Chapter 24: Traces Left Behind

One evening in winter, when white snow accumulated over the whole world and people pulled thick coats out from their closets one by one.

Taeseo was standing in the middle of his dressing room.

The wardrobe, opened after a long time, was filled with long padded coats.

Things he had worn only once. Things that hadn’t even been unpacked. Things that cost several to tens of millions of won each.

<Do But I T_T coats cold drop expensive if insanely it less long make of one out padded right sky the them? they’re wear wish would you>

“I’ll give one to you.”

Taeseo spoke while looking into the empty air.

“It’s warm if you wear this.”

<It’s T_T anywhere cold, isn’t refuge so take there to>

“Come to my house.”

<I’m How T_T about are cats cold endure going so such the they to too. worried>

“Alright. I’ll solve that for you.”

“It’s warm here. Come to my house…….”

Taeseo’s voice scattered emptily. There was no one listening.

Taeseo pulled out all the long padded coats. He intended to donate every single one of them for neighbors in need, without leaving any for himself to wear.

After pulling out a large box and habitually folding the long padded coats neatly into it, he sent a message to Yoon Junho. He said he would arrive in 30 minutes.

In the meantime, Taeseo sat in front of his laptop.

He joined Choi Jeong’s cooking recipe forum. His handle was [Park87]. Because his birthday was July 8th.

In truth, the reason he joined the forum was to leave a comment on a certain post.

[Author: GAU]

[Title: I don’t see Director Jeong these days.]

[He isn’t reading private messages either…

Did something happen to him T_T]

┗[Ervantes] Exactly T_T Since he lives alone, I’m worried T_T GAU-nim, do you happen to know Director Jeong’s contact info?

┗┗[GAU] I don’t know either, I should have asked. What should we do. Is there no one in this forum who knows Director Jeong’s contact info?

┗[TriangleKimbap] I just,, think that,, no news is good news,,

┗[Norwegian] Seeing Director Jeong’s recent posts, he seemed to be having a really hard time, so I’m deeply worried.

┗[Ervantes] Shouldn’t we report it to the police at least T_T I can’t get any work done

┗┗[GAU] Since I’m abroad, could Ervantes-nim please make a report? I’m really worried T_T

[Director Jeong turned into a mermaid.]

Taeseo typed the sentence into the comment box and stared at the blinking cursor for a long while.

He had joined to leave this comment, but in truth, he couldn’t post any words.

The forum, where Jeong24 had vanished 8 months ago, was quiet and still.

Posts looking for him were uploaded occasionally, but not once was a proper answer posted.

Today, another post was uploaded.

[Author: Anonymous]

[Title: I don’t see that person these days.]

[You know who I’m talking about without me saying the handle, right… Even though he got criticized for being an attention seeker, it didn’t seem like a lie.

It was really nice seeing a young kid living so diligently… Tsk]

┗[Anonymous] I’m eagerly waiting too T_T

Perhaps because it was a post uploaded not long ago, there was only one comment.

Taeseo left the forum.

And until Yoon Junho arrived, he sat still without doing anything.

Like a broken doll, just staring blankly.

Leaving the rest of the tidying to Yoon Junho, Taeseo went out alone with a mask on and his hat pulled down low.

Until yesterday, there had been a strong feeling of autumn, but perhaps because the first snow had fallen, the air was cold.

<It’s T_T anywhere cold, isn’t refuge so take there to>

“I told you to come to my house. I’ll make it warm enough to make you want to go outside instead.”

As he muttered to himself, a passerby looked back.

Taeseo wasn’t crazy, and he was in his right mind, so he abruptly snapped back to reality.

I shouldn’t reply to Choi Jeong’s posts like I do at home, right.

Plugging in Bluetooth earphones that let out no sound whatsoever, he boarded the subway.

Wearing a mask and a hat, no one recognized him.

Over the past few months, Taeseo had lived quietly without causing trouble, and people’s interest in him had rapidly cooled down at such a sight.

Taking the subway, transferring to a bus, and transferring again to a local neighborhood bus.

The place he arrived at after walking another 20 minutes after getting off was Choi Jeong’s house.

Unlocking the door familiarly with the key and entering, a simple single room appeared.

Except for Choi Jeong’s computer, everything remained as it was.

Taeseo had frequented this place countlessly.

Once, around the change of seasons from summer to autumn, he suffered from severe flu; even while struggling to think properly due to a high fever, he had hailed a taxi, called out this address, and come here.

Taeseo poured the cat food he brought into two bowls and placed them in the yard.

<I’m How T_T about are cats cold endure going so such the they to too. worried>

“Don’t worry. I’ll solve it.”

He said so to Choi Jeong, but in truth, he wasn’t confident.

Although Taeseo had come and gone here countlessly, he had never met the cats even once since the first day.

‘What if they died somewhere.’

Although it was a cold day to be outside, Taeseo waited outside out of fear that he might miss the cats.

Winter’s short sun quickly hid away, and night arrived.

The cold seeped deep into his bones.

Even so, Taeseo sat on the porch, staring only at the food bowls.

Just then, the sound of footsteps was heard.

“You came again…. Tsk.”

The elderly person clicking her tongue was the landlady grandmother.

Looking at Taeseo—whose nose tip had turned red—and the food bowls in the corner, the grandmother spoke.

“If you’re looking for the cats, they aren’t here. They haven’t been seen for a long while.”

“…….”

“Are you planning to stay out here and catch a cold again like last time?”

Having bumped into each other numerous times during that period, the grandmother now treated Taeseo comfortably.

Taeseo was the same. To Taeseo, the grandmother was the only person in the world with whom he could talk about Choi Jeong together.

“Don’t nag and just go inside, old woman.”

“They won’t come even if you wait.”

“What if they do?”

“Even beasts know that the person who used to feed them has vanished. They won’t come anymore.”

“So I’m asking, what if they do?”

Taeseo raised his head.

“What are you going to do if Choi Jeong comes back? If he finds out that his cats were starving while he was away? What are you going to do then, f*ck.”

“…….”

The grandmother’s murky gaze turned toward Taeseo.

“That child is dead.”

“How would you know that? You don’t know shit about Choi Jeong.”

Taeseo glared at her while huffing.

‘Grandmother.’

‘…….’

‘What kind of person was Choi Jeong?’

‘I wouldn’t know well.’

‘Why don’t you know?’

‘…….’

‘Why didn’t you know. Why…….’

They had shared such a conversation on the day Taeseo had visited while burning with a high fever.

At that time, Taeseo seemed to be asking himself.

“Right, then try waiting limitlessly.”

The grandmother spoke as if lamenting, then walked up the stairs with heavy steps.

Taeseo pouted his lips. The old woman was healthy, so she went up and down the 3rd-floor stairs easily.

The night deepened, but nothing appeared.

Taeseo stood up from his seat. Perhaps because he had stayed in one posture continuously, his body felt stiff.

He walked down for 20 minutes, bought a can of tuna at a convenience store, and walked back up for 20 minutes.

The food bowls hadn’t diminished in the slightest, and all that filled the surroundings was still only quiet darkness.

Taeseo opened the tuna can and placed it beside the food bowls.

Then he sat on the porch again and waited.

Did they realize that the tiny human who lived here had vanished?

Is that why they don’t even try to visit anymore?

Hoping he would hop right over that low wall.

Along with the yellow cat and the black cat.

It would be great if Choi Jeong appeared.

And then be surprised while looking at me.

‘Who are you to be sitting in front of my house?’

Just imagining it filled his chest.

However, that imagination lasted for a mere flash and soon scattered hazily.

It was hard to recall Choi Jeong’s appearance.

It was never vivid, nor had it ever been clear.

Though he knew Choi Jeong’s voice, face, physique, and personality, whenever he recalled him, Choi Jeong was faint and vague.

Even so, Taeseo imagined Choi Jeong ceaselessly.

Even while knowing there would be a futile end.

How long had he waited like that?

‘What am I doing here right now.’

Taeseo suddenly had such a thought.

Just then, rustle—feeling a presence, he raised his head.

“…….”

Taeseo slowly stood up with a face as if he had seen a phantom.

The things that appeared from within the darkness were two cats.

Although it was a dark winter night, strangely enough, Taeseo could clearly see their eyes and appearances.

The yellow cat looked chubby, perhaps because its fur was fluffed up for the winter.

The black calico cat looked relatively thin.

The black cat approached the tuna can, sniffed it, and began eating with a smacking sound, while the yellow cat sat in front as if guarding and looked at Taeseo.

Taeseo approached them.

The black cat twitched its ears and looked at the yellow cat, but when the yellow cat didn’t make a single movement, it felt relieved again and ate the tuna.

Taeseo felt relieved too and approached closer.

Finally, it reached a distance where he could touch them if he just stretched out his arm.

Taeseo squatted down in front of the yellow cat.

“Hello.”

Taeseo offered greetings first.

—Meow.

The cat answered.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

—Nyang.

“The person who lived in this house isn’t here right now.”

—Meow.

“Do you want to go with me?”

Taeseo reached out his hand.

The yellow cat merely looked on quietly, and Taeseo waited patiently.

Finally, the yellow cat stood up, placed its nose against the tip of his finger, sniffed it, and rubbed its small, round head against his palm.

It was a truly unguarded action toward a human it was seeing for the first time.

<After Ah~~ From a acted affectionate against all an and as beginning, brought can cute~~ easy few friend giving hand. head it it’s its lol mark, me my of or over round rubbed so the them they think times, tuna very>

Taeseo recalled Choi Jeong from a certain winter night.

After undergoing the same experience… the appearance that had been nothing but hazy and faint became just a tiny bit clearer.