It's been about a week since I've been trapped on this remote island. Sitting in front of the full-length window, staring at the sea, has become my daily routine. Watching the waves nibbling at the cliff and the sea surface dyed in sunset colors makes me feel like I've returned to the past—to the time when I lived with Sang, to the days when we laughed and chatted without a care in the world.
But was I really without worries back then?
Thinking back, those times were much more painful than now. Whenever I looked at Sang, the thought of 'I must leave someday' brought a sense of guilt. Still, I forced myself to smile because I didn't want to be remembered as sad by him. I just mistook that for happiness.
However, memories are always beautifully wrapped. Pain and sorrow are all glorified as the fever of youth. And so, the reality of my life becomes increasingly unhappy. I become a foolish person who can never escape the past.
"…I should be living in the present, not the past…"
Sigh… A long breath fogged up the glass in front of me. It looked as if frost had formed on it.
Someone came to the room as I sat, hugging my knees, staring at the sea.
Knock, knock—.
When I answered the knock, the door opened. It was Simeon, looking neat in a black shirt.
"Busy?"
"How could I be?"
There's nothing to do in this room except gaze at the sea.
"What brings you here?"
I got up from my seat and casually changed the subject. Simeon answered straightforwardly.
"I thought we could play chess together."
"…Pardon?"
Wasn't I being suspected of espionage? Instead of an interrogation, he casually suggested playing chess, which made me feel uneasy. What if they lose interest in me and dispose of me without anyone knowing?
I looked at him suspiciously and asked again.
"Now?"
"Yes. The guild members hardly know how to play chess."
"I don't know how to play either."
"Liar."
For some reason, his firm tone, as if he knew everything, made me feel small.
"Uh… Is it that obvious when I lie?"
"No. I just guessed, but thank you for being honest."
His handsome face, smiling at me, looked annoyingly smug. Soon after, Simeon opened the door, and a guard outside brought in a chessboard. The guard's movements were skillful as he set up the board on the table, suggesting he'd done this more than a few times.
After the guard left, Simeon walked over to the table and casually asked,
"White?"
As he pulled out the chair on the white side of the board, it felt like he was escorting a lady. Though I didn't appreciate it, I sat in the chair he pulled out for me and glanced up.
"Are you giving me the first move?"
"Of course, you're the guest."
Starting first as white is more advantageous than starting first as black. So, back in the day, I would always let the illusion play white, and I would play black. But now, seven years later, our positions have completely reversed, which felt nostalgic.
I wondered how much his skills had improved over the years. Nervously, I made the first move, and Simeon quietly admired.
"D4, huh? A rather standard opening."
"I'm not that skilled."
We exchanged a few moves. The one using unexpected strategies wasn't me but him. I thought he would aggressively push from the start, but he was steadily moving his pieces, tightening the noose, just like when he first interrogated me.
Thud—.
His sudden words followed the crisp sound of a chess piece being placed.
"We finally caught the rat who was tailing our people."
"Ah…"
"They're unconscious now, but when they wake up, they'll spill everything."
Does he think I'm on the same side as the person tailing him? If so, that works in my favour.
"That's good news."
"Good news?"
"Now, all that's left is to clear my name. Like I said before, I was just paid to take those photos and send them to the requesting client."
With that, I moved my pawn to capture his knight. Having lost his first piece, Simeon seemed rather pleased as he murmured.
"We'll see about that."
He's a person I can't figure out at all. Didn't he ease his guard on me so I could move around freely? Shouldn't he be interrogating me for information instead of playing chess if he still suspects me?
Why is he taking such good care of me and ensuring I eat three meals daily? Is he intrigued by my immortal body? Or is it because I resemble Johan?
I quietly moved my pawn to place his queen in check and asked,
"Do you still suspect me?"
"Still?"
Simeon, who I thought would move his queen to escape, leisurely moved his rook to capture my pawn.
"I've never trusted anyone."
Why do I feel like I'm losing despite being in the lead with my points? The opening I'd started with and the pace I was trying to maintain somehow seemed futile in this game he'd started.
"You went into that alley back then, didn't you? Even breaking through the barrier."
"I didn't force my way in; I just slipped through."
Despite my defending myself, it didn't change anything
"That's why I suspect you."
"…What?"
"I placed conditions on the barrier so only certain people could enter."
Conditions? A sudden ominous feeling swept over me. As I stiffened, Simeon spoke after a pause.
"Only those who know my face could enter."
Damn it. I never expected him to place such a condition on the barrier. As I froze in place, Simeon, mimicking my earlier move, moved his pawn to capture my knight. His long fingers holding the knight felt like a noose around my neck.
"When did you see me?"
"I don't… I don't know. Maybe we crossed paths somewhere."
"You didn't find out by investigating me?"
"No, I didn't, really. No matter how much I searched, there was nothing about you."
I looked him straight in the eye, pretending to be frustrated. As expected, Simeon responded without a hint of surprise. Our intense battle of nerves continued through the chess game. When I captured a pawn, he did the same. When I pressured his queen, he used that move to pressure my king.
In the meantime, the score evened out.
"Well, fine. It's not like you can talk about it with anyone outside."
Did I just dodge a bullet? I swallowed dryly, feeling like thorns were wrapping around my neck. The thorns seemed sharper than usual, but it was probably just my imagination.
As I hesitated to make my next move, Simeon suddenly made a strange move. He moved aside the bishop, who'd been protecting his queen, as if he was intentionally clearing a path for me to capture her. Despite having a prime opportunity, I hesitated to move my piece.
Was it a trap or an accident? Knowing he wouldn't make such a novice mistake, I didn't want to miss the chance to capture his queen. Eventually, I moved my remaining rook to capture the queen. The rook, now in the middle of the enemy territory, was quickly captured by a pawn, but I gained an advantage overall.
…Or did I? Feeling uneasy, I didn't make the next move right away. As I continued to contemplate the game, Simeon spoke to me softly.
"Do you accept any kind of job?"
"As long as it's within legal boundaries."
I moved my pawn to protect my king and continued speaking.
"But after taking that photo job, I've decided not to take any more human-related jobs."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to go through this kind of situation again."
Apparently, finding my words amusing, Simeon chuckled.
"That's unfortunate. I was planning to give you a job."
"…What job?"
"I want you to find someone who took care of me in the past."
As he said that, Simeon moved his bishop to capture my pawn. The only knight protecting my king was gone. Despite being in a critical situation, I couldn't afford to be distracted. With Simeon's words, it wasn't this chess game, but more importantly, my life was at stake.
"Someone who took care of you…?"
"Yes. They suddenly disappeared, leaving only a letter, and I don't know where they went."
"Ah…"
"If you can find them for me, I promise to give you whatever you want."
His calm voice conveyed sincerity.
Watching him, it seemed like this wasn't the first time he'd tried to find Johan. He must have continuously tracked Johan's traces. It was a stroke of luck that the Apostle's intelligence hadn't exposed my whereabouts until now.
"Do you have any news on his whereabouts?"
"They said he died in a bus accident."
Unconsciously, I gripped my pawn tightly.
I had heard that there were two unidentified bodies from a fire during a past bus crash. Coincidentally, I had disappeared that dawn. There was only one bus to the city, and that bus crashed on its first trip. They might have guessed that one of the unidentified bodies was me.
I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze, so I stared at the chessboard instead, trying to gauge his reaction.
"I hate to say this, but… isn't it possible that he's really dead?"
Simeon immediately replied without hesitation.
"He's not dead."
"How can you be so sure?"
I felt a sense of defeat when I looked up after swallowing hard.
"Because I haven't seen his body with my own eyes."
Simeon was smiling satisfactorily.
From that moment, I lost track of how I was moving the chess pieces. Even if it was a bad move that tightened the noose around my neck, I wasn't aware of it. I moved piece after piece as if I were being chased. When I came to my senses, all my paths to retreat were blocked.
"Checkmate."
A resolute voice put an end to the game.
Before I knew it, his two bishops had surrounded my king. Even though my mind had been elsewhere, it was the first time a game had ended this quickly. But more shocking than so swiftly losing was his final statement.
He believed Johan wasn't dead because he hadn't seen the body. I never thought he'd think that way. Even after discarding my past, I can never be at ease. If I let my guard down, I will fall victim to his sharp moves, just like the chess game.
"…You're impressive. With this level of skill, you must've beaten almost everyone."
"Thank you. As you said, there's no one I haven't beaten yet."
Simeon muttered as he glanced over the chessboard as if reviewing the game.
"But I can't seem to beat you, Mr. Hajae."
"You just did."
"Not this."
His dark eyes landed on the left side of my chest.
"I'm talking about that."
What? Was he talking about my heart? Now that I think of it, Simeon said something similar when I first woke up.
'I tried several times while you were asleep but couldn't beat you.'
He couldn't beat me? Is he aware I can't die? Victory and life… Two seemingly distant words were intertwined with some kind of connection. I wasn't sure of the meaning behind it.
"Does this have anything to do with your abilities?"
I asked, thinking I was being sharp. But Simeon looked at me strangely, neither confirming nor denying it.
What is this silence? Did I ask something I shouldn't have? I glanced at him, and Simeon smiled coldly.
"No way, you don't know what my ability is?"
"That…."
"You said you searched for me online? In that case, you should've easily discovered it."
"So…."
"At least it's more widely known than the fact that I have two moles on my index finger."
Damn it. He read all the notes I wrote down. It's embarrassing, but I have nothing to say. I was so focused on comparing his habits and appearance with Sang's that I didn't take note of basic information like his abilities.
Feeling embarrassed, I cleared my throat unnecessarily.
"If you want to keep it a secret, you don't have to tell me."
"It's not exactly a secret, but just telling you outright feels a bit disappointing."
"What the…."
How twisted is his mind? Of course, I'm hiding my curse, too, but that's a life-or-death secret. On the other hand, Simeon said his ability is well-known enough to be found by searching, yet he doesn't want to tell me.
Is it just to tease me? I couldn't understand his behavior, and my face twisted involuntarily. Even though I stared at him openly, Simeon ignored my gaze and stood up.
"You know. Mr. Hajae. They say all relationships start with curiosity."
He placed his right hand on the table, leaned forward, and extended his left hand toward me. There was a scab on his elegant finger from when he pricked it on the thorn crown. Then, he knocked over the white king in front of me with his index finger.
"So, keep being curious."
His whisper was chillingly low.
"Just as I am about you."
****