Busboy Return

Why returned

"Did you see the news? They found a dismembered body."

'Dismembered?'

Unconsciously, I touch my arms and legs to feel their weight.

 "They said the cut parts were sewn back together."

"Did they try to stitch the cut parts?"

"Not exactly with that much care. It seems the cut parts fused together due to high heat."

Pushing carts for collecting food scraps in every nook and cranny of the restaurant, everyone is aware of this incident.

"It's revenge. Intense revenge. Clearly premeditated."

"That's why we need to live well. When we cross over, we need to take care of our limbs, right?"

Different analyses lead to various causes, but what people want is one thing.

"The crab is gone all! Why is the serving so slow today?"

In the end, their destination is the Snow Crab Feeding Station.

*

"A daring and bizarre method of murder is blinding people's eyes and ears."

During a brief break, Dooki, whom I met, lays out the information he gathered in the hall.

"Even though it's just a cart with crab shells, pushing it all morning has made my back stiff. Hm."

As I lean my back backwards and stretch my bones in the opposite direction, I unintentionally let out a groan.

Ignoring my reaction, Duki continues his story.

"The one who killed is impressive, but the one who's dead is even more remarkable, and that's the peculiarity of this case."

"The one who's dead? Who's that?"

"Juan Rodriguez, the boss of the Virginia branch of the Bogota Family. How about that? Mind-blowing, right?"

'Who's that? I'll have to search later. For now, I should act surprised, right?'

"What did you say? Juan Rodriguez!? Who dared to mess with the Bogota Family? And even their boss?"

Thump!

My response, a mixture of slight logical inference and a touch of noir genre imagination, elicits an overly excited and intense hug from Dooki.

"You clever guy! You've even thought that far ahead. So, what is it?"

As Dooki widens his arms, his eager eyes meet mine.

"So, what? What is it?"

"What is it? Who's the culprit, right? Hurry up! Tell me!"

Dooki's expression becomes that of a dog owner waiting for their pet's front paws to lift up, capturing my jest.

'The answer Dooki wants to hear is...'

Based on my experience as a former ghostwriter, people don't necessarily appreciate being told the truth or given the correct answer. Ironically, they often react with anger, and in some cases, it might even lead to harm. However, when you give them the words they want to hear, they are most grateful and it can even build trust.

I decided to build deeper trust with Dooki.

"It's obvious, isn't it? The awakened one, like a Hunter skill. If it's limb severing, a sword was probably used, and if there's high heat melting flesh, it's likely a Hunter skill, right?"

Thump!

A more passionate hug from an even more excited Dooki.

I could tell that I gave him the answer he wanted to hear.