Chapter 119 |
"Would you be Director Lee Seon-hae?"
A man whose face went beyond brusque into outright expressionless showed his ID and badge as he continued.
"Inspector Hyeon Si-gyeong, Violent Crimes Division, Gangwon Provincial Police."
"Sergeant Choi, at your service~"
The one introduced as the sergeant appeared older than Inspector Hyeon.
'Roughly in his forties to fifties....'
The inspector, on the other hand, looked to be in his twenties — early thirties at most. Given the rank of inspector, he must have been quite baby-faced. Observing this with interest, Director Lee Seon-hae broke into a grin and extended her hand.
"Given the circumstances, I can't exactly say it's nice to meet you, but how do you do. I'm Lee Seon-hae, serving as the head of this production. You must be tired — shall we sit and talk?"
"Thank you for the consideration."
"I see."
At the curt response, Director Lee Seon-hae thought to herself.
'Not the sociable type.'
Perhaps that was why the two moved as a pair. The middle-aged man who'd introduced himself as 'Sergeant Choi' seemed to have an easy rapport with people.
Sure enough, it was the sergeant, not the inspector, who spoke first.
"Oh my, our inspector here is a man of few words, so he gets misunderstood a lot. We're not here because there's a problem with this set or anything, so please don't be nervous~ Just tell us what you can, and we'll be grateful."
"That's good to hear."
She shrugged and asked.
"Just out of curiosity — and I'm not suspicious or anything."
"Yes, yes, go right ahead."
"Isn't Gapyeong in Gyeonggi Province...? You said Gangwon Provincial Police, so is there a reason?"
"Now that's something that's reeeally complicated for us too."
The sergeant's expression deflated, a mix of fatigue and sheepishness.
"It definitely started in Gangwon, but tracing things back and forth, we ended up right around these here mountain hollows. And wouldn't you know it, it's smack on the border between Gangwon and Gapyeong...."
"Ah, that is an awkward spot."
"Right?"
The sergeant perked up, clearly pleased at the understanding.
"But rest assured, Director, we're following all the proper legal procedures. If you look here~ oh, there it is. We've got full cooperation from the Gyeonggi Provincial Agency for a joint investigation."
"Oh my, how fascinating."
"See here, it's all matched up in the system with Gyeonggi already. What era do you think this is, that we'd cross provincial lines without permission? Here's the business card of the detective we met at Gyeonggi~"
He handed over a card as he continued.
"If you find it hard to believe, you can call Detective Kim at the Gapyeong Station Violent Crimes Unit right now. If the card seems fishy too, I can connect you through the number on the official website."
"Oh, come now, you don't need to go that far."
Lee Seon-hae laughed warmly and pocketed the card.
"I'm not exactly ignorant of how things work."
"Oh, is that so?"
"......"
"...Well now,"
The sergeant — Master Nakdo — tilted his head.
"I went and forgot about Baeksan."
He broke into an easy grin. An embarrassed smile.
"Well then, well then, who tipped you off~? This fella? Or me?"
"If I said 'both,' would that be showing my hand too early?"
"Ooh, those conglomerates are scary~ This is exactly why I didn't want to get tangled up with Baeksan."
"Oh, what is there to worry about? I'm not even a Baeksan person. My surname's Lee, after all."
"The logic there is a bit thin, you know that?"
He heaved a deep sigh and peeled off his jacket.
"Lordy, I'm done for~ I thought I'd die of heat, you police folk dress well. Nice fabrics."
"Of course you should dress well. You do good work."
"Right, right.... I've been meeting too many decent people lately, I'm starting to suffer.... Old man's getting tired. Before I keel over, should we just get to the point?"
Nakdo propped his chin on his thumb and asked.
"Where's this hotel at?"
Lee Seon-hae grinned.
"And my reason for telling you would be?"
"Oh dear?"
Nakdo floundered.
"Now, let's not fight. Old man here came with genuinely good intentions. I only brought one gun. If you're mean about it, a softhearted fellow like me will cry."
"We're both aging together, so why do you keep calling only yourself old man?"
"Let's see~ I cleared sixty a good while back~ and I'm now racing toward seventy?"
Lee Seon-hae asked.
"Wouldn't that make you a grandfather?"
"With a mug like this, calling myself 'grandfather' gets even worse reactions, so I just left my conscience at my father's grave and carry on. I like getting good reactions from people."
"Honestly, this thing called The Gaps — the more you learn, the more there is. Like an onion. What, is there anti-aging in the air over there? I'm jealous of that part."
"No, that's a bit different~...."
He scratched behind his ear.
"The rate of aging varies a lot depending on individual ability. I'm a middling sort, so I can't pull off anything as dramatic as our inspector friend here."
At that, Lee Seon-hae turned to look at Inspector Hyeon Si-gyeong.
"If I may ask your age...?"
"Fifty."
"What a world."
"It is not going well."
"You know things."
Lee Seon-hae smiled, studying the two, and asked.
"By any chance... the owner of that hotel you've been speculating about."
"Have you heard the name?"
"He's got a perfectly proper name: Lee Yeon-woo."
"Please continue."
"Could his appearance and his actual age differ? Is that possible?"
The man beside her nodded.
"It is possible."
"Oh, what a reli—"
"The actual estimate is under ten years old."
"......"
To that, Nakdo went "Ah, right" and nodded.
"Five at most, wouldn't you say?"
"Around there."
"Right, ten — that's absurd. We don't know the exact date, but counting up to this year, the maximum is five...."
Lee Seon-hae covered her face with both hands.
"Huh...? Huh?? She crying, the director? Oh now, don't do that. If you're going to cry, at least clear out those scary escort folks first.... Lord have mercy, I'd rather not get my throat cut, and definitely not by Baeksan."
"She is not crying."
"She is? Oh she definitely choked up? Whether it's because the inspector's words pissed her off or something else was that sad, I don't know, but she definitely choked up? Look, her hands are tensed... Goodness? Couldn't squish a hamster."
"I recommend silence."
With that, the inspector put a whistle in his mouth. Into Lee Seon-hae's clenched ears came the ungainly sound of a whistle. Not a single one of them was sane.
No, more importantly—
'He said he was an adult.'
You said you were an adult, Lee Yeon-woo...!!
She hadn't dreamed a lie could go this far. Lee Seon-hae, overtaken by an emotion too peculiar and chaotic to describe, shed a few tears in spite of herself.
Adult, her foot. He'd been a preschooler....
***
[Sixth Sense]
'Director Lee Seon-hae is worried about you.'
"......? How kind of her."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Maybe the thought of me came to her while filming a horror movie.
'That would make sense.'
Yeon-woo finished cooking the rice. It was dinnertime for the staff.
***
They relocated to Director Lee Seon-hae's personal trailer.
"The tent area might have people passing through... I've told everyone to rest, but while the actors might, the managers and staff assisting them do keep working."
"Oh well, we can just erase memories if needed. Don't worry, Director~ If anything looks like it might be a problem, we'll handle aaall of it before we leave. We're not amateurs doing this for the first time."
"That's exactly what I don't want. I think you've misunderstood me."
As if she'd entrust memory erasure to an assassination consultant. She'd already roughly memorized the list of key figures in The Gaps that her uncle Baek Mu-jin had passed to her — a very long list, granted.
"Even if you are assassins, I was hoping you'd refrain from talk of, you know, guns and such. But it seemed faster to move locations than to expect you to hold back."
"A director's eye for people is sharp~ How admirable."
She wasn't exactly thrilled by that, given that her conversation partner's trade was killing.
"And besides, as I keep saying, labyrinths and Dokkaebi are fundamentally complete from the moment they're born, so even if we say five or ten, it's not really a big...."
"And that's not hard on them?"
"A puppy or a cat at five is basically thirty or forty in human years."
"So is the average lifespan of a labyrinth or Dokkaebi as short as a dog or cat's?"
"Oh, of course not."
Lee Yeon-woo had, after all, originally been human.
"......"
"A labyrinth is a single play."
"...So I've been told."
"Therefore, it necessarily requires characters. The 'General Manager' that Director Lee mentioned must also have had data from before being reborn as a labyrinth."
"But the appearance was quite young... around twenty, I'd say."
"Then a definition of late teens to early twenties is not impossible."
"And that's not hard on them? What's the difference from five?"
"If the base individual was a talented Artist, the range could extend to thirty."
At that point, Nakdo chimed in.
"But didn't you say it was a chimera, this one mixed with that one? From that angle, regardless of the ages of the ingredients, shouldn't we consider it a separate organism?"
"Master Nakdo."
"If the appearance was around twenty, couldn't this be that test subject? Then there's a possibility it was a civilian. And if it was created during the labyrinth-formation process, calling it 'newly born' is probably the more apt description...."
"I recommend silence."
"That's just unfair," he said.
"Lordy, look at him crushing an old man's spirit before I can even open my mouth."
"Your remarks do not function as comfort."
"But come on, isn't it fascinating~?"
He curved his eyes and lips into a very elongated smile.
"A labyrinth you can talk to, they say. How could I not be excited?"
As Lee Seon-hae gazed at him with a knowing smile, Hyeon Si-gyeong spoke.
"Please cooperate."
"Mm, alright then."
"I will continue."
He addressed Lee Seon-hae.
"According to the Sensitivity Bureau, at least two individuals are estimated to have been involved in the creation of the entity 'Lee Yeon-woo.' One of them likely determined 'Lee Yeon-woo's' appearance and behavioral tendencies."
Entity... Lee Seon-hae pressed the bridge of her nose and asked.
"If it was at least two, what about the other?"
"Identity unknown. Gender and age are also unknown, but most of the negative elements you experienced within the labyrinth are likely connected to that person."
"And the good aspects came from the one who... contributed the appearance?"
She had an inkling.
"My uncle mentioned that right now, the two are splitting apart."
"......"
At that, Hyeon Si-gyeong said nothing and merely rolled his eyes, while Nakdo brightened.
"Oh yes, exactly. Our inspector friend's divinations are always spot-on!"
"I am not a shaman."
"If you can see a thousand li from where you sit, what's the difference? Being newly born during the labyrinth-formation process, but the two sources have polar opposite temperaments, so now they're splitting apart."
Nakdo wore a good-natured smile.
"I was wondering why something dormant for five years suddenly got more turbulent recently — turns out it was after meeting our Director here~ The balance got shaken, right? I understand now."
"You have a god-given talent for getting under people's skin."
"Of course. I'm a consultant who makes a living by running my mouth."
"I bet you don't have many friends."
"That's why in my old age, I took on my dear nephew as a disciple, and what happens but he gets sucked into a labyrinth. I raised that boy like gold, and now some devil's got him...."
Devil? For some reason, an itchy feeling brushed past her ears, as if a Chan◇■ were ringing, and a brief question flickered — but after a moment of silence, what Lee Seon-hae asked was something else entirely.
"Is your nephew currently in that hotel?"
"Mm-hmm, and my heart's been anything but calm. Maybe I can at least collect some belongings...."
"......"
Lee Seon-hae did not rashly say 'Yeon-woo wouldn't let your nephew get hurt or killed.' She too had witnessed his changes with her own eyes.
"...For an outsider, you've got a surprising feel for how The Gaps works."
Nakdo, eyes curved thin, praised that point.
"When you entered the labyrinth, you were a complete civilian with no knowledge, yes?"
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have crawled in there."
"Sometimes people crawl in even knowing~ Our Director here has the makings. A real talent."
"You're really someone I don't want to befriend...."
Lee Seon-hae's stomach was still churning.
"How old is your nephew?"
"Nineteen."
"Very young."
"Still thinking about the owner over there?"
Nakdo was the type who noticed such things.
"Young is young. Five at minimum, and the maximum... you said the primary personality looked around twenty. Given the nature of the procedure, younger would've been preferable, so there's a chance they were under twenty."
"That procedure you mentioned, the test subject and all...."
"It's connected. But hearing about it won't change much, so I'd recommend our Director here think about the filming ahead and not listen~ Kind-hearted folks like you get troubled easily."
He added,
"But — were you bewitched?"
He propped his chin and smiled.
"I've never seen anyone give their heart to a labyrinth like this without being bewitched~ How old was the labyrinth born, how old is the Dokkaebi. Things like that shouldn't matter to those creatures."
"Cases where time flows differently inside and outside a labyrinth are not hard to find."
Inspector Hyeon Si-gyeong picked up where Nakdo left off.
"Measuring the actual age of a labyrinth — especially a Recognition Species — is difficult. From reality's perspective it may be five, but measured by the labyrinth's internal time, astronomical figures can emerge."
"Astronomical?"
"Which is why people who get caught up in labyrinths sometimes go mad."
"Could you give me an example, Inspector?"
"Entering a peaceful place unharmed and without pain, only to come out and find half a century has passed. Or being trapped inside for thousands of years without growing or feeling hunger."
"That sounds like, you know, the theory of relativity in space."
"If that comparison is easier for you, thinking of it as another universe or dimension would not be far off."
The inspector added,
"However, the teacher's point also has merit. Even if a labyrinth's structure itself is benevolent, that does not mean it is safe for humans. In fact...."
When he rolled his eyes mid-sentence, Nakdo once again took over.
"Right, right, I'll take it from here. Our inspector friend's talked too much today."
"Is there some kind of penalty...?"
"He sees too much, the poor fellow, so he has a devil of a time focusing on one thing."
Nakdo pressed his chin firmly with his thumb as he spoke.
"In reality, a labyrinth is closer to a concept, so if a smaller concept crosses its path, it can devour it. Or similar structures can merge together. A hotel needs guests, so it would certainly be capable of luring guests in."
The possibility of her truly being bewitched was high.
"I have neeever seen a human this favorably disposed toward a labyrinth."
"......"
"Could've been a fox or a snake, though? Those creatures are no joke when it comes to bewitching people. And there just so happens to be a Fox Den nearby in the Gapyeong Gaps... might've had some influence?"
"......"
"You can't afford to pity a labyrinth, ma'am."
A voice that sounded amused — or perhaps, resigned.
"It's not about right and wrong. Truly pitiable labyrinths exist, and so do such Dokkaebi. But whether feeling sorry for them means you 'can save them' is a separate matter entirely...."
The bottom line was,
"You can't."
"Not at all?"
"This side calls it an 'Offering.' Can a person regurgitate the food they've eaten in its original form? At the very least, a labyrinth cannot — the food's already been digested and mixed in."
"If it's been digested...."
"It's already a part of that labyrinth. Just as eating food gives a person nutrients."
When a labyrinth swallows an offering it favors, not even dregs remain. It consumes everything, until the being can no longer be called what it once was.
"Because it merges completely with the labyrinth."
Neither dead nor alive, simply existing as part of the 'play.'
"So don't go blaming yourself so hard. If you're going to live with a foot in The Gaps, brazen is better. Alright?"
"The digestion may not be complete yet."
"Lordy, I can't get a word in."
"A bone may have gotten stuck in the throat."
"Then what does that make me, Inspector?"
"Humans are social animals."
Inspector Hyeon Si-gyeong blinked, and his gaze returned to Lee Seon-hae.
"It is natural for people to feel goodwill toward people. It is equally natural for adults to feel compassion more readily toward children. If Director Lee Seon-hae saw the entity 'Lee Yeon-woo' as human."
"......"
"If you truly saw him that way because he was indistinguishable from a human, I recommend — uncomfortable as it may be — that you hold onto that feeling. Guilt over not having saved him, or a sense of debt for having been helped. Anything will do."
His gaze seemed to look past Lee Seon-hae, at something behind her.
"The head of Baeksan feels a responsibility to preserve what is precious."
"...That's right."
"Then he may still be 'alive.'"
Once more, a blink.
"If he has become a 'Dokkaebi,' that is."
It occurred to Nakdo, just then, that this was the first time Hyeon Si-gyeong had uttered the word 'Dokkaebi.'