Chapter 69: Welco Party (1)
“I think I can hear curses in my ears.”
As Hyeon-yul placed his hand on Yu-jong’s shoulder, he trembled greatly.
‘This bastard…, no, this guy, can he read minds too?’
Yu-jong spoke without lifting his head.
“…How could that be?”
“It’s alright. Isn’t thinking curses inwardly freedom? Just don’t point a blade at . I’m not particularly rciful.”
“Um…, the, the information is ready.”
“Is it ready?”
As Hyeon-yul applied pressure to his hand, Yu-jong’s eyes darted left and right.
He strangely felt as if his neck was being gripped.
“O-Of course. I didn't know when you'd co, so I prepared it.”
Yu-jong hastily ran to the desk and held out the materials.
He subtly raised his head, t Hyeon-yul’s eyes, and quickly lowered it again.
That crazy bastard was smiling.
‘Why the hell is he smiling?’
It felt like his heart was dropping.
Yu-jong steadied his rapidly beating heart.
“The contracts of the celebrities held against their will have been terminated.”
“I did as instructed.”
Yu-jong replied, pointlessly swallowing dryly.
“It will take longer for the Black Eagles to divert their attention, so keep a low profile.”
“…Still?”
“Yes. Not yet.”
“Those bastards need to change their na first. What Eagles, they’re black ticks. They’ve shaken down enough, what more are they shaking down?”
“If you feel so wronged, why didn’t you try shaking down their insides with the Black Eagle information you obtained?”
Yu-jong had planted an informant inside the Black Eagle.
The mont this fact was discovered, he even sent an assassin to cut ties.
Even if it was just to sell information as an information broker, hadn't he infiltrated quite deeply?
Why didn't he think of that?
“Crazy……. No, I an, that’s not allowed.”
Yu-jong stopped talking and quickly covered his mouth.
“Why not? If you even planted an informant, shouldn’t you at least consider shaking down the Black Eagle?”
“You seem to not know the Black Eagles well, those guys are really not to be underestimated. Rather, they’re truly vicious. It took pouring money and people just to barely create an informant. I reached one Team Leader level contact, but maybe it was a declaration of conscience, there was a limit to the information I could dig up, and the mont they found out I was involved, I would just die.”
Yu-jong swallowed dryly for a mont, then continued speaking.
Fear showed through.
“The reason Black Eagles might seem like nothing special is because they have a structure that makes focused fire impossible. They scatter to stop incidents breaking out everywhere, don’t they? But this is a different matter, if it all poured down on just ……. Ha.”
Yu-jong couldn’t finish his sentence.
He looked genuinely terrified.
“Didn’t you do it with that resolve in the first place?”
“I never, ever, intended to fight! I’m an information broker, not a fighter, in the first place. The Taisen Empire is behind those guys. No, before that, the nobles will move first.”
“Why would the nobles move?”
At Hyeon-yul’s question, Yu-jong looked at him with surprised eyes.
He doesn't know this?
He was looking at like that.
“Lower your eyes and explain.”
At Hyeon-yul’s words, Yu-jong imdiately lowered his head.
“…I don’t know who, but they say soone among the Black Eagles is a noble. On our side too, we absolutely don’t touch nobles. Do you know how vicious those bastards are? They pretend to be all noble and shit, but those bastards are the truly crazy ones.”
Yu-jong seethed.
‘There’s a noble among the Black Eagles?’
Hyeon-yul thought for a mont, then recalled soone.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
I still didn’t know all the Black Eagles.
Hasty thoughts were forbidden.
“Anyway… I’m still chasing the guy who intercepted my information. Seeing how he hasn’t been caught yet, he seems like quite a big shot.”
“Keep chasing. I’ll give you one piece of information as a reward.”
“Yes…?”
“Isn’t sothing interesting happening these days?”
“Interesting… I don’t know, but it’s quite noisy. As you know, after the Poison King was caught, fights broke out, right? But looking at the way things are flowing, it’s strange.”
“How is it strange?”
“……The Poison King’s faction is winning. They should have beco a disorganized mob since the Poison King disappeared.”
Yu-jong wore an expression as if he couldn't understand it at all.
All villains existed only because there was a leader.
When the leader died, they usually left to find the next potential leader.
Sure enough.
Soone appeared.
“I heard, there’s a rabbit……”
“I took that over.”
Hyeon-yul pointed at himself and smiled.
“……Yes?”
“I took it over. Wearing a rabbit mask.”
“……”
Yu-jong was so surprised he moved back.
This wasn't sothing one could say lightly, even as a joke.
How could soone take over such a large faction?
I couldn't understand in the slightest what had happened.
It wasn't just any faction, it was the Poison King's faction.
To think those guys were following that mad dog.
The corners of Yu-jong’s mouth trembled.
I didn't know who on earth I had been dealing with.
“And there’s soone behind the Poison King. Find out who.”
“……?”
Yu-jong’s eyes widened.
Soone behind the Poison King.
What kind of bullshit was this?
“Lastly, this.”
Hyeon-yul casually handed over one of the drugs he had brought.
“Find out where it’s being distributed from, or where it’s being made.”
Yu-jong couldn't keep up with Hyeon-yul’s pace.
He was already frozen from the beginning, from the part about taking over the faction.
“It’s a drug that turns non-Awakened into Awakened.”
Yu-jong’s mouth fell open.
I didn't know what he kept throwing at .
“For reference, the side effects are severe, so taking it ans death. Therefore, anyone using it, making it, or trying to receive it will die.”
Hyeon-yul spoke quietly, then opened the window.
“Ah.”
Yu-jong tensed, thinking sothing else was about to co out.
“Looking last ti, your tax delinquency was substantial. Pay it. I pay taxes too.”
Hyeon-yul uttered the words and jumped straight out the window.
‘……Huh?’
Yu-jong stood still as if hit on the head.
I didn't know what I had just heard.
‘Did I hear wrong?’
Taxes.
Ha.
A scoff escaped Yu-jong.
That mad dog pays taxes.
Ha!
The scoffing wouldn’t stop.
The man looked back and forth between the tablet and the computer.
He reviewed the regained faction, businesses, and various other things.
After He arrived, everything went smoothly.
Rabbit Mask.
I had no choice but to call him that because I didn't know his na, but I couldn't bring myself to utter those words.
What mattered was that he was the one who saved us, who were just awaiting ruin.
He was different from those executive bastards who only greedily eyed the Poison King's vacant seat.
Those bastards were fools who relied on the Poison King's na, neither advancing nor staying put, just trying to settle comfortably.
But none of that had anything to do with .
I was already kicked out of the executive position, and since then, I had just been passing ti as if not truly living; what could I say?
A day like any other.
Sothing happened that filled the gaping hole in my chest.
The executives died.
Sothing unbelievable happened.
The mont I saw His strength, I felt my dead heart start beating again.
‘What does He want.’
Tap tap.
‘How far does He aspire.’
Taptaptap.
The fingers moving over the keyboard grew faster and faster.
‘What did He see in .’
The corners of the man’s lips lifted fully.
I wanted to see him.
I wanted to exchange many words again.
I felt like I had finally found a reason to live.
「What's your na?」
The mont he saw the phone that suddenly popped in, the man imdiately extended his hand.
At the end of the sharply ford wind stood a man wearing a rabbit mask.
「It's .」
The mont he saw the characters written on the phone, the man imdiately prostrated himself, lowering his head.
“……I have committed a cri worthy of death!”
Tap, tap.
Hyeon-yul nudged the guy with his foot, then held out his phone.
Even if he had attacked , it wasn't to the extent that I couldn't dodge.
「Enough.」
「What’s your na?」
Hyeon-yul was curious about that.
Figurehead CEO.
I couldn't call him that, could I?
“Are, are you asking for my na?”
「Don’t have a na?」
“No. I am Lee Seung-yoo! You can call by any na. From now on, that will be my na.”
「You’re doing well.」
Seung-yoo stared blankly at the ssage that appeared on the phone.
‘……Doing well? ?’
Seung-yoo felt his heart pound at those words.
「Keep doing that from now on. If any strange news reaches , you die.」
“…O-Of course!”
Seung-yoo said, holding his breath.
A hot sensation rose in his chest.
It was a sensation felt for the first ti.
It felt like I could do anything right now.
「Surprised I ca suddenly?」
“Not at all. Not at all. Rather, I was just waiting for you to co!”
「Yeah?」
Hyeon-yul brushed it off nonchalantly.
I expected that level of flattery.
“The internal cleaning was done neatly. It was the first task completed. From now on, the Poison King will not be ntioned.”
「Why?」
「Weren’t you following the Poison King?」
Hyeon-yul asked, finding it unexpected.
Although I had killed all the executives, I hadn't told them to erase the Poison King.
I hadn't even thought they would erase the Poison King in the first place, yet they erased him like this.
As expected, they didn’t disappoint expectations.
They were parasites feeding off the leader's power.
“Yes. I followed the Poison King.”
The man rolled up his sleeve.
Whether the skin had lted, hideous scars were fully visible from above the wrist.
“As an executive, I was loyal to the Poison King, but what returned was death. I have already died once.”
「Why bother coming back?」
Hyeon-yul genuinely didn’t understand.
How was it different from staying at Shin Dae-ho’s company after killing him?
“…I don’t know. They said it was miraculous that I survived despite being poisoned, and I was allowed back in. From then on, I was wandering aimlessly. Not knowing what I should do, what I was doing right now, I just lived.”
‘Is this lanting? Why now?’
Hyeon-yul found it hard to understand.
I had led teams before, so it wasn't that I hadn't experienced such things, but I was different then and now.
Was the position of figurehead CEO really that good?
Hyeon-yul, for now, uttered the best words he had acquired.
「You worked hard.」
They were simple words, but the effect was good.
I didn't know why people liked this.
Would that guy too?
Hyeon-yul looked at Seung-yoo.
‘He likes it too.’
However, it was a type I hadn't seen before, so I was confused about how best to judge it.
“I will follow whatever you wish. You can do whatever you want. Even if you order to quit everything related to the business right now, I will follow.”
「Yeah?」
“Yes. So, please, do not abandon .”
Seung-yoo pleaded desperately.
He wanted to convey this sincerity by offering up his own heart right now.
「Alright.」
Hyeon-yul readily answered.
Whether he appealed with emotion, or cut off his finger demanding imdiate trust, none of it mattered.
After all, Seung-yoo and the others were just villains.
「The reason I ca today is none other than, I have sothing to give.」
“What will you give ?”
「Use this.」
Hyeon-yul handed over the faction information he had received from Yu-jong.
“……This is. Isn’t this faction information?”
Seung-yoo asked, looking surprised.
It wasn't clear exactly who participated yet, how could he have obtained this?
As expected, he was extraordinary.
「Spread it elsewhere too.」
“Yes?”
「Spread it secretly.」
“Understood. I will spread it imdiately.”
Seung-yoo reacted as if it were sothing that naturally had to be done and lowered his head.
「Why don’t you ask?」
「You’re curious, aren’t you.」
「If this is spread, everyone will know each other’s factions?」
“I thought that was your aim. Places that rge will rge, places that struggle will struggle, and countless factions will fight and combine.”
Hyeon-yul gestured as if telling him to continue.
“It’s impossible for us too to monitor all the various factions. But if the factions themselves rge and get erased, reducing the number, monitoring becos easier.”
「Smart.」
That was exactly the part Hyeon-yul desired.
If the number of factions decreased, only then could monitoring beco smoother, allowing many predictions.
Besides, while rging, the factions would grow quite large, so the period of mutual checks would inevitably lengthen.
When the factions beca distinct due to the aftermath of these checks, it would beco easier for the Black Eagle to snatch them up.
Even if the rest were erased and only this faction remained, it was actually better.
Isn't it obvious who needs to be killed?
「Ah. I should give a reward.」
“A reward…?”
「I’ll tell you an interesting fact.」
Seung-yoo waited quietly.
「Did you know the Poison King was also following soone?」
“……Yes?”
Seung-yoo couldn't hide his surprise.
Even as a forr executive, he seed unaware of this information.
「He called himself the best with his own mouth, but that guy too, in the end, wasn’t the leader.」
「Do you want to follow such a moron?」
“…No. I absolutely cannot follow him.”
Seung-yoo shook his head vigorously.
Beyond betrayal, even a certain resolution could be seen.
“How can that be a leader? He’s just a defeated lackey.”
「Right.」
「I’m going to find that guy.」
「And I’ll have to erase him, right?」
Hyeon-yul looked at Seung-yoo.
Since he was wanting sothing from , demanding sothing, Hyeon-yul willingly obliged.
「If I am to do that, what must you do?」
“You must find him, unconditionally.”
Seung-yoo uttered the words heavily, as if possessed.
“Unconditionally, you must make him reach beneath your feet.”
「That’s how you do it.」
「That’s how you crawl at my words.」
“I will gladly do so.”
Seung-yoo smiled.
Hyeon-yul touched the guy’s shoulder and held out his phone.
「You’re doing well.」
When Seung-yoo lifted his head, no one was there.
Instead, the window was open.
As wind blew in through it, Seung-yoo burst out laughing.
The cold wind brushing against his face felt like his own welco party.
Because he had found the path he must walk forward.
‘I, will die by that person’s hands in the future.’
Seung-yoo’s laughter grew louder and louder.
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