The response came on Sunday.
Not immediately.
Not dramatically.
Just differently from how any other world had responded.
Han-Ho was reviewing Monday route notes at eight AM when his phone buzzed.
Lee Soo-Bin.
"Han-Ho," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Yes."
"The constellation."
"Yes."
"The very strange world."
"Yes."
"It responded to the junction opening."
"How," said Han-Ho.
A pause.
"The constellation is—" Lee Soo-Bin paused again. "The constellation is laughing."
Han-Ho made a note.
"Constellations laugh," said Han-Ho.
"Apparently," said Lee Soo-Bin. "Or the equivalent. The constellation equivalent of laughing. The full attention of the entire space between stars directed at one thing and finding it—" He paused. "The closest word is delightful."
"The very strange world's response is delightful," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Lee Soo-Bin. "Han-Ho the very strange world—" Another pause. "The very strange world has no concept of cleaning. But it does have a concept of—" He checked his notes. "The closest translation the constellation could provide is: making the wrong thing right."
"That is cleaning," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Lee Soo-Bin. "The constellation says the very strange world felt the clean energy through the opened junction and immediately recognized it as — the energy of making things right. The energy they have been trying to produce in their world for—" A very long pause. "The constellation says the very strange world has been trying to produce this energy for longer than the blockage has existed."
Han-Ho made notes.
Filed them.
"They have been trying to make clean energy," said Han-Ho.
"Without knowing that clean energy is what they were trying to make," said Lee Soo-Bin. "They had no word for it. No concept. They were trying to produce something they had never seen and did not know existed."
"And now they have felt it," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Lee Soo-Bin. "Han-Ho."
"Yes."
"The constellation says the very strange world's response to feeling clean energy for the first time is—" He was quiet. "The constellation says it is the happiest thing they have watched in the space between stars in a very long time."
Han-Ho made a note.
The note said: Very strange world response: recognized clean energy as the thing they have been trying to make. Happiest constellation observation in a long time.
He filed it.
Then made another note.
Did not file it.
Put it in his pocket.
The pocket was extremely full now.
He had begun folding the notes smaller to fit more.
"Lee Soo-Bin," said Han-Ho.
"Yes."
"The very strange world. Will it try to communicate."
"The constellation says—" Lee Soo-Bin paused. "The constellation says yes. Eventually. But not yet. The very strange world is very strange. Its communication methods are going to be—" He seemed to be searching for a word. "Surprising."
"Noted," said Han-Ho. "File a report with Ms. Yoon. Include the constellation's observation about the happiest response."
"The happiest response goes in the Registry file," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Everything goes in the Registry file," said Han-Ho.
"Of course it does," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Of course," said the bag.
Lee Soo-Bin could hear the bag through the phone.
He was quiet for a moment.
"Han-Ho," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Yes."
"The bag."
"Yes."
"It is audible through the phone now."
"The shard's energy has improved the ambient Dragon Vein quality in the apartment significantly," said Han-Ho. "The Dragon Vein network communication range has increased."
"The shard is broadcasting the bag through the Dragon Vein network," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Essentially yes," said Han-Ho.
"Should I—"
"File a report about it," said Han-Ho.
"Of course," said Lee Soo-Bin.
"Of course," said the bag.
Lee Soo-Bin hung up.
Min-Seo was awake.
Had been awake since seven thirty.
He had heard Han-Ho's phone conversation from the couch.
He looked at the ceiling.
"The very strange world is happy," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Because of the clean energy."
"Yes."
"The cleanest thing in their world's history came through the junction yesterday."
"The junction widened yesterday yes," said Han-Ho. "The clean energy flow increased."
"Because you cleaned the junction."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"On a Saturday morning."
"Yes."
"While sitting in the Han River."
"Yes."
"In work trousers."
"I rolled them up," said Han-Ho.
"I know," said Min-Seo.
He sat up on the couch.
Looked at Han-Ho on the floor with the notebook.
At the Sunday morning apartment.
At Moru on the left corner.
Kjor on the right corner.
River by the kettle.
The sprite between the pen and the notebook.
The shard between the notebook and the right pen.
The old man in the center of the floor.
The cactus on the windowsill.
The Moru plush on the couch.
The bookshelf Wei Junhao had bought.
The indent in the middle couch section.
All of it.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"The five worlds."
"Yes."
"They are all connected now."
"Yes."
"Because the Dragon Vein network is clean."
"Yes."
"Because you cleaned it."
"Yes."
"Earth. Martial world. Very old world. Very large world. Very strange world."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"All clean."
"The ley line network of the fantasy world is still in progress," said Han-Ho. "Fourteen weeks approximately."
"Yes," said Min-Seo. "But the networks are connected."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"All five worlds are receiving clean energy for the first time in twenty thousand years."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Because you have been cleaning drains for ten years."
"The drains were dirty," said Han-Ho.
Min-Seo looked at him.
At the notebook.
At the route notes.
At the completely ordinary way Han-Ho was sitting on the floor reviewing the Monday route like five worlds being reconnected through a clean energy network was just the context for drain monitoring.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"Does any of this feel significant to you."
Han-Ho looked at his notes.
At the Monday route.
At the Dragon Vein flow assessment data.
At the upstream junction completion report.
At the very strange world's happy response.
At the shard warm in the bag.
At the apartment.
He was quiet for a moment.
Not the comfortable silence.
The genuine considering silence.
Then:
"The drain at Mapo-daero junction fourteen," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Min-Seo.
"It has been accumulating at a higher rate than the adjacent drains since week three of the Dragon Vein activation."
"Yes," said Min-Seo.
"I have been monitoring it for seven weeks."
"I know," said Min-Seo.
"This Monday I think I understand why," said Han-Ho. "The ley line seepage at that location. The Dragon Vein junction density underneath it. The specific depth of the contamination. I have been cleaning the symptom. Monday I am going to address the source."
Min-Seo looked at him.
"The drain," said Min-Seo.
"The drain," said Han-Ho.
Min-Seo sat with this.
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"You connected five worlds to a clean energy network yesterday."
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"And you are thinking about drain junction fourteen."
"I have been thinking about it for seven weeks," said Han-Ho. "The connection was a necessary job. The drain is an ongoing job. Both matter."
Min-Seo looked at the ceiling.
"Both matter," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"The five worlds and the drain."
"Yes," said Han-Ho. "They are the same job."
Min-Seo thought about this for a long time.
The Sunday morning apartment was quiet around them.
The kettle on the counter was not boiling.
River was watching it anyway.
"Extraordinary," said River.
"The kettle is not boiling," said Min-Seo.
"Not the kettle," said River.
"What then," said Min-Seo.
River looked at Han-Ho.
"Oh," said Min-Seo.
He lay back on the couch.
Looked at the ceiling.
"The five worlds and the drain are the same job," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"Of course they are."
"Of course," said the bag.
"Of course," said Min-Seo.
He did not mean it like the bag meant it.
He meant it the way Oh Kyung-Soo meant it.
The way that sounded like: yes. Obviously. I should have known. I did know. I just needed to say it out loud.
Han-Ho made a note.
Monday route: drain junction fourteen. Source contamination address. Filed.
He closed the notebook.
Made tea.
Two cups.
Handed one to the old man.
Handed one to Min-Seo.
Min-Seo took it.
The Sunday morning continued.
Five worlds clean.
One drain left.
That was enough.
That was always enough.