Chapter 67 - Extra Pay (2)
13 min read ·
* * *
“...Can we really do that?”
“Why not? We have power, information, and manpower... well, maybe not manpower, but we still have the foundation to chase someone if we want to.”
Only then did Hyeon-yul remember something he had forgotten: they were Black Eagles, openly backed by the Empire itself.
Tracking the supplier did not seem impossible after all.
There was only one thing that bothered him.
‘...Can I trust them?’
That was where Hyeon-yul became guarded.
Trust was difficult. If they ever learned what he truly was, weren’t these people capable of turning against him at any moment?
“Besides, I agree with you, Hyeon-yul. That drug... It was horrific.”
“You saw it?”
At Hyeon-yul’s question, Nayun let out a long breath and nodded.
“Is that why you made me wait inside the car?”
“...Yes. I didn’t want you to see it.”
“I’m fine. I’ve seen plenty.”
“You say you’re fine, Hyeon-yul, but I don’t think that’s something anyone should be able to call fine. I think anyone who saw it would feel the same way.”
Drug experiments had been conducted underground, and the scene had been so horrific there was no other way to describe it.
The stairs were already covered in blood, and rotting corpses that had never been disposed of properly filled the underground area. Between those decaying bodies were people who had been injected with the drugs and were breathing like corpses themselves.
After seeing that, how could Nayun possibly bring Hyeon-yul there?
She knew perfectly well that he would say he was fine, but she still could not take him.
A faint crease formed between Hyeon-yul’s brows. Nayun had not understood that expression at first, but by now she knew it appeared whenever he could not understand something.
“I’m saying this because I’m worried about you, Hyeon-yul. I don’t want you to suffer.”
Nayun made the point more directly, but Hyeon-yul’s expression did not change.
“Doctor Jeongmin would have said the same thing I did.”
Only when she mentioned Jeongmin did Hyeon-yul finally nod.
Nayun smiled at the thought that crossed her mind.
‘Is Doctor Jeongmin practically a god to Hyeon-yul?’
“You can show me next time. I really am fine. I don’t want to be excluded from missions like this.”
‘...That wasn’t mission exclusion.’
Nayun could not bring herself to say the words circling in her mouth. The instant she spoke, she felt as though she might become angry, and she knew that anger would not be directed at Hyeon-yul, so she forced it down.
“I’ll contact the team leader for a moment.”
“Understood.”
After hearing his answer, Nayun turned away.
Hyeon-yul had been an experimental subject. He was a victim of exactly the kind of horrific scene she and the other Black Eagles had just witnessed.
Anger surged toward the villains who had turned an ordinary person into someone like him, and at the same time, her eyes stung.
Nayun could not tell whether it was personal guilt or the debt she felt as a Black Eagle for failing to save him.
Whatever it was, Nayun inhaled as she realized she had already accepted Hyeon-yul as a member of her team.
‘I’ll protect Hyeon-yul.’
Whether he had intended to or not, Hyeon-yul had protected them.
Naturally, that meant they should protect him too.
Nayun trusted her teammates and believed they all felt the same way.
‘I’m sure everyone feels the same way.’
* * *
Boom!
A fist slammed down hard enough to shake the room.
The situation had gone wrong in every possible way.
“Didn’t you say the Poison King was captured?”
“...Yes. That is what I heard.”
“Then why are the Poison King’s forces still alive? Do you know how many of our operations have been wiped out, you bastard?”
The Poison King, who had controlled an area near the capital region, had disappeared.
When they first heard the news, they had been ecstatic, and they certainly were not the only ones. Every villain with a faction, large or small, had surely felt the same way.
You had to move quickly if you wanted to seize anything worth taking.
They had rushed in, only to get beaten just as quickly and watch their own territory get swallowed. There was no way the man could remain calm after that.
He rose from his seat, approached his subordinate, and slapped him across the face.
“Talk, you bastard!”
The instant he crooked one finger, the subordinate’s own necktie tightened around his throat.
“...I’m, kgh, sorry.”
“If the Poison King was captured by those Eagle bastards, then who the hell is running his faction now?”
The man raised his voice because nothing about the situation made sense.
Who would dare take control of the Poison King’s forces?
Whoever it was had to possess unbelievable nerve.
“I... I don’t know.”
“What did you say?”
“People over there... kgh, call them... the Rabbit Mask.”
“What? Rabbit what?”
The man narrowed his eye and released the force strangling his subordinate.
One of his eyes was covered by an eyepatch.
“...Cough, cough.”
“Say it.”
The man grabbed the subordinate by the hair.
“R-Rabbit Mask!”
“Rabbit Mask?”
Hahahahaha!
The man threw his head back and burst into laughter.
“This is driving me insane.”
“Hahaha... ha.”
The subordinate laughed along, and so did the other subordinates standing around the room like dolls.
“...Hey.”
A freezing voice cut through the laughter.
Gulp.
The subordinate swallowed and looked toward the man.
The instant he met that cold smile, something pierced straight through both of his ears.
Unable even to scream, the subordinate collapsed with blood streaming from both sides of his head.
“Find out properly who took the Poison King’s place.”
After giving the order, the man returned to his seat.
Several subordinates dragged the corpse away as though this were routine. If they failed to find the answer, they knew they would be next.
A long trail of blood remained behind.
* * *
“...How does a five-day mission end in one day? Do you know how shocked I was when I heard yesterday?”
Jeongmin stared in amazement at Hyeon-yul lying down.
He had been praying the entire time after hearing the mission would last five days. Now Hyeon-yul had appeared like a surprise gift, and Jeongmin could not stop smiling.
“It was merely coincidence.”
“You’re happy, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re this happy now, how did you endure working at those places before?”
“Back then, I believed I had to endure it. If I didn’t, I had no choice but to die.”
He had not had enough money for treatment.
Only those employers had paid enough to cover the cost.
“That’s true.”
Jeongmin fell silent for a moment before naturally changing the subject.
“I think about this every day lately. I wish the Black Eagle recruitment notice had appeared earlier. I got out of that miserable hospital and ended up somewhere this comfortable, and I can only imagine how much better things are for you.”
Jeongmin looked almost ready to dance.
“I checked several times because I wondered whether I had simply missed the notice, but it really wasn’t there.”
“So you didn’t hesitate over whether you were allowed to apply?”
“I didn’t think very hard about joining the Black Eagles. The part I considered seriously was meeting the requirements. Shin Daeho made that condition very easy to satisfy.”
Hyeon-yul remembered Shin Daeho’s expression at the moment he died.
After the initial surprise, the man had seemed to smile faintly.
Hyeon-yul could not understand why the dying man had smiled.
“You really are doing well there, right?”
Jeongmin adjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes.
Jeongmin had heard the same claims that Hyeon-yul was doing well and that it was a decent place to work, and he had decided he would no longer be fooled by those kinds of answers from Hyeon-yul.
“Yes.”
“I’m asking if you really are. You lied last time too.”
—Teacher, I did nothing that betrayed what you taught me.
Whenever Hyeon-yul said he was fine, words like those always followed.
“Last time and this time, I have never done anything that betrayed what you taught me.”
Exactly as expected, Hyeon-yul said it again.
“Not that.”
“I’m doing well.”
“Not that either, Hyeon-yul.”
At Jeongmin’s continued insistence, Hyeon-yul slowly closed his eyes and opened them again.
Jeongmin watched him carefully, expecting the same answer yet again.
“It’s strange.”
“...Strange?”
“Yes. It’s strange. Yesterday they told me it was cold and made me sit in the car, effectively excluding me from part of the mission, but I didn’t feel particularly bad about it. I disliked the fact that I could be excluded at any time. As you know, Teacher, cold has no effect on me...”
Hyeon-yul stopped before finishing when he noticed that Jeongmin was smiling.
“Why are you laughing? Is what I said funny? Which part was funny?”
Hyeon-yul sat up and demanded an explanation.
Was Jeongmin finally seeing the result of his efforts?
“...Hyeon-yul, let’s be fair. You know you’re not exactly good at talking.”
“...I’m working on it.”
Hyeon-yul lay back down and distorted his face.
“I know. I know you’re working hard.”
“What was funny?”
Jeongmin grinned as he answered, “I just thought you really are doing well there.”
He had seen Hyeon-yul’s teammates with his own eyes and watched how they treated him, but hearing it directly from Hyeon-yul finally allowed him to relax.
“That is what I kept trying to tell you. Did I say it strangely?”
“No. You explained it well. I only doubted you because you’re so good at lying.”
“...I’ve only lied a little.”
Hyeon-yul thought for a while and eventually turned his head away. He could not think of anything else to say.
Pfft.
Jeongmin could no longer hold back and burst out laughing.
* * *
“...What? Hyeon-yul, you came in too?”
Shinwoo looked genuinely startled the moment Hyeon-yul entered the room.
He had been certain Hyeon-yul would not come to work.
“Yes. I need to earn money.”
Hyeon-yul answered calmly and sat down.
“That makes sense. How often do you get a double-pay event?”
Shinwoo nodded in understanding. After all, who disliked money?
“And between us, work is usually a little easier during periods like this.”
Shinwoo lowered his voice. Haeryeon had not arrived yet, but this was still something he should say carefully.
“I bet everyone comes in.”
The door suddenly flew open, and Shinwoo immediately leaned back in his chair and sealed his lips.
Haeryeon might scold him if she heard.
“Baek Shinwoo. I could hear your voice from outside.”
Nayun entered carrying a paper bag filled with coffee and desserts.
“Don’t say ridiculous things. What’s that?”
Shinwoo spoke indifferently while shifting his gaze toward the bag.
“I ran into the team leader on the way here. She said to eat while we waited.”
Hyeon-yul rose reflexively and accepted the bag while Nayun was still speaking.
After handing everything over without thinking, she stared at him as if wondering what he was doing.
Hyeon-yul neatly arranged the coffee and desserts before returning to his seat.
‘...Fast.’
Shinwoo and Nayun had the exact same thought.
Neither of them knew how to comment on it, so they decided it was better to say nothing.
After exchanging a glance with Nayun, Shinwoo casually asked a new question.
“What kind of mission do you think we’ll get?”
“Probably a support assignment. That’s why she gave us this. The feeling was basically, eat while you wait, then rush out if a support request comes in.”
Nayun answered, then immediately looked toward Hyeon-yul.
“Do you have a question? ...Ah, you went on one before, right? The magic-bomb disposal support mission.”
“Yes.”
“Are magic bombs difficult?”
“If you can read magical formulas, you meet the basic condition required to disarm one.”
Hyeon-yul stopped mid-explanation and looked toward the door.
“That’s already the difficult part.”
Jihwan ran in and quickly took his seat.
He saw the food and brightened.
“Did the team leader buy this?”
“Yeah. She said to eat while we wait. Jihwan, just how difficult is it?”
Nayun answered and returned to her question.
She normally did not think about it, but now that their team had someone capable of bomb disposal, she had become curious.
“Very few mages can actually disarm magical bombs. You can think of it as being connected to that.”
“...I see.”
Nayun nodded as though she finally understood something.
“What is it? Did you hear something on the way here?”
Shinwoo took a sip of coffee and asked the question.
“I did. Apparently the bomb-disposal team wants our Hyeon-yul badly enough that they’re planning to make Team Leader a proposal soon.”
“...Ha.”
A sigh came from the doorway.
The voice was not Haeryeon’s, and every member of Team 3 turned to see Team 2 Leader Dojin.
Dojin looked directly at Hyeon-yul before speaking.
“I didn’t expect another competitor to appear.”
“Team Leader Dojin, you still haven’t given up on Hyeon-yul?”
Nayun narrowed her eyes, and Dojin cleared his throat.
He casually showed them a skein of yarn.
Hyeon-yul reacted immediately, so Dojin tucked the yarn away and spoke with confidence.
“I came to request support.”
“From Hyeon-yul?”
Nayun stared even harder, and Dojin walked closer.
“We have a mission, and I think you’re perfect for it. Will you come?”
Shinwoo asked warily, “Did my team leader approve this?”
A team leader personally coming to request someone like this was quite unusual, enough to make Shinwoo wonder whether it was really necessary.
From Team 3’s perspective, Dojin looked like a wicked team leader trying to steal away their precious rookie.
“Of course she did.”
“Wait, Team Leader.”
Jihwan hurriedly spoke, and when Dojin looked at him, Jihwan pointed toward the desserts.
“Could hyung at least finish dessert before he goes? You work better on a full stomach.”
“...That much is fine.”
When Dojin looked toward Hyeon-yul, Hyeon-yul seemed genuinely surprised.
He did not need to eat dessert at all.
‘...Why do I have to eat it?’
If anything, that was what confused him.
No answer came, but everyone else seemed to want it.
Hyeon-yul picked up the fork with solemn determination.
For now, eating was apparently important.
‘Let’s eat.’
* * *
“I apologize if this was too sudden.”
Dojin spoke while repeatedly showing Hyeon-yul the knitting yarn.
“It’s fine.”
“I heard you know a great deal about drugs.”
“I wouldn’t say a great deal. I know a few things.”
“I also know you identified several companies that might be run by villains. I heard you inferred it from their logos and symbols. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul kept staring intently at the yarn in Dojin’s hand.
As his gaze kept drifting toward it, Dojin looked secretly pleased and continued talking.
“We investigated based on your information and found drugs. The mission started about an hour ago. There may be more of the same drug, but we don’t know where it is.”
“You want me to track it?”
“Something like that.”
“Understood.”
Hyeon-yul answered simply. Tracking was one of the many things he had done before.
At the place where the Eagles waited, Dojin stopped and waved the yarn.
“I tried it because I wanted to win your favor. It’s surprisingly fun.”
Dojin held out a clumsily made piece of knitting.
Anyone could tell he had only just started, but the surprising part was that he had actually learned.
“...I’ve never seen anyone go this far before.”
Many people had tried to win Hyeon-yul’s favor, but this was the first time someone had genuinely tried doing something he liked simply to share it with him.
Hyeon-yul found the sincerity behind the gesture genuinely surprising.
“I’m serious. Of course, even if you never join our team, I hope you’ll still want us to get along.”
“Why?”
“Did you forget I told you from the beginning that I liked you?”
“I didn’t know you were serious.”
“I’m serious about everything. Ah, I should say this too.”
The moment he finished, Dojin bowed his head.
“Thank you for protecting my kids.”
Was he talking about the incident when the Poison King spread his poison?
Hyeon-yul looked at Dojin, a faint crease forming between his brows.
The people in the Black Eagles made it impossible for him to keep his thoughts simple. They always made him think about something more.
“...I’ll consider your offer from earlier.”
Hyeon-yul finally answered with a faint smile.
Perhaps this was one of the better recruitment offers he had ever received.
He walked toward the waiting Eagle, covered his mouth with one hand, and extended the other.
The Eagle swooped down and caught Hyeon-yul by the arm.