Obsessed (25) Nightmare
The last point meeting before the hunting festival.
Today, Jungkook seemed to have lost all his playfulness and seemed serious.
"What I found out about Director Kim Nam-joon's research lab,
It's about Ho-seok, so read it.
I will also pass this on to the chief.."
"Okay, I get it. So... I guess your suspicion is correct..?"
"Uh... almost...It seems true that the medicine being made in the direct laboratory is related to the hunting agent. First of all, the timing is just perfect.
And there's no record of any further purchases of the raw materials for the drug since that purchase. Perhaps that means there's no need to make any more beyond this order...?"
I sighed involuntarily. I actually asked Senior Jiho where he got the order from to make things so urgent, but he flatly denied it. He said the director deals directly with it, so they don't know... He said it wasn't a drug he regularly supplied. Director Kim Namjoon deals directly with it... Still, he might be threatened, or there might be another reason... There might be someone else involved... My thoughts were becoming more complicated, so I couldn't ask any more questions.
The drug's ingredients were also problematic. Some were hallucinogenic, while others paralyzed bodily functions. As a scholar, this was unacceptable.
"Should we go in after talking for a bit?
I have something to say... and you look really upset.."
Jungkook must have sensed my complicated feelings. When I looked in the mirror, I saw dark circles under my eyes all the way to my chin, and my hair was disheveled.
"Is that so...? As you said, I feel uneasy..."
I walked through the park with Jungkook. It wasn't just because of Kim Namjoon.
The solid boundaries between my espionage activities and my work in the lab were blurring, and my daily life was crumbling. Am I a spy or a researcher now? Looking over transaction records in the lab after everyone else had gone home, or laughing and chatting with Jiho during the day... The two lives overlapped and became a jumble. Insomnia worsened in the evenings, and I found myself spending more and more time lost in thought.
"We plan to raid the scene just before the hunt begins.
Because we need to get as much evidence as possible without causing any casualties...
It would be best if you could get out of the scene before the raid. Even if you get caught, we'll protect you, so don't worry too much.
And I'll give you this signal...
Because it is for short distances, the receiving distance is short.
I have it because it works well even in places where GPS or phone signals don't work.
If you tell us the location, we'll be lying in wait nearby, so keep it with you and give us a signal when you think we can raid.
If you are in danger, press this button... "
"..."
Jeongguk handed me a small signal flag and explained how he would raid the scene during the hunting festival. The location hadn't been clearly determined yet, so it was difficult to make a concrete plan, but he said the police would be coming. Perhaps because my mind was in a state of confusion... I couldn't quite concentrate on the conversation.
""Should I hug you...?"
Jungkook spoke from a corner of the park. When I didn't express my refusal, Jungkook came over and put his arm around my shoulder. Perhaps because it was a chilly autumn morning, I didn't dislike his warm embrace.
"If you're having a hard time, tell me... You can lean on me...
If you don't want to go to the hunting festival, you don't have to.
I'll cover it well in the west. If we wait longer than last time and then raid, we might be able to capture the key figures this time.
"There's not much time left now."
"No... Wait a minute... Just... I'll stay like this for a moment."
Jungkook rested his head on her chest and stayed still.
This guy suddenly appears like this at some point and keeps saying that I can rely on him. Yeah, honestly, that's how I feel. I want to lean on Jungkook. But what should I say... is it my nature? Trusting and leaning on someone isn't as easy as it sounds. At some point, I became alone, and I've always been alone since.
After my parents passed away, no one offered a helping hand. It was really strange. My parents weren't that heartless... Maybe that's why I lost all affection for the badgers.
Even after that, I was busy trying to make a living on my own, so I didn't really care about making friends. To the kids, I probably just looked like a kid obsessed with studying, but to me, studying was a battle I had to fight every day to make a living, and things like scholarships and prize money from competitions were all very important to me. I would rather have the kids give up on me and call me a bitch than play around and miss out on even one thing.
So I thought I was alone and was living, but Jeon Jungkook kept nagging me. He kept asking me if I was having a hard time because he knew nothing about it.. Those words were uncomfortable to hear right away, but the more I looked at them, the more I felt like Jeon Jungkook had caught me, and I felt embarrassed. It wasn't my intention, but I think I'm getting used to this guy little by little. I have to admit...
If this ends like this, will I ever become distant from this child again?
It's not like me to be attached to this guy.
It was time to go back.
"I'll go... I feel uncomfortable meeting you outside for a long time...
If anything changes about the operation, please let me know again."
Jungkook let me go.
"Don't avoid your feelings, you seem a little insecure.
If you have any uncomfortable feelings that you need to admit, just admit them honestly.
"It's much more convenient that way."
"Jeon Jungkook, don't overdo it, how much do you know about me...?"
I looked at Jeongguk, who said that, in disbelief.
"You, no, the police, are also receiving my help.It's not that I'm not scared, it's not that it doesn't come at a cost, and it's something I've decided to do.
If you keep saying that, I'm going to ask you to change the person in charge. Stop it."
Jungkook said nothing more. It felt like he'd said those words out of consideration for me, but honestly, he couldn't admit it. He wanted to avoid even admitting it...
Although Jungkook's warm embrace was nice, I still didn't have the courage to fully accept it.
. . .
"omg.."
It was a nightmare after a long time.
While lying down for a nap before work, I had a dream I hadn't had in a long time. Whenever I feel anxious and unsettled, I dream about the scene where I saw my parents die.
On the day of the incident, when my parents didn't come to dinner with me, I was home alone and headed to my parents' newly opened office. My parents, who worked at a research institute, had to wind down their research due to some circumstances and were planning to start a venture company with the patents they had accumulated. I remember my parents' newly decorated office, which had received investment from various sources, as being filled with dreams and hope.
When I arrived, all the furniture was broken and the police line was down. The pungent, sticky smell I'd been smelling in front of the chaotic, noisy office building was the smell of blood.
Was it my imagination that I felt eyes on me from the bushes in front of the office? I looked back, but I couldn't see anything. Or maybe I didn't see anything. It seemed like there was a black shadow.
The police who had responded to the incident had already received the scene from the security company, which had responded to the alarm. The security company had reported seeing a fleeing badger. Unfortunately, the badger was never apprehended.
So, overnight, I found myself alone. The investment money returned as debt, and with the help of the police, I barely managed to renounce my inheritance. After that, for some reason, only the police helped me. Where did all the raccoons who had been close to my parents disappear to? It was the police who helped me get victim relief and who checked on my well-being.
"I'm sorry... We won't give up and will continue to investigate...
I will continue to work hard to catch the culprit.
In my dream, I heard the police speaking. In the dream, I was surrounded by pitch-black darkness. The sight of that moment, the sticky air, and the pungent odor all surrounded me. I was alone, and no matter how hard I stretched out my hand in the darkness, nothing touched me.
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*All stories come from the author's head.
Unauthorized distribution and reproduction are prohibited.
©️ Earthquake in My Head (2023)
