hotmtlnovel Chapter 67 : Chapter 67
Chapter 67 : Chapter 67
Chapter 67: Additional Pay (2)“…Is that possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? We have power, information networks, manpower… well, maybe not manpower, but anyway, we have the foundation to pursue if we want to.”
Ah.
Only then did I realize something I had forgotten.
They were Black Eagles.
Black Eagles overtly backed by the Taisen Empire.
Pursuing it truly didn't seem impossible.
However, one thing bothered me.
‘……Can I trust them?’
I sharpened my guard on that point.
It was hard to believe.
Weren't they people who would turn away anytime if they knew my true nature?
“Besides, I agree with your opinion, Hyeon-yul. That drug……. It was truly, dreadful.”
“Did you see it?”
At my question, Na-yoon let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Is that why you made me get in the car?”
“…That’s right. I didn’t want you to see it.”
“I’m fine. I’ve seen a lot.”
“Hyeon-yul, you say you’re fine, but I think that’s something you can’t just say is fine. Not just me, anyone would think so.”
They conducted drug experiments in the basement.
It was truly, dreadful.
There was nothing else I could say.
The stairs were already a sea of blood, filled with rotting corpses that hadn't even been properly disposed of.
Among those rotting corpses were people injected with drugs, breathing like corpses.
Having seen that, how could I bring Hyeon-yul?
I knew he would definitely say he was fine, but still, I couldn’t take him.
A very slight frown formed between Hyeon-yul’s brows.
I didn’t know at first, but now I knew that expression appeared when he couldn’t understand something.
“I’m saying this because I’m worried about you, Hyeon-yul. I don’t want you to suffer.”
Na-yoon spoke more bluntly, but Hyeon-yul’s expression didn’t change.
“Teacher Jeong-min would have said the same thing as me.”
Only when Jeong-min was mentioned did Hyeon-yul finally nod.
‘Is Teacher Jeong-min like a god to Hyeon-yul?’
Na-yoon smiled.
“You can show me next time. I’m really fine. I don’t want to be excluded from missions like this.”
‘…It’s not mission exclusion, though.’
Na-yoon couldn't bring herself to say the words lingering in her mouth.
The moment she said something, she felt like she would get angry.
Knowing it wasn't anger towards Hyeon-yul, she held it back.
“Wait, I’ll contact the Team Leader and come back.”
“Understood.”
Hearing his answer, Na-yoon turned away.
Hyeon-yul was an Experiment Subject.
He was a victim of that dreadful situation she had seen, that all Black Eagles had seen.
Anger surged towards the villain who had turned a perfectly fine person into that, and at the same time, her eyes stung.
Was this personal guilt?
Or was it a sense of obligation for failing to save him as a Black Eagle?
Whatever it was, Na-yoon took a deep breath, realizing she accepted Hyeon-yul as a team member.
‘I’ll protect Hyeon-yul.’
Whether Hyeon-yul intended it or not, he had protected them.
If so, it was only natural that they should protect Hyeon-yul.
‘Everyone must be thinking the same way.’
Na-yoon trusted her team members.
Kwaang!
Someone slammed their fist down.
Even if the current situation was bad, it was really bad.
“Didn’t they say the Poison King was caught?”
“……Yes. I definitely heard so.”
“Then why is the Poison King’s faction still alive and kicking? Shit, do you know how many of our businesses have been wiped out?”
The Poison King, who occupied the area near the capital region, had disappeared.
I felt a thrill when I heard this.
Was it just us?
No.
All villains, big or small, who had formed factions must have felt the same.
One had to go in quickly to grab whatever spoils there were.
I rushed in, only to not only get beaten up quickly but also witness our influence being snatched away; I couldn’t possibly endure this without getting angry.
The man stood up from his seat, approached his subordinate, and slapped him across the face.
“Speak, you bastard!”
The moment he flicked his finger, the tie the subordinate was wearing tightened around his neck.
“……S-Sor, keoheok, sorry.”
“If that bastard Poison King was caught by those damn Eagles, then who is leading that faction?!”
The man raised his voice.
It was full of things I couldn't understand.
Who would dare lead the Poison King's faction?
I had no idea how much guts that bastard had.
“…D-Don’t know.”
“What did you say?”
“They… keoheok, call themselves… Rabbit Mask.”
“What? Rabbit what?”
The man narrowed his eyes, released the force choking his subordinate, and looked at him.
One of the man’s eyes was covered with an eyepatch.
“…Cough, cough.”
“Speak.”
The man grabbed his subordinate's hair.
“R-Rabbit Mask!”
“Rabbit Mask?”
Puhahahahaht.
The man burst out laughing.
“This is driving me crazy, really.”
“Hahaha… ha.”
The subordinate also burst out laughing along with him, and the other subordinates standing like dolls in the room laughed as well.
“……Hey.”
Just then, a chilling voice rang out.
Gulp.
The subordinate swallowed dryly and looked at the man.
The moment he faced that coldly smiling face, something pierced his ears.
Unable to even make a sound, the subordinate collapsed, blood streaming from both sides of his head.
“Find out properly who took the Poison King’s place.”
After giving the order, the man returned to his seat.
Some of the subordinates dragged the corpse away as if accustomed to it.
Because if they didn’t find out properly, they would be the ones to die.
The bloodstain elongated.
“…How did the mission end in just one day? Do you know how surprised I was when I heard the news yesterday?”
Jeong-min looked at Hyeon-yul, who was lying down, with fascination.
I had been praying the whole time because they said it would be 5 days, but when he appeared like a surprise gift like this, my laughter wouldn't stop.
“It was just a coincidence.”
“Feels good, right?”
“It’s good.”
“If it’s that good, how did you endure it when you were over there?”
“At that time, I thought I had to endure it. If I didn’t endure, I would have no choice but to die, wouldn't I?”
I had no money for treatment immediately.
That place was the only one that paid enough to cover it.
“That’s right.”
Jeong-min was speechless for a moment, then naturally changed the subject.
“I think about this every day lately, it would have been great if the Black Eagle’s job posting had come out earlier. I’m so comfortable now after leaving that wretched hospital, so how good must it be for you too?”
Jeong-min looked like he could break into a shoulder dance any second.
“I checked several times to see if I had missed it, but it turned out I hadn’t seen it.”
“Not that you worried about whether you could go or not?”
“I didn’t worry much about joining the Black Eagle. What I did contemplate rather deeply was the part about meeting the conditions. Thanks to Shin Dae-ho, the conditions were met very easily.”
I recalled the look in Shin Dae-ho’s eyes when he met his end.
After being surprised, he seemed to smile faintly.
Why did he smile?
“You’re doing well now, right?”
Jeong-min pushed up his glasses and narrowed his eyes.
I'm doing well.
It's bearable.
I decided not to be fooled anymore by Hyeon-yul’s words like these.
“Yes.”
“Really? You lied last time too.”
―I haven’t done anything that betrays the teachings you taught me, Teacher.
The words that always followed I’m okay were those.
“Last time, and this time too, I haven’t done anything that betrays the teachings you taught me, Teacher.”
It didn’t deviate from my expectations.
Hyeon-yul mentioned those words again.
“Not that.”
“I am doing well.”
“Not that, Hyeon-yul.”
At Jeong-min’s continued words, Hyeon-yul gently closed and then opened his eyes.
Jeong-min was wary, wondering if the same words would pop out again.
“It’s strange.”
“…Strange?”
“Yes. It’s strange. Yesterday, too, they excluded me from the mission, telling me to get in the car because it was cold, but I didn’t feel that bad about it. However, the part about potentially being excluded anytime wasn’t good. As you know, Teacher, the cold is nothing to me….”ried to do something I genuinely liked together.
It was surprising.
“I am sincere. Of course, even if you don’t come to our team, I hope you’ll think of wanting to continue getting along well.”
“Why is that?”
“Did you forget I said I liked you from the beginning?”
“I didn’t know you were sincere.”
“I’m sincere about everything. Ah, I have to say this too.”
As soon as Yang Do-jin finished speaking, he bowed his head.
“Thank you, for protecting my kids.”
Was he talking about the incident where the Poison King spread poison?
Hyeon-yul looked at Yang Do-jin.
A very slight frown formed between my brows.
The people in Black Eagle didn't let me think simple thoughts.
They made me think more about something.
“……The proposal from a little while ago, I will think about it.”
Hyeon-yul replied belatedly with a faint smile.
I thought it might be a pretty good offer among the scouting proposals I had received.
Hyeon-yul walked towards where the Eagle was waiting, covered his mouth with one hand, and extended the other.
The Eagle flew over and snatched Hyeon-yul’s arm.