TIC 03
by KANBack in his office, Min-hyun didn’t sit at his desk but walked to the window. Teaching assistant Ma, who had followed him in, looked around nervously. But Min-hyun didn’t feel the need to pay attention to his pathetic teaching assistant.
It was clear that the trunks had been swapped while Teaching assistant Ma had fallen in the crowd. He had insisted on taking the trunk that Min-hyun had been pulling and had ended up causing an accident.
“That’s really strange, Professor. I mean, even if there are identical trunks, how could the passwords be the same?”
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Min-hyun turned to Teaching assistant Ma with cold, hardened eyes and muttered, “That’s quite strange.”
A smile tried to form on Teaching assistant Ma’s previously dejected face, happy that Min-hyun had finally acknowledged him.
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“And, am I supposed to agree with you?”
Teaching assistant Ma’s face crumpled like an anteater at the short reply.
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“I’m sorry.”
There was a luggage tag on the handle, but the paper with the contact details was nowhere to be found. Since it was carry-on luggage, there was no baggage claim tag either.
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“Contact the airline and the airport. See if there have been any reports of switched trunks.”
Min-hyun could only hope that whoever had taken his trunk hadn’t thrown it away carelessly.
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“I’ve just contacted the airline. We have to find them quickly… But what if the owner of the trunk is really lazy and opens it too late? What if the specimens are discovered too late and get damaged…”
Min-hyun’s stubborn gaze landed on the aluminium case standing in a corner of the office.
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“They will definitely open it today. They might have found it already.”
“How do you know that, Professor?”
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Anyway, Teaching assistant Ma must have entered the graduate school just to ask Professor Kwon pointless questions.
“By the way, Professor. Do you think the owner of that trunk is a real pervert? I mean, why would they carry around pillows and blankets? What if he’s a murderer or something? What if it’s evidence with the victim’s DNA on it! If they switched the trunks on purpose, shouldn’t we report it to the police?”
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Min-hyun stared silently at Teaching assistant Ma, who was excitedly spewing out words.
“Save that brilliant imagination and unexpected reasoning for when you’re writing your thesis.”
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Min-hyun rose from his seat and slowly approached the trunk.
Teaching assistant Ma made a fuss and tried to stop him, as if Min-hyun were a child approaching a crime scene. Seriously, he had never seen a sane graduate student before.
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Min-hyun brushed past Teaching assistant Ma and stared at the tightly closed trunk.
“This trunk contains what appears to be a woman’s pajamas, a pillow and a blanket. The pajamas were folded as if they were brand new, and the blanket was neatly folded as if it came from an army locker. Even if we leave the pajamas out of it, a woman who travels with a blanket and a pillow must be someone who is sensitive about where she sleeps”.
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“Ah! So you’re saying that she’s going to open it today because she can’t sleep without the pajamas, the blanket and the pillow?”
Min-hyun nodded slowly, but Teaching assistant Ma immediately poured cold water on his deduction.
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“But your trunk has a contact tag! Why haven’t they contacted you? See… I’m right, Professor! This must be criminal evidence! It’s so strange, too strange that they haven’t contacted you!”
Teaching assistant Ma argued passionately. It was as if he had a disease that made him burst with excitement at the end of every sentence. Only about three hours had passed since the estimated time the trunks were switched.
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“Maybe they haven’t discovered it yet.”
“No. My gut feeling is really accurate. You know, when I go to fortune tellers, they say I was born with a bell in my hand. Sometimes they say my gut is even better than a fortune teller’s!”
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Min-hyun laughed at the absurdity.
“Teaching assistant Ma, aren’t you a born Catholic?”
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“Everyone has the freedom to choose their religion. Anyway! My gut senses danger from that thing. Don’t touch it! I’ll contact the airport again!”
After his serious and energetic ramblings, Teaching assistant Ma abruptly left the office. He was a strange guy. Talking about his gut feeling as if he were an insect… It was unbelievable.
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In the quiet office, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, Min-hyun moved the trunk to the conference table and stared at it. The contents of the trunk never ceased to pique his curiosity.
Ignoring Teaching assistant Ma’s warning not to go near it, Min-hyun opened the trunk once more.
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A subtle, unfamiliar scent wafted through the office. It was a refreshing scent, like wildflowers carried on a summer night breeze, filled with the chirping of insects.
This was it. This scent.
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He imagined all sorts of insects enjoying their reproductive activities in a meadow filled with this scent. It was a very ideal scent.
***
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Cho-yeon plopped down on the living room floor. Should she be grateful that she didn’t faint again?
“W-What’s in there?”
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She asked incredulously.
“Bugs’ S*x Life?”
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Do-jun nodded and told her cheerfully, as if telling her to see for herself. Cho-yeon squeezed her eyes shut. Bugs’ s*x life… she had never heard of such a thing.
“Don’t you have a contact number on your trunk? Don’t they know that the trunks have been swapped? But how did you open someone else’s trunk?”
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“The password was the same.”
Do-jun stared at Cho-yeon blankly for a moment. It was disconcerting that he looked handsome even with such a dazed expression at such a ridiculous moment.
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“Was there no contact information on the trunk?”
“I didn’t have time to look.”
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“Then let me look.”
Do-jun, who offered to do what Cho-yeon couldn’t, was infinitely kind.
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That’s why I can’t let go of my feelings.
“Thank you, Do-jun.”
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“You’re buying me dinner and drinks.”
I’d buy you a lifetime’s worth!
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Cho-yeon held back her trembling confession and managed a weak smile. Do-jun, who had gone to the laundry room, came back into the living room with a triumphant smile on his face and the luggage tag in his hand.
“Found it!”
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Do-jun’s face was filled with excitement, like a schoolboy who has successfully found a treasure on a field trip. Of course, Cho-yeon was just as excited at the thought of getting rid of that monstrosity.
“But…”
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Cho-yeon’s voice suddenly trailed off.
“What kind of person carries something like that in their trunk?”
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Do-jun’s expression became serious as well.
“They must be a pervert among perverts. Judging by the way they’re all coupled together.”
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A sudden shiver ran down Cho-yeon’s neck. It was strange that she didn’t feel excited while talking about s*x with the object of her affection.
Cho-yeon looked down at the phone number on the luggage tag and bit her lower lip.
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“Why? Can’t you even make a phone call? Shall I do it for you?”
Cho-yeon looked up at Do-jun with drooping eyes. It wasn’t that she had a phobia of phone calls or that she couldn’t speak her mind in situations like this.
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It was just that she couldn’t bring herself to call the… pervert who collected mating insects.
“Aigoo.”
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A large, warm hand ruffled Cho-yeon’s hair. Her heart fluttered.
“I don’t think this is going to be settled with just food and drink.”
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“A w-wish! I’ll grant you a wish.”
A playful smile appeared on Do-jun’s face as he narrowed his eyes and nodded. Her heart pounded senselessly.
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Her bright eyes looked up at Do-jun’s handsome face. His long, monolid eyes, straight nose and tanned skin were heavenly. And his thoughtful personality was so sweet.
Finally, Do-jun took his mobile phone out of his pocket.
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***
That evening, as he was leaving the office, the phone in his jacket pocket rang. Perhaps because of Teaching assistant Ma’s earlier rant about his gut feeling, Min-hyun assumed it was the owner of the switched trunk before checking the caller ID.
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Sure enough, the number displayed was unknown.
“Hello, this is Kwon Min-hyun.”
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-Did you happen to return to Korea today via Incheon International Airport Terminal 1?
Surprisingly, the voice on the other end belonged to a man.
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“Yes, I did.”
-Ah, I think my trunk got mixed up with yours. There were all sorts of bugs in it.
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“Bugs…”
Bugs weren’t entirely wrong. The word for insect used the character for bug (蟲). But when people used the word ‘bugs’, it usually had a negative connotation.
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What did those small, delicate creatures do wrong? What sin had those little, delicate children committed? In reality, the concept of pests – that was, harmful insects – was also a human invention. Every living thing on earth had its own reason for existing.
-Hello? Did I dial the wrong number…?
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“No. But there was a woman’s belongings in the trunk. Why are you…”
Suddenly Teaching assistant Ma’s noisy ramblings echoed in his head.
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Murderer, criminal evidence, victim’s DNA…
“Are you a man?”
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The other person chuckled, seemingly a little confused by Min-hyun’s blunt question.
－It’s my friend’s trunk. I’m calling on her behalf.
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It sounded suspicious. He couldn’t report it to the police on suspicion alone. But Min-hyun began to find the man who had called extremely bothersome, as if he were a criminal.
“Let’s meet to exchange the trunks. And I’d like the owner to be present at the meeting.
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