DEARG Ch 1

“We hope you had a pleasant journey with our airline today. We wish you a safe trip to your destination. Thank you.”

As the in-flight announcement began, the passengers started to move about busily. Even before the seatbelt sign had turned off, people could be seen standing up here and there.

Jo Jihyun swallowed and rubbed his temples. The nightmare he had just before takeoff felt like it was on the verge of returning, yet it remained elusive. It felt like a piece of food he could not swallow was stuck in his throat.

“May I help you?”

A flight attendant with a neat appearance approached him, wearing a smile. She was assisting the passengers in first and business class to disembark in order.

“I’m fine.”

Jo Jihyun picked up his bag and rose from his seat. The moment he stepped into the jet bridge connected to the plane, a uniquely musty smell pierced the tip of his nose. He had already sent his luggage from New York, so there was nothing for him to pick up.

“I have been waiting for you.”

A man who had been waiting for Jo Jihyun at the entrance rushed over.

“I apologize. The flight was a bit delayed.”

“I was notified in advance. I have the car waiting.”

Jo Jihyun pressed his temples firmly as he walked, following the man. He was tired. The long flight time was part of it, but more than anything, the fact that he had returned to this place again filled him with a sense of weariness. He sat in the back seat of the car and closed his eyes. Only when the car, which had been driving for some time, was crossing the Han River did Jo Jihyun open his eyes. An abnormally large moon hung behind the buildings. The feeling was more bizarre than it was beautiful.

“Have you seen the news?”

The voice from the driver’s seat brought Jo Jihyun abruptly back to reality.

“Pardon?”

“They say a large asteroid will be approaching Earth in a few weeks. I heard it’s half the size of New York.”

He recalled the news that had called it the greatest space show on Earth, a spectacular meteor shower.

“Is that so.”

“If an asteroid that big were to hit, would the Earth be destroyed?”

“I wonder.”

A listless response followed.

“Hahaha. My savings account matures next month, so I think I would feel a bit wronged if that happened. It would be a different story if I could at least spend all my money and then die.”

Jo Jihyun closed his eyes again at the voice that chattered on weightlessly about the end of the world. After rambling for a few more sentences, the man fell silent when no reply came.

The car glided into the parking garage of a luxury residential and commercial complex. The headache continued as he exited the garage and took the elevator up.

“I have prepared everything as you requested.”

The man said with an exceedingly confident attitude as he opened the front door. He had every reason to be. It was a luxurious apartment, more than enough for someone living alone.

“If there is anything else you need…”

“It’s fine. I will take care of it myself.”

It was a gentle way of asking him to leave now. The man bowed his head, left a remark to contact him anytime if he needed anything, and then closed the door and disappeared. Jo Jihyun tossed the bag he was holding onto the sofa.

He went straight to the bathroom. He had been sitting on the plane for nearly twenty hours because of the delay. Other than the thought of wanting to take a hot shower, he felt no other desires.

After taking off all his clothes, he walked into the shower stall.

“Yes. I arrived safely.”

He answered perfunctorily, holding his phone against his shoulder. He opened the refrigerator, but aside from bottled water, there was no real food to be seen.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I will take care of things myself. Yes. I’m hanging up now.”

Finishing the call, Jo Jihyun sat on the sofa. Once the shower had melted away his fatigue, another desire arose.

“Haaah….”

Because of the turbulence, he had not even properly eaten the in-flight meal provided on the plane. It was no different from having starved for an entire day. He checked the clock. Going out to find a restaurant at this hour would be a chore. Since he had just moved in today, there was no way he would know any of the local delivery places. After a moment of thought, he searched for a pizza place on his phone and made a call. After giving his address and placing a rough order, he leaned his body against the sofa.

He felt his body go strangely limp. How much time had passed? The bell rang. He slowly raised his body and picked up the intercom receiver.

「Hello. This is the lobby. A delivery has arrived for unit 4802. Please confirm.」

“Yes. Send him up.”

So they checked from the lobby because it was a luxury apartment. The thought that it was a hassle came before the thought that it was safe. Not long after, the doorbell rang at the entrance. Normally, he would have checked who it was one more time, but he did not have the energy for that right now. He opened the door. Big. That was his first impression of the deliveryman.

“Please put it down there.”

He pointed to the floor. He took a card out of his wallet. He had not had a chance to withdraw cash yet, having returned to the country in a hurry.

“Do you take credit cards?”

Instead of an answer, the deliveryman held out a card reader. While the card payment was being processed, Jo Jihyun looked down at the pizza box. In truth, he was not particularly fond of pizza. It was just the first thing that had come to mind.

The deliveryman, having completed the payment, held out the card. Jo Jihyun thought to himself what a very quiet deliveryman this was, as he took the card. The deliveryman bowed his head and turned to leave. There was not even a common phrase like, enjoy your meal, or anything of the sort. Just as the door was about to close, the deliveryman’s wrist came into Jo Jihyun’s line of sight. No, to be precise, it was the words tattooed on his wrist.

Dear.

The characters that followed disappeared into his sleeve. Jo Jihyun’s eyes widened.

The door closed.

A door in his memory opened.