By Zephyria Ding-!
[Quest]
Main Quest
Tutorial (Completed)
Chapter 1
☞ City Heretic (Completed)
The Wolf That Lays Golden Eggs √
200,000 Deal Worth of Keepsakes √
☞ Ember That Won’t Die (Completed)
Intangible Legacy √
Beginning of a Journey √
A Pair of Wedding Rings √
Kingfisher √
☞ Mayday, Mayday (In Progress)
Missing Blueprint √
Secret Deal √
Direction of the Wind
[Direction of the Wind]
The Beacon is complete, but only ‘Gu-reum’ can be contacted.
If I meet him, will I know the path I must take?
After a couple of trials and errors, the Beacon was completed.
Director Gil, who said that he would have to find someone to fix the code if it didn’t work this time, sighed in relief.
“Do those ‘accomplices’ still have this?”
Mu-hae’s question made Director Gil shrug. It meant he didn’t know either.
“But I don’t have it.”
“You’re irresponsible.”
“Why should I care? You don’t know what kind of surveillance I’m under, do you?”
Of course, he didn’t. He had never mentioned it. Perhaps his father had been under even greater surveillance.
But Mu-hae didn’t notice it at all until he retrieved the keepsake.
They weren’t close or affectionate enough as father and son to have such conversations.
Moreover, he had been wandering around doing mercenary work after his father’s death, so Mu-hae’s path was completely different from Jin Seong-jo’s in his youth.
Only the Beacon, sitting alone on his hand, would inform the parties concerned that he was the new accomplice and sole leader of ‘Return flight’.
[>>>]
[>>>]
[Target not found.]
After installing the Beacon on the Link Watch, the first number he entered was ‘Kang’s.
After attempting to connect for a good ten minutes, it suddenly cut off.
‘Kang’ didn’t have a Beacon.
It wasn’t that he had no expectations, but he wasn’t disappointed. Return flight was a project that had been going on before Mu-hae was even born.
After the reform was completely ruined and everyone scattered, how many people would keep such a dangerous object in their Watch to this day?
[Target not found.]
[Target not found.]
[Target not found.]
Still, it was a shame that most of the numbers in his contact list were out of service.
Of all the numbers he had cherished, only the attempt to contact ‘Gu-reum’ had not yet displayed a failure message.
[>>>]
[>>>]
[>>>]
However, the Beacon’s connection standby continued for days.
Either there was a problem with the Beacon Gu-reum had, or he wasn’t answering.
“Move.”
Mu-hae, who had been looking at his Watch whenever he had a chance with a hardened expression, turned off the screen after an hour this time and got up from his seat.
Joo-oh, who was stuck to him, tilted to the side with a pout, looking like he had his food stolen.
“Eh… Where are you going, Jin Mu-hae?”
He didn’t answer. Mu-hae was neither free nor kind enough to respond to his questions one by one.
He was already showing enough generosity by letting him stick to his side whenever he sat down.
How did this guy end up rolling around next to him instead of in the study? The thought that something was wrong flashed through his mind, but he didn’t have the mental capacity to correct it.
‘Jin Mu-hae. Aren’t you going to change your clothes?’
‘That’s got a hole in it. Should I help you?’
‘I’m good at doing what Jin Mu-hae tells me to do now.’
The day he got the parts for the Beacon. After stroking Joo-oh’s head with complicated emotions, he suddenly started talking non-stop.
He was so excited that his cheeks were flushed red, and he kept chattering to Mu-hae without being asked.
Then he glanced at him and stuck to him. He had always done that, but it became a little more natural.
The reason he didn’t kick him away immediately was because Joo-oh, who had been so noisy, had become moderately quiet at that moment.
A quick check of his face revealed that he looked surprisingly comfortable and happy.
‘I shouldn’t have just let it go back then.’
Ever since he ignored him leaning his head on his shoulder and rubbing against him, Joo-oh had been sticking to his side whenever he had the chance.
Today alone, it was already the third time. He sat next to him pretending to watch TV, then put his arm around his shoulder, leaned his head on him, and slowly grabbed his arm.
Later, he even sniffed him without pretending. Did he think it wouldn’t be obvious? Or did he think he really didn’t know because he was ignoring him?
The way he stretched out with a satisfied expression was quite a sight.
“Aww.”
Even now, Joo-oh let out a sigh of disappointment and lay down on the sofa when Mu-hae showed no sign of returning.
He was the type to lie down and laze around, but he was definitely burying his face in the spot where Mu-hae had been sitting.
At least he was aware when he rubbed his head against his arm. The fact that he was so openly confident made it seem like he didn’t even know it was weird.
Mu-hae was at a loss as to where to start pointing it out. After pondering for a moment, Mu-hae frowned and turned his head away.
“I’ll give Teteron to Jin Mu-hae later, too.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Director Gil probably didn’t get it because he needed it either.”
Joo-oh’s eloquence had improved noticeably in just a few days.
The guy who used to answer with simple, choppy sentences was now quick to say annoying things.
When Mu-hae was next to him, his vacant eyes would light up. It was a ridiculous thought, but it seemed like his erratic mind was completely normal at those times.
Mu-hae seriously considered taking him back to Teacher Jung for treatment.
“Chapter 2 is coming soon. Exciting, right?”
Of course, he didn’t stop saying strange things altogether, so he just left him alone.
Soon, there would be another request from the Company. Mu-hae, as always, set out to maintain his equipment, which was like his limbs.
He had only been using it for a while without replenishing it, so the storeroom was empty. He needed to buy some more tools and bullets, and charge the batteries for his firearms.
Most urgent was the repair of the jacket he wore like a second skin. The outerwear, which was tough, flexible, durable, and lightweight, was almost essential for Mu-hae, who moved around a lot.
So he had bothered to take his worn-out jacket to another neighborhood, but the repairman had only told him that it would be better to throw it away and get a new one.
‘No matter what you patch it with, it’ll fall off again if you wear it rough. Just make one out of something tougher.’
‘Damn it… How long will it take?’
‘The machine does all the work, so it’s quick to make… The problem is that leather hasn’t been coming in well lately.’
Good quality, long-lasting leather was always a rare item. Artificial leather could meet those conditions to some extent, but its lifespan was relatively short, and Beast leather had many scratches and flaws.
Naturally, the best quality leather went to Central as soon as it was processed. It wasn’t that there were no good items in a poor neighborhood, but what was on the market now didn’t meet Mu-hae’s standards.
‘If you bring the fabric, I’ll make it for you at a discount.’
He acted like he was doing him a favor, even though he knew the problem was the leather in the first place. In this case, you would usually have to find or arrange for the necessary materials directly through a mercenary.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Mu-hae was a mercenary himself. It would be a bit difficult, but he could go out and tear it off himself.
“I’m going too.”
As he was packing a shockwave stun grenade, Joo-oh announced without even asking where he was going.
He was going to take him and use him anyway, but it made him feel twisted.
Mu-hae deliberately shut his mouth and attached equipment to the dying jacket. As he prepared to leave without answering, Joo-oh glanced back and forth and hurriedly ran to the study.
Soon, he heard the sound of a zipper being pulled up in the room. He seemed to be putting on his going-out clothes in a hurry.
The desperate look on his face made him feel a little better. Mu-hae twisted up one corner of his mouth and slung his bag over his shoulder.
“You said you wouldn’t object to me following you.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t come.”
“Then why are you packing your bags alone?”
“Wear your hat properly.”
As Mu-hae reached out to Joo-oh, his head popped up on tiptoes and touched his palm.
“I’m helping you.”
In short, he wanted to be petted. He had become quite arrogant after being let loose for the past few days.
“Get lost.”
“I’ll do well.”
“Put on your hat before I hit you.”
“Okay. Hit me and touch me.”
“…Didn’t I tell you not to say that?”
Joo-oh became quiet only after he got annoyed. It was what he wanted, but somehow he didn’t feel good about it either.
Mu-hae eventually sighed and ruffled his black hair. Joo-oh’s lips, which had been drooping, drew a long arc.
“Behave yourself when we go out.”
“Touch my ears too.”
“Don’t say that outside either.”
“What about at home?”
“Stop being annoying.”
Really, every time this happened, it strengthened his hypothesis that he had grown up locked up somewhere.
It wasn’t just a matter of memory loss, it felt like something was missing in his head. He didn’t even know what he was asking him to do, he just felt good so he rubbed against him.
As Mu-hae slid his hand over his sideburns, Joo-oh rubbed his cheek against it as if he had been waiting for it. The soft, warm auricle was pressed against his calloused fingers.
“Heu.”
Only then did Joo-oh close his eyes and smile. The corners of his lips trembled, as if he was satisfied.
He felt strange again. Jin Mu-hae swallowed dryly and turned his gaze away, feeling as if something was tickling the back of his neck.