Declaration of Extra Strike

I woke up to the fresh pleasant smell of shampoo that brushed my nose. Han Seo-jin was seen approaching the door, shaking off his wet hair, as if he had just washed up with a cloudy vision.

There was a man standing in front of the open door. My eyes met with a man who was looking away in a hurry, as if he was embarrassed by Han Seo-jin’s bare upper body. It was Ye Seungwoo.

I pretended not to see him hovering around me for the past few days, as if he didn’t come up to me in person yesterday and asked me if my memory was okay. I thought he was close to Joo Ho-hyun.

‘It’s none of your business. It’s even more annoying if you knew Joo Ho-hyun well.’

I gazed at Ye Seungwoo’s surprised face as he opened his eyes wide after making eye contact with me. Showing his back towards me, Han Seo-jin approached the door and asked.

“Why? I was going to come down soon.”

“[I came for] Ho-hyun. I have to see you off, but you didn’t come out.”

“I was sleeping.”

“Oh, well…….”

Ye Seongwoo glanced at me and hesitated at the end of the words. At that time, an arm came out of the back and pulled Ye Seongwoo into their front.

“What? Are you still sleeping?”

“Oh, Hanse…….”

“What the hell is he doing? He’s neither on a mission nor is he good at Guiding. Yet sleep comes to him?!”

It was Woo Hanse who was the most openly expressed hostility to me among the team members. Woo Hanse looked at Ye Seongwoo hesitating as if he thought he was cute, and turned towards the room. When he found me sitting on my back and watching, his mouth opened in a bewildered manner.

“Now…”

Woo Hanse, who alternately looked at the bed, me, and Han Seo-jin, shouted in an aggressive voice.

“Hey, Han Seo-jin! Did you get Guiding from Joo Ho-hyun?”

“Yes.”

“Are you crazy? Fuck, it’s not like you don’t have anyone else to receive Guiding, so…….”

“It’s my role to teach Joo Ho-hyun how to guide.”

Han Seo-jin’s calm words infuriated Woo Hanse even more as he pointed his finger at him.

“You’re saying that now……. Do you still want to be Guided by him?”

“Don’t make too much noise when he’s still sleeping. Get out.”

“What do you mean by sleeping? He’s been up since I came.”

Han Seo-jin looked back at me upon Woo Hanse’s words. Han Seo-jin, who raised his eyebrows at me, approached and said,

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah. I woke up because it was loud.”

Woo Hanse’s face crumpled as if he had been stabbed even though he told the truth. Then he shouted at me beyond Han Seo-jin.

“Come out when you wake up. You can’t even guide so you should at least see us off when the team members go out.”

“Seeing off?”

Is it the ‘seeing off’ that I know?

Han Seo-jin turned his head over and shook his head, who was worried about the seeing off from the very start.

“Hyung doesn’t have to worry about it yet.”

Woo Hanse reacted sharply to Han Seo-jin’s words.

“Hey. Han Seo-jin.”

‘Are you fighting? Fight. Fight.’

I was excited to see the fight, but Ye Seungwoo stopped Woo Hanse, who looked like he was about to hit Han Seo-jin at any moment.

“Hanse, don’t fight. I’ll talk to them.”

“Seongwoo hyung.”

In the end, Woo Hanse took a step back, and Yesung-woo said,

“Ho-hyun ah, you should come down to the first floor, too.”

“I’m not even going. Why?”

“It’s what you used to do before you lost your memory. And Ho-hyun ah, as much as you don’t go to the scene, everyone is working hard, so as a token of gratitude…….”

“Who am I thanking? The team members?”

Ye Sungwoo, who hesitated to answer my question, eventually dropped his gaze and bit his lips. Ye Sungwoo, who looked hurt in an instant, shook his head as he tried to reconcile his facial expressions.

“It’s not like that, Hohyun. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come down. I’ll tell them everything, so don’t worry…….”

“Then I beg you.”

“……what?”

Now we understand each other. I lay back in bed after passing the situation where there was no fight and no fun. However, Ye Sungwoo and Woo Hanse were still standing without getting out. I tried to ignore it, but since I’m a team member until I leave, and I have to stay here……

I just raised my head again.

“I’m not going to see them off in the future, so please explain them clearly. I’ll trust you?”

“Are you crazy, Joo Ho-hyun? Hey!!!”

As if he didn’t want to hear it, he lifted the blanket up to his head. Woo Hanse ran wild at this sight. Han Seo-jin warned him as he looked as if he was about to rush inside.

“Don’t cross the line and go down.”

“That’s funny. You have to behave properly. Do you think that’s because he lost his memory? I know he’s just staying idle but he shouldn’t do this to Suyoon hyung. If Joo Ho-hyun keeps making problems, I can’t stand it anymore either.”

“Get out.”

Woo Hanse slammed the door so hard that it made a ‘bang’ and disappeared.

‘A crazy colt-like bastard. Who even is Suyoon?’

The noise drove me to sleep. I was swearing internally when I felt Han Seo-jin sitting on the bed.

“Woo Han-se is always like that, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

At Han Seo-jin’s words, I brought down the blanket and looked up. The black hair, which was wet and settled down more calmly than usual, looked exceptionally pale in contrast to Han Seo-jin’s white skin.

“You said that last time. All my team members hate me.”

“……I said.”

“What about you? Do you hate Joo…… Did you hate me too?”

Han Seo-jin’s eyes sank when I hurriedly swallowed what almost was called Joo Ho-hyun and corrected it.

Even though I knew he couldn’t read my thoughts, just in case I made sure my whole body from head to toes was covered in blankets because you will never know. Han Seo-jin’s voice flew over my head,

“I thought it was pathetic.”

“……what?”

“You were unbearably frustrated and stupid, so I didn’t touch you even if I knew you were having a hard time. I was afraid you would be bothered.”

Han Seo-jin, who finished talking, closed his mouth and stared at me as if waiting for my reaction. I considered Han Seo-jin, who confessed his feelings all of a sudden.

What do you want me to tell you?’

It’s none of my business how Han Seo-jin treated Joo Ho-hyun, but his remarks just now were pretty bad. I felt like I was cursed in front of my face even though I knew it wasn’t meant to me.

You’re a bad guy. We’re on the same team. If you think it’s hard, you should help. Pathetic? Pathetic???

“What do you mean you didn’t help me because I was bothered?”

“…….”

“I don’t remember, but I think Joo Ho-hyun must have been very hurt by your actions. From now on, atone for everything and pay me back.”

Han Seo-jin, whose firm expression disappeared after he spoke kindly, woke up with a despondent smile.

“You’ll be in the dormitory. So don’t go out for no reason.”

I did not answer.

After Han Seo-jin left the room, I jumped out of bed and approached the window as soon as the door was closed.

Looking out, I saw a black van waiting in front of the main gate. They were getting in there one by one.

After seeing the van leaving the mansion, which was filled by all the team members, I stretched my body pleasantly. To have the freedom of being alone in this big mansion.

“What do you mean I’ll be in the dorm..….”

I can’t stay still because the guard is gone for the first time in a while. I should go to Yeon Seung-yeon’s lab first.

Remembering Yeon Seung-yeon’s words to contact me in advance so that he could pick me up, I called him straight away.

[Yes! Hohyun nim!]

“I’m coming to the lab.”

[Yes, I understand. I’ve prepared…Oh, right! Ho, Hohyun-nim!]

“What?”

[That’s… I asked my colleague to print out Hohyun nim’s work performance, but he said he needs a Guide card to check the detailed history. Could you bring it for me?]

“Guide card? There’s nothing like that. Is it really necessary?”

[Yes. Without it, the history cannot be checked, so it is difficult to check the matters related to resignation…. But if you don’t……. It can’t be helped. You can apply again and get it reissued.]

Reissue? That’s just what happens when you talk to your secretary. Is there anything that I can do without having to ask Han Seo-jin or Go Eun-young?

“Well……”

If the two suddenly asked me why I needed a card, I had no excuse to explain. I didn’t even know what I was planning.

Han Seojin said that Joo Ho-hyun’s room was separate last time.

“I’ll look for it. What does it look like?”

[The size and material look the same as the normal ID card. There’s a chip inside, and the picture, name, team, and grade…….]

***

I asked Yeon Seung-yeon curiously to find it, but as soon as I left Han Seo-jin’s room, a problem occurred.

“……Where is Joo Ho-hyun’s room?”

The spacious mansion had only five floors to the basement. There were quite a few doors even on this floor.

“I can’t even open it all…….”

Just as I was going to look at this floor first, I remembered what Han Seo-jin said on the first day.

-Can I move the room?

-Even the room?

-It’s difficult to go all the way to Joo Ho-hyun’s room.

Now that you said that, I don’t think I’m even close. I walked down the hall and stopped at the end of the stairs. I was thinking about whether to go down or up, but my feet turned upward without realizing it.

As I passed the third floor and entered the fourth floor, unlike other floors, a gloomy and no sign of people living opened up in front of me. There wasn’t even a light in the hallway.

“……is it an attic?”

Looking around the space without warmth, I slowly moved my feet. The strange thing was that maybe because of Joo Ho-hyun’s memory, this dark place felt more familiar than I thought.

When I opened the first door, things were piled up in the room as if it were used as a warehouse. Next, empty rooms, storage, empty rooms, empty rooms…….

When I opened the last remaining door, Joo Ho-hyun’s room came out.

When I once said that the next room Han Seo-jin gave me was four times bigger than the previous room, I let it slip without much thought, but it was true.

There was not even a proper bed but a dangling mattress. Except for a small table, and a closet, the rest were all the furniture. It was a small room where a person had to curl up to lie down because the room was full without any space.

“…… Crazy. Why are you stuck in this corner when there are so many rooms…”