Chapter 43: Unlocked
Jeong-min felt strangely intimidated.
In this world where most people possessed powers, big or small, the Black Eagle was like a symbol of power itself.
The best of the best.
This expression wasn't wrong.
If so, what kind of person was a Black Eagle Team Leader?
"Uh, I am here. What is the matter?"
Hyeon-yul answered.
Ju-hyeon, who had been peering inside, spoke as soon as she saw Hyeon-yul.
"What, you're hurt?"
As Jeong-min tactfully stepped aside, Ju-hyeon smiled at him.
"Ah, I apologize for coming so suddenly. It was because it's urgent."
"Not at all."
Jeong-min shook his head, and Ju-hyeon's smile widened.
Just as there were people who praised the Black Eagle, there were also people who feared them.
Countless complaints were filed asking what the difference was between them and villains, and why only they received special privileges.
In that sense, the fear Jeong-min displayed was different.
It was the fear shown when trying to protect someone.
"Doctor. You don't need to be so scared. I didn't come to scold Seo Hyeon-yul or find fault with him."
As if that was the correct answer, a smile of relief touched Jeong-min's lips when Ju-hyeon finished speaking.
"Is he badly hurt?"
Ju-hyeon asked, looking at Jeong-min.
"Not really. Just..."
"Yes. I am a bit hurt."
Jeong-min interjected, cutting off Hyeon-yul's words.
The patient should just stay still, why was he chattering so much.
‘…Hmm, the Bomber’s bombs really are different. To even injure that newbie.’
Ju-hyeon found the current situation quite fascinating.
Who was the Bomber?
He was a villain who had completely lost it.
Unlike other villains, he had no interest in expanding his own faction and was simply obsessed with playing games with them.
Judging by his actions, there was no word other than 'play' to describe them, but the repercussions were different.
Whenever the Bomber appeared, countless casualties occurred.
An apartment complex had even collapsed once.
Not knowing the guy's face and him having no faction made pursuing him even more difficult.
His purpose was always the game, and nothing else.
‘They said there were no casualties this time, though.’
Ju-hyeon gazed intently at Hyeon-yul.
Perhaps this incident had caught the Bomber's interest?
From the guy's perspective, he might think he had found an interesting puppet.
Whatever else might happen, she hoped such a dreadful thing wouldn't occur.
"The Poison King's cellphone was unlocked."
"Was it unlocked?"
"Yeah. Tell Hae-ryeon-unni when your treatment is finished. I'll come looking for you then."
"Ah..."
I realized something was missing.
"Ah? You... Don't tell me, you didn't tell Unni you got hurt?"
"No."
I fiddled with my eyebrow.
I didn't understand why I specifically had to report being injured.
I just couldn't get used to these procedures.
"...Do you know how scary Unni is when she gets angry? You, tell her quickly."
"I will."
"And get well soon."
"Thank you."
"I say that to lots of people besides you, so don't get too emotional."
"I will do so."
Hearing the reply, Ju-hyeon gave a short laugh and turned away.
She immediately started fiddling with her cellphone.
"Well then, I'll be leaving first, Doctor."
Briefly lowering her cellphone, she bowed towards Jeong-min.
"Yes, yes. Take care on your way out."
Ju-hyeon gave a bright smile at Jeong-min's farewell.
Only when the door closed did Jeong-min sigh in relief.
"Why are you acting like that? She didn't show any killing intent."
"...No, it's just, Team Leader-level people are rare to see."
"I see one every time I come to work."
"That person is your Team Leader. I mean the other Team Leaders."
"There is Yang Do-jin, the Team 2 Leader. He appears everywhere in my field of vision."
"What? No, he's a Team Leader and he's... tailing you?"
"That's not it. He isn't visible when I go home. It seems he finds me desirable."
I smiled ever so slightly.
Seeing my inwardly smug expression, Jeong-min was about to laugh in disbelief when something suddenly occurred to him.
"...House!"
"Yes."
"You said you found a house? Did you find a proper one? Why didn't you call me?"
"The Team Leader assigned someone to help. I just followed them, looked at the place, heard the explanation, and decided on it because it seemed fine."
Although it sounded like I had just been swept along, Jeong-min was relieved to hear the Team Leader had assigned someone.
Hyeon-yul's life skills weren't particularly good.
For example, he didn't pay attention to basic things like needing to buy clothes.
He knew it logically, but it was always pushed down the priority list by things he found interesting or tasks that needed doing first.
Perhaps it couldn't be helped, as his default state was indifference.
"If you like it, that's all that matters. When are you moving? I'll help."
"It's alright. I can do it alone."
"It's because I want to see it."
"...I'll let you know when it's decided."
"Alright. Make sure you let me know."
Jeong-min inserted the IV into Hyeon-yul's arm and stood up.
"Doctor."
"What is it?"
"There are still many things I cannot understand."
"If you don't know, you just have to learn them now."
I smiled at Jeong-min's answer.
The circuits in his head had been damaged by drugs.
Jeong-min likely knew best that Hyeon-yul couldn't think like others no matter what, yet he never said it that way.
"This will sting."
Jeong-min revealed a thick syringe.
The syringe went into Hyeon-yul's abdomen.
A strange sensation lingered.
"Doctor."
"What is it?"
"During a mission, when I have to choose between two options, which one should I prioritize?"
"So this is why you were looking glum."
"I do not know the emotion of being glum."
"Alright, let's just say that. Usually, in those situations, just do whatever feels right."
"Why is that?"
"Because you're bound to get criticized no matter what you choose. So, doing what feels right makes it a bit easier on your mind."
I furrowed my brow.
Whatever feels right?
Those words were too difficult.
"Then, choose the option involving the person who speaks more politely."
"Is it alright to do that?"
"I told you, you'll get criticized anyway! Since you have to choose, isn't it better to pick the option that benefits you?"
"Then, can I pretend not to be aware of the situation itself, so I don't have to make a choice?"
"...Hmm."
Jeong-min contemplated for a moment.
The complexity of emotions was difficult for Hyeon-yul.
It was better for him to simply categorize people into 'must kill' and 'must not kill'.
"...As long as you don't get caught?"
"Understood."
I nodded as if I had finally found the solution.
Seeing me look somewhat relieved, Jeong-min hesitated for no reason.
‘…It’ll be alright, won’t it?’
In any case, Hyeon-yul was a bright kid.
Kwaang!
At the sound of a desk being struck, I stopped mid-entry into the room, surprised.
"Aigoo, Mr. Team Leader. Please calm down. You'll startle Hyeon-yul."
Shin-woo tried to calm Hae-ryeon down.
"Mr. Hyeon-yul. Why should I have received the report later than Team Leader Ju-hyeon?"
Hae-ryeon took a deep breath.
"I apologize. It was my oversight."
As I bowed my head, Hae-ryeon gripped her forehead.
The back of her neck felt tense.
"You don't have to bow your head."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. I almost assigned you the next mission without knowing the situation."
"That would have been alright. There's still time until quitting time......"
"Mr. Hyeon-yul. That's not acceptable."
Hae-ryeon stated firmly.
People were not tools.
If injured, one needed to rest.
The mission just before wasn't easy either.
Not only did it require specialized skills, but the opponent wasn't just any ordinary villain, but the Bomber.
And he had even gotten injured during it, but she hadn't known.
She had been relieved to hear he had returned, and since Hyeon-yul always stopped by Jeong-min's after missions, she had assumed today was the same.
"I'm sorry if the sound of me hitting the desk earlier startled you."
"I was not startled."
My expression didn't change.
"You do look like it."
As Shin-woo spoke, Hae-ryeon narrowed her eyes at him.
As a palpable hostility emanated from her, Shin-woo quickly spoke to Hyeon-yul.
"How's your condition?"
"I am fine."
"Mr. Hyeon-yul. Reports come to me, you know."
Hae-ryeon said incredulously.
She knew his condition perfectly well, yet his expression didn't change one bit.
"It is not severe enough to require a blood transfusion."
"It does say here that the blood loss was significant, though."
"That is because my bleeding does not stop easily. I will be fine again tomorrow, so......"
"...Mr. Team Leader. We should probably send him home early?"
Shin-woo's expression changed completely.
They always sustained minor and major injuries, so he had thought if Hyeon-yul could walk, it wasn't a major injury, but he was wrong.
He hadn't expected talk of blood transfusions to even come up.
"As I get to know you more and more, Mr. Hyeon-yul, I find myself quite pleased?"
Contrary to her words, the corners of Hae-ryeon's eyes lifted.
She had wondered why Jeong-min added a note at the end of the report, but it turned out to be truly necessary.
—P.S. Hyeon-yul prioritizes missions over his own body, so please look after him carefully.
Hae-ryeon wanted to let out a sigh right then and there.
She had thought it was a difficult mission, but she hadn't expected him to get injured.
This was her fault.
"Mr. Hyeon-yul, do you want to take tomorrow off?"
Shouldn't he rest?
But seeing him insist he was fine even now, she doubted Hyeon-yul would actually rest.
Even when he was moving house, he had said he wouldn't take time off because he didn't have many belongings.
At Hae-ryeon's question, my eyes shifted.
After causing this trouble, you want to rest?
It sounded just like that.
Was she disappointed?
"No. I am fine."
‘…As expected, he won't rest.’
Hae-ryeon became conflicted.
"Alright then, starting tomorrow, I'll assign you to different missions."
"...?"
My eyes widened.
Was I being excluded?
"What's wrong? Is it because you're hurt?"
Shin-woo reacted strongly in turn.
"Am I being sidelined...?"
I asked hesitantly.
"Sidelined?"
Hae-ryeon was surprised.
What on earth was he thinking?
"No. It's not like that, Mr. Hyeon-yul. It's only temporary. It means switching you to easier missions until your injury is fully healed. Did you understand?"
"...Yes."
I answered hesitantly.
I felt somewhat like I was being scolded by Jeong-min.
At my answer, Hae-ryeon finally smiled.
"That's a relief."
"It's okay, Hyeon-yul. It happens. Since this is your first time, it can happen."
Shin-woo consoled me while suppressing his laughter.
It seemed his thoughts had become muddled because things were happening differently from the situations Hyeon-yul was used to.
Quite significantly, too.
How much must he usually overthink things negatively?
Thinking about it made him inexplicably amused.
"Hyeon-yul. Mr. Team Leader doesn't treat just you specially; she treats all of us like this. You don't need to feel burdened."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. This is just the standard here."
Shin-woo nodded and looked at me.
I still didn't seem to understand.
Shin-woo stood up from his seat, still chuckling.
"Well then, I'm off to my mission. See you tomorrow, Hyeon-yul."
Shin-woo bowed to Hae-ryeon and me and left the room.
"I want to send you home right now, but it seems Team Leader Ju-hyeon has something she wants to discuss. Could you wait just a moment?"
"She said she unlocked the Poison King's cellphone."
"...The Poison King's cellphone?"
"Yes. That is what she said."
"...This is big."
Hae-ryeon exhaled deeply.
How nice it would have been if it were something minor, so Hyeon-yul could go home without worry.
"Ah. Ju-hyeon. You can come over here."
Hae-ryeon contacted Ju-hyeon.
"...Unni. I unlocked the Poison King's cellphone."
"I heard that already."
At Hae-ryeon's reply, Ju-hyeon immediately glared at me.
"Team Leader Ju-hyeon. Such mean eyes?"
"I didn't expect him to just blurt it out like that."
"You did not say it was a secret."
"...Pfft."
Hae-ryeon burst out laughing.
"...Unni."
"Mr. Hyeon-yul is right about that. You should have specified it was a secret."
As Hae-ryeon spoke, holding back her laughter with effort, Ju-hyeon narrowed her eyes.
"Anyway, the list of contacts came out."
"Will tracing be possible?"
"They're being traced now."
"And there were many conversation logs, but the most suspicious one is this."
Ju-hyeon showed her cellphone screen.
[...Yes. You must act according to your will.]
[You must. I will devote my all to help make it so.]
[I am yours.]
Everyone who saw the messages fell silent.
"I don't know who they were sent to. Should I say the data is corrupted? It looks like recovering it will take some time, and the important point is this."
Ju-hyeon tapped the messages.
"...There's someone behind the Poison King?"
Ju-hyeon nodded at Hae-ryeon's words.
"That's right. It means there's someone even higher up than the top-tier Poison King."
"That is impossible."
I denied it.
"Right?"
The corners of Ju-hyeon's lips curled up.
She had been thinking the same thing.
"It's absurd. To think that villain, the Poison King, served someone."
Ju-hyeon said, looking at Hae-ryeon.
Hae-ryeon's expression hardened.
"...This isn't good."
This was close to shaking up the entire villain ecosystem.
Seeing various villains flooding in from all directions now that the Poison King was gone made it clear that the Poison King had dominated this area.
It was only because his affinity with Hyeon-yul was bad that he was caught; otherwise, he was a foe who could never have been captured.
Dozens of people died even during his transfer to the special criminal containment facility.
To think there was someone above a guy like that.
"May I go see for myself?"
I asked quietly.
A villain, following someone.
This was something that shouldn't exist.
Just as Ju-hyeon and Hae-ryeon were concerned, something strange was indeed happening.