the same date and at the same time. Mu-hae took a long breath and closed his dry eyes for a moment.
As expected, this guy was West Wind. One of the four pillars of Return flight. It was a predicted result, but his heart felt like it was sinking with a thud.
“Then, did this writer also attend the research center?”
“I don’t know. Even if it started as a research center club, the writer joined and the scale grew.”
Joo-oh didn’t even mention the ‘West’ character, as he was told. Mu-hae stroked his head, feeling strangely pleased.
“Hehe.”
Pleased by the unexpected Gift, he rubbed his cheek against Mu-hae’s chest. He glanced around, but no one was there.
The few people who occasionally walked around only looked at the Reader devices from a distance before disappearing.
“Don’t cling to me. I have things to take care of.”
“Sunbae, you do what you have to do. I’ll do what I want to do.”
He had good ears, so he knew like a ghost that there were no passersby looking this way.
Regardless of whether the target stuck to him glared at him or not, Joo-oh was busy smelling and rubbing his face, turning his cheeks this way and that.
The sweet and fragrant scent subtly stimulated his breath. Mu-hae grabbed the soft hair, but couldn’t bring himself to pull it and throw it away, only holding it in his hand.
“Don’t do this here.”
“But. Sunbae hasn’t touched me lately.”
“Was it someone else who wrapped around my waist and slept last night?”
“That was me hugging you, though. Not Sunbae.”
He was doing this while still calling him Sunbae. His appearance, faithfully adhering to the setting as if he was acting, was both absurd and funny.
“…!”
However, the laughter that was about to leak out disappeared from his lips in an instant. This crazy guy bit and licked his neck, making Mu-hae’s eyes widen slightly.
“What, hoo… what did I say?”
“Don’t cling to me when there are other people around.”
“And?”
“There’s no one next to us now.”
Joo-oh chuckled and whispered in his ear. As the voice grew smaller, the sound was mixed with air, and the breath tickled his skin with every cheeky reply.
“Keep acting like that.”
At the low warning, the ends of Joo-oh’s eyebrows drooped slightly. It was foolish to expect something in this kind of place.
But if he thought about it quietly with a sulky face… every time he hid somewhere pretending to be someone else, he unintentionally played with this guy’s hands.
He felt like he had created some kind of strange fetish for Joo-oh. A feeling of being screwed and a strange excitement crawled up his spine.
“Just once.”
“Huh?”
“Be quiet, though.”
Mu-hae looked around a few more times and grabbed the warm nape of his neck. He pulled the round head towards him, and soft, warm lips met his.
As if he had been waiting, his mouth opened slightly. Brazenly, Joo-oh stuck out his tongue and tickled his lips, laughing silently.
He bit and chewed on the mischievous guy’s lips with his front teeth, then licked the sweet mucous membrane with the tip of his tongue.
As he passed over the even teeth and enveloped the moist flesh, Joo-oh’s eyelids fluttered.
“Eung. Hoo….”
The guy, who would normally groan and pant, swallowed his breath and only gasped roughly.
He was clenching his fists tightly, as if he didn’t know what to do with his happiness. Teacher Jung seemed to be happy when he stroked him, and anyone who patted his shoulder, but he only made this happy face when Mu-hae touched him.
That fact was engraved in his heart, stirring up a proud excitement. It wasn’t that he was trying to assert ownership just because he brought him, but it was only him that he clung to anxiously.
As he fiddled with the soft earlobe and licked the twitching tongue, Joo-oh’s side hair stood up slightly, as if he had been waiting. The legs that had been shaking restlessly wrapped around Mu-hae’s body and stopped.
“Hoo… that’s enough now.”
“Heh.”
As soon as his lips parted, Joo-oh stuck out his tongue and smiled happily. As if he hadn’t been stubborn until just now, he nodded obediently and acted nicely.
If he touched him any more, it would be difficult for him now. Jin Mu-hae tried to calm his hardening lower body and turned his eyes to the Reader device.
After identifying the existence of West Wind, his pounding heart was miraculously stabilized in an instant.
He had confirmed the person’s alias, so he had obtained the desired information, though it was a pity. Looking at the still bright sky outside the window, Mu-hae suddenly added a dangerous schedule.
“How far will this temporary identity work?”
“Wouldn’t Gu-reum know?”
If it was a matter handled by Gu-reum, he would have thoroughly prepared for any possible situation.
Mu-hae, who had gained some vague confidence, picked up the Reader device and got up from his seat.
“Oops.”
Crack!
The Reader device, dropped as if by mistake, was trampled on by a heavy foot. The device, which had been fine except for a few scratches, cracked instantly and became unresponsive.
Mu-hae wore a look of great trouble and took the broken device to the first floor. Accompanied by Joo-oh, who was also making a face as if he had caused an accident, he hesitantly spoke to the information desk, and the staff’s gaze immediately turned to the Reader device.
“I’m sorry. I dropped it while reading a book and….”
“Oh my goodness. Let me see?”
The staff pressed the power button and shook it this way and that, but the machine with the broken key parts didn’t even think about working.
“How did you drop it… it looks completely broken.”
“How much do I have to compensate?”
“In this case, it’s not just the repair cost, but the entire compensation. But we’ll send it for repair just in case.”
“I’m really sorry. Is there any way to pay right away, even if it’s a small amount? I have to go back because I have a class soon. And I brought my Hubae with me….”
He was wearing a gown, not inside the research center. An expensive shirt buttoned up to the neck.
He looked like a research center student trying to show off with a freshman. Considering that most people were disheveled due to the vast amount of study, even more so.
“Just leave the device value and go take care of your business. We’ll let you know the difference later via email.”
“That’s okay. You can handle the difference as a library donation or lost items. Thank you for your convenience.”
Even if they took it apart for repair, there was no way to salvage the internal data or parts. On the way down, he shorted the charging terminal for a sure fix.
Mu-hae, who had simply dealt with the browsing history, brushed back his hair as if he had relieved a burden and gestured to Joo-oh.
“Let’s go. We can’t miss class.”
“Yes!”
Joo-oh ran to follow Mu-hae. They were now boldly planning to set foot in the research center.
Goryeo City Central has a vast research complex.
It is an institution that not only develops and researches technologies in various fields, but also nurtures elites who will be responsible for the brain of future Goryeo City.
All citizens with addresses in formal residential areas receive free education. Until they reach adulthood, they attend academies throughout the city, and only those with outstanding talents and excellent grades advance to the research center.
The researchers’ confidence always soared to the sky because they were qualified to stay in Central the moment they belonged to the institution.
“Wow. There’s no end to the white buildings.”
“…How annoying.”
Mu-hae muttered sharply, staring at the walls that would have become a place for all kinds of graffiti if they were on Starlight Road.
Indeed, it was too wide to know where to start looking. The fact that there were not many people walking around in this grand space gave him an unpleasant feeling.
“There, a map.”
Joo-oh found a site map near the blue grass. As soon as the Link Watch containing the identity information approached, a hologram unfolded on the flat map.
“The Central Hall is near here.”
It was the same for him to come here for the first time. Joo-oh confidently marked the coordinates as if he knew the geography.
Central Hall… According to the explanation attached to the map, it was a space where various events were held and the history of the research center was preserved.
It seemed that this side would definitely get more than wandering around the research facilities, where he didn’t even know if he had access, until the sun went down.
Mu-hae adjusted his glasses that had slipped down and gestured to the tall building in the distance.
“Let’s go.”
As if he was excited that his opinion was heard, Joo-oh jumped and ran to the Central Hall.