Chapter 61: Infiltration (2)
“…I’ll keep it brief.”
As soon as White Sparrow confirmed inside the store that Hyeon-yul and Shin-woo were Black Eagles, he quietly began to speak.
“In about, hmm, 5 minutes, someone sent from their side will arrive here. They’re civilians, and thoroughly brainwashed.”
“Are they going with us?”
Shin-woo asked.
“Yes. They are extremely wary. They’ll keep probing you the entire way, and might ask questions bordering on attacks under the guise of kindness. However, I hope you, the Black Eagle members, will remain calm and follow the pre-briefed information.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve studied it well.”
“I heard there was a newbie, which one is it?”
‘Did they not give him that information?’
At White Sparrow’s question, Hyeon-yul thought for a moment before speaking.
“That’s me.”
What would he say?
Hyeon-yul’s gaze towards White Sparrow wasn’t friendly.
“First, I’d like to apologize for the unfortunate incident that originated from our side. I know the timing isn’t right, but I really wanted to apologize.”
Hyeon-yul’s expression didn’t change.
Was it just to save face?
How could I know if he was sincere or not?
“Don’t be nervous, just respond calmly. I will also desperately assist you from the side. If you feel anything is strange, please come find me immediately.”
“Why should I do that?”
When Hyeon-yul asked, White Sparrow was momentarily flustered but quickly lowered his gaze slightly and answered.
From the newbie's perspective, it was understandable.
After all, it was their side that had drawn the line first.
“I was instructed that the most crucial point in this mission is minimizing your mental contamination. I believe in your strength and abilities. I’m saying that I can handle that part in case of an emergency.”
Was that really true?
Hyeon-yul answered noncommittally.
“Understood.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else we need to know regarding this mission?”
Shin-woo asked next.
“I’ll provide more details once we’re inside their headquarters. Besides me, several other White Sparrows are undercover and will approach you after giving a signal. Please be wary of anyone approaching without a signal.”
“…They’re coming.”
Hyeon-yul spoke as he heard footsteps.
At his words, the expressions of White Sparrow and Shin-woo changed.
“…Is it true? If we really do that, can my brother start speaking again?”
As if he had been saying this all along, Shin-woo assimilated into the situation.
At his incredibly swift change in attitude, Hyeon-yul glanced sideways at Shin-woo.
While it was expected for that White Sparrow, who did this regularly, it wasn't for Shin-woo.
‘……Ah, he said he was a child actor, right?’
Hyeon-yul soon recalled what Shin-woo had said.
“Of course. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Prayer is the heart, and prayer is the truth’?”
Just as White Sparrow chimed in, the door opened.
Jingle, jingle.
“Have you arrived?”
“Are these the new Morning Stars?”
It was a middle-aged woman.
She had a remarkably gentle impression.
“That’s right. There are lost souls here, how could we not help them?”
“Of course. Isn’t this why we are here?”
She smiled with a kind face and sat down.
Her gaze shifted to Hyeon-yul.
As she reached out to take Hyeon-yul’s hand, he instinctively pulled it away.
‘Should I have let her grab it?’
But I didn’t want to be grabbed.
Unpermitted physical contact was unpleasant.
“Don’t worry. All roots stem from the heart, and that heart can be healed through faith. Morning Star.”
The woman smiled brightly at Hyeon-yul.
“…Excuse me, what’s a Morning Star?”
Shin-woo asked, looking bewildered yet remaining vigilant.
He seemed to be checking multiple times if this approach was correct, even though he had come this far.
“It refers to those who will newly receive a miracle. Our Saint is one who has saved countless people from darkness through faith and prayer.”
She looked at Shin-woo with a benevolent smile.
‘Are they really doing this so openly?’
I thought the method was a bit old-fashioned.
Weren’t we living in an age where everyone was highly guarded against all sorts of solicitations?
Wouldn’t saying it like this make anyone suspicious?
“I, too, received salvation. Can you see?”
She rolled up her sleeve, revealing traces of self-harm.
The countless scars radiated the anguish of someone who had struggled painfully.
‘…Ah.’
Shin-woo realized how things were unfolding.
It was a method to maximize impact by intentionally raising suspicion and then introducing a twist.
Pretending to share pain to increase solidarity.
It was an incredibly infuriating method.
‘Using pain because there’s nothing else to use?’
Shin-woo was trembling with anger.
Pain wasn’t something to be used, and it shouldn’t be used.
“I couldn’t believe it either until I received salvation. I couldn’t bring myself to die, so I just lived, carving these marks. I was always thinking about when I would die, when would be a good time to die, when I happened to learn about this place. I visited half-believing, half-doubting.”
As her words continued and her gaze deepened, Hyeon-yul didn’t want to listen anymore.
‘Nonsense.’
Hyeon-yul made that judgment.
If someone had mental problems, they should go to a hospital.
Faith.
Prayer.
Religious activities born out of desperate hearts, and so on.
They could offer psychological comfort, but they couldn’t cure.
Ultimately, the hospital was the answer.
Why avoid expert doctors and be captivated by someone without qualifications when doctors existed in the first place?
Hyeon-yul couldn’t understand this fact at all.
People usually said they heard it from an acquaintance, but that acquaintance wasn't a doctor.
It was closer to irresponsible words uttered simply to cling to hope.
“Prayer accompanied by the Saint’s words. The activities carried out there slowly healed me. I didn’t notice it at all, but what had been eating away at me was a terrible loneliness. Our Morning Star might be different from me, but I think it would be good if we could find faith together.”
She gazed warmly at Hyeon-yul.
Someone might have been deceived, but Hyeon-yul already knew from the scent of drugs emanating from her that she wasn’t in her right mind.
“My younger brother… has suffered from mutism for a very long time.”
Shin-woo said hesitantly.
“Our parents passed away in an accident…”
Overcome with a surge of emotion, Shin-woo couldn't easily continue speaking.
The setup was that their parents had died in an accident several years ago, and the shock of witnessing it had rendered Hyeon-yul unable to speak.
Since Hyeon-yul’s and his own records were temporarily fabricated, it didn't matter if they did background checks.
“It seems he developed a severe psychological condition. We’ve visited several hospitals, but there was no improvement. …My brother is the only family I have left. What wouldn’t I do for him?”
Although he suppressed his tears, the corners of Shin-woo’s eyes turned red.
Anyone could see he looked like an older brother who cared for his younger sibling.
“I know that feeling very well.”
She naturally approached Shin-woo and clasped his hand.
She patted the back of his hand, comforting Shin-woo.
“I know it very well too. Instead of standing here, would you like to go meet him first?”
White Sparrow jumped in.
“Really…?”
Shin-woo acted hopeful.
“Yes. I truly want to help.”
White Sparrow confirmed.
“Thank you, thank you.”
Shin-woo expressed his gratitude.
“Then, would you mind getting in the car first?”
The woman asked them.
She walked ahead, opened the door, and gestured towards the car.
She seemed very practiced, clearly not her first or second time doing this.
Shin-woo got into the car with a bewildered expression and gestured to Hyeon-yul.
“Hurry up.”
After Hyeon-yul got in, she made a request, saying.
“Wait a moment, I have something to discuss with that person, so could you please wait?”
Hyeon-yul nodded.
After the car door closed and she walked away, Shin-woo pointed to his ear.
Hyeon-yul took the Black Eagle wireless earphone from his pocket, put it in, and activated it.
“…Nervous?”
<"It seems there’s a listening device in the car. I can hear something operating.">
“Yeah. Hyung is a bit nervous too.”
Shin-woo continued talking to himself.
Letting the audio go silent could be interpreted as an action aware of the listening device.
“How were those people earlier?”
At Shin-woo’s question, Hyeon-yul thought for a moment, then covered his ear.
<"I’ll listen.">
He focused on their words.
“You did choose carefully, right?”
The woman’s voice came through.
“I decided carefully. You saw, didn’t you? There’s a doctor’s opinion too. He hasn’t spoken for five whole years, they say.”
“In short, we just need to make him regain his voice, right?”
“That’s it.”
“He will be pleased. He is a captivating being, enough to take a step closer to His greatness. You did very well. I will make sure to report today’s contribution favorably.”
“Thank you.”
“By the way, are they both non-Awakened?”
“That’s not the case.”
“That’s truly… a shame.”
The woman expressed disappointment and remained silent.
Hearing the ensuing silence, Hyeon-yul thought no more useful information would come out and lowered his hand.
<"She called me a captivating being for ‘Him’. It probably refers to the ‘Saint’ they kept mentioning earlier.">
“Let’s go and see what it’s like.”
<"It looks like they’ll publicly feature me. Mental issues aren’t easily visible, but the role I’m playing is different, isn’t it? The difference between before and after curing mutism will be obvious to anyone.">
“That’s true. I hope it’s a good place.”
<"I expect to receive a lot of attention once we arrive inside. Can you handle all of it?">
“No problem.”
Shin-woo smiled.
He genuinely looked like there would be no problem.
<"Understood. And I confirmed the ‘non-Awakened’ point.">
“Huh?”
<"I don’t know either. We’ll have to check things one by one when we get there. She’s coming now.">
Hyeon-yul removed the wireless earphone from his ear and waited for them.
The woman got into the car, looking excited.
“Ah, you must be thirsty on the way, drink this.”
She handed over water, pretending to open it.
It made no sound.
When Shin-woo took it, the smell of hallucinogen emanated from within.
‘So this is how it starts.’
Hyeon-yul took the water himself.
It wouldn’t affect him, but Shin-woo, Na-yoon, and Ji-hwan were different.
They had brought several doses of medicine prepared by Hae-ryeon to counteract hallucinogens and had already taken them beforehand.
Only after confirming that Hyeon-yul had drunk the water did the woman flash a satisfied smile and start driving.
“Let’s go.”
The woman’s name was Kim Myeong-ja.
She didn’t stop talking the entire way.
Na-yoon also never stopped talking, but this was different.
How should I put it, the words exchanged felt like they were meant to grate on one's nerves.
Whether she thought the hallucinogen had worked or not, having to constantly listen to nonsense about faith, about seeing ‘His’ radiance upon meeting him, was more torturous than I had imagined.
But Shin-woo played along as if he were under the hallucination’s effect.
I could only say he was amazing in a different sense.
I felt that if my cover story hadn't been about being mute, it would have been disastrous.
Just as I was getting fed up, the car stopped.
“We’ve arrived.”
Myeong-ja said cheerfully.
Hyeon-yul looked out the window.
They had arrived after passing through two gate-like checkpoints, as if entering a secret location.
It was situated away from the city, with its back against a mountain.
There was an ambiguous aspect that made it hard to call it countryside.
The visible buildings were already beyond what you’d see in the countryside, filled with 3 or 4-story buildings often seen in cities.
It just felt like a village meant for them.
‘The mission is to arrest the guy leading the situation here and his executives, right?’
For me, it wasn’t a particularly difficult mission.
The faster I worked, the sooner I could go home.
Hyeon-yul looked up at the sky.
The sun was still up.
When night descended, I would be ready to see and hear everything.
‘Finish it within a day.’
Definitely.
Click, click.
Hyeon-yul already looked at Shin-woo at the sound of fingers snapping.
“Lee Chan-dae. Chan-dae?”
Hearing the name called subsequently, Hyeon-yul approached Shin-woo.
He typed on his cellphone.
He habitually started typing his usual way of speaking but quickly changed it.
[What’s up?]
“No, you were just staring blankly. Are you carsick?”
[No.]
[Is there Wi-Fi?]
[Isn’t this the total boonies?]
[I kinda hate places like this.]
I thought these were the most appropriate questions since his profile stated he liked staying holed up in his room watching videos or movies.
“…You.”
Ha.
Shin-woo let out a breath.
He looked at Hyeon-yul as if he were an immature child.
“Is something wrong?”
As Myeong-ja approached, Shin-woo put on a smile.
“No. My brother is, um……. By any chance, is there Wi-Fi?”
“Of course. We have computers and laptops, so don’t worry. It might not be like the city, but this is a good place. You’ll definitely like it after staying a few days.”
“Honestly, I feel a bit… unfamiliar.”
As Shin-woo pretended to be awkward, fiddling with the back of his neck, Myeong-ja laughed loudly.
“It’s always like that at first. A bus operates here. You have to take that.”
“A bus…? Can’t we drive a car inside?”
“It’s for traffic order.”
‘More like for confinement.’
Shin-woo sneered inwardly.
Confiscating personal transportation was the easiest way to check departures one by one.
No one could leave carelessly.
It was indirectly conveying that message.
Myeong-ja walked ahead, and White Sparrow followed.
Honk, honk.
Everyone turned around at the sound of a horn from behind.
“My, we have many Morning Stars today.”
Following the man who got out smiling warmly, Ji-hwan and Na-yoon were visible.
Hyeon-yul and Shin-woo also looked at the two.
Their eyes met, but they pretended not to know each other, acting like strangers exploring a new place, observing inquisitively.
Shin-woo quietly fiddled with the bridge of his nose.
The first phase of the mission, reaching the internal entrance, was successful.
He lowered his hand, signaling the situation.
Now it was time to go inside, find the villains residing here, and catch them.
It was also time for the Black Eagle.
Shin-woo narrowed his eyes.