By Zephyria 
I never thought I’d be here again…. Ire looked around Kim Ha-yoon’s house once and then stared at Kim Ha-yoon lying on the bed. He had been sitting on the sofa chair until just now, but as soon as he saw me, he claimed to be sick and lay down on the bed.
Not only that, but an employee even put a wet towel on his forehead. I cautiously went and stood next to him. I couldn’t tell when I saw him in Zone D, but meeting him alone here, I couldn’t hide the awkwardness.
“As you may have heard, the aircraft that came to deliver food supplies was shot down…. It’s difficult to compensate immediately, but I’ll do my best.”
“So, you came because of that?”
“Yes.”
I thought it was more important to come and resolve the issue directly than to find out who fired the missile. Before things got bigger. But Kim Ha-yoon said he had put out the immediate fire. He reassured me that he had persuaded the people and turned their attention elsewhere. He also said that those who had committed the wrongdoing had received due punishment.
I wanted to ask about Park Woo-jin, but I kept my mouth shut. Wasn’t that also related to my personal feelings?
Fortunately, Kim Ha-yoon looked better than the day I left. I had delivered everything he needed and heard the story, so I didn’t think there was any need to stay longer. So, I quietly tried to leave, but Kim Ha-yoon grabbed my wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going because it’s resolved.”
“Just like that?”
Ire hesitated for a moment and then lowered his head. “Thank you.” Then Kim Ha-yoon frowned with a displeased expression and grabbed his stomach, groaning. When I tried to call someone because he said he felt like he was going to die, he didn’t let go of my arm this time either. I just blinked, not knowing what he was trying to do.
“Stay with me. Just for one day.”
“Why…?”
“You’re not really asking because you don’t know, are you?”
I was really asking because I didn’t know. I thought Kim Ha-yoon had returned to his place, so I should return to mine. Besides, didn’t I have homework to do? When I said that I couldn’t completely relax as long as Park Woo-jin remained, Kim Ha-yoon said something I didn’t expect.
“Park Woo-jin will be deported soon.”
Ire couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Deported?”
“Yeah. So, wait. Wait and give him back as much as you received. If you kill Park Woo-jin here, there’s no justification for supporting you. So, just wait a few days.”
He said that there would be no more preemptive attacks from district a and reaffirmed that he would support the supplies he had promised before and develop the gold mine together. Once I felt relieved, the tension also eased. So, it’s really all over….
I had to hurry back to my colleagues and tell them this news. Everyone must be nervous, not knowing when the fighter jets would appear. But Kim Ha-yoon still didn’t let go of my wrist. When I tried to gently pull it away, he gave it more strength. Eventually, I frowned and looked at Kim Ha-yoon.
“Why are you still holding me…?”
“I told you. I want to be with you.”
“So, why….”
“I like you.”
At the sudden confession, Ire made a disgusted expression, and Kim Ha-yoon’s expression also distorted. He finally stopped pretending to be a patient, got out of bed, and threw the wet towel on his forehead to the side.
“Ha, you’re really something. Do you have to make a face like you’re chewing on a bug in front of someone who’s confessing?”
“It’s because you’re suddenly saying strange things…. Are you still sick?”
When I made a genuinely worried expression, Kim Ha-yoon rolled his tongue and furrowed his brow. He looked like he was wondering what to do.
“What have you thought of me so far? After you ran away, I went looking for you, got stabbed instead, flirted with you, and said I wanted to kiss you. What did you think of all that?”
“I thought you were just that kind of guy when you flirted, and you were looking for me for the experiment.”
“That’s,”
Ha, Kim Ha-yoon roughly swept back the hair that had fallen forward and tightly closed his eyes. Who could he blame? I was the one who initially deceived him with lies, and I was the one who acted like it wasn’t my fault while hurting him.
I should have honestly confessed my feelings when we met again, but until then, I thought he only wanted my body. Who knew that liking someone was like this? I’ve lived for 30 years, how would I know if I’ve ever liked someone? But I couldn’t say these words out loud. It was too pathetic.
“Shit.” Watching Kim Ha-yoon swear to himself, Ire thought he still seemed to be in pain. Then, this time, he let go willingly. As Ire turned around and left, he heard Kim Ha-yoon’s voice behind him.
“The words I said about being okay even if I was rolling in the mud as long as you were there.”
“…….”
“I meant it.”
Ire slowly moved his tightly closed lips.
“That’s a relief. Live your life holding on tight so you don’t fall again. Don’t get distracted.”
I don’t know what kind of expression Kim Ha-yoon made, but Ire closed the door and came out. Then, in front of the door, he put his hand on his chest and clenched his teeth.
Something’s wrong. Why is my heart pounding so much?
That can’t be.
Vehemently denying it, I passed through the hallway, crossed the living room, and went to the entrance, but I couldn’t see any employees. Kim Seon-oh was the same. Where did everyone go? Without time to think further, I arrived at the front door and stopped as I was about to go out.
The door won’t open. No matter how hard I tried, it was the same. Even when I pressed the buttons and called for someone, there was no response at all. Ire belatedly realized that he was trapped and headed to the bedroom where Kim Ha-yoon was, huffing and puffing. When I burst into the room, Kim Ha-yoon had a towel on his forehead and looked like he was dying.
“You came?”
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“The door is locked!”
“Oh, dear. Did everyone leave work? It’s already that time.”
I was speechless. Even if all the employees had left work, how could they lock the door and leave? These days, so many unsavory things happen to me that they say they’re preventing it in advance, but I couldn’t understand it at all. If that’s the case, they should add more security personnel.
“I have to go home.”
Kim Ha-yoon closed his eyes as if he hadn’t heard me at all.
“If you keep doing this, I’m going to tear down the door and leave.”
“Go ahead. You have the ability to do that. You’re the one who can knock down monsters in one hit, so how much more could you do?”
Ire inhaled. So, he knew…. I didn’t ask, so I naturally assumed he didn’t know. Well, he’s close to Kwon So-young, so there’s no way she would have kept it a secret. As I bit my lip, Kim Ha-yoon opened his eyes and reached out his hand.
“If you’re not going to accept me, then tear me apart and get rid of me here. I think that would be better.”
I cursed him as a crazy bastard in my mind, but Kim Ha-yoon patted the spot next to him. He said that if one day is too hard, I can stay for at least a few hours before leaving. He said he missed me. He said that even though he was in that miserable Zone D, he felt like he was alive because I was there. He said it was heaven. But he said he was lonely here because I wasn’t there. He spewed out those cheesy words without changing his expression.
“S-stop it…. I feel nauseous.”
“If you want, I can sing you a serenade of love non-stop. Just say the word. I’ll pour it into your ears all night long.”
“…….”
I was about to ask him why he was really doing this to me, but I eventually gave up and sat down in the chair. Only then did Kim Ha-yoon shut his mouth. In the midst of the awkwardness, Kim Ha-yoon got up from his seat again. Every time he got up, I was worried that his wound would open, so I unconsciously made a similar expression.
“Lie down…. It’s okay.”
“I want to see you smile. You smiled while looking at the jellyfish before.”
“…….”
Eventually, he took the lead, and Ire followed without complaint. To be honest, I was curious and fascinated by the jellyfish. Every day, the same life was repeated, and it was a boring routine, but what Kim Ha-yoon showed me that day left a pretty strong impression.
Jellyfish, parachutes, the sea, things like that….
So, I sometimes dreamed of unfolding a parachute and jumping down, and I also dreamed of swimming in the sea. I tried to hide the bitter feeling, but before I knew it, I had arrived on the rooftop. But today, something else caught my eye more than the aquarium.
The sky on the opposite side was completely dyed red, and it was a spectacle in itself. The sunset I saw from the river was also wonderful, but the one I was admiring here was on a different level. As I was mesmerized, Kim Ha-yoon came and stood next to me.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“Yes….”
Just then, the words “Zonal Reorganization” appeared on the screen on the large electronic billboards installed throughout the city. People passing by stopped, and their eyes turned to it.
According to the subtitles, the news was that district a would actively support the reorganization project of Zones B to D, suspending the existing Gold City project. Surprised, I looked at Kim Ha-yoon, and he smiled.
“This is called a conversion. Do you know?”
Ire asked with a harmless expression.
“Are you saying that Captain is a dog?”
Does it mean that the dog has become good? I was making my own guesses, but Kim Ha-yoon’s expression wasn’t good. I couldn’t understand why.