Chapter 58 - Shh (2)
11 min read ·
* * *
Haeryeon hadn't expected an assignment like this to come so soon. Considering the scale, however, she understood the urgency. Villains tied to cults were often obsessed with expanding their influence, and there was no telling how far that influence might spread. Once discovered, such a threat had to be dealt with immediately.
Unfortunately, the mission was difficult and lengthy, so nobody liked receiving it.
—Your team discovered the place, so why don't you give it a try? That's how you grow, Haeryeon.
Dojin's words kept echoing in her head. He was so irritating. Ever since she'd taken Hyeon-yul onto her team, he'd been making spiteful remarks like that from time to time.
Hyeon-yul remained silent, and his teammates began watching his reaction as well. Everyone knew how much he valued leaving work on time. Haeryeon stepped toward him and hurried to add something.
“On the other hand, when the mission is over, you'll receive about two days of paid rest as standard, plus an additional bonus and more vacation days.”
“That's not bad.”
Shinwoo nodded repeatedly. The rewards were generous in proportion to the work, though the work itself was exhausting.
“So to summarize, the mission requires us to stay in the village?”
Hyeon-yul finally spoke. At first, the arrangement had sounded wildly unreasonable, but on closer examination, nobody had said they had to stay awake for five days straight.
“That's right.”
“Am I allowed to leave temporarily, if an opportunity arises?”
He needed to see Jeongmin for his regular examinations, and he would have to make time for those visits.
“You can use one of the eagles. And if some situation comes up where using an eagle is impossible, which frankly doesn't seem likely, Jihwan can bring you back here. As you've already seen, he can manipulate space. Although that ability isn't publicly known.”
At Haeryeon's words, Jihwan raised two fingers in a V sign.
“Most people know me as an ice mage.”
He shrugged. Even when he had first met Hyeon-yul, he'd been pretending to use ice magic.
“But I do want you to have a choice about accepting this mission, Hyeon-yul.”
Haeryeon spoke seriously. She had considered every aspect of it, and this particular assignment simply wasn't well suited to Hyeon-yul's physical condition. The issue had been troubling her for some time.
“It's all right, Team Leader.”
Reading her hesitation, Hyeon-yul spoke first. His body had problems, but not to the point that he couldn't undertake a mission. If every small inconvenience began disqualifying him, he might eventually be excluded from other assignments as well. Besides, his physical condition was his own responsibility. There was no need for Haeryeon to worry about it.
“I know you're concerned for me. But I've conducted countless long-term undercover assignments before.”
“I know. But please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I consider whether each team member is suited to a particular assignment, and sometimes I exclude them if they aren't. That doesn't mean they'll be barred from all future missions. I'm simply acknowledging your particular circumstances. As team leader, it's something I have to consider.”
Haeryeon explained calmly. With Hyeon-yul, she needed to be careful about how her words might be interpreted.
“Then will they provide meals there? Will I be allowed to sleep?”
“Of course.”
“Then I'm fine with it.”
Hyeon-yul nodded. Those conditions were acceptable. In fact, they weren't bad at all.
“Are you really okay with it...?”
“Yes. Being able to eat and sleep is all I need.”
“...Hyeon-yul.”
Nayun called him, eyes wide with astonishment.
“Yes, Noona?”
“Have you... ever been on a mission where they wouldn't let you eat or sleep?”
Surely not. But she had to ask. If they unknowingly made the same mistake, what then? It was something the team needed to know.
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul gave a brief answer, and silence settled over the room. Seeing everyone staring at him, he continued.
“That's simply how those places operate. It doesn't mean I'm especially pitiable or anything.”
That was all he could say.
“Now I understand why you left, Hyung.”
Jihwan could sympathize. A workplace that didn't feed its employees or let them sleep?
“Places like that deserve to go bankrupt.”
His voice rose instantly in anger.
“Exactly. They should all go bankrupt.”
Hyeon-yul found himself agreeing with that sentiment wholeheartedly.
“Then let's get to work putting a whole lot of villains out of business today.”
Haeryeon rose, went to her desk, and brought over a stack of papers.
“Will there be a lot?”
“No. Not many.”
Hyeon-yul picked up the pen lying on the papers with practiced ease. He'd done plenty of paperwork before.
“Now then, my dear team members, the meeting is over. You should follow Hyeon-yul's example and get started on the missions you've been assigned.”
“...Right. We have to get to work. We have to, but I'm a little... actually, very jealous of Hyeon-yul today.”
Nayun stood up and looked at him enviously. She didn't want to work.
“Being jealous is a losing game. Hurry up and go.”
Haeryeon waved her away. Plenty of people were waiting for them.
“I've already lost.”
Shinwoo shook his head as he rose.
“Me too.”
Jihwan nodded at him. Shinwoo nodded back and bumped fists with him. Nayun shook her head at the two of them, then smiled at Hyeon-yul.
“Hyeon-yul, I was just saying I'm jealous. Don't take it too seriously.”
“I know. I used to envy people when I saw them going home early too.”
“Exactly! Don't you want to finish up quickly, go to a café, and talk for hours? Ah, I've got so much I want to say!”
“...?”
“Oh! Hyeon-yul, you like cake, right? I'll send some places to the group chat later, so tell me which one you like. We'll go eat there together. Anyway, I'm off!”
Nayun spoke so rapidly that she practically left Hyeon-yul dizzy, then waved and departed.
“...”
Hyeon-yul stopped moving his pen. Somehow, he'd just ended up making plans.
“Noona, I want to vote too! Every place you recommend has great food!”
Jihwan ran after Nayun, brimming with obvious excitement.
“Hyung, see you at the café some other time, not today. I'm heading out!”
‘...Another person?’
“Nayun really does know some great places. I'm looking forward to it. See you later.”
‘Another one?’
Hyeon-yul watched Shinwoo depart, utterly confused, then immediately turned toward Haeryeon.
“...You can stare all you like, but I'm going too. Those places are amazing. Even Juhyeon grabs Nayun by the legs and begs her to take her along.”
“That's not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
Haeryeon's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.
“Is it really all right for me to go with you?”
“Why wouldn't it be?”
“I don't know.”
“Then come with us first and think about it afterward. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself.”
“This place is rather... strange.”
“That's what we're like. The people who watch my back are my teammates. And a few days ago, you watched all our backs, remember?”
Haeryeon giggled. At moments like these, he seemed so gentle.
“You mean the poison the Poison King released?”
“That's right. Shinwoo, Nayun, and Jihwan have no resistance to that poison. That's normal, of course, but it's still frightening. You saved all of them, and that's why everyone's so happy.”
Haeryeon had never gotten used to sending teammates into places where they might die. She had to do it again and again, and every time the guilt gnawed at her. With Hyeon-yul on Team 3, though, she had many more ways to plan missions, and she was grateful for that.
“Is that so?”
“Exactly. So let's get to work.”
Haeryeon returned to her seat. Hyeon-yul glanced toward her, then examined the printed corporate logos and marked an X beside one. One sheet became two, and more pages gradually accumulated. Eventually he quietly called out to her.
“Team Leader.”
“Hmm?”
“Do we often discover experimental facilities?”
“Not... very often. They're usually among the most carefully concealed places.”
“I'd like to share some information I've discovered.”
“Uh...?”
Haeryeon blinked. What was he suddenly talking about?
“Isn't what happens inside a facility more important than merely learning where it's located?”
“...Of course it is.”
Without realizing it, Haeryeon swallowed. Her heart was already beating faster.
“I've discovered several experimental facilities, and I have the information recovered from them.”
“What were you searching for?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul rolled up his left sleeve.
REX-03333.
Haeryeon's face grew heavy the moment she saw it. It was his designation as a test subject. Ordinarily someone would have removed a mark like that, yet his remained.
“I want to know who the people who created me were.”
Investigating companies established by villains had reminded him of the events of yesterday, and of the people who'd been involved in the experiments.
“If you find another experimental facility, would you tell me?”
“I will. I promise. Actually, I'll go through the facilities we've found before and look for that number.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Would I be allowed to kill them?”
“...I can't give you a definite answer about that.”
“Understood.”
“...Hyeon-yul.”
“Yes?”
“I'll genuinely do everything I can.”
“Thank you.”
Hyeon-yul bowed his head. Perhaps Haeryeon would be different. He allowed himself that tiny hope.
“Hyeon-yul, on the day you went to meet the Poison King, did he say anything else to you privately?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me not to trust the empire.”
—That's why I'm kindly warning you. Hurry and get out. The deeper you're involved, the more you'll regret it.
“I thought that was the sort of thing any villain might say.”
“Anything else?”
“He said he wanted me. Because I was a successful test subject.”
“...I can understand why that was difficult to tell me.”
Merely bringing it up must have made him furious. Under those circumstances, he couldn't have been expected to give a proper report.
“Has something happened?”
“He tried to recruit you before, remember? I was wondering if he'd said the same garbage again.”
Haeryeon clenched her fist. Hyeon-yul had a habit of shouldering everything alone. If she didn't ask, he probably wouldn't volunteer the information.
“Even if he made another offer, I'd refuse.”
“Of course you would, right?”
“Yes. Naturally.”
“Good. That's exactly the attitude to work with.”
“But Team Leader...”
“Yes?”
Haeryeon gazed at him with bright, expectant eyes.
“When do we begin the infiltration?”
“...Tomorrow?”
“Understood. I'll prepare.”
Hyeon-yul answered and returned to his paperwork. He didn't want anything happening while he was briefly away. For now, the sensible thing was to silence one particular mouth.
‘Once I'm off work, I'll go there first.’
He gripped his pen tightly as he considered his next move.
‘For now, I'll catch them all.’
He had learned that the investigations continued even when he wasn't there. That meant his path was to keep capturing villains, one after another.
* * *
A hand suddenly emerged from empty air, startling the Poison King.
“...Where is it?”
Hyeon-yul seized him by the throat without any greeting. The Poison King stared back, wide-eyed. Haeryeon had stopped his poison from leaking out, but the facility still hadn't been fully restored. The staff apparently didn't trust that the containment measures would hold. Naturally, the CCTV cameras were still out of service.
“...Hah.”
The Poison King let out an incredulous laugh. Did this man understand where he was? A Black Eagle, sneaking into a place like this? Was he completely insane? The thoughts rose all the way to the prisoner's throat.
“Do you find this absurd?”
“If I ask you a question, you'll answer it politely...”
Squeeze.
Hyeon-yul tightened his grip without giving the prisoner any warning.
“I know you can regenerate. What do you think I'm going to do?”
Hyeon-yul had chosen the fastest route. The Poison King owned many properties, just like other villains. Their companies branched outward endlessly, like the tentacles of an octopus or a pyramid scheme, but only one was the real operation. Investigating each property individually would waste time. Why do something so foolish when the owner himself was sitting right here?
“Would you regenerate even if I cut off your head?”
Hyeon-yul was genuinely curious now. He held a dagger in his other hand.
“Then can you... regenerate?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul smiled as though his answer should have been obvious.
“I was created for experimentation. Isn't that only natural?”
It was dangerous, of course. He saw no reason to mention that part.
“You know me. I'll try it if I have to. If you die, it'll just be a disappointment.”
As Hyeon-yul moved his hand, the Poison King blurted out urgently.
“Wait!”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“You have no idea what you're doing right now.”
“I know perfectly well.”
“Do you know what consequences this will bring?”
“If I'm reducing the number of villains in the world, what consequences should concern me?”
Hyeon-yul cocked his head slightly, genuinely baffled by the objection.
“Don't dismiss us as villains.”
“Ah, I've heard that the empire created these powers. Is that why? Did the empire do something to you?”
“...”
The Poison King closed his mouth, surprise filling his eyes.
“Never mind. That's not what I came to learn. If you don't want to die, start talking.”
Hyeon-yul gave him a faint, mocking smile. After all, there wasn't a villain in the world who wanted his own head cut off.
* * *
In an instant, something glittering drove into a man's throat. He didn't even have time to scream. The lights were hurriedly switched on, revealing a man wearing a rabbit mask.
Shh.
Hyeon-yul lifted one gloved index finger to his lips. Then he raised his phone and made words scroll across its screen like an electronic sign.
「If you understand, nod.」
Everyone still standing in the room nodded. Dead bodies littered the floor and blood coated the room. All the senior executives who'd been in the middle of a meeting were dead. Who could possibly refuse to surrender? September 21, 2026