Episode 68. after party (1)
really fortunately.
On the side of Rental Friend, it is said that they received an evaluation that they were very satisfied with their customers. Thanks to this, I was able to receive the basic part-time job and performance bonuses that far exceeded that.
‘This is enough to secure not only dinner expenses, but also living expenses for the time being?’
It was not long before I was happy to see the amount recorded on my account on my smartphone. He shook his head, recalling the chilling conversation yesterday.
I realized that I was more tired than I thought. So even though I woke up at dawn, I slept more without overdoing it, and woke up almost in the morning.
I am still sleepy even after sleeping. If I made up my mind and made up my mind, I was confident that I could sleep well until evening.
‘You still have to get up. Were you supposed to meet by 10 am today?’
The Signal Clock Tower, famous as a meeting place. We were all supposed to meet there.
“Oh.”
At Nayeon Eom’s request, I remembered that I had called and decided to gather Aram Kang and Yurim Pyo.
‘I should have told you yesterday, but I was so busy I forgot.’
Kang Ah-ram works part-time, especially at night, and usually sleeps during the day. I asked if I could come out via messenger, but there was no sign of confirmation right away.
Leaving her behind for a moment, I turned to the driftwood, the next object I should call.
‘It’s just as difficult to call him out… … .’
After the Septagram Lab incident the other day, things got really awkward.
In particular, while I was returning to the helicopter after finishing my work at the research institute, I did not speak a single word with her. It was because I wasn’t in the mood to talk.
‘So I looked at him and asked for help, and even gave him a ring, but he ignored it and left.’
Did I choose the wrong one?
… No, this is a consequential story.
It was only okay because the drifting forest came at the point where the situation was almost over. Had they been together from the start, a major accident could have occurred.
‘There was no such thing as the best in the first place. There were only lanes.’
Even so.
Thanks to her help, even the last child was saved. Looking at the results alone, Pyo Yu-rim was right and I was wrong.
‘Anyway, let’s get in touch.’
I honestly wasn’t sure. Kang Ah-ram or Pyo-rim. Both of them were the kind of people who didn’t like to hang out with people.
Tring!
[I’ll go.]
I was surprised.
Scary to send a messenger, the reply came back in one second. It’s not a metaphor, it really took less than a second.
‘what. Were you looking at your phone?’
Anyway, since the pyoyurim is coming, only Kang Ah-ram needs to be confirmed.
I waited for a reply, and in the meantime I washed and changed my clothes and prepared to go out.
I usually skip breakfast, so instead of skipping it, I used the gap between the breaks to study for the upcoming midterm exam.
Even before the game was overlaid on reality, I studied so hard that I even went to graduate school. I thought I was studying again after coming here, but it was more fun than I thought.
‘It was interesting because I was able to dig deep into the worldview of Psychic Age, which I couldn’t understand with just the setting book.’
It was so easy to read because I thought I was reading a game setting book rather than studying. In the first place, I studied as evil in graduate school, so I couldn’t do this in a different yard until I got my doctorate degree.
Tup!
I closed the book and checked the time again. It was 9:05 AM. Kang A-ram still did not check the messenger.
‘Shall we go?’
For some reason, according to my hunch, she seemed to be sleeping in the trouble counseling department.
“Big.”
Sure enough, it was different.
As soon as I opened the door to the trouble counseling department, I heard the sound of snoring containing the spirit of the foreman Vibe. Even today, he was still sleeping on two straight sofas.
“hey.”
She didn’t wake up even if I said it, so I poked her cheek with my index finger.
“Oooh. what… . seaweed hair? It’s the weekend, why are you here?”
then react Fortunately, I guess I didn’t fall asleep.
“Then why do you not go to your house on the weekend and sleep here?”
“Um? how to say Are you more comfortable here? Huaam. So why did you come?”
“Today we decided to get together with the kids. The members who raided the lab last time.”
“Gather? What are you doing together?”
“well. It seemed like they were going to play around here and there.”
“lining. Nosam among them.”
I thought it would come out like this.
“hey.”
“Don’t even think about dragging me along. I won’t be held hostage by you anymore. You can sleep here legally. Didn’t the debt with you end with helping the research lab?”
I can’t help it. I don’t want to appear childish either, but against Kang A-ram, this is the correct method.
“that’s right. He said he could sleep here, and the debt with you is over. But didn’t I say that I could use even this stale item at will?”
“What… hey! Isn’t this a complete elementary school?!”
“Remember the two things you and I just skipped over? When I went to your brother’s club, I fixed the thing you almost had an accident with. When you said you would come here as a member, you made it into a mess. What did I say about it?”
“Ha, I’m dumbfounded. what do you still remember Poisonous guy. You little bastard, go go!”
Kang Ah-ram grunted and got up from the sofa. Then, all of a sudden, he frowned and started glaring at me.
“what. why.”
“Yumma. You said you were going.”
“Then get up and prepare to leave.”
“Okay, turn off your powers. can’t you do this? How many times do you and I have to say we hate this for you to understand?”
“What are you talking about… . ah.”
Kang Ah-ram’s expression was slightly reminded. It was proof that the Pondris pheromone effect was being applied.
I confided in her honestly. Everything from what kind of nature I have, what its efficacy is, and what conditions it triggers.
“what?! Always active?”
“It happened.”
“madam! You’ve become a real hypnotist, bastard!”
“If you go into combat readiness, you should be able to get out of this effect. It’s always active, so it’s not very effective.”
Kang Ah-ram’s one eyelid twitched.
“You are talking nonsense! How do you use that skill every day? Does it give you a headache from having to focus on that?”
“Then what can you do?”
“Ah-oh. hey. Okay, so get out of this room. I’ll go out after changing clothes and washing up.”
I told her to be in front of the clock tower by 10:00 a.m., then left the room and headed straight to another place.
There was one more place to go.
Outside of Signal, not too far away. There was a complex where detached houses were huddled together at regular intervals.
It was a complex prepared by Signal so that the children of upper-middle-class families among students who are reluctant to live in a dormitory can live in the form of monthly rent while attending Signal.
‘The problem is that the monthly rent you have to pay every month is a level that ordinary people can never afford.’
What kind of era is this? Due to the presence of demons, the security of the Republic of Korea is no longer as good as the Republic of Korea I knew before.
In that sense, PMCs such as Seolchaehwa’s Polaris, a company recognized for their skills in Korea, received orders from Signal and took charge of security in that housing complex.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that more than half of the reason for the high monthly rent was for security expenses.
“Pause for a moment. From here, you will need to present your ID to pass. If you are passing by, please take a detour.”
As I stood in front of the complex, a PMC who was standing guard nearby called me over.
“I have someone to meet in here.”
“If you are a Signal student, please present your student ID. If you don’t have one, please call the name of the person you want to meet, and I’ll call the person you want to meet with the pager here and send it to you when it’s confirmed.”
When I presented my student ID, the PMC activated the goggles I was wearing and scanned my ID.
“Just confirmed that you are my tenant. welcome. Have a nice day today!”
I passed the checkpoint with a nice salute from the PMC.
‘As much as it’s expensive, one treatment is certain.’
Seolchaehwa seemed to have finished all the work in the meantime. I didn’t even hear the dormitory tell me to leave the room, but the move-in report was already over.
I headed for the house in the location she told me about.
Ding-dong.
device geek.
When I got to the front and pressed the doorbell, I heard the sound of a camera lens moving.
“oh. Kim Do-yoon is a student, right?」
“yes. I am you.”
“I thought you would come soon, but you finally came. wait a minute. I’ll open the door right away.”
After a while.
“Dad!”
Around the time I passed through the automatically opened gate and crossed the yard. The front door in front of me burst open, and No. 45 rushed in front of me.
I hugged the approaching child with a fatherly smile.
“How have you been?”
“Why are you here? I thought Daddy was abandoning me.”
The child looked at me with a face full of regret.
“Why throw it away? If I continue to be a good child who listens to adults, I will come often.”
“huh! By the way, Dad. Mom is? Didn’t your mother come?”
“mom?”
“Dad said to make a wish on glitter in case of danger. So, a pretty older sister appeared and played with me, and then became a mother!”
When someone said it, they were talking about a ferocious forest. I had heard that she was credited with coaxing No.45 from the dormitory and taking him away.
“Mom is busy right now. I’ll come with you later.”
I am a housekeeper who watches over us with warm eyes from the side. No, rather than such a rigid expression, the expression housekeeper must be more friendly. Anyway, I looked at her and asked.
“How is the child?”
“On the first day, I cried and cried a lot. Still, the child is kind by nature, so basically he followed his words well.”
“Did you say that you will be living here and taking care of the children?”
“yes yes. Is there anything you would like to request from me? According to my employer, if there is a request from student Doyoon Kim, he asked me to listen as much as possible.”
Seol Chae-hwa seemed to have entrusted me with full management of the house.
“I don’t ask for anything else. It would be nice if you could take good care of the child as it is now.”
“ah! I heard that you can move from your original dormitory and live here. how is that going? I also wanted to prepare in advance.”
“Wow! Does your dad live here too? really? really?!”
No.45 jumped in place with her eyes shining.
“that… … .”
I suddenly remembered the advice Aram Kang had given me.
“Caring for a child is harder than you think. I must be prepared to give up at least half of my life. Can you do that now?』
The teaching that physical care can be taken care of by someone else, but mental care should not be given carelessly unless you are a parent.
As she herself was a victim who suffered from abusive parents, her words touched and echoed deeper in my heart than anyone else.
I said looking at the housekeeper.
“I think we need to think about it right now. I have a lot to think about, and I have to prepare for the Meteor Shower soon.”
“Dad… . Aren’t you living with me?”
No. 45 looked at me with a disappointed face. I stroked the child’s head.
“sorry. It’s hard to make a decision right now. Still, I will come often to see you. promise.”
“really? Is that a promise?”
The child held out my little ring finger and walked with my ring finger facing each other. Even so, he still seemed to have a sullen expression, so when I poked his cheek with his index finger, he laughed as if he had never done that before.
“Student Doyoon! I had something to ask when I came as a student, but I almost forgot.”
Later, after comforting the child again by saying that she would come with Pyo Yu-rim, the housekeeper hurriedly called out as he was about to leave at the appointed time.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard what the baby’s name was. When I asked the employer, he said to meet the student and ask.”
I stared at No.45.
The child, who was regretful for a while when I said I was going, smiled brightly when our eyes met. I felt it last time too, but he was a really good laugher.
‘Even though I lived in such a harsh environment… … .’
I heard that the other child rescued from the research center doesn’t show a bright appearance even at the shelter. Most of them showed PTSD symptoms and complained of mental pain, so they needed intensive treatment.
“I have a name!”
While I was thinking about what name to give it, the child raised his hand and said something like that.
I’m sure you’re not referring to ‘experimental subjects’ or ‘No.45’. That’s what they would have called the child in the lab.
“oh. Did you? look at my mind I didn’t think of something as simple as asking the child first.”
and the name you hear.
“My name is Dorim! My mom built it!”
“… … .”
Coincidentally, it was a name I had heard before. The name given by a customer I met when I worked part-time at a rental friend. I couldn’t tell if it was a real name or a stage name.
‘Accident… It’s too much to say?’
Come to think of it, it was the mask the customer was wearing. It looked similar to the mask Seolchaehwa handed out during the raid on the research center.
Is that all? The overall body shape and hairstyle were quite similar to Pyo Yu-rim.
Above all, there was a crucial clue.
‘Didn’t I say that I applied for a rental friend because I was obviously going to practice with my friend?’
Coincidentally, the homework I gave Pyo Yu-rim was also about making three friends.
I was sure No, I was sure.
“Dad! hello hello! come again soon! got it?”
“I’ll be back soon. Listen carefully to your aunt. Do-rim is a good kid, so he can do well, right?”
“Yep!”
way out of the house. Dorim jumped around and waved both hands vigorously to see them off.
Seeing the child say hello, my heart is beating. I wondered if fathers with children could live with such pleasure.
‘Whatever.’
I walked diligently to the meeting place and was lost in thought.
No matter what the identity was, at the time it was a commissioned relationship in which money came and went. Since I fell asleep in the middle of work, my responsibility was greater.
It was right to be grateful to Pyo Yu-rim, who turned a blind eye to it.
‘By the way, I gave the child the name Dorim at will and told him to call me mom. cute.’
Current time 9:36. There was still room, but someone was already at the meeting place.
Coincidentally, it was a driftwood.
As I approached, she slightly averted her gaze and put on a melancholy expression. If I hadn’t realized the truth, I would have been embarrassed and stood next to it.
“You are here.”
“huh.”
As I approached, the pyoyurim responded with a characteristic inorganic voice.
“Before I came here, I went to the house where the child was for a while.”
“okay.”
“They said his name was Dorim? Is that the name you gave me?”
“… … yes.”
“Dorim. What a coincidence. well there is Yesterday, while I was working part-time, an unidentified guest called me Do-rim, saying it was his name.”
I said as if glancing over.
I said that I was grateful to the end, but I didn’t say I would move on without comment.
And the driftwood.
“Can I use it again… ?”
With a blushing face, he took out a bundle of bills from his wallet and began to pick them up.
No, wait. I never expected this kind of reaction… … .
“uh? what are you doing? Could it be that you’re ripping off Joan of Arc right now? hey I need to see this again.”
“uncle! That’s a click-click-click! Thump thump!”
It was Kang Ah-ram and Eom Na-yeon who appeared at really amazing timing.
It was unfair.