HLSEBT - 97

97. People from Another World 1

When it was time to leave the school, traces of summer were nowhere to be found. The occasional midday heat that had visited earlier seemed to have disappeared, promising to return next year.

The students wore hoods over their uniforms. The air conditioners, which had been running furiously at the start of the semester, had stopped turning on at some point.

For Yoon Taeha, who hated the heat, these days were as satisfying as they could get.

They had come quietly, so it was only right to leave quietly. They exchanged brief farewells with the dispatch team, gathered their belongings, and exited the school.

She had briefly seen Woo Joo-han and Hong Eun-soo separately.

Woo Joo-han’s expression clearly said, “Whether you go or stay, it’s none of my business.” Hong Eun-soo, on the other hand, looked worried, warning her not to ignore his calls.

“Still haven’t decided where to get your recommendation letter?”

Just before leaving, she asked Hong Eun-soo. He replied sincerely that he hadn’t been able to decide yet.

“Is our company not good enough?”

“It’s just… I don’t feel a strong connection.”

“A connection?”

“I don’t think we’re a good fit. It’s not specifically because of Kwon Min-gi.”

Though it seemed like it was because of Kwon Min-gi.

Yoon Taeha kept her thoughts to herself and simply told him to contact her anytime if he found a company he wanted to join.

Hong Eun-soo was a promising intelligence esper, and someone easy to work with. It was natural for him to be ambitious.

Soon, an unmanned car arrived, just as it had when they first came. The two passengers greeted the invisible driver in turn and climbed into the vehicle.

• “You’ve both worked hard.”

Jet promised to safely bring them back to the Center. As soon as she got in, Yoon Taeha leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. Cheon Geonyoung spent the ride reading the news.

By the time they arrived at Yeouido, lunchtime had already passed.

Feeling slightly put off by the cafeteria, they decided to eat at a nearby bunsik restaurant instead.

The alley, now quiet after the lunch rush of office workers, felt serene. Yoon Taeha led her partner to a familiar restaurant. The owner behind the counter recognized her and greeted her warmly.

“It’s been such a long time!”

Before she even spoke, the owner rattled off the menu items she often ordered. Smiling, she confirmed her usual order, and the owner hummed a cheerful tune as he disappeared into the kitchen. The familiar aroma of rice comforted her soul.

Cheon Geonyoung was watching the news on TV. It reported that stocks related to Greenbow Corporation were rising daily due to anticipation for their new drug.

Greenbow—the company mentioned by Lee Hye-kyung.

From the orca lurking in green waters to everything green, it felt as though the world’s greens were conspiring to torment her.

As the two focused on the news, a tray laden with hearty food arrived.

“Two pork bibimbap meals. Enjoy! I added extra macaroni salad—this is your favorite, right?”

“Thank you.”

“You need to eat better. You look thinner than before!”

“It’s all muscle underneath.”

Cheon Geonyoung watched the woman’s lighthearted banter with interest. Then, he picked up his chopsticks and tried the salad she liked first.

On the opposite side, Yoon Taeha waited curiously for his evaluation, chopsticks poised. After taking a bite, he shared his thoughts.

“It’s delicious.”

“Thank goodness.”

With a relieved smile, she too turned her attention to the meal.

________________________________________

After finishing their late lunch, Yoon Taeha arrived at Building R.

Cheon Geonyoung had stepped away for a mandatory counseling session. Even without the counseling, he wouldn’t have been able to accompany her to Dr. Blue’s lab. Few agents were permitted entry into this laboratory.

“I’m still looking for a way to return. This time, I’ll definitely go.”

“That’s the 99th time you’ve said that. Aren’t you tired of it yet, Baron?”

“Have you already given up? How can you abandon returning?”

“I’ve grown fond of this place. I’m slowly getting used to the black water—it’s practically holy water waking me up every morning.”

“The idea of being a saint…”

It wasn’t uncommon to see people with striking hair colors sipping iced Americanos.

Yoon Taeha passed them by as if it were routine. After going through iris, fingerprint, voice recognition, and Jet authentication, she entered Dr. Blue’s lab.

The first to spot her was a young man with white hair, who called out cheerfully.

He was the owner of this lab.

“Taeha!”

Yoon Taeha lifted the cake box she had pre-ordered from the department store. The man approached with a bright smile.

“Is this what I wanted?”

“Have I ever refused one of your requests, Doctor?”

“You refused the photo! Consider yourself lucky I accepted the cake.”

“I can bring another one tomorrow.”

“If I keep making you run errands, Lee Hye-kyung will scold me.”

“Doctor. Here, Director Lee is your superior…”

The cheerful chatter halted as the man suddenly turned serious. Yoon Taeha paused, unsure why. “Call me by my name,” he gently chided, returning to his affectionate demeanor.

“You’ve got such a pretty new name. Why do you keep calling me ‘Doctor’?”

“But you used to say you preferred ‘Doctor.’”

“That was then; this is now.”

He flared his pristine white lab coat dramatically. His shimmering white hair, sky-blue eyes, and coat flowing like wings created a sublime combination.

“Call me Raphael.”

Yoon Taeha tried her best to smile naturally.

“Yes, Raphael.”

Raphael narrowed his eyes slightly.

“People always make strange faces when they hear my name. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Of course.”

She nodded enthusiastically.

Raphael grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the center of his lab. There stood a massive desk, the kind you’d expect in a grand banquet hall.

“The second one is still under repair.”

In the center of the desk lay what appeared to be a square experimental tank. A thin silver ring floated inside.

“Take your time.”

“When did you start rushing me?”

“This is enough.”

Yoon Taeha raised the hand wearing the black ring. A smile played on Raphael’s elegant lips.

“My masterpiece.”

“Thanks to it, I was able to finish the mission cleanly and with peace of mind.”

“That’s enough gratitude for now.”

Raphael declared it was time to eat the cake she’d brought. Yoon Taeha glanced around at the bubbling liquids of unknown origin scattered throughout the lab. This was no place to consume food.

She led the man, who had named himself so fittingly, to the lounge area. Raphael plopped down energetically onto a blue beanbag chair.

“The Center has been demanding too much from me lately. Even in our world, exploiting those below us like this would earn criticism…”

Having fully assimilated into Earth life, he passionately criticized those above him. Meanwhile, Yoon Taeha neatly sliced the cake. She removed the wrapper from a disposable fork and placed it firmly between Raphael’s clenched fists.

“This thing,” he said, raising the white fork solemnly.

“What an incredible invention. Disposable cutlery!”

Raphael examined the disposable fork as if it were a divine trident.

“Sometimes, it seems like you create incredibly convenient things from extravagant ideas. Very impressive.”

“Now that you mention it, I guess so.”

Raphael speared a piece of cake with his fork, brought it to his mouth, and closed his eyes to savor its sweetness.

Yoon Taeha, holding her own fork, turned her gaze to the large screen mounted on the wall. Information about organizations labeled as enemies of Ark scrolled past.

Orca.

Information about the orca lingered longer. Passing employees showed little interest, as if they had grown numb to it.

Raphael, still chewing his cake, followed her gaze with the fork in his mouth. With certainty, he remarked,

“These are the people you dislike, aren’t they, Taeha?”

Had her animosity been too obvious?

Yoon Taeha managed her expression and offered a faint smile. Raphael warned her that such acting didn’t work on him.

“Lately, there’s talk about how well their newly produced weapons are selling. Is it true?”

She asked casually. Raphael, picking up a piece of chocolate from the cake with his fork, replied,

“They’re disrupting market order with sheer quantity. Of course, it’s nothing compared to my creations.”

“What do you think, Raphael?”

“About what?”

His sky-blue eyes sparkled brightly.

“Do you think outsiders might be involved?”

“Outsiders like me, who crossed through the rifts…”

Yoon Taeha calmly awaited his response.

“Of course Orca has them.”

His answer was straightforward.

“We obtained and analyzed one of their weapons. It’s beyond what your powers could create.”

“…”

“They exist. Hostile outsiders.”

“Would they call themselves something like ‘Duke’ or ‘High Priest’?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Raphael seemed uninterested in outsiders like himself. The cake in front of him appeared to be his sole focus. After indulging in its sweetness, he opened his mouth again.

“They could be outsiders longing to return to their original world, or ones who wish to stay here to fulfill their desires.”

“People like that are the hardest to deal with.”

Raphael clicked his tongue as if dismissing her concern as weak.

Did he pick up expressions like this from his subordinates?

Watching him grow more Earth-like, Yoon Taeha felt a renewed sense of wonder.

“You’ve even adapted to the reality of ants crawling out of subway stations.”

As Yoon Taeha blinked blankly, he snapped his fingers in front of her to bring her back to focus.

“Why wouldn’t people adapt?”

“You’re right. Now that I think about it, you’re absolutely correct.”

“Not all outsiders are as cooperative as me.”

“That’s why everyone’s grateful to you, Raphael.”

The man with sky-blue eyes responded with a polite gentleman’s gesture.

“Speaking of which, didn’t you catch the orca’s tail while at school? I think I read it in the report.”

“I barely caught the tip of its tail.”

Seeing her bitter expression, Raphael consoled her as best he could.

“That alone is an incredible achievement. You caught something. From there, you can trace your way upward step by step.”

“Was there someone like that in the world you came from? Someone who could control others?”

His cold eyes gazed down at her, as if observing an inferior being.

At times like this, Yoon Taeha vividly realized that the man before her was someone from another world who had crossed through a rift.

“Of course.”

Raphael, having answered, plunged his fork back into the soft cake.