By Zephyria 
Side Story Episode 2.
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Thanks to that, Olga gave a faint smile and relaxed a little.
“It’s a pity. Long trips are difficult for me now. I’ll let you borrow my back some other time.”
“Right. I’ll be more comfortable than Jin Mu-hae.”
“In many ways.”
Following that conversation—which wasn’t even particularly funny—the atmosphere softened considerably.
Having visited this place several times, Joo-oh skillfully ordered five slices of cake and smoothies.
Had Mu-hae not glared at him in the middle of it, he probably would have kept ordering until the table was overflowing.
“So, is it this bracelet that you need?”
Her voice was soft, but Olga was not one to beat around the bush.
Before Mu-hae’s drink even arrived, she posed a sharp question.
The bracelet that Olga had found with Joo-oh’s help. A memento of the man who had been her lover and a leader of Solar City.
If it was an object he had worn without taking it off until the moment he died, there might be something more useful about it, even from a site turned to ash.
Olga had instinctively grasped the intent behind Mu-hae’s message, which mentioned he had a difficult favor to ask.
“I haven’t taken it off since I recovered it. And I’d like to keep it that way.”
“I understand.”
“But if it weren’t for you all, I would never have known his final words, nor the wish he harbored.”
Olga moistened her dry mouth with cold coffee. After savoring the bitter, fragrant taste for a long while, she silently unfastened the ornament from her wrist.
The bracelet, which had passed through many hands before finally finding its owner, was placed upon Mu-hae’s hand. It had been so well-maintained that not a single scratch remained despite the long years.
“Thank you. I will return it to you in pristine condition.”
“I trust that you will.”
“I’ll protect the bracelet no matter what.”
“Don’t say such unlucky things. As if something would happen.”
Olga had always leaked information cautiously, but after revealing her hidden identity, it seemed she had decided to trust them completely.
Olga’s eyes remained fixed on the white ornament until the bracelet was carefully tucked into a pocket.
“When is the departure?”
“Normally, this would be difficult to disclose… but since you’ve entrusted me with such a precious item. It’s a matter of time, so I intend to go within this week.”
“We’re going the day after tomorrow.”
“Hey, you brat.”
Just as Mu-hae was trying to maintain a serious air, Joo-oh spilled everything right beside him, making the effort embarrassing. Beside a chuckling Olga, Joo-oh skillfully avoided Mu-hae’s sharp gaze.
“We’ll settle this at home.”
“…Can’t we settle it now?”
“It seems Mr. Joo-oh needs a Tinkle Friend of his own.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps one that makes a person who is deeply determined to punish someone feel a bit less irritated.”
There’s no such thing. Mu-hae let out a low sigh, leaving the other man to smack his lips in disappointment.
Still, it was a relief that tension eased whenever he was with Joo-oh. The man simply gave him no room to maintain a serious facade.
For the first time in a while, they went to the house on Starlight Road. Although he had moved quite a few things to the Jaegang District and central, there were still many essentials left there from the time he lived there.
Equipment needed for mercenary work was a prime example. There were firearms and consumables he had stored away and stopped using since he quit taking commissions and started reporting to the Defense Force.
Sadly, the Defense Force’s issued gear was generally better. Except for the fact that his old gear fit his hand perfectly and was convenient, there was no need to use mercenary-era equipment at work.
He had checked and maintained them whenever he dropped by, but…
“Jin Mu-hae. This part is rattling.”
“Sigh… we’re going straight to the electronic store.”
For some reason, certain items felt like they broke more precisely because they weren’t being used. If he didn’t want to end up as a skeleton in a far-off land where Aberrants prowled instead of humans, the gear needed a professional overhaul.
Fortunately, Director Gil had resumed business last month. His gaunt body had recovered considerably, and every time Mu-hae stopped by to say something, he would snap, asking who he thought he was treating like a patient.
“Just leave it there and go. Even right before I died, I could have carried that weight alone.”
“Yes. I knew you’d say that.”
“If you know, then stop being annoying and get inside with your clingy brat.”
“Yeees, yes.”
As soon as they entered the electronic store, the nagging erupted exactly as expected. Director Gil, with a cigarette—one of the two he was permitted per day—clamped between his lips, put on grease-stained gloves.
It was uncertain whether he was properly following his doctor’s warnings, but at least his complexion looked much healthier than before.
Over the face that still bore traces of haggardness, Mu-hae felt as if he could see the young man of the past he had never known.
The version of him that remained in the Jaegang District hideout, who didn’t know a shred of his miserable future.
“It seems you’ve grown fond of this neighborhood now.”
“….”
“You used to talk as if this wasn’t a place where people lived.”
“If you’re not coming in, go get the tools.”
Joo-oh loved every home they had without distinction. Rather than being confused as their residences increased, he felt a self-satisfied sense of pride, as if his homes were multiplying.
But Director Gil was different. He was the kind of man who, even if he scattered houses in his own name across various districts of the city, would choose only one space to live in.
There had to be a reason why the temporary answer to that short-answer question was still Starlight Road.
“I just asked without any particular meaning. I was just curious.”
“There are plenty of other things to be curious about.”
“Could it be that? Like, because it’s a neighborhood where memories of your father remain…”
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, just help me with the work. Get the wire from the second drawer of the gray cabinet.”
“It’s not like you’re going to give me a discount anyway.”
“I haven’t earned anything for a while, so I don’t have the generosity to spend money on you.”
This time, there was a fair amount of irritation mixed in. Director Gil’s eyebrows twitched as if he had heard something truly absurd.
Inevitably, the poking and prodding had to end here. Director Gil and Jin Mu-hae were in a relationship accustomed to each other’s silence.
“If you’re not going to use this often, why don’t you just sell it?”
“Why? I still maintain it regularly.”
“What’s the point of oiling it so diligently? If you don’t cycle it every now and then, the packing on this side hardens.”
It was common for external exploration equipment to break due to physical impact or aging. But this was the first time in his life he’d experienced something breaking because it wasn’t used.
He could clearly feel that the direction of his life, his sphere of activity, had changed. Jin Mu-hae had now become a figure that most people in Goryeo City would recognize.
“I’m planning to go to Solar City.”
He threw the words out abruptly without any explanation. The man, who had stepped on the short cigarette butt to extinguish it and picked up a pair of tweezers, made a strange expression as if he had heard something impossible.
“There shouldn’t be anything left there by now.”
“They say there’s something underground. I don’t think it’s entirely unrelated to the research on the Return flight.”
“Do you absolutely have to go yourself?”
“It’s a top-secret matter for both sides and the Return flight. Since I have the ability, it’s better to go quietly. Especially since I have that fellow Joo-oh.”
Indeed, just thinking of Joo-oh’s presence provided an indescribable sense of security. It felt as if not even a pack of Beasts or Aberrants could twist a single one of their necks.
Rather, it was more frightening that Joo-oh might get excited because of such a situation. If he turned into a three-meter monster again and bolted somewhere, it would be difficult to find him by buying hot dogs, as they did in Goryeo City.
“Well, you’ll handle it as you always do. Though you were carried back half-dead last time.”
“I’ll be as careful as possible.”
“Stop by Teacher Jung’s place before you go. He can probably pack some emergency medicine for you.”
“I was planning to pay my respects before leaving anyway.”
He said medicine wasn’t his major, yet he’s been sitting there doing it for decades. The man muttered almost inaudibly in his characteristic rhythmic accent.
The grumbling attitude felt like a sign of his well-being, which put Mu-hae at ease. It was a sentiment that, had Director Gil heard it, he would have snapped back, telling him to worry about his own path.
“Jin Mu-hae. Can I eat this?”
As if knowing the conversation had paused, Joo-oh poked his head through the door at a perfect moment.
A bag of cheap snacks dangled and swayed in his hand.
“Why are you asking me? Ask the owner.”
“Because Director Gil will tell me to eat it.”
“What a ridiculous guy. Don’t you manage your friend?”
For a split second, Director Gil hesitated at the term ‘friend.’ Jin Mu-hae pretended not to hear and handed over a spanner.
He didn’t know whether to explain or admit it regarding this matter. Though he didn’t show it, he felt as if a mental scratch that hadn’t yet healed was being stingingly scraped.
‘You’re going tomorrow? You sure told me early.’
‘It’s because I only heard the news two days ago.’
‘Taking Joo-oh with you… I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried.’
‘….’
‘I suppose a known Aberrant is better than an unknown one.’
When he first heard of Joo-oh’s identity, Teacher Jung had looked at him as if he were a delusional patient, but he adapted to this mysterious situation faster than expected.
He tossed a wire puzzle to Joo-oh to distract him and stacked medicine bottles neatly on Mu-hae’s hand.
‘Wear your usual clothes, and wear gloves. Spray repellent after walking through the forest. This is for fever, this is a painkiller, this is an antibiotic. Since you’re the only one who’ll use them, just take this much.’
‘What about Joo-oh?’
‘Are you asking seriously? Tell him he’ll get a weird-looking puzzle if he returns safely with you without any accidents.’
Thanks to that, the luggage didn’t increase much. Moreover, Joo-oh put things into a normal-sized bag so endlessly that it seemed fine to entrust a few tools or pieces of equipment to him.
The next afternoon, the two went to the stop. A small aircraft, already readied by West Wind, was parked at the distant helipad.
Unlike the ones usually provided by the Company, it looked quite sturdy and safe. Mu-hae tapped the monitor where the destination had been pre-entered, then took a slow breath and sank deep into his seat.
“Jin Mu-hae. Are you sleeping?”
“I’m not sleeping. If you’re bored, go play Red Crystal Party or whatever.”
“It’s Red Crystal Miner. And Jin Mu-hae has to give me the pad.”
Before long, strange beeping and booping sounds came from the opposite seat, and a smile played on Joo-oh’s lips.
He was envious of how the man was always so carefree. Unaware of why Mu-hae had chosen to head for Solar City without hesitation as soon as he received the information…
[The facility in question is presumed to be a private sector operated by only a very small number of people prior to the collapse of Solar City. As most of the officials who knew the location and purpose of the facility died during the disaster, its very existence vanished from historical records, and it has not been mentioned in any literature or exploration records for several decades.
As a result of synthesizing fragmented information recently secured and restored data, the possibility has been raised that the facility was an underground complex constructed for top-secret research related to the creation and utilization of ▒▒▒. While the exact scale and state of preservation of the facility have not been confirmed to date, it is evaluated that there is sufficient probability that deep-level sectors, which were relatively less affected by the disaster, existed.]
Information about the Starpath might exist somewhere inside Solar City. West Wind was likely poking around there thinking that the flaws of the Starpath might be supplemented.
Jin Mu-hae’s goal was the same, yet different. He had rushed to leave precisely because he feared such information might be there.
If insidious research contents that could potentially supplement the flaws of the Starpath remained, he couldn’t just sit back and wait.
“Look at this. I mined this much on my first run!”
Sorry, but it was none of Mu-hae’s business which side would be more helpful to humanity. Wasn’t it enough to do his part by liberating them from Blue Energy and stopping the creation of Aberrants?
So, if he happened to encounter a catchphrase like ‘Wipe out Aberrants!’—something like a cleaning product slogan—he intended to smash the underground base with a steel pipe without hesitation.
If he smashed it to pieces and poured oil on it to burn it completely like the other sectors, no matter how brilliant an engineer they were, they wouldn’t be able to recover information from a dead end.
‘There’s no way it’ll be a successor.’
Jin Mu-hae was West Wind’s partner and her secret saboteur. Just as she guarded her own convictions, he was hell-bent on guarding his own destination.