「You’ve grown about 0.3mm, but it seems you’ve lost weight again?」
I couldn’t see Director Baek’s face, hidden behind the large monitor, but her peeved voice resonated clearly in my ears.
「White blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, blood platelets, neutrophils… The majority of these numbers are lower than before.」
Director Baek dragged her chair, rolling it a little closer to me. She had her face planted on the monitor. It seemed like we’d end up seeing each other face-to-face today. I didn’t want to meet her gaze, so I did the useless act of staring out the window. Though, I wasn’t able to see a thing since the blinds were drawn shut, allowing not even a glimpse of sunlight to come through, just as Director Baek preferred. Director Baek, who only deemed artificial light as proper light, was also of the idea that one-sided info dumps could be counted as conversations, so she remained uninterested in where I was looking and asked me, 「Are you not eating?」
「…….」
「If you continue to act like this, the test results won’t be recorded properly. Seems like you’re missing the taste of liquid food, huh?」
I didn’t want to look at Director Baek’s face, but as soon as I heard the words “liquid food,” I turned my head in her direction. I remembered the last time I had lost a lot of weight, Director Baek had shoved a valve down my throat and injected me with clear liquid for three days and two nights. After that, I developed an aversion to even glancing at watery foods.
「…I’ll eat more.」
「That isn’t a number, though, is it?」
「……」
「Put on three kilogrammes before the next examination. It’s in two weeks.」
Director Baek, having said everything she needed to say, gestured for me to leave. I started walking unwillingly. I was about to slam the lab door shut, but I held myself back since there was no need to deliberately pull the date of the next examination forward. I couldn’t use the wind as an excuse in a place where even a breeze was forbidden.
It wasn’t like I was a sports player or anything, so why did my weight have to be monitored? The more I thought about it, the more tired I grew. However, the most ridiculous part of it all was the fact that if I failed to gain weight even after two weeks had passed, I would still end up putting on some numbers because Director Baek would shove a valve down my throat if necessary. It’d be even stranger if I didn’t lose weight after getting harassed by that pair of crazy fuckers. Rather than giving me digestive medicine, they should block out the elements of stress in my life instead. I tossed the medicine packet I had been prescribed in a nearby trash can.
I tried to eat a little something every meal, but the thought of having to eat made me want to eat even less. Even though my stomach was empty, it still managed to churn and make me feel bloated. An ache settled in the pit of my stomach, and I felt like throwing up. My throat felt tight, my stomach sick to its core, and acid was climbing up from my stomach to my throat, but even then, I still forced the chicken porridge that was served for dinner into my mouth. Then, I felt doubts about my life rushing in, and I threw my spoon. I was supposed to meet Director Baek in two days, but there was no way my weight would increase, only decrease.
That night, I sat in the living room of the residence, watching television with a blank look on my face. I guess an unconscious sigh had escaped me since Jung Haekyung, who had, at some point, entered the residence, hugged me from behind. With the couch as a barrier between us, he gently toyed with the ends of my hair and asked, 「Did something happen?」
「…No. Why were you late?」
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already well past one in the morning.
「I told you not to wait for me and just go to sleep first.」
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
「P mbeivc’a riffq.」
「Rfza alwf, afii wf la kjr yfmjerf sbe wlrrfv wf.」
P cbvvfv jcv gfvlgfmafv ws jaafcalbc ab atf afifnlrlbc qgbugjwwf, ktlmt kjr rtbkmjrlcu gfrajegjcar ogbw jii bnfg atf mbecags. P klrtfv la kbeiv rqjgx ws jqqfalaf. Ktf jyjibcf, yflcu ugliifv bc j rabcf qijaf, ibbxfv bypfmalnfis ajras, yea P vlvc’a gfjiis kjca ab fja la. Ejatfg, ktja mjeuta ws ujhf kjr atf rfj lc atf yjmxugbecv. Aecu Ljfxsecu jrxfv jujlc, ralii teuulcu wf ogbw yftlcv, 「Glv rbwfatlcu tjqqfc?」
「…Director Baek told me I have until this weekend to gain some weight. She said something along the lines of her experimental data not turning out properly.」
「Now that I think about it, you do seem rather thin these days.」
Jung Haekyung’s finger traced up the line of my jaw, and he whispered, 「It’s sharp enough to cut.」 Then, he took hold of my hand, gently stroking each finger one by one. Compared to my own thick-jointed and rough hands, Jung Haekyung’s fingers were delicate and pale, yet his touch was cautious, as if handling a glass shoe. Feeling a renewed sense of embarrassment, I fixed my gaze on the television screen. After a moment of playing with my fingers, Jung Haekyung asked, 「Want to go play somewhere?」
「Where?」
「Hancheong-do.」
「When?」
「Right now.」
「Right now?」
Jung Haekyung pointed to the screen, revealing an abalone coated in butter grilling into a golden brown on a stone plate. 「Let’s eat that.」
Jung Haekyung was in uniform, having just returned from a mission, but I was clad in the t-shirt and pants I’d wear when I went to sleep. The issue at hand wasn’t my attire; rather, it was the fact that there was no way I’d be given permission to leave. No, actually, getting permission wasn’t the problem, but figuring out what method to use to go…
「How are we going to get to Hancheong-do right now?」
「By helicopter.」
「Helicopter?」
「Do you want to fly it?」
Jung Haekyung straightened his waist and back, which had been bent because he was hugging me, and took hold of my hand, lifting me up along with him. Then, he led me to the dressing room and stepped inside.
「Wearing ordinary clothes?」
「Yeah.」
Regardless of what it was, Jung Haekyung liked to stay neat and organised. That was why our dressing room was better organised than a department store, with everything sorted by item and season. Jung Haekyung stood before the closet, deep in thought, before pulling out an indie pink sweatshirt and asking me, 「What do you think?」
「…Is that for me?」
「Yeah.」
「Well, pink is a little, uh…」
「It’s okay, you look pretty.」
Jung Haekyung pulled the neck of the sweatshirt over my head. Why did he bother asking if he was just going to do as he pleased anyway? Grumbling to myself, I threaded my arms through the sleeves and put on the sweatshirt. Meanwhile, Jung Haekyung pushed a pair of ripped jeans towards me. 「What do you think?」
「…Is that for me?」
「Yeah.」
「Well, ripped clothing is a little, uh…」
「It’s okay, you look pretty.」
Jung Haekyung motioned with his chin for me to take my pants off. If I continued to stay still, Jung Haekyung would take it off for me, so I decided to just take off the pyjama pants I was wearing. I tried to put on the ripped jeans he had given me, but my foot kept getting snagged on the tattered threads, so I had difficulty getting them on. Maybe I had furrowed my brows without realising it since Jung Haekyung asked me, 「You don’t like it?」
「Don’t you, uh… think it kind of makes me look like a delinquent?」
Jung Haekyung laughed out loud. I bent down, struggling to pull the jeans on, and looked up at him.
「You think ripped jeans make you look like a delinquent? What are you, a grandma?」
Regardless of what he said, perfectly fine clothes that’d been ripped on purpose weren’t my style. Jung Haekyung laughed for a long while before speaking in a tone that was still full of laughter, 「Then, would you like to wear something else, grandma?」
For a moment, I felt hopeful as I watched him rummage through the closet. What Jung Haekyung had chosen were dull leather pants, colourful skinny jeans, and hot pants I wouldn’t even wear for ten million won… Doing up the buckle of my pants, I said, 「I’ll just wear this.」
Thankfully, Jung Haekyung, at the very least, allowed me to choose my own socks. Leaning against the low drawer, I slid on the grey socks. When Jung Haekyung held up a light pink baseball cap out of all the hats there were, I slowly backed away. However, there was no more room to back up, so ultimately, only my upper body ended up leaning backward.
「All in pink is a little…」
「It’s okay, you look pretty.」
Jung Haekyung strode towards me and placed the hat on top of my head. I used to only wear monochrome clothing, but Jung Haekyung consistently dressed me in strange colours. While there weren’t many occasions for me to don casual wear, Jung Haekyung would buy attention-grabbing clothes from various brands for each season, even categorising them by type. Still, the ones I truly couldn’t handle were designated for home use only. I’d conjure up excuses like 「they’re too pretty to wear outside.」 Nevertheless, it was a relief that he never insisted on me wearing such clothes outdoors. Jung Haekyung was still in uniform, so I asked out of courtesy, 「What about you?」
「You choose.」
「……」
I carefully rummaged through the closet, intent on making him eat shit. I picked out a t-shirt with an abstruse patchwork of geometrical patterns, a bomber jacket featuring fluorescent flowers, and jeans with oddly curled hems, handing them over to Jung Haekyung. Anyone could tell it was a punishment outfit, but as always, he willingly put on the clothes I had chosen for him without a word of complaint. The issue, however, was that even in these outlandish outfits, they somehow always looked good on him. While I couldn’t fathom the designer’s vision behind creating such abstruse clothing, I could understand their intent at the very least. Fully dressed, Jung Haekyung adjusted his outfit and asked me, 「What do you think?」
「…It looks good on you.」
If he was going to buy clothes that looked good on him, then he should just wear them on his own; why did he have to try and make me wear them as well? The thing was, I wanted to be the one buying my own clothes. Normal and plain clothes.
Exiting the dressing room, Jung Haekyung took out a pair of white sneakers that’d never been worn before from the shoe rack and set them before me. There were so many shoes that I was no longer able to distinguish what was what, but I did remember him mentioning that these sneakers were a commission from some random designer. I slipped my foot into the shoes I usually wear and said, 「I’ll just wear what I always wear.」
「But these are prettier.」
「You can wear the pretty ones.」
「I bought them for you to wear. They’re too small for me.」
I changed into the sneakers he gave me. I didn’t know what would happen to me if I continued to turn him down in front of the shoe rack. Jung Haekyung kneeled down on one knee before me and began to tie the laces of the sneakers. The knots Jung Haekyung tied wouldn’t come undone unless you cut them with a knife. Feeling a renewed sense of curiosity about the way he tied his knots, I bent down and watched him as he did them. I see, so he threads the string through that knot. Then, I’ll just have to do the opposite when I undo them. I prepared myself for the occasions when he’d tie me up and observed the tips of his fingers. However, Jung Haekyung suddenly raised his head and laughed.
「…What? Am I not allowed to watch?」
「Is there anything you’re not allowed to do?」
It was exceedingly rare for me to be allowed to do something, but I didn’t want to broach this subject with him. I wanted to know the exact method to undo his knots.
「…Continue, then.」
「It’s because you’re so pretty.」
Jung Haekyung slightly pushed back the baseball cap I was wearing and kissed me. Then, with his lips still on mine, he whispered, 「Super pretty.」
Jung Haekyung pressed his lips against my face and nape, continuing to kiss me for a long while. Because of that, it wasn’t until after three in the morning that we finally made our way to the heliport. Jung Haekyung had an exclusive helicopter that was at his disposal whenever needed. No matter how hard I thought about it, it was clearly too much of a preferential treatment for a major. However, Jung Haekyung, who was unable to read my thoughts, seated me in the cockpit and even went as far as meticulously fitting a helmet onto my head.
I had earned my helicopter permit a while ago, but I had never tried a long-distance flight before. There weren’t any of the usual flight instructions, nor was the fuel or battery checked, but nonetheless, Jung Haekyung recklessly activated the power system and placed the keys in my hand. I hesitated for a moment before inserting the key into the keyhole and turning it.
Dudududu, the propeller began to turn, and we took off. Emergency messages flooded in due to the abrupt departure of a helicopter in the middle of the night. Yet, when Jung Haekyung, seated beside me, disclosed his affiliation and said it was for an emergency mission, we were granted approval. We’ve already departed, so what’s the use of a flight approval? I thought.
As we flew up into the night sky, I could see the enormous S.E. building growing smaller and smaller, fading into the distance. My knowledge of airways came from books, so I wasn’t certain of the precise route to Hancheong-do, but Jung Haekyung wrapped a hand around mine, which was holding the control stick, and subtly moved it around. He was whispering something as well, but the surrounding noises were too loud for me to hear what it was. However, judging by the movement of his lips, he seemed to be telling me I was doing well. A long while later, the helicopter safely landed in the heliport of S.E.’s Hancheong branch. It was only upon our arrival at Hancheong-do that Jung Haekyung, with a single phone call, took fifteen days off of work.
Hancheong-do in the late spring, with the sun slowly on the rise, was shimmering. Both the sea, land, and sky. Just like when I first met Jung Haekyung.
“Jung Haekyung adjusted his outfit and asked me, 「What do you think?」
…It looks good on you.J
If he was going to buy clothes that looked good on him, then he should just wear them on his own; why did he have to try and make me wear them as well?”
Okay I have to admit, that super funny 🤣