< Chapter 35 >
People generally look at each other’s eyes during conversations, and if not, they tend to focus on the face most. Therefore, when remembering someone, people usually remember the distinctive features of their face unless there are obvious surface-level differences.
This makes the face the most visually noticeable part when meeting someone for the first time, and even minor blemishes can be quickly noticed by the person meeting them for the first time.
“…”
However, if the blemish on one’s face is unusual, it is difficult to bring up the topic of that blemish. Common blemishes might include scratches from somewhere or cuts from shaving for men. Unusual blemishes could be bruises that clearly suggest a story.
Hyper-human has a recovery rate far beyond what ordinary people can imagine. The bruise on Green’s face indicates she recently got injured.
I couldn’t bring myself to mention the bruise on her face.
Maybe because I just finished investigating Hyper-human? Or maybe because thinking about an unpleasant incident happening to her made it impossible for me to speak.
Green and I are in an adversarial relationship. But even as adversaries, I don’t harbor any ill will towards her. We’re merely opponents based on the possibility of invasion, but my feelings and thoughts towards her are no different from those of ordinary people.
“It’s cool today.”
When I was about to shift my gaze from the tree to hers, I saw her face, so I looked back at the tree.
“That’s right.”
After lightly responding, I pondered what to say next. Though there was no need to bring up various topics, not saying anything would likely lead to talking about her face.
“Do you come to the park often?”
“Yes. I come here whenever I have nothing else to do.”
Then, I remembered hearing from Yubin recently that she had been reluctant to go home.
Not wanting to go home, and having bruises on her face. As unpleasant thoughts overlapped, I shook my head to dispel the unwanted image in my mind.
Green saw me shaking my head and felt my gaze.
“Are you okay?”
Did she think I might be sick? With concern in her voice, I finally turned my head. Her green eyes, like a blue forest, met mine, and soon my gaze shifted to her cheek. There was a clear bruise.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just had something to think about.”
“Oh.”
She seemed to be observing me, so I answered briefly and looked back at the tree again. It was understandable to feel strange. Meeting someone only briefly and then unexpectedly meeting them again to converse seems unusual.
Honestly, I could think of no reason to stay if I thought her suspicious.
I found myself staring blankly at her profile, idly looking at the tree. Even though we were practically strangers, it would be uncomfortable for her if I brought up the bruise on her face. So, I decided not to dwell on it further.
“I work around here.”
Trying to shake off the thought of the bruise, I realized I had more to say and started talking without thinking. Perhaps I didn’t want to seem suspicious? I wasn’t sure why I said that.
“Do you work at a company?”
“Yes. I work at a small firm.”
While the scale may seem enormous, there was no need to specify Spacestro, and I just kept talking. I wasn’t particularly concerned with what I was saying.
“Overtime?”
“Yes. I came out for a bit despite working overtime.”
That’s right. It’s quite normal for someone who works nearby to say they came out for a bit despite working late.
“You’re still working even on the weekend?”
“Well, weekdays and weekends don’t really differ for me.”
Actually, I work less on weekdays and more on weekends. The work I did two days ago involved getting knocked over by something falling from Green’s window next to mine.
“You must be tired.”
“No, the people at work are nice, so it’s okay.”
Although I’m engaged in physically demanding work, I think of Spacestro as a place where many good people work. Ruché often cries and gets irritable with me, but she also cares for us and our colleagues. The branch manager also seems to take good care of his subordinates.
“Work…”
As I spoke about work, I trailed off. While Earth Defense Union’s atmosphere has reportedly improved according to Yubin and Yura, it’s probably only for those two.
The reason I can predict this is that whenever Yubin and Yura talk about HunterKiller, they only discuss each other. While there are mentions of other team members, they are mostly limited to Yubin’s observations about who acted how today.
Of course, since I don’t know specific individuals and their names, it’s hard to discern. But it’s clear that conversations with Yura about HunterKiller occur less frequently than conversations with Green.
“Do you work?”
“Yes, I work at a small company too.”
This moment always makes me nervous. Even though I already know what the other person does, I pretend not to and ask anyway. I lack confidence in acting, so I worry about accidentally revealing the truth.
“I’ve been working for three years, but I’m still a bit awkward with people.”
Green appeared as HunterKiller before Red by a few months. Although the timing isn’t much different, I distinctly remember her arriving slightly earlier.
“Is something bothering you?”
“I’m a bit cautious by nature. But the people at work aren’t particularly friendly either…”
As I spoke, Green suddenly gasped in surprise, looked at me, waved her hand, and urgently said,
“They’re not bad people. They’re all nice, but maybe I’m the one who can’t get along…”
Perhaps worried about appearing unlikable to an unknown person, she tried to smile and speak. I nodded in response without saying anything.
“I’ve always been like this, so I haven’t gotten along well with others.”
Yura described Green as somewhat distant, but to me, she seems thoughtful. When interacting with others, her thoughts slow down her responses, leading others to perceive her as distant. She tends to hold onto the fact that she responds slowly due to deep thought.
But considering that Yura has known her longer, her assessment of Green as distant might be more accurate. Still, from the way she sits and contemplates, my judgment of her as thoughtful doesn’t seem entirely wrong.
“How about we have a more personal conversation?”
“What kind of personal conversation could there be?”
Though I suggested a personal conversation, I hadn’t thought about what kind. Since I’m not particularly cautious, I considered what such conversations might entail. However, since I don’t know much about Green, I hesitated to bring up any topic rashly.
“Did anything happen yesterday?”
“It’s just the same routine every day.”
There are indeed people who live monotonously.
“Or perhaps asking about what happened to those people?”
This gave Green pause to think.
“Come to think of it, recently two colleagues at work have become closer.”
I expected her to bring up some unknown detail about HunterKiller, but it turned out to be about Yubin and Yura becoming closer, which I already knew.
The conversation seemed so limited. It’s hard to imagine what the atmosphere of HunterKiller was like before.
“One of the girls kept asking another if she had a boyfriend.”
“!!”
Even without eating or drinking, I felt something stuck in my throat. To hide my panic, I coughed and continued listening. Honestly, hearing about myself in my absence was unsettling.
“But it seems the girl herself recently got a boyfriend.”
“Has she changed much?”
“A lot…? She seems brighter when talking about work now.”
Yura. Was she really that happy about becoming friends with me?
No, even just seeing her today, she seems to have already mentally designated me as a boyfriend, not just a friend. This makes it harder to respond.
“Watching them, I wish I could join in their conversation, but I don’t have anything to contribute.”
“Listening is important too. For every speaker, there needs to be a listener.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Just listening might make them excited enough to talk.”
I could confidently say this because I know Yubin and Yura. Both have bright personalities, and Yura especially loves talking. If I engage a little, she’ll get excited quickly. It would be fortunate if she doesn’t declare a boyfriend.
“If you have a conversation, you might find more to talk about, and the other person might have more to say too.”
“Yes, I’ll try that next time.”
Feeling happy at the thought of possibly conversing with the increasingly talkative duo, Green smiled. Seeing her smile was better than her usual contemplative expression, so I smiled too.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself properly. My name is Gang Eunha.”
“Aee ah.”
“Eee?”
Seeing Green introduce herself, I blurted out my name. At the unfamiliar name, she tilted her head in confusion.
“I lived abroad.”
One thing I learned from meeting Yubin and Yura is that if you mention living abroad when someone expresses doubt about a unique name, they immediately understand. It’s like a cheat code.
“Wow! I’ve never met someone who lived abroad!”
“Really? You wouldn’t notice anything special upon meeting me.”
Though I hesitate to say it directly, I am not particularly special. Even if I say I lived abroad, my appearance looks like a typical Asian face, not foreign-looking. Maybe the only thing notable is my name, which seems unusual to Koreans. This is evident from Green’s lack of reaction to my claim of being unremarkable.
As we chatted and introduced ourselves, I noticed some time had passed and checked my watch. The last train was approaching.
“I should go now.”
Standing up to greet her, Green smiled and nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
“Yes, thank you for the conversation today. It would be nice to meet again sometime.”
“Since we’re close, we might run into each other again, right?”
Though we didn’t explicitly promise to meet, we bid farewell, hoping for another encounter. I headed toward the station to go home.
Left alone, Green continued to stare at the tree. Checking her watch, she realized it was past 11 PM. She stood up from the bench, realizing it was time to head home.
A sigh escaped involuntarily as she muttered softly and walked listlessly toward home.
Green’s house wasn’t far. It was an old apartment building within a five-minute walk from the park. Upon reaching her house, she opened the worn front door and stepped inside.
The stuffy smell and the pervasive scent of alcohol hit her nose, causing her to furrow her brow.
In the disheveled living room, a man snored on the sofa. Quietly, Green approached him, checking if he was deeply asleep and unlikely to wake up.
Confirming he was deeply asleep, Green retrieved a thin blanket from the bedroom and covered the sleeping man on the sofa. She then turned her attention to the living room littered with empty bottles.
“He drank more.”
Starting to clean up, she picked up the bottles one by one.
The sound of rustling came from stepping on a bag on the floor, and the sleeping man stirred. Alert, Green focused all her attention on him.
The man continued to sleep without waking up, and she observed his condition.
“Dad?”
Carefully calling the man, her father, she confirmed he was deeply asleep and resumed cleaning.
Pain throbbed from the bruise on her left cheek.
