KEG 6
“Seongho-ssi, have you finished clearing all the residual energy from Room 5?”
“Yes. Please let the bereaved family know they can come in.”
Espers emit contaminated energy when they die.
That’s why we needed a separate cleaning crew wearing special protective suits to clean it up, and I ended up being assigned to that job.
I was immune to the contamination, and this place wanted non-regular workers – they didn’t care about academic background, work experience, or criminal records – so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
“Have some of these while you work. Thanks for your hard work.”
The nurse slipped two tangerines into my pocket and gave me a mischievous grin. I just nodded in thanks and pushed the trolley back toward the storage room.
They say all places where people live are similar, but this place was different.
The people I met when I was a loan shark. The people I met when I was in the military. The people I meet now as a hospital janitor. They were all from different professions, each with their own distinct character.
The world is vast, and there are so many people.
“No, I don’t want it!”
Lost in my thoughts as I walked, I heard a young child throwing a tantrum from one of the hospital rooms.
“I don’t want to eat it! It tastes bad!”
“You still have to eat it! Are you going to be disobedient?!”
It was a kid who had taken a bed in the hospice ward for Espers at the age of 13.
He had awakened to his powers at an even younger age than he was now, and had been raised in near-seclusion by his parents, only to be swept up in a gate incident where he lost his abilities and began life-sustaining treatment. Though he looked small and frail, he had saved the lives of over 30 people.
“Why are you making me so sad!”
Crash!
A stainless steel cup filled with water, presumably brought to feed the child, was hurled to the floor.
“Waaah-!”
Then the mother burst into tears. That childlike wailing was coming from her.
I’d seen plenty of kids throwing tantrums and crying, but this was the first time I’d seen a parent wailing like that.
Swish-swish-
“……?”
Without a word, I entered the hospital room and mopped the water-soaked floor. After all, I was being paid to do this job, so I had to do my duty faithfully.
“…Sir, what are you?”
“A janitor.”
I took a tangerine out of my pocket, handed one to the child, and placed another by the mother’s head as she lay face-down.
Upon seeing this, the child picked up the tangerine by his mother’s head and placed it on top of her hair, then watched with a mischievous expression to see if it would roll off or not.
“Kim Minjun, you…!”
The mother lifted her head from the bed and growled at him again.
The child in the bed replied as if used to it at that reaction.
“Anyway, I’m not eating it. Stop bringing me herbal medicine all the time. It tastes bad.”
“Who takes medicine for the taste….”
Mum mumbled something in her defense, saying it was good for his health, and trailed off. Then she took the tangerine from her head and peeled it with her reddened eyes.
“It’s a Red Hyang1. This one’s delicious. You know that, right?”
“I know. Ah~”
The mother put one tangerine into the child’s mouth and put one into her own mouth as well.
It was strange how, after screaming and fighting just moments ago, the situation had ended as if nothing had happened, without any forgiveness or reconciliation.
I watched for a moment, then bent down to pick up the dented stainless steel cup. When the mother saw the cup, she laughed awkwardly, “Oh.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll pay for it. How much is it?”
“Please ask at the front desk, not me.”
I handed over the cup, turned around, and walked out of the hospital room.
Or rather, that was my intention. It would have been easy enough if it weren’t for the figure blocking my path.
“If I ask the front desk, will they tell me how much it is?”
He was the guy who’d been pestering me for a while now.
A guy whose subtle, observant gaze was annoying.
I ignored him, shooed him away, and pushed the cart toward the storage room.
“What’s your name?”
The guy followed me around unconcernedly and asked meaningless questions again today.
My name tag is right there, why doesn’t he just read it? Can’t he read?
“How old are you?”
Clatter.
The sound of the trolley rolling across the glossy white floor echoed quietly.
“Do you have time after this?”
We finally reached the storage room and the guy followed me inside. It was almost lunchtime; at this rate, he would follow me all the way to my meal.
“How did you kill Kim Hanseong?”
My body stiffened instantly. I realized I’d just fallen into his trap. I should have acted like nothing was wrong. It was a mistake.
“Why are you getting ahead of me? It’s mine.”
I didn’t answer.
It would be dangerous to say something careless to someone I hadn’t fully figured out yet.
“Still not answering? Is your mouth glued shut?”
The other person’s hand reached toward my mouth. I slapped it away.
“Ouch~”
“Go away.”
When I spoke aloud, the other person’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“Wow, you actually answered me for the first time~”
It was as if he’d heard some strange animal cry. Human voices all sound the same, stop overreacting
“Did you feel like talking to me?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Just because.”
What kind of conversation am I supposed to have with someone who’s asking if I killed a person? Should I tremble in fear and ask him how he knew?
Or should I kill him to get rid of a witness?
In any case, my plan was flawless. There was no evidence anywhere that I killed Kim Hanseong. The money I received from him was laundered cash that wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.
“What would it take to get you to talk to me~”
“If you’re gonna spout bullshit, pay for it first.”
As long as he paid, I had no reason to refuse. I didn’t know who the hell he was, but if he was willing to buy my time with money, I was willing to sell it.
My remark made him chuckle lightly.
And then.
“I don’t have any cash on me right now~”
Smack.
The other person pressed his lips against my ear.
“It’s prepaid…”
Smack!
“Have you lost your mind, you fucking bastard?”
I slapped him across the face.
He claimed not to have cash just to rub lips against my face. I wanted to chop him up and feed him to the animals.
“Whoa, you’re a guide?”
The other person tilted his head and said it with an air of curiosity.
I don’t even know how to guide, and I’ve never done it before, how did he figure that out?
And more importantly, his face didn’t even turn red, even though I hit him pretty hard.
“…I guess you’re an Esper.”
The other person smiled at me.
He’s at least an A-class Esper. The sensation when I hit him was solid, exactly the same satisfying feel I get when I beat the crap out of those damn high-class Esper bastards.
“Your mental contamination must be pretty severe. How are you even alive? I almost threw up just now.”
He pressed his face right up to mine until his breath brushed against my skin, and kept asking questions.
Whack!
“Pay up, you bastard.”
I landed a direct hit to his face.
He must keep coming in because he wanted to get hit. Or maybe he lacked the ability to learn, or he just didn’t think.
Ignorance is a sin too.
“I asked how much! Do I have to ask the front desk? Seriously?”
The guy was unharmed; he dodged my punch and stared at me before asking again.
I’d never thought about the exact amount, so I hesitated for a moment before realizing it was almost lunchtime.
“5,000 won.”
That was the employee discount price for the hospital cafeteria meal ticket.
***
“Just kill one Esper for me.”
He had been hacking away at a pork cutlet he wasn’t even eating with his knife when he suddenly got to the point.
“You’re a janitor, right?”
“I’m not the kind of janitor who cleans people.”
I finished my meal in under five minutes, and, feeling pleasantly full, picked up the toothbrush set I’d brought with me.
The first habit I’d picked up after being discharged from the military was brushing my teeth immediately after eating, and it felt so refreshing to do something I hadn’t been able to do on the front lines without any reservations. It might seem like nothing, but back there, I’d truly longed for these small, trivial acts.
“You really are a cleaning expert, Warrant Officer Ha Seongho?”
The guy acted all familiar; he even clicked his tongue as he spoke.
I’d already done a thorough background check on exactly what kind of scumbag he was, so I was at a loss for words. This wasn’t a conversation; it was closer to an order or a threat.
“Let’s not talk nonsense after eating a hot meal.”
“How about 1 billion won?”
The somewhat outrageous sum made me freeze in my tracks as I was about to stand up.
“I prefer things that can be settled with money. It’s easier that way.”
He smiled as he watched me freeze.
I felt irritated. When would that smug grin of his turn into a tearful face? Maybe I really should beat him to a pulp on a rainy day.
“Is this really a conversation we should be having out here?”
“It seems I need 1.05 billion won just to talk to Ha Seongho. That’s way too expensive~”
I looked around again. The cafeteria, which had been teeming with people just moments ago, was now completely empty, not a soul in sight.
It must be a personal barrier. In the blink of an eye, he and I were left alone in an illusory world, completely cut off from reality.
“I’m an E-class Guide. My physical abilities are just a little better than an average person’s.”
I took a step back for now. While 1 billion won was tempting, I could get into trouble if I took it on a whim. I needed to see how he would react.
“But you can kill an Esper, right?”
“Didn’t you already know that?”
“Hearing it from your own mouth is a different story~”
I stared at him for a moment, then nodded. He seemed satisfied; he set the knife down and rested his chin on the table.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!