Chapter 33: It’s You
It was a sound he couldn't believe he was hearing.
A singer or actor.
Hyeon-yul glared at the guys, wondering if they were pulling some trick.
Before his killing intent could surface, Shin-woo, with a hurriedly surprised face, spoke naturally.
“What, what do you mean? A singer…?”
“We happened to see you at the movie theater……”
“…The movie theater? Are you saying you were watching us the whole time?”
As Shin-woo was about to act appalled, the best-dressed woman among the three smiled kindly.
“I apologize if we made you uncomfortable. But we are absolutely not strange people; we are also a place that has recently produced several famous artists. You can find out just by searching right now.”
Despite the woman’s words, Shin-woo took out his phone, sending suspicious glances.
S.T.D Enter.
Hyeon-yul was also quite curious, so he searched for the place.
‘…It’s a real place?’
It was newly established, but the scale was larger than expected.
‘So, villains are running this place?’
There was a possibility it wasn’t S.T.D Enter, but he caught the faint smell of blood from them.
Where would ordinary people encounter the smell of blood?
Considering how fresh the blood smelled, it seemed they had killed someone just a few hours ago.
‘So it was possible to approach villains like this.’
Hyeon-yul found this situation very interesting.
Did they really not recognize that they were Black Eagles?
Or did they approach knowing?
He didn't let down his guard.
“I’m really sorry, but honestly, it’s hard to believe. There’s so much fraud going on these days, right?”
Shin-woo looked troubled and scratched his brow.
Even if they weren’t villains, he couldn’t just accept something like this readily.
“Of course. If you have time, may we show you around S.T.D Enter? Please visit whenever you’re comfortable. We’ll come out to meet you right away.”
The woman smiled brightly.
A hint of confidence showed.
“…Well then, I’ll think about it just once.”
At Shin-woo’s embarrassed words, the woman still smiled and said.
“Yes, please be sure to contact us. Definitely.”
She repeated it several times before leaving, as if emphasizing it.
Perhaps because of what just happened, quite a few gazes from the surroundings focused on them.
A street casting scene wasn't something easily witnessed.
“Should we move somewhere else?”
Shin-woo spoke with a hardened face.
Casting.
He felt like he was about to lose his mind.
***
“So, what this means is……”
Hae-ryeon started to speak but then chuckled briefly.
It was quite absurd and funny.
She felt unsure how to view the current situation.
Street casting.
After receiving Shin-woo’s call on her way home from work, she headed to a cafe secretly operated by the Black Eagle.
It was structured like rooms, suitable for exchanging opinions.
Hae-ryeon felt Shin-woo’s gaze and suppressed her laughter tightly, looking at Hyeon-yul.
He was drinking his cafe beverage, holding it in his hand with a serene face.
‘Mr. Hyeon-yul really is villain catnip……’
Since she became a Black Eagle, this was the first time she heard of someone getting street-casted by villains.
This was something that would be talked about for a long time.
“Team Leader. My disguised face must be quite good-looking.”
Shin-woo said confidently, and Hae-ryeon frowned.
“Is now really the time to talk about that?”
“You were laughing with me just a moment ago, that’s too harsh.”
Shin-woo smacked his lips.
“That was then, this is now. I’m off work now, understand?”
“Yep.”
Shin-woo shut his mouth.
“Ultimately, the owner of S.T.D Enter is a villain, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Shin-woo nodded.
Slowly, the smile faded from his face.
“Surprising.”
Hae-ryeon tossed out the word, then fiddled with her cup.
The media was precisely what could sway the public anytime.
What would happen if villains got their hands on that power?
As the saying goes, what you grow up seeing is scary; they could subtly instill hostility towards the Empire.
“…Truly surprising.”
Hae-ryeon let out a long sigh.
“It’s alright. It hasn't been long since it was established. This much can be pulled out.”
Hyeon-yul spoke lightly.
S.T.D Enter was a new company.
Perhaps because they had a lot of money, they had only grown rapidly by recruiting famous celebrities; nothing significant had been achieved yet.
“Isn’t it fortunate that we found out now?”
Hyeon-yul continued.
In the case of other businesses, there were already many places where villains were deeply involved, so what was the problem with a business that had just started?
Despite giving information related to Shin Dae-ho, the Black Eagle hadn't yet found the large corporation run by villains.
How deeply hidden was it?
If they found out, it was close to a level that could make the country stagger.
Compared to that, this was insignificant.
“If you put it that way, it is indeed fortunate.”
Hae-ryeon thought positively.
Villains were scattered throughout the Empire here.
It was a bit funny, but where else would they get caught like this?
“The investigation into S.T.D Enter has begun. We’ll have to wait for now. I can’t guarantee how long it will take. Various incidents have occurred.”
Handling the mole problem.
The Poison King transport issue, etc.
There were quite a few major and minor problems.
“Then, do we have to stay still until the investigation is over?”
Hyeon-yul asked.
If it were like Asan or Night Rat, whose names were known but whereabouts and activities were unknown, they would have no choice but to stay put.
The Empire was vast, and without information in hand, how could they find them?
But this time was different.
They knew the exact location.
“…I suppose so, right?”
Hae-ryeon answered, looking embarrassed.
Investigation was a very important process.
There was nothing more dangerous than going in without knowing the opponent.
Countless Black Eagles repeatedly died and survived based on a single piece of information.
So, it was right not to move now when they knew nothing.
“Then, Team Leader. May I go and deal with them myself?”
Hyeon-yul felt the time waiting during the investigation was wasted.
The opponent would be off guard right now; he couldn't miss this opening.
Anyway, if the head was lost, the rest would collapse on their own.
Of course, other villains who were eyeing the opportunity would likely recruit those forces, but that was more difficult than forming a new organization.
Even if they managed it well, problems often arose internally.
When they exhausted their energy fighting amongst themselves, wouldn't it be over if the Black Eagle caught them then?
“…Deal with them yourself?”
Hae-ryeon couldn't easily continue her words.
She couldn't believe it.
“I go, deal with them one by one, and come back.”
After finishing his words, Hyeon-yul briefly tapped his head.
His gaze subsided.
“Whether it’s the middleman, or the top brass, their heads, I mean.”
Normally, he would have to think of a way to dig into the enemy's nape, but now he had obtained a ticket to that place.
So, what should he do?
‘…Enter that place and bite off their nape.’
“So, Mr. Hyeon-yul, you’re saying you’ll walk into the enemy’s mouth right now?”
“Yes. It was the same with the Poison King. I don’t think there will be a problem.”
At Hyeon-yul’s statement, Hae-ryeon’s face contorted as if her stomach hurt.
“That time, the situation was urgent, but not now. It’s dangerous.”
Hyeon-yul found that statement strange.
“It’s fine. It’s what I always do.”
Whatever mission he received, he accomplished it all.
Rather, there was nothing more miserable than failing to prove one's worth.
Failure meant only death.
Are you going to let this opportunity slip away?”
Hyeon-yul put down the business card and tapped it with his finger.
The street casting tossed to them by the villains just in time was a very good opportunity.
“Opportunity. Yes, maybe you could call it an opportunity. But Mr. Hyeon-yul. What kind of team leader would drive a team member into a death trap? As long as I’m in this position, I have to stop Mr. Hyeon-yul.”
Efficiency, whatever, Hae-ryeon didn't need it.
All she had to do was weigh Hyeon-yul’s life against the current situation.
It wasn't just anyone.
It was her team member.
“Eliminating one person saves numerous lives. Eliminating one person scatters numerous villains.”
Hyeon-yul touched upon the facts.
The Black Eagle was, after all, an organization created to exterminate villains.
Their interests aligned very well.
“I can enter the enemy’s jaws, kill the target, and escape.”
Hyeon-yul smiled, revealing his confidence.
Neither Hae-ryeon nor Shin-woo would be unaware of his power.
He didn't understand what exactly was dangerous.
Hadn't he shown them until now?
Who he brought back.
Where he wrecked havoc.
‘Is this still not enough? It’s not called the Black Eagle for nothing.’
He thought the standards were high because the conditions were strict, but he didn't expect it to be this much.
Hyeon-yul felt reality weigh quite heavily.
“What if it’s not one, but two?”
Shin-woo pointed to himself.
“Shin-woo! Baek Shin-woo!”
“…Yes, yes!”
“You can’t be like this too!”
At Hae-ryeon’s immediate outburst, Shin-woo became a turtle with its neck retracted.
Even knowing he was poking a hornet's nest, it stung quite a bit.
“But if we stop Hyeon-yul here, won’t it look like we don’t trust him?”
“I…?”
Hae-ryeon asked, suppressing her rising anger.
Because he might really think that way.
“Hyeon-yul is very capable. As you know, Team Leader, he even captured the Poison King.”
“That’s true. Mr. Hyeon-yul is capable.”
At the words coming from Shin-woo and Hae-ryeon, Hyeon-yul’s eyes widened slightly.
‘…Am I still acknowledged?’
Something tickled inside him.
“But that’s because Mr. Hyeon-yul is incompatible with the Poison King. Their compatibility was good from the start.”
One immune to poison.
That just happened to be Hyeon-yul.
If not, it was an incident where she almost lost another team member.
“There’s also the Crimson Witch case.”
Shin-woo mentioned another incident, and Hae-ryeon closed her lips.
“If he can do it, wouldn’t stopping him make Mr. Hyeon-yul feel discouraged?”
‘Discouraged…?’
Hae-ryeon immediately looked at Hyeon-yul.
Discouraged was a word that didn’t suit Hyeon-yul.
But she thought it might be possible.
Hyeon-yul was also human.
A person with emotions.
Hae-ryeon gripped her hair with both hands.
The fluffy sensation of her hair filled her palms.
“I know Mr. Hyeon-yul’s abilities are too good. But if I make him do even this kind of work, my conscience hurts too much. I wanted to show him that this place is different from where he escaped.”
How much must he have been exploited.
How much must he have suffered to ask her not to make him work overtime every time he saw her.
Hae-ryeon was actually afraid.
It was human nature to want to assign various tasks to someone capable.
If Hyeon-yul did too well and ended up taking on other things one by one, how would it be different from the villain’s company?
“Right now, Mr. Hyeon-yul has suffered through a very big ordeal. You can feel that this case is big too, right? If he keeps suffering like that, he won’t last.”
“It’s fine……”
“It’s not fine, Mr. Hyeon-yul. People hit their limits eventually, no matter when. Even your day off got messed up like this because of villains, so how can it be fine?”
At Hae-ryeon’s words, which sounded like sharp retorts, Hyeon-yul couldn't easily speak.
Strangely, he didn't feel bad.
“That’s why I said I’d go with him.”
Shin-woo smiled gently.
His eyes looked gentle, but they held no intention of backing down.
“Can’t you trust Hyeon-yul for now, and scold him later?”
At Shin-woo’s added words, Hae-ryeon felt tormented.
A wrong judgment could kill a team member.
She weighed it countless times.
“…Alright.”
Hae-ryeon swallowed the various words swirling in her head.
As Shin-woo said, giving trust first was the right thing to do.
“Mr. Hyeon-yul. Tell me your plan exactly.”
“Understood.”
Hyeon-yul nodded.
Actually, there wasn't much of a plan.
It didn't matter which villains were entangled in this case either.
Catch or kill the villains.
That essence doesn't change.
***
―…Night Rat? You met the information broker Night Rat? Saw him? Do you know what he looks like?
When he asked Hae-ryeon for information related to Night Rat, she reacted more intensely than expected.
Perhaps it was because he was an information broker.
―By any chance, he didn't come looking for Mr. Hyeon-yul, did he?
Hae-ryeon reacted with concern.
Having nothing particular to say, Hyeon-yul affirmed it.
It would be sufficient to say later, when catching Night Rat, that he was the one who ordered the mole assassination.
Actually, he wanted to ask who the villain with the power to create portals and eyes in the air was, but that seemed impossible.
Tap.
Hyeon-yul closed the book.
How to Enjoy the Festival.
Shin-woo, sitting next to Hyeon-yul, glanced at the book title, then stared straight ahead.
‘……How much does he love festivals?’
It was the first time he knew there were specialized books related to festivals.
Shin-woo swallowed the ticklish words and followed Hyeon-yul out of the taxi.
S.T.D Enter.
The two looked up at the sign.