Dojin stared blankly at the man, and it was only when the elevator doors slid open that he realized he’d stopped walking. The behavior was so unlike him that it left him puzzled.
A new promo model?
Ji Yeonho’s going to throw a fit again.
The thoughts that surfaced were all perfectly ordinary ones. Just then, his phone buzzed.
pf.png
Chief Lee
Training hall’s been moved. West building
They remodeled it, it’s clean
B3, room 5
Iris and fingerprint re-registration is mandatory
It was a message from Chief Lee. Reading it, Dojin turned his steps back toward the emergency stairwell. Soon the afterimage of the man was wiped clean out of his head.
Ugh, I’m beat.
Ain thumped his knotted-up shoulder with one hand and picked up the mop handle. He worked his arm hard enough that the floor squeaked under it.
Cleaning’s fun and all, but doing this much gets me, like, a little tired...
He was thinking that as he pushed and scrubbed at the floor when something went thunk, and all the water he’d put in the bucket came sloshing out in one wet rush.
“Uh-oh!”
When he yelped, a snide voice drifted over.
“Oh dear. My mistake.”
Ain put every bit of force he had into his eyes and turned around, and there was that familiar sneering face. A staffer, neatly done up in a dress shirt and slacks, looked at Ain and hiked up one corner of his mouth.
“Huh? I said it was a mistake. What are you glaring at me like that for? You’ll burn a hole in my face.”
He tossed that off with a smirk and then sat down in his chair. He spun it a full turn, then looked at the floor and screwed up his face.
“Hey, did you actually clean this properly? Why’s it so filthy?”
“I did clean it. Once the water dries, it’s fine.”
He pressed down hard on the something squirming inside him and answered calmly. But the man’s sniping went right on.
“You sure it dries? It’s damp. You didn’t spill water here on purpose, did you?”
You’re the one who spilled it! Ain shouted inside his head, but at times like this he always thought of what Kim ajusshi had told him.
‘Say “yes, sir, yes, sir” to everything. Get ’em to like you so you can keep the job a long time. Got it?’
Right. If I wanna keep working here with my head held high, there’s stuff I just gotta put up with.
“You’re going to have to do it over.”
’Cause that guy’s higher up than me...
“What are you doing? Just standing there.”
So obviously I gotta put up with...
“Get in here. Right here, under my legs.”
...like hell I do!
Thwap.
“Uh...?”
In an instant, the office went dead quiet.
Plop.
A grubby rag slid off the man’s face. What just hit me in the face? Dazed, the man looked down at the blackened rag lying on his desk.
Chap, chap, chap. Ain, who had appeared in front of him at some point, scooped up the rag with brisk, capable hands.
“Oopsie. My mistake. It slipped.”
“...You...”
“But it worked out good. I was thinking it was dirty.”
“Wh-what did you say? Did you just...”
“So I took the chance and wiped it right off. It worked out real good.”
Having rattled that off point by point, Ain whipped a dry rag over the water the man had spilled, mopping it up in no time flat, then marched out the door with his footsteps landing loud. From among the people who’d watched it happen came the sound of snickering.
“That was so satisfying.”
“Seriously, that was badass. I wanna learn how to do that.”
“Dude, look at Jo Yunse’s face, I’m dying.”
The man let the chatter of the office go in one ear and out the other, clenching his fist. The documents in his grip crumpled into ruin.
I ought to just... I treat him nice, pet him a little, and he climbs right up over my head?
Huffing, he grabbed his mouse. But in one corner of his mind, that pale face flaring up at him wouldn’t fade. Haa... fuck, even when he’s mad he’s just so... He never finished the thought, flushing red as he clicked away at the mouse with vicious energy.
Pok, pok.
A mop in one hand, a bucket in the other, rags in assorted colors hooked onto the bucket handle and a jug of detergent tucked under his arm, his footsteps were rough as he walked.
Ain strode quickly over, opened the supply closet, hung the tools up inside, and slammed the door shut with a bang! The noise made Yeongi ajumma jump and look over at him.
“Goodness, you scared me! Why’d you shut it so hard?”
“Ah... I’m sorry.”
“Don’t tell me that jerk was throwing a fit at you again?”
“Yep. He throws way too many fits.”
“Ugh, how does a man like that end up at Seongun, anyway?”
Ain agreed with Yeongi ajumma with his whole heart as he pulled a crumpled bill out of his locker and put it in his pocket.
“I will go get a drink, then.”
“You must be pretty upset, huh? Go on, it’s break time. Get something tasty and shake it off.”
Yeongi ajumma nodded. She knew Ain only went to the café when he was good and full of anger. Today, apparently, was one of those days.
Ain bowed his head to excuse himself to Yeongi ajumma and went outside. It was still bright out, the sunlight warm, the sky blue.
“Hup.”
He breathed in deep and let it out slowly, and it felt like his mood eased a notch. With his face a little clearer, Ain hurried off toward the café.
The drink shop Ain went to often was in the annex.
That was because the annex was closest to the area he was in charge of cleaning. On top of that, the annex café was always empty, so the cleaning staff could come and go without drawing many looks. The main building wasn’t like that. Over there, going into the café in your cleaning uniform earned you plenty of sour stares.
When he stepped into the building with a light step, a rich, nutty smell greeted him. At first he’d wondered what on earth that smell was, but now he knew perfectly well it was coffee beans.
I’ve really grown up a lot. Even me.
Marveling at his own growth, Ain headed for the counter.
“Hello?”
“Ah, you’re here. Strawberry latte again today?”
“Yep.”
Ain pulled the bill from his pocket, smoothed it out flat, and held it over, and the employee took the money from his hand with a smile. Jingling coins came back, along with a round buzzer.
“One moment, please.”
“Yep.”
Ain stepped off to the side, folded his hands politely, and waited for his drink to come out. There was a way to order from a machine, too, but Ain found machines hard to work, so he asked an employee directly like this. He wasn’t embarrassed about it. If you didn’t know something, it was only natural to ask for help. He’d always done it that way with Dojin, too.
That was when it happened.
Through the rich smell of roasted coffee beans, something flowed in — crisp and cool, and heavy at the same time. Ain’s shoulders went stiff.
This feeling. I know this.
What is it? He was glancing around when —
“One strawberry latte!”
Along with the employee’s voice, the buzzer in Ain’s hand went off. Ain hurried over to the counter.
He collected his strawberry latte, settled carefully into the corner seat at the very end where he always sat, and tilted his head.
Did I imagine it...? Ever since I started the cleaning job, the detergent smell’s so strong it mixes me up sometimes.
He’d chased after traces of Dojin so hard that he’d picked up a habit of stopping dead and staring whenever he caught sight of clothes even a little bit similar.
“Hwuung...”
When do I get to see Dojin?
The way Yeongi ajumma put it, he was working as a cleaner while putting up with a man who’d caught the raving-lunatic disease. He’d taken up honest labor because he wanted to see Dojin, and yet he hadn’t laid eyes on him even once.
From what he’d caught in passing, Dojin hadn’t fully healed yet and wasn’t taking part in training. Beyond that, he couldn’t get hold of a single thing more.
He’d learned later that Seongun Guild’s hunters had so many fans that a hunter’s private life was kept strictly under wraps. Guild employee or not, there was no way information that precious would ever come down to a cleaner like him.
It’s such a bummer.
Ain sat there all deflated, and then something important came to him.
But wait, am I even allowed to talk to Dojin? What if he figures out it’s me? He said he’d hate it if I turned human. But even if I wanted to go back to being a slime, that’s not something I can just do.
With a troubled look on his face, Ain took a long pull of the strawberry latte. It tasted so good his eyes flew wide open. In an instant, he swung his thinking right back around to the bright side.
Right. Let’s drink all of this first, then think about it.
He was giving the straw a slurp when it happened.
Hwaaa—
A sharp scent and a cool presence. And flowing in along with them, that faint, crisp freshness.
Ain’s head whipped around on reflex. His round eyes and plump red lips fell wide open. The name slipped out before he knew it.
“...Dojin.”
Far across the room, Woo Dojin was walking toward him.
Eyes and lips still open in perfect circles, Ain stared at him. Dojin was moving those long legs in quick, wide strides, coming this way. In a heartbeat, Ain’s chest was thudding wildly.
Wh-what do I do? Dojin’s coming over here! Does he recognize me? If he does, what am I supposed to say?
So many thoughts crowded in at once that his head felt like it was spinning in circles. He couldn’t get any grip on what to do, and Dojin walked so fast that he was already right in front of him.
Forgetting the urgency of it all, Ain gazed blankly up at Dojin’s face, now so close.
Hair and eyes black as the night sky, that same elegant color as always. His tall frame and broad shoulders looked every bit as dependable and as cool as when he’d shielded Ain from that enormous beast.
Dojin...
In the middle of drinking Dojin in, dazed and helpless, those steps came to a stop right beside him. And their eyes met.
