Na-yoon didn’t have a car, nor did she have a driving license.
It might have sounded a bit pitiful when put that way, but it was perfectly normal for someone like her who had just turned twenty and was starting out in life.
However, the thought of taking Kang-joon on public transportation made her too nervous. Who knew what kind of accident could happen?
If someone so much as bumped shoulders with him on the subway, the other person’s shoulder might end up broken.
In the end, the only option was a taxi. And, of course, she was the one who had to pay for it.
Ugh, my poor bank account…
Just as Na-yoon was swallowing her tears and opening the app to call a taxi, Kang-joon suddenly grabbed her hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Eek!?”
Na-yoon jumped far more than usual, enough to surprise even herself.
Was it because he was a devil and scared her? That was part of it, but the real reason lay elsewhere.
It was because the distance between her and Kang-joon was far too close.
Na-yoon had rarely been physically close to the opposite sex. Since she attended an all-girls middle school and high school, the number of conversations she had with boys could be counted on one hand.
Because of Kang-joon’s horns and wings, she hadn’t been fully aware of it until now, but apart from being a devil, he was an exceptionally handsome man.
On top of that, Na-yoon’s type wasn’t the delicate, idol-like kind but rather the masculine, rugged kind, and Kang-joon’s appearance fit her taste perfectly.
To be honest, it was a little hard on her heart.
G-Get a grip, Shin Na-yoon. The fact that he’s a devil is the most important thing, how could you forget that!
He’s a devil. One who could erase me from existence with a flick of his finger!
If my heart is racing because of this devil, it has to be from fear of death, not some kind of excitement!
Na-yoon calmed herself with that thought. She then took a deep breath before replying.
“I-I was going to call a taxi. I don’t know where we’re going, but we need a car, right?”
Kang-joon narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“A car? Why would we need that?”
“Well, we need a car to get around. Oh, is our destination nearby? Were you planning to just walk?”
“No. We’ll go another way.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
At that moment, Na-yoon suddenly felt a chill run down her back.
It was an instinctive feeling, like a gut reaction. Somehow, whatever other way Kang-joon was referring to didn’t seem like a proper one.
“Ahaha… Kang-joon? I’ll just take a taxi. Let’s not do anything crazy—”
Just as Na-yoon nervously tried to pry his hand off with a forced smile, Kang-joon acted first and lightly lifted her with ease.
“Uh—”
In an instant, the scenery around them changed.
“—Kyaaa!!”
Space stretched and contracted, sped up and slowed down, grew dark and then bright again.
It was like watching dozens of photos flash through her mind in the span of 0.1 seconds, like a slideshow.
By the time Na-yoon regained her senses, she was already standing in an alley she had never seen before.
At that moment, Na-yoon felt as if she had just ridden a 360-degree rollercoaster. Her head spun, and her stomach churned.
In the end, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and threw up everything inside her.
“Uweeegh—”
“…Disgusting.”
“Wh-Who do you think is to blame for this, uweeegh—”
Na-yoon, who unintentionally saw what she had eaten this morning in front of her eyes again, wiped her lips and opened her mouth with difficulty.
“…Please, can you at least explain what’s going on before we do anything next time?”
Since it had been such an unpleasant experience, her voice carried a slight tone of protest.
“When did I ever need to ask for your permission?”
But at Kang-joon’s indifferent gaze, that small bit of courage vanished instantly.
“I-I’m just asking to at least be mentally prepared, that’s all.”
Na-yoon reverted to her usual timid tone and carefully asked.
“By the way, where are we?”
Instead of answering, Kang-joon simply pointed with a nod of his chin.
When she looked in the direction he pointed, Na-yoon saw the city of Seoul and a large building with “Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency” written on it.
It was then that Na-yoon realized Kang-joon’s intention.
“Are we going to look for missing people records at the police station? But can we just walk in without prior notice? We don’t even have any details aside from the name. What if they think we’re joking and kick us out?”
“We’ll find out when we get there.”
As Kang-joon said, it was something they’d figure out once they arrived.
The two of them exited the alley and headed toward the police station.
Na-yoon walked toward the main entrance without thinking much of it. But suddenly, Kang-joon grabbed her by the back of her neck.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Huh? But the visitor’s entrance is over there—”
“Are you a civilian?”
Now that she thought about it, he was right. The National Security Agency outranked the police. There was no need for her to use the public entrance.
The two of them turned toward the staff entrance. As soon as the security guard saw the Security Agent ID she presented, he flinched in surprise but let them in without a word.
He didn’t even ask why they were visiting, and he didn’t bother to check Kang-joon’s ID either. Na-yoon found that a bit surprising.
Am I… actually an important person?
Feeling slightly proud, she subconsciously lifted her chin and tried to walk with more confidence.
She wanted to appear as cool as a special agent from the movies, but Kang-joon, who had been watching her with a look of mild disdain, spoke indifferently from behind.
“Stop acting ridiculous and walk properly.”
“Oh, yes…”
Na-yoon quickly deflated and straightened her posture. After all, it was the Security Bureau that was impressive, not her.
As soon as they arrived at the main building, they headed straight to the detective division. That was where the missing persons investigations were handled.
Inside, the detectives were moving about busily, and Na-yoon who was feeling a bit nervous cleared her throat and cautiously spoke up.
“Um… I’m here to look up some information about a missing person.”
“Yes?”
A detective who had been organizing some files nearby looked up and glanced at the two of them.
The moment he saw the Security Agent ID that Na-yoon held out, a mix of surprise and a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes.
“Security Bureau?”
“Uh, yes, S-Security Bureau.”
There was no real reason for her to be nervous, but for some reason, an uneasy tremor stirred deep inside her chest.
Actually, now that she thought about it, maybe there was a reason to be nervous. Accessing police records for personal reasons was practically an abuse of power, right? What if the detective reported this to headquarters? Wouldn’t she get disciplined if she got caught?
As her anxiety crept in, she suddenly felt like her shoulders were trembling slightly.
The detective eyed both her and Kang-joon carefully before asking,
“You’re looking for missing people’s records?”
“Yes, yes. We’re looking for someone named Seo Kang-joon. We were wondering if there’s a missing person report for him.”
“If it’s just basic personal information, you can find it by searching the police department portal site. If it’s something else, are you trying to look at the investigation records from back then?”
“That’s…”
Na-yoon hesitated for a moment before glancing at Kang-joon.
She wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted. It would have been better if he took the lead, but Kang-joon remained silent and just stood there without saying a word.
Is he leaving this all up to me?
Feeling a bit helpless, Na-yoon answered,
“I think so…?”
“Well, I wouldn’t know. But I can’t just show those records to anyone. Hold on a moment.”
The detective told them to wait and headed further into the office. He wasn’t going to retrieve the documents but rather to report this to his superior.
A moment later, they heard someone from inside shout, “What? Security Bureau!?” Na-yoon flinched slightly at the loud voice and glanced toward the back.
A middle-aged man who sat at a desk with a nameplate reading “Chief of the Criminal Investigation Division” hurriedly stood up and almost ran toward where Na-yoon was standing.
“Haha, hello. You said you’re from the Security Bureau?”
“Ah, yes. I’m Agent Shin Na-yoon.”
“Oh dear, my introduction is a bit late. I’m Chief Park Jong-soo of the Criminal Investigation Division.”
Chief Park smiled widely and politely handed over his business card.
Not to Na-yoon, but rather to Kang-joon standing beside her.
“…Huh.”
Chief Park, without paying any attention to Na-yoon’s confused expression, kept a sociable smile plastered on his face.
It was only natural for him to assume the man beside Na-yoon was the superior, as she appeared young and unassuming at first glance.
“I don’t think we’ve met before, so you must be new. Oh, you have quite an impressive presence! You definitely look like someone from the Security Bureau! What’s your position? Team leader? Division chief? And your name is…?”
“…….”
Despite the chief’s overly flattering remarks, Kang-joon didn’t respond at all.
Chief Park Jong-soo grew flustered by Kang-joon’s seemingly dismissive reaction and quickly changed his attitude.
“Ah, my apologies! I didn’t mean to offend. I know how busy you must be, and I wouldn’t dare waste the time of a Security Bureau agent! You said you wanted to see the records, right? Detective Kwak, show them the documents and make sure they’re comfortable.”
“Understood. Both of you, please follow me.”
The detective referred to as Kwak led Na-yoon and Kang-joon to his desk.
“Times have changed, so you don’t have to rummage through paper files in a dusty archive anymore. As long as the person hasn’t been missing for ages, we can find everything right here. You said the missing person’s name is Seo Kang-joon?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
When Na-yoon confirmed, Detective Kwak tapped on the keyboard and asked,
“When did he go missing?”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“Huh? Well, in that case, do you know his age?”
“I don’t.”
“…What about the location where he disappeared, his occupation, or what he looks like?”
“I don’t know that either….”
A brief look of disbelief flashed across the detective’s face.
“So you want us to find someone when you only know their name?”
“Is it going to be difficult?”
“It’s not so much difficult as it is time-consuming.”
Detective Kwak let out a deep sigh as he spoke.
“Ever since those damn devils appeared, do you know how many people have gone missing in this country? If you count those whose families have already filed death reports or the ones who weren’t even reported missing, the number would be in the hundreds of thousands. How are we supposed to search through all that for a name like Seo Kang-joon.”
Kang-joon who had been listening suddenly spoke up.
“He was in his twenties when he went missing. It couldn’t have been that long ago, probably within the last ten years. And there’s a good chance he lived in Seoul.”
Na-yoon’s eyes widened.
“Huh? If you had that information, you should’ve said so sooner.”
“I’m not certain. It’s just a feeling.”
Detective Kwak nodded his head and tapped away at the keyboard.
“Hmm, a man in his twenties who lived in Seoul and went missing within the last ten years… That narrows it down quite a bit. Hold on. Here, the list just came up.”
Detective Kwak stood up and showed them the list that had appeared on his monitor.
“Even though we’ve narrowed it down, there’s still quite a bit, so you can go through it slowly. I’ve got some work left to do. If you have any questions, just call me.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Na-yoon gave a small bow and sat down in front of the monitor. Then she slowly started scrolling down.
“You’re too slow. Scroll faster.”
“Huh? I haven’t even read the first sentence yet.”
“I’ve already read it all. Faster.”
“Um, I don’t know what you’re looking for, but wouldn’t it be better to read more carefully?”
“I’m reading it properly.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Scroll faster.”
“Yes, yes!”
Na-yoon’s fingers flew over the mouse and she started scrolling down as fast as she could. She was doing so very quickly that it barely seemed like she was reading at all.
It was then that Kang-joon suddenly grabbed Na-yoon’s hand.
“Wait.”
“Uhhh! Again, again—”
Na-yoon instinctively flinched as Kang-joon grabbed her hand once more, but he didn’t even glance at her. His focus was entirely on the frozen screen.
Following his gaze, Na-yoon looked at the monitor and was suddenly startled.
“What? What is this?”
Among the personal details of dozens of missing people named “Seo Kang-joon”, there was one person whose information, aside from the name, was unnaturally erased.
A short notice was written there.
[This case has been transferred to the National Security Agency, and part of the data has been deleted.]
[Access is restricted under the authority of the National Security Agency.]
Leave a Reply