IMPRINT 47

A few hours later, around the time Kang Juha’s investigation was wrapping up, I suddenly felt a bit stifled, so I stepped out of the office.

That’s right. It was just an excuse. I found myself strangely bothered by Kang Juha’s empty seat and couldn’t focus properly on my work; I had come out to meet him to fill that void.

There was also the concern that something might happen.

Others might scold me, wondering what could possibly happen to a fully grown adult male walking less than fifteen minutes from the main building to the National Security Bureau, but I wasn’t worried about Kang Juha. On the contrary, I was worried about what Kang Juha might do.

After all, doesn’t he have a track record? That’s exactly why he’s wearing those glorious restraints around his neck.

Hating the beating sun, I stopped roughly under the shade of a large nearby tree. Perhaps because it had just become lunchtime, employees were pouring out of the main building and the National Security Bureau like a flood. Everyone was heading toward the cafeteria building.

There weren’t many people who would recognize me, but just in case we accidentally made eye contact, I did my best to stare into space with a blurry focus. I even subtly flipped over the employee ID hanging from my neck so the department and position wouldn’t be visible.

“Sigh…”

If I had known there would be this many people, I shouldn’t have sent Juyoung to the Director’s office first.

“Team Leader?”

At the voice heard in that instant, I turned my head, thinking it was Kang Juha. However, what appeared before my eyes was none other than the staff members of my team. Seeing the grouped-up crowd, they seemed to be the employees who worked in the same office…

But why are they talking to me?

“Yes?”

“Why are you standing here? Have you eaten?”

“Oh… no. Not yet.”

While I was giving an awkward answer, busily rolling my brain to grasp the situation, I unfortunately made eye contact again with the employee I had locked eyes with through the elevator door gap this morning.

“Hello, Team Leader…!”

“Ah, hello.”

My voice sounded awkward as I returned the greeting. I didn’t even know what kind of expression to make, so my facial muscles stiffened vaguely.

“Since you said you haven’t eaten yet… since we’ve run into each other, would you like to have a meal together?”

Eat… together?

Ever since joining the National Security Bureau, I had never had a meal with anyone other than Juyoung or Director Shin. In the first place, it wasn’t a place with a company dinner culture, and even if there were, it was a culture that would have disappeared the moment I became Team Leader.

“Yes, let’s eat together!”

At the voices bursting out as if encouraging it, I unconsciously missed the timing to refuse.

“Okay…”

Only after answering in a daze did I think of Kang Juha, who would soon be leaving the main building, and Juyoung or Director Shin, who would be preparing for lunch ahead of time. However, I couldn’t stop the team members, who had already started talking excitedly about what today’s cafeteria menu was.

It can’t be helped.

“Before that, I have one person I need to meet briefly. Would that be alright?”

“Yes! We’ll wait for you here. Please go ahead.”

The team members nodded willingly and huddled together under the tree’s shade. Leaving them behind, I hurried toward the front of the main building.

Just in time, I saw Kang Juha coming out through the glass doors. At the moment I was about to raise my hand in case he hadn’t seen me, his expressionless face was suddenly filled with bright vitality.

Before I could stop him, Kang Juha ran toward me at a fast pace. Thump—just like that, I ended up being hugged in his arms with one hand still awkwardly raised.

“Did you come to pick me up? I love this so much.”

My body froze stiffly at the voice whispering lowly. Shouldn’t people only show this kind of reaction if they haven’t seen each other for a month—no, at least several days?

The time I had been apart from Kang Juha was only a few hours or so. To be precise, roughly from nine o’clock to twelve o’clock, a mere three hours had passed. Since we went out in the morning and it had just reached noon.

“Mr. Kang Juha, wait. Just a moment. We’re outside right now, aren’t we? There are people watching, so please refrain from this kind of…”

I barely managed to push away his hard, heavy upper body. I let out a hollow laugh involuntarily seeing his bright face, wondering what was so great about being pushed away.

“Are you that happy to see me?”

As I threw out the question, I thought: I feel like I’ve heard this question somewhere…

Ah, I remember. It was a question of a similar nature to the one I asked Juyoung this morning.

At the very least, it seemed there was no need to ask that question to Kang Juha. If he were a puppy, a large tail would surely have been swish-swish wagging.

“Yes. It was painful because there were nothing but musty Misters inside…”

Musty Misters… while that’s true, isn’t he being a bit too honest?

Looking at it now, it seemed the reason Kang Juha suddenly hugged me was because he was suffering from the musty smell. Seeing him bury his nose in the nape of my neck again, making my effort to pull him away useless.

“Uh… Mr. Kang Juha, I’m a Mister too.”

I was only in my early thirties, but it was an age where I could accept it if I were called a Mister.

“I like your body scent, Teacher.”

No, don’t say such perverted things.

“Anyway, Mr. Kang Juha and I use the same body wash, so we smell the same.”

So please, instead of my body scent, just smell your own body scent to your heart’s content.

Whether he understood the underlying meaning or not, Kang Juha’s expression changed strangely. I don’t know why, but his gaze seemed to have become a bit deep—what is this?

“There isn’t even any cold water here, so what am I supposed to do if you say things like that?”

Cold water? Why cold water all of a sudden? It doesn’t seem like he’s asking because he’s thirsty?

Ah… no way. Ah… aaaagh…!

I barely suppressed the scream that wanted to burst out with my social persona. I really think this guy is out of his mind?

“When was the last time we did a brain scan? I think we need to take a look inside today.”

I don’t know where the circuits went wrong, but no matter how much being healthy is a good thing, is there a need to be this healthy? Wouldn’t it be okay to be a little less healthy?

While I was thinking that I should check if something had gone wrong with his brain, Kang Juha, who was staring behind me, suddenly pulled my arm and placed me behind him.

“What is it this time…”

“Was this the person you were meeting?”

Because I was being forced to turn my body due to Kang Juha, I had no choice but to crane my neck completely to look behind.

Naturally, my team members were standing there.

“Ah, yes. This is Esper Kang Juha from the Field Operations Division.”

“Of course I know. Nice to meet you. I’m Jung Yun-seok from the National Security Bureau Information Team.”

One of the team members extended a hand toward Kang Juha first. Kang Juha turned his head to look at me once and then stared at that hand.

I know he isn’t actually a child, and that he’s someone who has been in society as long as I have, but perhaps because he has lived isolated in such a special environment, my heart began to pound as if I had left a child by the water.

He won’t attack a team member here, will he?

“I’m Kang Juha.”

“Phew…”

Perhaps I let out a sigh too loudly, as everyone’s gaze gathered on me.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that I was moved by the fact that Kang Juha had properly exchanged greetings with the team members.

While Kang Juha shook hands with the team members in turn, I lightly tapped his shoulder. It was a praise of sorts, saying he did well.

Now I just had to send him safely to the Director’s office.

“Um, Mr. Kang Juha?”

“Yes.”

“Since I’ve decided to have lunch with my team members today.”

“…And?”

“So about that, I’m thinking it might be better to have meals separately today. They say Secretary Park is already at the Director’s office, so, together with…”

“Fine.”

I thought he would say no, but contrary to expectations, Kang Juha gave an affirmative answer at once.

“That’s a relief. Then go to the Director’s office and…”

“We can just go together, right?”

“Pardon?”

“I can just eat together with your team members, Teacher.”

“No, that’s true, but… are you going to eat with us too, Mr. Kang Juha?”

“Then were you planning to go without me?”

He spoke so confidently that for a moment, I almost mistook him for an employee belonging to the National Security Bureau Information Team. At the same time, I was even at a loss for words, unable to give the answer that I had obviously intended to do so, and was left stunned.

Silence fell.

I couldn’t even say I was planning to send him off and only eat with those from the Information Team, as that would make it look like I was ridiculously drawing lines between us.

Furthermore, having seen with my own two eyes exactly what kind of treatment and handling he was receiving in his original department, the Field Operations Division, I was in no position to talk about departmental belonging.

The team members’ eyes rolled busily in silence. It seemed no one had expected Kang Juha to join them. It was natural. I myself hadn’t expected this situation either.

Even counting by the number of people present, there were five, yet everyone kept their mouths shut as if saying even one word would cause a disaster. In the meantime, I calculated that it would be faster to ask for the team members’ understanding than to persuade Kang Juha.

“For lunch today, would it be alright if Esper Kang Juha joins us?”

“Oh, oh my. Of course it’s fine with us. Right?”

“Yes! Let’s go together…!”