9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 9 - I Need to Get Out of Here (3)

Daniel gave up waiting and started walking.

‘Who is he trying to meet? Come to think of it, didn’t he say he enjoys intellectual discussions with friends once or twice a month?’

Lucas had shown brief interest too, but quickly lost enthusiasm after learning it was something like a book club where they read novels and poetry collections.

‘He does like reading books though. Well, I guess that’s natural for a journalist.’

I naturally began following Daniel’s retreating figure. As I moved, the furry bundle moved too.

“I told you not to follow me, puppy.”

Pant pant!

A cheerful panting sound came back in response.

Daniel appeared casual at first glance, but occasionally looked back over his shoulder as if watching his surroundings.

From the perspective of someone carefully tailing him, he was a difficult target to follow.

It got worse once we left the main street and entered the alleyways. Narrow paths twisted like a maze, and shabby buildings confused my vision.

Drunkards who seemed to have been day-drinking filled the air with raucous laughter, and the savory smell of cooking oil wafted through the air.

Daniel skillfully weaved through the bustling crowds.

The capital of Schufaben, Lüdelheim, had supposedly received the benefits of clean urban planning and redevelopment by order of the Supreme Leader.

…or so the government propaganda claimed, but plenty of back alleys like this still remained.

I desperately followed Daniel, hiding behind haphazardly built shops or using fat uncles as cover.

‘Damn, I don’t come to this area often, so I have no idea where anything is.’

The moment I thought that, Lucas’s memories violently hammered at my brain as if to say otherwise.

“Ugh!”

My knees buckled. I pressed my hands to the ground and frantically looked around.

The sun was just beginning to set, and magical lanterns started lighting up here and there.

Red light gently spilled through glass windows. Heavily made-up men and women smiled invitingly at passersby.

The so-called ‘heart of the night.’

This was the red-light district that Lucas had treated like a second home.

Once I realized this fact, my face naturally contorted.

No wonder the night air carried a sticky, strange fragrance. It was the smell of alcohol and drugs.

‘Well, well, he’s a man too, I suppose? Even so, why here of all places?’

I neither knew nor wanted to know about Daniel’s bedroom affairs.

I was just nervous about potentially running into Lucas’s old acquaintances.

‘Like that bar woman who used to support the dandy Lucas. What was her name? Ameli, was it?’

“Whine, whimper!”

The puppy whimpered and bit my sleeve as I crouched there awkwardly.

“I’m fine. But where did Daniel go?”

He had vanished from sight in an instant. Either he’d been swallowed by the crowd or entered some building.

As I stood there frowning, the mutt wriggled its body as if telling me to look at it.

“What now?”

“Woof woof!”

Without giving me time to say anything, it shot forward.

“Hey! Puppy!”

Thinking it might bite someone, I reached out and ran after it, only to find the dog had instantly arrived in front of an old building, wagging its tail.

“Huff, gasp, what are you doing?”

“Woof!”

Could it be trying to tell me that Daniel had entered here?

‘Out of all the buildings, this one?’

A golden sign proclaiming itself a ‘high-class bar.’ An old, polished wooden door. The moment I looked at it, steamy memories flooded back and my face flushed red.

How many obscene things had Lucas, ten years younger than me, done rolling around with Ameli!

“Lucky bastard…”

Regret for my bleak past life washed over me. Not a day has passed since falling into this country without such feelings.

But anyway, if Daniel really came here, could it be a coincidence?

‘Yeah right.’

There was no way they’d hold some intellectual discussion meeting or whatever in such an unwholesome place.

Not unless he had some other purpose.

After hesitating for a while, I pushed open the creaking door.

“You wait here.”

I petted the dog that wanted to come in with me. Whether it would actually wait obediently was another matter.

***

“Lucas?! What the hell!”

“Hi, Amel—”

Smack!

Before I could properly ask anything, I got slapped by my furious ex-girlfriend.

“…Ow.”

“I told you never to appear in front of me again!”

“I didn’t come to see you.”

I held my stinging cheek and looked straight at her. My body’s been taking such a beating lately from getting hit by people.

“You bastard!”

“Yeah, do whatever you want.”

Fortunately, since it was early evening, there were no customers in the small hall.

I looked at the trembling Ameli and cockily raised my chin as if daring her to hit me more.

Even if Lucas’s body was weak, it had basic endurance, so this much should be fine. I was prepared to take a beating until she cooled off.

Ameli huffed and twitched her hand several times, but ultimately couldn’t bring herself to hit me. Her labored breathing gradually returned to normal.

“So, what did you come here for?”

Ameli, having barely calmed down, glared at me with eyes that looked ready to kill. I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

‘She has every right to want to kill me.’

During their cohabitation period, Lucas had acted like a young man frustrated and wandering due to the harsh world, but in reality he was nothing more than an incompetent parasite living off his girlfriend.

At least he didn’t resort to violence, but spending all day lounging around smoking cigarettes and cursing elves would have rotted Ameli’s insides.

‘To have such a pretty girlfriend and waste time on useless pursuits.’

Fox-like, coquettishly upturned eye corners, a voluptuous figure, and soft light brown curly hair.

Whether in Schufaben or Korea, she had celebrity-level beauty worthy of worship.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

I carefully raised my hand to fix her disheveled hair.

“Did a customer named Daniel Hartmann come here by any chance? Tall guy with brown hair.”

“Hmph!”

Ameli took a deep breath as if trying to control her anger, then nodded.

“He came earlier.”

“Where is he now?”

“Don’t know. He left through the back door. After staying for about five minutes.”

“He didn’t come to drink?”

Ameli raised her eyebrows.

“He asked this and that about you, then left some money and went.”

I almost started chewing my lips out of habit but stopped myself.

‘Is he trying to investigate my background or what? What a situation, both of us suspecting and tailing each other.’

He must have been quite suspicious. The situation had become ridiculous.

“Could you tell me what he asked?”

I tried to ask as gently as possible, but Ameli stared at me with her pretty green eyes.

“Lucas, have you changed somehow?”

“Of course I’ve changed. It’s been years already.”

“Did you mature, or…”

Her eyes looked me up and down.

“Got a new woman?”

“Haven’t had time for that.”

For a moment, I didn’t miss the subtle emotion that flickered across Ameli’s face.

“Anyway, words alone won’t do.”

“What do you want?”

She held out her hand. Without hesitation, I pulled out the envelope I’d gotten from the bank earlier and handed it over entirely.

“This is all I have right now.”

Ameli roughly counted the bills and let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, you haven’t changed after all. Right.”

As expected, she returned the money. She’d rather squeeze blood from a flea than extort the entire fortune of a poor ex-boyfriend she’d once loved, however briefly.

“Nothing particularly important was discussed. He introduced himself as your friend. Said he’d heard a lot about me from Lucas, that I was as beautiful as he’d heard—complete nonsense that wouldn’t fool anyone. Then he asked if it was true that I dated you, until when you lived here, and what kind of person you were. That’s all. He bought one beer.”

Ameli didn’t seem to be lying.

‘Cunning bastard.’

If I confronted him about it, he could just brush it off saying he was curious and wanted to check it out once. Just enough questions to pass it off lightly.

‘Of course, if he discovered any suspicious circumstances while probing around like this, he’d bite down like a dog.’

I became deeply curious about Daniel’s true identity.

“Thanks, Ameli. I saw my friend going in here and came to check. When I mentioned you, he seemed quite eager to meet you.”

“Really? I thought he might be some disguised Ossel agent. Though he was too awkward for a professional.”

Ameli stared at me intently. For a moment, faint worry flickered in her eyes.

“Did something happen to you?”

Her question left me feeling speechless.

‘Yes. A lot.’

It had been a series of shocking events too difficult to explain in words.

I suddenly felt that what had happened in Korea just a little over ten days ago seemed cosmically distant.

“What could happen to me?”

I shrugged and smiled.

Ameli started to say something, opening her mouth briefly, but turned away when a customer entered.

I left through the back door. Lucas knew the area around Ameli’s bar like the back of his hand.

I checked several nearby alleys, but Daniel was nowhere to be seen.

‘That bastard, is he back home rifling through my room again?’

Fatigue suddenly washed over me.

I felt anxious that if I didn’t properly respond to Daniel’s movements, I might get caught off guard and take a counterpunch.

I had no idea what kind of work he did that made him investigate insignificant citizens like me.

When I came out to the main street to head home, the dog that had been lying in front of the bar building followed along happily.

“You really waited? You’re definitely not an ordinary dog.”

“Woof!”

“Do you want to live with me? Is this some kind of selection process or something?”

“Woof woof!”

“Sorry, but I don’t have my own place yet—I’m paying rent at a boarding house, you know? Taking you in might be a bit difficult.”

“Whine…”

The dog made a pitiful sound while wagging its tail.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Let me ask. Follow me.”

“Woof woof!”

It wasn’t that my heart had softened particularly, but if the dog was this smart, I might be able to train it for security purposes.

Anyway, my top priority was preserving my life, so if an emergency arose, I could at least count on it to watch my back.

***

“I’m back.”

“You’re just getting home? We’re already eating dinner.”

As soon as I entered the house, the savory smell of stew wafted over.

“Lucas, hurry up! Before I eat it all.”

Seeing Daniel waving at me with a bright smile from the kitchen, why did I suddenly feel irritated?

His overly carefree attitude, acting as if nothing had happened, made my wariness spike noticeably.

‘Dangerous guy, for sure.’

While I was grumbling internally, Mrs. Schmidt, who had come out to the entrance, gasped in surprise.

“Lucas! What’s that dog behind you?”

“Uh, well, this one is…”

I quickly racked my brain. But it seemed there wasn’t much need for persuasion.

“So cute!”

“Uh…”

“Oh my, but why is it so skinny? And its fur is so shaggy. Must be an abandoned dog.”

“Looks like it. Its condition is terrible. Lucas, did you bring it home?”

Even Daniel came over, making a fuss.

“You could say that. It was near the office.”

“Tsk tsk, who goes around abandoning dogs like that! Come here, little one, I’ll find you something to eat.”

Fortunately, thanks to the kind-hearted Mrs. Schmidt, the dog got to feast on meat and even receive grooming.

Though Mrs. Schmidt just roughly trimmed it with kitchen scissors, once the shaggy fur covering its face was gone, a surprisingly handsome appearance was revealed.

Moreover, due to Mrs. Schmidt’s insistence—she might be warm-hearted, but couldn’t stand having dirt tracked through the house—after a thorough washing, it began showing off a dignified bearing despite still being young.

“I thought it might be like a scruffy mutt, but after a bath it looks more like a Great Pyrenees. Hmm, are there breeds like this in Schufaben? Seems like a complete mix.”

I muttered while washing sand from the dog’s paws with the garden hose.

“The more I look at it, the more magnificent it becomes. I’m not sure exactly what breed it is though. Did you name it?”

Daniel came out with a lantern and shone it on the dog while asking.

“Scruffy, uh, well. Colin?”

“That’s quite classical. Will that work?”

Such a reaction was understandable. Nobody names their dog Charcoal or Coal these days.

“Its black fur is magnificent. Doesn’t its whole body look like well-baked charcoal? Do you like it, Colin?”

“Woof woof!”

“He likes it.”

Daniel kept nitpicking to the end, but I didn’t really want to listen.

I just nodded and smiled, while internally plotting how to tail this guy again and discover his true identity.