"From the moment you saw me, you immediately ran away—doesn't that seem suspicious? What exactly did you do to me behind my back?"
"I didn’t do anything."
"Then there’s no reason to run away."
"I never ran away."
"But I saw with my own eyes you turned and fled the moment you saw me."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
I never actually intended to run away, but hearing him say that, it was true that I had turned around the moment I saw him. It might have looked like I was running away. But that wasn’t really the case...
Before I could even hesitate for a second or two, he fired off questions like a machine gun.
"Why did you run away? What crime did you commit against me? Did our eldest brother tell you to spy on me without me noticing? Or did you say bad things about Tae-i hyung? Otherwise, there’s no way you’d bolt like a startled person the moment you saw me."
"No... that's not it..."
I had no idea how to shut this man up.
Flustered, I furrowed my brows slightly and opened my mouth, but when he saw my face, he curled his eyes like a cat in satisfaction. Seeing that expression, I immediately understood. He came here to be spiteful. But why at me?
As I awkwardly watched his expression, he looked closely at every corner of my face and subtly tilted his head. Then he chuckled lightly as if thinking, "Well, well."
Taking a step back, apparently satisfied, the mischievous sparkle left his eyes, and he spoke calmly.
"You’re hard to read, but how do you manage to be so quick at reading others? You read everyone’s expression. But then, when you see my expression and show that helpless look, it just hurts people’s feelings more."
"…Did I do that? I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry."
I bowed my head obediently. I hadn’t intended it, but if he was upset enough to chase me down here, apologizing was the right thing to do.
This man clearly hated anyone seeing his vulnerable side—not intentionally revealed, but exposed anyway—whether it was envy, anxiety, or sadness.
Well, everyone feels that way. Nobody likes someone who sees through their weak points.
I nodded to myself in understanding.
"Wow, you’re stronger than you look. Carrying two watermelons and running away so fast. I thought you might be carrying something like a rubber ball with a watermelon pattern or something... Wow, that’s heavy."
Suddenly, one hand felt cooler. When I came to my senses, the watermelon strap I was holding in my right hand was gone. The young man had already taken the watermelon that I had been holding. It seemed to be the same watermelon.
Before I could say anything, the young man started walking briskly. "Wait a moment," I opened my mouth, but he turned his head with a puzzled look.
"Aren’t you heading back to the backpacker? This should be the right direction."
"Yes, it is, but... aren't you going back to the market?"
"I wish you would leave? Huh, am I really that unlikable? What’s the problem? My face?"
He frowned strangely, tilting his head repeatedly. "No one’s ever avoided me like this," he muttered. Then, turning back a few steps ahead, he smiled brightly and said sharply:
"I’m going to stop here for today. I want to see Tae-i hyung more, but there’s something unpleasant stuck right next to him, so my patience wears thin."
"...Isn’t Ling Xinlu’s place this way?"
"How did you know that?"
Pretending to be surprised, he blinked innocently, and I closed my mouth.
It’s basic to check out someone who could be dangerous. Even the fact that he showed up right in front of me meant he probably never expected me to ignore him.
"You’re so cruel, suspecting someone who met you by chance and even carries heavy watermelons for you."
"........."
"Did you tell Tae-i hyung everything about meeting me?"
The young man asked as he reluctantly started to walk along with me. I shook my head. I had no intention of helping him, but neither did I want to deliberately tell everything and make things worse for him—though it seemed pointless now that everything was out in the open.
Honestly, as long as it didn’t interfere with finding Jeong Jae-ui, I had no intention to interfere.
“Yuri Gable. 36 years old. Born March 30, Aries. Blood type O. Only child of German Gustav Gable and British Natalie Watson. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, but moved to Berlin, Germany before her first birthday. Parents divorced when she was 13, she spent her youth in Birmingham, UK, then returned to Berlin to enter Free University. Dropped out after six months, worked briefly at T&R, then moved to the National Intelligence Service at 27, resigned after two years, and returned to T&R, current status.”
In a quiet, deserted alley that didn’t feel dangerous, the young man rattled off this long information in one breath. I glanced at him. He hadn’t looked at me at all until he finished “current status.” Then he turned his head and smiled.
"Is there any mistake?"
"No."
"Actually, I know even more detailed stuff, but I summarized it because I thought you’d get bored."
He smiled like a child waiting for praise for doing well. I just stared silently.
Indeed, that meant he also knew a lot about me.
I nodded without any displeasure, as I had no shameful past to hide.
"Does it bother you?"
The young man grinned, watching my face. I paused to think, then calmly answered:
“If I were Jeong Tae’s, I’d say, ‘I’m not upset that you checked my personal details, but I am upset that you asked if I’m not upset.’”
The young man fell silent, his smile disappeared instantly. Watching him, I added indifferently:
“But I’m not really upset.”
".......xxxx........."
He muttered something in his native language. Though I didn’t bother translating, I guessed it meant something like "this bastard."
The young man’s face grew grim and fierce, but oddly, I felt a little lighter.
“But you said that knowing I’d be upset.”
Though he spoke coldly, I didn’t answer. The silence seemed to acknowledge my unspoken yes. He glared at me fiercely once more, but perhaps realizing he had provoked first, he seemed to drop the topic.
“I know this much about Tae-i hyung too. Actually, I know a lot more—what hospital, exact time and date of birth, what vaccinations he had on which days.”
“...You have a great memory.”
He sharpened his eyes again. After reading my expression, he hid his sharp gaze.
“Maybe you don’t know, but Tae-i hyung originally liked me. But that crazy guy showed up late and stole him away.”
“Is that so?”
I gave a look that said “really?” and fell in step with the young man again.
“We were doing fine without any problems, but that bastard sneakily stole him. We had an agreement not to touch each other’s hyung, but he broke that too.”
Swearing about that despicable and shameless person, the young man’s eyes burned brightly. It looked like fierce fire was about to blaze from his gaze.
“I’ll never forgive him.”
He muttered quietly under his breath. I glanced at him briefly and looked forward silently.
A long silence stretched out. Only slow footsteps on the firm dirt path echoed.
“Gable, your first love who gave up a part of their youth?”
Suddenly, the young man asked. First love? I racked my mind but couldn’t recall anything and asked back.
“Is that information not in my data?”
“Dolores from next door, who you used to play with at twelve? Brenda, who dated you for two months at sixteen but dumped you for another guy? Annette, who worked as your partner at the intelligence agency for a while?”
Hearing those names, I remembered those women who had briefly passed through my life, then shook my head.
“I don’t think so... No, I don’t have one.”
Saying that, I felt a small shock in my heart.
I couldn’t believe I’d never thought about it before, and even after thinking, it was unbelievable—I never had a definite first love. That didn’t mean I lived without loving anyone. I’d dated several women, not just casually, and I still have memories of cherishing and loving each one.
But like the young man said, I had no memory of a love to which I gave my entire youth. I had no intense feelings that swept through my body and mind.
Maybe I’m a very dull person, I suddenly realized, feeling a little sad.
The young man, who was quietly watching me, smiled slightly. That smile, as if he had won something, annoyed me. As if he read even my twisted mood, he patted my shoulder in a kindly comforting way.
“Well, don’t be too gloomy. You probably do have it if you think about it. Even once, a moment when you lost your mind or couldn’t take your eyes off someone.”
“Better say you don’t,” he said irresponsibly with a grin. He seemed satisfied at last. What a foul temper.
I gave the young man a sharp look as he stepped ahead. Then I tried once again, more desperately than before, to search my memories. Had there ever been someone who captured my heart and eyes?
"........."
There was.
I remembered right away without much thought. The memory was too vivid. Even after that, I often recalled it spontaneously.
I must have unknowingly slowed my pace. The young man, who had been a few steps ahead, turned around. Seeing me gazing blankly at him, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“You do have someone?”
He looked disappointed that his grudge was spoiled. I nodded silently and regained my slower pace. I heard him click his tongue in frustration.
I looked at the young man’s slanted profile just ahead of me.
A bright, beautiful flower blossomed underwater.
It only existed for a moment, but it was the most beautiful life I had ever seen or felt underwater.
Even now, that image remained clear.
...Thump.
Suddenly, my heart pounded loudly.
I tilted my head in surprise.
It didn’t hurt, but the dull thudding was clear, like a passion from early childhood that had briefly awakened after being forgotten.
“Huh...?”
As I slowed down again, the young man looked back. I stared silently at him holding the watermelon lightly with one arm. He looked at me as if to ask why.
“...Hair.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a grasshopper in your hair...”
I muttered something that caught my eye. Actually, there was no bug in my head, but my eyes and mouth just moved in sync.
The young man frowned and flicked his hair with the hand not holding the watermelon. The grasshopper that had been sitting there flew off and landed on the other side.
“Done?”
“No, it landed on the opposite side.”
As I mumbled absently, the young man switched the watermelon to the other arm and shook that side of my hair. The bug flew up again and, spitefully, landed back where he had just brushed it off.
I walked over to him and made a gentle patting motion above his head. The bug eventually gave up and flew away as I waved my hand in the air.
Throughout, my eyes never left him. He, too, looked at me steadily. The young man, who was exploring me with a piercing gaze, finally thought of something and smiled thinly like a mischievous cat.
“Done.”
I said shortly, and this time he walked ahead. Then, quickly catching up, he stood beside me.
“Thanks. I hate bugs.”
“Is that so? It was a small grasshopper. Harmless.”
“But bugs are bugs. I hate them. Grasshoppers, flies, larvae…”
"........."
“But in some cases, I don’t hate ‘people bugs’ as much. They’re interesting.”
I only turned my eyes to look at him. He was happily moving the watermelon back and forth between his hands like a rubber ball.
“You’re quite strong...”
“Stronger than I look?”
Before I could say this, he laughed and added knowingly. Apparently, he had heard this a lot.
“Since I was young, a lot of people bugs have swarmed around me. Understandable, right? Good looks, smart, solid background, plenty of money, and a gentle personality. Anyone would be bewitched. But because of this, not only harmless bugs swarmed. What can I do? I worked out a bit. So now I’m stronger than most people.”
“I’ve never lost arm wrestling,” he said, flexing a nice arm that didn’t look bulky or rugged, possibly hidden by clothing.
I recalled Ling Tangyun once mentioning his youngest sibling joining UNHRDO as a chief. That selection process was notoriously tough, so his stamina must be exceptional.
“That must be nice.”
I’m not badly conditioned, but since my work mainly depends on brain and intuition, I sometimes felt my stamina lacking. When I met others in similar work, I often envied those with better endurance. I sincerely envied this young man’s youth and strength. Even now, my arms holding the watermelon were starting to ache heavily, but he was tossing it around like a rubber ball.
When I murmured this, he burst out laughing. He met my puzzled look with eyes crinkling beautifully.
“Gable, you’re kind of fun. It sounds sarcastic, but it’s a strange talent—I don’t hear it as sarcasm at all.”
“? I wasn’t sarcastic.”
“I know.”
He laughed heartily and waved his hand lightly, then toned down his laughter.
“Anyway, I don’t hate people bugs entirely. It’s fun to watch them buzz around me, flapping away at a gesture, then fluttering back.”
I wondered why he kept staring at me so intently from earlier. After a moment, I realized his gaze related to what he was saying.
“Am I the bug?”
“Ahaha, I didn’t mean that.”
I shook my head in disbelief, but his gaze never left me. It seemed he was scanning every corner of my face for something subtle.
I stared back, carefully studying his eyes, nose, and mouth.
...My heart seemed to beat again.
Then the young man frowned slightly—like a twisted smile, smiling with furrowed brows—and tilted his head.
“Wow... you really have a blank expression. I’m usually sharp at reading eyes looking at me, but now I’m at a loss... Or are you looking for some other reason?”
Half talking to himself, he paused, then asked,
“Did eldest hyung tell you to spy on me? Of course, he probably told you to watch me carefully and take care of me.”
“...He said to watch me carefully so I don’t get seriously hurt.”
“Oh, so that was it.”
The young man clicked his tongue in disappointment again. He usually walks fast, but since I wasn’t trying to keep up, he went a few steps ahead, then tilted his head and looked back.
“This is boring, and I’m getting sleepy. I’m going now.”
With that, he nonchalantly tossed the watermelon he’d been holding like a basketball with one hand.
Startled, I quickly shifted the watermelon to one arm and caught the flying watermelon with my empty hand. Luckily, I didn’t drop it, but the heavy watermelon slammed painfully against my ribs.
I let out a low groan, and only after a few seconds did I manage to straighten my bent body. The young man had already disappeared far down the dim alley. I watched his back. He seemed uninterested and left without even looking back. Unexpectedly, I shouted out:
“What’s the standard between people and bugs?”
The word “bug” itself wasn’t unpleasant. In my life, I’d been cursed and insulted in every way, including swear words and curses, so that level of language felt trivial. Also, I think insults reflect the speaker’s problems, not the listener’s, so I didn’t care much.
But somehow, now it bothered me—not unpleasantly, but with a feeling of regret or bitterness.
The young man stopped and looked back. His eyes, wide as if surprised that I asked such a question, narrowed with a smile as he looked up thoughtfully.
“People and bugs… in any sense—good or bad—maybe it’s whether I recognize the other even a little seriously or not? Oh, did that upset you?”
If I asked, “Am I the latter?” he’d probably grin silently for a moment and say “No way,” with a casual lie. Somehow, I felt like I knew this young man well enough to guess that.
“...No. Be careful on your way home.”
When I said that, he smiled even more beautifully and waved his arms widely. Then, turning, he walked away more lightly than before.
Watching his back silently, my honest heart felt a bit down. And I was aware of it. It was the first time, at least in my memory, that my emotions were swayed by someone else’s reaction.
So I, with my sharp intuition, soon realized why I was feeling down, why the watermelon felt unusually heavy, and why my heart had been thumping slowly but clearly from a while ago.
I think I need to go out for a while.
Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to confirm Jeong Jae-ui’s whereabouts.
“I won’t be here for two or three days from tomorrow. If you need anything, ask Anna. If it’s urgent, contact me. My phone will work.”
“Oh, yes. Going far?”
“Not that far. Just to Sanae.”
There’s someone there who’s been a close friend of Al Faisal since his student days in the UK. It’s also the last known place before Selinge. Maybe checking there will bear fruit. Jeong Tae-i, watching my calm response, muttered ambiguously, “I see. If it’s not far, then it’s not far.”
Jeong Tae-i, sitting alone in a spacious outdoor lounge watching a soccer broadcast, said to me as he made room beside him, “Is this Germany vs. Italy?”
Even though there was plenty of space for two or three more people to sit.
“Somehow, you watch your home country’s games harder when you’re abroad.”
Jeong Tae-i said to me, who had been traveling overseas for a while looking for Jeong Jae-ui. But when I responded with a casual “Is that so?” as if it were someone else’s story, he made an ambiguous face again.
“I never really cheered for my home country. Sports have wins and losses, so as long as it’s fun, that’s enough. By the way, is the East Asian region more nationalistic?”
“Well, I don’t put much meaning on winning or losing either, but I tend to cheer for my country hoping for a win.”
Jeong Tae-i said nostalgically that when Korea played Germany, he had quietly cheered for his homeland alone while sitting with Kyle’s family. I imagined that the Leegrow brothers weren’t very excited and watched calmly, while probably Peter and Jeong Tae-i fiercely competed.
Well, overall national character aside, whether you care more about winning or losing depends more on individual personality.