The Guide

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[48th floor. Ascending.]

Ji-Won, who had eight shopping bags in both hands and passed the search bar slightly, succeeded in fingerprint recognition after a little struggle. It was the first time in his life that he had bought 32 cups of coffee at once because he hated carrying something in his hand, answering over and over again whom he was taking it for.

I can’t believe I’m doing everything to give a girl a cup of coffee. Ji-Won, who arrived on the 48th floor where the security room was located with struggle, took a deep breath and managed to create a social smile. Although he didn’t pay much attention to the attention of others, it became difficult to ignore his reputation at all as long as he liked his boss.

“You’re working hard.”

“Oh, Director Cha. Why did you buy so much coffee?”

“I went to a cafe to have a cup of coffee on my way, and the scent was so good. So I thought it would be great to share it among the guides. I bought a lot. There are hot ones and cold ones, so choose one that suits your taste.”

“Wow, thank you. There are cookies, too? Cookies are very expensive here.”

I have to show off how rich I’m after all. Lee-Jun, who had no idea of the dark thoughts inside of the person who was offering coffee with a benevolent smile, smiled as he took the cookies. Until now, there have been few opportunities to exchange words with Ji-Won, so the snacks that appeared out of nowhere when he was just feeling hungry have vertically increased the favorability for Ji-Won. He thought he was a really rude person, but he seemed a better person than he looked. In fact, when Lee-Jun ran into Ji-Won for the first time, with his luxury watch and shoes, he felt intimidated. But today he looked just cool.

“Is everything okay in Jungcheon?”

“Yes, it’s been a long time since it’s been quiet. So today, the CEO also stopped by Jungcheon. She has been in the library since the morning.”

“…Really?”

Lee-Jun, who never noticed Ji-Won’s facial expression changing subtly, unfolded three booklets that he had taken out in advance on his desk. From the date of birth to the moment of judgment in Jungcheon, all individual activities were recorded in detail, which is sacred data that cannot be arbitrarily deleted or added. Therefore, only a few people are authorized to view, and it is impossible to take them out of the security room in any case.

Ji-Won glanced inside the library through a half-open door, and lifted one eyebrow secretly. That’s why he was there now. I was wondering what excuse I should make to go up to Jungcheon, but things are going better than I thought?

“These are the deceased I told you on the phone earlier. Today at 4:25pm, Lim Soo-Huwa sent them to Jungcheon. She doesn’t usually have a history of forced escorts…. It was a little strange that three people were killed at once who had been wandering around Earth for five years, so when I checked the book, it said that all of them were in flames and came to Jungcheon. Currently, the Director Cha is the only one who uses firepower to deal with the dead in the Seoul metropolitan area.”

Ji-Won, who was just staring at the library while listening to Lee-Jun’s words, checked the face of the deceased drawn on the last page of the book and slowly nodded his head.

“Oh, she is the one who completed this case. I accidentally witnessed the scene and drew their faces, but I didn’t directly notify the deceased of the principle, so I handed it over to her right away.”

“Then, can we record it as a collaboration between the two of you?”

“Sure. I haven’t done anything. If you say that I’ve collaborated by doing only that much, I’ll be very sorry for the person who chased them sweating.”

“It’s convenient for us to deal with Lim Soo-Huwa alone but…. The instructor came all the way here. What should I do? If I knew this would happen, I should have just called and explained it in more detail.”

Ji-Won gave Lee-Jun a kind smile that came from the bottom of his heart. You can’t do that. It’s an opportunity I’ve been aiming for all week.

“That’s all right. I happened to have business nearby….”

“Oh? Brother Ji-Won!”

At this point, Ji-Won, who was about to wrap up his conversation with Lee-Jun and go to the library, crumpled his forehead a little because he heard a very bright and loud voice from afar. He wanted to ignore it lightly, but unfortunately, it was a decibel that he couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear it. When he tried to press his irritation and looked back, Sae-Hoo, who smiled brightly, was seen running with a wave. A sigh automatically came out.

‘Sigh… why does he always show up at critical moments and interrupt? Did I commit a big sin to him in my past life?’

“Brother, what brings you here? The meeting is still a long way off. Did something big happen?”

“No. Manager Ahn said he wanted to check something.”

“What is that?”

Why the hell are you curious about that? Am I your lover? Why are you so interested in my every move? Ji-Won clenched his teeth to keep a smile on his face. At any time, he would have fired back coldly with his eyes raised fiercely, but now he was playing the part of a good colleague, so he couldn’t spit it out according to his nature.

“It’s a long story. What brings you here?”

“I just came because I was bored.”

“….”

“I heard you bought coffee? Can I have a drink too?”

Hae-Soo, who suddenly reached out to take the coffee Ji-Won was holding, showed an unfair look when he couldn’t get what he wanted and got hit on the back of his hand instead.

“Why? Are you discriminating against me? Do you know how mean it is to discriminate against people?”

“This is mine. I bought a lot, so drink something else.”

“You don’t drink cold coffee.”

Ji-Won’s lips trembled slightly at the point that hit the nail on the head. Although Hae-Soo is not very perceptive, he’s good at reading things. If you even remember other people’s coffee tastes, try to understand the damn atmosphere. Why would I hold an iced americano that I don’t even drink, huh? There’s a separate owner for this.

“Sometimes I drink. That’s today.”

“Then give it to me and drink something else. For some reason, it looks delicious.”

“It’s just your imagination. All the coffee is the same.”

“No, it looks different. Isn’t that more expensive?”

Huh. Are you an animal? You don’t even know the taste of coffee. Why do you have such a good hunch? Even if I give you americano, you’re going to pour sugar in it anyway. Ji-Won, who quietly kicked his tongue inside, quickly took a glass of vanilla latte and half-forced the straw into the mouth of Hae-Soo. Fortunately, so far, employees seem to see the war of words between the two as just a joke, but if the dispute drags on, his reputation may deteriorate just as much as he spent the money.

“I’m not craving sweets today.”

Cut it out, you punk. I bought over 400,000 won at a coffee shop to hear your complaint? Ji-Won twisted his mouth and stared at Hae-Soo, who took a sip of the coffee with a sulky face. Just at the moment, a welcoming voice that made his ears pop up was heard.

“Hae-Soo, can I talk to you for a second? When exactly is the schedule for the national team trials? I think we need to adjust the date of the consultation.”

“Hurry up, Hae-Soo. Team Leader Kim is looking for you. Since your captain called you, you should go first.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll be going then! Don’t go and wait for me, okay? Since it’s been a while since we met, let’s have dinner together.”

“All right.”

“Don’t run away! Then I’m going to cry!”

“All right.”

All right, now, please get lost. The ice will melt at this rate. Ji-Won pushed the back of Hae-Soo relentlessly who had a suspicious face. Maybe he would have hit Hae-Soo with a full swing if no one was around to see.

“You senior guides are very close, maybe because you two meet often.”

“Ha ha. You think that?”

Ji-Won, who responded appropriately, smiled nicely as he was naturally handed the supplementary notes from Lee-Jun’s hand.

“I couldn’t refuse Hae-Soo, maybe because I didn’t have a younger brother. Now I’ll have to wait like that since I made such a request. Assistant Manager Ahn, you must be busy, so please work. I’ll put this in the library. Can I organise it based on the date and time of death?”

***

What should I do with this case? Gaon, who had been showing an expressionless face for a long time without feeling any motivation, sighed and covered the file. Her heart was very heavy because she couldn’t decide the destination of the deceased even after reading it twice until the last page.

If the meter of judgment tilted even a single degree to either side, there would have been no room for someone’s judgment to intervene. However, sometimes the scale is perfectly leveled, and in that case, it is up to the CEO of Jungcheon to decide the destination of the dead. If the sin or good deeds exist separately, it is easier to make a decision. But it is not easy to decide where to send the deceased, whose sin and good deeds are both even.

Early this morning, the young deceased, who died suddenly without an apparent disease, and in a world without anyone beside him, was escorted to Jungcheon without any disturbance. If he had tried to escape even one step without obeying the guide’s guidance, it would have been a trip to Myeonggye.

Should I give him a chance to reincarnate right away because he hasn’t done anyone much harm in his life enough to leave scars? However, if you can’t pay for your sins properly, even if it’s a small mistake, the unfinished karma can make your next life hard…. When she thought about it from this way, it would be better to send him to the Myeonggye to be punished neatly. What should I do with this poor child who has no one to immediately recover the body where the soul has left?

Gaon, who was thinking of the deceased sitting in the corner of the library, closed her eyes tightly to shake off her thoughts. Of course, it is true that the circumstances are pitiful, but self-interest cannot be mixed in the decision of the Head of Jungcheon. Oh, I wish I could drink something cold. Did Kwon say he was going out for a while…. It was when Gaon touched her hot forehead and let out a small groan.

“CEO, do you have a headache?”

She thought she could hear a worried voice all of a sudden, but before she checked the person’s face, a familiar scent suddenly wafted over. It was a pleasant scent supported by the scent of fresh and fragrant fruit with a subtle yet heavy birch. Although Gaon was the CEO of a cosmetics company and rarely used perfume because she hated artificial smells, she thought Ji-Won’s perfume went well with him throughout his stay in London.

“Director Cha. What brings you here?”

“I’m here because the security office asked me to check something. Are you sick? You don’t look well.”

“No. It’s because it’s a little hot and I’ve been focusing for a long time.”

As soon as Gaon’s words fell, a plastic cup with water droplets was placed on the desk. Gaon, surprised by the service she had never expected, opened her eyes wide. Watching the small clatter of ice, she felt refreshed even though she hadn’t had a sip yet.

“…Coffee?”

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