Chapter 57: Shh (1)
As Hyeon-yul opened his eyes, sunlight streamed down.
He stared blankly at the sunlight.
Today was the last day in this small house.
Hyeon-yul reached out towards the sunlight from within his thin blanket, which lacked even a mattress.
The hill was brutally steep and narrow, but he liked this place where the sunlight came in.
He felt no regret.
He just wanted to remember this warmth.
Hyeon-yul sat up and looked around.
He just needed to take everything into the darkness, so there was nothing for him to prepare.
As decided, he put his belongings into the darkness one by one.
They were all necessary things.
Putting them in, and putting more in, Hyeon-yul eventually just stuffed everything inside.
‘……I do have a lot of stuff.’
How had he lived like this all this time?
He hadn't even been conscious of it, but now he finally understood why Jeong-min said those things whenever he came over.
—Hyeon-yul. Tidy up a bit. Just tidy up!
‘Where should I put things in the new house?’
He hadn't learned how to organize.
Should he buy a book?
Hyeon-yul pondered, got up from his spot, then turned his head.
His gaze seemed to slowly cool as he walked towards the sound he heard.
The sound of a key turning was heard.
“What brings you here so early in the morning, Doctor?”
Jeong-min was startled by Hyeon-yul’s sudden appearance.
“…You’re not sleeping?”
“My eyes just opened. Isn’t it too early for you, Doctor?”
Hyeon-yul looked at Jeong-min.
He seemed quite out of breath from climbing up here, covered in sweat.
‘He couldn’t sleep.’
Seeing Jeong-min’s face, Hyeon-yul could tell what had happened.
That the experiment subjects he had saved yesterday had died.
It couldn't be helped.
Several days had passed since Asan died, and without funding, they couldn't have maintained the experiment subjects.
Their breathing was already faint when he rescued them.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have brought them to the Doctor.’
Just in case.
He brought them, wondering if there might be someone else like him, but it seemed to have turned into a heart-wrenching situation for Jeong-min.
‘Let’s be more careful next time.’
“Um……”
Jeong-min hesitated for a moment.
It seemed Hyeon-yul had noticed.
He tried to hide it well, but it felt truly difficult.
When experiment subjects died, they turned to ash and disappeared.
Leaving not even a trace prevented them from observing even the final human rites.
The bastards who created them were cruel to them until the very end.
“You said you were leaving yesterday. Your stuff is……”
Jeong-min managed his expression, looked inside, then let out a long sigh.
“Gone?”
“I put it all away.”
“Food?”
Hyeon-yul was about to answer but briefly checked Jeong-min's expression.
He hadn't really thought about it.
Was he planning to eat?
“Where’s the new house?”
“Here it is.”
Hyeon-yul brought his cell phone and read out the address.
Staring intently at the address, Jeong-min searched for the location.
Looking around, he smiled gently, seemingly pleased.
“First, let’s eat.”
“Doctor.”
Hyeon-yul glanced sideways at Jeong-min, then spoke.
“Hm? Want to eat more?”
“No. This is enough.”
“Usually, out of courtesy, you should at least have a coffee.”
“More importantly, I heard some rather important information yesterday.”
As soon as Jeong-min heard that, he pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped briefly.
He immediately ejected the chip from the dashcam.
“…What is it? What, did you get caught? Or did you mess with someone?”
Jeong-min asked urgently.
“That’s not it. Yesterday, at the experiment site I visited, I met a working-level person from there.”
“You met them…?”
“Yes. The guy said the Empire created the powers people possess.”
—It was the Empire that created the power we now take for granted.
He had clearly said that yesterday.
He didn't know about other things, but he thought it was right to tell Jeong-min.
Because he was the person most interested in experiment subjects.
“Powers…? You mean the powers people are born with?”
“Yes. I thought it was natural occurrence, but apparently not.”
“……Huh?”
“Considering the fact that those guys were the working-level staff leading the experiments and the question about how many sacrifices were made for everyone to possess power, one fact emerges.”
—How many sacrifices do you think it took for everyone to possess power? You say this value isn't sublime? How can you say that?
Hyeon-yul saw Jeong-min’s face turn deathly pale.
“……The Empire, also conducted experiments? The Empire?”
“I can’t say for sure yet. I expected you’d be shocked, but I still thought you should know.”
“…You, nothing happened to you, right?”
Jeong-min stammered, grabbing Hyeon-yul’s shoulder.
If those words were true, it meant the Empire might target Hyeon-yul.
Because Hyeon-yul was created in pursuit of stronger, more perfect power.
A product of horrific madness.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The Black Eagles didn’t put any pressure on you, right? No signs or anything? Like someone tailing you!”
“Nothing. I was also wary because of the time I worked as a villain, but according to the Team Leader, the Empire actually welcomed me.”
“……Ha.”
Jeong-min finally exhaled.
He covered his face with both hands.
At times like this, the fact that he lacked the power to protect Hyeon-yul was incredibly frustrating.
“Your glasses will get marked.”
“…That, can be wiped off.”
As Hyeon-yul snatched the glasses, Jeong-min removed his hands and looked at him.
He was wiping the glasses.
“Doctor.”
“…….”
“It’s already enough. You’ve given me so much that I don’t know how to handle the pouring emotions.”
“Only sharp at times like this……”
“It was an emotion I could read.”
Hyeon-yul smiled faintly and handed the glasses back to Jeong-min.
“It was my feeling, and I did it because I wanted to, so you don’t have to return it.”
“I heard I should return it.”
“Who?”
“My teammates.”
“They don’t seem like bad people. Meaning, they seem like people who won’t harm you.”
“I think so too.”
Hyeon-yul paused mid-sentence, slightly surprised.
Had his guard lowered?
‘……Hmm.’
He felt it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Ah, Doctor.”
“What… now?”
“About the welcome party. How perfectly do I need to prepare?”
“Isn’t it your welcome party, Hyeon-yul?”
“That’s correct.”
“It’s your welcome party, so why… are you preparing it?”
Jeong-min narrowed his eyes.
He immediately retracted the thought that they weren't bad.
Had they noticed that Hyeon-yul, despite appearing fine on the outside, had a screw loose somewhere?
Were they using him because of that?
The villain-run companies did that.
He was exploited.
Was it happening again this time?
“You can’t kill them this time, Hyeon-yul. It’s different from last time! It’ll be a big trouble!”
“I know that too. Don’t worry, Doctor.”
“Then why are you preparing the welcome party?”
“It’s an extension of a company dinner, isn’t it?”
Jeong-min let out a deep sigh.
Hyeon-yul had worked for villain companies since before becoming an adult due to hospital bills or debt.
Was he still slow to adapt because he hadn't experienced what ordinary people should?
“……No, Hyeon-yul.”
“It’s not?”
“You can just stay still. No, let’s buy a simple gift at least.”
“Why buy a gift?”
He knew people were happy when they received gifts.
He just wondered if the timing was right.
“So they’ll like you more.”
Jeong-min smiled brightly, as if shaking off his worries.
“Why are you happier, Doctor?”
“Because just imagining it makes me happy.”
“Is that so?”
“Should we pick out a gift first? Will we have time?”
“…What should I choose?”
“Leave it to me.”
Jeong-min gripped the steering wheel again and moved the car.
Various thoughts crossed Hyeon-yul’s mind, but since Jeong-min was happy, he just buried them all.
Jeong-min took a deep breath before the door.
Hyeon-yul’s new house lacked nothing in terms of location, surrounding commercial areas, and even transportation.
How much nicer would the inside be?
The apartment interior was quiet on the way here.
“You live in an apartment too, Doctor. Why are you so nervous?”
“Because I’m happy. Aren’t you happy, Hyeon-yul?”
“I’m happy too.”
Unlike his words, there was no significant change in Hyeon-yul’s expression.
But Jeong-min saw the subtle change in Hyeon-yul’s expression.
Hadn't the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly?
Hyeon-yul suddenly turned his head.
Jeong-min’s head turned along with his.
The sound of someone rushing up the stairs was heard urgently.
“Wait, wait a moment!”
Immediately, the stairwell door opened, and people appeared.
“……?”
Jeong-min’s eyes widened.
There were three of them.
“……Do you know them?”
“They’re my teammates.”
“What…?”
Jeong-min was startled again.
“…When did you contact them?”
“They contacted me suddenly.”
Whether Hae-ryeon told them it was moving day, contacts came separately.
“It was when you were looking at things earlier, Doctor. It was difficult getting separate contacts continuously, but I was invited to the group messenger room. They asked if they could come to the house, so I said yes.”
“……Um, that worked out well.”
Listening to the story, Jeong-min quietly patted Hyeon-yul’s shoulder.
‘Whoever initiated it, they’re really fast.’
Hadn't they naturally invited Hyeon-yul to the group messenger room?
He himself seemed unaware.
‘You’re the one who stepped into hell, Hyeon-yul.’
Jeong-min welcomed the other Black Eagles, amused just by the thought.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Jeong-min.”
“Doctor. It’s Na-yoon. You don’t have to be so formal.”
As Na-yoon pointed to herself, Jeong-min smiled brightly.
“Why haven’t you come by since then?”
“That’s why I came today like this. Surprised?”
“Was I just surprised?”
“Doctor. This is Baek Shin-woo, and this is the maknae, Ye Ji-hwan.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
Jeong-min shook hands with Shin-woo and Ji-hwan too.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this, but please take good care of our Hyeon-yul.”
“Doctor. Don’t worry. Hyeon-yul is my younger brother.”
“And my hyung, Doctor.”
Shin-woo and Ji-hwan grinned, showing their teeth.
Jeong-min looked at them fondly.
He felt sorry for the bad thoughts he had just moments ago.
“Hyeon-yul, open the door. Don’t keep guests standing.”
“Yes.”
Hyeon-yul opened the door.
Inside, disorganized belongings were piled high.
Peeking inside, Jeong-min was surprised and whispered quietly to Hyeon-yul.
“What’s all this stuff?”
“It’s my stuff.”
“So why is this……”
“I planned to organize it slowly.”
“Hyung. I’m really good at organizing.”
Ji-hwan naturally approached, pointed at himself, and grinned slyly.
“Me too, I’m amazing at organizing.”
Shin-woo rolled up his sleeves and approached.
“Me too……”
“You don’t do it, Chu Na-yoon. It won’t be organizing, it’ll be a mess.”
Shin-woo narrowed his eyes and looked at Na-yoon.
“What…?”
“Hyung isn’t wrong today.”
As Ji-hwan also nodded, Na-yoon’s eyes drooped.
“…Ji-hwan. You shouldn’t be like that.”
“It’s okay. Hyeon-yul can’t organize either.”
Jeong-min patted Na-yoon’s shoulder as if understanding everything, then went inside.
Only Hyeon-yul and Na-yoon stood blankly, then looked at each other.
When Na-yoon extended her hand, Hyeon-yul shook it reflexively.
After making a proud face for no reason, she went inside.
Hyeon-yul had a question mark floating in his head.
He didn't know what she was trying to say, but he went into the house.
Bright sunlight streamed in.
He didn't care about other things, but he decided on this house seeing this sunlight.
After Jeong-min saved him, the first thing he saw was brilliant sunlight.
“…Did the move go well, Mr. Hyeon-yul?”
Seeing them enter in a group, Hae-ryeon stopped busily typing on her keyboard and smiled brightly.
“Yes. Everyone helped.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Team Leader, did you just come from carrying something heavy? Look at your face. Is this the state of a human being?”
Na-yoon stared at the dark circles under Hae-ryeon’s eyes.
This didn't feel good.
“Team Leader. You did go home… right? You’re not going to tell us some ghost story, are you?”
Na-yoon’s gaze moved towards the nap cushion she spotted upon entering.
To think it reached the point where that was needed.
“……There were many things to discuss in meetings. Everyone, went home and was called back.”
“Ah…. It must be because of the incident caused by the Poison King, right?”
Ji-hwan asked cautiously.
The biggest recent incident was only the poison incident spread by the Poison King.
Aftermath management would be handled by the Team Leader along with the White Sparrow.
“Right. Thanks to Mr. Hyeon-yul, we really, really managed to prevent major damage. Still, the city was paralyzed, there were reprimands from above, and while predicting how villains might act next, we heard some shocking news.”
“Shocking news? What is it?”
Shin-woo asked, showing strong curiosity.
“It’s still confidential. What’s interesting is, well, up to here for now.”
“That’s petty, Team Leader.”
“What’s petty about it? I couldn’t even go home, okay? If I quit being Team Leader, I’ll nominate Mr. Shin-woo as the next one. He’s excellent talent.”
As Hae-ryeon raised the corners of her mouth high, Na-yoon clapped her hands along.
“I agree too, Team Leader!”
At those words, Shin-woo quickly ran to the pantry, took out a bunch of fatigue recovery drinks, and placed them on the desk.
“Respected Team Leader. Please, please, remain Team Leader for a long time.”
“Alright. I’ll think about it.”
Hae-ryeon chuckled and downed the fatigue recovery drink in one go.
She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
“…Ha. Now I feel like I can live.”
“Doesn’t it take time for the medicine to take effect?”
At Hyeon-yul’s question, Hae-ryeon looked at him with blank eyes.
He was quite serious, so laughter burst out.
“It’s just a feeling. I feel like I have some energy. Now, well, shall we all sit down?”
Hae-ryeon offered seats and stood up.
Everyone sat down.
Hae-ryeon’s steps towards them slowly grew heavy.
“Alright, everyone. First, some sad news has come down for all of us.”
Hae-ryeon spoke very carefully.
She especially looked at Hyeon-yul.
Today, Hyeon-yul was assigned a very easy mission of judging whether something was villainous or not by looking at various company logos or suspicious symbols.
Though easy, only Hyeon-yul could do it.
To have to deliver these words amidst that.
She felt like she was committing a sin, and at the same time, a chill ran down her neck.
“Do you remember the corporate investigation Mr. Hyeon-yul and Mr. Shin-woo did last time?”
“I remember.”
“I remember too.”
At Hyeon-yul and Shin-woo’s answers, Hae-ryeon opened her mouth towards Hyeon-yul again.
“Related to that mission, the investigation revealed that a villain is acting as a cult leader and leading a village. The village scale is quite large, and it’s mixed up to the point where it’s hard to tell who is a villain and who isn’t.”
At Hae-ryeon’s words, everyone except Hyeon-yul felt anxious.
As if what they feared had come, Ji-hwan squeezed his eyes shut completely.
“Our team has been assigned this mission.”
Ahhh.
Despair escaped from the mouths of everyone except Hyeon-yul.
“The maximum deadline is 5 days. The task is to eliminate or capture all villains in the village and liberate the people. There’s also a high possibility that everyone was brainwashed through the hallucinogen in the snacks handed out last time.”
After finishing the mission explanation, Hae-ryeon immediately looked at Hyeon-yul.
He seemed somehow colder than usual.
“…Mr. Hyeon-yul.”
“Yes.”
“You… won’t be able to go home for up to 5 days, will that be okay…?”
Hae-ryeon’s voice trailed off progressively.
Her heart was already pounding fiercely.