Chapter 49: It Always Starts with Trivial Things (3)
"Mr. Hyeon-yul!"
Hae-ryeon called out to , filled with emotion.
"...Yes?"
"Mr. Hyeon-yul, you're a lucky charm!"
Sothing crazy had happened.
To be able to distinguish villains just by symbols and marks that others saw as insignificant.
If this wasn't crazy, what was?
Unable to keep up with Hae-ryeon's emotions, I just blinked.
‘Why am I… a lucky charm?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand.
I knew that incredibly precious people or things were called lucky charms.
The aning of the word and I didn't match at all.
‘Am I misunderstanding the aning?’
I seriously pondered.
"Anyway, tomorrow you can just sit here and look at the things I give you. You don't have to get everything right. Just confirming if the information we gathered is correct is amazing in itself."
"Right, right. It's amazing."
Shin-woo nodded in agreent.
"I sent you off today telling you to work comfortably, but look how the work got bigger. Let's do that tomorrow, Mr. Hyeon-yul."
He probably needed to recover, and constantly getting involved in heavy cases wasn't helpful.
It was better to switch things up like this for at least a day.
Only then did Hae-ryeon feel relieved.
"That's definitely a good idea, isn't it?"
Shin-woo also spoke positively.
For a newbie, I had only handled overly rough jobs.
Around this ti, there needed to be a break.
Because if I started running already, I might get exhausted and leave later.
‘...No. He can't leave.’
Shin-woo swallowed the desperate words that almost burst out.
"Then... does that count as clocking in?"
I asked quite cautiously.
Would she possibly allow it?
Such a thought did arise.
"Of course."
"......!"
My eyes widened in surprise.
‘...This is allowed?’
Isn't it just looking at company logos or symbols?
It was simpler than paperwork.
In fact, even if I looked, there was no guarantee I knew them all.
‘Perhaps, is it because of the injury...?’
It was almost healed, though.
Here, do they not consider you incompetent even if you get injured?
‘Or if not that......’
Clap.
Hearing the applause, I blinked.
"What would be good for to say to Mr. Hyeon-yul?"
Seeing the slight wrinkle forming on my brow, Hae-ryeon knew I was overthinking negatively again.
This was different from self-esteem or anything like that.
The environnt was largely to bla.
I was rely floundering because I hadn't experienced other aspects.
"I do not understand what you are saying."
My question itself seed to feel extrely difficult to .
What would be good to say?
Hae-ryeon thought for a mont, then explained.
"It counts as clocking in. If there's any other intention, it's just the hope that Mr. Hyeon-yul's injury heals quickly."
As soon as the words ended, Hae-ryeon gave a gentle smile.
‘...Wait a minute.’
I thought of a way to use this situation efficiently.
The Crimson Witch tried to take the place vacated by the Poison King, and since she died, only the conclusion of dozens of factions clashing remained.
I could naturally deliver the information Yu-jong brought.
"Team Leader."
"Yes."
"May I report tomorrow, and then inform you again at the next opportunity?"
"You can do that for us...?"
Hae-ryeon asked back, pleased instead.
Catching a villain's faction was a more difficult problem than expected.
Just being able to do it was sothing to be grateful for, but he offered to do more.
"I can......"
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
Hae-ryeon approached and patted my shoulder.
As I froze, Shin-woo patted the opposite shoulder.
"Hyeon-yul seems quite shy, doesn't he?"
"That is not true."
I denied Shin-woo's words.
It was different.
How should I put it?
‘......Like the doctor.’
That was the best line I could think of.
The feeling wasn't bad.
If anything, it leaned towards good.
‘The atmosphere is good?’
Hae-ryeon didn't know where I felt happy, but she herself was happy too.
‘Is it now?’
The corners of Hae-ryeon's mouth were itching.
Wouldn't now be perfect?
Isn't it now?
Ah, screw it.
"Let's have a welco party, Mr. Hyeon-yul!"
Carrying this montum, Hae-ryeon brought up the words she had wanted to say all along.
It was a gathering to welco into Team 3.
Surely, this was necessary to feel a sense of belonging, wasn't it?
"......"
I maintained silence, and Hae-ryeon was flustered by the reaction.
"...Team Leader."
Shin-woo subtly spoke up.
"......Don't say it."
Even without being explicitly told, Hae-ryeon knew instantly just by looking at my expression.
"It seems I made a mistake."
"I know...!"
At my chilling gaze, Hae-ryeon gripped her fluffy long hair.
‘Did he hate welco parties this much?’
Eating delicious beef while talking, singing songs—how enjoyable it was.
But it was already ruined.
She felt that strongly.
"Hyeon-yul-ah. Could you not look at like that too? The one who suggested it was the Team Leader."
At my equally cold gaze, Shin-woo imdiately abandoned Hae-ryeon.
Another sharp glare was added, but Shin-woo looked at and laughed haha.
He might know how to handle others, but if I got angry, he had no clue how to appease , so what could he do?
"...Yes. I will do it."
I answered, letting out a breath.
I wasn't prepared, but what was bound to co had co.
「101 Ways for a Smooth Company Life.」
According to this book, the welco party was a very important occasion.
Unlike the welco parties I knew, it was like an absolute place where future relationships could change.
There were several skills a newbie needed to possess.
The angle to maintain when pouring drinks.
The timing to laugh at jokes, regardless of what they were.
These were all difficult things for .
"May I decide the ti?"
I asked cautiously.
"...Is it really okay to do it?"
Hae-ryeon asked back cautiously as well.
It felt like I was putting quite a lot of effort into it.
"We have to go through it once, don't we?"
"That's true, but are you really okay? If you don't want to, you don't have to. The Team Leader isn't that kind of person either."
Trying to make up for the earlier incident, Shin-woo shielded Hae-ryeon while subtly throwing words at .
"I will prepare and greet it."
I was about to continue my sentence when I felt a vibration.
"Excuse , I will go take my dicine."
As I excused myself, Hae-ryeon and Shin-woo looked at each other.
"...What kind of preparation is he talking about?"
"I don't know either."
Hae-ryeon and Shin-woo whispered.
"Could it be... he's trying to buy a gift? After we bought Mr. Hyeon-yul things last ti, he kept asking what we needed."
" too. I said it was fine."
"I did too."
After their conversation ended, they laughed simultaneously.
"Ah, Ms. Na-yoon and Mr. Ji-hwan are going to have quite the stomachache, huh?"
"What can you do? This is why you have to behave well usually."
Shin-woo shrugged, imrsed in self-admiration.
"Well then, well then. Ah, this welco party should be a bit more subdued, right?"
"Of course. Subdued yet calm. To the extent that he doesn't run away."
"...The problem is, we don't know what that extent is."
Hae-ryeon swept her hair back.
Gatherings, etings, etc.
Her team was quite famous, as if only people who liked all these things had gathered.
Because team mbers who ran away during welco parties also existed.
In that sense, Hyeon-yul was different.
He was like expensive porcelain.
" too. If I ask what he's doing, about 4 hours later, 'I'm knitting' cos back. It ans he only knitted for 4 hours."
"......Wait a minute."
Hae-ryeon looked at Shin-woo as if glaring.
"Weren't we supposed to be a bit careful? Why did you just send him off like that, Shin-woo-ssi......"
"I have returned."
At my quiet voice, Hae-ryeon and Shin-woo let out silent screams.
"Sh- Shin-woo-ssi seems to have another mission?"
"R- Right. I'll go. I'll be back."
"Yes. Please go ahead."
I was about to bow my head when Na-yoon's voice suddenly ca to mind.
—Don't bow your head, wave your hand. Hyeon-yul-ah. It's Noona's request. You can do it, right? Huh?
After receiving the request from Na-yoon, I did it to Ji-hwan first.
He kept sending Gifticons telling to eat this, so it had been bothering .
—......Wow, if it's that much, just wave your hand once. Why are you playing so hard to get?
Perhaps it was impulsive.
Not knowing why Ji-hwan gave such things, I consulted Jeong-min, and the unfamiliar gaze looking at strangely might have prompted it.
What was so special about that hand, Ji-hwan was extrely happy.
‘Will he be happy?’
I hesitated, then waved my hand at Shin-woo too.
Shin-woo, who was about to go outside, stopped in his tracks, looked surprised, and then quickly smiled.
He waved his hand back in return.
‘...He is happy.’
I learned one thing.
That waving a hand made people happy.
"...Mr. Hyeon-yul. You have to stay calm no matter what happens."
Before going inside, Hae-ryeon thought she needed to get a few promises from .
Because I wouldn't show rcy to villains.
"Yes."
"Seeing us, they might get enraged and, like, attack, but you still have to endure."
"Understood."
"It's okay when we're catching villains, but laying a hand on them after they're caught is a different matter."
"What kind of problem is there?"
Normally, I would just say 'Understood' and move on, but my gaze had already changed.
Depending on what kind of problem it was, I acted as if I would behave within lines that wouldn't cause a problem.
Nah, surely not.
"You can't lay a hand on them unless the Special Criminal Containnt Facility requests help. It's already beyond our authority."
"If I do so, will I receive disciplinary action?"
"That's right. Each departnt exists, and we need to respect the relevant departnt, but it would be ignoring them, wouldn't it?"
"...Ah. It would be like that."
I nodded.
In short, it ant it was fine as long as a situation arose where the Special Criminal Containnt Facility requested help.
I turned my gaze and looked at the building.
Externally, it resembled any other prison.
But seeing the nurous magic spells drawn from the building walls, I felt this place was real.
‘Why don’t they just kill them?’
That was the first thought that ca to mind when I first learned that place existed.
Afterward, that thought didn't change, and it was still the sa now.
"Alright. We're ntally prepared, let's go in."
As Hae-ryeon headed towards the containnt facility, I took a step about two steps behind.
If I hadn't t Jeong-min, wouldn't I have been in this place?
Suddenly, such a thought lingered.
"......Shit! Eagle bastards, what's there to see......"
"Shut your mouth."
"The eagle bastards' assholes must be raw, fuckers!"
A prison guard directly jabbed a long baton towards the villain who had beco a prisoner.
Chijijijijik.
There seed to be electricity; the villain who had been screaming relentlessly just monts ago trembled violently.
‘Like insects.’
I looked at them indifferently.
With hands bound and feet bound, all they could do was crawl with their bodies.
"Team Leader."
"Yes...?"
Hae-ryeon tensed up.
There was no issue at the entrance.
She t the prison warden, greeted him, exchanged idle chat with the prison guards she had seen several tis, and introduced too.
The problem arose when passing through the area where prisoners were located while being guided to where the Poison King was.
As soon as they saw the Black Eagle uniform, they hurled all sorts of curses.
She herself could let it pass like a dog barking, but wasn't it different for ?
The ear-piercing sounds were annoying, and I might think of killing them all.
"Doesn't the Empire hate villains? Why go through the trouble of spending money to keep them alive?"
Seeing those guys, I couldn't hold back the surging curiosity any longer.
Those guys looked like insects, but they were alive.
In a relatively clean space, in relatively clean clothes.
They were living quite well.
I thought they would be miserable, but they weren't.
They were living like humans.
"...Why are they living like humans?"
My eyes didn't blink.
I reacted as if I simply couldn't understand all of this.
‘Ah.’
Seeing my gaze, Hae-ryeon belatedly realized her thoughts had been shallow.
‘......I made a mistake.’
The person who could withstand the Poison King's power was Hyeon-yul.
She had permitted it out of that simplicity and because she was happy about Hyeon-yul's request.
She shouldn't have done that.
The emotion I harbored was by no ans light.
It felt like looking into a distantly black hole.
"...Because there's a lot of information to extract. In this aspect, my feelings might be the sa as yours, Mr. Hyeon-yul. Every ti I see them, I wonder why they're alive."
"Then, do you kill them afterwards?"
"So. Not everyone can be killed."
"Why not? Is there a reason to pour money into those things?"
My eyes looking at the villains locked up in prison were crazed.
There was no other way to describe it.
"The superficial reason is human rights, the secondary reason is the possibility that their families and they themselves were used. And......"
Hae-ryeon observed my expression throughout her explanation.
It seed to be slowly calming down.
"It's due to various vested interests."
Hae-ryeon cut her words short.
Asking further seed difficult.
"Anyway, villains have human rights too, I see."
It was a sarcastic remark.
I closed my eyes and opened them.
What could be done?
Even those villains hated by the Empire were treated lowly as experintal subjects.
"......Mr. Hyeon-yul."
"Yes."
"Even now, you can wait outside."
Hae-ryeon spoke cautiously.
He would have to keep seeing this sight; how painful must it be?
"...No. I apologize."
I apologized belatedly.
Just seeing them living well didn't feel good.
Anger.
Yes, I was angry.
I didn't know how foolish I was to think they would be crawling even more pathetically.
‘...Even if I catch villains as a Black Eagle, they’ll all live like this, right?’
If so, killing them was indeed the answer.
"You don't have to apologize. This is my fault."
I didn't understand Hae-ryeon's words.
She spoke words that were particularly hard to grasp.
She was higher in rank than .
Since the team leader held the power of personnel managent, she could fire anyti if she wanted.
"Because I should have explained first how those trash live."
"How do they live?"
"Follow ."
Hae-ryeon arbitrarily changed the route.
The prison guard leading the way spoke in surprise.
"Th- This way."
"Just a mont."
Hae-ryeon spoke to the prison guard and showed the true face of the containnt facility.
Normally, this was sothing that shouldn't be done.
Especially not in front of the Black Eagle.
We descended into a basent so deep it felt like we didn't know where we were going.
Each ti, the villains imprisoned here wailed loudly, but so also shut their mouths upon seeing Hae-ryeon.
The basent of the containnt facility.
The mont we entered, screams were heard.
"Living life, there are tis when soone has to do the dirtiest, most disgusting jobs."
Hae-ryeon walked towards the place reeking of stench.
"Money alone isn't enough. There are jobs that require a sense of duty, right?"
I listened silently and looked ahead.
"But in this Empire, no one needs to harbor that sense of duty."
Hae-ryeon's finger pointed downwards.
Following her lead, I also looked down.
In that place filled with all sorts of garbage and filth, villains were moving.
Next to the place where filth was purified, the garbage sorting workshop was almost attached.
Without proper ventilation facilities, they were together with the dirtiest things in the lowest place.
The intention of 'let's see you suffer' was clearly visible.
"Because all the captured villains will do it for us."
Hae-ryeon finished speaking and looked at .
I smiled.
A very bright smile.
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