GB 18

“The handling of the pirate scum we’ve wiped out has been decided,” said Yoon Sang-won while cutting the end of a cigar with a cutter.

Although there were many pirate groups that had been wiped out, the fact that he called Yoon Moo-hwa separately to discuss this meant he was referring to specific ones. It must be the group from Haero’s island.

“I assume the leader of the group will be executed.”

“He’s not just a deserter, but one who deserted while armed and killed two sailors. That alone makes him undisputedly worthy of execution.”

“…”

“It seems the others will also have difficulty avoiding heavy sentences. There’s one who likes to brag; we’ll need to investigate further, but he seems to be the main culprit in many of the brutal incidents that occurred in that area’s waters.”

Yoon Moo-hwa nodded.

After being lost in thought for a moment, he looked up. Yoon Sang-won, who was lighting his cigar and taking a deep drag, met his eyes. 

With this silent permission to speak, Yoon Moo-hwa asked, “Were there any cases of infant or child abduction during their criminal activities?”

“That’s hard to determine. You know that.”

Yoon Sang-won offered the cigar box, but Yoon Moo-hwa declined.

“Even if missing person reports are filed, it’s difficult for them to be shared between branches. Finding them is nearly impossible to begin with.”

Finding someone missing at sea was almost impossible. Yoon Moo-hwa’s rescue was possible due to a combination of luck and quick thinking. Even then, it was only possible because it succeeded; otherwise, it would have ended up as just another common sea disappearance. Above all, Yoon Moo-hwa knew that his father’s influence as Yoon Sang-won had played a significant role in mobilizing even a warship to rescue him.

“But the possibility isn’t zero. However, to know whether they took children as survivors from captured ships or just kidnapped them from places they sailed to, we’d need a confession. There’s no other way. Why? Is it because of that child?”

“Yes. But it will be impossible to find his family.”

If it’s true that Haero was picked up from a ship, Haero’s family is likely all dead. Even if his parents were alive, they probably aren’t in this world anymore, and if he wasn’t with his parents on the ship, it means he was alone to begin with.

After that, it was the usual nagging. Yoon Moo-hwa let the old-fashioned talk go in one ear and out the other.

Yoon Moo-hwa finished showering in the bathroom where Haero had washed and went up to the second-floor room.

Haero’s door was slightly open. In the dark and quiet room, only the sound of waves could be heard.

“Haero, are you asleep?” Yoon Moo-hwa asked quietly, but there was no answer.

After opening the door a little, Yoo Moo-hwa saw a small figure asleep on the bed, slumped over the desk.

Based on Haero’s dental development, he was estimated to be ten years old, but perhaps due to lack of nutrition, he was smaller than other ten-year-olds Yoon Moo-hwa occasionally seen.

Yoon Moo-hwa went in to turn off the radio and move Haero to lie down properly, but as he did so, he pulled back the large top draped over the child’s body slightly.

There was a tattoo of three stacked shin bones.

After looking at it for a moment, Yoon Moo-hwa adjusted Haero’s clothes and laid him down on the bed.

After back in his room, Yoon Moo-hwa accessed the server to check the interrogation records of the pirate deserters. His security clearance allowed him to view this much. Above all, it was thanks to his involvement in the arrest process.

Coincidentally becoming involved, Yoon Moo-hwa read the interrogation transcript of the ‘captain’ with his chin resting on his hand, stopping the scroll at one part. 

Since audio was supported, he put on headphones and played just that section:

―Did you create the pirate symbol tattoo yourself?

―Yes.

―That’s quite serious. Looks like you had no intention of returning to the military.

―Does someone who risked their life deserting because they hated the military ever come back? I even killed two sailors on my way out.

―Right. Two very innocent sailors.

―…The three bones represent that. The two sailors I killed and my bone. Stacked together.

―Is it a sign of guilt? Or mourning?

―…

The ‘captain’ didn’t answer and the interrogation soon moved on to other topics. Specifically, about the process of deserting with those sailors.

Yoon Moo-hwa had no interest in a criminal’s excuses tinged with self-pity, so he roughly took off his headphones and rubbed his lips.

Selfish bastard.

It made him sick to his stomach – the cowardice of someone who got blood on their hands and then carved their own sins onto an innocent child’s shoulders.

While Yoon Moo-hwa was lost in thought with furrowed brows, small footsteps echoed behind him.

Haero, who had woken up not long after being put to bed by Yoon Moo-hwa, came to Yoon Moo-hwa’s room still in a daze. And without knowing what Yoon Moo-hwa was listening to, he pushed open the door while rubbing his eyes.

“The sea?” Children often said absurd things when they woke up suddenly. “I need to go catch fish.”

Like this.

Yoon Moo-hwa turned his chair to look at Haero, who stood there rambling like a sleepwalker with his eyes nearly closed.

“You can’t go to the sea now. The sun has set.”

The night sea is dangerous.

“But I used to go sometimes.”

“It’s dangerous to swim at night. What you think is the sky might actually be the depths of the sea. Come here. You don’t need to go catch fish at night anymore.”

At the words “come here,” Haero stumbled forward. 

When he reached between his legs, Yoon Moo-hwa placed his hand on Haero’s forehead who had settled in his arms. 

It was hot. Yoon Moo-hwa would need to give him medicine. After clicking his tongue, Yoon Moo-hwa lifted Haero up and sat him in the chair he had been sitting in, then stood up. 

“Wait a moment.” 

The moment Yoon Moo-hwa left his spot, Haero came to his senses. 

Yoon Moo-hwa’s room was dimly lit by a desk lamp. Buried deep in the chair, Haero looked around until his gaze finally landed on the desk. The interrogation screen of the ‘Captain’ was still up there. But Haero couldn’t understand any of it. This was because he had never learned to read. 

Hangul was recognized for its convenience, being very easy to learn and was used as an official language alongside English. It was even preferred over English as a writing system. However, Haero didn’t even know about this Hangul. 

The yellow letters on the black screen just looked like bioluminescent plankton to his eyes and Haero was watching these luminescent plankton on the monitor until Yoon Moo-hwa returned. When Haero tilted his head back at the sound of movement, Yoon Moo-hwa was already standing behind him. 

With an unbothered expression, Yoon Moo-hwa reached out and closed the screen Haero had been watching. The desktop background was basic, boring without any personality. 

“Can you read?” Yoon Moo-hwa asked casually. 

So Haero shook his head without hesitation, “No. I don’t know how.” 

“I’ll teach you next time.” 

Coincidentally, the captain of Haero’s group was from the same branch. Thanks to that, they used the same language. Yoon Moo-hwa had left the screen up assuming Haero wouldn’t know how to read yet. It was his bad habit to keep testing even while knowing he was dealing with a child. This was a trait he discovered through Haero. 

“Let’s take your medicine.” 

Yoon Moo-hwa stirred the powder medicine into the syrup with his long fingers. When he tasted what was on his hand, it was cloying and bitter. Not being fond of sweet things, his face automatically scrunched up. 

Seeing that expression, Haero became frightened in an instant. “Why? Is it really bitter?”

“It’ll be better than the grass you used to chew.”

Yoon Moo-hwa silently motioned for Haero to open his mouth, saying “ah.” 

While staring at Haero’s face as he mimicked the mouth shape, Yoon Moo-hwa gently pinched his small nose, careful not to hurt him. “Just swallow it quickly. Then lick the spoon clean.”

If Lieutenant Gu or Sergeant Seo had seen this, they would have certainly made a disgusted face. They would have told him never to speak like that again because it was gross. That’s how much Yoon Moo-hwa was trying in his own way to care for Haero.

Haero licked the spoon clean and swallowed quickly, just as Yoon Moo-hwa had said. Only then did Yoon Moo-hwa release his nose. Still, the strange stickiness and cloying sensation remained in his mouth. 

As if having waited for this moment, Yoon Moo-hwa held out a glass of water. “Rinse your mouth. I noticed the radio was on. Seems like you know how to use that?”

“Yes. I saw the Captain’s sister using it.”

Yoon Moo-hwa sat on the bed, leaning toward Haero as he asked, “Captain’s sister?”

“Captain has a sister. She’s blind. But she knew how to do lots of things. When Captain and Vice Captain weren’t around, she acted as our captain.”

Yoon Moo-hwa habitually propped his chin and fidgeted with his lips.

The women were being held separately and excluded from high-intensity interrogation, but he would need to report this. There were quite a few women who had made names for themselves as pirates or brokers. If there was a connection to a female broker, that Captain’s sister might have played an intermediary role.

“Sounds like you learned something good.”

When Yoon Moo-hwa praised him, Haero smiled quietly, unaware of the implications.

“Listening to the sound of waves helped me sleep well.” Haero said proudly, as if asking for more praise.

Looking at the faint bruise marks remaining on Haero’s face, Yoon Moo-hwa responded with “Is that so? But why were you crying?”

“… How did you know?”