“My name is Jo Shin-hye. It seems my younger sister went out. She didn’t say she was leaving, though…”
Sergeant Jung found it odd to see her acting so demure all of a sudden.
It was a side of her he’d never seen before.
Even with the postman suddenly snapping at her to “bring your older sister”, she remained composed.
While Jo Shin-hye stepped away, saying she’d go get something, Sergeant Jung leaned in and whispered to the postman.
“Good thing she’s being cooperative.”
“Yeah.”
You could call it cooperation brought out by a well-intended lie.
It wasn’t true that Jo Shin-hye looked like a younger sister in her early twenties, but she did have a youthful appearance.
“It seems like the beef jerky Captain Choi gave her really did the trick.”
“…Do you really think that’s all it took?”
“What else could it be? Even after you mistook her for someone else and mouthed off, she’s still being this compliant. That’s gotta be it!”
This guy really doesn’t know the first thing about women, probably because he’s spent his whole life in the military.
Not that I have much experience with women myself.
But the old man used to give me advice all the time.
– Half the world is women. So if you understand yourself as a man and understand women, you understand the whole world.
He really was popular with women when he was younger.
Not because he was especially handsome.
He was just considerate.
I didn’t like that.
Come to think of it, earlier, Sergeant Jung’s eyes definitely changed when his younger sister came up.
“You’re interested in her younger sister, aren’t you?”
“Do you think I’m the only one? …The competition’s fierce.”
Sergeant Jung’s love life isn’t really my concern.
Still, he’s been a big help getting me this far.
I wouldn’t call it repayment, but maybe I’ll pass along some of what I was taught.
“You have to assume someone could snatch her away at any moment. If you just sit around, you’ll miss your chance. Are you even trying?”
“Of course! Do you not know me? If I say I’ll do it, I do it, sir!”
“So what exactly are you doing?”
Sergeant Jung leaned in close to my ear and started rapping in a low voice.
Unlike before, the lyrics weren’t violent.
It was a love song that made my skin crawl and my body twist.
To me, that was even more violent.
“…Yeah, you’ve got a real shot.”
“Really? Thank you! That gives me courage! If I get the chance, I’ll definitely perform this rap…!”
Well, sure.
Whether it works or not, it might be better to just get it over with quickly.
“So you at least have some level of familiarity with her?”
“I’ve never even had a single conversation with her. I haven’t properly introduced myself either. But I see her every day, so she’s familiar to me!”
“…That just means you’re strangers.”
“That’s why I’m going to talk to her as soon as possible by performing this rap!”
“You’re not seriously planning to do that the first time you meet her, are you?”
“Is that not okay?”
Just then, the sound of Jo Shin-hye’s footsteps approaching could be heard.
“Please tell me! Is that not okay?”
“No, it’s not. Good luck.”
What she brought over was a single crumpled, worn envelope.
There were even signs that it had been roughly torn open to take the letter out.
“It’s proof. You can take this.”
Proof that the recipient had properly received the letter.
If I brought this back to Jo Yong-han, the explanation-obsessed sender who’d been eagerly waiting for me at headquarters, my mission would be complete.
One step closer to riding the subway.
I don’t need to ride it twice.
Even just once would be enough.
It’d be a special experience I could cherish for the rest of my life.
Maybe I’d even dream about it every night.
Maybe after that, I’d never have nightmares again.
“You seem like a hardworking postman, so I’m accepting this just this once. I hope I never have to deal with mail again.”
Jo Shin-hye spoke coldly.
“Understood.”
Don’t worry.
Even if you asked me to come back, I wouldn’t.
I unfolded the crumpled envelope she handed me.
It was easy to understand why this served as proof.
So this wasn’t the first time the explanation-obsessed guy sent her a letter.
On the envelope, creased along the folds, was the name “Jo Yong-han” written clearly.
It was the envelope from a letter he had previously sent to Jo Shin-hye.
It would definitely serve as valid proof.
But something didn’t add up.
On the crumpled envelope, the recipient’s location Jo Shin-hye’s was clearly written as AAA.
That meant she had received a letter from Jo Yong-han here before…
But as far as I knew, there had never been a single successful delivery to AAA.
Then that means the postman who came before delivered the letter to Jo Shin-hye and never reported it to headquarters.
An illegal delivery.
He must have received some kind of compensation here in exchange for not reporting it.
Just like my current situation.
“It seems the postman who came before was quite skilled. It couldn’t have been easy.”
“Skilled? What standard do you use to judge a postman’s skill?”
“It’s nothing special. A postman just needs to deliver the mail properly. By any means necessary.”
“By any means necessary…”
When I nodded, Jo Shin-hye responded a beat later with an ambiguous smile.
“Then that postman must have been far more skilled than you.”
Sounds like he was no ordinary postman.
I wonder what kind of guy he was.
Her smile faded, and she spoke again in a calm voice.
“But in my eyes, you’re better than that postman.”
“What do you mean?”
“At least you show your face properly, don’t you? That one had his face covered.”
Ah, that guy.
I’ve heard rumors about him.
The masked postman.
There’s no shortage of talk about how impressive he is.
But every time I heard those stories, I didn’t care much.
My position as top performer had never once been threatened.
I figured there was no postman truly worth calling impressive.
I just thought he was an attention seeker wearing a mask to look cool.
But now that I think about it, was he actually someone who carried out illegal deliveries without reporting to headquarters?
That might explain why his performance was so low.
Just like I have Director Bae backing me, I heard he also has someone covering for him.
That must be what allows him to carry out illegal deliveries so casually.
A corrupt postman protected by someone in power.
Something about it doesn’t sit right with me.
“Have you ever heard that postman’s name?”
“What reason would I have to exchange names with a postman?”
That makes sense.
No one really cares who the postman is.
“Anyway, that postman was a bit strange. He wasn’t wearing any proper postman gear. No armband, no bag, nothing like that. It just felt like… someone you should never get close to.”
So he’s been deliberately carrying out illegal deliveries.
“Even the mask he was wearing didn’t seem to have any function. I don’t get why he’d wear something that uncomfortable.”
“Maybe he’s not confident enough to show his face.”
“Pfft, then are you not wearing a mask because you’re confident in your looks? Well, you’re not bad-looking. I’ll give you that.”
She shrugged her shoulders and let out a small, amused snort.
“That’s not what I meant. It likely means he’s in a situation where his face can’t be known. Something like having someone after his life.”
It’s a plausible possibility.
And there’s more we can infer.
“Maybe he even became a postman in the first place to stay alive. Unless someone is a truly desperate raider at rock bottom, most wouldn’t dare mess with a postman.”
She listened to my analysis in silence, then soon looked tired.
“Ugh… boring. This wasn’t the moment to get so serious. I take back what I said about you being good-looking.”
Sergeant Jung beside me shook his head.
As if to say, “You really don’t understand women.”
This bastard.
“…Anyway, I’ve received the proof, so I’ll be on my way.”
The objective is complete.
Now all that’s left is to take Captain Choi and get out of the settlement…
“By the way, did you happen to see my younger sister outside? She’s easy to recognize since she’s not in uniform.”
“I didn’t.”
“I see…”
For some reason, her expression darkened.
Sergeant Jung’s eyes lit up.
“Did something happen to your sister!?”
“Stay out of it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She spoke again.
“If you do find her, could you tell her to come straight home?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to go out and look for her yourself?”
“I can’t leave the house empty…”
So there are petty thieves around.
Internal security must be poor.
A sign that the settlement is falling apart.
Come to think of it, all the soldiers in the settlement looked gaunt.
Even Captain Choi, an officer, was the same.
Only Sergeant Jung and Jo Shin-hye could be considered reasonably slim.
Food rations must be in bad shape.
I should take advantage of that in the escape plan.
At that moment, Jo Shin-hye spoke in a pleading tone.
“Please. If you see my sister…”
Before I could respond,
“Yes, ma’am! Leave it to me!”
Sergeant Jung stepped in.
“Thank you… By the way, who might you be, Sergeant?”
“I’m Sergeant Jung, and—!”
“…Why are you speaking to me so formally?”
Outside, he’d been casually calling her “woman” yet now he was using honorifics to her face.
“W-Well, that’s…”
He’s trying to manage his image because he wants to get on good terms with her younger sister.
Tch.
“So I am Miss Jo Shin-hye’s younger sister’s—cough…!”
I drove my elbow straight into his side.
“You don’t need to pay any attention to this guy.”
“I thought you just said ‘sister’…?”
“No he actually said ‘Lister’. Right?”
“Cough, y-yes….”
“Then please continue from that.”
***
As I stepped out of her house, a smile naturally spread across my face.
Delivery complete.
I delivered it at AAA.
Now that I’ve properly secured the proof, all that’s left is to return to headquarters.
It didn’t even take that long.
If I head back like this, even that explanation-obsessed guy will have no choice but to acknowledge my skills.
I wonder how that stubborn, narrow-minded guy will react.
Of course, there’s still the promise I made to help Captain Choi escape from here.
But now that the delivery is done, there’s really no need to keep such a risky promise.
Still, I’ll at least give it a try.
Captain Choi is the officer in charge of settlement access and the anti-aircraft guns.
In other words, he’s in a position to give the order to fire them.
If I break the promise and try to slip away, I might end up getting a taste of those anti-aircraft guns.
Well, he did say he’d give me some cores as a reward, so if the escape succeeds, it benefits me too.
With that, I headed toward Captain Choi’s office.
“Postman-nim!”
Sergeant Jung suddenly spoke up, sounding heated.
“Aren’t you curious why that woman doesn’t want to receive the mail? And why she’s looking for her younger sister?”
“Whether she wants it or not isn’t my concern, and if her sister went out without saying anything, it’s only natural she’d go looking for her.”
“As a postman, can you really treat someone refusing mail like it’s none of your business?”
“Ah, my ears are itchy.”
Sergeant Jung showed no sign of backing down.
“I know I’m not in a position to say this since I deserted, but still, delivering mail is your duty, isn’t it? Then you should care about it.”
“What are you talking about? You’re only concerned about her because you like her sister.”
“It’s not just liking; it’s love… I mean, anyway! I’m not wrong, am I?”
Back when we were in the military, he’d never once talked back to me like this.
Then again, I’m not his commanding officer anymore, so maybe that’s why he’s acting up.
“What, are you her husband or something? Get a grip. Too much interest just makes people run away.”
“Aren’t you being too indifferent instead, Postman-nim?”
“Ah, now my nose is itchy.”
“Postman-nim!”
Sergeant Jung quickly stepped forward and blocked my path.
“Have you lost your mind? Just because this is your turf, you think you can do whatever you want?”
“Postman-nim… no, Sergeant Woo. You’ve changed a lot….”
What is this, some kind of sentimental nonsense?
“Of course I’ve changed. Do you think I’d be the same as when I was a soldier?”
“That’s not what I meant….”
Whether someone refuses their mail or not has nothing to do with me.
“Don’t go sticking your nose into other people’s business. And stop meddling in mine, too.”
“I’m not telling you to meddle. But can’t you at least show a minimum level of interest in the person right in front of you?”
All he does is spout soft, bleeding-heart nonsense.
“Interest?”
“Yes! Interest!”
“Does that put food on the table?”
I shoved Sergeant Jung aside, who was blocking my path, and started walking again.
Cocky bastard. Since when did he think he could lecture me?
It’s not like I don’t understand why he’s saying all that.
I used to be like that too.
But once you watch countless people you cared about die, your thinking changes.
He just hasn’t seen enough blood yet. Lucky him.
Keep living like that, lucky, never having to understand me.
“Postman-nim!”
Sergeant Jung limped after me again.
Captain Choi’s office was starting to come into view in the distance.
It wouldn’t be long before I left this settlement.
***
Captain Choi was growing increasingly anxious as he waited for the postman.
He couldn’t shake the thought that the man might just run off without keeping his promise.
Knock, knock.
The moment he heard the knock, Captain Choi hurriedly opened the door.
“What took you so lo—”
The man standing in front of him was indeed a postman.
Just not the one he had been waiting for.
“Seems like you were expecting someone.”
The postman was wearing a mask.
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