Episode 93: First Experience (5)
“Let me double-check the schedule.”
Why is she nervous?
It started off as a small doubt. But as he continued thinking about it, he discovered various strange points among her recent actions.
These days, Bom had gotten very close to the members of his office including Kang Ahjin. Going around the Association, she started meeting people and learning work and now she was even doing make-up for Zhuge Haiyan.
It was in stark contrast to how she would usually act around people. Was she simply trying to find more to do after getting used to working at the Association?
He continued thinking as his doubt gradually increased in size.
Bom always moved based on deliberate calculations. She always acted after thinking and never the other way around.
Kang Ahjin. Zhuge Haiyan.
And the agents of the office that she became closer to by approaching them first: Isabella Kampavic, Wei Hongwei, Patricia Mosca, Gretta Jenecamp, Iyana Goradia…
What was the thing in common between these agents who were different in both race and nationality?
“…”
Yu Jitae felt slightly uncomfortable.
They all happened to be female.
*
“Could you come with me for a little.”
“If there is something you would like to say, of course Season.”
“Get in the car.”
“Yes oppa.”
He took Bom to the underground parking lot and got in the car.
“Bom. Is there something happening these days?”
“No?”
“Why do you suddenly want to go to their dinner event.”
“Are we not allowed to go if there’s nothing wrong?”
The fragments of his doubt were too far apart to connect into one piece.
“Why have you become so proactive these days.”
“Can’t I?”
“It is weird though. It has already been several months since you’ve joined the Association and you were putting a distance between you and them to match your image of a soothsayer.”
“Yes. But I think I’ve been too indifferent to my surroundings.”
Indifferent?
“What do you mean.”
“Hmm… I suddenly had this thought a few days ago. I think I’ve been living my whole life staring inside a cylinder.”
“Inside a cylinder?”
“Yes. Like the core of a tissue roll or a straw. It’s nice to focus and look at one thing through it but that makes it impossible to look at the surroundings. And when the thing you were staring at through the cylinder disappears, you immediately lose track of it.”
He couldn’t understand her words but there seemed to be no reason to continue with this QnA.
Her words were false according to the [Eyes of Equilibrium (SS)]. Having a false for the answer meant that her response wasn’t an authentic one that stemmed from her sincere thoughts.
“Bom. Are you hiding something from me?”
“Nothing these days.”
True.
“Are you trying to do something behind my back?”
“How and why would I do something behind your back, oppa.”
True.
“Don’t misunderstand my words and reply as comfortably as you want to. Are you planning on hurting someone?”
“No?”
True.
Soon, her lips formed a pout as a sullen look appeared on her face.
“Why would I suddenly hurt someone. What a weird question…”
“Sorry if that offended you.”
“I’m not that much of a psycho, you know…”
“I’ve never once thought of you as a psychopath.”
In any case, if Yu Jitae knew everything and she had no plans of hurting other people, it shouldn’t be a problem.
He decided to let go of those doubts for now.
“Are you coming to the dinner later?”
“You wanted me to go, didn’t you. Then I will.”
Bom once again licked her lower lips.
“Okay.”
***
That night.
The command centre’s dinner was held at a wine bar. Rather than a formal one, it was for people that liked socialising to come for a chat and was more similar to an in-company party than a formal dinner.
Naturally, the higher-ups like the Five Transcendents and Chaliovan weren’t here today.
Because of that, Yu Jitae who was swirling his wine glass at the corner wearing a business shirt and a tie was a difficult person to approach for them. He was like a professor who came to a university party of students.
It was evident by how some of the agents awkwardly greeted him before immediately going further away.
Despite the prevalence of human death these days, it was still straight after a huge incident so the people weren’t very rowdy. They dropped their business mindset a little to share some conversations about their personal lives.
There was one person who gathered the eyes of everyone present.
It was none other than Bom.
“Haru! Can I please sit next to you?”
“Yes. Of course, unni.”
“Miss Soothsayer. The thing you told me last time was such a great help.”
“Wow really?”
“Would you like to have some tteokbokki together when we have time?”
“I would love to…”
Her connection wasn’t limited to the 5th command room agents. It included many people from other departments so various women naturally began to gather around Bom.
There was definitely something in her mind.
It was then that his eyes met with hers through the gap between the crowd.
Her hair was done up. Not a single blemish could be found on her skin despite her sitting under the lights. A black choker was around her neck and a thin layer of make-up was on her face.
On top of that, she was wearing a white babydoll dress. It was rare for her to put so much effort into dressing herself.
“But Haru, how come you never wore clothes like these until now?”
“Right… you really look fantastic today.”
“You look just like a doll. Where did you get these clothes from?”
There were so many people bustling near Bom but she still sent sincere gazes to each and every one of them and naturally continued with the conversation like flowing water.
The fragrance of nature softly spread from her. Her clear voice was a delight to listen to and her beautiful eyes bewitchingly gathered their gazes.
Everyone that was talking to her became engrossed in Bom.
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As time passed and people got more comfortable at the dinner, Bom slowly stood up from her seat.
“Excuse me.”
“Nn? Where are you going?”
“I asked him to come, but he’s sitting alone so…”
Some of the people that just discovered Season were quite surprised. They wanted to follow Bom and have more conversations but none of them were willing to share the same table with Prophet Season. Even Kang Ahjin wasn’t very willing because it was burdensome.
“How come you are alone on such a fine night?”
But there were still many ears on them so Bom maintained the appearance of a mysterious soothsayer despite being alone with him.
“I believe you were enjoying yourself. There is no need to be concerned about me, as I feel more comfortable staying alone.”
And so did Yu Jitae.
“But you’ve come a long way. Would you like a glass with me?”
“Yes. Of course.”
In that dark area with the only source of light being the dim lamp, as the LP disk in the turntable played a heavy yet slow melody,
Clink.
Yu Jitae and Bom clinked their glasses.
He expected Bom to leave after that but she remained in her seat. As he was wondering what she was trying to do, Bom rested her chin on her two hands and gazed at Yu Jitae with her usual eyes.
It was different from the eyes she showed at the Association.
Her eyes were slanted in the shape of the character ‘eight’ (八) and she deeply stared at him as if she was gazing into the depths of his soul.
Quietly, she stayed like that.
“…”
That silence, for some reason, felt like the start of a certain event. That was what the Regressor’s intuition told him. Whenever this girl who was like a nine-tailed fox did strange things, there tended to be reasons regardless of whether he knew them or not.
In other words,
Something was going to start.
Her head was tilted to the side and her eyes that deeply stared at him curved like bows. Her smiling lips opened, before coming to a close. After some hesitation, she barely voiced it out.
“……Thanks for everything.”
That was what Bom suddenly said.
“It’s thanks to you that I’ve become happy.”
“Please don’t worry about it.”
Was it a simple sentence of gratitude or was there some other intention behind it? He knew that something had begun but had no idea what it was.
That was when Bom covered her mouth in slight surprise.
“Ah… sorry. Was that a slip of a tongue?”
In any case, Yu Jitae had to show respect to Bom within the Association for her authority.
“By no means. It was sudden, but it’s okay.”
“I must be drunk. But it’s not made up. I’ve always, wanted to say this to you…”
“It’s an honour.”
Bom breathed in and out, going ‘huu, huu’.
“Apparently you become sober faster if you breathe in and out like this. Huu, huu…”
“Isn’t that a superstition?”
“Is it? Huu…”
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He decided to stealthily show his doubt.
“You seem to be in a very good mood today. Did something good happen? You also seem to have drunk more than usual.”
(Why do you act so drunk.)
Usually, Bom tended to reply connotatively whenever he asked such questions.
“There are many good things of course. It’s good talking to such awesome people, and sitting in front of you like this also…”
But her response was different today and she actually seemed drunk.
“If you have drunk too much, how about you stop drinking now.”
“Nn… It’s fine. So what, if we get slightly tipsy?”
“A drunken tongue blurts out wrong words, and the body tends to behave disgracefully. It concerns me that it might dishonour your face.”
(If you’re really drunk, then stop it right now.)
There was no way that the clever Bom wouldn’t have understood the meaning behind his words, but she shakily shook her head.
“Noo? That doesn’t logically make sense, because I’m not drunk.”
“You seem to have relaxed yourself too much.”
“Huhuh… I’m not a one-year-old child. I can control it and besides, I don’t drink like this anywhere else. But, isn’t it fine to get a little tipsy today?”
“Why would that be fine?”
“Because, you are with me by my side…”
It was a sweet-sounding word that was pleasant to the ears. In fact, it did ease his mood and soothe his heart that was starting to be filled with suspicion.
On the other hand, he still couldn’t understand what she was trying to do.
What exactly was wrong with her? Bom however, did not allow him the time to think about it.
“You can’t leave by yourself.”
“Of course, I’ll never.”
“Nn…”
Yu Jitae changed his mind.
Maybe Bom really was drunk and was saying anything that was going through her mind. Thinking that, he deemed it necessary to end it here in order to maintain her dignity as the Soothsayer.
Clink–
Their glasses collided once again and he drank the wine in one go.
Afterwards, he opened his mouth trying to suggest that they leave now but that was when Bom put something into his open mouth. It was a canapé that they had ordered to have alongside the wine. A cracker with cheese, cream and fruit on top.
Slightly surprised, he looked at Bom as she continued staring at him with a smile.
Bom trying to feed him food was something that she had been doing for a long time. However, this was the Association and Yu Jitae was Prophet Season and yet Bom had treated him very much like how she would in their daily lives.
“How does it taste? I tried it, but it was really delicious.”
He quietly crunched the thing that was in his mouth while feeling intensified gazes from the surroundings.
The glances that were occasionally being sent towards their way had suddenly changed into explicit and open gazes.
Let alone Kang Ahjin and Zhuge Haiyan, the members of the 5th command room and the ladies that Bom had befriended recently as well as some of the male agents were all staring at Yu Jitae and Bom with eyes filled with intrigue and curiosity.
Don’t tell me she…
“So I immediately thought of you. And wanted to let you try it…”
Only then did Yu Jitae realise it.
Her words finally resolved all his doubts.
The reason why Bom suddenly approached Kang Ahjin and Zhuge Haiyan to get closer to them. The reason why she left the impression of a wagging puppy to others to make that relationship seem natural, and lastly the reason why she repeatedly expressed her affection towards him while pretending to be drunk.
All the scattered puzzle pieces finally came together.
Monsters that hunted in hordes tended to gather the food they hunted into one place and apply their thick saliva on it to ensure their foods won’t be mixed up. It was like labelling the food and was called ‘marking’.
Similarly, piss was also used to mark territory that implied to others, ‘This is mine, and this is my territory so do not come over’. Taking that approach, Yu Jitae finally understood Bom’s actions as well as why she intentionally waited for everyone to settle before coming to him.
Bom was marking him as her territory.