Chapter 60 - Infiltration

* * *

“First, we've been stopping numerous villain organizations from expanding their influence. We also know that once they reach a certain size, they start showing signs of trying to infiltrate the empire itself rather than simply growing larger.”

Hyeon-yul nodded at Haeryeon's explanation. That was exactly what villains wanted. Rather than attack the empire openly, they preferred to burrow inside like rats and gradually undermine the pillars supporting the nation.

“For example, some villains pretend to run companies that make good products and approach ordinary customers in a friendly way. Some set up phone companies or pretend to manufacture computer parts so they can install hacking software. Others tamper with food. I could go on forever. Most of the ones we catch are reported as companies that went bankrupt. If we publicly identify villains as the cause every time, it could create panic.”

‘That sounds familiar.’

Hyeon-yul wasn't surprised; he knew all of this already. He'd seen even worse examples, including gyms, Pilates studios, and nightclubs. Villains had their hands in every kind of business imaginable.

“Now, the ones most obsessed with expanding their influence are the villains who imitate religious cults. They brainwash entire groups of ordinary people. The strongest believers then become villains themselves and get sent to other regions, and the process repeats endlessly, like an infectious disease. To prevent that, we've already placed our managers undercover at suspected sites.”

“What if they've been brainwashed along with everyone else?”

Hyeon-yul asked. He understood that the Black Eagles must have had a reason for sending people in, but he couldn't help being suspicious. If the agents ate the hallucinogens and listened to the same messages repeatedly, wouldn't they eventually begin accepting the claims as true? That was precisely how brainwashing worked.

“All of them have abilities related to the mind. Reassuring, isn't it?”

“I understand the situation now.”

Hyeon-yul immediately grasped the significance. People with mental abilities were different from ordinary people. Hallucinogens had no effect on them, and they were far more likely to brainwash someone else than to be brainwashed themselves. Put simply, their minds were surrounded by walls thicker and sturdier than those of normal people. Of course, thicker walls didn't make them invincible.

“There are several branches, and our other disruption operations will be running at the same time, so it'll take them longer to check us out. Before the managers let you inside, everyone needs to memorize the identities they've been assigned and make sure the mission details are firmly in their heads.”

Haeryeon immediately pointed to the smartwatches.

“We can't take those inside. They might have magical detectors, and the watches carry too much magic. We'll use smaller items instead. To put it simply, you'll only be changing your outward appearances.”

Haeryeon glanced at Jihwan, who inevitably knew more about the technical details. He sat staring blankly without so much as blinking. Shinwoo poked him in the ribs, finally snapping him out of it. When Jihwan asked with his eyes what was going on, Shinwoo quietly prompted him.

“Why we can't take the watches.”

“...Oh. The size of an object affects how many magic formulas you can put into it. Bigger objects are better for that, but they're more conspicuous, right? These smartwatches contain several spells, arranged very precisely, so magical detectors might pick them up. We only need a few of those spells this time, so putting them into smaller objects reduces the chance of discovery. Not that we'll get caught, of course.”

Jihwan pointed confidently to himself as the team's expert magician.

“I can conceal that much without any trouble.”

“So there's nothing else to worry about. Just memorize your assigned information as quickly as you can. Once everyone knows their cover stories, the mission will begin.”

Haeryeon distributed the documents. Hyeon-yul looked down at his assigned details and paused at one particular line: selective mutism.

“Am I not supposed to speak?”

Haeryeon nodded immediately in answer to his question.

“That's right. I thought it might be easier for you. People will probably ask all kinds of questions, and I figured you wouldn't enjoy that.”

“Yes. I prefer it this way too.”

“I'm glad.”

“Team Leader.”

“Yes?”

“You don't need to be so nervous around me. Aside from the few things I insist on, I don't intend to disobey your instructions.”

Haeryeon approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“That's exactly the problem. If you don't like something, say so. Otherwise, how am I supposed to know what you dislike? And even if you say no, there will be situations, like the last incident, where I have to give you an order anyway. You don't need to worry about that part.”

She was referring to the disaster caused by the Poison King's poison.

“...Understood.”

Hyeon-yul answered hesitantly. These were difficult words to make sense of. Why should he tell people what he disliked, and why did she want to know? Before Haeryeon could ask anything else, he returned to the paper.

‘I have an older brother.’

Hyeon-yul looked up at Shinwoo. Their eyes met, and Shinwoo smiled.

“So I'm playing the older brother.”

Shinwoo pointed to himself. According to their cover story, he had come this far while seeking treatment for his younger brother's selective mutism. For a brief moment, Shinwoo felt delighted. He liked this arrangement far too much.

“Team Leader, don't give only Shinwoo hyung a part like that. Let me play a younger brother too.”

“Exactly! You could let me play an older sister.”

Jihwan complained first, followed by Nayun. They had all agreed to approach Hyeon-yul gradually, yet Shinwoo was charging ahead like an uncontrollable runaway. What a traitor. Nayun glared at him accordingly.

“Don't you understand why I divided the roles this way?”

Haeryeon indicated Nayun and Hyeon-yul as one group.

“People whose powers are suited to surveillance.”

Then she pointed to Jihwan and Shinwoo.

“People whose strengths are better suited to attack than surveillance. I made Nayun and Jihwan coworkers under their cover identities. Do you understand the assignments now?”

The others could respond naturally to an unexpected situation, but Hyeon-yul was different. Communicating with people wasn't his strong point to begin with. This was his first infiltration assignment as a Black Eagle, and a mission of this kind required time to adjust. For now, they needed to build the plan around him.

“Ah, I get it. Jealousy blinded me for a second.”

Nayun made a circle with her thumb and forefinger and nodded. She understood now that Haeryeon was being considerate of Hyeon-yul.

“Still disappointing, though.”

Jihwan hadn't entirely given up. Soon, however, he smiled. He could always approach Hyeon-yul later and pretend they were strangers.

“Memorize your personalities, habits, and basic circumstances in advance. They'll use this information to decide whether you're genuine or impostors.”

Everyone acknowledged Haeryeon's warning and concentrated on learning their cover identities. Amid the silence, Hyeon-yul found himself thinking.

‘Were there White Sparrows inside the companies I used to work for?’

The Black Eagles were more active behind the scenes than they appeared. He was learning one new thing after another. He was only a rookie now, but as he took on heavier and more important assignments, what other sides of the organization would he discover? He was genuinely curious.

* * *

“...Hyeon-yul, don't be nervous. Shinwoo might not look dependable, but he does have some talent.”

Nayun approached to reassure him. He looked more tense and rigid than usual, perhaps because an infiltration mission was both lengthy and burdensome.

“...Hey. Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

Shinwoo narrowed his eyes at her irritating choice of words.

“Of course it's a compliment. What, are your ears broken? Or do you just twist everything I say because it's coming from me?”

“Both.”

Shinwoo chuckled, and Nayun gave an exasperated laugh.

“Hyeon-yul, whatever you do, don't become like that bad-tempered idiot. Jihwan was so sweet when he first joined, and Shinwoo completely ruined him.”

“Noona, I'm still sweet in front of our team.”

Jihwan smiled brightly, and Nayun nodded vigorously. How lovely he looked when he smiled like that.

“That's enough. More than enough. Stay exactly that way. If we had two Baek Shin-woos on this team, I'd seriously... hate it.”

Nayun shook her head. The idea alone was exhausting.

“But what is Ye Jihwan like when he isn't being nice?”

At Hyeon-yul's question, Jihwan blinked rapidly in surprise, then smiled.

“I was only joking. You've seen how I behave around other people, haven't you?”

“I have. I didn't realize it was a joke.”

“That's fine. You learn things like that little by little. Despite appearances, Shinwoo hyung and Nayun noona actually get along very well.”

“Jihwan!”

“Jihwan, that's going too far. Even if I adore you, there are lines you can't cross!”

Shinwoo and Nayun protested almost simultaneously.

“See?”

Jihwan giggled. They really did get along wonderfully.

“Hyung, I'll support you until the very end. You don't need to be on your guard around me.”

“...”

“It's okay. I understand.”

Jihwan couldn't claim their experiences were identical, but he had gone through at least a small fraction of what Hyeon-yul had endured. That made him understand Hyeon-yul's feelings, and it made him want to grow closer to him.

“Everyone! It's almost time to leave, and you're all having the time of your lives, aren't you?”

Haeryeon's stern voice made them fall silent immediately.

“We were about to go. That's exactly what we were doing.”

“Nayun's right.”

Nayun and Shinwoo hurried to back each other up.

“Good. If anything happens, contact me. You come before ordinary civilians in my priorities.”

“Team Leader, don't worry. We're not going to die.”

Jihwan smiled as he spoke. Haeryeon embraced each team member in turn. The ritual looked very familiar to everyone. When she reached Hyeon-yul, however, she asked carefully.

“It's just a little tradition. If it feels awkward, you don't have to do it.”

“No. It's just that I...”

Before he could finish, Haeryeon hugged him.

“I don't think those things about you.”

Dirty. Disgusting. Even saying the words aloud to deny them might have hurt him more.

“Come back safely.”

Haeryeon waved farewell to the teammates she had just embraced.

“Of course!”

Shinwoo waved first and headed off to board an eagle. Nayun and Jihwan followed. Hyeon-yul looked at Haeryeon. Something about her was different from usual. Heavy, perhaps.

“I won't die.”

He wasn't about to let his teammates die either. They were essential to carrying out missions efficiently. With those words, Hyeon-yul stretched his hand toward the approaching eagle.

Pfft.

Haeryeon laughed. Had he been trying to comfort her? If so, she was grateful. She gazed at the empty lot where her teammates had stood, and her smile slowly faded.

She hated moments like this most of all. There was no such thing as a mission without the risk of death. Seeing her team leave prepared to face that possibility brought back painful memories again and again. One by one, people had gone somewhere so far away that she could never hear their voices or laughter again.

She didn't want any more teammates to die. She wished nobody would ever die on another mission. She often found herself hoping they would choose cowardice instead, if that was what it took to survive. With that thought, Haeryeon turned away.

‘...Back to work.’

That was how she could help her team.

* * *

“...”

Hyeon-yul looked miserable. Riding an eagle was always agony for him.

“I know it hurts, but that expression is actually perfect right now. Kind of gloomy and hollow, you know?”

Shinwoo spoke quietly. When Hyeon-yul gave him a murderous look, Shinwoo promptly turned away.

“...Uh, well, you see... The light changed. Hurry, hurry.”

Shinwoo hurried him along, changing the subject. As they crossed at the crosswalk, Hyeon-yul surveyed the surroundings. It was an ordinary city street, and this was where they had agreed to meet.

‘Didn't they say we'd get into a car at the meeting point?’

Everyone had the same meeting destination, but the departure points were different. Nayun and Jihwan would have left from elsewhere by now.

‘I've already stopped the most immediate threat.’

—We were trying to predict the villains' next moves, and then we received some shocking news on top of everything else.

A few days earlier, Haeryeon had mentioned some shocking, confidential news. Hyeon-yul was certain she'd heard that the Red Witch was dead. The villains themselves would surely have learned the same thing. With both the Poison King and the Red Witch gone, all kinds of organizations would be rushing to seize the territory they'd left behind.

Strength had to be suppressed with greater strength. Let the villains tear into one another, wearing down their claws and fangs. Then the Black Eagles could swoop down and seize both sides. Either way, the villains had to disappear.

‘...I'll have to find out exactly what information the Poison King is hiding, little by little.’

There was nothing to lose by knowing more. He would probably hear yet more speeches about the empire, but his objective had never changed, either in the past or now. If anything, it had become clearer and seemed closer than ever.

Hyeon-yul followed Shinwoo into a building.