Heemin covered his mouth, just in case he accidentally let out a scream. But luckily, there was no one outside the door.
Checking his surroundings carefully to make sure he wasn’t being followed, he stepped out of the apartnt complex, walking briskly toward the exit.
One of the few advantages of this world mirroring reality was that he wasn’t disoriented in unfamiliar surroundings.
This was the sa apartnt complex he had visited countless tis to see his friend. He knew the layout like the back of his hand. Without hesitation, he walked through the complex and headed toward the taxi stand.
"Sir, to XX-dong, XX City, Gyeonggi Province. I’ll give you the exact address on the way, so please just start driving."
As soon as he got into the taxi, he spoke urgently. The driver pressed the ter and replied.
"Toll fees are separate."
"Yes, yes, I’ll pay separately."
"Buckle up."
Heemin fumbled for the seatbelt and quickly clicked it into place. The driver imdiately pulled out onto the road.
Keeping his head down as much as possible, Heemin scanned the passersby through the window, making sure no one suspicious was tailing him. Only after the car rged onto the bridge did he finally sit up and exhale.
His hands had been trembling just monts ago from the fear of getting caught. But now that he had safely escaped the neighborhood, he found the situation almost absurdly entertaining.
Like he was the protagonist of a spy thriller.
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
Really, this was just an elaborate ga of hide-and-seek.
The seeker was Cha Iheon.
And the hidden one was Seo Heemin.
"Hide well. I can see your hair."
"Is soone chasing you?"
The driver, who had been glancing at Heemin through the rearview mirror, finally spoke up.
"Ah, yeah, sothing like that... Just please go as fast as you can."
"Alright then. I’ll get you there in record ti. Just trust ."
"Thank you, sir."
The mont one of Iheon’s n checked the CCTV and saw Heemin leaving the building, they would imdiately report it to him.
And Iheon would, of course, ask Ms. Ahn where Heemin was.
Since Ms. Ahn couldn’t speak, it would take so ti for them to figure out the situation.
That delay would buy him so ti.
Iheon would leave his office and drive ho, then check the browsing history on Ms. Ahn’s phone. That would take about an hour or two.
Which ant Heemin had at most two hours of freedom.
How should he spend them?
The original purpose of this escape was to strengthen his relationship with Cha Iheon.
But now that he was out, he wanted to enjoy himself a little.
After all, it had been so long since he had been outside.
He couldn’t just turn around and go back without doing anything.
But... what was he supposed to do?
He was a hobody through and through.
Aside from reading novels, he had no hobbies.
All night, he had debated whether to go to a PC café, a coin karaoke room, or an escape room.
But none of those were fun to do alone.
If ti allowed, he would have loved to buy a book and sit on a bench in the lake park, leisurely reading under the cherry blossoms.
But the hospital and the park were too far apart.
He wouldn’t even have ti to sit down before he had to rush back.
"What a sha."
Around this ti last year, Iheon had bought a new car.
A Wrangler, big enough to match his massive fra.
He had been so eager to "break in" the car that he had dragged Heemin all around the outskirts of Seoul.
They had visited every well-known driving route and scenic park.
But they had never gotten around to XX City’s lake park.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
It had rained that day, and Iheon had promised they would go next ti.
"Maybe I should just go to a snack shop."
Instead of wandering aimlessly, he might as well enjoy so tteokbokki—the food he had been craving.
As soon as he made the decision, his heart felt a little lighter.
Giving the driver the hospital’s address, Heemin turned his gaze to the cherry blossoms lining the highway.
The weather was perfect.
The sun was warm, and the air was crisp.
Even the flowers seed to be singing along with the birds.
"We’re here."
The driver wasn’t exaggerating about getting him there fast.
He had practically flown down the highway, covering a forty-minute distance in just twenty-five minutes.
"Take my card, just in case."
The driver handed Heemin his business card along with his change.
Heemin had always relied on public transportation.
He doubted he would ever take a taxi again.
But he appreciated the driver’s kindness, so he politely accepted the card.
"You got here so fast. Thank you, sir."
After bowing slightly toward the driver’s seat, he stepped out and closed the door.
There it was—the Haesong Psychiatric Clinic sign, hanging on the building’s exterior.
I made it.
Arriving earlier than expected ant he had ti to wander around before heading inside.
So, with no particular destination in mind, Heemin strolled through the streets, taking in the sights of the unfamiliar district.
A butcher shop, a bakery, an animal hospital, a café, an optician’s office, a traditional dicine clinic, a lunchbox shop, a dentist...
It was just a typical cityscape.
But under the soft spring breeze, simply admiring the colorful storefronts made him feel a little giddy.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh air.
For the first ti in what felt like forever, he could taste freedom.
The sun was high, and the area seed safe.
And contrary to his worries, no Alphas had picked up on his untrained pheromones.
After wandering around for a while, Heemin eventually returned to the hospital and stepped into the snack shop he had found earlier.
His stomach had started to growl.
"Hello, ma’am. I’ll have one serving of tteokbokki and a tuna gimbap, please. Oh, and a Cool X peach soda too."
After paying, he sat down and waited for his food.
The spicy scent of the tteokbokki made his mouth water.
And yet, as he sat there, a mory surfaced.
"Hyung, are you going to eat too?"
"You don’t like eating alone."
It had been so long since he had eaten alone.
Whether it was Ms. Ahn, Dr. Hwang, or Cha Iheon—soone had always been sitting across from him.
He had never been given the chance to feel lonely.
He had escaped, claiming he wanted to enjoy freedom.
But the joy was fleeting.
The loneliness ca crashing in like a wave.
He wanted soone to talk to.
About the weather.
About the reckless taxi driver.
About the lake park he had wanted to visit.
He wanted to tell Cha Iheon.
And strangely enough, he found himself wishing that Iheon would hurry up and catch him.
"Here’s your food."
"Actually... I’m really sorry, but can you wrap this up to go? Sothing urgent ca up."
He shot up from his seat.
This was his only chance.
He could eat tteokbokki and gimbap any day.
But right now, there was sothing far more important.
Holding the warm takeout bag in his hands, Heemin ran toward the hospital.
As he neared the building, his nerves spiked.
But there was no black sedan waiting out front.
No n in black suits standing guard.
Good. He’s not here yet.
He hadn’t planned on getting caught right away anyway.
Relaxing slightly, Heemin stepped inside.
The elevator was already on the first floor.
It didn’t take long to reach the third.
"Hello. I don’t have an appointnt, but can I still see the doctor?"
"Your na, please?"
A nurse—different from the one he had seen before—greeted him.
"Seo Heemin. September 4th—ah, I an, 3rd."
"You’re in the system. Please take a seat and wait."
She checked the patient records and smiled.
"Do you need anything?"
Heemin hesitated, lingering near the desk.
"Um... Has anyone called looking for ?"
"Soone looking for you?"
"Yes."
She tilted her head.
"No, I don’t think so."
He checked the clock.
It had been an hour and a half since he had left ho.
By now, at least a call should have co in.
Why is it so quiet?
Sothing was off.
Was he planning to ambush him inside the hospital?
Iheon did distrust Dr. Eun-kyung...
That seed possible.
"Excuse , I left my phone at ho. Can I borrow yours?"
The nurse handed him the landline.
He pressed the familiar numbers.
The dial tone barely rang before a low, nacing voice answered.
"Did you find him?"
"Iheon, it’s ."
Silence.
Then—
"...Where the fuck are you? You must have a fucking death wish."
The raw fury in his voice burned through the receiver.
But Heemin had expected this.
So, he calmly replied—
"I’m at Haesong Psychiatric Clinic."
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