Chapter 62: Infiltration (3)
“Is someone else coming?”
When Shin-woo asked, Myeong-ja replied with a bright smile.
“Of course.”
Myeong-ja looked at Shin-woo and Hyeon-yul, then pointed towards Na-yoon and Ji-hwan.
“A day like today isn’t rare. However, today seems to be an especially blessed day.”
Myeong-ja welcomed them as well.
A day when Morning Stars gathered like this was always a welcome day.
Not just anyone was accepted as a Morning Star.
Desperate people.
People whose before and after were clearly different following the Saint's treatment.
People who, upon becoming comrades, could bring many more Morning Stars into the wider world for His sake.
Lastly, non-Awakened individuals.
Myeong-ja approached and asked with her eyes.
How many.
Number 3. Number 4.
Her fingers folded and unfolded twice.
‘A non-Awakened person has come!’
Myeong-ja felt ecstatic.
Such a good Morning Star for Him had arrived.
In the current era where everyone possessed some ability, big or small, non-Awakened individuals were precious.
Myeong-ja shifted her gaze towards Na-yoon and Ji-hwan.
‘Who could it be. Who is the non-Awakened one.’
The brothers she had brought were Awakened.
The ability to emit black smoke and the ability to levitate sword-type objects.
Both were useless.
Being useless was actually good.
Because His power would change this as well.
Myeong-ja’s eyes curved.
She approached Na-yoon and Ji-hwan and extended her hand.
“Welcome, Morning Stars. My name is Kim Myeong-ja.”
She didn’t reveal what she did or what title she held.
This was the same for Hyeon-yul and Shin-woo.
‘She’s incomparably higher ranking than the person who brought us.’
Na-yoon sensed it immediately upon seeing Myeong-ja.
She assumed Shin-woo and Hyeon-yul likely felt the same.
She didn’t know if others had noticed, but the gaze, behavior, and eyes of the man who brought them had already changed the moment Myeong-ja approached.
Because she could see better than others, even unseen aspects came into view.
Na-yoon looked at Myeong-ja warily.
Right now, she and Ji-hwan were people who had lost their entire fortune due to failed investments.
Would such words and actions be welcome?
The circumstances and reasons for coming here were all impulsive.
First, they needed a place to hide from debt collectors, and the reason was that they would grasp the hand of anyone who could help them out of this predicament.
Na-yoon kept this point in mind and deliberately turned her gaze elsewhere.
In that instant, goosebumps ran down her spine.
‘……They’re watching us?’
Though invisible to the ordinary eye from here, people were watching them from the building.
Without exception, they clung to the windows, looking like puppets carrying out orders.
‘So the villains are mixed among them?’
Na-yoon tightly suppressed the corners of her mouth that threatened to curl up.
She was the only one assigned the role of a non-Awakened person.
Her ability necessitated it.
“……Yes. Nice to meet you.”
Ji-hwan spoke up.
He came here for the same reason as Na-yoon.
If Na-yoon was relatively rational, the character Ji-hwan had to portray was even more irrational.
A character driven to the edge of life, contemplating life and death.
Tap.
He bit his fingernails.
“Don’t be nervous, Morning Star. We are here to help you.”
“This isn’t a place that extorts money, right?”
Ji-hwan asked cynically.
“Of course not. In fact, we provide financial support.”
“…S-Support funds?”
Ji-hwan looked at Na-yoon in surprise.
Na-yoon looked back at Ji-hwan, inwardly acting smug.
See?
It was exactly that kind of look.
Because it was so transparent what those two wanted, Myeong-ja maintained her smiling expression.
“We use a different currency here than outside. You can use that money to buy whatever you want to eat. Oh, and of course, we provide basic room support as well as meals.”
Gulp.
Ji-hwan swallowed dryly.
For someone pushed to the brink, there could be no better offer.
“Shall we get going first? There will be time for introductions later, so let’s take it slow.”
Myeong-ja acted kindly towards Na-yoon and Ji-hwan, then looked at the man.
“You worked hard.”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll head off first, see you later.”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
The man also bowed his head to the White Sparrow standing next to Myeong-ja.
“Follow me.”
White Sparrow walked ahead.
His steps seemed familiar.
‘Is it true they aren’t affected by brainwashing?’
Hyeon-yul grew suspicious at that experienced demeanor.
No matter how strong someone's mental fortitude related power was, could they truly maintain their sanity continuously in a place like this?
Since I didn't possess such power myself, it was difficult to trust completely.
Throughout the walk, Myeong-ja chattered about what this place was and what that place was, but Hyeon-yul only paid attention to the White Sparrow.
After boarding the bus, Hyeon-yul pretended to look outside and inhaled deeply.
The air reeked solely of hallucinogens.
With it being this strong, was there any point in saving the people here?
Hyeon-yul thought this mission, too, had many incomprehensible aspects.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
When Shin-woo asked, Hyeon-yul moved his thumb while holding his phone.
[Just.]
[The smell is bad.]
[Feels like the countryside.]
Shin-woo seemed surprised by the message and quietly admonished him.
“I told you not to say things like that, right?”
However, despite his words, Shin-woo also looked outside.
‘Does he mean it smells like hallucinogens?’
I didn't really know that kind of smell.
How sensitive was he?
What other strange things were there?
Shin-woo was curious about many things.
Because even though they were looking at the same thing, it felt like they were seeing different things.
[I want to go home.]
Hyeon-yul desired a prompt end to his workday.
Seeing that message, Shin-woo suppressed a wave of laughter.
‘That might be a bit difficult.’
No matter how I thought about it, this mission needed to be viewed long-term.
How could they identify the villains mixed among so many people all at once?
Trying to find out would require deploying manpower equivalent to the number of people present here.
They simply didn’t have that kind of luxury.
“I know how you feel, but that’s probably going to be difficult.”
At Shin-woo’s reply, Hyeon-yul turned his head away.
Nothing was impossible when it came to clocking out.
5 days.
The mission briefing stated it could take up to 5 days.
Shortening this to one day meant getting off work that much faster.
What couldn't I do?
There was something I hadn't finished while knitting.
The strange feeling that once you stop something midway, you must complete it, lingered in my grasp.
This time, I wasn't just knitting whatever came to mind, so I was even more concerned.
Jeong-min was spending most of the salary he had earned so far buying medicine for me.
It wasn't covered by insurance, making it extremely expensive.
Ever since I realized Jeong-min’s coat hadn't changed in years, I had been making one for him.
‘Buying one is easier, but I don’t understand why Teacher won’t accept it.’
It was still something Hyeon-yul couldn't comprehend.
Knitting was one thing, but I couldn't make other things.
Hyeon-yul fiddled with his eyebrow.
‘……Should I learn something?’
The bus seemed to intentionally drive around various places, showcasing the prestige of this location.
A place as spacious as any park, clean buildings, neat streets.
Everything visible was so tidy that it was suspicious.
It felt like a show.
The bus stopped in front of one building.
Like other places, it was marked with a number.
This one was 24.
“First off, you must be very tired coming all the way here, right?”
Contrary to expectations that they would go somewhere specific, Myeong-ja threw out an unexpected remark.
“I’ll show you to your rooms first. Rest slowly, and I’ll come back later around dinnertime. We’ve prepared a welcome event for our Morning Stars, so let’s eat delicious food together.”
No one in Team 3 failed to notice this was an act to lower their guard.
But their expressions didn’t change.
They merely looked at the building.
The building was clearly 4 stories tall, but there was no sign of anyone inside.
Some might not suspect anything, while others might find it strange.
“It’s a new building, and the people who were staying here are all out for a bit.”
Myeong-ja said with a smile, as if quelling the naturally arising suspicion.
At her words, the others nodded as if they understood.
But no one from Team 3 was fooled.
The drawn curtains up to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors didn't indicate anyone lived there.
It was strangely silent and still.
“The room sizes are the same, only the locations differ, so please discuss comfortably where you’d like to stay for the time being, and then tell this person.”
Myeong-ja pointed to the White Sparrow.
“I will guide you through the details.”
White Sparrow smiled faintly.
He soon looked at Myeong-ja and waved.
“See you later.”
“See you later. See you later too, Morning Stars.”
Myeong-ja bid farewell to the White Sparrow and Team 3 and turned away.
They naturally headed to the 4th floor via the elevator.
“But is it really a new building?”
When Na-yoon asked, the White Sparrow walked ahead and knocked on the wall a couple of times.
“It’s sturdily built.”
CCTV present.
He gave a signal beforehand.
Soon, the White Sparrow fiddled with his ear.
Listening devices present.
At the subsequent signal, everyone in Team 3 reacted as if they had expected it.
“…So, we can really just go into any room?”
Ji-hwan asked.
“Of course.”
“Then, I’ll go first.”
As Ji-hwan walked quickly, Na-yoon followed in surprise.
“Mr. Kim Dong-hoon! We need to decide this after checking with each other.”
“Who knows if those people will leave first?”
Ji-hwan walked off quickly, leaving only those words behind.
Occasionally, he touched the wall with his hand.
Hyeon-yul saw formulas being written.
It seemed he was using magic.
It looked like he was trying to block the listening devices.
“……As a colleague from the same company, I apologize. He’s not usually like that.”
Na-yoon apologized.
“Hmm, it’s a bit surprising, but it’s alright.”
Shin-woo replied, looking awkward.
He subtly glanced at Hyeon-yul.
There was no change in his expression.
“My brother wasn’t surprised either, so it’s fine.”
“Morning Stars. You don’t need to be so hasty. All the rooms look the same anyway.”
White Sparrow chuckled, ‘Haha’.
He reacted as if this kind of thing was familiar.
White Sparrow walked ahead, giving a brief explanation.
One person per room.
However, the structure required passing through a huge living room to reach the rooms.
In other words, coming out of the room inevitably meant gathering in the living room.
It was an intentional design.
“The television works, and each person has a computer……. Ah, the computers won’t work right now.”
White Sparrow stopped explaining things and said as if he had forgotten something.
“The internet connection hasn’t been set up yet, so only the television works for now. I’ll ask them to install it quickly. Well then, please choose your rooms.”
At the White Sparrow’s words, Shin-woo looked at Hyeon-yul.
“Shall we choose together?”
[I’ll pick my own.]
[I’m not a kid.]
Ignoring Shin-woo’s gaze, Hyeon-yul burst into a room.
It was larger than the place I usually stayed in.
Bed, bathroom, a small refrigerator – it had everything.
I tried opening the window, but it wouldn't budge.
It was designed not to be opened from the inside.
Looking down from here, there were blind spots.
In the suspicious situation, Hyeon-yul listened intently.
The sound of machinery running could be heard.
‘There’s CCTV here too?’
This was a private room.
It meant privacy wasn't respected at all.
Turning his back to the camera's location, Hyeon-yul covered his eyes.
Eyes melted into shadow quickly roamed outside.
I didn't know when they had gathered, but many people were clustered in the area not visible from the window, muttering while waving something that looked like a feather duster.
The sight was quite bizarre.
Hyeon-yul quickly judged them as brainwashed people and shifted his eyes to the opposite building.
People were visible on the rooftop of the building facing this one.
They were looking directly here.
Myeong-ja was among them.
Several people bowed their heads towards three individuals.
‘So it’s you guys.’
Three guys, for starters.
Hyeon-yul memorized the villains’ faces and lowered his hand.
Coming outside, his eyes met Na-yoon’s.
Did you see it too.
That was the look, but Hyeon-yul didn't answer.
Aware that there was still CCTV, he simply turned on the television.
Hearing the sound, Shin-woo and Ji-hwan also came out.
Everyone looked at Hyeon-yul, asking what was going on.
“What’s wrong? Want to watch TV?”
Shin-woo asked about Hyeon-yul’s sudden action.
Hyeon-yul pointed at the television and glanced subtly at Ji-hwan.
Ji-hwan instantly activated his magic.
He prevented the sounds within this space from reaching outside.
Na-yoon noticed Ji-hwan’s change and moved towards the CCTV, turning her back to it.
‘So the CCTV is watching from over there like this?’
Shin-woo understood instantly and pretended to approach the television, subtly shielding Ji-hwan.
Sound came from the television, and Ji-hwan spoke.
“Briefly, you can talk now.”
Ji-hwan said, conscious of Na-yoon.
“Okay. What is it?”
Shin-woo urged.
Hyeon-yul’s action had been quite impulsive.
Hyeon-yul looked at them and took out his phone.
[I was curious if the TV worked.]
He drew their attention to the phone, and the voice came from Na-yoon.
“There are 3 villains in the opposite building.”