By Zephyria 
He frowned, an expression that didn’t suit him. He stared intently into Mu-hae’s eyes, and soon his expression became even more serious than when he first saw the state of the house.
His gaze asked if Mu-hae was in his right mind. Without reprimand or condemnation, his eyes wavered with a sense of shock, as if he were looking at a truly madman.
“I’m not delusional.”
“……For starters, psychiatry isn’t my field.”
“I thought I was crazy too. But it turns out such things are possible. Whether it makes sense or not.”
“The category of ‘normal’ that I consider is based on people like myself, not the entirety of humanity.”
For the first time, Mu-hae felt he could read Teacher Jung’s thoughts transparently. He seemed to be debating whether or not he should tell Director Gil about this.
It seemed he found it even more unsettling because it happened right after Mu-hae’s unprecedented rampage. He was likely seriously suspecting a mental illness, combining the sudden aggression and symptoms of delirium.
“So, you’re saying that child didn’t seem human, so you locked him up and acted out?”
“That… sigh… is a separate issue.”
“And at some point, you felt Joo-oh wasn’t human, and recently you started restraining him?”
Even heard separately, it sounded equally strange. Mu-hae felt a chill run down his spine, not knowing exactly how much or in what manner Joo-oh had been prattling on about his story.
‘Don’t let it show when we’re outside.’
‘Just try mentioning that I touched you.’
‘I told you to stop using that dog-like expression of hitting and touching.’
‘Just this once. Open your mouth.’
His relationship with that guy was built on countless secrets and warnings. To someone who didn’t know the circumstances, it would sound like a parade of trash.
The anger that had been surging just a moment ago was now gone. It had been a long time since he felt the blood drain from his face so vividly.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but……”
“What did I hear?”
“It’s quite far from the kind of thing you’re thinking right now.”
“I didn’t say anything! I just said Jin Mu-hae was weird!”
Having quietly entered the study and apparently overheard the entire conversation, Joo-oh hurriedly interrupted from behind the closed door.
His voice was so blatantly guilty that it would have been better if he had just stayed shut. Jin Mu-hae eventually covered his forehead and closed his eyes tight.
“Don’t listen.”
“Okay!”
“Don’t even answer. I told you not to interfere!”
Teacher Jung watched with crossed arms as they communicated by shouting at each other through the wall.
Mu-hae had never done anything so undignified in his life, and he didn’t know why he always ended up in such embarrassing situations in front of these people ever since Joo-oh arrived.
“I saw it. The way he changes.”
Eventually, Mu-hae brought up the story he had kept tightly hidden. He didn’t intend to confess every single detail from start to finish, but he had originally planned to give these people some kind of hint.
Director Gil’s health issues were also intertwined, after all. Not that he wanted to spill it in this manner under these circumstances, but…
“I’ll say it again, I didn’t see things. And I haven’t hit my head hard on anything.”
“He is human. Both his DNA and physical structure.”
“That’s fascinating. I thought he was human at first too. Or maybe an Experiment.”
Even though he had shown strange behavior recently, Teacher Jung’s trust in Jin Mu-hae hadn’t vanished. Teacher Jung sank into thought, one eyebrow slightly raised.
He was the first person to meticulously examine and diagnose Joo-oh. He had conducted periodic check-ups and had noticed Joo-oh’s cognitive abilities and intelligence even earlier than Mu-hae, who lived with him.
So, just as Mu-hae had hidden Joo-oh’s nature, Teacher Jung must have quietly overlooked several signs. Sure enough, after sitting in silence for a long while, he spoke softly, as if talking to himself.
“That child. The needles wouldn’t go in when he was asleep.”
“What?”
“His skin would become soft as a lie only when he perceived that I was trying to insert it.”
“Why are you only mentioning that now…….”
“I thought it was a delusion. He woke up as soon as something touched his body, so it was only for a very brief moment. But……”
Seeing that you’re saying such things, it seems it wasn’t a baseless memory. Still finding it hard to accept, Teacher Jung conveyed his next words with his eyes.
It was fine. Compared to being treated like a madman, a suspicious attitude was almost welcome.
“So, what is the reason he became ‘strange’?”
“Just now……”
“You said it was separate from the Joo-oh issue. It’s not my place to interfere in what a grown man does with his life, but if it’s related to the Return flight, I might be able to help.”
He truly possessed an extraordinary mental fortitude. Despite the unfamiliar situation and stories that sounded like supernatural myths, Teacher Jung quickly regained his composure.
Or perhaps it was because it was difficult to consider everything at once. Either way, the topic of conversation circled back to the trashed house and Mu-hae’s suspicious appearance.
“An Aberrant.”
Mu-hae’s voice caught at the first word, and he cleared his throat. Only after taking a few deep breaths did his stiff body relax.
“I thought that’s what he was. That guy.”
“…….”
“And Starpath is the clue to resolving the changes related to Crystal Blue.”
“That wouldn’t be a ‘problem,’ though.”
It would be more of a blessing. The voice quietly contradicting him felt like it was piercing painfully into his ears.
Mu-hae didn’t answer further and silently turned his head away. Teacher Jung would have understood even without further explanation.
“Do you want to stop?”
For a story so difficult to bring up, Teacher Jung’s tone was as calm as usual. He had actually shown more of a reaction when he thought Mu-hae was bullying Joo-oh.
However, in the face they met again, a faint, unsuppressed disappointment flickered. His sinking eyes scanned toward the study.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry. It was up to your will from the beginning.”
He calmly straightened his sleeves and stood up. He didn’t know what Joo-oh had said to call him over, but the hem of his old yet always clean gown was stained with splotches of black grime.
“Right. That cure.”
As he moved the chair back in front of the dining table, Teacher Jung added as a postscript.
“It’s not certain yet, but I think it might be effective.”
After staring at the spilled bowl of potatoes for a moment, he walked toward the entrance.
He looked strange—as if his mind were full of thoughts, or as if it were completely blank and empty.
“Because you are not your father.”
With that ambiguous farewell, the door closed, and everything fell silent. Jin Mu-hae rubbed the back of his neck, which felt stiff for some reason, and returned to the living room to sit on the bed.
Ten days ago, he wouldn’t have been able to give any answer to such a question from Teacher Jung. Even knowing the possibilities, he couldn’t completely let go of the Return flight.
But now, it was different. At the same time, the moment he looked back at the study, he felt a certainty about the decision he had been postponing.
“Jin Mu-hae. I really didn’t say anything else.”
Despite being told not to listen, he had answered perfectly and apparently kept his ears pricked in the study. Joo-oh came out cautiously and sat next to Mu-hae.
His wrist, where the Link Watch had disappeared, looked strangely empty. He had been so happy when he first got it.
“Go take it and wear it. It’s in the drawer.”
Joo-oh should have understood what he meant just from the tilt of his chin, but the boy didn’t move.
Instead, thump. A warm head rested on his arm. After sniffing for a long while, the boy arbitrarily took Mu-hae’s hand and placed it on his own head.
“I’m not planning to leave Jin Mu-hae behind.”
“…….”
“I just thought that would be better for Jin Mu-hae.”
Wishing for the other’s well-being regardless of what happened to himself. For a stupid brat, he sure said touching things.
Mu-hae toyed with the hair under his hand and glared at the messy floor.
“Then should I also just rush out naked and start stabbing every similar bastard I find, whether it’s the NPS or the vegan society?”
“……Why?”
“Because you caught their eye too. To live comfortably, I should eliminate them all.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why? By your logic, wouldn’t that be a good result for this side too?”
“No!”
Flinch. The head moved. Mu-hae could feel the boy’s body stiffen just from that.
“Because I like Jin Mu-hae!”
The moment he heard those words, emotions he thought had settled surged up from within, and he clenched his molars so hard they creaked, taking several deep breaths.
“I like you too.”
He didn’t know if it was his jaw, his teeth, or his head that hurt. He didn’t know if it was his throat, his lungs, or some Adme deeper inside.
“Dammit. I said I like you too.”
So stop talking nonsense and just stay quietly by my side like this.
He didn’t gloss over it, nor did he let the end of his sentence trail off. He spat out every single syllable as if chewing them.
Whether the warning finally worked, a small whimper was heard. Despite not being small in stature, the boy wiggled and burrowed into his embrace.
“Don’t lick me.”
“Jin Mu-hae is bleeding.”
“It’s not bleeding anymore, so stop licking.”
Jin Mu-hae pulled him close and lowered his head. As the familiar scent touched his breath, his heart, which had been racing with anxiety, began to find its own beat.
Joo-oh’s Link Watch found its place again. The diet returned to the usual cereal, bread, and simple meats, and Joo-oh often went for walks and came back with armfuls of crunchy snacks.
As if making up for the past, the boy became more talkative. More accurately, his conversations with others increased.
When he held onto Park Young-chan, who had a following schedule, and introduced the members of tinkle friends one by one, Mu-hae really wanted to smack the back of his head.
The food Jin Mu-hae made was delicious, and occasionally Joo-oh would passively request more with a glance, but Mu-hae pretended not to notice.
Honestly, it was fucking exhausting and tedious. Unless he truly lost his mind, he would never prepare expensive fish again.
However, not everything ended without a trace. Waking up suddenly in the early dawn, Mu-hae discovered a message that had arrived a couple of hours ago.
[I didn’t know either, so I looked for a while, and I think it exists. Yeonneul Path. In the central district of central.]
A contact he had sent in a fit of anger and completely forgotten about had returned. Mu-hae stared at the short message with eyes that weren’t even tired, then click, turned off the screen and lay back down.
As if eating something in a dream, Joo-oh, lying in his arms, made a smacking sound with his lips.