Chapter 71: Welcome Party (3)
It was originally her day off today.
―…Let’s have a welcoming party.
As soon as she saw that message sent by Hyeon-yul, she changed the date.
For Hyeon-yul to suggest it himself.
She felt like she'd been electrocuted from head to toe.
Perhaps everyone except Hyeon-yul felt this way.
As much as her anticipation grew, she didn't know how the welcoming party would be twisted, so it was right to rest safely tomorrow in preparation.
‘It means I'll have a hard time stopping them too.’
Originally, the welcoming party was supposed to be held within the week the new member arrived, as the name suggested, and Black Eagle was special.
Due to the nature of Black Eagle, the timing couldn't help but be postponed because of the possibility of death when deployed on an actual mission.
However, the welcoming party itself was encouraged.
It could be said that it was a policy to not let them hold on to as much lingering attachment as possible, because a colleague today might not exist tomorrow.
‘…Let’s try to think of it cheerfully.’
Hae-ryeon tried to discard bad thoughts.
Actually, her chest ached every time the welcoming party was mentioned.
She really hated how it made her realize, anew, how many had died.
“I know."
"Because I’ve been waiting all along.”
As Shin-woo answered excitedly, Hae-ryeon smiled brightly.
She had hoped for this kind of atmosphere.
“Today, I agree with Baek Shin-woo."
"I’ve been waiting for this day too.”
When Na-yoon even added force to her voice, Ji-hwan looked at Hyeon-yul and called him quietly.
“Brother."
"Noona.”
Ji-hwan glanced at Hyeon-yul with his eyes.
His expression was stiff.
“Brother."
"You’re not nervous, are you?”
Ji-hwan asked tentatively.
What on earth did he think a welcoming party was?
He was secretly curious.
“I’m more concerned than nervous.”
Hyeon-yul was still in a state of shock over his somewhat impulsive action.
Why did he say such a thing back then?
Did it just slip out because they were always talking about welcoming parties?
―You really said that? Wow! That’s great! Absolutely great!
Jeong-min had been overjoyed, as if he would fly away, as soon as he heard his words.
Was this a good thing?
Why did he say it was good?
“Hyeon-yul."
"You just stay still."
"We’ll take care of everything.”
As Shin-woo grinned, Hyeon-yul’s eyes narrowed.
There was no trust in those words.
Stay still.
This was mostly a lie.
“Baek Shin-woo."
"Look at Hyeon-yul’s eyes."
"If you hadn’t acted so untrustworthily usually, would Hyeon-yul react like that?”
Na-yoon took this opportunity to rebuke Shin-woo.
“What are you talking about?"
"Me, untrustworthy?”
“Do I really just have to stay still?”
Hyeon-yul asked, just in case.
“Of course, of course.”
Shin-woo readily replied.
Having received confirmation again, Hyeon-yul finally nodded.
At least he wouldn't lie.
Ji-hwan, who had been glancing at Hyeon-yul, quietly said to Shin-woo.
“Brother."
"Even if it’s a tame welcoming party, isn’t it better not to make such definitive statements?”
‘A tame welcoming party…?’
Hyeon-yul wondered what that was.
“I have it all figured out."
"Let’s see later, Hyeon-yul.”
Shin-woo casually got up from his seat, and Hyeon-yul’s gaze naturally turned to Hae-ryeon.
“Mr. Hyeon-yul and Ms. Na-yoon, you two can go together like this today.”
Hae-ryeon immediately changed the subject.
It was obvious.
However, Hyeon-yul braced himself.
He had read enough books about welcoming parties.
‘I’m ready too.’
「Incident Start
―Around 00:23 AM, a truck passing on the highway noticed cars stopped all at once and, feeling suspicious, reported it to the police.
Incident Progress
―Police dispatched and assessed the situation.
―Noticed a bomb attached to the road.
―While the police were trying to defuse the bomb, they caught an Awakened. Later identified as a villain.
―Case transferred to Black Eagle.
Points to Note
―Must be careful not to let the bomb explode.
―Must secure the road.」
A highway explosion at this time of night.
Na-yoon thought about the situation that would occur if the bomb hadn't been discovered and opened her mouth.
“Seriously, isn’t this crazy?"
"If it had been discovered in the morning, who knows how many would have died."
"A bomb on the road is cheating."
"Isn’t it, Hyeon-yul?”
<Yes.>
“Hyeon-yul."
"You’re really not nervous because of the welcoming party, right?"
"Your words seem a bit shorter than usual.”
Na-yoon, looking at the highway from the mountain with night-vision goggles, looked at Hyeon-yul.
His expression wasn't visible as he was wearing a helmet.
<I’m not nervous.>
Hyeon-yul’s message popped up.
Somehow, his expression was predictable, and it was somewhat funny.
“Well, then, that’s fine."
"Everyone’s just excited, so don’t read too much into it."
"It’s been quite a while since we had a welcoming party.”
<How long has it been?>
“Hmm…, let’s see.”
Na-yoon was lost in thought for a moment.
A nostalgic face briefly flashed by.
“A year…?"
"Yes."
"It’s been a year.”
A gentle smile formed on Na-yoon’s lips.
<Does Black Eagle intentionally not hire people?>
Na-yoon chuckled at those words.
“No."
"We do hire, but they all get filtered out, and among those who are selected, many die during their probationary period."
"It’s hard to survive."
"I, too, have already sent off 5 new recruits.”
Why new recruits weren't sent alone during their probationary period, one would know just by looking at the number of deaths.
Hyeon-yul was exceptionally unique and remarkable.
“I don’t want a sixth, so do your best.”
<I don’t want to be the sixth either."
"I have no intention of being so.>
“Yes, that’s the spirit you need to have."
"That way, we also gain strength together."
"Hyeon-yul, you need to know how amazing and precious you are.”
<…….>
When no answer came, Na-yoon chuckled.
Hyeon-yul was weak in these aspects.
Ah.
Na-yoon suddenly had a thought.
“By the way, Hyeon-yul.”
<Yes.>
“Are you, by any chance, close with the Bomb Disposal Team?”
The man who had identified himself as Pyo Yu-jin had run over in delight as soon as he recognized Hyeon-yul.
The rest of the Bomb Disposal Team were the same.
It was very unsettling.
Since the newbie was so skilled, people from all over were drooling and rushing in.
<I’ve seen them twice, including today.>
“Next time will be the third, then?”
<Yes.>
“You should think of it as just that."
"Don’t think any more than that.”
<Understood.>
Na-yoon stopped reading Hyeon-yul’s message and turned her head.
Something was moving in the darkness.
Na-yoon didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger.
The part she aimed for was the leg.
Taang!
The gunshot echoed softly as Na-yoon opened her mouth.
“It’s an ambush.”
<Yes.>
After the short reply, Na-yoon looked for Hyeon-yul.
He wasn't in his original spot.
Hyeon-yul had seen everything even before Na-yoon said "ambush."
It was a night where darkness fell.
The darkness told him everything.
Pung.
A small flame flickered towards the sky and disappeared.
It was the signal flare Na-yoon had fired.
Hyeon-yul moved, conscious of Na-yoon.
Since she saw everything well, there was nothing good about moving recklessly.
Right now, the villains were after one thing.
The Bomb Disposal Team.
Because they specialized in explosives, they were relatively lacking in terms of combat power.
It was called support, but it could essentially be called a protection mission.
Hyeon-yul looked to his left.
Shhheek.
As the sound of wind was heard, a hole appeared in the head of an approaching enemy.
Hyeon-yul turned his head at the sight.
‘Fast.’
A gun was always the best weapon and possessed absolute power, but since the emergence of Awakened beings, it had been reduced to a weapon that only held a certain degree of meaning.
In the first place, the Empire didn't allow firearm possession, so they could only be obtained through illegal channels.
But for Na-yoon, its meaning was very different.
Even if the proprietary technology possessed by Black Eagle made it different from conventional firearms, technology also followed suit only if the person controlling it used it well.
Hyeon-yul’s lips curled up.
Na-yoon took care of the troublesome things as if she were his own hand.
Hyeon-yul moved forward and thrust his dagger.
Kang!
Something hit it, and the tip of the dagger trembled.
As a tingling sensation even reached his fingertips, Hyeon-yul immediately looked in that direction.
‘It’s psychic power.’
It was an invisible, very annoying power.
Surrounding debris floated up.
“Stay still.”
Hyeon-yul said to the Bomb Disposal Team, wrapping his dagger in black power.
The way to get rid of the debris was simple.
All he had to do was kill the one moving the debris.
Hyeon-yul seemed to move forward, then appeared in front of the Psychic.
Panicked gazes were exchanged.
Hyeon-yul swung his dagger wide to the side.
A deep darkness was drawn long in the air.
Along with the falling head, the levitating debris came down.
Hyeon-yul thrust his dagger towards his back.
“……Keoheok.”
A groan burst out with the sensation of being stabbed.
“You stink.”
Even if they tiptoed, the sickening smell of blood just pricked his nose.
Hyeon-yul immediately turned around and grabbed the enemy’s throat.
“There’s no gunpowder smell.”
If they had planted the bomb, that smell should have been on them, but it wasn't on these guys.
There was a high probability that they were different villains from the bomb planters.
“Who are you people?”
“……Fuck off.”
The villain, bleeding profusely from his abdomen, ran his mouth.
“Yes."
"It seems you know that one mouth to speak is enough.”
Hyeon-yul pierced his throat with the dagger and then slit it sideways.
Why did they come here?
Hyeon-yul wondered as his eyes moved.
Watching the villain fall headfirst, Hyeon-yul counted.
Three.
Hyeon-yul leaned his torso back.
A heavy blunt weapon whizzed past.
Hyeon-yul melted away like smoke and reappeared behind the villain.
‘Two.’
The dagger pierced through the neck and protruded.
‘There’s no smell of old gunpowder.’
There was a smell of gunpowder, but it was different from the bomb over there.
It meant they had brought a different bomb.
‘What good does it do them to escalate the incident like this?’
Escalating the incident would only bring Black Eagle.
Were they aiming for that?
‘…How childish.’
Since they couldn't crush their opponent, it seemed they were resorting to relying on Black Eagle.
It looked efficient, but it was a very bad method.
A long tail gets stepped on.
Thwack!
One guy fell, and Hyeon-yul didn't kill the last one, just knocked him out.
‘For now, it’s better for Black Eagle to find out what this scheme is.’
He knew that villains paid attention to their attire and various other things so as not to be traced to where they were or where they came from.
But there was one thing they couldn't pay attention to.
Radio communication.
Hyeon-yul used his darkness to search the bodies of the dead ones.
He gripped a radio.
Before activating it, he listened intently.
The moment a wave occurred, the darkness heard that sound.
It spread wide and stopped in one place.
Hyeon-yul turned his head.
All darkness became his eyes.
Far away, even farther, he saw someone using a radio.
‘Found them.’
Hyeon-yul placed his darkness at that location.
It was best to strike when they were off guard.
So he planned to move tomorrow.
“…Here, Hyeon-yul."
"You wear this.”
Na-yoon handed him something.
Hyeon-yul looked at the object she handed him and blinked.
It was a pair of glasses with a round frame and a mustache attached.
Hyeon-yul looked around.
Perhaps the place itself was rented, as only they were inside the shop.
He didn't know where they had gotten the throne-like chair, but he was sitting on it.
―Just sit here, sit tight.
Shin-woo pointed to the seat, looking excited.
He sat down because he was told to, but he didn't know why he had to wear this.
Hyeon-yul thought for a moment, then reached for the glasses.
He felt everyone watching him.
He briefly looked up at everyone.
They all turned their heads away, pretending not to look.
‘This is different from the books…….’
Hyeon-yul put on the glasses.
Laughter erupted from all sides.
Just as he was wondering if it was ridicule, they all rushed over to Hyeon-yul, wearing similar glasses.
‘?’
Hyeon-yul blinked.
He didn't know what they were doing.
Click.
“……!”
Hyeon-yul was startled.
Taking a picture all of a sudden.
“Come on, come on, you have to smile, Hyeon-yul.”
Na-yoon slightly lifted the corners of Hyeon-yul’s mouth.
“Why… are you taking pictures?”
“Because I don’t want to regret it."
"Leaving a memorable photo gives the next person the strength to live on.”
Na-yoon said with a smile.
Everyone nodded as if in agreement, but Hyeon-yul found it hard to understand.
“One more time, let’s go.”
Ji-hwan shouted cheerfully.
Click.
Hyeon-yul remained still, while the others moved to the left, then to the right, suddenly made V-signs with their fingers, or even struck strange poses.
Hyeon-yul felt an immense shock from what was happening all around him and felt his mind going blank.
‘……What are they doing?’
They really didn’t demand anything, but strangely, pressure mounted.
He just didn’t know exactly what it was.
It felt like they had been taking pictures for over 20 minutes.
‘This… is the welcoming party?’
“Alright!"
"We’ve taken enough pictures for now, so, shall we start by singing excitedly?”
Shin-woo shouted at the top of his lungs and handed Hyeon-yul a tambourine.
Hyeon-yul, dazed, received the tambourine.
“Shake it if you’re excited, and don’t shake it if you’re not."
"We’re not forcing you.”
This crazy consideration.
Shin-woo smiled as if proud of himself.
“…Aren’t we eating first?”
Hyeon-yul asked hesitantly.
“First, we play, then we eat."
"The team leader rented this place."
"It’d be a waste, right?”
“Of course."
"It’d be a waste.”
A microphone was in Hae-ryeon’s hand.
“That’s too fast!”
Ji-hwan exclaimed in surprise, but a microphone was already in his own hand.
“Ji-hwan!"
"You’re faster!”
Na-yoon shouted in despair.
To lose the first spot.
“Ah.”
Na-yoon suddenly looked at Hyeon-yul.
“Do you want to sing?"
"If you want to sing, I can yield the privilege of singing first to you, Hyeon-yul.”
Absolutely.
Everyone agreed.
“……No.”
“And Hyeon-yul.”
Na-yoon continued.
“…Yes.”
“If by any chance you don’t like the song, press this.”
Na-yoon handed over a device and pointed to a button with her finger.
“If you press this, the song will stop in the middle."
"I’m specially giving this to you, Hyeon-yul."
"This is immense power.”
Hyeon-yul’s eyes widened.
Press it if he doesn't like it.
How was that possible?
“Oh, and if you want to speak in the middle of it, shake the tambourine three times."
"We’ll immediately listen to what you have to say."
"Because today, Hyeon-yul, you’re the star!”
Na-yoon spread her hands and waved them sparkly towards Hyeon-yul.
Her voice tone was different, as if she usually held back a lot.
It was very scary.
“Right, right."
"Today is a tame welcoming party for Mr. Hyeon-yul."
"You don’t have to dance, you don’t have to sing if you don’t want to."
"You don’t have to pose for pictures."
"We’ve removed everything you might dislike.”
Hae-ryeon thought it was perfect consideration.
However, one thing bothered her.
“Still, um, isn’t the tambourine a bit burdensome?"
"Wouldn’t it be better to shake this carrot stick instead?”
Hae-ryeon offered a carrot stick she had prepared just in case.
“…Indeed, when it comes to consideration, no one can beat the team leader, can they?”
Shin-woo quietly gave a thumbs-up.
“The carrot stick definitely stands out more."
"And it’s quieter too.”
Ji-hwan also agreed with this and clapped his hands.
‘This or that, what’s the difference?’
Only Hyeon-yul was confused.
“Anyway, Mr. Hyeon-yul."
"Do you want to sing first?”
Hae-ryeon asked quite cautiously.
From that question alone, Hyeon-yul felt immense pressure.
You must sing.
It felt that strong.
“……It’s fine.”
“Alright!"
"Shake it if you need to."
"We’ll turn off the song immediately and listen to what Mr. Hyeon-yul has to say.”
Hae-ryeon handed Hyeon-yul the carrot stick, then confidently walked to the center holding the microphone.
‘…….’
Hyeon-yul stared at the carrot stick.
‘Is this… bullying…?’
He thought there was no more bullying, but it seemed he was mistaken.
This was a new kind of bullying.
How should he take this?
He didn't know about other things in this situation, but this thought was certain.
‘……I want to go home.’