Chapter 129 - I Want to Rest (2)

* * *

"... Hello."

Hyeonyul greeted Yujong, then yawned. It was four in the morning.

Yujong, who had just been about to go to bed, jumped and scrambled backward. Then he blinked. It was Mad Dog.

He pointed at Hyeonyul's head.

"What crazy bastard did that?"

He seemed rather pleased. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't concern.

"I'm on my way back from killing Prunal's leader."

"... What?"

Yujong stood there blankly. From Hyeonyul's tone, he might as well have been returning from a stroll around the front yard.

"His name was HaChanwon, and he said a major corporation was backing him."

"..."

"He also mentioned the Drug Merchant. So..."

"S-so you mean the man running that corporation is the Drug Merchant?"

Yujong shouted excitedly. This was tremendous information.

When Hyeonyul smiled, Yujong covered his mouth and immediately dropped to his knees.

'Y-you crazy idiot! How could you interrupt Mad Dog!'

He wanted to punch his own tongue right then and there.

"Yes. That's correct."

Hyeonyul approached.

"I've kept my promise. Whether it's inside a major corporation or anywhere else, a place bearing the emblem of a snake coiled around an apple probably belongs to the Drug Merchant."

Searching those places was another matter, of course.

Having finished speaking, Hyeonyul held out his hand to Yujong.

"Do you have anything?"

"I've found a website created by former Black Eagles. I'm taking my time hacking it."

"A website?"

"Yes. They were bad-mouthing the Black Eagles left and right, so I tried hacking it rather than shutting it down immediately."

The corners of Yujong's mouth rose. He didn't like that they were former Black Eagles, but their abuse of the Black Eagles was quite pleasing.

"Will it take long?"

"No. I've found several similar sites now. If I trace them all at once, I'll catch them."

"Understood."

Hyeonyul nodded. He had only intended to deliver his news briefly.

"I'll be going, then."

"Wait."

Yujong stopped Hyeonyul, who turned his head.

"Lately, the villains have been searching for a living test subject. That... wasn't me. I absolutely wasn't the one who spread it."

"I know that."

Mad Dog's terse answer made Yujong hesitate for a moment.

"... O-of course. I thought you would. What I wanted to tell you is that things are taking a strange turn."

"How so?"

"Even before this, the Poison King's faction... I mean, after you took over his faction, the others rose up all at once, and that turned into fighting. So, uh, one of those Eagle bastards discovered the location of a fairly large faction. One of them is pretty much going out of business now, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Word of a living test subject is only now spreading among them, and it seems someone is spreading it deliberately. I'm concerned it'll accelerate the conflicts already underway."

Mad Dog had taken over the Poison King's faction to reduce the number of factions. Yujong thought that was a decent approach, too. They were certainly easier to devour when they were fighting each other.

Nibbling away at small factions was like eating crustaceans with little meat inside compared to their apparent size.

He understood that much, but no more.

"Honestly, this isn't a good turn of events."

Yujong didn't know where this escalating frenzy would end, but he took it seriously enough to frown.

"Does it warrant that much concern?"

At Hyeonyul's question, Yujong started to speak, then hesitated. Was he allowed to disagree?

"You may speak."

"Well, a living test subject. If that's all they're given, they don't know whether it's an ordinary civilian or not, do they? They'll start looking further outside than they are now."

In a sense, the living test subject was a golden chest. Its identity was vague, and no one knew what it might hold once they caught it.

Of course, Yujong knew that golden chest was Mad Dog.

"... If things get that heated, there'll be more incidents involving civilians, which means more clashes with the Black Eagles, right? If—and this is a big if—they decide the Black Eagles alone can't contain the situation, won't the Empire step in?"

"Wouldn't that actually be a good thing?"

Yujong's eyes widened at the question.

"N-no, if the Empire comes out in the open, that means war!"

"Isn't the Empire what you wanted to go after anyway? You wanted to erase the Black Eagles, too."

"I want both. But even so, timing matters. ... You know that, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Yujong hesitated to answer. He kept watching Hyeonyul's reaction before finally speaking.

"... We would lose."

His mouth trembled briefly. Why was it trembling? Hyeonyul watched him in silence.

"Everyone... denies it, but if we fought the Empire head-on, we'd lose. We haven't grown strong enough yet, and this isn't the time. Absolutely not."

"Is that why you don't attack the Nest?"

"No."

"No?"

"I planted an informant, and that's an attack, too, isn't it? Someone is bound to want the Black Eagles for themselves. They'll attack them somehow, by whatever means they can. They'll want the Empire's shield to become a blade pointed at the Empire instead. They must be trying already. They're simply being quiet about it."

Yujong wasn't wrong. Hyeonyul also knew that the attacks would center on him.

"I know we can't stop the rumor that a test subject is alive."

Yujong focused on Mad Dog's words. What would he say?

"I'll use my faction to put out the immediate fires for now. So spread another rumor."

"What sort of... rumor?"

"That the living test subject was actually a villain."

It wasn't untrue. That test subject was him, after all.

"... So you mean to exploit their fear?"

"Fear, if that's what you call it, but it was there all along, wasn't it? They merely pretended not to know, thinking their own turn would never come. We're making a fact into a fact. How is that exploitation?"

A smile settled on Hyeonyul's lips. It was a rather chilling smile.

Knowing what sort of man Mad Dog was, Yujong could only nod.

"... Understood."

"I'll be going. Sleep well."

Hyeonyul said goodbye and once again hurled himself out the window.

'... That Mad Dog bastard. He could at least close it behind him. It's cold!'

Anger washed over Yujong in stages, and he ran over to close the window.

CLACK.

With the sound of the window closing, reality sank in.

On closer examination, the idea was even more characteristic of Mad Dog. No one could tolerate harm coming their own way.

The material used for the test subjects was actually villains.

The moment that rumor spread, the targets would become villain factions with experimentation facilities.

'... Hmm.'

Yujong paused halfway onto his bed and tilted his head.

'Now that I think about it... isn't this good for the Black Eagles?'

It would prevent needless escalation, but the infighting would remain the same. This time, it wouldn't simply be fighting; experimentation facilities could disappear.

Aside from that strange faction, weren't the Black Eagles the only ones here who wanted those facilities gone?

'It's a little... unsettling, but it is a good method. I'm not particularly fond of test subjects and all that myself.'

Yujong lay down and pulled up the covers. He was about to close his eyes, only for them to snap open for no particular reason.

'... But Mad Dog has always really hated experimentation facilities.'

He had reason to, but something still felt off. Yujong narrowed his eyes briefly.

'He didn't plan this, did he?'

His eyes darted around as various thoughts swirled through his mind.

'Something with the Black Eagles...'

SMACK.

Yujong slapped his own cheek.

'Enough with the crazy thoughts. Mad Dog may be Mad Dog, but why would he side with the Black Eagles? You might as well say he's a Black Eagle!'

Mad Dog = Black Eagle.

The very thought gave him goosebumps. He closed his eyes to banish the stray thoughts.

Then he opened them and went to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, but there wasn't a sound.

'... Why isn't the water running? Is the supply cut off?'

Suddenly, at this hour of the morning?

Yujong narrowed his eyes.

* * *

"... Hello."

Hyeonyul greeted Haeryeon, his face tired.

Before coming here, he had stopped by the Bomber's place. Finding him leisurely swimming in his indoor pool, Hyeonyul had bound his feet and held him underwater until he was on the verge of death.

At first the Bomber had been startled, then suddenly grinned so broadly he could have swallowed all the water before passing out.

Somehow, things had gone differently than expected. The man ought to have been afraid of him, but instead he'd been delighted to see him.

Was this right?

Hyeonyul wondered, but his intention to kill him in the end remained unchanged.

Without waiting for him to wake, Hyeonyul had briefly searched his room. There was something like a plan in a desk drawer.

Upon inspection, it was a crime plan containing his deliberations over the bombs he would make and where to plant them. Hyeonyul didn't know whether it had been left there deliberately, but he photographed it.

He had been checking for anything else to investigate when a commotion outside prompted him to return and get ready for work instead.

"... Your head. What happened to your head?"

Haeryeon had been turning toward him with a smile, but rose straight to her feet. Her gaze wavered before her eyes sharpened.

There was a bandage on his forehead that hadn't been there before.

"Hyeonyul. Where did you go?"

Her voice grew quieter and heavier at the same time.

"I was injured during an investigation."

It wasn't untrue, so Hyeonyul's gaze remained steady.

"You should have told me you were hurt. Why did you come in?"

Haeryeon didn't ask why he'd been hurt or how it had happened. She asked none of that.

"I considered it. The Doctor recommended that as well. But I found it difficult to reach an answer."

"Is it still a little hard to tell me things?"

"That's not it. It's only a scratch. I thought I would be making a fuss."

"For you, it isn't just a scratch."

"I've already been scolded for that."

Hyeonyul averted his gaze. To think he would be scolded again.

"... Will the other team members scold me as well?"

At his dispirited question, Haeryeon pressed her lips together. The unexpected remark nearly made her burst out laughing.

She barely managed to compose herself before answering.

"They might. Has the bleeding stopped?"

Unsure what expression she was wearing, Haeryeon drew a deep breath. But no answer came.

"Hyeonyul?"

He looked even further away, and Haeryeon's eyes narrowed slightly.

"... Not yet. But it's mostly under control."

"Hyeonyul. You can tell me beforehand when you're in this condition."

"I'm fit to carry out a mission. Fully cap—there's something I need to tell you."

Hyeonyul, who had begun speaking as though making excuses, suddenly looked at Haeryeon. She seemed slightly startled.

"Huh...?"

"I've discovered the Bomber's plans."

The instant Hyeonyul thought of a way out of this situation, he put it into practice. But Haeryeon's expression didn't improve. If anything, it grew worse.

Why?

He didn't know where his judgment had gone wrong.

"You said that because you thought it would get you out of this, didn't you?"

"... Yes. However, this differs from my prediction."

"Hyeonyul. That's very interesting and surprising news, but it doesn't give me a reason not to scold you."

A faint crease formed between his brows.

"Next time you're injured, tell me before coming to work. That's what I wanted to say."

"Understood."

Hyeonyul bowed his head slightly, then raised it. Only then did the crease disappear.

"The others will be startled when they see you, so we'll have to come up with an excuse."

What should they say? Hmm.

"Do you happen to thrash around in your sleep?"

"I do."

"... Really?"

Haeryeon's eyes widened in surprise. That was unexpected.

"Then let's say you fell out of bed in your sleep and hit your head on something you'd left on the floor."

"Understood."

He agreed so readily that Haeryeon looked him over, wondering whether he was all right with it. Since he said nothing more, she moved on to the next subject.

"You said the man we caught in the cult case wasn't the leader, right?"

"Yes."

"You'll probably be assigned an investigation mission. We've decided to add one more person besides the member from Team Four."

"Understood."

"Aren't you curious when the mission will start, or why we did that?"

"Should I be curious?"

His attitude suggested he didn't care when it happened or who came. Haeryeon took it in stride. She didn't want to confine him with the word "normal."

"For now, I'll tell you who's coming."

"Yes."

"You've heard of Kang Huijun from Team One, right? You've already been on a mission together. I added him just in case."

"I know him. He was extremely fast."

Haeryeon smiled gently at his response. His mission with Huijun seemed to have gone quite well.

"Go and rest until the others arrive, Hyeonyul."

"Understood."

* * *

"... You should have kept things tidier. This won't do. I'll have to visit your place."

Sinu narrowed his eyes.

"Bro, I'll help. These things happen in life."

Jihwan nodded several times, suppressing laughter.

"Don't give Hyeonyul a hard time. Things get like that when you're busy. It's the bed's fault. Want your Sis to buy you a new one?"

Nayun defended Hyeonyul, beaming at him.

'... What is this now?'

Hyeonyul was considerably flustered by this unexpected development. It didn't exist in his data.

He felt as though he was being scolded, yet not being scolded. Why were they coming to his house, and why was someone offering to buy him a bed?

This was difficult. He didn't even know how to answer.

Understood. I'll fix it.

Neither of those would work as an answer.

"Hyeonyul? I think there's steam coming out of your head."

Sinu chuckled. The deepening crease between Hyeonyul's brows was entertaining to watch.

"I'll go see the Doctor."

As Hyeonyul started to rise, Sinu panicked.

"I'm joking! It was a joke!"

"Is that so?"

At Hyeonyul's calm response, Sinu swallowed hard, then asked cautiously,

"Has that... happened before?"

"It probably has."

"Hey, Baek Sinu!"

Nayun's shout left Sinu speechless.

"That was really mean, Bro."

When Jihwan joined in, Sinu looked aggrieved.

"No, that's not what I..."

He mumbled.

"All right, that's enough chatting."

Haeryeon intervened with a light clap.

"First, the amusement-ride fire Hyeonyul handled and the strange magic-circle case Nayun handled—we've decided to combine those two and call it the book manipulation case."

She wanted to briefly introduce the mission details she had promised to share yesterday.

"Sinu and Jihwan handled that mission yesterday, right?"

"Ugh, I wanted to go home."

"I wanted to rest."

Sinu and Jihwan voiced their complaints almost simultaneously.

"Thanks to your efforts, we've found a lead that could point to the mastermind."

Haeryeon smiled with confidence.