By Zephyria 
“Mister, what are you thinking about right now?”
“I’m wondering if unseasoned beef tartare could be a decent substitute, since I can’t exactly eat human flesh. You know, in old stories, fox demons disguised as humans eat beef liver instead.”
Yoo Jiha decided to ignore that, pretending he hadn’t heard.
“Do you have a partner?”
“Hmm? Why the sudden question?”
“Like you said, I’m at an age where I’m very interested in romance. That’s why I’m curious about other people’s love lives. I’m really, really, really not asking because of any other reason.”
“Not at the moment.”
If he didn’t have one now, didn’t that mean he had one in the past? Jiha had never imagined that someone with that face, that physique, and that personality could be a lifelong bachelor, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit pouty. Jiha shot him a sidelong glance and asked again.
“What’s your ideal type? I bet you like someone younger, cute, and pretty, right?”
“No? I haven’t dated many times, but I only met people my own age or older.”
“…….”
“Having dealt with four younger siblings, I guess I’m just not drawn to younger types. Speaking of siblings… Ha, seriously, my Eun-jung is so smart, has such a great personality and so much talent that useless men are constantly approaching her, and I just…”
For the next 30 minutes, Jeil Heon rambled on about his younger sister. It seemed he had been very upset to learn upon their reunion that she had ended up divorcing after marrying against his fierce opposition before his disappearance. While achieving a score of 0 confessions and 1 rejection, Yoo Jiha also learned the new fact that the man was a total sis-con.
“How many years younger is your youngest sister than you?”
“She was 15 years younger.”
“Then you wouldn’t see someone 15 years younger as a romantic partner?”
“Absolutely not. It would be a disaster if I did.”
Jiha flinched at the firm denial but quickly composed himself. He didn’t say he wouldn’t see someone 12 years younger as a partner. Isn’t a 3-year difference huge? Jiha worked his hope-circuit overtime.
“Did you ever have a colleague at work as a partner?”
“Office romances are no good. It’s awkward if you break up. It’s not like we can just change companies like other jobs.”
“…….”
0 confessions, 2 rejections achieved.
No. He said the problem is after the breakup, so wouldn’t it be fine if they just didn’t break up? If they lived happily ever after until their black hair turned white, that would solve it. He could even live happily in a house full of ghosts. He corrected his score to 0 confessions and 1.5 rejections.
“Mister, Mister. I have something else to ask.”
“Ah, am I being called into another hearing? I wonder what Jiha is curious about now?”
“Umm, men. Men.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you… ever dated a man?”
“No.”
“…….”
He had expected this to some extent, but he ended up with 0 confessions and 2.5 rejections. …No, seriously, what should he do? He’s younger, a colleague, and a man—there’s no hope, is there? While Yoo Jiha was lost in thought, Jeil Heon, stroking his chin as he searched his memories, suddenly added.
“Come to think of it, I did get a confession from a guy in high school…”
“Really?!”
“Well, I just received the confession.”
“Are you still in touch with that guy?”
“I dropped out shortly after, so I lost touch with all my school friends.”
Any potential threats had vanished. Swallowing hard, Jiha asked the most important question.
“Then, when you were confessed to, did you… hate it a lot?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any strong feelings about it now, so I probably felt the same then.”
Yoo Jiha secretly clenched his fist. The current score was 0 confessions and 2.5 rejections, but he could see a glimmer of possibility. Couldn’t he overcome that with the advantages of being young, cute, and pretty? After all, they had ki-ki-kissed…! If there had been absolutely no subconscious attraction, there was no way they would have used their to-to-tongues!
Now hopeful, Yoo Jiha began asking various questions with a more relaxed mind. As a result, he learned quite a lot.
He smoked foreign cigarettes that were rarely imported (he said the tar was 14mg, but as a non-smoker, Jiha couldn’t fathom how strong that was), and since the tobacco shop he used 22 years ago had disappeared, he hadn’t found a brand that suited his taste yet. When Jiha offered to order them for him via international shipping, he muttered, “The world has become very convenient.”
He enjoyed alcohol to some extent (a commonality found) and mainly drank hard liquor, but he said he had never blacked out.
When resting at home, he said he studied the anomalies that had newly appeared or the changes that had occurred over the last 22 years (studying in his spare time was another commonality).
As for TV or movies, he replied that he hardly watched them before and it was the same now. He didn’t play games and had no other hobbies. Even exercising wasn’t a hobby, but rather training to harden his body for hunting Aberrations. Reading books occasionally was all he did.
“I thought you liked opera? You knew so much about it last time, I thought it was a hobby.”
“It was an Aberrant Realm related to opera, so I just crammed for it.”
“Then what will you do to relax once you’re done studying?”
“Breathe.”
“…….”
Yoo Jiha vowed that he must rescue this boring man.
As the hearing ended, Jeil Heon stood up.
“Jiha. As you saw at the Five-Day Market, there are many times when the Exploration Division has to run away from Aberrations. It’s a job that requires more physical stamina than you’d think.”
A foreboding feeling began to creep in. Then, Jeil Heon delivered the final blow with a kind face.
“You have nothing to do for the next three days, so let’s exercise with me.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Since this was an activity where they would spend time in close proximity, this wasn’t exercise—it was a date… Yoo Jiha rationalized as he diligently moved his creaking body.
[Hidden World Record]
Name: Jeonmae Five-Day Market
Classification: Aberrant Realm-ㅈ-L.Ma-029
First Sighting Date: May 9, 196☓
Survival Rate: 59%
Exploration Rate: Estimated 31%
Unexplored Area: Small buildings and shops that became voids after Aberrations died.
Remarks: As a result of the 201st exploration, the exploration rate is currently in a state almost equivalent to being reset. According to Agent Jeil Heon’s report, the Aberration that forcibly crushed the Hongsal Gate (identity unknown, estimated True Slaughter Grade) has not appeared or caused harm since then, but please exercise extreme caution.
Since Aberrations fail to react normally upon sighting Agent Jeil Heon, Team 7 will be excluded from future explorations. By the way, does Agent Jeil Heon have no intention of returning to the Enforcement Division? He is too talented a resource to keep in the Exploration Division.
└ What’s wrong with our Exploration Division!
As a result of shipping the military uniform Agent Jeil Heon wore to the US, we received a reply confirming it is indeed a uniform of a US soldier missing from the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. If any items related to the US military are found in said Aberrant Realm, please purchase them if possible. We will sell them to the US at a high price. It is estimated that the Aberrant Realm where the US soldiers went missing was ‘Myochangsan Valley.’ This serves as new evidence for the hypothesis that one can move from one Aberrant Realm to another.
You are likely aware that the Wing Quilt Shop has quilts with effects other than the auspicious pattern. Since the delivery of convicts for clinical trials must be smooth, please propose policies to increase sentences for violent crimes. Why does the human rights of criminals matter?
* * *
Although the population had decreased significantly, the Five-Day Market opened without a hitch, and the Wing Quilt Shop remained intact. Yoo Jiha, who returned safely with the team members who had rushed in as soon as the market opened, was given a sweet reward: paid leave.
Normally, one day of paid leave is given the day after exploring an Aberrant Realm, but considering he had been trapped in one for a long period, he was specially granted two days of paid leave. Since the market day was Saturday, combining it with Sunday meant he had a total of three days off.
Yoo Jiha, who lied to his parents saying he had been on a business trip to China, fully enjoyed his three-day break. In the mornings, he went running with Jeil Heon while panting, listened to old stories beside Jeil Heon as he read the Hidden World Record, taught Jeil Heon how to order cigarettes internationally, and watched TV with him in the living room. Despite saying he didn’t watch TV much, he followed obediently and sat on the sofa whenever Yoo Jiha grabbed his wrist.
After the vacation—which started and ended with Jeil Heon—passed, the similar daily routine of an office worker resumed like a hamster wheel. Since he no longer heard the strange noises from the first day of boarding, his fear of the ghosts that might be somewhere in the house had faded considerably. He was able to sleep soundly without thinking about ghosts, provided he didn’t have that particular dream.
‘Ugh, that mister appeared in my dream again.’
Waking up an hour earlier than usual, Yoo Jiha buried his head in the pillow and pounded the mattress with his fists. He closed his eyes again, but sleep wouldn’t come. Deciding he should at least wash up, he trudged through the cool air of the early dawn.
Yawning widely because he wasn’t fully awake, Yoo Jiha opened the bathroom door and saw it. Jeil Heon, naked, taking a shower after his morning workout. Specifically, naked.