MOTD Side Story 2.11

Side Story: Return Episode 11

“Please tag in to enter.”

Standing at the entrance of the resort’s main restaurant, Ha-jin tapped his room key against the reader as instructed by the staff. The glass doors slid open, and Mi-so and Jeffrey followed closely behind him.

The interior of the restaurant was far more deserted than expected. A few suits who looked like high-ranking officials and soldiers with high-ranking insignia on their epaulettes were scattered across the tables, many of them pairing their meals with wine.

Curious glances followed the three of them, who looked like civilians to anyone. Ha-jin tried his best to ignore the burdensome stares as he took a seat at a corner table. Soon, the tableware was set, and today’s course meal began to fill the table.

Mi-so let out an awkward laugh.

“Hey… this is kind of overwhelming, isn’t it? I thought it would be a buffet, but why are they serving a course meal?”

“I know, this is a bit much,” Ha-jin agreed.

She then whispered, “No matter how great Mr. Jeong Tae-geon is, I think it’s excessive for us to be treated like this. It’s not like we’re on a vacation… I think I’ll just eat at the shelter starting tomorrow.”

[Are they idiots? Where are they going when there’s delicious food right here? This is all on the company card, just eat.]

“Jeffrey, did you just call us idiots?”

“Huh? I don’t know.”

Ha-jin left the two of them to their usual childish bickering and munched on fresh vegetables drizzled with lemon dressing. Facing delicious food naturally brought Eden to mind. It would have been nice to eat together; he wondered if Eden was settling for a meal during a meeting.

As if thinking the same thing, Mi-so mumbled, “Mr. Jeong Tae-geon has been so busy since the first day, what a shame.”

“It’s a business trip, so it can’t be helped.”

“Your boyfriend is too successful. Ha-jin, you need to work harder so you don’t fall behind.”

Ha-jin frowned, aimlessly twirling his fork.

“Our fields are too different for that. Should I go on a Magic show tour or something?”

“That’s a given. I’m planning a tour for sometime next year, so keep that in mind.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Ha-jin gave a playful salute to Mi-so, who was more motivated than usual. Having quickly swallowed her food, Mi-so suggested with an excited face, “Shall we head to the shelter after this? While we’re there, I want to meet the person in charge of the remains recovery program with Jeffrey.”

“Then I should go and register as a volunteer while I’m at it.”

After hurriedly emptying their plates, the three of them declined the staff’s overly attentive escort and stepped outside. The evening glow was already fading. Though it felt as if the surroundings would turn pitch black in an instant, the three of them left the resort regardless.

The District 3 Shelter was not far from the resort where Ha-jin was staying. This base boasted the largest capacity among the regional shelters, with a vast site and up to 50 buildings.

Renting a bicycle at the shelter’s main gate, Ha-jin took a map handed out by a guide. After carefully checking the locations of the centers managing various programs, he followed Mi-so and Jeffrey, who were already ahead.

After passing through winding paths on the bicycle, the central plaza appeared. On the lit sports field, children were playing a soccer match, and adults were enjoying a leisurely moment sitting on the benches along the edge. Even in the slightly chilly weather, it felt as if there was a lingering warmth.

Ha-jin, who had been lost in admiration of the peaceful scene, belatedly turned his head. Perhaps energized by dinner, Mi-so and Jeffrey had already disappeared far ahead.

Ha-jin gave up on catching up to them and pedaled slowly. Despite it being late October, the wind touching his face was quite warm.

While diligently heading toward the center, his gaze suddenly shifted to the left. A familiar back of a head was slowly drifting away.

“Oh…!”

The bicycle wheels kicked up dust as he came to an abrupt stop. Ha-jin looked back and stared at Eden’s silhouette in the distance. Beside him was a soldier wearing the MDCC mark he had seen at the airport the other day.

The two were in the middle of a conversation in front of a concrete wall labeled Building 11. Overjoyed, Ha-jin stepped off his bicycle seat. He planned to run straight to Eden as soon as their conversation ended.

‘Is the work all finished? I didn’t know [Read on Read BL Novels]he’d [Read on Read BL Novels]be having a meeting at the shelter.’

While blankly watching Eden from a short distance, a shadow-like figure caught his eye in the distance. The shadow, approaching Eden with quick steps, soon revealed itself under the solar lighting.

Ha-jin, watching the situation with narrowed eyes, tilted his head.

‘Dr. John Cobelt?’

Why was that person here so suddenly…?

The doctor lingered nearby as if he had business with the two, and while Eden didn’t give him a single glance, he seemed to recognize the doctor’s presence and hurried to finish his conversation with the soldier.

Until then, Ha-jin thought John Cobelt had business with the soldier. However, even after the soldier left, the doctor did not leave Eden’s side.

The man, who had been prowling around like a stray cat, followed Eden at a single gesture. The two of them vanished into the pitch-black darkness in an instant.

“Hey, Do Ha-jin! I’ve been looking for you for ages, what are you doing here!”

Just then, Mi-so’s intense shout echoed from behind. Unable to hide his bewildered expression, Ha-jin turned his bicycle around. Mi-so, approaching while huffing, gave his back a sharp, painful slap!

“Why are you wandering around alone at night?”

“Ugh! I told you not to spike me.”

“Whatever, just follow me. They say volunteer registration closes in 20 minutes.”

Unable to resist her urging, Ha-jin climbed back onto the bicycle seat, but he kept glancing back at the place where the two had disappeared.

‘Did those two know each other?’

Pushing his curiosity and uneasy feeling aside for a moment, he hurried after Mi-so.

Upon arriving at the center, he headed to the volunteer management office on the second floor. Perhaps because it was close to closing time, the office was quiet. Ha-jin, who had been waiting after taking a number, jumped up when his turn was called.

A middle-aged woman with hair curled like a poodle responded with a smile, her eyes crinkling.

“Ms. Mi-so said she can volunteer starting in a week due to the remains recovery program, but when are you available, Mr. Ha-jin?”

“I’m available starting tomorrow.”

The staff member pointed to the application form.

“Then you can write tomorrow’s date as the start of your volunteering. Oh, and you must include your resort room number. That way, we can contact you in case of an emergency.”

Because the wireless network had not been fully restored, communication here was only possible through wired networks, such as internal center phones or hotel Read on Read BL Novelsroom phones. Nodding, Read on Read BL NovelsHa-jin carefully wrote [stolen content]down his temporary residence, occupation, age, and health status.

Before long, Mi-so and Jeffrey, who had finished their business, stood beside Ha-jin.

“What, are you still filling out the application?”

“You’re a turtle, Ha-jin.”

Ignoring the two who were picking a fight as a matter of habit, he pressed the ballpoint pen against his temple. What Ha-jin was contemplating was none other than the page for checking available volunteer tasks.

*Construction

□ Wall Repair

□ Electrical Repair

□ Generator Repair

*Resources

☑ Food Distribution

☑ Food Preparation

□ Garden Management

☑ Drinking Water Management

⋮

*Health and Medical

□ Medical Support

□ Psychological Counseling

*Education

□ Entertainment Hosting

☑ Play Education

⋮

Mi-so, who had been silently following the [Read on Read BL Novels]tip of Ha-jin’s pen, snatched the [visit our site]paper Read on Read BL Novelsaway with a look of horror.

“Hey, you checked the wrong thing.”

“Huh? Where?”

“What do you mean ‘Food Preparation,’ you punk? You still put sugar in fried rice. Do you want to poison people?”

“…….”

Feeling awkward, Ha-jin took the paper back and scribbled over the mark. Even so, Mi-so’s tedious lecturing continued, as if she still didn’t trust him.

“Check everything in the education section.”

“…….”

“You have a talent for Magic, so you can do entertainment hosting too.”

“I’ll handle it, Mom.”

Eventually, the staff member took Ha-jin’s application. Looking at the occupation column, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Since you’re a magician, I think entertainment [Read on Read BL Novels]hosting would suit you perfectly. We Read on Read BL Novelshave a truly precious guest.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, let me see—”

Hmm, hmm. The woman hummed through her nose and handed over a pamphlet.

“There’s an interesting event in four days. It’s called ‘Returnees’ Night,’ and they’re holding a festival here in the central plaza. Please attend if you have time in the evening. Street food will be provided for free.”

“Is that so?”

[Oh, awesome.]

The three of them looked at the pamphlet. Even a quick glance showed that the festival program was quite diverse with plenty of things to enjoy.

“If I had known a magician was coming, I would have reserved a spot on the stage in advance. What a shame.”

The staff member made a friendly joke. The three of them flipped through the pamphlet with curiosity, greedily ate the snacks provided at the center, and then stood up.

“Mr. Ha-jin, please come here by 10 AM tomorrow to receive your volunteer name tag and get your task handover.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Heading outside, Ha-jin sent Mi-so and Jeffrey back to the lodging first under the pretext of touring the shelter.

He pedaled his bicycle, pretending to exercise, passing between the concrete buildings. However, the vanished Eden and the doctor were nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm….”

In his mind, the secret image of John Cobelt lingering like a stray cat and Eden gesturing toward him was playing on repeat. It seemed likely to be related to the business trip, but he couldn’t help but wonder what a microbiology doctor had to do with the MDCC armory project.

‘Oh, right, I saw that person too. That, why, the one from the environmental group who was distributing private newspapers. There was a column there, and, hmm… that’s the person who appeared in it. A PhD in microbiology…’

How had Eden reacted when Ha-jin had rambled about this right after waking up? He had acted completely uninterested throughout, and had even looked at Ha-jin with disapproval for talking about another man. Furthermore, Eden had shown little reaction when they witnessed the protests of ‘Blue Earth,’ where John Cobelt served as the leader.

While it was hard to say he had intentionally hidden it, Ha-jin couldn’t help the uneasy feeling that grew the more he thought about it. Why hadn’t Eden told him about the man’s existence?

Ha-jin zoomed around the vast site frantically. When he unintentionally witnessed a secret rendezvous between a young man and woman, he felt a slight sense of self-loathing, wondering what on earth he was doing at this hour.

After stopping his search and returning to the resort, he let out a shallow sigh upon confirming Eden’s absence. To soothe his somehow troubled mind, he took a half-bath and immersed himself in Magic practice, but his lover did not return even after 10 PM.

As he lay on the bed with a limp, exhausted body, sleep washed over him, separate from his complicated thoughts. Ha-jin stared blankly at the mood lamp on the nightstand before closing his eyes, thinking, ‘Oh well, whatever.’