Chapter 439: Ripples
Anyway, thanks to that, I managed to avoid incurring the Branch Chief’s wrath.
Of course, the price was that I ended up at the aquarium entrance with the Branch Chief.
The same aquarium I’d visited last time with Song A-rin.
Back then, I’d gotten tickets with someone else's help, but this time I had to secure them myself.
"The first time I went to an aquarium was in… Yeonggilli?"
"Yeonggilli?"
"Ah, that. Yeongran?"
"Yeongran?"
"I remember now. England, England. The word for it keeps changing, so it's confusing."
"Ah."
She really didn't need to go out of her way to emphasize her age. She already looked plenty old enough.
I looked at the clothes the Branch Chief was wearing.
"…"
"What is it?"
The Branch Chief looked at me with a bright, sunny expression.
"Ah, nothing. It's just… I was thinking you look very nice in that outfit."
"Right?"
She laughed, pointing at the vibrant white dress—specifically, the slightly excessive roses embroidered on it. To be precise, the sheer amount of embroidery was excessive.
Red roses didn't just adorn the white dress; they practically covered it.
I think I saw a similar one my grandmother used to have a long time ago. I never saw her wear it, though.
"Actually, I looked into the clothes kids like these days, but they were all too revealing."
"Pardon?"
I thought about who I considered "kids these days."
Park Ye-eun. Her casual clothes are track suits.
Yu Daon… just wears plausible-looking, off-the-rack clothes you could find anywhere. Though, maybe it's because she has such a toned body that everything fits her well.
Jang Chae-yeon wears loose-fitting clothes. The reason why… well, there's no need to say it out loud. It's because even loose clothes don't look loose on her.
Song A-rin wears the kind of clothes you'd see on a popular college freshman. Not over-the-top, but not too plain either.
Just which kids around me are supposed to be wearing such terrifyingly revealing clothes? And who exactly says they're revealing? From my perspective, our Management Bureau uniforms are far more revealing.
Moreover, if you just looked at the Branch Chief's face, she was a young, pretty woman, creating such a stark cognitive dissonance it was almost creepy.
In fact, people around us were already sneaking glances at the Branch Chief.
Probably because her outfit was so mismatched with her face.
"Look at this. Is it because Mr. Kim Jae-heon and I look like such a handsome couple? Ahaha!"
If only she hadn't said that, I might have actually thought we looked like one. Well, it's not like those people could hear her, so I'll let it slide.
"Let's just go in."
"What should we do about food?"
"I have a place in mind."
There are plenty of restaurants near the aquarium targeting couples. We could just pick one of those, right?
Even if, by some chance, the Branch Chief could only eat Korean food, there'd be a Korean restaurant around too, surely.
The Branch Chief nodded, and only then were we able to enter the aquarium.
Inside the dark aquarium, the tanks glowed with a blue light, and the Branch Chief stared intently at one.
"Look at these fish."
"Yes?"
"Some of them look like they'd be edible."
"I suppose they would be edible."
"It was fairly recent, about twenty years ago, I was stranded in the Amazon. That's when I found out—even piranha are edible."
"Why, out of all the fish, did you pick piranha?"
"If you just stick a finger in, they bite nicely, so you can use a human fishing rod, you see? If you stick your whole arm in, miraculously, about five fish come along with it!"
Was that kind of thinking even possible? Is she a genius?
We walked along, chatting about this and that while she smiled brightly.
"Weren't there any isolated objects related to fish?"
"Of course there were. It was… how long ago? About sixty years ago, there was a case of man-eating fish."
"Man-eating fish?"
"I remember it was due to a mistake by the Management Bureau; some photos and data were partially leaked. It even inspired a movie."
Ah, the movie about a shark that eats people. So it was based on a true story.
"Honestly, more important than the people it ate was the fact that it reproduced."
"The man-eating fish reproduced?"
"Because of that, our workload increased, and I had to learn how to swim, something I never thought I'd need."
The Branch Chief let out a deep sigh. She must have really hated it.
"How did you catch them?"
"First, I calculated the bite force. Based on the severed sections of the victims, footage, and testimonies from those who saw it, I compared its bite force to the durability of my own body."
The Branch Chief clenched her fist tightly.
"After calculating, I concluded it couldn't chew through my body, so I decided the simplest solution was for me to go into the water and beat them all to death."
"Isn't that a bit… brute force?"
"They say if your body is weak, your head has to work harder."
"…"
Well, sure. Back then, if something wasn't working, instead of trying various tricks and spending money, the solution here was, "Just use Lee Ha-neul." That approach would definitely be easier.
"Anyway, so I went into the water and beat every single one to death, from the mother to the offspring."
"Is that even possible?"
"Of course."
The Branch Chief nodded.
Yeah, if she says so, then I guess it is.
"By the way, Branch Chief."
"Yes?"
"How did you get to know entities like Aestheticism and The Troupe?"
"Well…"
At my question, the Branch Chief averted her gaze, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"It's not so much 'getting to know' them as being forced to meet them, whether I want to or not."
"I think I know the feeling."
Someone at the Branch Chief's level would inevitably get swept up when the scale of an incident grows. So, like it or not, you end up seeing their faces.
"That's why so many people are grateful to you, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
Suddenly?
I looked at her, unable to hide my surprise, and the Branch Chief smiled softly.
"Because you've defeated so many of the Management Bureau's nightmares."
"I haven't defeated all of them, though."
"How could anyone defeat them all? If that were possible, you'd probably have become an isolated object yourself, wouldn't you?"
She had a point. If I had solved every single problem, others might see me as an isolated object.
"…"
For a moment, an image of myself as a lump of flesh flashed through my mind.
That was a form that could no longer be called human.
Even if I had solved all the problems, becoming something like that would render it all meaningless.
"Besides, no one can do everything alone. That's why we're here to help."
The Branch Chief said in a warm voice, giving my shoulder a light tap.
"So, do your best."
"You seem quite experienced at this sort of thing."
"If a junior looks burdened, it's a senior's duty to lend an ear."
The Branch Chief smiled.
"And, whatever happens, you've given me an unforgettable memory, haven't you?"
"I doubt going to an aquarium with a subordinate counts as an 'unforgettable memory.'"
At my awkward words, the Branch Chief chuckled.
"It's fine if you think that way, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
"No, then what do you think, Branch Chief?"
"I interpret it in my own way?"
Humming, the Branch Chief moved forward.
"Honestly, no matter what I think, you'll come to your own answer, won't you?"
"You know me too well."
"You're an easier person to read than you think, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
The Branch Chief smiled.
"Ah, don't get me wrong! Not an 'easy man' in that sense. On the contrary, you're a difficult man."
"Yes, I know."
Frankly, given how other people often interpret things just by looking at my face, I sometimes wonder if I'm not actually an easy person to understand.
"To be precise, I meant that your way of thinking is very straightforward and simple."
The Branch Chief smiled.
"If something bad happens, you try to help as much as possible. That kind of thing."
"Ah."
That's a bit embarrassing.
As I coughed awkwardly while thinking that, the Branch Chief spoke in a suggestive voice.
"Lucky are those who get to take you away, Mr. Kim Jae-heon."
"Whether anyone takes me away or not, no one knows."
"Hey, let's be honest. If you just set your mind to it, there are already people lining up to take you away."
The Branch Chief poked my side with her elbow.
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just stayed quiet.
"So, who will you choose?"
"Choose? What do you mean, choose?"
Honestly, how could choosing someone in that context even make sense? It might be better to just stay single for life—
"If you don't choose anyone."
Ahem. The Branch Chief cleared her throat, and her gaze turned to me.
"I could, you know, go with you."
"Pardon? Go where?"
"Not 'where,' I meant that if you're going to be alone, I could stay with you."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but…"
Regardless of whether I like it or not, the Branch Chief isn't someone who will die anytime soon.
Even if, by some chance, we developed feelings for each other, she would have to spend all that time alone after I died. I'm not sure if that's right.
"I know what you're worried about."
The Branch Chief looked at me and smiled.
"You told me, didn't you? That you'd take responsibility."
"...I did say that."
Although I meant taking responsibility for her death.
"Then, well, you could just die with me?"
"I haven't really thought that far ahead yet."
I averted my gaze as I answered.
The Branch Chief smiled.
"Well, of course. I don't intend to pressure you either. Take your time, Mr. Kim Jae-heon, and find your own happiness or someone you like."
"…"
I didn't know what to say to the Branch Chief's words.
I waited a moment before opening my mouth.
"I understand."
That was all I could say.
Hearing my response, the Branch Chief gave a kindly smile.
"Ah, that's right. Want to take a picture? A photo?"
"A photo?"
The Branch Chief pulled a camera from her pocket and looked at me with a smile.
An old-fashioned camera.
"This might be the first and last time it's just the two of us taking a picture, right?"
"That's true."
"Then hurry up."
Urged on by her, I reluctantly moved into position, and she pressed the camera's button.
Click! The sound echoed, and the Branch Chief smiled.
"I'll treasure it."
"...Ah, yes."
Why does she have such a wistful expression?
It only made my heart feel more unsettled for no reason.
*
Watching the man nod, Lee Ha-neul forcibly calmed her complicated feelings.
This much is enough. Well, thinking about it, the idea of her ending up with him was absurd anyway.
Maybe being satisfied with just a photo was for the best.
As she thought this, the man opened his mouth.
"Branch Chief."
"Yes?"
"Let's talk for a moment."
Saying so, the man walked further inside.
The Branch Chief simply smiled at the sight and followed behind him.