DMSD | Chapter 7

Juyeol was a very blunt person, someone who spoke directly without much filtering. Yet, sometimes, when he was talking to Myeongeun, he’d soften his words a little. Even if what he was essentially saying was still, “You only meet trash because you’re so naive,” Myeongeun knew that it was Juyeol’s way of looking out for him.

Maybe if I worked out, I’d be more popular?

Myeongeun rubbed his wrist, briefly considering joining a gym. But memories of paying for three-month memberships only to barely go for a single month every year quickly made him shake his head.

“Here it is.”

Myeongeun arrived at the storage room and unlocked the metal sliding door with a key. After entering the passcode for the automatic door and tapping his card key, the glass door slid open with a quiet swish.

Hmm?

As the door opened, he tilted his head. A sudden chill swept over him. Even though it was winter, the cold air that washed over him felt too frigid for indoors, like it had chilled him from head to toe.

“What’s wrong?”

Kwon Jinhyeon, standing behind him, stepped closer.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Shaking his head, Myeongeun stepped inside and fumbled along the wall for the light switch. The space, nearly 40 pyeong (about 132 square meters), was lined on all four walls with tightly packed shelves. Piles of boxes, large and small, labeled with their contents, cluttered the floor.

He checked if a window was open, but it wasn’t.

“Come on in.”

He stepped aside, allowing the two to enter.

Kwon Jinhyeok took a step forward but stopped abruptly. “Ah. I really hate this.”

At Kwon Jinhyeok’s weak voice, Jinhyeon joined him, standing close. “Can you see it?”

“Nope. Can you?”

When Jinhyeok answered, Jinhyeon began walking around the perimeter of the storage room by himself. Myeongeun sidled up to Jinhyeok and asked cautiously, “Deputy Team Leader, are there… bugs in here? We maintain it pretty well, though.”

“Ah.”

Looking uncomfortable, Jinhyeok hesitated before nodding. “Yes. We just need to check if there are eggs in here or if they came from somewhere else.”

“Really?”

Myeongeun shuddered. “They came from here? Which office? And why didn’t that department report it to us directly? Bugs, those… that… that…”

Cutting himself off, he took out his phone. “I’ll call our pest control company right now.”

“Hold on, Assistant Manager Go.”

Quickly, Jinhyeok grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Calm down. This isn’t something a pest control company can handle. We have a specialist we can call.”

Confused, Myeongeun paused. The pest control company we use is the best in Korea. Is there an even better expert out there? Should we switch companies?

But Jinhyeok, releasing his arm as if he’d answer no further questions, stated clearly, “There’s no need to hold the Security Office accountable, so don’t worry.”

But we’re responsible for managing this area…

Myeongeun hesitated, then put his phone away. If no one would be held accountable, he had no reason to pursue it.

“How is it?”

Jinhyeok directed his question at Jinhyeon.

Jinhyeon, who had just finished circling the room at a leisurely pace, now stood in the middle, looking up at the ceiling.

“Well…”

He shrugged at Jinhyeok. “I’m only getting a vague feeling.”

“Hmm.”

Jinhyeok scratched his chin thoughtfully. An awkward silence fell over them as both brothers seemed lost in thought. Meanwhile, Myeongeun, worried about what kind of bug this was and how many might be lurking, was internally freaking out.

“Hyung.”

Jinhyeon spoke up. “Let’s call Hwan.”

Startled, Myeongeun looked up at him. Sensing his gaze, Jinhyeon glanced at him with a slight, playful smile, as if asking, Why are you staring?

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Myeongeun shook his head. It really was nothing. Hearing the name “Hwan” had just reminded him of a little boy from long ago, who had once called him noona (big sister) with a serious face. The memory was so distant that it was now blurred. All he could recall was that the boy had a strangely world-weary look and soft, chubby cheeks.

“Alright.”

Jinhyeok, pulling down his sleeves as if he were cold, agreed. “We were planning to call him next year anyway.”

“A month ahead of schedule isn’t much. Plus, it’s a good excuse to get him to do his actual job.”

“Then let’s wrap this up and head out.”

Without any hesitation, Jinhyeok walked briskly toward the storage room door, clearly not wanting to stay any longer. As he left, Jinhyeon also nodded politely to Myeongeun, saying, “Thank you, Assistant Manager Go.”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

After the two of them left, Myeongeun turned off the storage room light. As he was about to follow them out, he heard a soft thud behind him. Turning around, he saw something had fallen onto the storage room floor a few steps ahead.

Is it one of theirs?

He looked over at the two men, who were already halfway down the corridor, deep in conversation.

Retracing his steps, he bent down to examine the object that had fallen, relying on the dim light filtering in from the hallway. As soon as he reached down to pick it up, his vision suddenly plunged into darkness. For an instant, it felt like he was standing in a void, as if everything around him had been sucked into a vacuum. Alarmed, he straightened up and looked around the storage room.

The door to the corridor was still open, and the hallway was brightly lit.

“…Geez, that was creepy.”

Feeling a bit dazed, he muttered to himself. Maybe I’m just overly tired. Shaking it off, he looked down at the object he had picked up. It was a small blue hairpin, about the size of two fingers. There were no personal storage boxes nearby where something like this could’ve been kept; the shelves only held bundles of cables and wires.

I’ll check with Section Chief Yang and Assistant Manager Kim, and if it’s not theirs, I’ll come back later and look again. It might belong to someone who had left the company and might come looking for it someday.

That night, at 9 p.m., Myeongeun was alone in the office, waiting for the stationery supplier’s delivery manager. After a restless night’s sleep and a hectic day, he felt both drowsy and drained. To wake himself up, he went to the break room and made a cup of instant coffee, but he was so exhausted that he collapsed into his chair after barely taking a sip.

Just a quick nap, he thought, closing his eyes.

Beep-beep-beep―

Startled by the office chime, he opened his eyes and instinctively looked at the clock on the wall. He’d only meant to close his eyes for a moment, but it was already 9:40 p.m.

Did I really sleep that long? Shaking off his grogginess, he stood up. A visitor ringing the chime at this hour had to be from another department or an outsider, likely the delivery manager.

“Just a second!”

Rushing to the door, he pressed the open button. But as the door opened, he stopped, startled by the tall man standing in front of him.

The man was dressed in a long winter parka, with a black cap and a hood lined with fluffy fur pulled up over it. He even wore a black mask, hiding his face completely. This was definitely not the regular delivery guy.

“What brings you here?” he asked.

The man didn’t respond immediately. A chill emanated from his jacket, filling the air with a distinct winter cold. Although Myeongeun couldn’t see the man’s eyes, from his angle, it seemed like he was staring straight at him.

“Uh, excuse me…”

Just as he was about to speak again, he noticed something near the man’s ear. Standing on his toes to get a better look, he saw that the man had a Bluetooth earbud tucked in his ear.

“Hey, your ear…”

Tapping his own ear, he gestured to the man, thinking he might’ve forgotten about the earbud.

“Your earbud’s in.”

The man didn’t react, maintaining his fixed gaze. But just as Myeongeun was about to shout out, the man finally, slowly, raised his hand and removed the earbud from his right ear.

“Can you hear me now?”

“I could hear you just fine before.”

A low, indifferent voice responded, clear and precise, even with the mask covering his mouth. Despite his deep voice, he sounded sharp and straightforward, and something about his attitude was a little annoying. If you could hear, then respond, you rude jerk, he thought to himself.

Forcing a bright smile, he asked again, “So, what brings you here?”

“I have an appointment.”

The man, now removing the other earbud, scanned the office. Appointment? Glancing around, Myeongeun saw that, of course, there was no one else in the office but him.

“Who did you have an appointment with? Everyone else has already left.”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he pocketed his earbuds haphazardly and pulled out his phone, quickly dialing a number labeled <Second Brother>. He let it ring briefly, hung up, then tried again, repeating this twice.

Impatient, huh?

Standing silently beside him, Myeongeun observed the man.

The man’s hands were large, with small scars marking his skin. His fingers, though rugged, were long and well-formed. He typed on his smartphone at lightning speed, and the phone he was using—an iOS model—was the latest, released just two months ago. The clothes he wore, his hat, and his shoes were all high-end brands. Although Myeongeun wasn’t particularly familiar with luxury items, these brands were famous enough that even he recognized them.

While noticing these details about the man, he couldn’t help but fixate on his fingers. The tips were red, likely from being out in the cold for a long time. Maybe I should make him a warm cup of coffee, he thought as he turned away.

“Excuse me.”

The man’s voice called out to him.