Extra 1 - That winter

The streets looked colder because of the blue sky. It was even dreary to see the slender branches out of the window shaking as if they were going to break.

Looking out the window blankly, Ben prepared to go to work slowly as the temperature dropped further overnight and roamed the cool flat.

When he came out, the cold wind blew and his cheeks felt as if they were going to tear. A sharp wind that seemed to cut his face continued to pass by his ears. The weather felt like his ears were going to be cut off. Ben got goosebumps every time the wind blew through his neck that he didn’t want to leave the blankets.

Ben had his shoulders up and searched with his hand the pocket of his coat, hastening his steps. Every time he breathed, it was so cold as if it would freeze if he touched it. It was a cold winter that made Ben want to stay still in bed.

After the incident, Joseph was promoted to the first rank and Ben moved to the general department. It had been a year but Ben wasn’t still used to it. The reason why he didn’t abandon the title of chief inspector was because of the expectation that he would meet again with Miller if he came back someday.

Ben sat idly on his desk and fiddled with the cell phone in his pocket.

Ben, who was sitting in a daze, posed straight toward the monitor to organize the data handed over and leaned on the chair in less than five minutes. The sigh was now automatic when he opened his mouth.

Ben kept playing with it and took out his lukewarm cell phone. No matter how many times he looked again, no one had contacted him. Even if Miller did come back, it may be a false expectation that he may contact this way, but Ben couldn’t give up.

Miller certainly drank Ben’s blood just before he died, and if he did, a miracle might have happened.

After coming out of the yard to get off work, Ben approached the black car in front of him in a hurry.

Cold wind leaked to the car as Ben opened the door recklessly without thinking twice. The man in the driver’s seat looked at Ben with a very bewildered look on his face.

“I’m sorry.”

Ben said an apology in a hurry and backed off. He didn’t know how many times this had happened. Ben’s heart was aching as if it were going to rip. Moreover, Jonas’s men had been getting more and more intense recently.

Ben couldn’t leave easily even though he thought it was time to leave London. Anyway, Miller’s body was here.

Ben didn’t really think about anything. He just left his body and waited for time to pass. The endless wait sometimes exhausted him and drove him to loneliness and terrible fatigue.

After realizing that he was alone in such fatigue, Ben groaned and cried. The same routine continued. No one nor nothing could be comforting.

The sweeter the memory, the more miserable it felt. There was no beautiful memory in farewell. It only left painful memories and made him suffer. Ben was resentful but couldn’t blame him. He felt a little at ease when he thought it was all his fault.

All those who remained were forced to endure until their own time. It was so clear that time would solve everything, but Ben didn’t know how long it would take.

The winter that came with the farewell was horrifyingly cruel. The cold didn’t stop and Ben’s mind became colder. The winter wasn’t over even though the year changed, and Miller wouldn’t come back even after this winter, so Ben had to give up hope to move forward.

“Ben, are you all right?”

Roxy’s voice was heard behind Ben’s back, who had just stepped out of the yard to get off work. She was still a member of the MKV.

“What?”

Ben smiled back. Roxy hesitated, so Ben tried to show her that he was fine.

“It’s nothing, just, kind of cold.”

“You should have worn a scarf.” Ben smiled at her nagging. Sighs were mixed with laughter, creating a white breath.

“It’s okay.”

“…”

Leaving Roxy behind, who couldn’t answer anything, Ben said as if he was just passing by.

“It’s winter.”

At the end of the winter, Ben left the London without sunlight.