Chapter 48: It Always Starts with Trivial Things (2)
"I'll buy this for you later, so just a moment."
After calming me down, Shin-woo turned his gaze away from the people surrounding me.
Shin-woo's expression slowly hardened.
Suspicious traces filled the area behind me.
The contents of the opened box.
A broken syringe.
Numerous people surrounding me.
A familiar smell.
The more he looked around, the sharper Shin-woo's expression became.
"What... is going on here?"
"It's drugs."
I answered simply.
"......"
Shin-woo lowered his head and looked at the box.
He had decided to deliberately let himself be held back by the people looking at him pleadingly.
But someone spoke up.
—...You need to go. Your colleague is in danger.
At those words, he had just picked up the box absentmindedly while trying to gather the fallen items.
But that was drugs.
What was more urgent and critical?
There was no comparison.
Shin-woo put the box down and lowered his voice.
"......Stay still."
Shin-woo's eyes turned towards one man.
Before he knew it, a sword was pointed at the man's neck.
"You."
His dark blue eyes turned cold like a snowfield.
The cellphone held in the man's hand fell.
"Did they try to use drugs on you?"
Shin-woo looked at me.
"Yes."
"You didn't get hit, right?"
"No. And it is fine even if I am hit......"
Before my words could finish, Shin-woo slapped my back.
Slap.
"......?"
I stared blankly at Shin-woo.
There was no killing intent, so I let him hit me, but I didn't know why he hit me.
Did I make some mistake?
"I..."
"You don't take things like that."
"Understood."
I didn't mention that it was fine to be hit.
"First, we need to resolve this."
Shin-woo looked at the pile of drugs.
Was this all there was?
To think the drugs were what the president tried to hide.
Shin-woo took out his cellphone.
"Hello."
<Did something happen...?>
Hae-ryeon sounded quite cautious.
"Sadly, yes."
<...No way.>
As expected, is this the Hyeon-yul effect?
I heard Hae-ryeon muttering.
Not knowing what she meant, Shin-woo proceeded with the report.
"Drugs were found in the company we were supposed to investigate."
<What?>
"Whether it's manufacturing or distribution, it's not certain yet. I'd like you to send people over."
<I'll contact the police. Hold them there for a bit.>
"Understood."
Shin-woo hung up the phone and looked at the people.
He spoke with a smile.
"If you want your sentences reduced, you'll need to cooperate."
It would be best not to run away.
His sword did not miss its target.
The matter was wrapped up quickly.
The police arrived swiftly, and no one tried to escape.
The atmosphere suggested everyone knew how severe the Empire's laws regarding drugs were.
"We brought him."
The police officer said, looking at me and Shin-woo.
—Please just bring the president over quietly.
The moment they refused, saying they couldn't because they were from the Ministry of Labor, the civil servant ID representing the Black Eagle popped out.
Everyone else had plain white IDs, but only the Black Eagles had black ones, so it was impossible not to know.
Regardless of the reason, cooperation with the Black Eagle is mandatory.
Since this was stipulated by law, the police had no choice but to cooperate.
"Thank you."
Shin-woo greeted them.
The police briefly looked at Shin-woo and me.
When they didn't know, they didn't know, but now was different.
The more they looked, the more respect surged within them.
"Can I... shake your hand for a moment?"
The police officer said hesitantly.
"Of course."
Shin-woo grasped the police officer's hand and shook it.
"Thank you!"
The police officer quickly retreated.
‘What is he doing?’
I couldn't understand the police officer's actions.
Why suddenly grab his hand?
Why did he like that action?
"We're more popular than we look."
Shin-woo said excitedly, looking at my expression.
"...Is that so?"
"Of course, we're also popular in other ways too."
Those who liked them, liked them.
Those who hated them, hated them.
It might be the same everywhere, but the Black Eagle had many extreme aspects.
"I don't particularly like having attention focused on us."
The smile vanished from Shin-woo's lips.
A deep sense of emptiness flickered in his eyes and disappeared.
"Anyway, you brought him, what are you planning to do?"
"I intend to ask."
I looked at Shin-woo, then picked up the box and approached the president.
The president trembled uncontrollably, handcuffs fastened on him.
"...I- I'll die. Please save me!"
Where did he receive the drugs from?
Through what route did he receive them?
The day he opened his mouth about such things, death was a foregone conclusion.
"This snack. Which company requested it?"
"......Pardon?"
"?"
The president and Shin-woo were surprised simultaneously.
Snacks.
Why would that be important enough to cause this?
"...That, j- just a moment. I can remember."
"Calmly, take a deep breath."
Following my words, the president took a deep breath.
As his complexion improved considerably, I asked.
"Are you okay now?"
"It is better than before."
"Then I would appreciate it if you told me now."
At my polite request, the president felt a strange sensation.
It felt like I might kill him at any moment, but perhaps it was just his imagination?
"...We started working with them about one or two months ago. Jaeil Bakery. That's the name, it was a place that makes snacks."
"Thank you for telling me."
After thanking him, I opened the door.
The president blinked.
"You may leave now and follow the police officer's instructions."
"......Does this mean my sentence will be reduced?"
"Reduced sentence?"
"Yes. I cooperated......"
"Why are you trying to receive that?"
"...Pardon?"
"If you wanted a reduced sentence, shouldn't you have killed a villain instead? The Empire overlooks even killing villains. Other than that, having done something you shouldn't have, crying out for a lighter sentence is something I cannot understand. You are not a minor; adults should only do things they can take responsibility for."
"......"
I pushed the stunned president out and closed the door.
He wasn't worth talking to anymore.
The room was quiet.
When I looked at Shin-woo, he was clutching his stomach and laughing loudly.
"...Wow, amazing, really."
How could he strike bone without changing expression even once, without mixing in any harsh words?
The laughter wouldn't stop easily.
"I do not understand why you are laughing."
"Because it's amazing."
Was he being sarcastic?
I just let it slide.
The Empire hated villains so much that it implicitly pardoned even killing them.
The only ones I touched were villains.
Ordinary people should not be touched.
Children and the elderly must be protected.
I repeated these basic things over and over until my body reacted instinctively.
"Did you hear what you wanted?"
Shin-woo asked, pointing towards the door.
"Yes."
"Is there something about that box?"
I had been constantly paying attention to the box since earlier.
"It is correct that a villain is involved."
"The snack, it contains such ingredients?"
"I do not know. It seems I would need to eat it to know."
As I glanced towards the box, Shin-woo wiped his face.
He hadn't thought so, but I was really trying to eat it.
"Hyeon-yul-ah. You can request a component analysis. You don't have to eat it."
"Isn't that slow?"
"It doesn't take long."
"Eating it is faster. Anyway, numerous drugs have been injected into my body before, so I can easily tell by tasting it."
Hearing the words spoken without hesitation, Shin-woo was momentarily speechless.
This shouldn't happen, but I spoke so nonchalantly that it felt disheartening.
Becoming a Black Eagle, he had seen numerous things.
Messily dismembered corpses, people used in drug experiments for experimental subjects, corpses of experimental subjects who had become no longer human, etc.
Numerous gazes came to mind.
Various words swirled in Shin-woo's head.
But he couldn't utter any of them.
Didn't it seem like pitying without knowing his place?
Worried that useless words might spill out, he brought up something else.
"Wasn't there anyone who told you why you shouldn't do that?"
"There was."
"Who? Ah..., Doctor Jeong-min?"
"Yes. The doctor told me not to pick up and eat random things, but I am merely acting quite rationally."
"Then I'll have to tattle."
"...Pardon?"
"I'll have to tattle to Doctor Jeong-min that you picked up and ate random things again today."
"......Are you serious?"
I looked as if seeing something dreadful.
A grown adult tattling like a child.
Just imagining it was unpleasant.
"I'm serious."
"It is an unnecessary act."
"Will the doctor think so too?"
"......"
I was at a loss for words.
Such questions were difficult.
Because I wasn't Jeong-min.
"Alright, alright. I'll request a component analysis for this. Shall we head back now then?"
Shin-woo smiled brightly.
He was happy that he understood a little bit about how to handle me.
"Why are we going back?"
My head tilted slightly sideways.
Jaeil Bakery.
The name of that place came up.
We had to go immediately before those guys escaped.
There was a high possibility they had noticed by now.
"Calm down, Hyeon-yul-ah."
"I am calm."
"I'm not an idiot, would I suggest just going back?"
"Please tell me what you are thinking."
"As you know, what villains do best is cutting off their tails. Jaeil Bakery. Villains run this place too, but in reality, ordinary people are probably working there, right?"
"I know that. That is not what we are talking about right now. We need to go there to find clues."
"I'm not saying your method is wrong."
Shin-woo calmly persuaded me.
This was a difference in methods.
I had always done things alone until now and was accustomed to it.
But I was no longer alone.
"Hyeon-yul, you're not satisfied with just the tail either, right?"
"Of course."
"The White Sparrows specialize in this field. We can't look at just one case. Because we have to solve other cases too."
"I do not understand."
Trusting what?
If they slipped away midway, who should take responsibility?
The more they were discovered, the more meticulous those guys became.
"Do you really think they can handle the matter fairly over there if my story comes out?"
‘...Oh dear, the resentment has really taken root.’
Seeing my even more hardened expression, Shin-woo fiddled with his hair.
For Hyeon-yul, the relationship with the White Sparrows had been buttoned wrong from the start.
"It'll be different this time."
Trusting what?
Exactly that kind of look was visible in my eyes.
"Unless our bodies are multiple, getting bogged down in one case means we might miss several others."
Shin-woo let out the words and narrowed his eyes.
Would this be persuasive?
He needed to speak more Hyeon-yul-like.
"Besides this task, other missions will continue to be assigned to you. Hyeon-yul, if you want to dig into this here, you can, but since it's personal work, I don't know if it will count as work hours. Then, outside of quitting time......"
"I will wait."
I couldn't bear to listen to those dreadful words any longer.
I didn't even know their faces yet.
If they harmed me directly like the Crimson Witch, the story would change, but since they weren't even lingering before my eyes, I didn't particularly want to give up my quitting time to search for them.
"A very good choice. Our mission was to uncover the suspiciousness happening here, so the mission is accomplished. Shall we eat and head back?"
"...Yes."
I answered with a dissatisfied face.
Knowing what that feeling was, Shin-woo chuckled.
He was like that back then too.
Filled with the confidence that he could solve everything.
But seeing the flood of incoming missions, he would realize he couldn't fixate on just one.
The villains they had to eliminate weren't just one.
"...They say a small amount of hallucinogen is mixed in the snack."
Hae-ryeon spoke, looking at me and Shin-woo.
"Why would they put something like that in a snack?"
Shin-woo narrowed his eyes.
Playing games with food.
"I looked into this, and it's apparently not for sale on the market?"
"It's not sold on the market, but they asked a factory to make it?"
Shin-woo couldn't understand.
‘...They couldn’t possibly like snacks that much.’
What kind of trickery was this?
"They only sell it in their own places."
I answered.
As Shin-woo made a face like he couldn't understand, I continued explaining.
"Simply put, they are mimicking the actions of cults to create a 'village' boundary. Under the pretext of self-sufficiency there, they make goods sold only internally, and that snack is it."
As soon as I heard the word 'hallucinogen', I immediately recalled it.
It was a method commonly used by some villains.
"Since it's sold inside the boundary, it doesn't leak outside, and the people living inside won't say they ate it, so who cares what's mixed in."
"They... willingly accepted that?"
"Drugs came out of that factory, didn't they? Why are you surprised?"
At my words, Shin-woo could only answer with an 'Ah'.
Connected like this, there was nothing to be surprised about.
"But Mr. Hyeon-yul, how did you know just by looking at that box?"
"Did I not mention it last time?"
Hae-ryeon waited for the next words.
The things Hyeon-yul had mentioned weren't just one or two.
"Villains have their own unique symbols or marks. I knew because I saw that symbol on the box."
"...What? You don't just know Shin Dae-ho's?"
Hae-ryeon stood up from her seat in surprise.
"I have seen various ones. However, since I only took them in with my eyes once or twice, I could not recall them in my head, so I could not tell you."
"Then... if you see them, you see them, you know?"
"Only the ones I have seen."
At that answer, Hae-ryeon covered her mouth with both hands and looked as if she had discovered treasure.