Chapter 75: Testing the Waters (2)
Thump.
As the door burst open, Jeong-min looked at Hyeon-yul with surprised eyes.
He looked considerably confused.
“……Hyeon-yul, are you okay? Did sothing happen?”
“Teacher…….”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand why the team leader defends , why she wants to know , why she says she’s grateful and sorry to .”
Uncharacteristically for Hyeon-yul, his words were rapid.
It was as if sothing was broken.
Jeong-min looked at him carefully.
“Even after taking dicine, this doubt doesn’t subside. Why is that?”
“Hyeon-yul.”
“Didn’t you tell before to try trusting other people, Teacher? That you hoped I would broaden my world?”
“I did. Even now, I hope you would.”
Hyeon-yul’s world was all about him.
That was the end of it.
Did this make sense?
This wasn't good for Hyeon-yul either.
“So I shared so of the work I was doing alone with the team leader.”
It was one of the many pieces of information he possessed.
He had consud the Poison King’s forces.
The new villain they suspected might be him.
He had shaken one very small piece of such a heavy, heavy truth.
But Hae-ryeon had asked about it.
“But why doesn’t she suspect ? Why does she grant my requests? I’m not doubting your words, Teacher. However, I cannot understand.”
Hae-ryeon had said she wouldn't ask anything, no matter what he brought.
She had only asked to be told whether he had killed or saved the opponent.
Hadn't she even said she would put it on an official mission?
“She called , a forr villain, Black Eagle. She told , who she doesn’t even know if I’m darkness or shadow, not to hide in the darkness.”
Hyeon-yul sought an answer from Jeong-min.
“Teacher. These are all things I cannot understand.”
His face contorted.
He wanted to hit his hardened head.
The fact that things that should be obvious were not obvious tornted him again.
Every ti this happened, he felt like he was newly realizing he was a monster.
All he could do was ask Jeong-min again.
Please tell .
“I’m sure I heard similar things from those who scouted , but I don’t know why it sounds different. Am I wavering?”
“That’s right. Hyeon-yul, you’re wavering right now.”
“…I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t waver.”
Hyeon-yul frowned.
If he wavered, he might die.
There were too many people aiming for him.
“Hyeon-yul. Wouldn’t it be okay to waver this ti?”
“I can’t. I must always maintain my reason. If I make a mistake, even you could die, Teacher. If even one thing goes wrong, I’ll be dragged back to the experint site. It will repeat all over again. This ti, I might not be able to escape.”
Hyeon-yul’s voice did not waver.
He had returned to his usual self.
Jeong-min, on the contrary, pursed his lips as if his heart ached at that indifference.
He knew he was special to Hyeon-yul, but the thought that he might be holding him back also lingered.
But Jeong-min shook off all thoughts.
That wasn't what was important right now.
“…That’s not what I ant, Hyeon-yul.”
“What did you an?”
“Hyeon-yul, you probably did what you could because you wanted to try trusting Team Leader Oh Hae-ryeon. Right?”
“Trust has no aning other than you, Teacher. I know that very well. What I did is closer to an experint.”
“Whatever it was, Hyeon-yul, you did sothing similar. Right?”
“Yes.”
“You thought you’d be rejected, didn’t you?”
“Statistically, that’s the correct way to see it. I thought so. However, I also wanted to use the power that Black Eagle possesses.”
“Hyeon-yul, the reason you’re wavering is precisely because of that. Sothing unexpected happened. Team Leader Oh Hae-ryeon trusted you, didn’t she?”
Jeong-min couldn't stop the smile.
To trust, not to trust.
That was important to others too, but it was special for Hyeon-yul.
Without him knowing, Hyeon-yul was changing little by little.
He faced that today.
“You always said you didn’t want to rely on uncertainty, but you just witnessed the process of that uncertainty turning into certainty. Like , when you were young.”
Jeong-min smiled and pointed to himself.
The first ti Hyeon-yul experienced uncertainty turning into certainty was with him.
“Hyeon-yul, you saw the fact that there’s soone else besides .”
“But the team leader is not you, Teacher.”
Hyeon-yul’s pupils wavered.
His gaze towards Jeong-min deepened.
He owed a debt that couldn't be repaid even if he gave everything.
Love.
He was the person who had shown him what that word, which remained rely as letters, felt like, what form it took.
He still couldn't clearly perceive that emotion, but that alone was special.
“That’s right. Team Leader Oh Hae-ryeon is not . So she’ll be different from . Because she’s different from , the standard you’re holding onto will waver like it did today.”
“…It’s dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous. Because that’s what people are. People grow by wavering countless tis.”
Jeong-min approached Hyeon-yul and hugged him.
He patted his back.
Hyeon-yul turned his eyes towards Jeong-min.
“See? You’re not a monster, you’re a person.”
Could it be?
Hyeon-yul couldn't help but doubt it more than any other words Jeong-min had uttered.
“Don’t cry, Teacher.”
“I’m not crying.”
“I can, feel everything.”
He didn't know why Jeong-min was crying, and he still found it difficult to understand what he was saying.
Why did he keep talking?
‘…But it’s not bad.’
Hyeon-yul couldn't ask anymore.
He gently leaned on Jeong-min’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
「Incident Start
―Recently, a parent suspected that their child, after joining a famous study club, was exhibiting strange behaviors and activities, separate from their improved grades.
Incident Progress
―Secured evidence of strange posts (Black Eagle is actually creating villains) being written on various communities.
―After questioning the child about the current situation and consulting with various institutions, abnormal signs were discovered, and the said club was reported.
―Police investigated the club and revealed that it was an external club and the organizer was not an educator.
―Police found and investigated other mbers and revealed that they exhibited similar behaviors to the reporter’s child.
―It was revealed that the said club has a significant number of mbers.
―It was also discovered that branches exist.
―The information was transferred to White Sparrow, and they investigated together.
―While trying to approach after locating the headquarters, the club organizers suddenly changed and took the students hostage.
Points to Note
―Students must be prioritized and actively protected.
―The standoff must not be prolonged.
―It has not been determined whether the said organizer is a villain or not.」
When Hyeon-yul took his eyes off his smartwatch, Ji-hwan was staring blankly.
“Did you go see Teacher Jeong-min?”
Hyeon-yul gently nudged Ji-hwan and asked.
“…Yes? Ah.”
Ji-hwan shook his head and then smiled brightly.
“He said he’d make dicine.”
“The effect will be good.”
“Of course. Teacher Jeong-min is a really good person.”
At Ji-hwan’s words, Hyeon-yul nodded.
“Ah, and earlier when you were taking dicine, Brother, I asked the manager about parts that were lacking in the information here. To add to that, the club is known as a study club, and it was apparently famous in the community too?”
“…Is that so?”
“They said it only had a mbership fee, and that wasn’t expensive either, and it beca even more famous because they provided support like textbooks and tablets.”
“But why are we still in a standoff?”
Hyeon-yul was more puzzled by the current situation than the internal information.
Their current ti slot was from 1 AM to 6 AM.
It ant that the Black Eagle team that ca before them hadn't resolved it.
It could even be called a shift change.
‘Weren’t missions usually resolved quickly?’
Hyeon-yul thought quietly.
Ahem.
Ji-hwan carefully cleared his throat and looked around.
They were still so distance from the scene, but it was right to be cautious.
“Brother.”
“Yes.”
“This isn’t confird, but it’s kind of spread around that our team’s mission accomplishnt rate is number one.”
“Is it different for each team?”
“It’s different. The atmosphere is different, the accomplishnt rate is different, and the deploynt is also a bit different.”
“So you continued missions with 3 mbers without additional personnel? Usually, people are reluctant, aren’t they?”
“…That’s right. The missions we’re assigned are a bit, um, tight. When missions are assigned, there’s an internal tric called accomplishnt rate, so Team 3 is prioritized. This is a real secret, though.”
Ji-hwan lowered his voice a little more.
“Team 3’s salary is a little higher.”
Hyeon-yul nodded at those words.
If the work was tough, the salary should be high.
It was quite reasonable.
In this aspect, Black Eagle was quite to his liking.
“Anyway, does that an the previous team failed?”
“It would be more accurate to say they ran out of ti…?”
“I think that’s the sa thing.”
Hyeon-yul thought it was an unacceptable part.
They ran out of ti.
No matter how you looked at it, it ant they failed.
“…Uh, that could be true, but things like this happen quite often. Even if Black Eagle is stronger than others, they’re not invincible, are they?”
Ji-hwan watched Hyeon-yul’s expression.
Unlike usual, he was stern.
“It seems like they passed the buck.”
‘…Ah.’
Ji-hwan realized where Hyeon-yul felt displeasure.
It certainly could look that way.
“Looking at the ti, it apparently happened around 11 PM.”
“That’s enough ti to resolve it.”
“…Right? It is, enough ti to resolve it, right?”
Ji-hwan gulped dryly.
Was it really enough ti to resolve it?
‘It might be possible… or it might not be…….’
Ji-hwan, who had been hesitating in his thoughts, snapped to attention.
Hadn't he just realized that Hyeon-yul viewed the mission aspect quite strictly?
‘Get a grip, Ji-hwan.’
Ji-hwan whipped himself.
He usually handled missions with a relatively relaxed attitude.
Being uptight didn't necessarily an it would be resolved quickly.
“Earlier when you were getting the sedative, Brother, I took a look at that building.”
Ji-hwan spread his hand.
The building floated in the air.
It was even possible to move it left and right, as if it were 3D.
“Is it magic?”
“It’s magic. Can you see my competence?”
Ji-hwan grinned.
“I can see it. But you didn’t use this power last ti. Is there a reason?”
“It was a villain’s building, so I didn’t use it. It’s different now. Villains and civilians are mixed, aren’t they?”
Ji-hwan lightly tapped it with his finger.
Red dots appeared inside the building.
“They’re people.”
“Is it okay to use this magic?”
“Ah, this much is fine. It’s not like I’m actually controlling space, so it doesn’t consu that much mana. Anyway, there are a lot, right?”
“Quite a lot.”
The building had a total of 5 floors.
There were at least dozens of people on each floor.
“First, if we apply the information received from the previous teams, it becos like this.”
The red dots changed to white dots.
It seed the previous team had spent all their ti classifying them.
But this couldn't be said to be perfect.
It was a headache because it could be wrong.
“I’ll go.”
“…Yes?”
“If I mark it, how will it appear?”
“You, Brother?”
Ji-hwan extended his hand.
“Try it here once. I’ll register it.”
Hyeon-yul placed his hand on top of Ji-hwan’s.
Ji-hwan blinked.
Why was he just standing still?
‘Ah. I didn’t ntion the timing.’
Ji-hwan grinned and said.
“Just use your power.”
“I used it.”
“Yes…?”
Ji-hwan’s eyes widened.
Hyeon-yul extended his palm and lifted it.
Black smoke rose.
He placed it directly on Ji-hwan’s palm.
“……?”
“So I was curious. About how you might be able to perceive it.”
Darkness and shadow could not be perceived unless seen.
He himself also possessed that characteristic.
“…Are you okay, Brother?”
At Ji-hwan’s sudden words, Hyeon-yul didn't understand what he ant.
He roughly nodded.
“I’m fine.”
“Just a mont.”
Ji-hwan first cald his surprised heart.
‘……Is this, really okay?’
Ji-hwan’s gaze turned to the magic he had used on his palm.
Whether it was the red dots or white dots appearing here, they were all set to appear automatically if they had life.
Registering Hyeon-yul’s power was just a way to recognize him at a glance.
‘Brother is… what?’
Ji-hwan, feeling doubt for the first ti, rummaged through his bag.
His fingertips felt like they would tremble.
He bit his lip hard, lest a doubt he had never harbored before escape his mouth.
‘……You trash-like bastards.’
What had they made a person into?
How had they changed a person?
Ji-hwan forcibly shook off his complicated thoughts and took out a pen-shaped object from his bag.
“Take this, Brother.”
He offered it, managing his expression.
It was sothing Hyeon-yul needed right now.
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