Several Weeks Later
Inside a quiet apartnt, far from the chaos of the slums and the crowded city streets, Alea sat stiffly on a large sofa. The room was spacious and clean, but the atmosphere inside was heavy—thick with frustration and tension.
Her subordinates stood around her in a loose circle, none of them daring to sit.
Alea pressed her fingers against her forehead and let out a long, irritated sigh.
"Ugh... It’s been more than a month now," she muttered.
"And we still haven’t found Indigo. His Excellency is going to be furious about this..."
Her voice was calm, but the annoyance beneath it was unmistakable.
She lifted her head and glanced at her subordinates, her sharp silver eyes sweeping over them one by one.
"Did any of you find a new clue?" she asked.
The group visibly stiffened.
Slowly, almost fearfully, they shook their heads.
"No, Lady Alea..." one of them answered.
"There hasn’t been any new information since the last lead we found..."
"Tch..." Alea clicked her tongue and leaned back against the sofa.
"This is exhausting... He’s not in the slums. He’s not in the city. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of money already. That man really knows how to hide himself..."
Her patience was wearing thin.
Then, from behind her, one of the male subordinates hesitantly spoke up.
"W-What if..." he said nervously,
"What if we ask the man we t at the fruit market back then? Maybe... he knows sothing."
Alea’s eyes widened slightly.
A small spark of hope flickered within her.
"...That’s not a bad idea," she admitted after a brief pause.
"In that case—find him and bring him to ."
Her subordinates straightened instantly.
"Yes, Lady Alea!" they responded in unison.
Without another word, they turned and disappeared, leaving Alea alone in the quiet apartnt.
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Indigo...
Just who are you...?
*Night — Downtown Seoul*
Dressed in casual clothes, I walked leisurely through the city streets.
For so reason, I was craving sothing sweet tonight.
Coffee.
Specifically, sweet coffee.
I headed toward a nearby café and stepped inside, the bell above the door chiming softly.
I walked straight to the counter.
"Welco to NeoLom Café!" the female cashier greeted cheerfully.
"What would you like to order, sir?"
I glanced at the nu board.
"Hmm... I’ll have one café latte. To go, please."
"All right, sir! One café latte coming right up!"
She smiled brightly, then leaned forward slightly, her tone shifting.
"By the way... you’re really handso~ Are you here alone?"
...What is this?
"U-Um... no," I replied awkwardly.
"I’m not alone. My friend is outside... waiting for ."
"Oh~ just a friend?" she teased.
At that mont, another female employee approached with my drink.
"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" she scolded playfully.
"Stop flirting with our custors!"
She handed the café latte.
"Here you go, handso custor~"
She even made a small gesture with her fingers, as if telling to call her.
"U-Um... thank you..."
I quickly paid and left the café.
Why does this always happen when I’m not wearing my mask?
Won always seem... unusually drawn to .
Do I need to start going outside with a face mask on too?
I walked calmly down the street, holding the plastic bag with my café latte.
But then—
I felt it.
Two people wearing black jackets were following from behind.
I turned into a narrow gap between buildings.
They followed.
Then, several more people appeared in front of , also wearing black jackets.
...Should I use my power?
Hmm.
No.
I’ll just observe them for now.
A Few Minutes Later
I was brought into a large apartnt.
My hands were bound, and my mouth was sealed with duct tape. Despite that, I walked calmly as they guided forward.
What bothered wasn’t the possibility of being killed.
It was the coffee.
My café latte...
I glanced at them one by one.
The aura surrounding them was unmistakable.
Villains.
I didn’t know their true intentions yet—but had my identity been exposed?
They led into the living room.
There, sitting gracefully on the sofa, was a beautiful woman with white hair.
I recognized her instantly.
Alea.
So that’s it.
What does she want with ?
Even so, I remained calm, carefully observing the situation.
They forced to kneel in front of her and removed the tape from my mouth.
Alea sat elegantly, a glass of high-quality wine in her hand. Her legs were crossed, her posture composed.
She looked at with curiosity.
After taking a small sip of wine, she spoke.
"You... seem surprisingly calm," she said.
"So you really are a villain."
...As expected.
She thinks she’s found .
She thinks she already knows who I am.
"Hah..." I sighed lightly.
"Seems like my identity has been exposed. Allow to introduce myself. I’m known as Ind—"
Before I could finish, Alea cut off.
"I don’t care about your introduction," she said coldly.
"Answer ."
She picked up a poster beside her and held it out in front of .
...That’s—
Isn’t that my picture!?
The image showed as Indigo, wearing my black mask and black fedora.
Alea continued.
"Have you ever seen this man?"
I froze internally.
...Wait.
So she doesn’t know.
I misunderstood.
"Don’t you dare lie," Alea added calmly.
"Behind , Narisa can detect lies."
She casually gestured toward one of her subordinates standing behind the sofa.
Hmm...
What should I say?
Ah.
I have an idea.
"Ahem... I’m a close friend of his."
"...A close friend?"
Alea’s eyes widened slightly, clearly intrigued.
She glanced at Narisa.
Narisa looked at Alea and nodded.
It seems... I’m telling the truth.
"Explain," Alea said, her gaze sharp with curiosity.
"As you can see," I began calmly,
"I’m a villain as well—but my ability is extrely weak. I can communicate through thoughts over long distances."
Alea’s eyes widened further.
She glanced at Narisa again.
Narisa nodded once more.
...These people are surprisingly easy to fool.
I suppressed my laughter and maintained a calm expression.
I continued.
"Right now, Indigo cannot reveal himself due to several reasons."
"...!"
Alea fell silent.
Disappointnt clearly appeared on her face.
I spoke again.
"But I can act as an interdiary for you," I said smoothly.
"So... what do you want to talk to him about? I can pass the ssage to him later."
The disappointnt on Alea’s face vanished.
Hope returned.
Her expression softened, and she straightened slightly.
"Ahem..." she cleared her throat.
"Discussing this here would be too risky. Would you be willing to co with us to Russia?"
Russia...?
"My superior wishes to et Indigo," she continued.
"Even if you’re only an interdiary, that may be enough for him."
Her superior?
...Boris dvedev?
Oh?
This is getting interesting.
I lowered my head slightly, hiding my smile.
Very interesting indeed.
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