Inside the café.
I slurped my iced Americano. The sound of a camera shutter clicked from somewhere.
Irritated, I turn my head to see P taking a photo of herself and me.
"…What are you doing?"
"Is it weird to take a photo with my junior? I'm going to upload it on Instagram."
It was not weird. But she should ask for permission.
I slightly furrowed my brow to indicate disapproval. Roshi, sitting in front, signaled P.
"P. To be honest, you want to snag a handsome junior, right?"
"Really? Then, to be honest. Hey, what do you think about me?"
Saying so, P pressed her ample chest close to me. Elbows tucked in between her breasts, Roshi's eyes narrowed.
What did she think she was doing? We just met.
I gave Baekdo a look, smiling bitterly. Baekdo cleared her throat and spoke.
"Enough about the young disciple. Let's get to the main point."
At Baekdo's words, Roshi and P swiftly reverted to a more professional demeanor as if they had never quarreled. It was relieving to see professionalism when it came to work.
Baekdo glanced at me and asked,
"Do we need any specific explanation about the target we are aiming at?"
"I don't need any explanation about the target. But, you should first tell me the objective."
I came up from Jirisan to Seoul to solve a case. I should do something.
Baekdo put her index finger to her lips, thinking for a moment before responding.
"What we need to do now is one thing. Finding a clue."
"A clue?"
P poked my cheek with her index finger in response to my question.
"Junior, in one word, you just need to roam around here and identify the counter-revolutionaries."
"So, I just report anything I find suspicious, right?"
"That's right. You're handsome, and you understand well, our junior~"
Roshi glared at P and me. She then looked at Baekdo with yearning eyes and asked.
"Once identified, can we kill them on the spot?"
"No. It would be better to capture them alive and find out where their hideout is."
With Baekdo's final word, a rough action plan was established. In summary, roam around, suppress anyone acting suspiciously without restraint, and gather information about the case.
"You will act with Sansuyu. You also need to find a place to stay. The rest, well, do as you usually do. Got it?"
Yes. Everyone responded and stood up from their seats.
I didn't know what 'as usual' meant, but we were professionals, so it should work out.
With such a thought, as we tried to leave the café, P spoke in a playful voice from behind.
"Is the junior paying for the coffee?"
"P, really, stop your nonsense."
I bitterly smiled and took out my card. P laughed contentedly, and Roshi sighed.
Baekdo, watching us, stood up and spoke.
"Leave it."
Baekdo took out a black card from a luxurious wallet from who knows where.
Her fluid charm was impressive; for a moment, Baekdo didn't look like Baekdo.
"Ah, it's nice to have our handsome junior treat us."
"Just do your job properly."
"Yes, sir~"
Baekdo, brushing off P's mocking, paid at the counter, and we left the café and looked at each other for a moment. We were to start working now, but the abstract tasks still made it hard to grasp.
Bob was just standing silently.
"What's up?"
"No, just… you're really tall."
Bob was definitely taller than I imagined. 2m 10cm? It seemed to exceed that.
Admiring his height internally, P giggled.
"Bob is tall, but I'm not sure about there."
"Oh. Seompi, I am the Baobab tree of Africa."
"Are you confident?"
Listening to such banter, Roshi, who had come close to me, sighed and explained.
"You should reconsider if you want to join Spring Peach Blossom. It's hard, and more than anything, sexual harassment in the workplace is no joke."
"Is it normal for men to be harassed?"
"Ah, in today's world, what isn't possible? P, that woman, says she feels good and keeps saying this and that. Like a prostitute."
Bob and the giggling P, hearing Roshi's words, suddenly hardened their expressions.
"Roshi, have you said everything? Anyway, a woman your age who hasn't had sex once wouldn't know anything."
"Our family upholds premarital purity; what do you want me to do!?"
"You selling your next egg."
"Aaaaah!"
Sansuyu, who had been watching them, tugged at my sleeve. It seemed she wanted me to lend her my ear, so I leaned in, and Sansuyu whispered a word to me.
"What is an egg, and why sell it?"
"…You don't need to know."
Frankly, I also didn't understand the thoughts of these women. It seemed there wouldn't be any romance with men in their future, even if they were at death's door. Sansuyu groaned with an unsatisfied face, and soon, Baekdo, who had finished paying, came out to the café's exterior.
"Are you guys fighting again?"
She first sighed while looking at P and Roshi.
Then she started explaining to me.
"Lee Shiheon. P will take almost full charge of the exploration. I said to investigate, but you can enjoy being outdoors for two days."
"P will?"
"No one can match that girl in support and exploration abilities."
Hearing about herself, P stopped her argument and smugly tapped her chest.
"I have to do this! Junior, just watch and learn. I'll show the power of a national-level search member."
"Tsk."
Roshi clicked her tongue as if she was dissatisfied. I decided to applaud for now.
-Clap clap clap.
"Impressive."
"Hahaha!"
P laughed joyfully, apparently delighted with the acknowledgment.
-Book a room with Sansuyu, and check around this area. If you find anything suspicious, call me.
I came here for training, not knowing how life would go, and ended up collaborating with a world-class organization. I put Shiba on the desk and looked at Sansuyu.
"Is one room okay?"
She looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.
"What's not okay?"
Ah, she was someone who thought like that.
Having met only abnormal people here, I thought that it was just like that.
So, a man and a woman could sleep in the same room in a motel.
…Why? It took at least two months to share a room with my ex-girlfriend.
Was it a specific culture of the 'Tree People'? Was that why I couldn't understand their way of thinking?
It was tiring trying to understand seemingly senseless thinking.
-Beep, beep.
"You're the only one who understands me, Shiba…"
I stroked Shiba's sprout. Shiba seemed pleased and shook its body.
Sansuyu, who had been watching carefully, secretly showed interest.
"Siwon."
"It's not Siwon, it's Shiheon."
"Shiheon."
"What?"
"…Can I touch it too?"
She seemed to have been wanting to since her fingers were twitching.
I silently nodded and moved aside, and Sansuyu stretched her hand toward the sprout, her eyes sparkling.
-Beep?
On seeing the hand of a woman it met for the first time, Shiba wiggled its sprout.
-Pluck.
-Beeeek!!!!!!
It shrieked as a different, delicate finger touched it. The sound almost mimicked a fire truck siren.
-Beep, beee.
Sansuyu, looking at Shiba crying out loud, was bewildered and looked at me with a woeful face.
"Shi, Shiheon… I think I touched it too hard."
"Maybe it's because it has never met strangers?"
As I softly responded and stroked Shiba, it stopped crying and rubbed its sprout on my hand. It felt like it wanted to wash off something dirty, and it made me feel warm.
"…Aww."
Sansuyu, completely fascinated by Shiba's charm, reached out to touch it but withdrew her hand, seemingly recalling what had just happened. She seemed regretful that she couldn't touch Shiba.
"Then, do you want to try giving it water?"
I took out a bottle of mineral water from the bag I brought and handed it to Sansuyu.
-Beep, Beep!
Seeing the water bottle in my hand, Shiba made a joyful sound. Sansuyu spread her hands wide to receive the bottle, and Shiba made a surprised sound.
-…Beep?
Sansuyu, who had opened the bottle, carefully poured water near Shiba's soil.
-Beep! Bee, Beep!
Shiba, startled, screamed in a rush and suddenly created a protective shield by gathering power from somewhere. The water flowing along the transparent barrier drenched the floor. Sansuyu whimpered.
"…Aww."
"It really likes me."
Even though I should scold it for being impolite, why did it feel so good?
Having a child that only drank water from me. It was so cute; I wanted to bite it.
Wait, didn't Lee Seyeong give it water before?
I stroked Shiba's sprout and talked to it.
"Shiba, you should be thankful and accept it."
-Beep.
Shiba seemed unhappy, turning its sprout towards me and shaking its head as if saying, 'Really?'
When I nodded, Shiba reluctantly leaned towards Sansuyu, making squeaky sounds.
"I, I just give it water?"
"It seems so."
Sansuyu carefully tilted the bottle, and a few drops of water fell near Shiba.
-Beep. Beep.
Shiba began absorbing the water quickly. It wasn't the usual happy sound; it sounded somewhat displeased.
"…So cute."
Sansuyu, who had been giving water to Shiba, unconsciously reached out her hand.
-Beep?
Seeing this, Shiba suddenly stiffened its sprout.
-Beep!
It got angry and sparked power. Sansuyu, startled, pulled her finger back. A small smoke was rising from that finger.
"Hey, are you okay? Doesn't it hurt?"
Shiba was in a boxing stance, rolling its two sprouts like fists, showing its willingness to fight whenever crossed. Seeing this, Sansuyu alternately looked at her finger and Shiba and –
"It hurts my feelings."
– she mumbled sadly, looking at me.
"…Yeah, I see."
It seemed that our Shiba was more charming than I imagined.