By Zephyria 
Thud. The hand holding the spoon paused for a moment.
Jin Mu-hae stirred the contents of the bowl a few times before looking at Joo-oh’s wrist again.
Director Gil… probably called because he was curious about his condition. It was rare for him to be carried in unconscious like this.
Nevertheless, after hearing Joo-oh’s words, he felt a glimmer of hope. Like Teacher Jung, he had always taken a step back from Mu-hae’s affairs, but he tended to be a little more lenient, subtly hinting at information he was trying to hide.
Crunch. Joo-oh put away the Link Watch again and resumed eating. Mu-hae stared at him quietly and nodded.
“I guess so.”
He was making more and more plausible sounds. Joo-oh was changing the depth of his thoughts day by day.
Strangely enough, it felt like he was not only learning something new, but also bringing something he already knew out of an unknown pit.
It was clear that he had recalled at least some of his past memories. Even though he tried to avoid mentioning it, his past, which seemed to have been erased, was beginning to emerge in his mind.
Joo-oh, who could communicate properly and make his own judgments. While he was happy that they were on the same level, Mu-hae felt a sense of regret.
“When are you going?”
“After I finish eating all of this, I’ll go right away.”
“Okay. I’ll send you a message.”
Joo-oh started typing something, so Mu-hae leaned over to take a peek at the content.
[I’m going after breakfast.]
[> Isn’t it a bit late for breakfast?]
[Jin Mu-hae overslept.]
[> Whatever.]
This guy, if left alone, it felt like he would blurt out every little detail.
It felt like another channel had opened up to blab about him to Director Gil or Teacher Jung, which made him feel uneasy for some reason.
Jin Mu-hae narrowed his brows and threatened him with a prickly tone.
“Don’t say anything weird.”
“What kind of story?”
“…Just eat your food.”
He felt uneasy for no reason. The cereal, which already didn’t taste great, felt as rough as chewing sawdust.
Director Gil’s Electronic Store, which he visited after a long time, felt cleaner than usual.
The walls, which should have been covered in various graffiti, were neatly wiped clean.
“Did you clean up?”
“Ah. Well.”
Director Gil, with a cigarette in his mouth, replied indifferently. It seemed that the disgusting graffiti had proliferated again, so he had wiped it all off.
Cough, he coughed briefly before exhaling smoke. He wasn’t as visibly ill as before, but he didn’t look to be in good condition.
“Looks like you’re not feeling well again.”
“I’m always like this.”
“Should I call him?”
“Don’t think about threatening me with him. It doesn’t scare me.”
Tsk, Director Gil clicked his tongue as if he wanted them to hear and let the two into the house. Perhaps because he had received Joo-oh’s message, there were snacks on the table, as if he had prepared them in his own way.
Even though he had just finished eating, Joo-oh excitedly picked up a cheap jam cookie. It was amazing that the crust broke with a crisp sound, but not a single crumb fell to the floor.
“Smells like Teacher Jung.”
Joo-oh, who had swallowed a cookie in an instant, wrinkled his nose and muttered.
He inhaled a few times and picked up a T-shirt placed on the armrest of the sofa.
“It’s Teacher Jung’s clothes.”
“It’s my clothes.”
“It smells like Teacher Jung.”
“Because he wore it.”
Director Gil replied nonchalantly and glanced at Mu-hae.
It was obvious that Teacher Jung had visited here immediately after leaving the hospital. Since he had been brought in unconscious due to the Return flight, there would have been plenty to talk about.
“Looks like he stayed over.”
“I told him to just go, but he said he needed to give me some medicine.”
Come to think of it, Director Gil’s eyes seemed a little more shadowed.
He periodically fell ill, but he wasn’t usually this sickly. Recently, he seemed to be suffering from minor illnesses more frequently.
To think that even this person had once been extremely healthy and cheerful. He knew it in his head, but it was hard to believe.
“Sit down. Stop wandering around.”
Director Gil placed a steaming mug in front of Joo-oh. Knowing that he ate a lot, he filled the large cup with tea.
Joo-oh took it as if he had been waiting for it and blew on it. Gulp. The expression on the guy’s face brightened instantly after taking a sip.
“What about me?”
“You just drink water. You won’t feel anything no matter what you drink.”
“You’re so stingy.”
He grumbled for no reason, but Joo-oh had already received more than his share. Mu-hae soon sat down on the sofa and casually took a bite of the cookie that Joo-oh offered.
Unlike Teacher Jung, who he now ignored, Director Gil had a strange expression again.
“I heard you met some strange guys.”
“…Yeah, well. I feel like I’ve gotten thoroughly involved with a nasty group.”
“Those guys who worship Blue Energy, right?”
“You know about them?”
Director Gil’s gaze silently turned to the snacks. It was a dry gaze, as if he didn’t particularly want to eat them.
After a moment of silence, he took a sip of tea and opened his mouth again.
“The world is full of strange people. I haven’t told anyone, but I know a little bit about it.”
“You know…”
“Whether the world is peaceful or chaotic, there are always old men playing the mastermind game.”
Gulp. Director Gil, who had quenched his thirst in succession, sent a serious look. Mu-hae, who had known him for a long time, knew that it was a kind of warning.
An implication that it was not a story to be told anywhere. The targets even included his deceased father and Teacher Jung.
“Conspiracy theorists. But they don’t think human society is deceiving them, they think the world is moving for the sake of humanity. And they’re the only ones who understand that.”
“Is it like a superiority complex?”
“I don’t know. But those who can afford to live sometimes become obsessed with that. When you grow up in Central, you see and hear a lot.”
Director Gil stared blankly at the teacup and opened his mouth hesitantly.
“Are you still looking for West Wind?”
Mu-hae’s expression, which had been expressionless, changed slightly because he didn’t expect that title to come out of his mouth first.
“West Wind… was a guy who knew a lot. He wasn’t as knowledgeable about mechanical equipment or energy research as the specialists, but he always heard news that neither I nor your father knew.”
“Kang Ju-seo is also from Central, right?”
“That name, ha. You’ve already reached that far? You’re really good at finding things.”
“It just happened…”
“I can’t say everything, but anyway, that’s how it was. He was the one who caught the danger of flying into the Return flight and our plan faster than anyone else.”
Danger. In fact, wasn’t it the traitor West Wind who threatened the existence of the Return flight? Director Gil’s expression darkened as Mu-hae raised his eyebrows.
“Jung-ga is still grinding his teeth. It’s true that West Wind created this situation. But…”
Cough, Director Gil, who seemed to have a tickle in his throat, coughed again and muttered in a small voice as if passing by.
“Isn’t it funny? Even though things have turned out like this, I think there was a reason for him to do that. Of course, it could have been a purely personal greed that was far from the ideals that the Return flight pursued.”
“…”
“But I don’t think it was a betrayal committed without any context. We accepted West Wind because we were satisfied with each other.”
Crunch. Only the sound of Joo-oh eating cookies was heard in the now quiet living room. While Mu-hae couldn’t add any words and only frowned, Director Gil put the final nail in the coffin.
“Don’t tell Teacher Jung about this. Or that I have these kinds of thoughts. It’s a courtesy to him. In the end, it’s all my delusion, and it’s true that everything was ruined because of West Wind.”
“Then…”
“I guess it’s okay to talk up to here. Since you reached it on your own.”
Director Gil closed his mouth tightly as if he wouldn’t recite any more information about West Wind.
Hoo, the smoke he exhaled slowly dissipated into the air. Seeing him light up his third cigarette in a row, it seemed that he had refrained from smoking the day before because of Teacher Jung’s glare.
Mu-hae sat motionless, rolling the story he had just heard in his head. Information was added to the past history he had known in a patchwork manner.
The relationship between the four pillars was more sticky than he thought. West Wind, who had access to various information, and her betrayal, which he speculated that there must have been a reason for.
“Be careful. If they’re attacking you specifically, they’re more organized than you think.”
“It seems so.”
“I heard there was a similar attack before. Even if they’re scattered in a cell structure, they can still communicate, so it’s possible.”
Director Gil put down the teacup and slowly got up from his seat. He rummaged through a drawer full of junk, took out an old model pad, checked the charging status of the device, and carefully turned it on.
Bbi-rorong-!
A refreshing sound effect, which didn’t suit the owner, rang out and the old-fashioned UI appeared on the screen.
“Take this and meet someone.”
“Someone?”
“Don’t expect too much. Just secretly.”
It was an unexpected Gift. Director Gil had often given advice on the Return flight’s affairs, but he had always avoided the conversation if he tried to delve into the detailed past history.
“There are still so many things in the world that you don’t know. And you don’t necessarily have to know all of them. But I think I can concede this much. Today’s events…”
“Never happened.”
As usual, Joo-oh interrupted and cut off his words. He was quiet for some reason, but now he had an exciting face again.
Director Gil didn’t have a particularly unpleasant look. He just nodded as if that was right.
“What should I find out with this?”
“Figure it out yourself. Have you ever seen me interfere in your affairs?”
“When I was about to start working as a mercenary?”
“I was right about that. You were lying in bed yesterday with your eyes closed, weren’t you?”
Only after scolding him to the end did Director Gil move his fingertips as if telling him to leave.
His expression wasn’t good enough to make more jokes as usual, so Jin Mu-hae just nodded and dragged Joo-oh, who was stuffing cookies into his pocket, out of the Electronic Store.