Magic on the Dead Chapter 9

Hajin, after hesitating for a moment, slowly got up from his seat. He rummaged through a box of bottled water that had been stocked in the warehouse. He took out enough bottles for everyone and handed them out one by one.

For a moment, a look of vitality returned to the exhausted survivors’ faces. Finally, Hajin stood in front of Eden and offered him a bottle of water and a handkerchief.

“Your face.”

Eden looked up questioningly at Hajin, who was suddenly offering a kindness.

“The blood didn’t wipe off well. Wipe it with this. And drink some water.”

Eden, who had been staring blankly at Hajin, reached out his hand to receive the items. Before he could even offer a word of thanks, Hajin suddenly took a seat in front of him.

“…What is it?”

Towards Eden who asked with a reluctant tone, Hajin once again offered the water bottle and handkerchief.

“I don’t think I was able to say thank you earlier.”

Eden accepted the water without taking his eyes off Hajin, who was sitting in front of him. Gulp, gulp. Even while he drank the water, he maintained eye contact with Hajin the entire time. The water was half gone in two gulps.

Hajin, looking at the man’s somewhat relaxed face, began with difficulty.

“Thank you so much for saving me on the stage. If it weren’t for you, Mr. Jung Taegeon, I would have been done for.”

Eden’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He, who had been looking into Hajin’s deep charcoal-colored eyes, soon sprinkled water onto the handkerchief. The damp cloth swept across the dried bloodstain on his cheek. Under the unhesitating touch, the man’s fair skin, which suited his cool eyes, flushed red before quickly subsiding.

“How did you know my name?”

Eden, his brow furrowed at the fishy smell of blood rising from the wet handkerchief, cast his gaze back to Hajin.

“You’re a famous person. I was so out of it earlier that I didn’t recognize you… but when I saw you speaking English on the phone, I knew it was you. I saw you on TV.”

There was nothing like a television to fill a rather quiet house with warmth. Hajin was fond of watching the current affairs channel that he habitually turned on every evening, and thanks to that, he had first become aware of Jung Taegeon’s existence a few months ago.

The man before his eyes, called Eden, or Jung Taegeon. He was the director of technology development for the aerospace division of ‘Blueworks,’ the world’s number one American defense contractor.

‘So you’re saying that Eden Jung, the CTO who is visiting Korea this time, is famous for being the youngest CTO in Blueworks’ history. Right?’

‘Oh my, would that be his only title? The fact that he’s the first Asian executive is also one of his unique career highlights.’

‘Speaking of unique career highlights, it reminds me of something else, CTO Jung was originally famous as a genius engineer, not on the management side, right? I understand he’s the one who designed the armament software system for the F-27, which is said to be the most threatening fighter jet in existence.’

‘Haha. It’s not that surprising for an engineer to become a CTO, but it still means he has the ability. It’s amazing.’

‘Honestly, more than anything else, I think the fact that he’s a former special forces member was the most unexpected. I know that Delta Force is extremely difficult to get into, as it’s America’s strongest unit…. Well, there’s no end to this. Wouldn’t you get criticized for writing a biography like this?’

The protagonist of the repartee exchanged between a middle-aged man with white hair sprouting from his sideburns and a female announcer with a sharp impression was none other than Jung Taegeon. Half of the conversation was incomprehensible to him, so he had mostly listened to it without much thought, but the announcer’s last remark, ‘former special forces member,’ had remained in his memory for a long time.

Was that why? The moment Hajin recognized him, he had no choice but to accept the man’s skillful use of the knife.

As much as his splendid specs, his looks were no less outstanding, and the articles that described him always had the title ‘visiting Korea’ attached, so he had roughly recognized him as some kind of celebrity.

Hajin cast his gaze upon Jung Taegeon’s particularly red-looking lips and waited for his next words.

“Mr. Magician.”

…Mr. Magician? At the rather ridiculous title, Hajin showed a reluctant face. Eden swallowed a sigh as if he had become a nuisance.

“The thanks are unnecessary. When you think about it, I never saved you, Mr. Magician.”

“…….”

Does he… not know my name? To come all the way to Sangwon City, which was quite a distance from Seoul, to see a performance, he thought he would at least know his name. Hajin, who was scratching his head, was about to correct the ridiculous title that had come out of his mouth.

“We needed a place to hide, and it just so happened that you, the show host, were on stage. There’s no need to attach great meaning to it.”

Hajin’s mouth snapped shut. The man was not being humble. Although they had not exchanged many words, Jung Taegeon clearly had an invisible wall.

It was not simply a matter of being wary of people. He was clearly the type to have no interest in anything other than himself, or his own people. There was no way Hajin, who made a living off of the reactions of others, would fail to notice that about him.

Hajin, moistening his dry lips, shrugged his shoulders.

“…Still, in the end, we saved each other. There’s no harm in offering thanks.”

“Sure, then.”

Eden replied coolly and lowered his gaze. His eyes were soon caught by the wet handkerchief he was holding.

“I’d like to wash this and return it, but the situation doesn’t allow for it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You can have that.”

“Thank you.”

Contrary to his curt words, he was surprisingly unhesitant in expressing ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’. Looking at him like this, it did not seem like he had a particularly stereotyped personality. At a glance, he seemed like a robot that had learned only the bare minimum of etiquette that must be observed….

The man, who was fiddling with the wet handkerchief, suddenly raised his eyes. Their eyes met again. The man had a look of puzzlement, as if wondering why Hajin was still sitting in front of him.

“Is there anything else you have to say?”

“…….”

Momentarily tense, Hajin let out a dry cough, keumkeum. The real reason he had sought out the man…. Somehow, it seemed the result would be obvious even without discussing it. Hajin began with difficulty.

“I’m sorry, but I have good hearing. I’m quick-witted, too.”

Eden blinked slowly at Hajin, who was suddenly introducing himself.

“I’m also pretty good… keum, at understanding English.”

“…….”

A slight displeasure began to appear in his eyes as he looked at Hajin. Hajin rubbed his dampening palms on his thighs and continued.

“Someone of your stature, Mr. Jung Taegeon… since you have a certain position, I thought it was a situation where people could come to rescue you from elsewhere. I happened to overhear you mentioning a transport plane on the phone earlier….”

Judging from the man’s phone call, he already knew the identity of the virus and was even looking ahead to the situation in case he could not get on the transport plane. He also seemed to be discussing future plans with the man in glasses.

One could tell even without possessing a keen sense. The man in front of his eyes was his only lifeline to get out of here alive.

‘You forget? The ‘Jin-Hwa Tech’ new radio technology we were supposed to receive. It’s at the Yong-Un Research Institute. In the worst-case scenario, I plan to go there, so tell them to wait, whether it takes a few days or a few months.’

Furthermore, his final plan included Yong-Un. He had not been able to understand everything, but the word ‘Yong-Un’ had definitely stuck in Hajin’s ear. Yong-Un City was where ‘Neverland,’ where his younger brother Junseok was trapped, was located.

“Are you perhaps leaving tomorrow?”

At Hajin’s hesitant question, Eden’s brow twitched.

“Haa.”

Not hiding his weary sigh, he lowered his voice.

“Stop beating around the bush and just say what you want to say, simply.”

It was the expected reaction, but Hajin could not help but shrink back like a child caught stealing ice cream from a supermarket.

The man gave him no opening and continued to pressure Hajin.

“If you have nothing, you’d better return to your seat.”

“Th,”

“Whatever it is, I can’t give you the answer you want.”

“Please take me with you.”

Hajin blurted out the words as if committing a crime.

“I won’t cause any trouble and I’ll do well. Just like before, I’ll help with anything you need. Just give me a role, and I’ll do whatever you ask… Please let me and Miso get on the transport plane too.”

He had to get out alive. He had to get out, anywhere, and head to Yong-Un City where Junseok was. He knew that asking him to take himself and Miso, who were complete strangers, was a rather absurd request, but with his life on the line, he felt like he had to shamelessly grab onto anything he could.

The man scanned Hajin’s desperate face looking at him and narrowed the space between his eyebrows. After a short silence, his lips slowly parted.

“Hmm, you gave me water and a handkerchief to say this….”

Then he lets out a cool laugh, as if finding it absurd.

“For an equivalent exchange, it seems a little too sloppy.”