âWhat, did Mr. Oddball wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Maybe on the ceiling?â
âWhat do you mean, Ahjussi?â Ro-bin didnât notice anything amiss. Their Master looked as calm and collected as always, stapling some documents together.
âAish, and this is why your skills in observation donât even come close to mine. If only you could be as empathic as me.â Maybe it was just as well that Mr. Son wasnât carrying anything at the moment. âI didnât think there was a way to aggressively staple something together. He keeps going like that and heâll punch a hole into his desk.â
Much as he didnât want to admit it, Ro-bin could see that Mr. Son had a point, that the serene façade seemed to be hiding some underlying frustration if Masterâs furrowing brows were anything to go by.
âAnd havenât you noticed another thing obviously missing? Where on earth is Lady Trainwreck?â
It was a valid question. Their very own whirlwind personified could be anywhere from the north pole to the south pole.
âIf youâre looking for Chae-ni, sheâs just wiping down windows outside.â
âAnd doesnât that strike you as odd? Normally when it comes to Mr. Oddball over there, sheâs stickier than my own flypaper hands. Not that heâs any better pretending to be all annoyed when clearly he enjoys it.â
Neither of them were cruel enough (not even Mr. Son) to point out the obvious anxiety their more experienced team member still had when it came to their most chaotic member ever since she returned after three weeks of AWOL. While Lady Trainwreck as fitting her moniker was as subtle as a car crash, both of them pretended at ignorance whenever Mr. Oddball assigned her tasks near him or where she could always be in his line of sight. Maybe he was just that worried sheâd suddenly disappear without him knowing and was deathly afraid of the possibility.
While Ro-bin was the Sappiest Sap, he thought Mr. Son was being sappy himself acting like a busybody when really he was just worried. Well, it was already in Mr. Sonâs nature to be a busybody anyway.
âHey, Mr. Oddball!â One Lee Un-jeong was already immune to Haesongâs Royal Nightmare so he didnât even glance up while continuing his passive-aggressive stapling. âAish, youngsters these days. You should really look up when your elders are talking to you. Anyway, about Lady Trainwreck,â A subtle tick of the jaw, ah finally a reaction from this stone-cold fox thought Gyeong-hun grimly, âWhat, did you get into a fight? You stab her again? She stab you again? You strangled her? She slapped you again? Or you tried to kill her again?â
âYou clearly lack experience. Nothing like me with my long and happy years with my dear Ms. Moon Mi-hui. In these situations, just grovel first. Whatâs the harm? Lady Trainwreck has always been soft when it comes to you anyway.â
Ro-bin wondered if he should point out to Mr. Son that those ticks were getting more and more severe. For someone so âempathicâ, he wondered how he could be so oblivious to all the horrified looks everyone was giving Master. Maybe they were wondering if there was an abusive relationship going on.
The impasse was broken by Mr. Kang and Ms. Lee. All the better for it, thought Ro-bin. Master looked seconds away from launching a power blast at Ahjussi, secrecy be damned.
Both civil servants rushed at him, while shaking him in the process.
âMr. Lee! Blink twice if youâre being held hostage or being blackmailed! You donât have to be such an excellent troubleshooter that you have to be Stockholm-syndromed into a relationship, you know that right?!â
Ro-bin pouted. Maybe it was all the better for it too that Chae-ni wasnât here right now. If she heard all of that, hell would probably break lose.
As rude as Mr. Kang was being, at least he was still semi-coherent. Ms. Lee looked to be in near tears. âPoor Mr. Lee!â
Even someone who faced cults, child experimentation, and a mad scientist probably had his limits. Shaking off everyone clinging to him and fighting to be heard over the cacophony, Master looked resolute as he raised his voice. âThis is all just a simple misunderstanding, Mr. Kang.â
Mr. Kang for some reason look relieved. âBut of course it is. As if someone as efficient as you could be in a relationship with a human disaster.â
An eerie silence seemed to pass over them all, enough to unnerve Mr. Kang. Even Ms. Lee held back her tears, while Gyeong-hun and Ro-bin gulped.
Especially when a lightbulb short-circuited and exploded all of a sudden.
Nervously, Mr. Kang loosened his tie as he tried to make sense of things, âDarn it. We better look into getting some new bulbs. Ours seem to be defective.â
A whisper cut through the awkward silence. âYouâre wrong.â
âWhat was that, Mr. Lee?â
âMr. Kang, youâre wrong. Eun Chae-ni shi is myâŠSheâs myâŠâ
Everyone seemed to be perversely interested in what Master was struggling to say. Maybe he would have eventually succeeded, but no one would ever know since at that precise moment all the lightbulbs shattered plunging City Hall into a blackout.
Then and there as Mr. Son and Ro-bin looked at each other and came to an understanding, as one they bodily dragged off Master off his chair by his arms. They may not be able to teleport like Chae-ni, but they were still experts in making a strategic retreat.
âWell, Mr. Kang seeing as itâs already the end of office hours, it would be irresponsible of us if we didnât let our Team Leader relax and destress. Weâll be having our after-work dinner now.â
âSee you all tomorrow!â
Ms. Lee could only watch forlorn as they all but dragged Mr. Lee out of the building. âI wanted to have a team dinner with him.â Mr. Kang only put a commiserating hand on her shoulder.
This was quite fascinating. Ro-bin had never seen Master drunk before. Tie loose and askew, glasses thrown away somewhere, and hair slightly disheveled, he looked more like the superhero who busted into a secret lab to save their friend rather than the meek civil servant he presented himself as.
Ro-bin wanted to ask what was wrong but was a bit afraid to broach the topic. Looks like there was no need to worry, however.
âEun Chae-ni shi is avoiding me,â Master said bluntly.
Call him a sap if you wanted, but Ro-binâs heart went out for their stern but awkward friend. Frankly, he looked miserable.
In this small pocha, he didnât look untouchable. He simply looked like a friend in need of advice.
Mr. Son with all the delicacy of an elephant burped then took another swig of his drink, before saying, âSeriously though, are you sure? I mean like really sure? Mr. Kang wasnât entirely wrong you know. Are you sure you havenât been bamboozled or anything? To add insult to injury, Mr. Son even gestured for the universal sign of âAre you crazy?!â
In reply, Lee Un-jeong just flipped his beer glass all over his hand with his power. Was it petty? Sure, but he thought he could be forgiven for exercising even that much patience.
âAlright, alright, I get it. Youâre crazy about her, or just plain crazy. Why on earth though?!â
âShe makes me laugh.â
âSo do clowns, but no oneâs really rushing to enter into a relationship with them, are they?â
Un-jeong glared at the older man and looked about ready to overturn the entire table, food and all on Mr. Sonâs head.
How was he supposed to explain that since heâd escaped when he was young it felt like he had forgotten to laugh, or even to smile. But that she had made it so easy, and that had practically saved him. That he knew she was like the wind and the rain, and that maybe it was impossible to grasp her. That whenever she left, it felt like reopening old wounds of abandonment that heâd always pretended he never had. That he had to live with the constant fear in his chest that maybe one day heâd fail to look up and to catch her and save her. She could resurrect, but she wasnât immortal. A darker part of him wanted to just keep her in place with his powers, but he never entertained it seriously because he knew sheâd hate it.
He didnât have the words, but as he looked at Mr. Ro-binâs understanding face and Mr. Sonâs begrudging scowl, maybe he didnât have to have them in the company of fellow misfits.
âSo whatâs the problem then,â grumbled Mr. Son, while Mr. Ro-bin nodded beside him.
It was hard for Un-jeong to articulate all his confusing feelings. Part of him missed the before where there was no need to undergo such turmoil because he had played it safe and never risked his heart. But that would mean not having Eun Chae-ni shi and he could no longer imagine living in a world like that.
âShe said she liked me, but she seems content to keep things the way they are. When other people make comments like what Mr. Kang was saying, she doesnât even deny them. Maybe sheâs finally gotten tired of me.â Master sighed deeply like the weight of gravity was on him, and seeing as he had already experienced the feeling firsthand, maybe this predicament did seem like it.
Ro-bin worried. Chae-ni was a firecracker who always knew what she wanted. It did seem strange that she wouldnât fight for this. However, his musings were suddenly interrupted by a loud slam.
âHey, Mr. Oddball. I may be a pathetic husband and father, but a pathetic man is still a man. But with the rate youâre going, you seem even more pathetic to me.â To their amazement, Mr. Son easily detached his hand from his glass. âDonât you know about DTR?â
âD..TâŠR?â Poor Master, it looked like he was trying to understand an alien language.
âDefining the Relationship, you imbecile! I may not think much of Eun Chae-ni, but sheâs made it clear what she wants. Canât you at least be as brave as her and meet her head on?â
A fire seemed to be lit in their Masterâs eyes at those words. Huh, who knew it would be Ahjussiâs words which would save the day? Maybe the two of them would be just fine.
âIâm sorry to ask this, but could you please stop repeating âI like you, I like youâ in front of the mirror?â
âItâs making Ms. Lee incapable of working. She just keeps doodling âLee and Leeâ on official documents.â
At that exact moment, they both heard someone giggling that they didnât even have to change last names!
âI understand. Iâm sorry, I wonât do it again.â
When the moment of truth finally comes, it is through a brilliant display of teamwork. A sheer combination of fearlessness and pure gumption. In others words, Ro-bin pinning Chae-ni in place before she could disappear, while Mr. Son stuck her still.
âChae-ni ah, please forgive me. You know I really love you because Iâm willing to get slapped repeatedly just so I can do this for you.â
âAnd I worry that an adorable couple such as yourselves will miss out on the happy ending you deserve,â Gyeong-hun practically forced himself to spit such disgusting words out without puking.
âI canât hear your shouting anyway, you harpy, I mean beautiful young lady, so donât waste your breath.â He had worn earplugs to save these two idiots some sort of dignity, not that they had much of any, nice guy that he was. âNow are you going to be mature and promise not to disappear so you can hear out Mr. Oddball over here?â
Master looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Although the roof had less people than the crowded City Hall building, the few people that were there were blatantly staring at the strange display of what seemed to be three men trapping a young woman against her will. Now if it were an ordinary woman, perhaps they might have been worried. Seeing as this was the infamous Lady Trainwreck however, assured them she could hold her own.
Gyeong-hun couldnât hear her but knew this nightmare girl well enough to tell that she was shouting expletives at him. Well, time to play dirty. âI knew you were a disaster of a human being, but I never thought Eun Chae-ni was a coward.â
His hands and her feet unstick the same moment Chae-ni goes quiet. With that stubborn scowl, Gyeong-hun knew she wouldnât run away now.
Patting them both condescendingly on the shoulder, he says truthfully, âYouâre both weirdos who deserve nothing less than each other. Stop being idiots.â
Ro-bin gives them both a big bear hug before hurrying after Ahjussi.
While Lee Un-jeong hated any kind of attention on himself, a large part of him actually wanted to call those two back. It was nerve-wracking facing Eun Chae-ni shi after all this time, while all the words heâd been practicing got stuck in his throat. Another part was tempted to keep her in place with his powers, still scared that she might disappear again.
Meanwhile, the girl he adored looked like she could gain another superpower as she tried to shoot lasers at him with her eyes alone.
But his friends were right. He stood under a hail of bullets, heâd been stabbed, heâd had his mind broken, but all those experiences paled in comparison to hurting the woman in front of him, especially when heâd nearly lost her already. Heâd once said to her that it was up to each person to decide for themselves, to decide who they wanted to protect. Heâd decided long ago that that person for him was her.
With all the honesty he could muster, despite having a severe lack of practice, with all his heart he declares, âEun Chae-ni shi, I love you.â
Hell. He hadnât meant to say that, did he? Even if that was how he felt he worried that it might have been too much.
The more she just stared with that scowl on her face made him even more certain that heâd just made a grave mistake. He almost wishes sheâd just hit him already.
As they say, be careful what you wish for.
She practically pounds on his chest as she berates him. âThat! That! Why are you still saying that? Why am I still Eun Chae-ni shi?â
Even amidst his confusion, a feeling of relief washes through, âWait, so you were just mad about that?â
âJust?!â She shrieks. âHere I was worrying so much about it.â
âNo, no, I mean,â he laughs, not being able to help it, âYou werenât mad I didnât say I like you yet?â
Now it was Chae-niâs turn to be confused. âWhy would I be mad about that? I donât need to hear your words to know how you feel. You tell me every time you get wet in the rain just so I donât.â
Before, he didnât think there would ever come a time he would feel this much joy in a single moment. He draws her in and hugs her tight. He didnât need to use his powers to keep her with him. âYou first,â he whispers.
In a daze after just realizing that her Master had actually said I love you instead of âjustâ an I like you, it takes a while for Chae-ni to respond so eloquently with a, âHuh, what?â
Un-jeong snickers, âStop calling me Master first, then Iâll stop calling you Eun Chae-ni shi. Call?â
At the flabbergasted fish-eyed look on her face, he decided that he simply couldnât help himself. Cradling her cheeks tenderly, he kisses her there and then on the roof where heâd waited day after day for her, kissed her like she was a prayer answered, kissed her like she was home, recklessly, without caring who else saw.
They could be in their very own telekinetic bubble, impervious to all the shouts and crying around them.
âThere, there, Ms. Lee. If thereâs anything to be learned from this, itâs that you can eventually annoy anyone into anything if youâre persistent enough for it.â
Upon separating, he could only beam as she whispers in wonder, âChoi Un-jeongâŠâ
He laughs. âItâs Lee Un-jeong, Chae-ni ah.â
Elsewhere, separate but still close enough to spy, their two friends were as happy as could be for them.
âMust they always kiss in such awkward places? Youngsters these days really have no shame.â
As much of a sappy romantic Ro-bin was, he had to admit Mr. Son had a point. Still, he couldnât help but shed a tear.