By Zephyria “Hey, say what you just said again.”
Kim Ju-won turned around and asked again. One might have been intimidated by his rough voice and cold eyes… but the other party was no pushover either.
“I asked where you learned to be so cheap. Didn’t you hear me?”
Surprisingly, the one arguing with Kim Ju-won was Ahn Seo-myeong.
The atmosphere in the dorm instantly turned sour.
In fact, it wasn’t something that should have escalated this far.
To sum it up:
Exactly twenty minutes ago, Ahn Seo-myeong and Ki Jae-eon, stuck together, were caught on Kim Ju-won’s radar as he returned from finishing his work. The problem, however, was that their friendly, laughing appearance had rubbed Kim Ju-won the wrong way. It was already annoying to see Ki Jae-eon, and Ahn Seo-myeong, who was usually known for being taciturn, were cluelessly exuding good chemistry, so he couldn’t help but get annoyed. In the end, Kim Ju-won, feeling a strange sense of defeat, suddenly threw out a line that crossed the line: “Fucking disgusting bastards.” And Ahn Seo-myeong, hearing that, retorted with, “Hyung, are you talking to us?” which became the spark for the fight.
In fact, Ahn Seo-myeong didn’t do it on purpose either. He tried to hold back. As explained earlier, barging in recklessly would only be like throwing shit for no reason.
However, as soon as he saw Ki Jae-eon flinch and shrink back at Kim Ju-won’s provocation, he momentarily got angry, and without realizing it, he had fired back.
As expected, ideals and reality were different. No matter how many nice words he strung together, seeing the person he liked being unilaterally insulted made him lose it. He wouldn’t deny it even if he was called immature. Because it was true.
Ahn Seo-myeong stared at Kim Ju-won with a blank face. Whatever his inner thoughts were, he didn’t look like he was backing down at all. Even in front of a 190cm giant, he was bold to the point of being full of himself.
“I’m in neutral gear, don’t keep making me change directions.”
“What, you little shit?”
“Hyung, you’re being a pain in the ass.”
Ahn Seo-myeong briefly puffed up his chest before letting out a deep sigh. He briefly paused and poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue, as if trying to suppress his emotions somehow. In fact, he was quite angry as well, though he was so calm that it wasn’t obvious.
“You’re not a kindergartener, are you?”
“Hey.”
“There must be a reason, there must be circumstances. I’m trying to understand both sides somehow, but how can you ruin it like that?”
“Enough is enough.”
“If you have a complaint, talk about it. Why do you keep trying to bother people who are minding their own business? Jae-eon Hyung doesn’t even talk behind your back once.”
“Ahn Seo-myeong.”
“Jae-eon-.”
Crash!
Broken pieces of a flower pot flew at Ahn Seo-myeong’s feet.
Kim Ju-won had kicked over the table next to him.
“Fucking stop it.”
With his hands in his pockets and his head tilted, Kim Ju-won’s expression was fierce as if he would charge at any moment, but seeing the blood vessels standing out on his neck, it seemed like he was barely holding back.
“Huh? Let’s stop. Seo-myeong-ah.”
With a deeply furrowed brow and tightly shut lips.
Kim Ju-won stood silently for a long time, then soon pursed his lips and turned away. He showed his broad back to the two, put his hands on his hips, and lowered his head deeply. He repeatedly let out big sighs, as if trying to suppress his anger. A cold silence flowed through the living room.
That’s when it happened.
Ahn Seo-myeong lowered his gaze diagonally, then suddenly raised the corners of his lips as if he found it ridiculous. A sneer filled his youthful face. In the moment of subtle tension, Ahn Seo-myeong suddenly jumped up from his seat.
There was an answer in his action without a moment’s hesitation.
It meant he was going to fight.
The sudden burst of emotion was amazing.
‘Come to think of it, this kid sometimes had a reckless side.’
Ki Jae-eon, thinking of the future, turned pale and hurriedly grabbed Ahn Seo-myeong’s wrist and pulled him back. Honestly, he thought he would just ignore him and run at Kim Ju-won, but despite the weak force, Ahn Seo-myeong turned his head and looked down at Ki Jae-eon. It was an immediate reaction. Hyung? Ahn Seo-myeong mouthed, with an expression asking what was wrong. The eyes that had been full of sarcasm also softened in an instant. Seeing his usual innocent face, Ki Jae-eon let out a sigh of relief and slowly shook his head. It meant don’t fight.
“…….”
Instead of answering, Ahn Seo-myeong glanced at the broken pieces of the flower pot on the floor. He was probably wondering which of the two options to choose: fight or don’t fight.
Worried that he might suddenly jump out, Ki Jae-eon tightened his grip on his wrist.
Was it because his desperation got through? Fortunately, Ahn Seo-myeong chose the latter. After letting out a sigh, he plopped down in his seat as if giving up.
“…….”
Ahn Seo-myeong didn’t stop there, and awkwardly rubbed his neck, saying, “I was being rude. I’m sorry,” offering a simple apology. He regained his reason very quickly.
His broad generosity in bowing his head without making excuses was also commendable.
However, the problem was that Kim Ju-won, who should have been giving and receiving the apology, was not there.
Because he had already stormed out.
Ki Jae-eon looked at the mess that Kim Ju-won had kicked over and left with a heavy heart.
-‘Don’t flaunt in front of me. I want to kill you.’
It seemed like his sharp attitude was all because of him.
*
I haven’t seen Kim Ju-won since that day.
It wasn’t just an expression, I really couldn’t find a single strand of his hair. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he had run away from home, as he occasionally left out laundry. However, he never showed his face at all.
It’s the same today.
The usually noisy dinner time ended in a gloomy silence.
‘Ju-won must still be busy. I made his favorite gamjatang. …Oh dear.’ Aunt’s back, looking at Kim Ju-won’s empty seat and smiling wistfully, looked particularly lonely. It wasn’t just her. Everyone was like that. Lee Gyeong-hak would be playing games, but then grumble with a bored expression, ‘We were supposed to clear it together.’ and Jo Eun-ha would habitually call out for Kim Ju-won, then droop her head sadly at the unanswered call.
‘Anyone in contact with Ju-won?’
‘That Hyung doesn’t even check his texts.’
‘Ah, Kim Ju-won, really… making me worry.’
The other kids were the same.
The children were becoming increasingly anxious about Kim Ju-won’s continued absence. Especially when Kim Yeong came to the dorm and quietly scanned the surroundings before disappearing, the atmosphere became even more depressing.
Among them was Ahn Seo-myeong. A stoic expression, a listless tone. He acted as if nothing was different from usual, but in fact, he was constantly on his phone, calling Kim Ju-won whenever he had a chance. He probably felt some responsibility for Kim Ju-won’s disappearance. The last time they had seen each other, it had been a conflict with him, so it was understandable.
Trrring, trrring-.
A meaningless ringing tone.
[The call cannot be connected, and will be forwarded to voicemail, charges will apply after the beep. Beep-]
Ahn Seo-myeong lowered his phone and sighed.
Ki Jae-eon, quietly watching his pitiful appearance, lowered his head with guilt.
In the end, another day passed without anyone seeing Kim Ju-won.
[4:18 am]
Rustle.
[4:19 am]
Rustle- rustle.
[4:20 am]
“……?”
I slowly opened my eyes at the sensation tickling my nose. What I saw was the room filled with [Spirit Fish]. Also known as ‘wandering spirits fish’. Among the souls waiting for reincarnation, the young souls between the ages of 0 and 10 mainly become Spirit Fish. It is God’s consideration to let them see the world they could not see in this way.
‘Why are there Spirit Fish…….’
A group of Spirit Fish, resembling goldfish, fluttering their blue, ornate fins as they slowly swam through the air. Moreover, there were so many of them. The afterimages they left behind as they brushed past gathered, resembling blue flames.
Ki Jae-eon slowly got up. His movements as he got out of bed were very careful. Squeak- He placed his foot on the floor and reached out his hand towards the Spirit Fish. The Spirit Fish wriggled away from Ki Jae-eon’s finger as if tickling it, and swam away leisurely again. Ki Jae-eon’s pupils trembled finely at the sight of the perfect blend of confusion and mystery.
It certainly wasn’t just because he was fascinated by the beauty.
That’s because Spirit Fish are generally wary. The Spirit Fish’s ability to detect danger, with only instinct remaining, is extremely developed. Therefore, they avoided all kinds of harmful things such as Evil Spirits, Evil Spirits, and specters, as well as ordinary people with a mixture of ‘good and evil’. The reason why even Exorcists rarely witness Spirit Fish is also because of that reason. As such, there was a rumor that Spirit Fish only revealed themselves to beings with ‘absolute good’.
In fact, even Ki Jae-eon had only seen them once or twice by chance.
But such Spirit Fish are flocking to one place? How should I take this?
Just a simple happening? No way.
It was a situation that he couldn’t understand with his theories and common sense.
“Whoa!”
“Wow!”
Soon, exclamations burst out from all directions. The children who had been sound asleep must have felt the Spirit Fish and woken up.
“Spi, Spirit Fish!”
“So beautiful….”
“This is, Spirit Fish.”
Sure enough, reactions of awe were heard one after another from beyond the thin walls. In fact, it was a natural reaction. In all likelihood, the majority of the main office were experiencing Spirit Fish for the first time.
It must be a dreamlike experience.
But I can’t get rid of this unsettling feeling.
‘Why are so many Spirit Fish all going in one direction…….’
Wait, one direction?
“…In the same direction.”
Ki Jae-eon’s eyes twitched. Then he quickly approached the window. With hasty movements, he slid the window open. His face stiffened as he checked outside.
The night sky, filled with a flock of Spirit Fish.
Same direction.
Too many in number.
‘…This is.’
It’s not a coincidence.
I get it now. These countless Spirit Fish didn’t appear without meaning. It’s not that we were lucky enough to witness a ‘flock of Spirit Fish’ either.
“They’re running away…….”
A cracked voice leaked out from between his parched lips.