“I, um, I already received a large sum of money from Im Taehwan.”
“What…”
He said that for his activities in the group chat room that was created when I left home, ‘Taeyang’ had received a large sponsorship.
He meant that since he had already received a large sum of money, he wouldn’t accept any more for the current medical bills or compensation.
But I…
“That’s one thing, and this is another. You received fair compensation based on the contract at the time, so…”
“No! Hey! What fair compensation! I just pretended to extort money because I was annoyed that Im Taehwan wasn’t confessing to you and was messing things up! I never intended to actually keep it! We made that group chat just because we are friends, you know. If I really take that money, I won’t deserve to be your friend, so please, let’s just use that money for this compensation.”
“…”
“And money aside… could you please stop using honorifics with me now? That’s my lifelong wish, Jehee.”
“Ah…”
Friends.
That was true.
Friends wouldn’t pay money just for joining a group chat.
Especially not a large sum.
If I insisted on giving him money, it might just make Cha Taeyang uncomfortable.
If so… there was probably only one thing I could do for Cha Taeyang right now.
I took a deep breath, firmed my resolve, and opened my mouth.
“Okay. I’ll use casual language… from now on.”
It had been too long since I had a ‘friend’ other than Taehwan.
So, using casual language with someone who wasn’t Taehwan or my family was so foreign that even just saying one short phrase made my chest swell and my face feel like it was about to burst.
It was hard even to keep my eyes open, so I closed them tightly the moment I finished speaking.
He might call it overreaction, but for me, it was truly my limit.
“Wow, that sounds really good.”
Only when I heard his calm voice did the heat that had spread through my body subside.
I cautiously opened my eyes and saw that Cha Taeyang was smiling.
Very brightly, like the sun, just like his name.
As I stared blankly at Cha Taeyang’s smiling face, he reached out his arm and patted my shoulder.
“My Guild members keep asking to see you. They sing your praises every time they visit. So, when I’m fully recovered, let’s gather the kids and have a drink together.”
“…Yeah. Let’s do that. Definitely.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Jehee. Be happy.”
“I will. Thank you…”
I had to clench my fists to suppress the emotions that kept welling up.
“Truly, thank you.”
I was truly a person blessed with good fortune.
I had so many people to be thankful for.
On the way back from the hospital, we passed by the Management Bureau building.
Since the hospital Cha Taeyang was staying at was operated by the Bureau, the two buildings were close to each other.
When the Management Bureau building came into view, someone else came to mind.
Another person to whom I had caused significant trouble with this incident.
“Uh…”
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Taehwan. Shouldn’t we say hello to the Director? If we just stop by…”
The moment I uttered the word ‘Director,’ Taehwan’s face crumpled.
Then, he sped up and drove right past the building.
When I, flustered, asked what he was doing, he sighed and finally spoke.
“My father isn’t there anyway.”
“Oh, why? Isn’t it still working hours?”
“Didn’t you watch the news at the Isolation Facility?”
“Uh, no… I was reading.”
Having the awareness that I had caused a major disturbance, I deliberately didn’t want to seek out what people were saying about me while I was at the facility.
My counselor also advised me not to engage with news that might be mentally stressful.
So, apart from examination, counseling, and meeting with Taehwan, I spent most of my time exercising, meditating, or reading books instead of looking at the TV, computer, or smartphone.
Taehwan stopped the car at a red light and looked back at me in the passenger seat.
“My father isn’t the Director anymore.”
It was surprising news.
The Director had resigned from his position at the Hunter Management Bureau.
And he had stepped down voluntarily, apparently.
It was a position he had held for a very long time.
“Is it because of me, after all…”
I already knew from Taehwan what had happened at the scene thirteen years ago, and at the scene of my recent rampage.
He said that during the struggle between Taehwan and the Director as they tried to save the rampaging me, the identity of the ‘Grey Coat’ had been revealed.
Plus, I had approached the Gate by taking the Director hostage.
Could all these factors have caused suspicion to fall on the Director, ultimately leading him to take responsibility for this matter?
My heart felt heavy, as if a lump of iron had been placed on it, but Taehwan was nonchalant.
“It was a position he had to step down from regardless of this incident. He held onto it for too long as it is.”
“Why do you always speak ill of the Director…”
“He should have taken off his badge a long time ago. Back then, thirteen years ago, when he created an undeserving victim like you.”
“…”
Having nothing more to say, I pressed my lips together.
The old me might have blindly believed Taehwan’s words that constantly treated the Director as a villain and would have been disappointed in the Director, but not the me of now.
I had experienced a bit of society now.
Over the past few months, as I built my career as a Hunter and interacted with others, I personally understood why the Director was a respected figure.
They all said in unison that in the relatively short history of ‘Awakened’ individuals and ‘Disasters,’ it was the Director who had established the foundation to support society, allowing Hunters to live in harmony with non-Awakened individuals by organizing the chaotic Hunter world.
Everything—from the Dungeon Capture System and the Probationary Hunter system to various welfare programs and emergency manuals—it was no exaggeration to say that his touch was on “everything,” and they asserted that no one else could have done it.
And while the Director was indeed wrong that day… I wondered if he truly ‘blindly pursued power and concealed the truth’ as Taehwan claimed.
If that were the case, why would he have kept the video evidence proving his guilt instead of disposing of it, and even placed it where Taehwan could see it?
He could have just kept it in a safe or something.
Especially the Director, who, according to Taehwan, was ‘always up to something.’
‘For now… I guess time is needed.’
As various questions came to mind, I wanted to have a conversation, but since Taehwan didn’t seem ready to forgive his father, and an amicable conversation would be impossible in his agitated emotional state, I decided to just keep the thoughts to myself for now.
After all, we had all the time in the world.
Since the reason I left home was neatly resolved, I decided to return to Taehwan’s house—no, ‘our home’—after my discharge.
We drove past the familiar garage and garden and arrived at the front door.
As expected, Taehwan hadn’t changed the front door passcode, so I was able to open it myself immediately.
“Wow, it’s been a while since I was home.”
Since Taehwan had followed me and lived outside for a while, there wasn’t much food in the house.
We bought groceries for dinner and returned, and by the time we opened the front door and entered the house, the sun was already setting.
Even the beautiful red sunset streaming through the large window seemed to welcome me.
I looked around the house, which seemed relatively unchanged from when I had left, but then my gaze fixed on the garden bathed in the sunset light, and I stared blankly.
Taehwan approached and stood beside me, so I casually leaned against him.
As if he had been waiting, he naturally took my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, which made my heart flutter in a strange way.
“Speaking of which, where is the housekeeper? Is she still working?”
“Yeah. Of course. But I gave her a vacation. I told her to take a trip with her family while she was at it. But she’ll be back soon.”
He said that because she had worked tirelessly for years, since my time as a patient, and because he wanted to be alone after I left home, he sent her and her husband on a trip.
With a generous bonus.
It was a good thing, but it also bothered me.
The time when I wasn’t there must have been the time when Taehwan needed the housekeeper the most, but he had spent that time alone.
It made me question his intentions.
Had he taken proper care of himself, left alone in this house without the housekeeper?
Worry and dissatisfaction flared up, but I quickly shook it off. It was in the past anyway.
And if he did it again, I would just scold him.
