Clues
Foggy Rainy Night (4)

"…Coffee?"

"Yes." Yeah."

Gaon, who was unwittingly pleased, immediately bit his lips with a restless expression. His expression looked like a child, who was only given one candy a day, suddenly had a chance to get another candy and looked confused. Haa, what do you mean little boy? It was a description that had no objectivity to the extent that Ji-Won thought he was stupid. I was so scared of my own feelings. I know the disease, but unfortunately I don't know the cure.

“If Mrs. Kwon knows, I'll get in trouble. I didn't sleep well last night.”

You're not sleeping anymore? Come to think of it, his chin became sharp within a few days. When I was with her, she managed to eat well and sleep well…. What are the people next to him doing day and night? Don't they think he needs a breakthrough improvement plan? Ji-Won, whose mouth is tightly closed to avoid showing her annoyance at the people beside Gaon, closes her eyes and chuckles as she looks at Gaon's desperate expression that can't take her eyes off the coffee.

'Why doesn't anyone know what he thinks is on his face? And why do I feel like I'm running around like crazy for a girl? I wasn't always this shit, was I?'

"It's light, so you can drink it."

"really?"

"Yes. I just put in half a glass, and as I carried it, a lot of ice melted. But if you're really worried, eat half of it. In London, you drink coffee thicker than this.”

“Then..., should I?”

Gaon bit the straw in his mouth with a bright face. He honestly checked the remaining amount after each gulp without making sure he only wanted to drink half or not. Ji-Won's grief melts the ice as she sees the coffee getting smaller. I feel sorry for him. One hundred cups of coffee, if you like…. No, I'll buy you a coffee farm.

"I heard you were in the library all morning."

“Yes, it has been a long time since Jungcheon kept quiet like this.”

“When I saw you come in, you didn't look so good…. Is something bothering you?”

“Something bothers me..?”

Gaon, who repeated Ji-Won's words in a low voice, shook his head lightly. It was always burdensome to investigate one's life, but he didn't think it would be dizzying because it was his daily routine. Perhaps because he had been focusing for a long time, his eyes were a little dry and his neck was stiff, but he did not feel any discomfort. It had been a long time since he was physically exhausted, so he didn't even care anymore.

“There is no such thing. It's just that one of the dead meters is balanced. So I came here to think about his future destination.”

"Did you usually think about it all this time when such a deceased came?"

“That's how it should be, because the future of one soul depends on me. It really can't be changed.

******* heavy mixed with Gaon's sleepy voice. In fact, this was the most difficult thing for Gaon to do as a judge.

No matter how prudent and careful he makes the judgment, Gaon's decision doesn't always deliver the desired results unless he, CEO of Jungcheon, is also a perfect being. Sometimes it happens when after a long time of thought, he gives such people a chance to reincarnate, and in later life, they appear as rare assassins. And sometimes when he sends them to hell to be punished, the fragile soul, who has been deeply wounded after experiencing the rigors of hell, ends his new life early by itself.

Especially because human nature lives together, one's life affects many people around him. The killer must have created a victim, and the one who took his life caused an indelible wound in the heart of his family or lover. Sometimes a very sensitive person carries a wound engraved on his soul every time he receives a new life. Therefore, before making a judgment, he had no choice but to think carefully before making a decision.

The eyes of Ji-Won, who saw Gaon immersed in his thoughts, became slightly sharp. Gaon's calm expression was the same as CEO Jungcheon's stern face, but the *****little* at the end of the speech clearly reminded him of the weak voice he heard only once.

“Director Cha. I'm not a god. I was just fighting to get through my term safely because I was acting as a judge. Now I became more experienced and more reasonable, so even though it seemed like I recognized the old man with just his hands, at first it was really a mess.

Yeah, it's not gonna be easy. It's not normal to just hold on to your senses like this. In fact, dealing with those people themselves was exhausting. Moreover, the people the CEO met directly were fierce and brutal. No one in this world deals with such people more than the CEO.

'By the way, people who roughly deal with the dead like us regularly consult psychologists out of emotional exhaustion, but who cares about the CEO? Or is he just keeping it all to himself?'

“CEO. If you don't mind, may I ask a question?”

"You can."

“How does the CEO become the Head of Jungcheon? Have you chosen the position of Head Jungcheon since birth?”

Gaon who was suddenly asked an unexpected question, felt a little surprised. It was the first time he had received such a fundamental question in nearly a thousand years of his life. Humans simply adore or admire him as CEO of Jungcheon, and they are not interested in the process of how he became CEO.

"Why is that?"

"I'm just curious. Before becoming CEO of Jungcheon, you never said what kind of life you live. If you want to be CEO of Jungcheon, or if you have a tenure. How much time is left, what happens after your tenure ends, and so on.”

If before I became CEO of Jungcheon. Hmm. Gaon used to be a daughter who was raised with the affection of ordinary parents. No. gabe. In an era when parents are treated incompetently if they do not have children on time. But her parents could not be considered ordinary as they had just held their daughter who was over 20 years old. Gaon, who was thinking about his parents' faces after a long time, smiled bitterly. It was such a distant past that the outline of his memory blurred.

“Director Cha must be very curious.”

"Not necessarily."

I wonder because it's you . Men tend to want to know everything from the smell of shampoo to the shoe size of the woman they are interested in. They think differently than women. They do not care how they live but the person they like has a smooth life or not.

"Do you regret it?"

“I did it many times. Especially at the beginning.”

Now he could talk casually like this, but when he looked back, it was a long, long time that didn't seem to end at all. He could see the end now. Exactly how many years left…. Gaon who was still counting years suddenly looked at the time and opened his eyes slightly wide. I only drank a few sips of coffee, and it's been 30 minutes? When I spoke to Director Cha, strangely enough, my words became longer.

“I'll tell you the rest next time. I have an external schedule tomorrow, so I have to decide the fate of the deceased today.”

"Where are you going?"

“Taebaek*. Recently, there have been several cases missing near Taebaeksan Mountain, and there are places where guides who pursue the deceased are no longer accessible.”

[T/N: Taebaeksan, also known as Taebaeksan Mountain or Taebaek Mountain, is a South Korean mountain with several important peaks of the Taebaek mountain range, or Jeongmaek Taebaek Mountain. It is an important mountain in the Baekdu-daegan Baekdudaegan Mountain system, the point where it veers west after walking along the east coast of Korea for a long distance. It stretches from Taebaek town in Yeongwol-gun County, Gangwon-do Province to Bonghwa-gun County, Gyeongseongbuk-do Province.]

When Gaon finishes the conversation simply and opens the file he covered up again, Ji-Won who listens to Gaon's words becomes impatient. If he were to leave like this, he did not know when the 'next' opportunity would come.

'How much time and effort I put in to come here today. Rikkhov, Taebaek…. I had to catch up with him somehow. I need to make a reasonable excuse…. How many art museums are there on the route from here to Taebaek?'

Ji-Won, who draws a map of Gangwon-do Province on her head while running her brain at incredible speed, quickly erases the places one by one. Gyeongseong is close to Taebaek, but the routes do not overlap, and Wonju is too far from Taebaek, so it is difficult to take him away with her on the way. Chuncheon and Gangneung have very different directions. All that's left is.., it's Yeongwol.

Ji-Won breathes lightly so as not to appear urgently, and speaks with her voice as soft as possible.

“CEO, then how about I take you with me? I'm going to the ceramic art museum in Yeongwol this week. There is a special exhibition that I really want to see there.”

"Huh? Shouldn't Taebaek go far away from Yeongwol?”

“Not too far. I thought it would be too boring to go alone, so I didn't dare, but it would be great if the CEO could accompany me. The CEO needed only an hour on his way back to Seoul after finishing his business. I see that you love pottery in London…. It's not too big, but it's worth seeing at least once because it's an art museum with lots of cute pottery.”

Gaon does not nod his head willingly, though he looks tempted by Ji-Won's proposal.

“I don't know how long it will take in Taebaek. You cannot go to an art museum if it is too late.”

“Then let's eat Kalguksu in Taebaek. There is a very famous Kalguksu restaurant in Taebaek. Sometimes I remember it, but I can't go all the way to Taebaek to eat it.”

“Kalguksu*?”

[T/N: Kal-guksu ( ⁇ ) is a Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade wheat flour noodles cut into knives served in a large bowl with broth and other ingredients. It is traditionally considered a seasonal food, most commonly consumed in summer. Its name comes from the fact that the noodles are not extruded or spun, but cut.]

This time, a much more positive response came than when he was raising an art museum. As expected, people react most quickly when they target their tastes. Since she likes ramen and pasta, Ji-Won thinks she will like Kalguksu and she is not wrong.

"Yes. It's a shame to enter alone because there are so many people.”

"Do you have no one to go to?"

“I have no unemployed friends who can go to Gangwon-do during the day on weekdays. Potato pancakes there are also crunchy and very tasty. No matter how many restaurants you visit in Seoul, it doesn't feel like it.”

As Gaon gasps at the sound of potato pancakes but doesn't give permission easily, Ji-Won who is determined to win the final game puts on a grim expression.

“If you think it bothers me to follow you..”.

"That's not true. I'm comfortable if Director Cha accompanies me. As Director Cha knew, I was a person with little life desire…. It's nice to have someone as attentive and friendly as Director Cha next to me. That's because I feel sorry to bother busy people all the time.”

“I want to accompany the CEO because I want to, so you don't have to worry about that.”

"Yet…"

“CEO sometimes have to eat good food and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Speed changes are also important for job efficiency.”

Did ya? Gaon, who was only used to giving instructions and carrying out instructions without hesitation, ended up falling for Ji-Won's persistent persuasion. The fact that a London business trip with Ji-Won leaves a good impression also comes into play.

“I'll be leaving around 7am. Is that okay?"

"Yes. I'll pick you up at your house at ten to seven.”

“Director Cha will drive himself? You can go with my car.”

“No, I feel awkward and uncomfortable if I drive someone else's car. It would be better if I brought my car.”