Chapter 125 - Today, Today

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"... This is the worst. Seriously."

Haeryeon stopped looking at Nayun and Hyeonyul and frowned. It was appalling enough that the so-called director had sold the children's information to villains, but she simply could not understand how the director could then insist it was justified. She wanted to slam her hand on the desk, but settled for glaring at it.

"The website has disappeared. I believe Team Leader Ye Juhyeon will uncover further details," Hyeonyul replied.

The website's address differed from the one where a post said Yujong was buying information on the Black Eagles, but parts of it were identical. In other words, the same bastard was behind both.

"I suspect a former Black Eagle is responsible."

That was Hyeonyul's conclusion. This much was worth sharing.

"That makes sense. We'll need to dig further, but the target was a kindergarten we run. That would be impossible without inside information."

At Haeryeon's agreement, Nayun drew in a breath.

"If that's true, this is seriously dangerous. Just how far are they planning to spread?"

"Until the Black Eagles collapse. Wouldn't you say? They must have gritted their teeth and sworn to do this when they were kicked out."

Haeryeon sneered.

This was as good as a declaration of war. As though they weren't already busy enough.

Still, she decided this was actually a good thing. How convenient, having the culprit reveal themselves like this. She would think of it as another step toward identifying them.

"Do you remember that case involving the book? The one where the amusement ride fire overlapped with the strange magic-circle case."

"I remember."

"I do. Did you find something?"

Hyeonyul nodded, and when Nayun followed with her question, Haeryeon shook her head.

"Sinu and Jihwan went to wrap up that case today. I'll tell you once we have the results."

"It is a little suspicious. They say the magic circle extended that far, so why didn't anyone notice?"

"I believe it's all connected. In particular, we need to hit the amusement park first."

Hyeonyul's wording might have been somewhat aggressive, but Haeryeon and Nayun agreed.

"It wouldn't be wrong to say it all started there. As for the magic circles on the roads, they could have brushed off questions with an 'under construction' sign, like Hyeonyul saw, or worked at night. Most people would have passed by without realizing."

"But a few people must have checked. They must have reported it, too. If those reports still never reached us... doesn't that mean civil servants are involved as well?"

"You're probably right, Nayun. They couldn't have done it so openly without civil servants involved, could they? Anyway, let's stop speculating here. We can't go home with our heads in a tangle, can we?"

Hyeonyul had been nodding along, but the mention of going home prompted an immediate reaction.

"May I leave work?"

"Of course. Oh, just one thing before you go."

He had been about to get up at once, but sat back down at her words. His eyes were clearer than ever. Haeryeon spoke without suppressing her laughter.

"Remember how we said the actions of the 'new faction,' which grew by swallowing the Poison King's faction, exposed two other factions?"

"We've caught one of them. ... Oh, I suppose we haven't caught them completely yet. We still have to clear out their workshops."

Nayun folded her arms as she corrected herself.

To wipe out a faction completely, they had to find and shut down every workshop. Cutting off its funding entirely was the way to dismantle it. That would take time, and might mean running all over the place.

"I'm bringing it up because we're starting to get a picture of the remaining faction."

"Which one is it?"

Hyeonyul asked despite already knowing the answer.

Prunal. That was the one.

Linda, the cosmetics company. Prunal, the milk company. Both were factions within a particular larger faction. A snake coiled around an apple—that was their emblem.

["Of course, it's a little difficult to say no, because they're very, very deeply involved in the drug business. I only mean they aren't the real thing."]

From the words of Yujong, the Night Rat, Hyeonyul knew that Prunal was connected to the 'Drug Merchant.' A major player in terms of personal power, but with a faction only somewhat on the large side. That was precisely the assessment.

"We suspect it's Prunal."

As soon as that name left Haeryeon's mouth, Hyeonyul made a decision.

'I have to strike first.'

He didn't mind handing Prunal's empty shell over to the Black Eagles. But he had to get his hands on the crucial information himself. It would likely concern him in the first place.

Linda's president had known who he was. There was a very high chance that Prunal's president knew him as well. If not, he should hand them over to the Black Eagles immediately. Even to make that judgment, he needed to strike first.

"Wait, Team Leader. By Prunal... you don't mean the milk company, do you? Please... tell me it's not them."

Nayun looked ready to burst into tears.

"It is. They handle bakery products as well as milk. Anyway, yes, that's the company."

"Aaargh!"

Nayun screamed and clutched her hair. Hyeonyul blinked.

"What's wrong? Do you like milk?"

"... That's not it, Hyeonyul."

She dropped both arms onto the desk as though collapsing into it, then buried her face in them.

"They supply milk to loads of cafés I know. You've had some of it too, Hyeonyul. Even places the Team Leader likes use it."

Nayun wasn't crying, but she sounded as though she was. Unable to understand her behavior, Hyeonyul simply watched.

"This is not okay. How could this happen? This world is all wrong. What am I supposed to do if they take delicious desserts away from me? Fucking bastard. I'll kill him when I find him!"

"Nayun...? How about calming down first?"

Haeryeon tried to soothe her, but when Nayun abruptly raised her head, her face was furious.

"I'll head out first, Team Leader. I'm too angry to stay."

"Nayun? You're going to look for a new place, right? You're not going to shoot anyone, are you?"

She had shot a civilian on this mission, too. Fortunately, the target had been involved in the case; otherwise, things could have gotten very awkward.

If she beat someone up, they could at least lie and say it had been an accident. Not with a gun. My hand slipped and the gun went off. That wasn't an excuse they could use.

Nayun glanced down at herself, then looked at Haeryeon with a bright smile.

"I won't."

"That answer seems oddly short...?"

"Team Leader, I only shoot villains."

Nayun smiled, her eyes crinkling. It was so radiant that Haeryeon drew in a breath.

Nayun's guns were custom-made, lightweight, and modular. She usually carried fully assembled guns on missions, but with their components strapped all over her body, she was practically a walking bomb.

"I'm trusting you, Nayun, okay?"

"Of course."

Nayun rose and looked at Hyeonyul.

"Is there something you'd like to say?"

"I'm just asking in case, but has your appearance changed much since you were little?"

"I don't know."

"... Hmm. This really is difficult."

Nayun narrowed her eyes. What was she supposed to do about this?

"I agree. It hasn't been easy."

"For you too, Team Leader?"

"It's difficult. Very difficult."

"What's difficult?"

Hyeonyul couldn't make any sense of their sudden exchange.

"Your past, Hyeonyul. We said we'd help you find it. I'm looking, and so are the Team Leader, Jihwan, and Baek Sinu. Each of us is searching on our own."

Haeryeon nodded at Nayun's words.

Hyeonyul merely stared at them. They had offered, but he hadn't expected them to actually do it.

"You're... looking?"

"Of course. Right, Team Leader?"

"If we can help, we should."

"You don't have to do that. I'll be able to learn about my past through the villains."

After saying it, Hyeonyul realized his mistake. That might have sounded cold.

"What I mean is..."

"We're just taking our time with it when we have a moment to spare, so don't worry. Whatever we do, we won't manage as much as you will, Hyeonyul. All right?"

He couldn't answer right away. Several seconds passed before he bowed his head and replied.

"... Yes. Thank you."

It was all he could say.

"Good work, Nayun. Hyeonyul, stay with me for a moment."

"Yes. I'll make a quick getaway before an emergency mission pops up. See you tomorrow, Hyeonyul."

"If it's an emergency mission, you'll have to come back halfway through whatever you're doing."

Haeryeon laughed, and Nayun rubbed her arms as though terrified.

"... Don't say frightening things. There shouldn't be any emergency missions."

With that, she fled the room.

Haeryeon chuckled fondly as she watched her leave. Since they had worked over the weekend, they wouldn't be assigned emergency missions. The policy held that making people do exhausting work back-to-back would keep them from performing when needed.

"Hyeonyul."

Haeryeon looked at him.

"Yes."

"It's hard to say anything for certain yet, but a few days ago, another team found what they suspect is an experimentation site."

"... They found one?"

"Yes. Once the mission comes down, I plan to send you there. I don't know what we'll find, but I hope you won't be disappointed."

"It's all right. I'll accept whatever the outcome is."

"And do you remember the cult case?"

"I remember. Is it still not over?"

Haeryeon hesitated at his question, then nodded.

"I thought—we all thought—that was the end of it, but it wasn't. Team One's leader confirmed the presence of psychic power during the interrogation. Once we confirmed that, we investigated further, and something bigger turned up."

"What's involved?"

"... It seems a major villain is involved."

"A major villain with psychic powers?"

"Yes. That must be why Team One's leader missed the power affecting the White Sparrows."

"Given that you're telling me first, is it because I'm the only Black Eagle with high resistance to psychic powers?"

For a moment, Haeryeon looked troubled. His judgment was reasonable. Still, she didn't like how readily he took it for granted. If she told him to go on an extremely, extremely dangerous mission right now, didn't it seem as though he would simply go?

"That's not it. Originally, two members of Team Four were scheduled for this mission. The member who died recently had extremely high resistance to psychic powers. As for the other one, remember the person who attacked you back then?"

"The Black Eagle who nearly went berserk?"

"Yes. That person."

"Do I have to go with them? Is that why you're telling me in advance?"

"Exactly. I wanted to ask you before assigning the mission. It could be uncomfortable for you, couldn't it? Of course, we ask everyone like this, not just you."

"I'll do it. I have no reason not to."

"Will you really be all right?"

"I'll be fine."

He kept answering without a moment's hesitation. Haeryeon flexed her fingers as she watched him.

"It won't make you uncomfortable?"

"I don't know why it would. Is that person actually a villain?"

"No, but... well, all right. If you change your mind, even before today is over, let me know. That's all. You can go home now. Oh, and when you're sent on the mission I just mentioned may change depending on the priority of other missions. That's really all."

Thinking she had wrapped things up succinctly, Haeryeon wanted to send Hyeonyul home as quickly as possible. The strange chill around her neck throughout their weekend shift had nearly killed her.

But he didn't leave right away. He seemed to be thinking about something, making her needlessly anxious.

'Is he angry about having to work over the weekend after all?'

But there was no helping it. What could they do when villains didn't take weekends off?

"Team Leader."

"... Yes?"

"About yesterday's hospital incident."

"Yes. What about it...? Oh, is it because it involves Shin Daeho? Or are you worried it'll be difficult to investigate further now that Park Pyochan is dead? Either way, it'll be fine. Chairman Baek Jintae is involved in the case."

"That's not it. From what the Bomber told me, that incident seems to be connected to the faction looking for me."

"... Hmm?"

"They're looking for a living test subject."

"W-wait. Hold on, Hyeonyul."

Haeryeon held up her palm at the sudden rush of information. Then she swallowed and began thinking.

"How do they know that...? I mean, that there's a living test subject. That information never leaked, even during the insider case here. I checked again and again. Really. This time, it wasn't the White Sparrows either."

"I know. Park Pyochan took part in the experiments that created me. It's only natural for him to think a living test subject might exist."

"Right...?"

"But the Bomber didn't. I suspect he's either seen evidence of that faction's existence or had contact with them."

"Do you know which faction it is?"

"I don't."

His expression was the same as always, but Haeryeon could see a faint trace of anger. Just what was Hyeonyul, to be caught up in so much? She could understand why people might target a living test subject, but the connections were as tangled as a spiderweb. Even she found it frustrating. How much worse must it be for him?

"I believe the major corporation the Black Eagles have been searching for is behind it."

"Given the circumstances, that would make sense."

To swallow a major corporation, the villains would have to be in a similar weight class themselves.

"Once we identify them, please let me kill them. That's all I need."

"..."

Haeryeon was briefly at a loss for words. Frankly, she had no reason to refuse. Hyeonyul would keep running until he reached them, and having him kill them would actually make things easier.

"Hyeonyul."

"Is this not allowed either?"

"That's not what I mean. What are you going to do once you've killed them all?"

People could break all too easily when they lost their purpose. That was all she was worried about.

"I understand that people usually call this revenge. I don't have another word for it either, so I'll call it revenge."

Haeryeon gave a small nod.

"The Doctor said that to me too. But all I remember of my past is experimentation sites. My damaged head, this body, the debt holding me back—all of it is because of those bastards. They've simply become my life. How could I bury that?"

He was the one who wanted to sever every connection to them, so badly that disgust seemed the right word for it. He wanted to erase it all, and he wanted to pretend not to know. But what could he do when his life was already made up of those bastards?

"My life begins the moment I kill them. I'm absolutely not doing this to destroy or break myself. Why would I do that to the only... life I have?"

Only then, hearing his unwavering voice and seeing the look in his eyes that wished for nothing more than to go home, did Haeryeon smile brightly.

"Then do it."

"Really?"

"You saw the special prison for criminals last time, didn't you? I'm starting to think killing them would be better than throwing them in there."

"I agree."

Hyeonyul thought of the Poison King. Once he had extracted the information the bastard was clutching, he intended to kill him cleanly. There was no reason at all to keep him alive.

"I'm looking forward to the day you can smile with all that off your shoulders."

Haeryeon smiled happily as she imagined that day.

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"... You're here?"

Seungyu, the figurehead president, rose in surprise the moment Hyeonyul appeared. Something about his demeanor felt different.

Hyeonyul held out his phone to Seungyu, who bowed deeply.

「Today.」

「We hit Prunal.」