AGENT 45

He had always thought he was absolutely not addicted to his smartphone. However, throughout the entire MTR ride over to Hong Kong Island, Yongnae had nothing to look at, so his hands grew restless, and he did nothing but fidget with the crumpled piece of paper where he had written the directions to Man Mo Temple.

What should he say first when he met Seo Soo? If he started with a greeting, should it be “It’s been a while”? Or “It’s good to see you again”? Or should he get straight to the point and ask, “Did we do it at the club that day? By any chance, did you touch my anus that day?”

…It’s all weird.

Even if it were true, his questions seemed somewhat lacking in social skills. But he did want to ask.

If they had engaged in something akin to a sexual act, what did that make their relationship? If he were to stay by his side, would they be able to spend nights like that periodically? Ah…, was that the thinking of someone who had been single since birth?

What if Seo Soo found it burdensome? Should he just pretend not to know until the other side acknowledged him first? But what if, by doing that, the man thought he wanted to act as if nothing happened and just let it slide?

“Sigh…”

He would need to have been in this kind of situation before to know how to handle it. He should have tried dating back when everyone around him told him to give it a go. He had only heard of “push-and-pull” tactics; he didn’t know how to do them, and he had no idea what methods to use to develop a relationship.

If he had a smartphone, he would have hurriedly searched for it even now, but of all times, he had nowhere to gain knowledge when it was this important. For now, until he found a place to ask, he thought it would be better to pretend not to know about that day even if he met Seo Soo, and avoid bringing up talk about a relationship.

[Next station : Sheung Wan Station]

Sheung Wan Station. It was the place to get off.

Yesterday’s Hong Kong was cold, but today’s Hong Kong felt like the weather was a bit warm. Though both the cold yesterday and the warmth today were surely just a matter of mood.

Exiting the subway, Yongnae walked along the path according to the rough map he had drawn. It said it would take about 7 minutes from here to Man Mo Temple, but he felt like he would arrive in over 10 minutes.

Half of him wanted to go quickly, and half of him wanted to go slowly. He had certainly wanted to go fast and meet the man before he set out, but for some reason, the thought that he might actually meet the man while fully sober made his chest feel tight and his stomach churn, causing his steps to keep slowing down.

Unfortunately, however, the distance he thought would take at least 10 minutes ended up taking exactly 7 minutes according to the directions, perhaps because he had drawn the map too well.

Standing before the temple, which looked quite larger in scale than the exterior he had seen in photos, Yongnae hesitated to enter.

What if Seo Soo wasn’t inside? No, what if that note wasn’t meant for him in the first place? He believed with a 93% probability that it was a test meant for him, but what if that remaining 7% chance was the one that was right? What if he was currently escaping reality because of a helplessness he couldn’t handle?

If so, would he be able to handle the immense sense of depression and futility that would follow?

“…”

His dry lips met and parted a few times, making a parched sound.

Thump, thump—

Yongnae stepped through the main gate of the temple. It was because he decided that while he certainly wouldn’t be able to handle that massive depression and futility, it would be a foolish thing not to check just because he was afraid.

One way or another, this was the only option left for him now.

Cough—

They said a lot of incense was burned inside the temple, and it was true. As soon as he entered, Yongnae narrowed his eyes at the thick incense smoke that made the view ahead look hazy.

However, despite such a strong scent, his sensitive nose did not hurt. Did he actually like the smell of incense?

With the temple’s solemn atmosphere and the scent of incense, Yongnae felt his mind becoming clear and calm.

The temple seen from the front was made entirely of red and gold. And uniquely shaped spiral incense coils were hanging from the ceiling, burning away, a sight that was both peculiar and wondrous. Yongnae moved forward as if possessed.

Man Mo Temple is a Taoist temple, not a Buddhist one. It is said that they worship Man, the God of Literature (Man Cheong Je Gun), and Mo, the God of War (Guan Yu). Because of this, Hong Kong people have traditionally come here to find answers whenever there was a dispute, and Yongnae, too, was able to find an answer here.

“You came—.”

Seo Soo, who had been looking up at the incense coils hanging from the ceiling in front of the shrine, slowly turned back toward Yongnae.

“…”

The face he had longed for and dreamed of. Thoughts of pretending not to know about that day or playing “push-and-pull” immediately became laughable. Facing that face, where he would be able to do nothing but cling, Yongnae’s heart pounded so hard he mistakenly thought it was beating in his head. High-intensity pulsations echoed painfully through his skull.

“You really found me, even from 10km away.”

“…”

“I wondered if the hints were too insufficient.”

“…”

“It seems you don’t just have a good sense of smell, but you’re smart, too—.”

That pleasant-toned voice praising him sounded to Yongnae like the voice of a god, or perhaps a devil. Because this place felt like heaven right now. But because it felt so much like heaven, he wondered if it might be a hell masquerading as heaven.

“I heard you managed to escape yesterday?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m talking about Geonhwa—.”

“Geonhwa…?”

“The curly-haired one.”

“Ah…”

It was hell after all. At the fact that the man knew about yesterday’s events, Yongnae felt his heart suddenly sink for a moment, despite being captivated by the man’s beauty.

He knew that the curly-haired guy tried to kill us? Since when? Since before the warehouse was set on fire? Or after that? If it was before then, he could have died… Had he just left him to his fate?

“I wondered if you would actually make it back alive—.”

“…”

“As expected, you’re extraordinary.”

He had left him to his fate. Seo Soo had just left it be, even though he knew the curly-haired guy was going to kill them all. Why…? No, to put it bluntly, one could say that for the Black Horse Gang, but as for himself…

“…Did you, know about it?”

As for himself… Had they not shared their bodies? Of course, he didn’t know if they had actually done it or just pressed against each other, but at any rate, had they not shared an intimacy? Was that not it? At the club that day, had he really been pressing his skin against a stranger while hallucinating the man? Yongnae’s pupils shook violently in confusion.

“Of course I knew.”

“…”

“I thought it was a bit of a waste for you to die, though.”

“…”

“It’s a relief—.”

Looking at Seo Soo’s face as he smiled brightly, as if it truly were a relief, Yongnae almost had an expletive fly out of his mouth: You crazy bastard.

“Right?”

To Seo Soo? No, to himself.

He knew he was dying, yet he wanted to hurl the curse “crazy bastard” at himself, who felt a sense of joy before horror at Seo Soo’s thought that it was a “waste for him to die.”

“…Yes.”

When Yongnae nodded while staring blankly at Seo Soo, Seo Soo smiled once more as if satisfied, then turned slightly away from Yongnae and stepped further into the shrine. There, two statues dressed in red and green were enshrined side by side; those seemed to be Man and Mo. Seo Soo approached them and looked back at Yongnae once. He seemed to be signaling him to come closer.

At that, Yongnae approached Seo Soo’s side as if possessed again, and as Yongnae drew near, Seo Soo touched the large halberd standing in front of the statues and began to speak.

“This is Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and they say if you touch this, your wish will come true.”

Did Seo Soo have some kind of wish? Unlike before, Seo Soo’s expression looked dark for a moment as he touched the halberd.

“I made a wish here a long time ago, and it came true.”

“…”

“If you have a wish to make, try making one.”

But that was only for a moment; Seo Soo crinkled his eyes and smiled again, stepping aside to tell Yongnae to make a wish.

“…”

A wish. There was only one wish that came to mind right now. Yongnae reached out and touched the halberd.

Others must have made countless wishes here to win the lottery. However, he made a wish that had a higher possibility of being granted.

‘Please let me stay by Seo Soo’s side.’

Since it was a wish with a higher chance of being granted than asking to fall in love with Seo Soo, he pinned his hopes on it. For now, he was satisfied with just this.

“Did you make it?”

“…Yes.”

“You asked to be allowed to stay by my side, didn’t you?”

Was there a ghost here instead of a god?