(From Park Seong-ho's perspective)
Going to the old annex was simply because I had nothing else to do.
Finding Eun Dan-bi collapsed in that annex was a major variable.
A small storage room
It was so old and worn down that it was only used to store junk.
When the door rattled at first, I thought it was just something inside falling over.
But it was strange that a door that was usually left unlocked was now firmly barred, and
just as I was about to pass by with that question in mind, a faint groan reached me.
When I opened the door, a wave of hot air hit me at once.
All the windows were shut, and the harsh sunlight was pouring in from beyond the glass.
And then Eun Dan-bi, collapsed on the floor, came into view.
Crouched up tight, breathing shallow and raggedly, Eun Dan-bi looked so precarious it seemed like her breathing could stop at any moment.
It was different from the breathing of someone who had just fainted from dehydration.
This situation, Eun Dan-bi's condition.
Park Seong-ho: “....Those insane bastards in the Intelligence Division...”
No matter how much they disliked her, they actually planned to lock a person in here on such a sweltering day.
They were all crazy.
The Intelligence Division, which often checked old records, couldn't possibly not have come to this storage room even once today.
Which meant everyone in the Intelligence Division knew Eun Dan-bi was trapped and left her there anyway.
For now, I picked Eun Dan-bi up off the floor and moved her into the shade.
Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead and the bridge of her nose.
Her lips were parched and cracked, and she could only barely draw in weak breaths.
Watching her like that, I felt something rising from deep in my chest.
My stomach churned.
But it wasn't the kind of nausea you get when your stomach is off; it was closer to anger rising from somewhere deep inside.
But before I could even identify the feeling, I picked Eun Dan-bi up and carried her to my office.
Her body curled up in my arms was small and far too light.
One side of my chest ached dully.
I felt irritated by these nameless feelings.
What was so special about this tiny thing.
I lightly draped the cap I was wearing over Eun Dan-bi's face to give her some shade, then left the annex.
As I walked down the hallway, I ran into several people, all of them staring at me in shock.
But I didn't have time to care about any of that, and kicked open my office door.
Eun Dan-bi's temperature was close to 40 degrees, so I held a cold bottle of water to her face and neck to bring it down.
Her body jerked slightly, and a few minutes later she opened her eyes.
Park Seong-ho: “You awake.”
Eun Dan-bi looked around with unfocused eyes, then murmured.
Eun Dan-bi: “…Where… am I…”
I opened the bottle of water I'd been pressing to her face and held it out to her.
Park Seong-ho: “My office. Drink some water and pull yourself together.”
Eun Dan-bi reached out to grab the bottle, but her hand was shaking badly.
She clenched her own hand tight to steady it, then asked softly.
Eun Dan-bi: “…Could you… open the window just a little…”
She suddenly wants me to open the window?
And then, a thought flashed through my head.
Park Seong-ho: “…Claustrophobia?”
Eun Dan-bi's body flinched and stiffened, then she gave a small nod.
If it was claustrophobia, then everything up to now made sense.
Crouching in that small storage room, the short shallow breaths, even asking me to open the window.
I stood up and threw open three or four windows at once.
A bit of dust that had settled on the windowsill scattered lightly into the air.
Seeing her try to hold the water bottle with such weak hands, my hand moved before I even realized it.
Park Seong-ho: “Lift your head.”
After hesitating for a moment, Eun Dan-bi obediently tilted her head back a little.
I lightly supported the back of her head with my left hand and slowly poured the water in.
Her mouth was small enough to match her build, so even a little water filled it quickly.
Before I knew it, the corners of my mouth had lifted.
As I kept pouring water, I watched Eun Dan-bi straighten her head to swallow, then lift it again, and I quietly kept pouring.
A few minutes later, the shaky breath and trembling hands settled, and her eyes became clear again, just as they had been when we first met.
When I met that clear, transparent gaze, I found myself looking away.
Eun Dan-bi spoke in a calm voice.
Eun Dan-bi: “Thank you….”
Park Seong-ho: “It's fine. Just don't collapse again.”
At those blunt words, with a hint of concern underneath, Eun Dan-bi gave a small smile.
Eun Dan-bi: Heheh... yes...”
Seeing her answer so obediently, I let out a quiet snort of laughter before I knew it.
Now that Eun Dan-bi had calmed down, I thought it was time to look into the truth of the incident.
Park Seong-ho: “…You didn't go there alone and get trapped, did you,”
I could see Eun Dan-bi tensing up slightly.
How could someone be that transparent.
Park Seong-ho: “…I'm not mad, so relax.”
Eun Dan-bi glanced at me nervously and spoke first.
Eun Dan-bi: “…The team leader said he'd introduce me to the Intelligence Division, so I followed him around… but then he suddenly locked me in the storage room..”
Of course.
I had thought the Intelligence Division's strong clique mentality might make things a little rough, but I never expected them to go this far.
No matter how new she was, Boss Jehyeon had personally put her in charge of the team leader position, and they locked someone like that in a storage room...?
This was a fairly serious issue, one that could be tied to a kind of challenge to and defiance of Boss Jehyeon.
Seeing her fidget and look uneasy, I laughed again.
Park Seong-ho: “It's not your fault, so it's fine. This is something the higher-ups need to handle, so you don't have to worry.”
Eun Dan-bi still looked uncomfortable.
Watching that uneasy face... made me want to tease her.
How long had it been since I'd had such childish thoughts.
Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever paid this much attention to one person before.
Park Seong-ho: “…Well... instead, I'll have a ton more paperwork and reports to deal with, so it'll be annoying and exhausting for me.”
Eun Dan-bi: “…Y-... yes..? I-I’m s-sorry…”
Watching her flustered and at a loss, my heart, which had ached dully earlier, stopped for a moment and then started beating a little faster.
I'm crazy.
It hadn't even been a full day since I'd seen her, but just sitting back and watching that expression felt like a clean blue was forcing its way into a life that had been all black, white, and red.
Park Seong-ho: “…I'm kidding. I don't write reports or anything like that.”
Eun Dan-bi, who had been fidgeting nervously, opened her eyes wide and mouthed wordlessly.
Eun Dan-bi: “…Th-then… you were… teasing me…?”
Her face, where embarrassment and disbelief crossed, puffed into a sulk.
Eun Dan-bi: “…What… You scared me…”
In the end, I couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
It was the first time I'd laughed like this, like an ordinary person my own age.
The sulky Eun Dan-bi saw me laughing softly, and the corners of her mouth slowly lifted too.
Eun Dan-bi: “…Pffft… why are you laughing…!!”
The two of us spent several minutes just laughing at each other's smiling faces.
It was the moment a clean blue began spreading through Park Seong-ho's world.
ps. The other members of the organization who passed by in front of Park Seong-ho's office were so startled by the laughter coming from inside that they nearly doubted their own ears.....