episode_0019

“Oh, is it over now? I’m glad we’re not late.”

“……”

“Oh, ahaha….”

“Why are you laughing?”

“It was so cold that my heart almost froze, but luckily Jin’s hand was warm when he grabbed mine?”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah yeah yeah.”

With a suspicious glance that seemed to pierce through me for a moment, Jin quickly returned to his usual expressionless self. When he’s with someone other than me, Jin always puts on that marble-cold face. If it had been someone else—someone other than Luna noona—he probably would have thrown a punch by now.

“What’s up, guys. Huh… Pfft!?”

“You fell asleep before even starting to drive. I told you to go easy on the drinks.”

“That’s why I didn’t want to come out. If you get caught driving like this, your license will be revoked… Ugh… I don’t know.”

“I must be crazy. Alright, what’s up. Shouldn’t you guys head back before it gets dark? I’ve already cleaned up the back seat, so you can hop in.”

“……”

No, if you keep talking to me, Jin’s patience will run out.

I wanted to scream internally, but Luna noona was as oblivious as ever today. Instead, she turned her head as far as possible, looking only at Jin, seemingly not understanding me at all. She was even waving her hands wildly now. It was maddening.

“Uh, Jin…?”

“……….Why.”

“Well… I really don’t have any thoughts. The sun sets halfway if we walk, right? So it won’t work. I don’t like the dark. I… have no choice. I really don’t like it either, but there’s no other way… Yeah. There wasn’t.”

“…So.”

“Huh?”

“So, why does that thing keep being friendly to you? Say you don’t like it quickly. I don’t like it. I wish it would just disappear.”

Even though the moon hadn’t even gone to work yet, it felt like everything was already falling apart before my eyes.

Jin had clearly forgotten many things. Everything outside of me seemed to be nothing more than good leftovers to him. Even if she was the benefactor who rescued us from that hellish confinement, she was no exception.

Yes, Luna noona could be considered our hero.

Despite her bizarre fashion sense with Chinese dresses and trench coats and her oddly mismatched way of speaking, I couldn’t treat her as coldly as Jin suggested. It just wasn’t right.

Unlike Jin, I still remember.

The precarious sight reflected in the fire, almost completely burnt away, with only one side remaining. Despite looking like she could collapse at any moment, battered and bruised, she never gave up, tearing through the closed door until the very end.

“Come to think of it, Jin, you said you wanted to eat Mapo tofu for dinner tonight. How spicy should we make it? Eating too spicy might upset your stomach, so maybe going a bit Guangdong-style today wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“If it’s too spicy, just eat it with milk.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. You’re really smart, Jin. Where did you learn that? Did you study really hard?”

“Yeah. I didn’t fall asleep. I was really sleepy, but I endured it.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. I suddenly want to hug Jin tightly, is that okay?”

“Huh? Um… sure.”

In the end, the only best thing I could do was cover Jin’s eyes and gently shake his head. Please understand. Please get it. Just get in the passenger seat without saying anything, and I’ll take care of the rest, please…!

“Hmm… By the way, is your girlfriend still like that. Really.”

“Jin’s hair feels like silk no matter when you touch it~.”

“Oh dear… frustrating….”

“Oh, ah, ahaha… Just a little more, it’s fine… Oh.”

“Pfft. Huh? Um… yeah?”

The desperate effort to stall for time was worth it.

Luna lightly sighed once and returned to the passenger seat. From Jin’s perspective, it seemed as if a suspicious person had suddenly disappeared in front of their eyes. Jin blinked widely and looked around frantically.

“Why the look, Jin? Are you searching for something?”

“…No. There’s nothing.”

“Shall we head to the hospital then? Hey, I called for a car. We can take that. It’s the one we always use.”

“Do you have a knife?”

“If it gets dangerous, I’ll jump out immediately, so don’t worry. Of course, I’ll take Jin with me too.”

“Yeah, I’ll go too.”

As a reassurance, I took out a few knives from my coat to show Jin, who smiled with relief and squeezed my hand even tighter. It hurt a lot. I thought my finger bones might break. The fact that she valued me so much was a happy thing, but I couldn’t grimace.

Unlike when Aunt drove, the teacher’s car had partitions installed front and back. It was prepared to prevent accidents while driving due to Jin’s sudden actions. Jin, who already disliked seeing people’s faces, probably felt like she was in a carriage from her favorite picture book and didn’t pay much attention to being treated like a bomb.

“Let’s go.”

“I’ll leave the window slightly open.”

“Okay.”

“Is the seat uncomfortable?”

“Not really.”

“Can we start now?”

“Don’t let go of my hand.”

“…I’ll be careful.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Jin fearfully leaned her head on my shoulder. She never let go of my hand, glaring fiercely at the passing scenery outside the moving car. Perhaps she was preparing for an escape at any moment. Only for me, no one else.

“…By the way, Professor Park usually didn’t call on weekday afternoons, right? Why did he suddenly change it from weekend mornings? And so abruptly.”

“I don’t know either. If we look for a clue… Maybe it’s because the volunteer in charge of the rehabilitation program suddenly quit because of someone.”

“If it’s about Ji-hye, it’s not my fault… If I’m guilty of anything, it’s just helping a freshman who barely made it into our department. Who would’ve known he’d turn into such a disaster because of that.”

“Even if there are no people in the department, would anyone help a girl who targets a guy with a girlfriend? That’s ridiculous even if you get stabbed in the middle of the night. Hannah wouldn’t think differently, right? Yeah, that’s right.”

“I know. But if you put yourself in my shoes…”

It seems like the teacher got involved in something strange again this time.

Of course, this conversation must have happened between the two of them long before. If there’s a reason they’re doing it in front of me, it’s probably to avoid Jin’s guard and convey information. Luna’s nagging was most likely sincere, but…

“The situation has become more complicated than just departmental affairs. There’s a man involved in that power struggle. If he disappears along with him, the vigilante group he managed is going wild day by day.”

“A vigilante group? Ah, they were already famous for causing trouble. Even if they evolve, they’ll be like a nuisance grouporus or something. Those guys at Hana Pharmaceuticals, whom they dislike, aren’t exactly innocent either.”

“…That’s the problem. Isn’t the hospital we’re heading to affiliated with Hana Pharmaceuticals?”

“Oh.”

“On the way back from shopping, I saw the posters they put up. They’re openly instigating an attack, claiming to assault them directly. It’s quite ominous to dismiss it as a prank by immature kids.”

“In other words, if it’s related to Professor Park, it wouldn’t be surprising no matter what happens. Ugh… This is getting really annoying, isn’t it?”

“….”

I could roughly understand how things were turning out.

Recently, it seemed like contact with Auntie had been scarce. So that’s what happened. With this, I could understand Auntie’s capriciousness in insisting on being alone at unusual times. As expected, even though she was a bit stubborn, she was a kind person, Auntie.

By the way, the Self-Defense Force… gathering under the pretense of protecting the village with their own strength, is that the idea?

Turning my gaze away from Jini for a moment, I looked out the window. Under the hazy and murky gray sky, the steel frames of buildings left burning in flames were still visible. The rusty construction equipment left haphazardly along the roadside was an added bonus.

Although the teacher treated them as mere troublemakers, I didn’t want to ridicule their intention to protect the village that everyone who was leaving had gathered to protect. In the end, they were just ordinary citizens who wanted to reclaim their precious daily lives. Not much different from Jini, me, or anyone else.

“…Oh no, of all days, today is the day.”

“Ugh, aren’t those police officers?”

“Masks, if they smell alcohol on us again, they’ll bring the breathalyzers. Quick, hand me a mask.”

“The front seat is filled with the scent, will wearing that cover it up?”

“It’s better to do something than blatantly get caught with a knife.”

“Wearing Gakuran while driving is already a huge red flag. We’re almost there anyway, how about we just get off here?”

“Hey, Jina.”

“What?”

“I’m not feeling well inside, would it be okay if I got off here? I might have to walk a bit… if you’re okay with it.”

“Then let’s get off.”

“Oh, wait, the car hasn’t stopped yet… Oops!?”

Screech. Along with the loud sound of tires skidding, my body shook slightly.

It was because the teacher noticed too late that Jini was trying to open the door on her own and hastily hit the brakes. Fortunately, since we were moving slowly, we didn’t shake too much, but I felt so sorry that I couldn’t face them.

“It’s open.”

“Come on, wait a minute…”

“Get out. And lie down.”

“Huh? Uh, wha… cough! Cough…!”

“Should I hit you again? Is your stomach still upset?”

“No, uh… now, maybe… I think I’m fine… yeah… ugh….”

“Thank goodness. I was worried.”

“Oh, haha….”

As soon as I was dragged out against my will, my head spun from the blow to my back.

I shouldn’t have underestimated Jini’s assertiveness, but luckily, I should be grateful that she didn’t put her finger in my throat… I should have just come up with a decent excuse.

The two in the front seats looked at me with a somewhat reproachful expression. But due to Jini’s increasingly hostile demeanor, I couldn’t even say goodbye and had to quickly leave my seat. There was no other choice. It was better in many ways than getting hit by a rock in the car like this.

“Phew, thanks to Jini, I survived. Thanks, Jina.”

“Hand.”

“Oh… right. Still, I’ve been holding hands in the car, so technically, I haven’t broken our promise, right?”

“Still, I don’t want to let go of your hand.”

“Of course. Here, take it.”

“…Okay.”

Well, everything will be fine.

Nothing extraordinary will happen. Even though the timing is different from usual, Jini remains the same. I’ll just keep doing what I always do. Smile at Jini, hold her trembling hand dearly, and walk together until the end, just like always.