Chapter 74 - Testing the Waters

* * *

Hyeon-yul sat at his desk and looked at his computer. He had transferred the contents of a phone taken from one of the villains involved in the expressway bombing incident, a member of the second group, and was examining the information. He had allowed the man to say his last goodbyes, and the phone's chip had already been removed, making it impossible to track.

He worked through the files and messages one by one. They contained everything from simple assignments to casual conversations between members. What particularly caught his attention was the information about various businesses.

Villains they had already brought down. Villains they were in the process of bringing down. Villains they were preparing to target. The information had been sorted into several categories. The businesses ranged from tiny operations to fairly large companies, making the contents seem like a gold mine. Perhaps the phone's owner had held a higher position than Hyeon-yul had realized.

He found a recent conversation in which they had exchanged information. Two photographs were attached, showing the names and logos of two companies: Linda and Frunal.

[Oh, those two? They're selling drugs?]

[Doesn't Linda sell cosmetics and Frunal sell milk?]

[0000: That's right.]

[0000: From what I hear, it's those companies. The thing is, what was it again?]

[What is it?]

[0000: Apparently, they're selling special drugs related to experimental subjects.]

Hyeon-yul's eyes stopped moving for a moment.

‘Linda. Frunal.’

He committed both company names to memory.

[What? Didn't something like this happen last time too? About four months ago?]

[You said the same thing back then, and it turned out we destroyed an innocent place. Are you sure this time?]

[Well, I don't know if we should call that place innocent.]

[They were trying to get involved with drugs, after all.]

[0000: This time it seems to be true.]

[0000: We're investigating more closely, so wait for now.]

[It had better be true.]

[0000: Anyway, focus on your current assignment.]

[0000: You received the documents, right?]

[I did.]

[Our team is looking into it.]

[0000: Keep up the good work.]

[0000: It's for the boss's sake, and for ours.]

[All right, I get it.]

That was the end of the conversation.

Hyeon-yul looked away from the screen for a moment and remembered what the owner of the phone had told him before dying.

—Our boss's child was taken away as an experimental subject and died. ...So whenever he finds a place where drugs are being used, he interferes with it, destroys it, or calls in the Black Eagles.

As unbelievable as it seemed, the organization the man had belonged to really did appear to be dedicated to eliminating drugs. Other conversations reinforced the impression that its members were obsessed with wiping out every drug manufacturing facility in the land.

‘That's unusual.’

Hyeon-yul could hardly think otherwise. He had always believed that villains needed to be killed, but in this particular boss's case, that conviction had loosened slightly. Leaving the man alone might actually prove useful, and meeting him could bring Hyeon-yul closer to the answers he wanted. After all, if this organization had destroyed so many drug operations, its leader might know where the substances used on Hyeon-yul had originally come from.

‘First I need to find out where he is.’

That had to come before anything else. The next problem was what to do with the information he had found.

‘...Should I tell the team leader? And what would happen if I did?’

Hyeon-yul could not reach a decision. Keeping everything secret was becoming increasingly difficult. There were too many overlapping investigations, and the pace was unsatisfactory. Lately, he had far too much work to handle by himself. He had sworn never to die of overwork again, so he needed to maintain a reasonable pace.

On the other hand, speaking to Haeryeon raised all sorts of concerns. If he was careless, she might discover what he had done as well. She possessed enough authority and intelligence to uncover information of that kind.

Hyeon-yul looked down at the phone. He knew all too well how absurd the concept of trust could be. Leaning on an uncertain belief would only increase the number of things he could not be sure about.

—Hyeon-yul, I hope that someday you'll try trusting someone besides me. I want your world to become a little bigger.

Jeongmin had once said that to him, but Hyeon-yul had never been able to follow his advice. His world had always been narrow, and the very act of placing anyone other than Jeongmin in it could cost him his life. Nevertheless, he found it strange that he was even considering such a thing now.

As he toyed with the phone, his eyes narrowed.

—I can't promise we're completely different. But I can tell you we're a little different.

‘...Let's test it.’

If placing some trust in the Black Eagles would improve his chances of survival, he would test the idea very carefully. It was time he learned to make use of the organization's power too.

* * *

Haeryeon swept her hair back from her face.

—There's something I need to tell you later. Could I see you a little earlier than usual?

She had never expected to receive a message like that from Hyeon-yul.

‘...What could he want to talk about?’

Hyeon-yul had already handed over his information about experimental subjects. Haeryeon was still searching for the designation REX-3333 among the files, but she had not found it yet. She had organized the drugs used at each experimental facility, their effects, and their distribution routes. When that proved insufficient, she had added where the drugs had been discovered and what operations the villains involved had run. Some of the organizations had already been destroyed, and she had made sure to mark those as well.

‘I'm glad I managed to organize everything properly. And I'm glad I finished it today.’

Haeryeon breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped it would feel a little like a present when she showed him.

Knock, knock.

At the sound, she went to open the door.

“Come in, Hyeon-yul. You really went through a lot yesterday, especially considering it was your day off.”

“Not at all. I wasn't the only one there.”

“From what I heard, you were the first to notice something was wrong.”

“Only because my senses are more developed than most people's.”

Having unusually sharp senses was not entirely a good thing. Hyeon-yul did not elaborate.

“There's something I'd like to ask, just to be certain. Am I allowed to carry out a mission when I haven't clocked in for work?”

‘Ah, is he asking because of yesterday?’

Remembering the incident at the movie theater, Haeryeon found herself smiling.

“Not coming to work doesn't mean you stop being a Black Eagle, does it? Once you're a Black Eagle, you're free to respond to emergencies whenever they arise. Of course, I'd appreciate it if you reported what happened afterward.”

After explaining, she studied Hyeon-yul's expression. His brow had furrowed ever so slightly. Had he misunderstood?

“So you're saying I'm permitted to act alone?”

Hyeon-yul asked to confirm that he had understood. He was still in his probationary period, and questions about duty hours, clocking in, and clocking out ran through his mind.

“I'd like to say absolutely not, but the law recognizes it as an official Black Eagle operation if your target is a villain. That doesn't mean we team leaders recommend it. Far from it.”

“Because I might die?”

“Exactly. The risk is far too high. People can rush out there with confidence or a sense of justice, but the consequences have been so terrible that we generally don't even tell new recruits about this provision.”

As she spoke, Haeryeon looked at him with growing unease. Why was he asking these questions? Why had he suddenly said that he wanted to talk?

“...Hyeon-yul, have you been acting on your own?”

“Yes.”

Hyeon-yul answered without hesitation or any attempt to conceal the truth.

“Are you injured anywhere? I saw the report from Dr. Jeongmin today. Apparently, the medication you've switched to doesn't suit you.”

“Ah. My hand just trembles.”

Hyeon-yul held it out slightly. His fingers were shaking. Haeryeon's expression hardened. This was not a good sign. Wasn't it practically the same as an injury?

“I haven't gone to see the doctor yet. I thought our conversation might take some time, so I came to see you first.”

“Go ahead and tell me. Whatever it is, I'll listen.”

“You told me before that this place was a little different.”

“That's right. I also said I couldn't claim it was completely different.”

“I can't explain the power I have. There are too many strange things about it. That's why there are things I haven't been able to tell you.”

His power was something that should never have existed in the first place. It had been forcibly created through experimentation, and that made it difficult even for him to define. Was the darkness itself Hyeon-yul? Or had drugs merely forced his body to keep functioning, while the person he had once been no longer existed, leaving him as nothing more than a part of the darkness?

“When I went on a mission with Choo Nayun, an enemy appeared, and I discovered something about that enemy.”

“...You discovered something? I didn't receive any report about that.”

“I couldn't tell anyone.”

“Because of the power you possess...?”

“Yes.”

Hyeon-yul fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“Whenever people learn everything about my power, they want it for themselves. Once they discover that I was an experimental subject, the ending is always the same.”

There was no lie in what he had just said. Every word was true.

“They stop seeing me as a person.”

Hyeon-yul spoke of these things as dispassionately as though they had happened to someone else. He was so accustomed to it that he could hardly react any other way. Haeryeon's brows drew together.

“I'm not frightened. But the Black Eagles are a place where I can't use the methods I've always used, so I've been keeping things secret in the hope of avoiding that sort of unpleasant incident.”

People who coveted his power. People who discovered that he was an experimental subject. They had all wanted to possess him, and the result had always been the same: death.

The Black Eagles, however, were not an organization where he could resolve every problem like that. He needed to keep working here. Even among the Black Eagles, he might get away with killing someone once or twice if he thought it necessary, but a string of deaths would inevitably arouse suspicion within the organization. He did not want to put himself in a position where he could be expelled.

“It was the same this time. I couldn't explain how I made the discovery, so I hid it.”

“Is there anything else you've been hiding?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me?”

“Right now, I'm relying on an uncertainty that feels very much like gambling. It would be extremely difficult for me to give you anything more.”

Hyeon-yul regarded her warily. It had already taken enormous resolve to come this far, and he could not offer anything beyond that. He had only told her this much because she was Haeryeon, and because she was a team leader in the Black Eagles.

“I'm sorry, Hyeon-yul. I wasn't trying to pressure you. I only wanted to know whether it was an incident I could help cover for you. I won't rush you. We'll take it slowly.”

Haeryeon realized that she had been impatient. Everyone needed a different amount of time to get close to another person. With Hyeon-yul, she would need to take a particularly patient and gentle approach. She leaned back slightly.

“What was it that you kept hidden about the expressway incident?”

“I realized that the villains who attacked us were different from the villains who planted the bombs.”

“Different?”

“Yes. So I went looking for where they had come from.”

“...Alone?”

Haeryeon's face grew tense at his straightforward admission.

“I went alone.”

Hyeon-yul took out a phone as he spoke.

“I acquired this phone from one of the employees there.”

Haeryeon said nothing more. What could she be thinking?

“I couldn't establish the identity of that organization's boss. But strangely enough, the group was destroying drugs distributed by villains and eliminating the villains who spread them.”

“...What?”

Of everything he had said, that was perhaps the strangest. Why would villains do such a thing?

“I found it extremely puzzling too. I don't know anything beyond that. But I believe you'll be able to investigate it in greater detail.”

Hyeon-yul indicated the phone. With Juhyeon's abilities, surely they could uncover even more.

“I don't think you told me all this just to hand over information. What do you want from me?”

“Please give me permission to conduct an independent investigation.”

“No.”

Haeryeon's answer was immediate and firm.

“I can explain what I'm investigating and what I expect to gain from it.”

“The answer is still no, Hyeon-yul.”

Her second refusal made his eyes turn cold.

“Hyeon-yul, don't look at me like that. Hear me out.”

“Yes.”

“The problem is that you can't reveal how you obtained this information, isn't it?”

“That's correct.”

“Then I won't ask how you got it. Just tell me whether you killed anyone to obtain it. That's all I need. I'll have the investigation registered as an official mission, and you can work openly as a Black Eagle.”

“Why go to that trouble? If I simply keep the incident secret and bring you the information...”

“Because you're not a villain anymore, Hyeon-yul.”

“...”

For a moment, Hyeon-yul was speechless, as though he had just learned something he had never considered before. But he soon returned to his usual expression. No matter how many times you washed a cloth dyed black, it would never turn white again. Surely Haeryeon understood that too.

“You're a Black Eagle now. Perhaps you had to do everything that way until now, but you don't have to keep operating behind the scenes. You're free to act in whatever way you're comfortable with. Just don't keep hiding in the darkness.”

Haeryeon's gaze was unwavering. Hyeon-yul felt as though he were confronting a kind of strength he had never experienced before. He could not identify the emotion it stirred in him. All he knew was that he had never heard an answer like hers.

“To be completely candid, Hyeon-yul, I want your power too.”

“You want it?”

His surprise vanished, but the look he gave Haeryeon did not change.

“Of course I do. With your power, we can move toward the right goals much faster.”

She had already seen enough of what he was capable of to look forward to what he might accomplish in the future. His potential seemed almost limitless.

“I'm always grateful that you joined our team, and I'm always glad you're here.”

Haeryeon smiled brightly and gently closed her eyes. He had heard words like those countless times before, yet they sounded different when spoken by someone from the Black Eagles. Why did they feel so different when the words themselves were the same?

“...That's because you don't know me well enough, Team Leader.”

Hyeon-yul tried to explain. He could not know how those feelings might eventually turn against him, so he needed to extinguish them now. Questions churned through his mind. Why didn't she suspect him? Why did she continue looking at him exactly as she always had?

“Then we'll just have to get to know each other better. Neither of us knows everything about Nayun, Shinwoo, or Jihwan either, do we?”

“You should think of me as a replaceable part. Otherwise, you might regret it.”

Hyeon-yul offered the warning, but Haeryeon merely smiled.

“I don't want to do that. You weren't a disposable part to begin with. There's no one who can replace you.”

“...”

Once again, Hyeon-yul found himself at a loss for words. This was difficult. It was just as difficult as when he had first met Jeongmin.

“Ah, how about we make a bet?”

Haeryeon's lips curled upward in a mischievous smile.

“We can see whose view turns out to be right in the end.”

“Why would we need to do that?”

“Because it's fun. The winner buys dinner.”

“Isn't the loser supposed to pay?”

“But the winner will be happy, won't they?”

“...I don't really understand.”

“Anyway, Hyeon-yul, you've worked hard. I had no idea you were trying so hard all on your own.”

He might deny it, but he must have been exhausted. How many years had he lived like that?

“I'm sorry I didn't realize it. And thank you for telling me. I'm not going to send you out to handle everything alone anymore.”

Before Haeryeon had even finished speaking, Hyeon-yul stood up. She remained perfectly calm. He looked as though his mind had overloaded. Any more conversation might overwhelm him completely.

‘That's enough for now.’

Haeryeon smiled inwardly. She had learned something else about Hyeon-yul. He was awkward not just at conversation, but at dealing with emotions, much more so than she had ever imagined.

“Go and see Dr. Jeongmin, Hyeon-yul.”

“...Yes. Understood.”

Hyeon-yul left the room at a faster pace than usual. Haeryeon looked down at the phone he had given her and smiled. He might not realize it himself, but what he had done was an act of trust.

‘...Ah, I'm so happy.’

She felt a happiness she could barely contain.

‘This time, at least this time, I have to protect him. ...I really have to.’

She clenched her fist tightly around that promise.