MGP 04

Chapter : 04

Today as well, Harang glanced around while taking small sips from the canned coffee sitting on his desk. As the sweet liquid spread through his mouth, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

After finishing the last sip, Harang stood up.

“Um… I’m going to the restroom for a moment.”

“Oh, yes! Take your time.”

After telling the assistant manager sitting beside him where he was going, he left the office. The restroom was down the hallway on the opposite side of the office. Seeing the deserted restroom, presumably because everyone was busy working, Harang felt a wave of relief.

Harang took the “Cleaning in Progress” sign from inside, placed it outside, and closed the door. Thud. The sound of the thick metal door shutting made his heart pound loudly.

“There’s no better place than the plumbing for checking.”

He had put up the “Cleaning in Progress” sign and closed the door, but he couldn’t be too careful.

Harang entered a restroom stall and quietly closed the door. With a small sigh, he pulled out a crumpled talisman from inside his clothes.

The Water-Vein Detection Talisman he had brought from Baektaek was used by placing it in standing water. If the water was connected to a gap contaminated with corrupted energy, the talisman would react. It was an extremely useful detection tool that could pick up even small traces of energy.

Harang closed the toilet lid and carefully opened the cover of the water tank behind it. Clear water sat quietly inside.

“Phew…”

Exhaling nervously, Harang floated the talisman on the surface of the water. The moment the paper touched the water, it began to tremble.

As expected.

“Respond. Show me the energy of the gap.”

Harang quietly chanted the incantation.

At first, nothing happened. His excitement at seeing the talisman tremble when it touched the water quickly deflated.

Could this place be a dud too?

And then it happened.

Bloop… bloop-bloop-bloop…!

The calm surface of the water suddenly began boiling violently. It was an intense reaction, as though someone had poured red-hot iron balls into the tank.

At the same time, the once-clear water instantly turned dark reddish-black and began emitting a disgusting stench.

“I found it…!”

He had found the energy of the gap. And judging by such a violent reaction, it was undoubtedly connected directly to this plumbing!

Just as a cry of joy was about to escape his lips, the spiritual power of the talisman collided with the evil energy of the gap, causing the pressure inside the tank to rise sharply.

Krrrk! Craaack!

The porcelain toilet tank began to crack with a shriek.

“Huh? Wha—wait, no!”

Harang hurriedly reached his hand into the tank in a panic, but it was already too late.

BOOM!

With an explosive bang, the water tank shattered into pieces. The dark reddish water burst out like a bomb, engulfing the cramped restroom stall.

“AAAH!”

Harang screamed and pressed himself against the restroom door. A sharp fragment swept out with the water and grazed his cheek, while his entire body became soaked in the filthy liquid.

“Cough, cough! What the hell is this…?!”

His ears rang from the explosion. The filthy liquid had splattered not only throughout the restroom stall but also across the white marble floor.

Harang brushed his wet hair back and bit his lip.

This is bad. How am I supposed to clean this up?

Even when he had first arrived, he had acted like a slightly incompetent person inside the elevator. Should he do the same thing this time? Should he laugh stupidly and claim that the toilet tank had suddenly exploded?

No, no. Right. First, run away.

As long as nobody found out that Lee Harang had anything to do with this, everything would be fine.

He was already the delinquent employee who had run home on his very first day. What difference would it make if one incident became two?

Yes. That’s what I should do.

Harang staggered over, unlocked the door, and opened it. He hurried to squeeze himself out, eager to escape.

Tap.

He bumped into something.

He reflexively raised his head—and froze.

“…Team Leader?”

Kim Hyun was standing in front of the door.

With his arms crossed, he was looking down at Harang, who looked like a drowned rat. His expression did not show surprise or concern. Instead, his cold gaze swept over Harang as though examining him, sending an inexplicable chill down his spine.

“How did you… get here?”

Harang’s lips trembled.

Kim Hyun quietly tilted his head and took a step closer. His dress shoes splashed through the water pooled across the floor.

“I heard someone had blocked off the restroom. I got curious.”

Kim Hyun’s gaze moved back and forth between the destroyed toilet and Harang, whose entire body was drenched in dark reddish water.

“Looks like our new employee caused quite a commotion in the restroom.”

“…”

“And even got hurt.”

I’m screwed. Completely screwed.

Harang squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, deciding to just go with whatever happened.

“T-The toilet suddenly exploded!”

“The toilet?”

Kim Hyun raised one eyebrow slightly.

“This restroom was remodeled less than a year ago, wasn’t it?”

Splash.

He walked right up to Harang and stopped.

Maybe it was because of his large frame. Or perhaps it was the intimidating atmosphere around him. Harang felt crushed beneath his overwhelming presence.

“You’re saying the toilet exploded on its own? Like a bomb went off?”

“I-I don’t know. I was just trying to flush the water when suddenly there was this huge bang…!”

Harang desperately lied.

Kim Hyun’s face made it painfully obvious that he did not believe this bizarre story, but there was nothing Harang could do. In a situation like this, he could only bluff his way through it.

Suddenly, Kim Hyun leaned his head forward, bringing his face closer to Harang.

Harang instinctively backed away, but his foot caught on a broken piece of the toilet. He fell heavily onto the floor.

Kim Hyun lowered his head toward him and sniffed.

Ah, I must stink.

For some strange reason, embarrassment flooded over him, making his face turn bright red.

“You smell.”

“That’s because… I flushed the water…”

“It smells like a lot of things got mixed together.”

“…”

Well, there was sewage mixed in, so that was understandable.

Feeling as though he had suddenly become the embodiment of filth itself, Harang lowered his head.

“I think the sewage pipe might have backed up. I’ll clean this up… and wash myself before returning.”

Harang awkwardly tried to get to his feet.

But Kim Hyun was still standing in front of him, refusing to move.

Only then did Harang become aware of the fact that Kim Hyun was standing like a wooden guardian statue between his widely spread legs.

“You can’t.”

“What?”

“You’re injured.”

Kim Hyun’s gaze settled on Harang’s cheek.

Blood was seeping from the thin cut where a fragment from the explosion had grazed him.

“You’re bleeding.”

He took out a handkerchief from the inner pocket of his jacket. Gently cupping Harang’s chin, he lifted his face and held it firmly in place.

His grip was too strong for Harang to escape.

“Stay still. It would be a problem if the wound became contaminated, so let me clean it.”

Kim Hyun began carefully wiping away the blood and grime from Harang’s cheek with the handkerchief.

His touch was almost excessively gentle.

It was as though he were polishing a precious piece of porcelain—or taking care of something valuable that belonged to him.

“Ah, it’s okay. I can do it myself…”

“Mr. Lee Harang.”

Kim Hyun softly called Harang by name.

Lowering his hand, he placed the handkerchief in Harang’s hand and asked gently,

“What I’m curious about isn’t why the toilet exploded.”

He met Harang’s still-flustered eyes as though trying to see straight through them before continuing.

“I’m curious about how it exploded.”

“…”

“Do you perhaps have some complaint against the company? Maybe you’re a spy or terrorist sent by a rival company? Or perhaps… you have some secret hobby?”

A suffocating silence descended between them for a moment.

He was obviously probing Harang.

But Harang had no idea why.

If Kim Hyun suspected him of being from Baektaek, he was being far too gentle about it. And bringing up a secret hobby was completely inappropriate.

It really is best if he thinks I’m just a little stupid.

Harang squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them while putting on the most pitiful expression he could manage.

“Really, it’s not like that. I just went in because my stomach hurt, and then the water tank suddenly exploded. I was so scared. Please believe me, Team Leader.”

Kim Hyun stared at the teary-eyed Harang before letting out a small laugh.

It was a refreshing smile that broke the strangely distorted tension hanging between them.

“I’m joking. You looked so stiff that I couldn’t resist.”

Kim Hyun took back the bloodstained handkerchief and lightly patted Harang’s wet shoulders.

“I’ll call the facilities team and have them check it. It probably wasn’t your fault.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“By the way, you can’t go back to the office looking like this. And you smell pretty bad.”

Kim Hyun checked his wristwatch before lightly pushing Harang on the back.

“Follow me.”

“Where…?”

“I have a private lounge. There’s a shower there, too, so you can wash up and change your clothes.”

“Ah, no! I can change at a nearby sauna or go home and change!”