CH 16

The smile that lingers at the corners of his mouth and then disappears is like a mist. It clouded his words so that I couldn’t tell if they were true or false. Who is ‘he’? It couldn’t possibly be him in heaven….

As I pondered, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Simeon.”

A staff member I didn’t recognise came over and whispered a message to Simeon. I quickly realised it was time to go. Of course, Simeon was the only one with a purpose, but there was no way she could wander around alone while being watched.

As I was taking in the sea for the last time, Simeon spoke in a gentle tone.

“You don’t have to go in right now, Shin Hajae-ssi.”

“Uh, really?”

“Yeah. The staff will be watching you anyway.”

Where else can you be outside when you’re under surveillance. I nodded quickly before changing my mind.

“I’ll do that, then.”

“Okay. Stay as long as you want.”

A cold gust of wind blew past me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them, Simeon was right in front of me. Simeon smoothed down my windswept hair and whispered soothingly.

“But if you’re going to run away, could you at least tell me in advance?”

His smile, which had been frosty until now, seemed somehow wistful.

“Because I… don’t like people disappearing without a word.”

I’ve been stuck on a remote island for a week now. I’ve been sitting in front of the window all day, staring out at the ocean. The waves lapping at the cliffs and the water bathed in sunset colours make me feel like I’m back in my old life. Back to the time when I was living with Heo-sang. Back to the days when we laughed and talked without any worries.

Did I really have no worries?

Looking back, it was much more painful than it is now. Every time I looked into the distance, I felt guilty thinking that I would have to leave him someday, but I forced myself to smile because I didn’t want the last thing he would remember about me to be depressed. I just mistook it for happiness.

But memories are always beautifully packaged. Any pain or sadness is glorified as the fever of youth. And so the real me becomes increasingly unhappy. I become a foolish person, unable to escape the past.

“…Now I have to live in reality, not the past….”

Haa…. The glass window where the long sigh touched became cloudy. It was as if it was frosted.

I was hugging my knees and looking out at the sea when someone came to my room. Answering the knock, I told the person to come in and the door opened. It was Simeon, dressed in a crisp black shirt.

“Are you busy?”

“Not busy.”

How could I be busy in this room with nothing to do but watch the sea?

“What can I do for you?”

I ask, rising from my seat to change the subject, and Simeon complies.

“I was wondering if you’d like to play chess with me.”

“…What?”

I wondered if I was suspected of spying. The fact that he asked me to play chess so casually, with the questioning as an afterthought, made me feel uneasy. If he loses interest in me like this, I’m afraid I’ll be disposed of like a rat or a bird.

i looked at him suspiciously and asked again.

“Now?”

“Yes. None of the guild members know how to play chess.”

“I don’t know either.”

“You lie.”

His tone was flat, as if he already knew the answer.

“I… Is it that obvious that I’m lying?”

“No, it isn’t. I was just going over your head, and I appreciate your honesty.”

The handsome face smiled, but only slightly. Simeon opened the door, and the bodyguard at the door came in with a chessboard. He set the board down on the table and deftly set the pieces. It didn’t look like something he’d done once or twice.

After the bodyguard left, Simeon walked over to the table and bluntly asked.

”White?”

He pulled out a chair with a white chess piece on it, like he was escorting a woman. I didn’t like it, but I sat down in the chair he pulled out and glanced up.

“Are you giving up the player to me?”

“Because you’re a guest.”

White has an advantage over Black if he starts the game first. So in the old days, I used to give Heo-sang, a beginner, white every time and keep black myself. Now, seven years later, the positions are completely reversed, and it’s a new feeling.

I wondered how much he had improved in the meantime. As I nervously played my first move, Simeon gave me a small exclamation.

“D4. That’s a pretty normal start.”

“I’m not a very good player.”

We went back and forth a few times after that. It wasn’t me who wrote the unexpected build order, it was him. I thought he’d be aggressive right off the bat, but he’s been patiently moving the pieces around and squeezing my breath away. Like he was interrogating me for the first time.

Thud. With the cheery sound of a chess piece being set down, he spoke up.

“I’ve finally caught up with the stalker who’s been pestering our people.”

“Oh….”

“He’s unconscious now, but when he wakes up, he’ll blow the whistle on everything.”

You assume I’m on the same side as the person who tailed me? If so, that’s even better news.

“Well, that’s good.”

“What do you mean, that’s good?”

“Because now all that’s left to do is clear my name. Like I said, I was just getting paid to take pictures of you.”

With that, I moved my pawn and captured his knight. Simeon, rather pleased to be deprived of his first point, smiled and muttered.

“We’ll see about that.”

He’s a man I can’t quite figure out. If you’re so suspicious, you shouldn’t be playing chess right now, you should be torturing, interrogating, or otherwise pressuring me for information.

Why the hell are you feeding me three meals a day and taking care of me? Is it because you’re fascinated by my immortal body, or because I look like John?

I asked, quietly moving my pawn to check his queen.

“Do you still doubt me?”

“Still?”

Expecting me to move my queen and escape, Simeon leisurely moved his rook to knock out my pawn.

”I never trusted anyone.”

The score is still in my favour, but why does it feel like to be losing, nonetheless. The opening, which had started off at a steady pace, has him on the ropes.

“You came into the alley then, didn’t you? Even as I cut through the boundary.”

“I didn’t force it, I just kind of slipped through.”

I vented my frustration, but it didn’t make it any better.

“That’s why I’m suspicious.”

“…What?”

“Because I put a condition on the settlement so that no one else could get in.”

The word “condition” sent a shiver of foreboding down my spine. Simeon paused, looking at my stiff expression, then spoke.

“Only those who know my face can enter.”

Damn it. As I stiffened, Simeon moved his pawn exactly as I had done and grabbed the knight, which, in his long fingers, felt like me with a dummy.

“When did you see it?”

“”I, too… I don’t know. We must have bumped into each other somewhere.”

“You didn’t find out about it while doing some background research on me?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“…Really?”

“No. I mean, no matter how much I search, nothing about you comes up.”

I deliberately feigned frustration and stared at him with wide eyes. As usual, Simeon stared back, unfazed. The neurotic battle continued with no concessions. I would take a pawn, he would do the same, and if I pressured his queen, he would use it to pressure my king.

In the meantime, the score had caught up and was finally tied.

“Well, that’s fine, I’m not going to go somewhere and tell them anyway.”

Another close call averted. I swallowed hard and felt the prickly coolness on my throat. It must be my mood that makes the thorns feel so sharp.

Simeon, quietly studying the chessboard, made a strange move. He moved the bishop guarding the queen to the side. It was as if he was deliberately making way for his queen. So, with his tasty queen in sight, I was unable to make a move.

I knew he wouldn’t make a rookie mistake, but I didn’t want to miss my golden opportunity to capture the queen. In the end, I hit the queen with my remaining rook. The rook in the middle of the enemy territory quickly became pawn food, but I was the one who benefited in the end.

……. Or not? Simeon spoke up when he couldn’t make the next move because he was feeling uncomfortable.

“Do you accept any requests?”

”As long as it’s not against the law.”

I moved a pawn to defend my king and added

“But after that photo request for you, I’ve decided not to do anything involving people again.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to go through the same situation twice.”

Simeon chuckled at how ridiculous that sounded.

“That’s a shame, because I was going to entrust you with the job.”

“….what?”

“I want to find someone who looked after me once.”

With that, Simeon made another bishop move to capture my pawn. The only knight protecting the king was gone. I couldn’t afford to be distracted in such a critical situation. This wasn’t about chess, it was about my death.

“Took care of… you?”

“Yes. He just disappeared, leaving only a letter, and I don’t know where he went.”

“Oh…….”

“If you can find him, I promise to give you anything you want.”

I could hear the sincerity in his calm voice.