By Zephyria 
161
“Then how did the Devouring Ghouls get on the ship?”
“Nobody knows that. Some elders say they tried to eat the ship owner and accidentally got on, or that the wind blew them all the way to Busan by luck, but who knows? It’s not like we can talk to Devouring Ghouls…”
“……”
“From that day on, the navy thoroughly inspected the ships, so that kind of thing didn’t happen again.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Anyway, the one I saw back then.”
Gil-sang paused and tapped the Fan Type Ho-eun had drawn with his index finger.
“It was this one. Its antennae were so big they almost covered its Helmet Bone, and it was so shiny, like it was covered in gold leaf, probably because of the moonlight, so I remember it clearly. You saw it too, right?”
Gil-sang looked at Seong-im as if to confirm. Seong-im, who had been silent, nodded once, as if certain. Ho-eun’s face grew serious at the sight of the two.
“If it was shining like gold… then it probably wasn’t an accident that it got on the ship.”
“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”
“……”
“……”
Silence fell. The fact that it had boarded a ship meant a lot. It meant that the Devouring Ghoul understood the purpose of the ship, that it knew humans wouldn’t be wary of it, and that it used it as a means of invasion. That meant it was as smart as the Double Horn Type. Or maybe even smarter.
It was unfortunate news. A smart enemy is dangerous, and therefore more threatening.
Ho-eun sighed repeatedly as he looked at the Fan Type, and Gil-sang asked.
“I guess there’s no one else who’s seen a guy like this?”
“No. You’re the first, Sergeant.”
“That’s a relief then.”
“Yes?”
“It means there aren’t many guys this smart, right?”
“Ah……”
Ho-eun gave a faint sigh. He was right. When he gathered the soldiers’ accounts, the Leaf Type was the most common, and the number decreased as they went further back. The Double Horn Type, which he thought was the smartest, had only been seen by two people, excluding Ramjae Town. That meant they were rare.
Ho-eun nodded slowly, organizing what Gil-sang had told him in his head. Then he smiled faintly and thanked him and Seong-im.
“You’ve been a great help, Sergeant. Thank you for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Thank you too, Seong-im.”
“……”
Seong-im acknowledged the greeting with a nod. Ho-eun, who had been breathing regularly for a few moments, forced a smile and picked up the chocolate basket.
“Would you like to take some of these? I’m giving them out as a thank you to those who come.”
Gil-sang picked two of the silver-shining chocolates and gave them both to Seong-im. Seong-im raised his eyebrows and took them without any particular refusal.
After the two left, Ho-eun pondered, looking at the Fan Type he had just drawn.
“Fan Type……”
And golden… Was it really gold? Or did it just look that way in the moonlight? Ho-eun pressed his chin with his fountain pen as he pondered. Byeonguk, who had come to his side, was also frowning as he looked at the notebook. Just as a heavy silence filled the room.
Suddenly, the other side of the door became noisy. There were giggling sounds, and rough, boisterous voices. The ground rumbled with each step they took. If this wasn’t the Crimson Rain Brigade’s garrison, he might have mistaken it for the appearance of a Devouring Ghoul.
“What is it……”
Byeonguk approached the door.
Bang!
The door was flung open violently, as if it would be torn off its hinges. A fierce chill rushed into the room. The heavy atmosphere was swept away by the cold. Ho-eun, who had shrunk back in surprise, soon smiled brightly.
“Dong-ja Noonim! Man-soo Hyung!”
It was Dong-ja and Man-soo. Ho-eun quickly got up and greeted the two, happy to see them.
“Welcome. Did you two come to tell me something too?”
But Dong-ja plopped down on the floor opposite the desk and said.
“No. We don’t know anything. We heard we’d get chocolate if we came here.”
Her face was so confident and shameless as she said that. Ho-eun chuckled and handed her the chocolate basket.
“Yes. Please, have as much as you want. This is the last of the chocolate.”
“What? The last?”
“Yes. I’ve run out of what I brought.”
Dong-ja’s eyebrows drooped as if there was no sadder news in the world, and she scraped up the remaining chocolates. Then she gave half of them to Man-soo. Man-soo grinned and took them. The two peeled off the chocolate wrappers with practiced ease and put them in their mouths. Their cheeks twitched this way and that.
The four sat around the desk and chatted about this and that. Then, when a brief silence fell, Man-soo, who was sitting askew, muttered as he looked at the picture hanging on the wooden board.
“It’s kind of new to see those Eater Bug bastards’ heads cut off like that, huh?”
At those words, Dong-ja also looked at the picture. Her eyes narrowed slightly. After looking at the picture for a while, she said, sucking on her chocolate.
“But I think I’ve seen something like that somewhere.”
“You probably have. How many Eater Bugs have we killed?”
Man-soo replied casually. At that, Dong-ja tilted her head slightly.
“Hmm… Is that so?”
Ho-eun, who was listening to them, held out his notebook. It contained a drawing of the Fan Type antennae that Gil-sang had told him about.
“Then, have you ever seen anything like this?”
He asked without much expectation. Gil-sang was the only one out of a hundred people who had seen it. But Dong-ja slapped her thigh and shouted.
“Oh, I’ve seen it!”
Ho-eun’s eyes widened. His back straightened, and his neck lengthened.
“Really? You’ve seen it?”
Dong-ja nodded as if it were obvious. Then she said with great confidence.
“It’s a fan. Who in the world hasn’t seen a fan?”
“……”
The expression slowly washed off Ho-eun’s face. At that, Dong-ja pulled her chin in and sucked in a breath through her nose.
“Why? Isn’t it a fan? Then what, a ginkgo leaf? Ah, grilled ginkgo is delicious. Does Doryeong also eat ginkgo well? It’s chewy and delicious when grilled.”
“That’s right, grilled ginkgo is delicious. But if you eat too much, you’ll poop a lot.”
Man-soo chimed in and giggled. Byeonguk frowned as much as he could at the two. Ho-eun couldn’t bring himself to frown, and just smiled awkwardly.
Ho-eun, who had been sitting at his desk writing busily, put down his fountain pen and shook his hands. His hands were numb. The fingers pressed by the fountain pen were red. They were burning as if they had been set on fire. Ho-eun blew on them, saying, “Hoo, hoo.”
“How long are you going to keep doing that?”
A low voice cut through the darkness. Ho-eun quickly raised his head. Tae-muk, in his military uniform, was leaning against the door connecting to the main room with his arms crossed.
“Oh… General. When did you get here?”
Ho-eun quickly got up and greeted him with a smile.
“A while ago.”
Tae-muk replied nonchalantly. At those words, Ho-eun looked at the paper door. The outside was completely black. Had so much time already passed? He hadn’t noticed the passage of time because he was busy organizing what he had heard from the soldiers today.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you were here.”
Ho-eun lowered his eyes and apologized. Tae-muk didn’t seem to care about that and gestured to Ho-eun’s notebook, asking.
“Is that so interesting?”
“Interesting… It’s not that it’s interesting, um…”
Ho-eun pondered, looking at the paper filled with writing. Interesting. He was feeling something similar to that, but he felt guilty to say so. It was about investigating Devouring Ghouls, so he wondered if it was okay to be interested. But there was no other expression to describe it other than interesting.
“Yes. I guess it’s interesting.”
Ho-eun smiled awkwardly and nodded. Learning is inherently enjoyable. Even if it was about Devouring Ghouls, it was still learning and exploring, so he seemed to be feeling a similar emotion.
“……”
Tae-muk stared at Ho-eun. Then, taking off his military coat, which was damp from the snow, he strode towards Ho-eun. Soon, in his Yui attire, he dropped his coat roughly on the floor. The thick chest muscles were clearly visible through the thin Jeogori-style Yui.
Ho-eun glanced away when he saw that, but Tae-muk had already come right up to him. He roughly swept back his long bangs and suddenly snatched Ho-eun’s waist, placing him on the desk. It was a brief flight, and Ho-eun’s clothes and Hair Tie fluttered in the air.
“Oh……”
Ho-eun’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, but he soon looked at Tae-muk with an innocent expression. Then, in his unique, quiet tone, he asked about his day.
“Did anything happen today? I heard you were scouting the area, did you encounter any Devouring Ghouls?”
“……”
Tae-muk didn’t answer. Instead, he placed his hands on either side of Ho-eun’s thighs, leaned forward, and met his gaze.
“……”
Ho-eun was quietly waiting for Tae-muk’s answer. He didn’t rush him or get annoyed. He just blinked his pretty eyes and looked at Tae-muk. Tae-muk grabbed Ho-eun’s Braided Hair, which was hanging down. And he stroked it as he moved upwards.
Ho-eun’s gaze followed Tae-muk’s hand. It was no longer strange for Tae-muk to touch his hair. Although in the past his scalp had been grabbed and pulled as if it would be torn off, Tae-muk’s touch had been gentle and tender lately.
Just as Ho-eun was about to close his eyes without realizing it, as Tae-muk gently stroked his hair.
“I want to kiss your lips.”
Tae-muk said something difficult again.