Codename Vestia

Chapter 35

“Where did you get this?”

“Lola.”

If it was Lola…

“Then, the conversation you had with the waiter yesterday?”

Tora’s casual banter with the waiter came to mind.

Tora nodded, but Jain, still unconvinced, asked further.

“And how did that waiter know her contact information?”

“Apparently, he’d seen her come to the shop a few times before. Since she’s quite pretty, he secretly saved her phone number when she paid.”

Jain stared at Tora intently.

“That’s a crime, you know.”

“Then go ahead and arrest him.”

Anyway, that was the police’s business. Jain shook the note in her hand.

“But the waiter just handed this over?”

“Do you think it was for free?”

While slicing a mango, Tora gave her a look as if saying, ‘This naïve person, really.’

“Then what?”

“In return, I told him someone else’s contact information.”

“Whose?”

Tora placed a piece of sliced mango on the tip of the knife and held it out. Jain raised a hand to decline, and Tora put it in his own mouth instead. At that moment, Jain had a realization.

“Mine?”

Tora continued peeling the mango and replied casually, “You’re popular.”

Jain frowned. To be honest, she’d never struggled to find a boyfriend when she wanted one, but when Tora said it like that, it felt like he was teasing her.

Tora spoke matter-of-factly.

“If he calls, just answer it once. He seemed like a sincere guy.”

“If he has too much sincerity, he’ll probably start stalking me.”

Since phone numbers were easier to change than underwear, Jain didn’t particularly mind if that’s what Tora had used to get the information.

Tora shrugged, as if he had nothing more to add.

“Anyway, let’s head out.”

After finishing their meal, Tora stood up.

***

The moment the woman saw Tora, recognition flickered across her face.

“Oh, you?”

“I’m the twin.”

If she had slept with Rato, she’d know the difference right away, so Tora just told her.

“Twin?”

The woman scanned him from head to toe.

“Ah, I see. You feel completely different.”

Then, with a languid smile, she approached Tora.

“So, what’s this about? Did your twin like me so much he gave a recommendation?”

Just then, Jain stepped in between them, abruptly cutting off the conversation. The woman stopped talking—Jain’s actions alone made her intentions clear. Besides, she didn’t seem like someone the woman could mess with.

Tora spoke bluntly to the woman.

“My twin is missing.”

“Missing?”

The woman blinked in surprise, then quickly grew defensive.

“It has nothing to do with me. We just spent one night together.”

“I know. I just want you to tell me anything you remember.”

“Anything I remember… Well, he was kind of distant. He didn’t really pay attention to what I said.”

Tora hadn’t believed it when he said his twin was different from him, but it seemed there really were some distinctions.

“He was talking to some men. That’s all I remember.”

“What kind of men?”

“The kind who weren’t just asking for directions or a cigarette. There were two of them.”

“What did they look like?”

The woman described their appearance.

As they stepped outside, Tora asked, “What was that earlier?”

“If you were hoping to sleep with her too, I apologize for the interference. I simply didn’t want to waste any more time,” Jain replied indifferently.

“Jain isn’t being honest.”

“Perhaps it’s because I’m being too honest,” Jain said with a touch of sarcasm, then voiced a thought she’d had since earlier.

“That woman back there… doesn’t she look a bit like Gamal?”

“Do you even realize how beautiful our Marti is?” Tora replied, clearly incredulous.

“No, of course, beauty-wise there’s no comparison, but I meant in terms of vibe or body type….” Jain trailed off, then looked at Tora as if a thought had just struck her.

“Could it be…?”

Tora shook his head firmly.

“Rato wouldn’t betray Marti. That much is certain.”

Jain stayed silent for a while, then suddenly remarked, “But I’ve been thinking—your names, Tora and Rato….”

Here we go again.

Tora sighed inwardly. Every time people heard their names, they made the same comment.

“They’re like a palindrome, aren’t they? It feels connected, like a perfect choice for twins’ names.”

Jain said this while looking at Tora, who stared back at her as though she’d said something bizarre.

“What’s wrong?” Jain asked, not hiding her irritation. Tora snapped out of it and replied, “That’s surprising. Most people think Marti put zero effort into naming us.”

Under a night sky filled with countless stars, where the Milky Way shimmered brightly, Gamal had once held the twins’ hands by the campfire and whispered, “You two are connected.”

Jain replied nonchalantly, “Judging by the way Gamal looks at you, it’s clear how much she treasures you. There’s no way she’d give you names without meaning.”

***

At that moment, Doyeong stood leaning slightly forward, gripping the doorframes on either side. His eyes were closed.

Clinging tightly to his back, with arms wrapped firmly around his waist, was Gamal—or rather, a leech. Though her arms weren’t squeezing, the intent to never let go was evident.

In front of them, Captain Tao stood with an awkward expression on his face.

“Ms. Gamal, the Major would like to…”

“No.”

Gamal’s response was firm as she tightened her arms around Doyeong’s waist.

“No way. You can’t go. You’re not going.”

“It’s just a visit home. You haven’t had a chance to see your parents since you returned,” Captain Tao said gently.

At this, Gamal pleaded almost desperately, “Then I’ll go too, okay?”

“But you have appointments and therapy sessions, Ms. Gamal…” Tao trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.

Gamal buried her face against Doyeong’s back and refused to move, as if continuing the conversation wasn’t worth her effort.

Eventually, Doyeong let out a long sigh, straightened up, and stepped away from the doorframe. He turned to Captain Tao and asked, “Can I take her along?”

“Well…” Tao hesitated, clearly uneasy.

“It’s fine.”

That was when Rex appeared. Tao immediately stepped aside and saluted, and Doyeong straightened his posture to do the same.

“General.”

However, Gamal was still clinging to Doyeong’s waist. He tried to push her away, but she held on with surprising strength, refusing to budge. Rex, observing the scene, spoke.

“She listens well to the Major, so she won’t cause any trouble.”

“But there are already scheduled appointments…” Tao began again, but Rex interrupted.

“Since we’re the ones benefiting from her efforts, there’s no reason to keep her bound. Everyone needs a break.”

When the General said this, no further arguments could be made. Gamal beamed.

“Thank you, Alex!”

“You can just call me Rex.”

Rex, who rarely dropped his stoic demeanor, spoke with a faint warmth in his eyes.

“Okay. Rex.”

Gamal didn’t hesitate to comply. Meanwhile, Doyeong muttered under his breath, “Like a clingy mutt.”

“What?”

Gamal turned to look at him, but Doyeong was already walking away. Gamal bid farewell to Rex and hurried to follow him.

“Bye, Rex!”

***

“Doyeong!”

Doyeong’s parents were waiting for him at the airport.

His father, Elio, sat in a wheelchair due to paralysis in his lower body, while his mother, Sarang, stood beside him. Their faces lit up at the sight of their son, but when they noticed Gamal walking out with him, they seemed momentarily puzzled.

That’s when Gamal smiled brightly at Elio and said, “The Western Doyeong.”

Doyeong snapped his fingers and lightly smacked Gamal on the head.

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

Gamal, as if only just realizing, exclaimed, “Ah!” and said, “Hi. I’m Gamal.”

“She doesn’t know how to speak formally—or maybe she just doesn’t bother. Either way, please understand,” Doyeong added.

Sarang and Elio, still bewildered, asked, “Who is she…?”

“A piece of luggage,” Doyeong answered bluntly.

Gamal nodded in agreement. “Yep, luggage.”

Then she turned to Doyeong and asked, “What’s luggage?”

***

Elio and Sarang were left with their mouths agape.

“What? That’s ridiculous. You’ve lived for 3,350 years?”

“I only got older,” Doyeong replied.

Gamal corrected him, “And ate a lot of food.”

“What an achievement. Pass me the napkins.”

“Napkins?”

“Square tissue paper.”

Doyeong’s explanation of the unfamiliar word was so casual it seemed second nature. Elio, watching the interaction, commented in disbelief, “This isn’t exactly the image of a 3,350-year-old vampire.”

Doyeong glanced at Gamal. “This is what happens when you live as a recluse on an island.”

“Oh, hikikomori! That’s me. Doyeong told me.”

Gamal said this proudly, as if it were something worth boasting about. Sarang leaned toward Doyeong and asked cautiously, “Is she always like this?”

Doyeong shrugged. “We’ve talked for quite a while now, but aside from knowing more words than when we first met, her speech hasn’t improved at all. I think this just is how she talks. Formal speech? Never even tried it.”

“I’ve lived a long time,” Gamal declared confidently, implying that such trivialities as formal speech weren’t necessary for her.

Doyeong muttered with a blank expression, “Wow, a super boomer.”

“What’s a boomer?”

While Gamal had learned a lot of basic vocabulary, slang was still a challenge.

“You.”

“What’s a boomer?”

“Ugh, stop pestering me. Sit down.”

When Doyeong responded irritably, Gamal obediently sat on the sofa. At that moment, Elio finally voiced something he had been holding back.

“I hope this doesn’t come across as rude, but…”

“If you’re about to compare her to a pet, don’t bother. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t even take this kind of ‘pet’ for free,” Doyeong interjected bluntly.

Elio froze mid-sentence, his lips still shaped to speak. Gamal, offended, jumped up and shouted, “Take care of me!”

“No.”

Doyeong’s response was firm.

“Why not?”

“Who’d want to take care of a pet that eats as much as you and doesn’t listen?”

“I’ll listen!” Gamal mumbled sulkily, her mood deflated.

“But I don’t want to be without you, Doyeong.”

Her face looked so pitiful, like a scolded child, that Elio and Sarang glanced at Doyeong uncomfortably.

Doyeong looked exasperated. “Ugh, this one has a knack for making me look like a bad guy.”

Gamal shook her head vigorously. “Doyeong isn’t bad.”

Doyeong motioned toward the table. “Just go sit down.”

Gamal hurriedly returned to her seat. Elio and Sarang also took their places at the table. Seeing that Gamal waited until they picked up their utensils, Sarang spoke kindly.

“Eat a lot.”

Gamal smiled brightly. “Okay. I’ll eat a lot.”

Elio and Sarang wisely chose not to comment further, as they were starting to understand Gamal’s personality.

“Alright, let’s eat,” Doyeong said.

After tidying up, Doyeong said, “Good night.”

“Good night. Gamal, you’ll be in the guest room…” Elio began, but Gamal was already following Doyeong upstairs.

Elio, noticing this, hesitated and trailed off mid-sentence. Seeing his expression, Gamal adopted a defensive stance.

“I’m sleeping with Doyeong.”

Lately, more and more people seemed to question why Gamal always slept with Doyeong.

Elio and Sarang immediately turned to Doyeong with expressions that made it clear what they were thinking.

Doyeong raised his hand to stop them, already resigned to the inevitable. Once again, he found himself saying the line he had to repeat everywhere he went these days:

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s like a duckling’s imprinting effect.”