Souvenir - Chapter 6.5

“This country… has too many complicated issues to deal with.”

There was something in his words that I couldn’t quite grasp. Unconsciously, I reached up and touched my earlobe.

“I’m somewhat interested in your research,” I admitted, “but right now, I’m already swamped with reports and studying.”

“Haha, of course. I figured you’d be settling in by now.”

Ou was a strong drinker—he never showed any signs of intoxication. At most, he became a little more talkative.

“By the way, there have been a lot of kidnapping cases in the news lately,” I mentioned casually.

It wasn’t just a passing thought—recent reports on abductions and the increasing number of illegal immigrants had been growing more frequent.

“Where do you think all these missing people are going?”

“There are a lot of disappearances in this country. It’s not something worth worrying too much about.”

“Maybe. But wouldn’t it have some connection to your ‘research’…?”

For a brief moment, I thought I saw a sharp glint in Ou’s eyes. Maybe I had said too much.

I had been approached multiple times about joining Ou’s research. The one time I expressed mild interest, I was given access to some of his documents. They detailed an ambitious “salvation project” aimed primarily at children with deep emotional trauma and troubled teenagers.

The more I read, the more revolutionary it seemed.

But there was always one lingering question in my mind—how exactly were they selecting their ‘targets’ for this project?

“Speaking of disappearances… I wanted to ask about your siblings.”

“I don’t have any siblings.”

“Is that so? My mistake.”

Ou’s words were smooth, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had said it deliberately.

I respected Dr. Ou to some extent, but there were too many things about him that I didn’t understand.

He was still acting as a home doctor for now, but it seemed his focus had shifted. His work with that family—his burden—would end with this generation. Now, his attention was fully on his research, which was why he had assigned me to “take care of things” in his place.

His claim that we’d get along because we were both Japanese was just a convenient excuse. He had yet to share the details of his research with me, but if I ever agreed to join the project, I knew I would find out everything.

For now, I wasn’t particularly interested in his research.

But I was interested in this so-called burden of his—especially Suu.

“This mapo tofu is fiery on the outside, but the tofu itself is soft and mild. It really brings out the best of it,” I mused.

“Maybe that’s why they doused it in spice,” Ou replied with a smirk.

Even as we talked, my mind drifted back to Suu.

She was like the tofu in this dish—pure, untouched.

And yet, for some reason, an unsettling thought crossed my mind.

I wanted to smother that white tofu in thick, black sauce. Stir it up until it was completely unrecognizable.

I pressed my earlobe between my fingers, applying more pressure than usual.

“I’m glad to see you’re taking an interest in them.”

“Well, it’s just part of the job.”

“You don’t have to worry about the scholarship,” Ou said, raising his glass to his lips.

He gave me a cryptic smile—one that was impossible to decipher.

Kenny was coming over to my house.

She had called earlier to confirm the visit. As for me, I had been so busy with work that I completely forgot to tell Suu that Kenny would be coming over. Still, I was sure Suu would welcome her. At the very least, I had already informed Maria about our guest in advance and asked her to prepare accordingly.

I still had some work to finish today, so once I wrapped up my tasks, I planned to meet Kenny at the designated spot—the entrance to Central Park—and bring her home from there.

It was just past 1 PM now. First, I had a lunch meeting with a client. If everything went smoothly, I would be able to pick up Kenny in the evening.

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m really looking forward to this.”

Kenny sat in the passenger seat, dressed in a fitted white V-neck sweater, a delicate pendant necklace, and a black flared skirt. She looked elegant, yet there was still an air of a mother who had raised children.

“How old is Suu now?”

“She just turned fifteen.”

“That’s still quite young. Isn’t it difficult? Especially with a teenage girl—there are so many things to consider…”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

I responded absentmindedly, keeping my eyes on the road while my thoughts drifted to Suu.

I didn’t think raising Suu was as challenging as Kenny seemed to imagine. Maybe it was the way I interacted with her—Suu was still young in many ways, but she was also deeply thoughtful, intelligent, and mature. Perhaps, from a mother’s perspective, things looked different.

I had always treated Suu as an equal, as I would an adult woman. In truth, that was the only way I could interact with her.