TIC 06

The unexpected call came around 4 a.m. Min-hyun ignored the ringing phone at first. He didn’t want to hear his mother’s drunken lamentations today.

Normally, if he didn’t answer after a few rings, the call would be disconnected. But today it kept ringing, as if something terrible would happen if he didn’t answer.

Min-hyun kicked off the blanket and sat up abruptly. He roughly brushed back the messy hair that fell across his forehead and reached for the phone on the side table. He wanted to beg her to stop.

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But the caller wasn’t his mother. It was the department head.

“Yes, head of department.”

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-Did I wake you?

The department head’s voice was clear, as if he’d been awake for a while.

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“It’s alright. What is it?”

-Well, my wife, you see… she suddenly fell ill early this morning and went to the emergency room, and she needs an appendectomy.

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The department head’s wife was Professor Park Tae-hee of the Department of Forest Resources at Korea University, which was adjacent to Min-hyun’s Department of Entomology.

“Yes, department head?”

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His tone implied a question, wondering why the head of the department was calling him to report this.

-There’s a project our university is working on with the local government. We need someone to replace my wife immediately.

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When Min-hyun didn’t answer, the head of department continued urgently,

-You know… when you came back from the conference in Rio de Janeiro and made a show of that underwear! Do you know how much trouble I went through to cover that up? It’s been all over social networking sites, the university’s anonymous online community and everywhere else! I’ve posted over a hundred notices explaining that it was an accident due to a switched trunk! My reputation as head of department is in tatters! So you’re going!

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He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. Going to Brazil during the semester was a demanding schedule. The head of department had promised him a week off during the break after the conference. But now the head of department had snatched away his week off at the crack of dawn.

－Did you fall asleep? Why don’t you answer?

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“I’m listening, Department Head.”

It was the head of the department who had dragged Min-hyun, who had been reluctant to accept a professorship, to the university and kept him in the laboratory. Lectures, lab management and various administrative procedures often stifled him.

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If he hadn’t become a professor, Min-hyun would probably be conducting leisurely research in Sérignan-du-Comtat, where Jean-Henri Fabre wrote Souvenirs Entomologiques.

-You go. Just go! Just go! Huh? Do you think I’d call you like this if I had any other choice?

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“Is there no one else in the Department of Forest Resources to replace her?”

-You know how it is. Those people disappear as soon as the holidays start. One goes to Everest, another to Kilimanjaro, another to the Blue Mountains, another to Redwood…

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Exasperated sighs were exchanged.

-I’m not telling you to work. Just go and relax. You know Jirisan Mountain, right?

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He doubted there was anyone in Korea who didn’t know Jirisan Mountain.

-Korea University, the local government and some travel agency are planning a national tour, it seems.

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He had planned to stay at home and concentrate on caring for Kkumtteuri and Kkomjirak, the names of his rhinoceros beetles.

Jirisan Mountain… it wouldn’t be bad to get some fresh air. It wouldn’t be bad, but… they probably didn’t want him to just relax.

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“What am I going to do there?”

-You double-majored in Forest Resources during your undergraduate years, right? And you’ve been all over the mountains and fields for your insect research. Just share that knowledge.

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“Excuse me?”

It was a vague and daunting task.

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-Nowadays, many people suffer from insomnia because of the stress of life. They can’t sleep if their sleeping environment changes in the slightest. They can’t sleep if they’re even a little uncomfortable, so they listen to the sounds of insects, forest breezes and water before going to bed, right? This is a national tour package for those people. Don’t you think people lack peace of mind because they don’t have time to fully enjoy nature? Just go and teach them how to enjoy nature.

It was even more discouraging to be told to teach this when he, a professor, lacked peace of mind himself.

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-Teach them what the mountains give us, how soothing the chirping of insects is. Huh? Are you listening? Are you listening? It’s not difficult! It’s not difficult at all. Huh?

“I understand.”

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He agreed reluctantly and hung up. The bedroom was silent, as if a storm had just passed. The department head’s loud voice still seemed to ring in his ears.

‘Nowadays, many people suffer from insomnia because of the stress of life.’

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Min-hyun got out of bed, thinking of the woman carrying a blanket in her trunk. Her face had been on his mind a lot lately. 

In the lab, at the dinner table, in bed… Every time he thought of her face, an involuntary smile appeared on his lips. It was probably because their encounter had been so brief and bizarre.

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And then he met her again. The scent of wildflowers emanating from her as she sat next to him on the bus was still the same. Pressed against the window, the woman held out her tablet and explained the itinerary of the travel simulation.

At a glance, the spreadsheet revealed her meticulous and organized personality. The itinerary was marked down to the minute. It included detailed secondary and tertiary plans in case of variables such as weather or local conditions.

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“Well done.”

“Pardon?”

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Only after hearing her confused question did Min-hyun realize the nuance of his words. It was a condescending tone, like he would use with a student.

“I apologize. I slipped into the habit I use with my students.”

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“Ah, I see.”

She smiled only with her mouth, her eyes glaring at him. He wondered if she was aware of the discrepancy between her mouth and her eyes.

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“I’m not that kind of person.”

“Pardon?”

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“I don’t speak condescendingly just because someone looks younger than me.”

“Even if your words don’t match your actions, I’ll believe you.”

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She seemed to press even closer to the window.

“And I rarely say ‘well done’ when I look at itineraries like this. Ah, I’m not saying you should thank me. I’m just saying I made a slip of the tongue earlier.”

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The more he talked, the more awkward his words became. Min-hyun was more comfortable talking about insect specimens.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d sat next to a woman on a bus and chatted casually.

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“Ji Cho-yeon-ssi.”

Giving up on making excuses, he called her name abruptly, and her eyes slowly widened.

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“Please take care of me. I won’t do things half-heartedly just because I came in place of Professor Park Tae-hee.”

“Yes, I don’t think Professor Kwon Min-hyun would do things half-heartedly either. Please take care of me.”

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She gave a businesslike greeting and then yawned conspicuously. Then she leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.

It seemed to be a gesture telling him not to bother her with pointless conversation.

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“Does someone who carries a blanket and pillow sleep well on the bus?”

She opened her eyes suddenly and hesitated for a moment, as if considering what to say, before speaking.

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“I don’t sleep well in bed. It’s okay to take a short nap in places like this.”

She muttered curtly in a low, rapid voice.

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“I apologize if that was a personal question. When I saw you carrying a blanket and pillow on a recent trip, I assumed you were sensitive about where you slept. So I thought you were pretending to sleep because you didn’t want to talk to me, not because you were tired.”

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

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“Are you always this blunt, or are you just being honest?”

“Is this information necessary to move this project forward?”

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Instead of answering, she nodded and lifted her chin slightly.

“I’m being honest. Are you sensitive, or do you just not like that I’m here?”

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She inhaled sharply, as if struck by his words.

“I suppose the answer is the latter?”

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Min-hyun grinned at her. Her eyes, which had met his, quickly darted away.

“But I’m human too, it hurts my feelings when you avoid my gaze so obviously.”

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She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them, answering while staring somewhere around his neck.

“Since Professor Kwon was honest, I’ll be honest too. Professor, do you know how intimidating you look?”

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“Huh?”

Min-hyun had never heard anything like that in his life.

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“Ah… you didn’t know. You know you have an intimidatingly handsome face, right? And you stare at people like you want to eat them alive. It’s really intimidating. I don’t know where to look…”

“Ah, would this be better then?”

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Min-hyun looked away from her and down the aisle between the seats.

“Yes, that makes me feel less anxious. Most people would feel their hearts flutter if you stared at them so intensely.”

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Min-hyun nodded seriously as if he finally understood and asked, “So, did your heart flutter, Ji Cho-yeon-ssi?”

“Yes, my hands were even shaking when I showed you the itinerary… you didn’t notice?”

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“I didn’t. I apologize. I’ll be careful not to stare at you like I’m going to eat you alive.”

The person sitting in the front seat looked back at the two of them exchanging their strange conversation in a monotone and chuckled in disbelief. 

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“Cho-yeon-ssi, I think you should lower your voice.”

Min-hyun whispered in her ear. The scent of wildflowers emanating from her made him hold his breath for a moment.

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She started to whisper in his ear as well.