Chapter 9
A Familiar Face?
“The Poison King…?”
Hyunyul, the one who had actually received the recruitment offer, remained calm. If anything, he seemed to be asking who that was.
“You don’t know who the Poison King is…?”
Haeryeon was taken aback.
“Even if I worked there, I wouldn’t know. I was just an employee.”
He had killed villains for a living. When the boss told him to kill someone, he checked whether they were an ordinary person and then simply killed them. The dead couldn’t talk, and perhaps the thought that some of them might have been involved in the experiments on him had made him even more indifferent.
‘Maybe she’ll think I’m incompetent for not knowing who the Poison King is.’
Hyunyul looked at Haeryeon. Not knowing something was as much of a sin as being incompetent.
“Oh, then I can see why. It’d be embarrassing to say, ‘I’m the Poison King,’ wouldn’t it?”
Haeryeon laughed it off as if it were nothing. Now that she thought about it, it was pretty funny.
“If you tell me who he is, I’ll make sure to remember next time.”
As Hyunyul bowed his head, he offered his face as if inviting her to hit him. Haeryeon, who had been smiling, froze.
“…Did you get hit for not knowing something?”
“Yes.”
“You, Hyunyul?”
“I can put up with that much if it means keeping my job.”
“You, who brought in Shin Dae-ho’s head?”
“Shin Dae-ho crossed a line I couldn’t put up with.”
Haeryeon ran a hand through her hair. How was she supposed to respond to that?
“I hope you won’t do that again. If you don’t know, ask. Even if you don’t understand, ask. No one on our team is so unreasonable that they’d hit you for not knowing something.”
“…Understood.”
Hyunyul raised his head and answered. Strangely, he felt as though his judgment was getting clouded.
“The Poison King is the nickname of a major villain who killed countless people with poison.”
“Did he kill people by coating business cards with poison?”
Was that how they had identified him?
Hyunyul asked.
“That’s right. He became infamous after using that method to wipe out an entire corporate family. We don’t know his real name. You might even have seen him before, Hyunyul.”
“Then how important was Shin Dae-ho?”
The Poison King’s subordinate had called Shin Dae-ho trash. But Shin Dae-ho had been a corporate chairman, and he’d even been on the wanted list.
“Shin Dae-ho was a major villain too.”
“He was a major villain? Him?”
“He might not seem like one since he didn’t have any special abilities, but he had plenty of connections, didn’t he?”
“Yes. I’ve seen a lot of villains. A great many.”
“We considered Shin Dae-ho a major villain because he was in contact with so many others. That’s why he didn’t have a nickname. He was just Shin Dae-ho.”
Having lots of connections wasn’t enough to earn him a nickname like “King of Connections.” That sounded more like a compliment.
“Even with a bounty on his head, he kept managing to escape, probably thanks to those connections. He’d even change his company’s name in the blink of an eye.”
As Hyunyul listened to Haeryeon, he began to understand what had happened.
He had brought in Shin Dae-ho’s head after Shin Dae-ho had escaped time and again, like a lizard shedding its tail.
‘So I actually did something pretty big.’
Only now did Hyunyul understand why he’d been specially recruited, even though he’d worked for a company run by a villain.
“Ah, we’ve been talking for a while, but we’re also investigating the company Shin Dae-ho ran. We’ll have to follow up on that too. You brought us this valuable information, after all.”
Haeryeon grinned. She was pleased that, with Hyunyul’s arrival, things were falling into place as smoothly as a dam finally giving way.
“Team Leader.”
“I have a proposal.”
“…You’re not, are you?”
Haeryeon narrowed her eyes. She’d assumed Hyunyul would refuse the recruitment offer from the Poison King. But given the way things were going, it was obvious what he was about to say.
“I am.”
“Hyunyul, this is the Black Eagle. We don’t take on jobs like that in the first place. If we need a separate investigation, the managers will handle it, not you. I want you to understand that there’s a reason we keep the two organizations strictly separate.”
From his words, Haeryeon realized that Hyunyul had been treated not as a person, but as a means to an end. That only made her more certain she couldn’t let him be used as a tool.
“Then are you planning to let the Poison King get away?”
“I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, Hyunyul, but I’m saying that I don’t see you as a tool. I’m not saying we’re giving up on the Poison King.”
Haeryeon made herself clear.
But Hyunyul didn’t believe her. He’d heard those same words countless times at his previous company. He simply couldn’t understand it. He’d agreed to expose the villains inside the Black Eagle, so why was the Poison King any different?
‘Either way, they’d be using me just the same—whether it’s that job or the Poison King.’
He’d made the proposal knowing that the Black Eagle couldn’t afford to give up on the Poison King. But seeing Haeryeon’s firm expression, what could he do?
‘I’ll have to back down this time.’
No one wanted to play the villain.
Only actual villains did it without hesitation. Haeryeon was the team leader of the Black Eagle, after all. She must have had her reasons.
“I understand your position, Team Leader.”
“Hyunyul, it’s not about understanding. This is dangerous.”
“I know. But if I approach the Poison King, it’ll be easier to find out whether a villain has infiltrated the Black Eagle. And if we catch the Poison King, won’t we save countless lives?”
‘No, how badly did his previous company work him over for him to be this serious about taking down villains?’
Haeryeon couldn’t help but hesitate.
Hyunyul had only been on the job for two days. He was still in his probationary period.
“They’re divided enough internally that we’re at the point of holding another vote. They won’t look kindly on you contacting the Poison King in the middle of all this.”
“I know they might think I’m a spy. If I get caught, that is.”
Hyunyul’s lips curled into a long smile.
“Hah.”
A dry laugh escaped Haeryeon. He meant that it would be fine as long as he didn’t get caught.
“So I should keep quiet?”
“I thought it was only a matter of time before they started trying to push me out. I’m in a bit of a hurry too. I don’t want to get fired from this place.”
‘He doesn’t have a tail, but he’s pretty crafty.’
Haeryeon suppressed a laugh. Should she call that guts?
Bzzzzing.
The smartwatches on Haeryeon and Hyunyul’s wrists buzzed at the same time.
Haeryeon let out a long breath. She’d been about to tell him they’d found the second location from the man they’d caught last time.
“What is it?”
Haeryeon answered the call.
<Somewhere in the city’s business district, “poison gas” is leaking. It’s highly toxic, so it’s difficult to get close. It’s spread to the surrounding shops as well. Please prepare an antidote as quickly as possible.>
“The poison’s spreading…?”
Hyunyul looked oddly pleased at the news.
‘Is this good timing or bad timing?’
Haeryeon couldn’t tell. Who did they have with poison resistance?
‘Maybe Na-yoon?’
Na-yoon was a sniper. Her rare eyes were what made that possible. Since she could provide support from a distance, she was somewhat safer from the poison.
“Send me a sample of the poison. I’ll make an antidote right away.”
<We’ve already sent it. It’ll arrive in five minutes.>
“Understood.”
Haeryeon furrowed her brow. Now it was her turn to act. She was an alchemist, after all.
“From the circumstances, I’d say the Poison King sent it.”
“Looks that way. The timing couldn’t be better.”
Haeryeon shrugged. Hyunyul continued:
“I’m immune to poison.”
“Wait, Hyunyul. There’s no need to rush into this.”
Haeryeon operated her smartwatch. She needed to ask the other teams about the situation.
“Hey, it’s me. Do you have anyone on your team with poison resistance right now…? Oh, they’re out on another assignment? Right, got it.”
Haeryeon pressed her lips together and contacted the other teams. But no matter how many times she called, she got the same answer.
‘Damn it. Why are we so short-staffed?’
Haeryeon let out another long breath.
“Hyunyul.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“Don’t go near the Poison King before we’ve reached a decision. And don’t do anything reckless. Don’t forget, you’re still on probation.”
Hyunyul looked at her as if he didn’t understand. Haeryeon patiently explained.
“I mean the mission is important, but you need to be careful. Understand?”
Hyunyul’s expression shifted in a peculiar way. He seemed unsure how to respond. Realizing they were somehow talking past each other, Haeryeon offered the one thing she knew would get through to him.
“You won’t get fired over this. Absolutely not.”
“Understood. I’ll handle it that way.”
Did he really understand? Hyunyul answered with a bright smile, but something about it made Haeryeon uneasy. It was far too cheerful for him.
**
Haeryeon had said he wouldn’t get fired as long as he didn’t do anything reckless. He was rather pleased to have a clear condition.
‘That’s what I’m best at.’
He was efficient, but he didn’t take unnecessary risks. It was essential if he wanted to live a long life.
“Now I just have to get used to this place…”
Honestly, this company felt so different from the ones he’d worked at before that it was hard to adjust. Even considering he’d only been there two days, there was a steep hill to climb.
Sometimes people made things difficult when they could have handled them efficiently. He didn’t understand why they were so close to one another when they were going to part ways eventually. Even the unfamiliar policy of a probationary period struck him as strange.
‘…No, that’s not right. I must have known about this before.’
He knew he’d once been someone who understood these things, but after all the experiments and drugs he’d been subjected to, most of his memories were gone. He also knew his way of thinking had become strangely twisted.
He was still undergoing rehabilitation at the hospital, and medication was keeping some of his symptoms under control.
Yesterday, hoping to make the world feel less alien, he’d bought a book called 101 Ways to Get Along at Work.
Hyunyul checked the time.
12:32 p.m.
Na-yoon had taken a while to get ready, packing all sorts of things before they set off.
“…Are you listening?”
At Na-yoon’s words, which had been drilling into his ears, Hyunyul finally came to and nodded.
“I’m good at shooting up close, but I’m good from far away, too.”
Na-yoon was carrying a bag bigger than she was with ease. It looked even heavier than Hyunyul’s, since it was packed with ammunition and weapons. But she said it was fine because it had a weight-reduction enchantment.
“If it weren’t for the poison, I could’ve shown you what I can do. What a shame!”
“Then show me next time.”
“Do you really want to go on a mission with me next time? I do go with other teams sometimes, but people don’t seem to want to go with me. I don’t know why.”
Hyunyul knew the reason right away.
Na-yoon talked too much.
After they’d traveled by eagle, they kept walking while he listened to her chatter. He’d never once seen her take a break from talking. When they reached a convenience store, Hyunyul stopped.
“Put it on.”
“Huh? We’re not in the affected area yet.”
Na-yoon checked her smartwatch. They weren’t within the area the poison had reached.
“It’s spread.”
At that, Na-yoon immediately put on a gas mask. Hyunyul did the same. He was immune to poison, but Shin-woo had suggested that it might be better to wear one to avoid drawing attention.
It was a good idea.
“Then I’ll head up to the roof of that building over there.”
Reaching the area where the poison had spread meant the mission was starting. Na-yoon pointed to a nearby tall building.
“There probably won’t be anyone alive, but if you find someone, contact me. I’ll join you right away.”
“Understood.”
Hyunyul answered and walked into the city.
“…Hah.”
He let out a long breath. He almost felt liberated. He hadn’t done anything yet, and he was already tired.
Hyunyul steadied his gaze, which threatened to go blurry, and looked around.
Normally, he would have expected a colorless, odorless poison, but this one was thick as fog. He used the map on his smartwatch to survey the area. It projected above the watch like a beam projector, making it easy to see.
He’d lost count of how many corpses he’d passed with faces turned black. The child in the stroller and the parents holding the child were all dead, their skin blackened.
The poison had spread across the whole area.
Hyunyul calmly listened for sounds as he walked. How far had he gone?
There was something there, like a barrier.
Before touching it, he cautiously directed his gaze toward it.
There was someone inside.
He had no idea what they were doing in the area where the poison had spread. The mission briefing had been full of question marks, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
Among the many people there, one face stood out as strangely familiar.
‘…Where have I seen him before?’
Hyunyul thought for a moment.
—Ah, good work. You can go now. I need to talk to the guest.
He remembered the man who had looked at him when Shin Dae-ho said those words.
“Ah.”
Hyunyul held back a smile.
‘I remember now.’