Lee A-gon was the second ability user that Park Hae-jun met. After being deceived by the first ability user, Park Hae-jun devoted all his efforts to hiding the fact that he was a helper. Whenever he heard rumors about an ability user living in a certain neighborhood, he avoided going anywhere near there.
He made sure never to touch strangers, even by accident, and he avoided a classmate who had mentioned feeling strangely good just by being in the same space as him, until that guy left for military service. This was because ability users often felt better just by being in the same space as a helper.
That’s why Park Hae-jun couldn’t understand. According to what he had studied, Lee A-gon should have improved within two weeks. It seemed the resonance rate was extremely low, but he couldn’t discuss this with Secretary Yang. If the secretary found out, he might dismiss Park Hae-jun. That absolutely couldn’t happen. Park Hae-jun was determined to stay with Lee A-gon until Professor Seok’s matter was resolved.
‘I need to visit home once.’
The one thing that was certain was that this assignment would likely take longer than expected. At this point, Park Hae-jun thought he should go home. He needed to check how things were at school, whether public opinion remained the same, and what Professor Seok was doing.
Before leaving the safe house, Park Hae-jun took out 50,000 won from the emergency fund envelope. He hoped he wouldn’t need to use it, but took it just in case.
“Lee A-gon, I’ll be away from home for a while today.”
Park Hae-jun caught Lee A-gon, who was wandering the hallway looking for medicine, and spoke to him, “I’ve put some snacks on the table just in case. Eat if you get hungry. You know how to drink water, right? I’ve poured water in a cup too.”
Lee a-gon tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand. Among the words he knew, “being away from home” wasn’t included. Lee A-gon looked at Park Hae-jun briefly and said, ‘Cock.’
When Park Hae-jun shook his head, he went back to searching for medicine.
It should be fine. During the day, all Lee A-gon did was search the house for medicine. Park Hae-jun opened the door with a light heart. It was 10 AM. Secretary Yang usually called around 8 PM, so there was plenty of time.
It took thirty minutes to come down the mountain, even walking quickly. From there, it took another twenty minutes to reach where the road was visible. Around 11 AM, Park Hae-jun arrived at a two-lane road. The dark sky looked like it might rain or snow at any moment. Thinking he should hurry back, Park Hae-jun looked for a bus stop.
“Sir, where should I go to catch a bus to Seoul from here?” Park Hae-jun stopped a man carrying flower pots on a handcart and asked.
The man shook his head. “Are you a camping guest? Buses don’t come here often. See that store over there with ‘Real Estate’ written on it? If you go past there, there’s a bus stop, but you’ll have to wait a while for a bus to Seoul. Why don’t you take the village bus to downtown instead? There are many buses there, and they come frequently.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
Park Hae-jun memorized the name of the camping site posted on the path he had come down, thanked the man, and turned around.
There was no electronic information board at the bus stop. All there was was a worn-out bus route map. Since he was suspicious of location tracking, he had left his phone at home, so he couldn’t search online either.
Since he had plenty of time, Park Hae-jun decided to just wait. A village bus came in the meantime, but since it had an unfamiliar station name written on it, he decided not to risk it.
After letting about three village buses pass, a metropolitan bus heading to Seoul finally arrived. Park Hae-jun boarded the bus and paid the fare in cash.
Forty minutes later, Park Hae-jun arrived in Seoul. From there, it was smooth sailing. He took the subway to the northern part of the Han River, then took a village bus for fifteen more minutes before getting off. After navigating through several alleys, Park Hae-jun arrived home. A half-basement apartment for 400,000 won monthly rent. He had been living there for two years.
Even though it was a half-basement, the windows faced ground level, and before Park Hae-jun moved in, the wallpaper and flooring had been redone, so it was clean. The bathroom was a bit elevated, but it was a good place that didn’t get much mold in the summer.
When he opened the door, there was a musty smell of dust. Park Hae-jun closed his eyes and briefly enjoyed the quietness of the space.
“My computer. My chair. My books.”
Coming to a place filled with his belongings, he felt his tension release. It had taken three hours to get here. Though he wanted to collapse right there, Park Hae-jun first cleaned the floor with a wet mop. Since the small house consisted of only one room, a bathroom, and a kitchen, he could clean everything with just two mop passes.
Only then did Park Hae-jun change into comfortable clothes and lie down on the sofa. It was a single-person sofa that he had bought from a secondhand store with Senior Yang. Neither of them had a car, so they had struggled a lot carrying it home.
“Right. Senior.”
Park Hae-jun brought his laptop, placed it on his stomach, and opened his social media. After sending a DM to Senior Yang asking to meet today, he checked his overdue emails and visited the school community site.
When he searched with keywords, several posts came up. Although the interest had waned compared to before, they were still talking about Park Hae-jun.
* * *
· Anonymous 11/08 21:01
Is PHJ still attending our school?
* * *
Just saying this now, but I always thought it was strange that he got into our school. PHJ’s high school classmates talked a lot when he came here. How did a blockhead get into the College of Culture?
I acknowledge his award history, but what has PHJ shown after that? PHJ knew that too, got anxious and stole, didn’t he? And then what’s with that one-person protest claiming innocence? He even submitted a national petition, but it didn’t even get 50 approvals, damn.
* * *
└ Anonymous1
Hasn’t he been expelled yet?
└ Anonymous(Writer)
I guess it’s because it hasn’t been made public. I want to submit a national petition. Professor Seok is too pitiful.
└ Anonymous2
A guy like that needs to do some prison time.
└ Anonymous3
Not “cause it hasn’t” but “because it hasn’t”
* * *
· Anonymous 11/09 11:35
Is it true that Park H-J sued Seok?
* * *
I heard something ridiculous. There’s a rumor that the reason for Seok’s continued class cancellations is because of Park? Did he drop out and prepare to sue?
* * *
└ Anonymous1
What is all this because of one crazy guy;;;
└ Anonymous2
Just wait. If it’s true, it will be revealed in court. It’s not too late to criticize after seeing the trial results. Let’s just wait for the outcome.
└ Anonymous3
Here’s another law novice. South Korean law isn’t that excellent. Do you know how many people are wrongfully condemned in this world? It’s a world where you can be sued for sexual harassment just for asking a woman for her number. Wake up.
└ Anonymous4
Not “eouieopda” but “eoieopda” (correcting spelling)
└ Anonymous5
Are you the same guy who’s been going around correcting spelling since yesterday?
* * *
· Anonymous 11/11 15:41
But isn’t it Professor Seok’s claim that Park stole from him?
* * *
I don’t quite understand. They say there’s only evidence submitted by Seok. Shouldn’t we hear Park’s side too?
It’s frustrating because nothing has been concluded yet, but Park has been expelled, Seok is in seclusion, and the school hasn’t clarified its position. I’m staying neutral on this case.
* * *
└ Anonymous1
Be selective about your neutrality. Seok’s scenario is clearly what Park stole. He even took Seok’s laptop to create a perfect crime and claimed he lost it, then gave interviews to the press without any evidence that the scenario was his. He held a one-person protest. Professor Seok was betrayed by a trusted student and fell ill, and the production company is hesitating because of plagiarism issues before the film even started production. What a nuisance.
* * *
· Anonymous 11/13 09:01
I came to the College of Culture because I’m a fan of Professor Seok, but I’m really disappointed that he’s not properly teaching this semester.
* * *
My mom has been a fan of the professor, so I naturally grew up watching his works since childhood. I’ve even seen Professor Seok’s debut work from 23 years ago. Of course I’ve watched his movies and dramas, and I even went to see plays he directed. I have a photo taken with him when I was young, and when I showed it to him after entering the university, he was really pleased.
I was completely excited at the thought of taking Professor Seok’s class this semester, but I never dreamed he would miss so many classes. Even when he does come to class, the atmosphere is really bad… His face looked awful. Ah, I don’t know. I just hope the professor gets better soon and all misunderstandings are cleared up. 😢
* * *
└ Anonymous1
I honestly don’t care about Park or whatever, but I’m really upset about classes being canceled like this. Tuition isn’t cheap, you know? Registration was super competitive because he’s popular, and now it’s just ridiculous and disappointing.
└ Anonymous2
But it’s hard to pressure someone whose career is at stake and who’s involved in a lawsuit to prepare well for classes. Do you think you could work calmly in this situation?
└ Anonymous1
That’s not my problem. Guys, think about the tuition. It’s already expensive, and there are rumors it will increase next semester. Who would appreciate poor quality classes?
└ Anonymous3
Not “dakdal” but “dakdal” (correcting spelling with different characters)
└ Anonymous4
This guy is here again…
* * *
There was a notification sound from his social media. Park Hae-jun put down the community window and opened the message. There was a reply from Senior Yang.
[Are you at home now?]
[Yeah, home]
[Why are you home? I thought you were off the grid? Is it over?]
[Just for today. Planning to go back off the grid tomorrow]
[Then let’s meet quickly. I don’t have much time]
[OK]
[I just finished assisting with a shoot. About to leave now]
[I’m in Uijeongbu]
Uijeongbu was perfect. If he was on his way down, they could meet soon.
[Then come to my place. Let’s eat together]
[OK see you later]
[OK thanks]
Senior Yang sympathized with Park Hae-jun’s situation as if it were his own. It was also because of Senior Yang that Park Hae-jun started writing scenarios, so perhaps he felt some responsibility for this situation.
Park Hae-jun first met Senior Yang in a high school club. When asked to choose a club, Park Hae-jun checked “Film Appreciation Club” without much thought. This was because the names of other clubs were things like “English Improvement Club,” “Science Article Discussion Club,” and “Coding Research Club.”
Thinking, “If I just have to watch movies, it’s a sweet deal,” Park Hae-jun joined the club and soon discovered why this “sweet” club had remained available until the end.
“Film Appreciation Club” was short for “Don’t just appreciate films made by others, let’s make our own and appreciate them.”
All the seniors in the Film Appreciation Club were interested in film production. Also, since everyone wanted to be in the directing department, there was no one to write screenplays.
“Then you either act or write screenplays.”
The seniors gave Park Hae-jun two options. Not wanting to act, Park Hae-jun reluctantly decided to write screenplays.