Chapter 29 - That Won’t Work

* * *

“May I not?”

Haeryeon caught her breath as Hyeonyul looked at her anxiously. What was she supposed to make of this?

‘They say people change before they die. Surely that’s not what this is?’

She had no idea why this felt so strange. Hyeonyul seemed to be planning something, but she couldn’t begin to guess what.

‘This definitely isn’t just my imagination.’

Haeryeon couldn’t brush it aside. As her thoughts swirled, she finally realized what was happening.

‘... Oh, he’s pissed off.’

He simply wasn’t showing it. Who would be happy after discovering who had tried to get them kicked out? She thought this might be exactly what people meant by quiet rage.

“If you’re all right with it, Hyeonyul, so am I.”

“Thank you. Then could you tell me who’s holding the collaborator right now?”

Hearing him refer to Team Five’s leader as “the collaborator” now, Haeryeon became certain she was right.

“Team Leader Dojin. Dojin’s older, so they’ll have to stay put whether they like it or not.”

“They really have no choice.”

Nayun nodded.

Dojin was one of the original Black Eagles and was still on active duty. Who could refuse a proposal from Dojin?

‘... Oh. There is one person.’

Nayun stole a glance at Hyeonyul. She knew Dojin had set sights on him because she had seen it firsthand.

‘Keep turning Dojin down. Keep doing it.’

As Nayun’s gaze grew more intense, Hyeonyul felt an odd pressure. Had he said something strange? After hesitating, he spoke.

“Is there something... you want to tell me?”

“Can I drop the formalities with you?”

The words that slipped so readily from Nayun’s mouth startled both her and Hyeonyul.

‘You’ve lost it, Chu Nayun! What’s wrong with you? Die! Just die...!’

She couldn’t believe something she had always been thinking had actually come out of her mouth. She wanted to grab her own hair.

“Th-that’s not what I...”

“... Yes. Whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Really...?”

“Yes.”

She was already speaking informally, so Hyeonyul looked at her as though wondering what she was doing.

“All right, Hyeonyul. Let’s go help our Team Leader.”

Hyeonyul merely blinked at Nayun’s words.

‘... Help her? Me?’

He had absolutely no intention of doing that. He thought Haeryeon would do a perfectly good job of beating the crap out of Team Five’s leader herself.

He was only trying to establish an alibi. Going with the two of them would spare him any needless suspicion.

‘Villain B will pull some pointless stunt over the Poison King’s transfer.’

Had they really planted a bomb inside the Nest? He intended to inspect the place carefully along the way.

He liked the Black Eagles’ benefits and many other things about the organization, but they always acted like they had a screw loose when it came to dealing with people. Quite a few of them placed value on repentance. If someone was going to repent, why become a villain in the first place?

If they couldn’t finish things cleanly, he ought to do it himself. These were his Black Eagles, after all.

“... What, so that’s why? I’m genuinely touched.”

At Nayun’s words, Haeryeon looked warmly at Hyeonyul. Nayun nodded, as though she knew just how he felt.

“Let’s get going.”

Haeryeon smiled happily, and Nayun stood beside her, chattering away. Hyeonyul deliberately walked slowly. He absolutely did not want to join that conversation.

* * *

Haeryeon and Nayun never stopped talking for a moment. Even when Hyeonyul listened, he couldn’t understand what was funny or what they found so entertaining. He was simply relieved not to be part of the conversation.

‘Are they talking like that on purpose?’

He surveyed his surroundings. No matter how he looked at it, the two women didn’t seem like they were on their way to finish off Team Five’s leader.

“Oh, the interrogation room is that way.”

Haeryeon stopped briefly and pointed left. Hyeonyul’s gaze followed.

“Looks familiar, doesn’t it?”

Haeryeon smiled.

“Yes. It’s where both my hands were tied. How could I forget?”

“... Tied? Hyeonyul’s?”

Nayun couldn’t help reacting to this story she had never heard before.

“We had no choice at the time. He showed up carrying Shin Daeho’s head and asked whether we offered the four major social insurance plans.”

“... Oh.”

Nayun understood immediately. Anyone would have had to detain him in that situation. She discreetly checked his reaction. He seemed completely unbothered.

“I hope you understand just how desperate I was.”

“I do. I understand perfectly now.”

Haeryeon nodded. Perhaps that had been Hyeonyul’s last gamble. How disastrous might it have been if they had turned him away then?

“But remember, you’re the one who said you wouldn’t go straight home today.”

“I know.”

Hyeonyul let out a breath. It wasn’t as though he had no regrets. He slowly followed Haeryeon and Nayun as they resumed walking.

While taking a deep breath in and letting it out, he sensed tightly suppressed bloodlust and the stench of blood. He didn’t look in that direction, but he could feel it.

Ahead.

Someone was approaching them from ahead. Pretending not to notice, he focused on the footsteps and his other senses. As the bastard passed him, a powerful smell of blood brushed his nose.

‘... You just killed someone?’

Hyeonyul almost laughed. The smell of blood now, of all times.

‘Who did you kill?’

At least it wasn’t Team Five’s leader. Yang Dojin, Team Two’s leader, was with that person.

‘You could have killed any one of the collaborators.’

A fuck-you to the Black Eagles.

A warning to the collaborators.

Wasn’t that precisely the intention?

‘To think I’d witness their security being breached firsthand.’

The corners of Hyeonyul’s mouth rose.

Countless shadows followed the bastard moving away behind him. They resembled an incredibly long tail. As they swayed gently and spread, an immense darkness formed behind him, large enough to devour even the lights. It clamped the bastard’s mouth shut and swallowed him whole.

The lights shone again.

Just as Haeryeon and Nayun turned around, Hyeonyul spoke.

“Is it near here?”

“Yes. Each team has a different room, though.”

Haeryeon was still smiling. She seemed confident.

“Team Leader, may I use the restroom for a moment, then?”

Haeryeon was briefly surprised, but she kept the corners of her mouth under control. He must really need to go. She checked her phone. There were no messages from Dojin.

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll wait by the door.”

Nayun pointed to her eyes. She could see clearly even from a distance. He wasn’t yet familiar with the interior—what if he got lost?

“Yes. I’ll be right back.”

Hyeonyul bowed his head slightly. As he walked away, Haeryeon’s expression changed completely.

“Nayun. I’ll settle this before Hyeonyul gets back, so if he comes, give me a signal. Anything.”

She thought this had actually worked out for the best. She had been so surprised when he said he would come along.

“Of course.”

Nayun’s mouth curved up too, as though this wasn’t her first time doing something like this.

“We can’t let Hyeonyul dirty his hands over this, can we?”

“Of course not, Nayun.”

Haeryeon held out a fist, and Nayun bumped it with hers.

“They messed with our teammate. Do they think I’ll stand by and watch?”

“Absolutely not. I want to put a bullet in their fucking head.”

“No bullets, but I’ll put my fist in it for you.”

Despite her opponent being a Team Leader, Haeryeon looked supremely confident.

* * *

Hyeonyul released the bastard in the forest near the Nest. It hadn’t been long since the darkness swallowed him, but he was drooling uncontrollably. Within Hyeonyul’s darkness lay countless seas of space, more than enough to drive someone mad.

‘Nothing beats pain for bringing someone to their senses.’

Hyeonyul placed the bastard’s hand against the ground, drew a dagger, and drove it straight through.

“...!”

The bastard’s eyes widened with the horrific pain.

“Who are you?”

“...?”

“I’ll ask again.”

Hyeonyul pressed the other hand to the ground as well.

“Who are you?”

The dagger pierced his flesh along with the question, making his skin crawl. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Only then did his eyes move. Looking around, he spotted the Black Eagles emblem on the left arm.

‘... H-how did he know?’

He had been on his way back after a quiet assassination. There had been no one around, and nobody had seen him.

“Is my question difficult?”

Hyeonyul tilted his head. He had said he was going to the restroom, so he had no time to dawdle.

‘Can’t be helped.’

He looked at the splayed fingers. The bastard’s gaze followed his downward.

‘... He’s going to cut them off? A Black Eagle?’

No way.

At that thought, he nearly burst out laughing.

THUNK!

But as the dagger struck the earth, his whole body convulsed violently. Even the veins in his neck bulged.

“Who are you?”

Hyeonyul asked. Cold sweat streamed down the bastard’s body, and unimaginable pain made the veins around his eyes bulge and turn red.

‘... My fingers! My fingeeers!’

He had actually done it. He had really cut them off.

“I have even less patience than usual today.”

“...”

Panting, the bastard looked down. His index and middle fingers were gone.

“...”

Despair seeped through his parted lips.

“Eight left.”

As Hyeonyul raised his hand, the bastard shouted urgently.

“An assassin! I’m an assassin!”

“How did you get in?”

“I-I disguised myself as a manager.”

“They must have been in quite a hurry.”

Hyeonyul smiled. A major reason for planting collaborators was to gather inside information over the long term. Resorting to an assassin like this made their situation obvious. They were cutting off loose ends while warning the others that talking would get them killed.

“You’re right. Absolutely right.”

The bastard bowed his head repeatedly. With tear-filled eyes, he looked at Hyeonyul as though he could keep nodding even more.

But Hyeonyul wasn’t swayed by such emotional games. If he couldn’t determine whether something was a lie, he should simply throw it out there.

“Did you kill a collaborator?”

“... Yes.”

The bastard’s voice trembled. He looked ready to burst into sobs.

“It seems the collaborator you just killed betrayed you. For instance, you may have learned they were giving the Black Eagles evidence that you intended to pull something inside the Nest before making your escape.”

The collaborators within the Black Eagles had been exposed. They couldn’t stay any longer. But would they simply leave quietly? Wouldn’t they pull something to damage the organization from within?

Hyeonyul looked at the assassin. The bastard couldn’t conceal the shock in his eyes. He hurriedly lowered his gaze a moment later, but he couldn’t hide how it wavered.

“Good.”

Hyeonyul smiled. What was good about it? The bastard trembled with anxiety.

“Who is your president?”

Hyeonyul asked his final question. But no answer came. He briefly checked his watch, then rummaged inside his clothes.

“Refusing to answer won’t change anything. You’ll die if you go back anyway.”

The assassin stared at him in shock.

“Surely you didn’t think you would survive?”

Taking out a packet of medicine, Hyeonyul smiled at him. The moment he accepted this assignment, the bastard had learned a secret far too deep.

“If you’re irreplaceable, they won’t kill you. They’ll be even more delighted to give you something else to do.”

Hyeonyul was speaking from experience. No one could replace him, whoever they were. That was why they hadn’t killed him despite all the secrets he knew.

“In my view, you aren’t. So tell me. I’ll kill the bastard on your behalf. It’s not exactly a loss for you, is it?”

“...”

“Your pay is probably overdue, and you’re working like a fucking dog. Is he really worth your loyalty?”

“... Please spare me.”

“You know that even if I don’t kill you, he’ll hunt you down and kill you no matter how far you go. Or are you confident you can escape?”

The bastard shook his head. It was as though the very word “escape” didn’t exist for him.

“Do you have a family?”

“... I do.”

“You must know that whatever you choose, it won’t end well.”

If he fled, his family would die first. Of course, they wouldn’t simply be killed. They might be murdered in the most wretched way possible and brought before him.

CRUNCH.

Hyeonyul watched him as he chewed his pills. Before he knew it, the bastard was looking at him desperately, tears and snot running down his face. He could predict what the man would say.

“Don’t ask me for help. You chose this knowing everything, didn’t you?”

The moment someone became a villain, they were bound to learn that it wasn’t as trivial as the label sounded. Their fellow recruits would start dying from the outset. Once they grew accustomed to killing others, they became numb to other things too.

They were different from him, whose mind had been ruined by drugs. They pretended otherwise, but guilt held them back, and they committed even worse deeds to escape it.

“There is exactly one thing I can promise you: I’ll kill him and settle your grudge. What do you say?”

Hyeonyul smiled kindly. Whatever else he might lack, that was something he did well.