Chapter 38. Festival (3)
“Why do you say that? Someone has to stop it.”
Hyeon-yul also looked at Shin-woo.
Was this something worth being called crazy?
“Why should you be the one to do that role?”
“Do I look like I’m doing this because I like it?”
Hyeon-yul’s expression hardened further due to the rising irritation.
He didn't want to work either.
Who would want to work on their day off?
But he had to do it.
Whether planting bombs or disarming them was a villain's virtue, the Black Eagle didn't know, except for the Bomb Disposal Team.
“Then, do you know the disarming method?”
Hyeon-yul asked calmly.
If he knew, he could just hand over the job.
“……I don’t know.”
“So I have to do it.”
“What if……”
“Have you forgotten who I caught?”
He caught the Poison King.
Poison doesn't work on him at all.
Shouldn't he know that?
“I have already encountered this poison. Anything beyond this, I consider stubbornness.”
As Hyeon-yul spoke again, Shin-woo turned his head away.
Stubbornness.
This was called sacrifice in other words.
What if the internal poison had changed?
What if it wasn't poison this time?
Countless assumptions swirled in his head.
‘…I see why the Team Leader had a hard time.’
If he was a newbie, he should know to save his own skin, yet he tried to step forward so nonchalantly.
Shin-woo clenched his fists tightly.
“…Not here.”
“There won't be any space to step anywhere. It's a festival.”
“Get caught up……”
“Do you think there’s no surveillance?”
<Hey.>
As soon as Hyeon-yul’s words fell, a message floated in the air.
It was Na-yoon.
<Why?>
Shin-woo also mouthed the words.
<I see suspicious movement.>
<How?>
<They’re blatantly monitoring people leaving the festival.>
<If we go outside…….>
<Not now. There are places not visible from here. If there’s someone watching from afar like me over there, it’s over. Those bastards’ goal is to detonate the new weapon from the start, right? They’ll kill everyone, I tell you.>
At Na-yoon’s words, Shin-woo hesitated, and an additional message floated up.
<Are you certain now?>
It was Hyeon-yul.
He didn't know when he had put on the Black Eagle exclusive wireless earphone.
Shin-woo bit his lip.
That stubbornness.
<Don’t worry. I won’t do anything unhelpful.>
<That’s not what’s important.>
<It is important.>
Hyeon-yul answered firmly.
Whether it was helpful or not was extremely important.
His presence here was because he was helpful.
Hyeon-yul looked around, then grasped the new weapon in his hand.
It was small enough to fit in his palm.
He probed the inside with darkness and checked within.
It wasn't different from before at all.
First, he removed the bottle containing the poison inside so Shin-woo could be reassured.
What needed to be done after that was simple.
Behind the place where the pattern was visible, there was a switch to stop its operation.
After stopping the operation, he crumpled it with darkness as if showing off.
<Did you see?>
Hyeon-yul spoke to Shin-woo, then handed over the bottle containing the poison he had just removed.
Shin-woo took it for now.
<What is this?>
<It’s poison. Please take it to the Team Leader. If that breaks, everyone will die, so be careful…….>
<Why are you telling me that now?>
Shin-woo freaked out.
It wasn't an object to be handled lightly.
<Because I just saw it.>
At Hyeon-yul’s answer, Shin-woo suddenly burst into laughter.
Pfft.
Forcibly covering his mouth, he pushed himself off the streetlight and waved his hand.
<Amazing. Brilliant.>
‘Is he being sarcastic?’
Hyeon-yul didn't say anything.
<I’ll do as you say. We’ll find you while you’re playing around, so I’ll just ask you to hand over the new weapon.>
<How to dispose of the poison…….>
As Hyeon-yul turned his head, a man who appeared from nowhere received the poison from Shin-woo and disappeared nonchalantly.
If others saw, it would just look like they bumped shoulders.
<The Managers are here, aren’t they? The villains tried to tarnish our relationship, but we have to trust. Right?>
‘Since when were they here?’
Hyeon-yul looked more intently at the people.
Just like villains hid themselves among people, the White Sparrows did the same.
‘Not bad.’
Some say the uniform is worn simply for style, but it wasn't.
There were things that only became visible when wearing the uniform.
The difference between wearing and not wearing the uniform was this big.
Admiration was brief; Hyeon-yul faced reality.
‘…Right. My reality doesn’t change.’
Day off ≠ Not working day.
This formula was broken.
As the corner of Hyeon-yul’s eye sharpened, he reacted to something suddenly appearing and looked.
Jeong-min flinched.
He looked murderous, as if about to kill someone.
“…You’re back?”
Hyeon-yul swallowed his emotions and greeted Jeong-min.
“Why are you so angry?”
“Did I… wait long?”
Se-rin asked hesitantly.
Hyeon-yul lowered his gaze.
She was holding the chicken skewer with both hands, wiggling her fingers.
“…Se-rin said she wanted to watch the chicken skewers being grilled just a little longer.”
“It’s fine to watch more. It’s just because an unpleasant thought came up.”
At Hyeon-yul’s words, Jeong-min’s gaze towards him deepened.
Hyeon-yul lived as an experimental subject for a very long time.
His basic personality ignored, merely treated as an object and subjected to countless gazes, how could any gaze be welcome?
“Ajussi, eat the chicken skewer!”
Se-rin’s voice suddenly spread out.
“Quickly, quickly!”
As Se-rin stomped her feet, Jeong-min, as if pushed from behind, offered the chicken skewer to Hyeon-yul.
Hyeon-yul was pushed as well.
“It’s delicious, right? It’s warm, right?”
Se-rin looked at Hyeon-yul with anticipation.
“Yes. It’s delicious, and warm.”
“Se-rin feels happy when she eats delicious things. I hope Ajussi feels that way too.”
“I hope so too.”
Hyeon-yul looked at the chicken skewer.
He should feel something, but he felt no emotion whatsoever.
“Then let’s eat other things too!”
Sniff, sniff, sniff.
Se-rin sniffed the air.
It felt like the smells of numerous foods tickled her tongue.
She thought she could eat any number of foods right now.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Hyeon-yul nodded, then looked at Jeong-min.
“You can just empty my wallet today.”
Jeong-min said, sounding pleased.
Indeed, it was right for people to eat something.
***
Circling the food stalls, he received a total of 3 new weapons.
The method of handing them over was extremely natural.
Now that there were many people, they would hand over the new weapon while bumping shoulders, or sometimes put it directly into his pocket.
He thought Team 3 would approach, but the people bringing the 3 new weapons were each different.
They all seemed to be White Sparrows.
‘Quite convenient.’
Hyeon-yul mumbled while holding a tornado potato in his hand and watched the performance.
“Excuse me.”
Among the people passing in front of Hyeon-yul, the last person’s body swayed.
At the intentional sway, Hyeon-yul raised the hand holding the tornado potato and naturally extended his other hand.
Pretending to fall, the person placed the new weapon onto Hyeon-yul’s palm, and he immediately clenched his fist.
“S-Sorry! Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sorry, sorry!”
Apologizing repeatedly, the White Sparrow retreated.
“…Ajussi, are you okay?”
“Are you okay?”
Se-rin and Jeong-min asked almost simultaneously.
“I’m fine.”
“The lighting is a bit weak. It’s a light festival, but it’s dark.”
“That’s right. Se-rin almost tripped too.”
As Se-rin chimed in, Jeong-min nodded repeatedly.
“I’m really fine.”
It was a staged play anyway.
Hyeon-yul put the new weapon in his pocket, removed the poison, and crushed it again.
To think this was what it meant to have things done automatically even while standing still.
Even if he were kicked out of here or left on his own accord, he probably wouldn't forget this part.
It was convenient.
Hyeon-yul, quietly watching the performance again, twitched the corner of his eye.
He could no longer shake off the slowly rising question.
‘Even though a murder occurred, it’s awfully quiet.’
Before spreading the new weapons, the enemies staged an incident once to attract the Black Eagle's attention.
He didn't know how or how far that reached, but it was strange.
‘The enemies don’t particularly like this kind of quietness.’
The enemy wasn't stupid.
They knew well how to spread suffocating fear and screams.
The new weapons he destroyed totaled 4.
It was a small number if considered small, and a large number if considered large.
Considering their power, that might have been all of them.
If that wasn't all, it was also time to confirm that the Black Eagle, currently scouring the festival grounds, wasn't moving freely.
‘…How will the enemies react?’
Hyeon-yul listened intently to the song echoing from the performance stage and thought quietly.
What would he do if it were him?
How should he spread infamy?
Hyeon-yul’s gaze moved.
The sun had completely set now.
It could be seen even from the performance stage that things were being filled with light one by one.
The corners of Hyeon-yul’s mouth lifted.
Where was the one place everyone would look at simultaneously?
‘Fireworks.’
Today was the last day.
“Shall we get up now?”
Hyeon-yul asked, looking at Se-rin and Jeong-min.
True to the Light Festival, it was time to see the lights.
“There might be even more people if we go later. There will be fireworks too.”
“That’s right. Better to go now.”
Jeong-min answered and looked at Se-rin.
“Se-rin.”
“Yees.”
“Can you walk more?”
“I can walk! Se-rin wants to see lights!”
“Okay, let’s see them together.”
As Jeong-min smiled, Se-rin smiled along.
Hyeon-yul stood up first and reached out his hand to Se-rin.
“Se-rin can walk.”
“I know. It’s because there are many people. We can’t get lost. Is that still okay?”
“…Then Se-rin will be quiet.”
As soon as she was held by Hyeon-yul, Se-rin gripped his clothes tightly.
If she became alone, she might be very, very scared.
Se-rin looked around, then looked at the tornado potato Hyeon-yul was holding.
“It’s what I was eating, is that okay?”
“Se-rin is okay.”
“Then, please eat.”
Hyeon-yul handed the tornado potato to Se-rin, then moved from the spot.
How far had they walked?
Se-rin’s munching mouth widened, and she kicked her legs.
A tunnel decorated with lights appeared.
“…Waaaah!”
Light poured down as if stars were falling above the tunnel.
How pretty would it look from inside the tunnel?
“It’s sparkly sparkly!”
Se-rin couldn’t hide her smile.
The child’s joy felt like a push on his back, making Hyeon-yul’s steps quicken.
He walked ahead and looked at Jeong-min.
He wore the same expression as Se-rin.
He looked happy.
It was just a bit more sparkly than the lights on the streetlights, but did it look different?
‘……Seeing this, I should be happy.’
Hyeon-yul took in the other people with his eyes.
It was hard to find someone not smiling.
Hyeon-yul learned a fact he didn't know, but still walked through the light-filled tunnel with an indifferent expression.
Following the light, the shadow deepened.
***
Light Festival.
True to its name, when night fell, lights brightly illuminating everything filled the festival grounds.
Numerous lights gathered to become butterflies, whales, and also beautiful flowers.
The sounds of cameras clicking to capture the light and cheers uttered, captivated by the sparkling streaks of light, were abundant.
Hyeon-yul, wearing a cap pulled down low and layered with another outer coat, walked among them.
Tiny ripples seemed to form in the shadows stepped on by his footprints.
The more he walked, the farther he headed towards a place away from the light.
Today, he planned to pretend not to know, not to work.
He planned to just receive the new weapons brought by the White Sparrows as Shin-woo said and destroy them.
But seeing the complacency of the Black Eagles, how could he just stand still?
They didn't know the true face of the villains.
Why didn't they know those leeches were madmen who would complete their mission even by sacrificing themselves?
They would do anything, yet the Black Eagles, blinded by the new weapon aspect, failed to see elsewhere.
So he could only move.
Since it was almost time for the fireworks, he briefly excused himself using the restroom as a pretext.
What the enemies intended to do was extremely simple.
‘Turn the festival into a sea of blood.’
There were too many cards they could use for that.
The enemies weren't ones to cling merely to new weapons.
Hyeon-yul stopped walking and looked ahead.
On a stall somewhat on the outskirts of the festival grounds, there were neatly wrapped gift boxes.
「Free Gift.」
Reading the words written on the stall sign, he almost laughed.
“Hello. Please take one of these.”
Seeing the kindly smiling face along with words urging trust in God, not clumsily, not suspiciously, Hyeon-yul thought it was a rather decent trick.
Because religious people often did such actions, calling it proselytizing.
Those who would receive, received, and those who wouldn't, just passed by.
It wasn't a spot likely to attract the Black Eagle's attention, nor was it anything strange enough to attract it.
‘Truly, remarkable.’
Where did they learn to scheme like this?
“Am I the first?”
Hyeon-yul asked, knowing everything.
Finding them wasn't that difficult.
It was evening now.
Now that darkness had fallen, it was time when he himself could become all shadows.
All sounds and sights were practically beneath his feet.
“…Yes?”
“I passed by here several times, but I haven’t seen you before.”
“Ah, you didn’t see us. We were somewhere else……”
“What’s inside this?”
Hyeon-yul cut him off and asked as he approached.
One step.
One step.
At the heavy footsteps that made no sound at all and the coolness underlying his gaze, they sensed something was wrong.
“Shall I guess?”
At the single phrase Hyeon-yul tossed out, the enemies realized.
But it was too late.
All the lights in the area were devoured by Hyeon-yul’s darkness.
In that place where a quiet night descended, numerous hands reached out and simultaneously grasped the enemies’ necks.
Thwack.
“…Kuk.”
Groans erupted, and when the lights turned back on, only Hyeon-yul stood in that spot.
“…What? Why did the lights suddenly go out?”
People felt puzzled by the strange phenomenon.
But they would never know.
Hyeon-yul walked among them and collected all the wrapped gift boxes.
‘Chu Na-yoon didn’t see, right?’
He had been continuously checking Na-yoon’s location.
The angle was a bit ambiguous, so he changed his cap and coat to find the enemies.
Even if he were spotted, since the lights went out, they wouldn't know it was him.
So now there was no problem.
***
“…Quickly, quickly!”
Se-rin urged impatiently upon seeing Hyeon-yul.
Her heart grew anxious about the fireworks that could burst at any moment.
“There should still be time left.”
“Were there too many people? I also freaked out when I went to the restroom earlier. The line was too long.”
“Yes. The line was too long.”
Hyeon-yul uttered the lie without looking at Jeong-min.
Pyuuung.
At the sudden sound, Se-rin jumped in surprise.
Hyeon-yul held Se-rin.
Pabababang.
Fireworks exploded countless times, embroidering the sky.
“……Waaaaaaaah.”
Se-rin’s exclamation of awe stretched long like the tail of an exploded firework.
Hyeon-yul looked at the sky.
The streaks of light filling the wide sky looked just like bombs.
‘Sounds like buildings exploding.’
He thought he understood why people liked fireworks.
A faint smile spread.