Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Report on Daon Jung (by Sunghyeon Joo)

Zzz.

I felt a short buzz from my phone in my hand.

“Oh, it’s out!”

I’d been slumped in my seat on the shuttle, exhausted-commuter style, but with one glance at my phone screen, I immediately lit up. It was a notification about a new chapter from the web novel I’d been reading.

As much as I would have loved to take the time to really clear my mind before opening the app, so I could give the chapter the reverence it deserved, this novel was the one bit of light and flavor in my otherwise barren morning commute, and I just could not postpone it.

I immediately opened the app and clicked the new chapter. I held my breath without realizing it as I started to read. My chest tightened as the number of lines shrank with every scroll. Then…

“Wow, so that’s where this is going…?!” I was so shocked at the twist, I voiced my lament out loud without realizing, and startled the person who had been dozing off next to me. I quickly apologized. “So sorry.”

I wasn’t originally into web novels, but ever since I’d randomly stumbled across the first chapter, waiting for the next update of this one had become a significant part of my daily life. This novel was the first thing besides good food and exercise that captivated me this much.

This is insane!

I read voraciously, like I was being sucked into the phone screen. I clenched my fist to stop myself from yelling anything else. It was a struggle to contain my excitement.

“Ahhh…”

But sooner than later, I came to the little message notifying me that I had finished. I let out a sigh of despair as I tried to flick the screen downward, hoping for more.

“Hm?”

But rather than more of the story, there was a new kind of notice:

[Speed Interview with Topia, Author of Secret Relationships!]

“No way…” I murmured in awe, this time completely oblivious to any stares. I tapped immediately and started meticulously reading the written interview.

“A-amazing…”

In the interview, the author felt the same as my impression of the web novel. Judging by their sensitivity and attention to detail, yet the simultaneous boldness in the tone of their writing, I imagined an older man around fifty who let his beard grow freely and wore thin, silver-rimmed glasses as he immersed himself in reading and meditation. In my mind, he radiated both a rugged charisma and a refined intellect.

But what struck me most from the interview was the explanation of their pen name, Topia, which was extracted from the word utopia.

Just as weary souls dream of a peaceful and comfortable society, in essence a “utopia,” the author hoped that readers would feel that same peace and comfort at least while immersed in their stories.

I was genuinely moved. Utopia… If only while I was reading this web novel, I was absolutely in a state of peace and comfort. To know that that was the author’s intention warmed my heart even more.

“Haaa…”

Inundated with emotion, I finally turned off my phone screen and shifted my gaze out the window. The morning sunlight shattered into dazzling silver fragments across the city. Indeed, this world was worth living in.

* * *

“Haaa… It’s so hot. Who keeps…?”

Cancel that. This world is not worth living in. Global warming is going to end us all anyway. What’s the use of all this grinding and hard work?

Air conditioning? These were the wicked machines contributing to global warming. And yet, without them, you die. It was thirty-seven degrees Celsius outside. The outside of the buildings were warmed by the artificial heat of a city. Meanwhile, on the inside, the blocked airflow and heat pouring off countless electronics made it feel even hotter than it was.

Someone is clearly trying to kill me.

And the culprit was…

“Mr. Daon Jung.”

Got you, you little rat.

Building management had recently inspected the ACs to make sure they were running properly. But once the temperature finally reached “Okay-now-I-can-finally-live” degrees, it kept getting turned off. I would switch it on again, only for it to turn off again not too long afterward.

It soon became clear to me that someone was deliberately turning it off. I couldn’t keep my eyes on the control panel all day—I obviously had to work—but I kept my senses sharp.

Finally, I saw it happen. I caught Daon Jung removing his hand from the control panel.

“Yes?”

That innocent look of yours won’t fool me.

“Are you the one turning off the AC?”

No one else would do that but you.

“Yes,” he instantly admitted, his face completely devoid of guilt.

Gotcha.

“We’re all roasting in here. You can’t keep turning it off. You’re not the only one in the office, you know. There are a bunch of us.” Feeling both triumphant and indignant, I managed to give him a calm and dignified scolding.

Opportunities like this were rare. He had a rather youthful face as my office contemporary, and yet he was hyper-competent when it came to his work. There was a cold air about him, like he wouldn’t bleed a single drop of blood if you poked him with a needle.

“Oh. Sorry.”

He stared at me with a blank, rather unreadable face after offering me the most curt and insincere apology.

“Please be mindful.”

Ugh, per usual, I grumbled internally as I clenched my fists.

“Okay,” he answered flatly before turning on his heel like he hadn’t a second more to waste with me. Then…

“AC? In this weather?”

He walked off at his usual fast pace, yet he mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

It might not be the end of the world yet, but life on this earth really isn’t all that great.

I mean, I’d had a pretty normal, undramatic life. My parents were a decent mix of strict and loving. I had been born a healthy guy and cruised through my school years, getting good grades and playing sports before landing the job I wanted on the first try, thanks to an adequate amount of diligence and luck. It’s been a smooth path, honestly.

More importantly, I had a pretty good social life. Of course, there was the occasional jerk who tried to pick a fight or rub me the wrong way, in which case I’d either take them on directly or mentally shove them out of my orbit. I never lingered long in anything that caused me discomfort.

But then there was Daon Jung. He was a riddle I had yet to solve. From the very beginning—whenever that was, I honestly don’t remember—we were like water and fire.

Not that we’d had any particular clashes. We were always civil, given we were in an office setting, but that was also probably why the turbulent air between us kept thickening. And, as of this moment, I had just one desperate wish: to smack the back of that head, just once…!

“Sunghyeon—”

“Yes?”

I had finally returned to focus on my work now that I wasn’t being tormented by the temperature wars, when my manager called for me.

“Can you mentor the new hire?”

“Sure thing!” I readily agreed. “We finally have a new hire in our new department.”

Pleased, my manager snapped her fingers, reciprocating my enthusiasm. “One goes out, one comes in.”

“True. It’s about time,” I agreed with a nod.

Our manager beamed at our usual lunch crew and delivered another piece of good news.

“All right, then. Let’s head out for lunch.”

Already?

This was music to my ears. I sprang from my seat and started walking jubilantly out with another member from our lunch crew.

“Daon, we’re going out for lunch. Would you like to join us?”

Daon had just turned from the printer with his freshly printed documents. Our manager was probably just making the offer to be polite, but he gave his usual answer: an immediate refusal.

“Oh, I’m going to eat in the cafeteria.”

“All right then,” our manager answered, unfazed by his standard response.

Daon Jung never ate out. The reason he always chose our infamously cheap and tasteless company cafeteria was obvious.

So stingy.

The thought soured my mood, so much so that it bled into my excitement for lunch.

This was the problem. So many times, I just wanted to smack Daon Jung on the back of the head, and yet, his head was so small it was barely a target. If only I could shove him out of my sight, but that obviously wasn’t going to work. Something about him constantly gnawed at me.

Only after the elevator doors closed, completely cutting Daon out of my periphery, did I let out a long sigh and feel a release of the tension.

“Hm? What’s the matter, Sunghyeon?”

“Oh, nothing. Just enjoying a moment of freedom.”

The floor numbers slowly ticked down, one after the other.