Chemistry

10. Special Research: Venice Entropy(5)

「Han Jeong-woo」 – San Marco Square

In Europe’s oldest cafes and the most expensive hotels that surrounded the wide square, pigeons and tourists mingled, creating a bit of a noisy scene.

Jeong-woo, with the tall bell tower on one side of the square as a backdrop, completed the commemorative shooting first. Perhaps due to the anticipation of meeting Cheon Seung-guk in an hour, he was now feeling a bit excited.

In the midst of this, Soo-chan received an international call.

-Is it really Venice? We had a drink together just the other day!

“That’s how it turned out. And by tomorrow, I’ll be heading back to Korea.”

In the morning, he had sent a picture from a water bus, and Soo-chan seemed completely surprised.

-Last time, it was a suite. Going abroad this time? That company is no joke. You must keep going.

“The phone bill is no joke, so let’s stop it.”

“Mr. Jeong-woo!”

Jeong-woo’s head turned towards Yoon Yi-seol, who was taking out the camcorder.

-Hey! Whose voice is that now? Are you with a woman?

“That’s enough. I’m ending the call.”

Jeong-woo quickly pressed the end button to save Soo-chan’s phone bill and approached Yoon Yi-seol, who handed him the camcorder.

“How should I shoot this time?”

“The idea is to go around in circles. The cathedral, the palace, the bell tower. In that order.”

Jeong-woo adjusted the lens to capture Yoon Yi-seol and the cathedral in one frame and noticed Professor Jeremy, who was deeply engrossed in taking a selfie.

‘He seems to be really enjoying the sightseeing now. I guess we’re becoming more familiar with him.’

After pressing the camcorder’s recording button and sending a signal, Yoon Yi-seol spoke in a low voice.

“The questionnaire.”

“Oh, where are we?”

“Well~”

Yoon Yi-seol said, jumping in place.

“Ta-da! We have arrived at San Marco Square!”

She extended her arms and had the happiest expression in the world. When she looked at Jeong-woo, she made an incredulous expression.

“The manager should jump too.”

“Me too?”

“Yes, one more time.”

The playfulness in her eyes as she turned to the lens made him wonder how to respond, so he just went along with it.

“Ta-da~ San Marco Square!”

After jumping together, she shouted with a satisfied and lively voice. That’s how the official ‘Yi-seol TV’ began.

“Wow, it’s a nice day for a walk. It’s already spring here. It’s a bit cloudier than in the morning, but the breeze is still nice.”

Her constant chatter towards the lens, as if having a conversation with her fans.

‘This is why they want to see Yoon Yi-seol’

Jeong-woo was so excited that he got lost in the moment and cooperated with the shoot.

“This is the cathedral over there. Manager, how do you like it? It’s impressive, isn’t it?”

Jeong-woo pointed at the five towering domes as if they were from an Arabian fairy tale. Then he handed the camcorder back to Yoon Yi-seol and shook it up and down.

“Oh my. You seem to like it.”

At Yoon Yi-seol’s nod, Jeong-woo read one of the questions from the questionnaire.

“What are you most looking forward to these days?”

“I guess…”

Yoon Yi-seol, catching a glimpse of Jeong-woo’s face beside the lens, smiled and said.

“There’s a big fan meeting event for my mini album release. We’ll give gifts, have a signing session, and greet each other face-to-face. I’m already getting nervous.”

Jeong-woo realized that she had already prepared answers that matched each question. It had seemed so natural that he hadn’t noticed.

‘She said millions of people will watch this, right? I should stay focused.’

While walking, Yoon Yi-seol encountered a flock of pigeons and took out a small bag from her bag. Inside was a piece of bread.

“I’m a bit scared of birds, you see. I failed in front of the Tokyo Tower. But today is a special day.”

After taking a deep breath, she tore the bread into small pieces and threw them to the flock of pigeons.

“Enjoy, little ones.”

The pigeons gathered quickly and devoured the bread in an instant. Then, they started to approach the bread she was holding.

Yoon Yi-seol’s surprised reaction froze. Jeong-woo asked from behind the camcorder.

“Do you need help?”

“No, I have to give them all this bread.”

“They’re cute, but these little guys have quite an aggressive appetite.”

“They must be hungry.”

Tearing the bread determinedly and scattering it a few more times, the pigeons crowded around Yoon Yi-seol even more.

“Hey, stop coming. Please~”

Whether she was throwing the bread or trying to intimidate them with her gestures, it was unclear. She waved her arms in frustration.

“Sorry, little ones. I’m a bit scared.”

Yoon Yi-seol, waving her arms at the pigeons, may have seemed a bit comical, but that made her even cuter.

Jeremy, who had taken plenty of selfies, approached Jeong-woo. In response to his inquisitive look, Jeong-woo just laughed and pointed to Yoon Yi-seol.

“Cheer up, Yi-seol. There’s only half a piece of bread left.”

“There’s half… left…”

“Are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!”

Her response was short, perhaps due to her embarrassment.

As Jeong-woo thought that, since they were already making a video for the fans, he searched through the questionnaire for something more to do.

“If you can think of a song right now, can you sing it for us?”

“Here?”

Since she looked the prettiest when she sang, he was confident that the fans would want to see it.

“Yes, right here. Now.”

With a sigh, Yoon Yi-seol, who had a pouty face, looked at Jeong-woo and then at Jeremy beside him, and then she opened her mouth.

“Well, then, I’ll sing a short pop song.”

Nurturing her voice amidst the birds, Yoon Yi-seol soon closed her eyes and began to sing.

He hadn’t studied stage performance like Soo-chan, but Jeong-woo felt that this was a great performance on itself.

“I see skies of blue and clouds of white—”

As her small impromptu performance began, some tourists stopped in their tracks and started watching her, treating the pigeons as the audience.

『I see skies of blue and clouds of white—』

Although she was speaking in English, it felt as if it were her native language, and the lyrics were perfectly understood. Moreover, this was a melody that Jeong-woo had also heard before.

“The title is ‘What a Wonderful World’, right?”

As Jeong-woo murmured this, he was taken aback. His English pronunciation, which had never been quite right, was flowing effortlessly.

‘Is it because of Yi-seol’s singing?’

Along with the melody, her voice penetrated his ears, as if it had suddenly unlocked a specific language neural network that had been closed off.

‘Was it so simple?’

He should have realized when he suddenly started speaking Italian.

『Thinking about it, it’s indeed a wonderful world~』

Yoon Yi-seol’s voice and the lyrics she sang were as beautiful as the lyrics that praised the beauty of the world.

When she finished singing a verse, the travelers who had been listening spontaneously applauded from their hearts. Jeremy also joined in with an impressed expression.

“That was great, Yi-seol. Your artwork is amazing.”

“What can I say, Jeong-woo…”

However, she was still standing huddled up due to the fear instilled by hundreds of pigeons. Even this sight was overflowing with charm.

‘It would be nice to capture that scene too.’

Jeong-woo handed the camcorder to Jeremy.

『Professor, I’m going to rescue Yi-seol. Could you also film from this angle for a bit?』

『Are you finally willing to talk to me?』

『Well…』

Jeong-woo quickly addressed the situation, realizing that English was now possible.

『I acted strangely earlier. I apologize. It’s because of the jet lag, my mood was up and down.』

Apologizing, Jeremy readily accepted the camcorder. Jeong-woo pushed through the pigeons and approached Yoon Yi-seol.

「Jeremy Becker」 – San Marco Square

“If they run out of bread, they just gather around, they don’t really attack. They’re professional pigeons, you know.”

“I see…”

“Don’t cry. Here, hold my hand.”

Jeremy had a smile on his face as he watched the young man and woman walk out from among the pigeons, hand in hand.

From the moment he first saw her, the young lady had been smiling at him, and her singing voice was quite beautiful.

‘They came on their honeymoon. And I interfered, causing Dr. Cheon’s disciple to react so coldly.’

As he concluded his own thoughts and fiddled with the camcorder, he suddenly felt a sense of pressure on both sides of his shoulders.

Turning his head, Jeremy’s face turned puzzled as he was grabbed by the arms of two unfamiliar men.

「Jeong-woo, Yoon Yi-seol」 – San Marco Square

“The footage turned out really great. Top-notch.”

Jeong-woo said as they walked away from the pigeons. Yoon Yi-seol looked at him with a questioning expression, “Really?”

“As long as you didn’t cry.”

“Ugh, it’s a disaster then!”

Yoon Yi-seol sighed, her shoulders slumped, and then she bravely stepped forward, tears welling up. She followed closely behind Jeong-woo, at least taking some comfort in holding his hand for a moment.

As they walked away from the pigeons, the two of them turned their attention to the direction where Professor Jeremy had been.

『Professor, we’re here…』

Jeong-woo tilted his head. Professor Jeremy was nowhere to be seen. He glanced around, but with so many passing tourists, it was hard to identify anyone.

Yoon Yi-seol also turned her gaze in search of Jeremy and asked.

“Where did he go? Did he go to take pictures at the Palace?”

“I don’t know. Without saying anything? He can’t even go back to the lab 2969 without us.”

After waiting for a moment, Jeong-woo’s complexion changed.

“The camcorder.”

While it didn’t seem likely that Jeremy would run off with the camcorder, Jeong-woo thought they should go look for him anyway. He looked back at Yoon Yi-seol.

“We should find him together.”

“Should I wait here then? I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“No, let’s go together. I’m sure we can find him.”

Confidently stating his intention, Jeong-woo’s eyes sparkled.

Yoon Yi-seol watched him with curiosity as he displayed this unique gaze. However, her blush deepened when she realized that his gaze was directed somewhere unexpected.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You and Professor Jeremy practically had the same meal, even beef.”

“At first, I thought I was eating beef too. But why?”

“Actually…”

Jeong-woo scanned the surroundings, looking for molecules similar to the ones he noticed on Yoon Yi-seol’s lips.

He discovered a faint trace in the air coming from the direction of the exit from the square.

“…It’s like a sense of smell. Don’t be too surprised, like when you saw the pigeons.”

“Che, I’m fully prepared to stay calm, you know?”

Jeong-woo started to move.

Yoon Yi-seol, curious about how he planned to find Professor Jeremy amidst the crowd, followed closely behind him.

Leaving San Marco Square and entering a narrow alleyway crowded with shops, Jeong-woo paused for a moment to survey the surroundings and then pointed to a spot.

“Over there.”

Jeong-woo had been exploring the molecular world extensively, and his head had been pounding, but he was driven by a sense of duty as Yoon Yi-seol’s manager to find Jeremy and the camcorder.

The song on the boat and the footage in the square needed to be delivered to her fans.

“Here.”

“I feel like I’m looking for Waldo.”

They turned a corner.

“This way.”

“How do you know these unfamiliar streets so well?”

They navigated through labyrinthine alleys and arrived between relatively deserted buildings. Jeong-woo took a step inside but suddenly pulled back in surprise.

“Stop, Yi-seol.”

He held onto Yoon Yi-seol’s arm and pulled her back against the building’s wall. Yoon Yi-seol, rushing forward without thinking, lost her balance and ended up being nestled against him.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she found herself involuntarily closing her mouth as Jeong-woo focused on scanning the gap between the buildings.

It was as if Sora was sending her a whisper, saying that such strokes of luck should be quietly enjoyed.

“Professor, he’s over there.”

Upon hearing this, Yoon Yi-seol also cautiously peered her head through the gap in the building, revealing Jeremy, who had turned to a dirtied complexion, surrounded by two burly men.

She gasped and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Jeong-woo strained to listen to their conversation. The two burly men were speaking in German.

『Our employer is on his way. Don’t move until then.』

『We’re not trying to cause harm, so relax.』

Jeremy, who couldn’t understand anything, just kept repeating, “Let me go. Why are you doing this?” with a face full of injustice.

The two burly men responded with brief answers, their faces impassive.

『Quiet.』

『Listen carefully to Lancess’s proposal.』

‘Lancess?’

When the company that had offered Jeremy a contract at the police station appeared, Jeong-woo hesitated on what to do and picked up his phone. He immediately dialed Cheon Seung-guk’s number.

-Do you miss me that much? You keep calling.

“Professor Jeremy has been detained again.”

-What?

“He’s being held by people from a company called Lancess, and it seems like they’re trying to force him into a contract.”

-Ha, so even that greedy weasel Weber got involved. This stupid professor emphasized secret meetings so much, but he just announced his schedule openly.

Muttering, Cheon Seung-guk continued.

-I’ll handle the negotiation, so can you at least rescue Jeremy from there? If not, at least get the bag he’s carrying.

“Well… Isn’t that the most challenging part? Those guys are massive.”

-I have a supply of compounds in my lab that induce anesthesia. Can you at least spray it on them? You should have the ability to assemble it in a structure that spreads in a specific direction.

“That’s…”

Jeong-woo looked at the two burly men and then focused his gaze on a single molecule attached to their bodies.

“I’ll try to figure it out.”

After the call ended, Jeong-woo turned his head to find Yoon Yi-seol. She was standing hidden against the wall. Considering the size of those guys, it was understandable.

“Yi-seol.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Yoon Yi-seol lifted her chin in surprise.

“Do you happen to know any German songs?”

With a sigh, Yoon Yi-seol replied.

“I do have one prepared, but why?”

“Well…”

Jeong-woo scratched his head and began to explain.

“I’m sorry, but can you sing here?”

“Here? Right now?”

At a loss for words at such an abrupt request, Yoon Yi-seol looked at Jeong-woo with wide eyes.

“It may sound strange, but I need to hear some German to try and communicate with those people. I haven’t used it in so long that my confidence has waned.”

Seeing Jeong-woo’s serious expression, Yoon Yi-seol made up her mind and nodded.

“I only know ‘Die Lorelei’.”

“That’s okay. Anything will do.”

“Come closer, then.”

With her hands together and her lips lightly touching, Yoon Yi-seol began to sing the melody as if whispering into Jeong-woo’s ear.

“Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten~”

Jeong-woo listened attentively, grateful for her help.

Her sense of preparing songs for different regions for her European fans came in handy, briefly freeing Jeong-woo’s tongue from the chemical language curse.

「Jeremy, Han Jeong-woo」 – Back Alley in San Marco Area

Jeremy’s pupils trembled without restraint.

‘I should have gone back earlier.’

Regret was useless at this point. Here, there was no room to assert rights as an American citizen.

There was no 911, no Massachusetts special forces in this neighborhood. In this situation, all he could feel was despair.

Despair at the rude big men who couldn’t understand him, and at Cheon Seung-guk, who had called him out on his research with a single email. Jeremy blamed everyone he could.

“Entschuldigen Sie.”

At that moment, a voice from the other end of the alley caught Jeremy’s attention.

It was Han Jeong-woo, Cheon Seung-guk’s disciple. Jeremy watched him approach, his face filled with questions about how he had come here.

『Excuse me.』

When he spoke, the two burly men gave sharp glares.

Jeong-woo first flashed a brief smile to reassure Jeremy. Then he took a mini wine bottle from his bag and opened it.

It was the wine that the professor had offered for lunch. Taking a sip, Jeong-woo approached, and the two burly men gave him a look as if saying, “What is this crazy guy doing?”

‘I can feel the alcohol working its way through.’

Jeong-woo’s gaze focused on the fragrance molecules emanating from one of the burly men.

『Who are you?』

『You took my guest unexpectedly.』

When fluent German came from the Asian, one of the burly men looked surprised and asked, “Huh?”

『Did the boss send you?』

Jeong-woo took another sip of wine and extended his finger toward the scent molecules floating in the air.

『If you’re talking about employees from Lancess, then no. By any chance, did you spray a cherry-scented perfume?』

The two burly men perked up their ears at Jeong-woo’s question.

『What are you babbling about? Get lost. We’re not the kind of people who have time for this.』

『I’m not explaining because I have nothing to do. Cherry-scented perfumes contain melatonin, a sleep-inducing substance. It seems like your perfume is loaded with it. It must be an expensive perfume with lots of natural ingredients.』

The structure of “5-Methoxy-N-acetyl-tryptamine” at the tip of Jeong-woo’s finger instantly distorted into another chiral isomer. The vibrating molecules took on a form similar to the anesthetic found in one of the bottles he had seen in storage at 2969th Street.

In other words, it had become a forced sleep-inducing perfume that could float in the air.

Jeong-woo spread his palm, extracting the stardust from the noses of the two burly men. The sleep-inducing perfume, marked with a [+], touched their noses and seamlessly entered their respiratory systems.

Thud.

The two burly men collapsed to the ground.

“Wow…”

Seeing the two burly men fall into a deep sleep, Jeong-woo was rather astonished.

“I didn’t expect the effect to be so fast.”

Jeong-woo, still somewhat dazed, approached Jeremy, who was looking at him, and took out the camcorder hanging from his shoulder.

『Let’s go, Professor. We don’t know when these guys will wake up.』

Jeremy, who suddenly came to his senses, hurriedly followed Jeong-woo.

“Jeong-woo!”

Yoon Yi-seol, who had been peering from a distance, rushed over.

“Why are those people like that?”

“They probably didn’t sleep well last night.”

“But does that mean they should sleep on the sidewalk like that?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Jeong-woo shrugged and closed the mini wine bottle, putting it back in his bag. Then he handed the camcorder to Yoon Yi-seol.

“Take care of it.”

“Why did you suddenly drink wine?”

“Because I really liked your singing.”

Yoon Yi-seol gave Jeong-woo a quizzical look.

“You keep changing the subject.”

“I was trying some magical chemistry to rescue Professor Jeremy.”

“Wow.”

“Uh, does that make sense to you?”

As if to say it wasn’t just that, Yoon Yi-seol turned the camcorder’s monitor towards Jeong-woo.

“This was recording the whole time. It captured the situation when Professor Jeremy was kidnapped.”

“Really? We should report this to the police then.”

While having a back-and-forth conversation, Jeong-woo and Yoon Yi-seol walked away. Behind them, Jeremy, clutching his bag tightly, followed closely, worried that they might leave him behind.

「Tom Schneider」 – Back Alley in San Marco Area

『We’ve secured Professor Jeremy. We’re almost there…』

As Tom turned into the alley, he nearly dropped his radio. It was because the two mercenaries he had hired for a hefty sum were peacefully sleeping on the ground.

『What’s, what’s going on?』

Cheeik.

-Are you talking to me?

「Han Jeong-woo」 – Zattere, south of Dorsoduro

The morning wasn’t particularly clear.

Suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the western sky, and finally, raindrops began to fall one by one.

Jeong-woo led his companions under the eaves of an unidentified building.

“It’s raining out of nowhere.”

“I read in a book that Venice doesn’t have many clear days.”

Since the space under the eaves wasn’t very wide, Jeong-woo placed Yoon Yi-seol and Professor Jeremy inside and stood slightly leaned against it.

“Get closer, Jeong-woo.”

“It’s okay.”

“You’ve got a cold. Come here quickly.”

Yoon Yi-seol grabbed Jeong-woo’s arm and pulled him.

“Uh, the cold…”

Now, there was no corner to make excuses.

In the end, Jeong-woo stood in the cramped space as if he had no choice, with their arms interlocked, and took a deep breath.

“It’s like a shower, it will stop soon.”

Jeong-woo glanced at the pier, wondering when Cheon Seung-guk would arrive. But his attention was mostly on Yoon Yi-seol’s hand holding his left arm.

‘Ugh, I’m shaking.’

There was no need to pinch his cheek to see if this was a dream. The warmth he felt from the touching arms was real.

Now, with Cheon Seung-guk’s arrival, everything would be over.

The streets and canals that had been bustling with people and boats now seemed deserted. No one could be seen, and the raindrops fell relentlessly onto the empty streets.

The different side of Venice, which made Jeong-woo feel like he was momentarily alone, evoked a sense of poignant emptiness in itself.

Shhh…

Quiet contemplation in the rain.

Jeong-woo glanced at Yoon Yi-seol’s profile for a moment, then turned his head and met her eyes.

It should have been awkward, but her response of meeting his gaze with a smile in her eyes made him strangely comfortable.

What should I call this feeling?

“Jeong-woo.”

“Yes?”

“You mentioned earlier that it was like magical chemistry, right?”

“That’s right.”

Yoon Yi-seol smiled brightly.

“I somehow have a feeling.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes your eyes sparkle, Jeong-woo. And then you do fascinating things.”

It seemed like she was talking about molecular vision.

Jeong-woo thought it was pointless to clarify the truth or justify it with chemical terms, so he just smiled calmly.

“That’s right. Is there a checklist for things to do in Venice, Yi-seol?”

“I have one.”

“What is it?”

“To try something I failed at once.”

“Oh, the pigeons?”

“No, not that. I haven’t done it yet.”

When Jeong-woo raised an eyebrow, Yoon Yi-seol just smiled.

2 PM.

The pouring rain gradually subsided.

“Oh? He’s here. Professor Jeremy. He’s here.”

A white formal motorboat arrived at the pier, raising high expectations. Jeong-woo walked towards the pier with eager eyes.

Cheon Seung-guk.

The man who had created the ‘AF-12,’ changing Jeong-woo’s life, had finally arrived within reach.