Chapter 7
Scouted
Haeryeon fell silent for a moment at Shinwoo’s report.
They’d rescued the hostages before they could be turned into test subjects.
And they hadn’t stopped there—they’d even captured the person in charge.
Haeryeon brushed her hair back.
...Hyunyul did all that?
She tried to close her mouth, which had fallen open in shock.
No one in the Black Eagles had ever completed their first mission this perfectly while still on probation.
“Hyunyul says we need to get the location of the second site from the villain he caught.”
“Why? We rescued the hostages.”
“Apparently, the second site is closer to the place where the experiments are being conducted.”
Shinwoo recalled what Hyunyul had told him.
—They can’t move the experimental facility right away. They’ll probably destroy it or relocate. If there’s a gas explosion or suspicious activity related to a move, keep an eye on it.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes. Hyunyul told me. He said to watch for a gas explosion or suspicious activity related to a move, either today or tomorrow.”
“That’s good information. Anything else to report?”
Haeryeon turned to look at Shinwoo.
He seemed hesitant, as if unsure how to bring something up.
“It’s about Hyunyul.”
“What about him?”
“Is he in any condition to do this job?”
Shinwoo thought of the medicine and syringe Hyunyul had used.
One reason villains were despised by everyone was what they did to test subjects.
How could anyone treat people like animals?
Even remembering what those bastards had done made Shinwoo feel sick.
“Mr. Hyunyul met the requirements for special recruitment.”
Ironically, someone had suggested holding another vote today.
Haeryeon hadn’t planned to accept, but she thought it might be worth doing now to settle the matter once and for all.
His performance on this mission was more than enough.
“Today alone proved how capable he is. Was there any problem during the mission?”
“No. If anything, he was so quick that it was hard to believe he was a rookie.”
“Mr. Hyunyul worked for a company run by villains. You could say he’s... a rookie with experience. The kind of candidate companies love, I suppose.”
Shinwoo’s gaze grew serious at Haeryeon’s answer.
A test subject had worked at a company that might have created him.
“Was he being manipulated?”
“For now, I think it was because of his medical bills. And this is just a guess, but he probably has a personal grudge, too.”
“So that’s why he handled things differently.”
“As you know, the Black Eagles aren’t here to reform villains. We’re not heroes.”
Some people might call the Black Eagles heroes, but they could never be that. They’d been created to wipe villains from the land.
“Do I look like I’m criticizing Hyunyul?”
“Someone might.”
“From the start, the government left it to individuals to deal with villains. They tolerate it when we kill them, so criticizing us for it is ridiculous. Maybe those people would come to their senses if a villain hurt their family.”
“Still, there are lines we can’t cross. Even we can’t torture villains to death or use them as test subjects. We’d face even greater consequences.”
The more benefits they received, the tighter the rules that came with them.
Shinwoo’s eyes drooped, and then he nodded.
The legal and material consequences were much heavier than he’d expected. Some Black Eagles had even run away to escape them.
“Still, Team Leader, I think we should keep a close eye on Hyunyul’s condition. He’ll need to be able to keep working for a long time. I’ll help out, too.”
Shinwoo spoke earnestly.
The mission mattered, but so did keeping an eye on Hyunyul’s health.
Given his medical bills, the right thing to do was make it possible for him to keep working for as long as he could.
That was part of being a teammate.
“Of course. Do you know how excited I am right now?”
Haeryeon couldn’t stop smiling.
She was so glad they hadn’t lost Hyunyul to Yang Dojin, the team leader of Team Two.
“My heart’s racing, too. I can’t wait to see what he does next.”
Shinwoo agreed. Haeryeon held out her hand.
Smack!
Shinwoo slapped his palm against hers.
They didn’t need to say a word.
New recruits were precious.
Strong new recruits were even more precious.
Haeryeon and Shinwoo shared a satisfied smile, then headed outside.
As soon as Shinwoo went to report to Haeryeon, Hyunyul used his power to eavesdrop.
He thought he ought to know what they were saying about him.
There hadn’t been anything particularly important, but why were they talking so much about his health without knowing anything about him?
The word “long” especially bothered him.
—You’ll be working with us for a long time, right?
It reminded him of the villains who had scouted him.
Hyunyul closed his eyes for a moment and took a long breath.
Don’t get worked up.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no better workplace than this one.
Whatever they said, he had to endure and stay.
When Haeryeon stood up, Hyunyul lowered the hand he’d been holding to his ear.
As she came outside, he turned toward her.
“Great work, Hyunyul.”
Haeryeon smiled warmly.
She soon held out her palm for a high five.
Hyunyul was wary of smiling faces, so he gave her a slight smile in return.
“I’ve never seen anyone do this well on their first mission.”
“I didn’t do anything special. I only did what I was supposed to.”
Wanting to look dependable, Hyunyul tried to make his gaze as confident as possible.
“The people you and Shinwoo rescued are being examined now. If everything looks fine, we’ll send them home. And we’ll get the location of the second site from the villain you brought in.”
“Do I not need to handle that myself?”
Hyunyul asked, puzzled.
He was the one who’d brought the man in.
He felt responsible for what happened next.
“That’s the managers’ job. There is one thing you need to do, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Go home.”
Haeryeon smiled.
Hyunyul looked so surprised it was as if he’d been struck by an arrow.
“Head home first, Hyunyul. Actually, let’s go together. That’d be better.”
“...Pardon?”
“I’ll show you the way.”
Hyunyul lowered his gaze, trying to take in what she’d just said.
It was 2:51 p.m.
He still couldn’t believe it.
“I’ll go with you. It’s time to head home.”
Shinwoo volunteered.
—On the way here, I noticed people looking at me strangely. Rumors about me have spread, and someone may be deliberately leaving out information—
Hyunyul swallowed the irritation rising inside him.
There were plenty of things to be annoyed about, but one word made them all melt away.
Home.
For now, that was enough.
Earlier...
Something Hyunyul had said a little while ago had been bothering Shinwoo.
He’d intended to make it clear that Hyunyul was part of Team Three.
When Shinwoo smiled, Hyunyul looked away slightly.
...What am I doing?
He knew the way back.
Couldn’t he just retrace the route he’d taken?
Or is this just how things are supposed to work?
Maybe it was because Haeryeon, the team leader, was with him, but the ride back was so uneventful it was almost boring.
He’d been ready to kill anyone who got in their way.
Hyunyul sat on the empty bus and looked out the window.
—You took a taxi here? I’m impressed you made it. This bus is for us, so make sure you take it to and from work. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get in.
Before getting off, Shinwoo had explained a few things to him.
—And thanks to the magic on this smartwatch and the clothes we wear... Oh, right, you already returned your uniform. Anyway, we look different from our real selves, and we show up as “Team Three,” “Team Two,” and so on. So you don’t have to worry about anyone recognizing your real face. Team members can still see each other as we really are, though.
Learning these things about the Black Eagles—things he’d never known when he worked for a company run by villains—made Hyunyul feel as if he were spying on their secrets.
The bus stopped.
It really had taken him right to his front door.
Was this what they called a benefit?
...That’s interesting.
He wouldn’t know. He’d never had benefits before.
Hyunyul stepped off the bus.
“Thank you for the ride.”
After thanking the driver, he looked up.
He lived in what people called a “moon village.” He’d heard the name came from the way these hillside neighborhoods seemed closer to the moon.
His medical bills were so high that even paying the rent was difficult.
There had been times when he went hungry for days because he hadn’t been paid what he was owed.
He was all right now, though.
After killing Shin Daeho, he’d taken the share he was owed from the man’s account.
Hyunyul took off his smartwatch, slipped it into his pocket, and walked along the familiar route, thinking.
Shin Daeho was supposed to be such a big deal, so why are the villains being so quiet?
The Black Eagles had been after Shin Daeho.
They’d said he was a lead that could reveal the identity of the villain running a major corporation.
Shin Daeho had served as the man’s bodyguard and done all kinds of odd jobs. He knew about the businesses and partner companies the man ran, as well as the people he’d met.
There’s a lot to go through.
Bzzzz.
Hyunyul frowned as his phone buzzed.
Thinking it was another spam call, he checked and found a text instead.
[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: Hi, Hyunyul. Were you surprised to hear from me out of the blue? I wanted to share some good news.]
[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: You don’t have to come in tomorrow. Start the day after.]
She’d sent a sticker of a dancing squirrel, too.
For a moment, Hyunyul felt as if everything had stopped.
[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: Take it easy tomorrow. Work through the information on Shin Daeho at your own pace, and send it in the day after. We’ll count that as working from home.]
Hyunyul squeezed his eyes shut.
He felt like he was going to lose his mind.
Could this really be happening?
She’s telling me to rest? I just started today.
He briefly covered one eye.
He wasn’t easily shaken by ordinary things, but this was different.
He was truly moved.
...She really is a good person, right?
But Hyunyul managed to hold on to his reason.
No. Am I going to get fooled again?
He’d been just as happy when he’d first accepted a job after being scouted.
He couldn’t make the same mistake twice. He’d repeated it so many times that he deserved to be called stupid.
[Thank you for being considerate. I’ll send it once I’ve organized everything.]
[Team Leader Oh Haeryeon: Sure, haha! Have a nice day!]
She sent a sticker of a squirrel waving.
Hyunyul thought about what to say, then gave up.
He had nothing else to add, and conversations like this felt awkward.
Should I... work on my social skills?
That hadn’t been a particularly useful skill at a company run by villains.
But things were different now.
Lost in thought, Hyunyul reached a point near the top of the hill.
He wasn’t even out of breath.
He opened the door as he usually did and started inside, then stopped.
Of course.
There was no way the other side would stay quiet.
“...Who are you?”
Hyunyul turned around.
“Excuse me.”
A man stood there.
“What do you want?”
Hyunyul asked flatly.
“My master has taken an interest in you. He said the way you killed Shin Daeho was especially magnificent.”
“Oh, you’re here to recruit me?”
Hyunyul’s lips curled up.
He’d been wondering where he’d seen this before. It was a familiar scene.
He also wondered how they’d found him.
But hasn’t word about me reached them yet? Or do they know everything and still have the nerve to act like this?
Hyunyul wasn’t sure which.
“Please contact us using the number on this card.”
“If I contact you, can your master guarantee he’ll honor everything I ask for?”
Hyunyul didn’t take the card the man held out.
The number printed on it was probably from a burner phone anyway.
“Of course.”
“After being fooled so many times, I’ve learned one thing.”
The man looked at him as if to ask what he meant.
Hyunyul raised his voice slightly for the man who was waiting for an answer.
“Never deal with villains.”
The man gave a soft laugh.
It sounded almost like a sneer.
“I know you’ve worked under Shin Daeho and several other scumbags like him. But my master is different.”
Hyunyul thought about that for a moment, then laughed.
It was absolute nonsense.
What could possibly make him different?
“Fine. I suppose I can trust you one last time.”
He took the card and looked at the man.
The corners of Hyunyul’s eyes lifted.
“Go tell your master this: if he lies to me, I’ll take his head.”
“Thank you.”
The man backed away, bowing.
As he quietly disappeared, Hyunyul looked at the card.
Hah.
He almost sighed.
Same old trick. Poison on the card, just to test me.
It was ridiculous.
If it had been anyone else, the poison would have killed them.
It took effect as soon as it touched the skin.
Hyunyul turned toward the man who’d just left.
“Stop.”
“Pardon?”
Hyunyul walked over and grabbed him by the back of the neck without hesitation.
“Since I didn’t die, I suppose you’ll have to.”
He tightened his grip.
“...Wh-why—”
Crack.
With the sound of something breaking, the man went limp before he could finish.
Hyunyul looked ahead and tossed the corpse aside, smiling.
“You can tell your master I got the poison.”