Chapter 85: A cup of tea, a slice of cake (2)
“Why are you scared?”
Seo Hyeon-yul looked at Kim Yu-jong strangely.
He had simply asked.
“Ah, no. I’m… not scared.”
Unlike his words, Kim Yu-jong trembled.
Seo Hyeon-yul looked at his own hand holding the dagger.
He quickly put the dagger away and said.
“If you have nothing to hide, don’t be nervous.”
“I really don’t. Really, really, there’s nothing!”
Kim Yu-jong shook his head.
“I just asked because I knew you’d be curious.”
The most important thing for an information broker was information.
There was no way he could just let this pass.
Kim Yu-jong merely nodded.
“Before you wash your hands of this, shouldn’t you sell one big piece of information? I’ll give it to you when I find out who the big shot in the drug world is.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
Kim Yu-jong’s face lit up with ecstasy at that answer.
That mad dog suddenly looked beautiful to him.
He even felt like going up and hugging him.
“Ah, by the way, the one who asked for information on the Black Eagle was a former Black Eagle.”
If something comes, something must go.
Seo Hyeon-yul gave Kim Yu-jong information.
Lee Jeong-min, with a dumbfounded face, slowly opened his mouth.
“…Yes? Former, what?”
“A former Black Eagle.”
As soon as the words ‘Black Eagle’ came out, Kim Yu-jong frowned deeply.
“Aren’t they crazy bastards!”
Ptooey, ptooey!
Kim Yu-jong scowled as if he had seen something filthy.
“This business, can you really live with how dirty it is? A Black Eagle buying information because they have nothing better to do? To think I received money from those bastards!”
Kim Yu-jong was so disgusted he wanted to burn the money immediately.
That reaction was correct.
That was the basic attitude of a villain towards a Black Eagle.
If asked what the most disgusting thing in the world was, everyone, without exception, would point to the Black Eagle.
“You can let others know about this too. We might be able to find out who’s behind it faster.”
“Honestly, I can’t stand this! This is the most disgusting and insulting thing that has happened since I set foot in this business!”
Kim Yu-jong even shook his tightly clenched fist.
The anger was clearly visible in his expression and voice.
“I’ll find them! Definitely…!”
Kim Yu-jong said voluntarily.
“Yes. I’ll visit again soon.”
Seo Hyeon-yul waved his hand and left the room.
“Be careful on your way out.”
Kim Yu-jong, who had been bowing his head, immediately came outside.
He wondered if the window was open, but nothing was open.
‘……It’s like I’m seeing ghosts every day.’
He narrowed his eyes.
‘Still, today’s mad dog was okay.’
Kim Yu-jong gripped his phone.
“Uh, it’s me.”
<Yep, Boss! Good morning!>
“The guy we traded Black Eagle information with, right?”
<Yes, he exists!>
“Those guys, they’re former Black Eagles.”
<……No way. Is that true?>
“It’s true. I don’t know what kind of trickery they’re up to, but can we just stand by and watch the Black Eagle infiltrate our side?”
<We absolutely cannot stand by and watch!>
“So, let everyone around know, and find them.”
<Understood. I will make sure to find out who it is.>
‘I may have grown big with all sorts of information, but this crossed the line.’
Kim Yu-jong smiled sharply.
Some people used to say that villains were like unstoppable bulldozers.
It wasn't wrong.
Because they didn’t care about means and methods, it might seem like there were no standards.
But that wasn't it.
The absolute last line that could not be compromised, even in death, was the Black Eagle.
That bastard was an existence trying to uproot them entirely.
To think there was a foolish bastard who dragged such a Black Eagle into this place.
Whether they were kicked out from within the Black Eagle or whatever, the fact that they were once Black Eagles was unacceptable from the start.
“Right now, pull everyone from the civilian side and find out which bastard instigated these things too.”
<Understood.>
Even after giving the order, Kim Yu-jong’s anger hadn’t completely subsided.
‘…I don’t know which bastard it is, but that guy is dead.’
He had essentially provoked all the villains.
Seo Hyeon-yul looked to his left.
He saw Chu Na-yoon.
Looking to his right, there was Mr. Ji-hwan.
‘…How did it end up like this?’
A frown formed on Seo Hyeon-yul’s brow.
“Hyeon-yul. That’s not good. You’ll get wrinkles later. Ah, are you using basic skincare products?”
“…Do I have to apply them?”
“Of course.”
Chu Na-yoon raised her eyebrows.
“That’s basic. Right, Ji-hwan?”
“That’s right. I originally didn’t use them either, but I fell for Noona’s words.”
Chu Na-yoon chuckled at Mr. Ji-hwan’s words.
“If you don’t know what to choose, I can pick for you. There’s a brand called ‘Linda’, and they make really good stuff.”
Linda.
Even before thinking about it, Seo Hyeon-yul felt burdened by the words that came at him so suddenly.
Feeling trapped in a very small space, he needlessly gripped his cup.
After going home and sleeping, he had been looking for the place based on the information he got from Kim Yu-jong.
When he heard the villain who gave him the drug say the business site was ‘taken’, he immediately thought of Lee Seung-yoo, the figurehead boss.
He had considered going there first, but Lee Seung-yoo could deceive him.
Kim Yu-jong, the Night Rat, he had known longer than Lee Seung-yoo, and if his emotions were all revealed in his expression, Lee Seung-yoo was not like that.
He looked at him strangely.
Should he say it was like a feeling of worship?
There were also expressions he couldn’t read, so it was difficult to judge if this was accurate.
For safety, he thought it was right to find the location first and then compare the information he would get from Lee Seung-yoo.
After visiting several trading partners Kim Yu-jong had given him, when he visited the fifth place, Mr. Ji-hwan’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
—Brother!
He couldn’t ignore that voice.
When asked where he was going, the excuse that popped out was ‘a cafe’.
Thinking about it again, it was absurd.
He was annoyed that he lacked quick thinking in these situations.
—Is your head okay? Were you badly hurt? Why are you wandering around when it’s cold? There’s a cafe I know, no, that Na-yoon Noona told me about. If you go there once, you’ll keep going, I tell you. Let’s go there.
At first, the worried Mr. Ji-hwan started talking about various things while licking his lips, and Seo Hyeon-yul’s mind became completely confused.
He was dragged along in a daze, and Chu Na-yoon was there.
He should have expected it when he said it was a place Chu Na-yoon introduced.
Surrounded by numerous people, he suggested to Mr. Ji-hwan that they leave, but it didn’t work.
Chu Na-yoon recognized them.
She smiled like a carnivorous animal eyeing its prey.
After greeting the people she was with, she naturally came outside and they ended up here, at a different cafe.
Before the topic of conversation suddenly switched to cosmetics, he had heard the question of whether his head was okay so many times that he was exhausted.
“…Basic skincare is important, but honestly, Hyeon-yul, your skin is so good even if you don’t use it.”
“That’s true. I thought so from the first time I saw you, Brother. The scar is just a pity, but that can be covered too.”
“You thought the same thing as me?”
When Chu Na-yoon looked at Mr. Ji-hwan, he raised the corners of his mouth.
They raised their cups to each other and lightly clinked them.
Clink.
Seo Hyeon-yul wondered if he should raise his cup too.
“Of course, if you apply more now, it’ll get even better, right? It’ll shine even more in the future, right?”
At Chu Na-yoon’s words, Seo Hyeon-yul blinked.
“Hyeon-yul? Are you listening?”
“……Yes. I’m listening.”
“Perhaps I… talked too much?”
“From what I see, you didn’t talk much at all.”
Mr. Ji-hwan casually interjected.
Chu Na-yoon had spoken very little, almost not at all.
“Right? I thought I might have been talking too much without realizing it.”
Chu Na-yoon broke into a cold sweat.
There were people who liked to talk, and people who didn’t.
She thought Seo Hyeon-yul was closer to the latter.
It was natural to be careful if the other person disliked it.
“It’s not that, I have to ask Teacher. He said to avoid any ingredients. So I was troubled about how to say it.”
“Then just say so.”
Chu Na-yoon seemed unfazed by Seo Hyeon-yul’s refusal.
“Is that so?”
“That’s how it is. I don’t like situations where I can’t speak either.”
“…!”
Seo Hyeon-yul put down his cup.
As his eyes widened, Chu Na-yoon briefly burst into laughter.
She wondered if it was something to be that surprised about.
“Hyeon-yul. Don’t be surprised and listen for a moment.”
“……Yes.”
As Seo Hyeon-yul observed her, Chu Na-yoon offered him a plate with cake and spoke.
“In my opinion, if I don’t talk to you, Hyeon-yul, I thought we’d never, ever get a chance to talk. It’s obvious when you, Hyeon-yul, would talk to me. During missions, right?”
Seo Hyeon-yul seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded.
“I know it’s hard to accept even if we say the meaning of colleague is different from other places. I’m also aware that it’s a problem that requires considerable time.”
Chu Na-yoon leaned against the table, arms crossed, and looked at Seo Hyeon-yul.
Her dark green eyes gently closed.
“Still, I don’t want to live like that. So it’s right for me to be careful. I’m the one who wants to get close to you, right? I don’t want to do anything you’d dislike. Even if not speaking is frustrating, I’m doing it as much as I can bear, so you don’t have to be surprised or feel burdened.”
When Chu Na-yoon finished speaking, Mr. Ji-hwan observed Seo Hyeon-yul’s expression.
A very small wrinkle formed on his brow.
It meant he didn’t understand.
“It helps with the mission.”
Mr. Ji-hwan explained in a way Seo Hyeon-yul could easily understand.
“How does it help?”
“For example, there might be missions where we entrust our lives to each other. If you can’t trust them, can you do that?”
Seo Hyeon-yul thought for a moment.
He hadn’t even considered taking on such a mission in the first place.
But the question itself wasn’t bad.
Trust was an uncertain element.
To have to rely on that again.
‘……Horrible.’
“Talk while you eat. We’re not interrogating you or anything right now.”
Chu Na-yoon, worried the atmosphere would become stiff, loosened it up again.
“That’s right. That’s important. We’re just sharing opinions.”
“Opinions, ah! How about thinking of it as practicing communication?”
Chu Na-yoon lightly tapped the table as if a good idea had come to her.
“Practicing communication…?”
As if interested, Seo Hyeon-yul’s gaze changed.
“Yes. If communication becomes smooth, it’s good for you too, Hyeon-yul, isn’t it?”
“It is good. I also always feel lacking. …It’s quite difficult.”
“So, think of it as practice and try to speak a little more comfortably.”
“I don’t know what I should talk about.”
Conversation wasn’t about demanding something.
Threats were easy, but conversation was difficult because it wasn’t a simple demand.
He had to observe the other person, listen carefully, and even react.
“It’s because you think too much. There are more things to be careful about. Still, I think practicing like this isn’t bad, what do you think?”
“I think that’s correct.”
Seo Hyeon-yul nodded.
“Good. I’ll help you, Hyeon-yul. Ji-hwan, you’ll help too, right?”
Mr. Ji-hwan, who had been nodding, glanced at Chu Na-yoon.
Her smile was different.
‘…Wow. I almost fell for that too.’
Mr. Ji-hwan suddenly came to his senses.
It was Chu Na-yoon who had stealthily added Seo Hyeon-yul to the group messenger room last time.
As Mr. Ji-hwan’s expression slightly changed, Chu Na-yoon’s lips curved up even more.
Hurry up and agree.
At Chu Na-yoon’s pointed gaze, Mr. Ji-hwan hurriedly opened his mouth.
“…Of course I’ll help. Why wouldn’t I?”
As Chu Na-yoon offered him the plate with cake, Mr. Ji-hwan said nothing more and picked up his fork.
“How is it, Hyeon-yul? Doesn’t this make it much more comfortable?”
When Chu Na-yoon asked with a smile, Seo Hyeon-yul nodded.
“It does.”
Thinking of it as training definitely made it less burdensome.
She had actually said she would train him.
Only then did Seo Hyeon-yul pick up his fork and eat the cake.
“……!”
Seo Hyeon-yul’s head drooped.
Something was different.
“Delicious, right?”
“…Something is different.”
“I know a lot of ‘real’ delicious places, not just those that are hyped up on SNS. Let’s come often, Hyeon-yul.”
“Can I bring Teacher along too?”
At Seo Hyeon-yul’s question, Chu Na-yoon looked at him fondly.
It was natural to want to share delicious things with precious people.
“Of course. That would be great. I like Teacher too. He’s incredibly kind, and he really feels like an adult, you know?”
“Teacher is an adult.”
“And a good one too, right?”
“Yes.”
Chu Na-yoon rested her chin on her hand and looked at Seo Hyeon-yul.
She felt like she knew, just a little, how to treat him.
She thought she might have to view his conversational age as lower than she had initially thought.
“Ji-hwan, you eat a lot too. It’s delicious, right?”
“Is this a newly discovered place?”
Mr. Ji-hwan’s eyes sparkled.
Chu Na-yoon chuckled at the sight.
Who in the world would dislike delicious food?
“Of course. Let’s keep it a secret between us. You didn’t call that idiot Baek Shin-woo, did you, Ji-hwan?”
“I didn’t call him. Brother Shin-woo bragged so much about what he did with Brother Hyeon-yul. I can brag too, right?”
“Ji-hwan. My dear Ji-hwan. You can brag as much as you want. If it’s Baek Shin-woo, you absolutely have to. I already did.”
Chu Na-yoon showed her phone.
A picture of three forks, cake, and drinks neatly arranged was posted in the group messenger room.
Below it was a cat emoticon making a V sign.
“You’re quick, as expected?”
“I’m fast. By the way, he did this kind of thing first. Not me, Hyeon-yul.”
Chu Na-yoon quickly explained, just in case Seo Hyeon-yul misunderstood.
Wondering why she was talking about this, Seo Hyeon-yul just nodded.
Seo Hyeon-yul still didn’t understand the atmosphere of Team 3.
In the meantime, various words were exchanged, and Seo Hyeon-yul, who had been concentrating, slowly relaxed and became drowsy.
He remembered what he had been trying to chase earlier.
Since he couldn’t leave now, he just ate the cake.
He hadn’t intended to eat it, but his hand kept reaching out.
There was no way he would have an appetite.
“…Oh right, the drug.”
At the words that flowed from Chu Na-yoon’s mouth, Seo Hyeon-yul’s mind snapped to attention.
‘Drug?’
“I heard from various teams that they are compiling the locations we found, the place Team 2 got through a support request, and the place you found yesterday, Hyeon-yul. For now, they seem to be seen as different factions. It’s not the exact location, but a roughly similar place has come up, and I saw it too.”
“You saw it?”
When Seo Hyeon-yul asked immediately, Chu Na-yoon nodded with a bewildered expression.
His gaze had changed completely.
“The locations somehow look like a triangle, so the center of it looks really suspicious, doesn’t it?”
‘…Triangle?’
At those words, Seo Hyeon-yul recalled the place he had seen in his mind.
But he soon frowned.
He hadn’t seen how it looked on the overall map.
No matter what, Chu Na-yoon’s words felt like a new idea.
“It was really bothering me, so I deliberately went near there and took a peek. Just a peek.”
Chu Na-yoon deliberately dragged out the end of her sentence.
Gulp.
Mr. Ji-hwan looked at Chu Na-yoon and swallowed his drink.
He was needlessly nervous about what words would come next.